Pekinese Rhymes/25
XXV
小五兒
小六兒
一塊水糖
一包豆兒
小五兒愛上高
一爬爬到柳樹稍
柳樹稍枝兒軟
摔的小五兒翻了*
小六兒*淘氣
戴上*子唱出戲
唱完了戲
唱熱湯
湯不凉
- 的小六兒*親娘
直戲
翳
唱 唱變
NOTES
Chinese children are given by their parents a 奶名 nai',' ming ；'， "milk-name" by which they are designated in the family. These milk names are numberless. A common habit in the family is to give the new born children only a number for milk name, by which number the child is called four or five, if it is the fourth or fifth son in the family. The common forms for these arithmetical names are such： A first born may be called ~ - 子 i'-tzu, ( the form is not much used ； the accent falls on the i' ). The second son may be called 二 哥 eur'* ko'， or 小 ~ "兒 hsiao3 i' ，r. The third son may be called 三 兒 san' ，r， the fourth 四 兒 ssu^ ，"， the fifth 五 兒 'r， the sixth 六 兒 liou4 'r， and so forth as far as ten. These milk names are also given to children independently of their order in the family and become like our christian names Charles, John and so forth. 水 糖 ping" fang-, white sugar in pieces sold on the streets to children. ^ 包豆兒 i' pao' tou'* 'r, a parcel of roasted beans, another delicacy for children. 翻 目氏 fan' yen^, to turn up the eyes, like a man who loses his senses and shows the white of his eyes. 満 氣 t'ao--ch'i'% impertinent, saucy. 戴上 翁子 tai' shang' hu- tzti, to put on a false beard as actors do in theaters.
TRANSLATION
The small Five ― and the small Six ― with a piece of white sugar ― and a parcel of beans ― the small Five likes to go high up ― and he climbs up to the tip of the branch of the willow tree ― the tip of the willow branch is weak ― and the small Five tumbles down and hurts himself so that he shows the white of his eyes. ― The small Six is really impertinent ― he puts on a false beard and sings an act of an opera ― when he has finished singing the opera, ― he drinks hot broth ― the broth is not cool ― and the small Six scalds himself so that he calls for his mother.