刘焉然其说，随即出榜招募义兵。榜文行到涿县，引出涿县中一个英雄。那人不甚好读书；性宽和，寡言语，喜怒不言于色；素有大志，专好结交天下豪杰；生得身长七尺五寸，两耳垂肩，双手过膝，目能自顾其耳，面如冠玉，唇如涂脂；中山靖王刘胜之后，汉景帝阁下玄孙：姓刘，名备，字玄德。昔刘胜之子刘贞，汉武时封涿鹿亭侯，后坐酌金失侯，因此遗这一支在涿县。

      玄德祖刘雄，父刘弘。弘曾举孝廉，亦尝作吏，早丧。玄德孤幼，事母至孝；家贫，贩屦织席为业。家住本县楼桑村。其家之东南，有一大桑树，高五丈馀，遥望之，童童如车盖。相者云：“此家必出贵人。”

      玄德幼时，与乡中小儿戏于树下，曰：“我为天子，当乘此车盖。”叔父刘元起奇其言，曰：“此儿非常人也！”因见玄德家贫，常资给之。年十五岁，母使游学，尝师事郑玄、卢植，与公孙瓒等为友。及刘焉发榜招军时，玄德年已二十八岁矣。

      当日见了榜文，慨然长叹。随后一人厉声言曰：“大丈夫不与国家出力，何故长叹？”玄德回视其人：身长八尺，豹头环眼，燕颔虎须，声若巨雷，势如奔马。玄德见他形貌异常，问其姓名。其人曰：“某姓张，名飞，字翼德。世居涿郡，颇有庄田，卖酒屠猪，专好结交天下豪杰。恰才见公看榜而叹，故此相问。”玄德曰：“我本汉室宗亲，姓刘，名备。今闻黄巾倡乱，有志欲破贼安民；恨力不能，故长叹耳。”飞曰：“吾颇有资财，当招募乡勇，与公同举大事，如何？”玄德甚喜，遂与同入村店中饮酒。正饮间，见一大汉，推著一辆车子，到店门首歇了；入店坐下，便唤酒保：“快斟酒来吃，我待赶入城去投军。”玄德看其人：身长九尺，髯长二尺；面如重枣，唇如涂脂；丹凤眼，卧蚕眉：相貌堂堂，威风凛凛。玄德就邀他同坐，叩其姓名。其人曰：“吾姓关，名羽，字长生，后改云长，河东解良人也。因本处势豪，倚势凌人，被吾杀了；逃难江湖，五六年矣。今闻此处招军破贼，特来应募。”玄德遂以己志告之。云长大喜。同到张飞庄上，共议大事。

      飞曰：“吾庄后有一桃园，花开正盛；明日当于园中祭告天地，我三人结为兄弟，协力同心，然后可图大事。”玄德、云长齐声应曰：“如此甚好。”次日，于桃园中，备下乌牛白马祭礼等项，三人焚香再拜而说誓曰：“念刘备、关羽、张飞，虽然异姓，既结为兄弟，则同心协力，救困扶危；上报国家，下安黎庶；不求同年同月同日生，只愿同年同月同日死。皇天后土，实鉴此心。背义忘恩，天人共戮！”誓毕，拜玄德为兄，关羽次之，张飞为弟。祭罢天地，复宰牛设酒，聚乡中勇士，得三百馀人，就桃园中痛饮一醉。来日收拾军器，但恨无马匹可乘。正思虑间，人报有两个客人，引一伙伴儅，赶一群马，投庄上来。玄德曰：“此天佑我也！”

作者：刘希  上海外国语大学

Liu Yan agreed and issued written proclamations to recruit an army of volunteers. One of them was posted up in Zhuo County, where one man, a true hero, saw it.

Though endowed with no studiousness, this man was by nature a good man: liberal, amiable, reserved, and modest, with emotions never shown on his countenance. He also cherished a yearning for higher enterprises and was always eager to befriend the worthiest spirits of the empire. He was a man of tall stature, with arms reaching down below his knees. He had elongated earlobes, and his eyes were so wide apart that he was able to see his ears. His complexion was as flawless as jade, while his lips were bright-red like dabs of rouge.

His name was Liu Bei, styled Xuande, a descendant of Liu Sheng, Prince Jing of Zhongshan, whose father was Emperor Jing of the West Han Dynasty. Generations before, during the reign of Emperor Wu, Sheng’s son, Zhen, was made lord of this county. However, the title was later forfeited for Zhen’s failing to make a satisfactory offering at the Emperor’s ancestral libation. Thus, that branch of the imperial house was left to survive in this place. Xuande’s grandfather was Liu Xiong, and his father was Liu Hong. Noted for his filial devotion and personal integrity, Hong was promoted to hold a local office but unfortunately died young, leaving his wife and son in poverty. Orphaned, Xuande served his widowed mother with unstinting filial piety and gained his living by waving and selling straw sandals and mats.

