第四篇 南方園林
　　中國園林可分為御花園和私家花園兩類。前者都見于北方，后者則多見于南方，尤以蘇州、無錫和南京三地為甚。
　　Chinese gardens can be divided into two categories, the imperial and the private. The former are seen most frequently in northern China, while more of the latter can be found in the south, especially in Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing.
　　南方私家花園中的溪、橋、山、亭、小巧玲瓏，布局精明，盡顯其自然美，令人賞心悅目。橋大多為石橋，有直橋、曲橋、拱橋。直橋其實是一塊不加裝飾的石板，通常與河岸或河水齊高，給人一種臨水的感覺。曲橋設有低欄桿，西湖上的九曲橋就屬此橋。拱橋可以分為單拱橋和多拱橋兩種。園內的小溪雖占地不多，卻同小橋與石嶼相得益彰，渾然一體。
　　Small and delicate, cleverly laid out and pleasing to eye, the streams, bridges, rockeries and pavilion of a private Chinese garden reveal a natural beauty of their own. Most of the bridges in these gardens are of stone, including straight, winding and arched bridges. The straight bridge consists of just one stone slab without any decoration, and is usually level with the riverbank or with the river to make the visitors feel as if they are surrounded by water. The winding bridge has low balustrades. The arch bridges can be divided into the single-arch and the multi-arch varieties. Streams in these gardens do not cover a large area, but fit in well with bridges and islets to yield a uniformed effect.
　　石頭與假山是中國南方園林的特色。奇形怪狀的石頭常帶有引人注目的波紋線條和水孔。碩大的石頭可自成一景，而較小的石塊則堆積成假山，為園林增添無比魅力。走廊是中國園林的另一大特色，有河邊的河廊，花叢中的花廊，柳樹叢中的柳廊，竹林中的竹廊。對客人來說，這些走廊可謂是優秀導游，在一座大花園里沿廊而行，可以觀賞園內的各處景觀。
　　Rocks and rockeries are special features of southern Chinese gardens. Stones of grotesque forms are often attractive with undulated lines and water holes. Some large stones form sceneries of their own, while smaller ones are put together to form artificial hills to add to the fantastic attractiveness of the garden. Corridors form another feature of Chinese gardens. There are water corridors built along a riverside, flower corridors inserted among flowers, willow corridors among rows of willow, and bamboo corridors among rows of bamboo. For visitors, these corridors are good travel guides leading to various views of a big garden.
　　形態各異的窗戶點綴在走廊上，有方形，有圓形，有六角形，也有八角形。許多窗戶的圖案也都裝飾得非常美麗，游客可以透過這些艷麗多彩的走廊窗戶，將園內的佳境盡收眼底。園林的大門同窗戶一樣也雕刻成各種形狀，給環境帶來了生氣，增添了雅趣。
　　Corridors are dotted by windows of various shapes—square, round, hexagonal and octagonal. Many of the windows are decorated with very beautiful patterns and designs. Tourists can have an excellent view of the garden through these colorful corridor windows. The doors to the gardens, like the windows, are also carved in many different shapes, to bring more vividness and elegance to the surroundings.
　　花園的墻壁通常粉刷成白色。隱匿在鮮花、樹木、小山叢中的白墻，與灰瓦褐窗形成強烈的反差。白墻上樹影婆娑，池塘中柳枝起舞，在園中徜徉的游客，也許能在這室外桃園里真正地享受片刻安寧。
　　Walls of these gardens are usually painted white. Hidden among the flowers, trees and hills, white walls stand in sharp contrast to the gray tiles and brown windows. Strolling about these gardens, with the tree shadows swaying on the white wall and willow reflections dancing in the ponds, tourists may then find themselves truly enjoying a moment of peace and relaxation in this paradise beyond the turmoil of the world.