宝玉惟将旧物表深情
《蒋勋说红楼梦》（173）
一、《红楼梦》的手帕是一种象征，有点像《长恨歌》里说的"惟将旧物表深情"。这个物本身粘连了两个人的情感，汗巾子也好，手帕也好，上面都有人的痕迹：人的体温、人的泪痕，都是对人的情感的记录。
1. The handkerchief in "Dream of the Red Chamber" serves as a symbol, somewhat like the line in "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow": "Only using an old object to express deep affection." The object itself carries the emotions of two people; whether it's a sweat scarf or a handkerchief, it bears human traces: body warmth, tear stains—all recording human emotions.
二、晴雯拿着手帕到潇湘馆去了，"只见春纤正在栏杆上晾手帕子"。你看作者厉害到什么程度，他根本不提黛玉在哭，只说丫头在那边晒手帕子。
2. Qingwen took the handkerchief to the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, "and saw Chunxian drying handkerchiefs on the railing." See how brilliant the author is—he never mentions Daiyu crying, only that a maid is drying handkerchiefs over there.
三、"缠绵"这是非常女性的字眼。两个字都是"纟"旁，古代女性经常刺绣、编织，线理不清楚的时候就是"缠绵"，感情也有理不清的时候。
p>3. "Tenderly attached" (缠绵) is a very feminine term. Both characters have the "silk" radical. In ancient times, women often embroidered and wove; when threads became tangled, it was called "缠绵"—just as emotions can also become entangled and hard to sort out.四、黛玉在手帕上写道："眼空蓄泪泪空垂，暗洒闲抛却为谁？尺幅鲛绡劳解赠，叫人焉得不伤悲！
4. Daiyu wrote on the handkerchief: "My eyes store tears in vain, in vain they fall; / For whom do I secretly shed these idle drops? / I am grateful for the gift of this foot of mermaid's silk; / How can it not stir my sorrow!"
五、"鲛"指美人鱼，传说"鲛人"会在月圆的晚上一直哭，直哭到眼泪变成一粒粒的珍珠；"绡"是白色素绢的手帕。这两句意思是劳驾你送我这样一块手帕，叫我怎么能不伤心！
5. "Mermaid" (鲛) refers to a mythical creature said to weep continuously on moonlit nights until its tears turn into pearls; "silk" (绡) means a plain white silk handkerchief. These two lines mean: You've troubled yourself to give me such a handkerchief—how could it not make me grieve!
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