Xuande lived in the county hamlet named Two-Story Mulberry after a colossal mulberry tree of some fifty-five feet southeast of his home, which looked like a canopy for an imperial carriage from afar. Regarding the luxuriance of the tree’s foliage, a fortune-teller once foretold that a man of regal significance would emerge from this family.

One day, while playing with other country boys beneath the tree, young Xuande declared, “When I am the Son of Heaven, my carriage will have a canopy like this.” Impressed by these words, his uncle Liu Yuanqi recognized that Xuande was no ordinary child and often supported the family to eliminate the state of want. At the age of fifteen, Xuande’s mother sent him to travel for his education. During those years, he served Zheng Xuan and Lu Zhi as masters and became friends with celebrities like Gongsun Zan.

When Xuande read the proclamation issued by Governor Liu, however, he was already twenty-eight now. A deep sigh had just been heaved by Xuande before a gruff voice behind him abruptly burst out, “Why such sighs? A true man should surely serve the emperor at times of such danger instead of sighing.”

Turning around, Xuande found a man even taller than himself — a vigorous man with a forehead flattened like that of a panther and round eyes bigger than bells. His jowls were as heavy as a swallow’s; his whiskers were as stiff as a tiger’s. He had a booming voice and an imposing manner as powerful as a galloping steed.

“Who are you?” impressed by the man’s unusual appearance, Xuande asked.

“My name,” he said, “is Zhang Fei, styled Yide. My family has lived here for generations. We own a sizable area of land, selling wine and butchering pigs. I seek to befriend men of bold spirit. Your sighs as you read the recruitment drew me toward you.”

“Actually,” Xuande replied, “I am of the Imperial Family, and my name is Liu Bei. The country is now in great danger, and how I wish I could help wipe out these Yellow Headband rebels and bring peace to the people, but alas! I am so helpless.”

“I have the means,” said Zhang Fei. “Suppose you and I called together some troops and tried what we could do for the cause. What do you say to that?”

Xuande was so exhilarated by the news, and the two betook themselves to a tavern to talk over the matter. While drinking, they noticed a strong man pushing a wheelbarrow toward the tavern’s gate. He then came in and sat by a table, demanding some wine.

“Be quick!” He yelled. “I’m off to volunteer.”

Out of great interest, Xuande studied the man: he had an outstanding large frame, with a two-foot beard flowing from his crimson cheeks. His deep red lips glistened. While his eyes were phoenix-like in their slant, his eyebrows resembled silkworms in a nest. For his dignified appearance and stately bearing, Xuande invited him to join them at their table and asked who he was.

“My name is Guan Yu; my style, Changsheng, was later changed to Yunchang. I’m from Hailiang in Hedong County,” said the man. “However, I had to leave there because I killed a local bully who had pulled rank on the neighbors. I’ve been on the run for more than five years now. And after I heard about the call to arms, I decided to offer myself to join up.” Xuande then told Guan Yu about his ambitions, which greatly elated him. Together the three left the tavern and went to Zhang Fei’s farm to discuss their grand undertaking.

When they arrived, Zhang Fei told them there was a peach orchard behind the house.

“The flowers are now in full bloom,” he said. “Tomorrow, let us institute a sacrifice there and swear brotherhood to Heaven and Earth so we can fight side by side to fulfil our destiny.” 

“So be it!” the other two agreed as if with one voice.

The following day the three set up an altar in the peach orchard and prepared offerings, including a black bull and a white horse. Then amid the smoke from the incense, they performed their ritual prostration and made their vow.

“We, Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei,

Though of separate families,

We vow to stand by each other

And be blood brothers for ever.

When we’re in trouble, we’ll be there for each other,

When we’re in danger, we’ll rescue each other,

So let us be united to serve the country and save the people!

Though we do not share the same day of birth,

On the same day of the month in the same year,

May we die!

We pray that Heaven, the all-powerful above,

And the Earth, the ever-bountiful below

Will hear this plea from our hearts.

If we fail to do what is righteous,

If we fail to do what is gracious,

Then may Heaven and the people smite us!”

After making their vow, Xuande henceforth became the eldest brother, Guan Yu the second, and Zhang Fei the third. Then they cooked the meat and shared out the wine to feast the three hundred warriors they had recruited. All of them drank to their hearts’ content that day.  

The following day weapons were gathered, but no horses were available for riding. While the three brothers were pondering over this matter, two newcomers with a herd of horses just arrived at Zhang Fei’s farm, which greatly exhilarated Xuande.

“Heaven must be with us!” cried he.

 written as “靖” in chinese

 written as “景” in chinese

 the sixth emperor of the West Han Dynasty

 the seventh emperor of the West Han Dynasty

译文基本忠实完成地表达了原文内容，语言较为流畅简洁，排版上略作调整易于区别对话和誓词，译者还通过注释补充了必要的文化背景知识，体现了良好的读者意识。不过在时态方面，译文尚需进一步改进，如“When I am the Son of Heaven, my carriage will have a canopy like this.”“however, he was already twenty-eight now”等处。