Editor in China requesting help with translation of certain sentences in BotNS

Daniel Otto Jack Petersen · 16 Dec 2013, 19:58 · from 2013-December.txt.gz

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From: danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com (Daniel Otto Jack Petersen)
Date: Mon, 16 Dec 2013 19:58:08 +0000
Subject: (urth) Editor in China requesting help with translation of certain
 sentences in BotNS
Message-ID: <CAGB0RZ6KUi+Oc63mH18rnVWH33Rs4-iu+F7k42w8vCrf-uAMDA at mail.gmail.com>

Got this alert from the Goodreads Gene Wolfe group:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/1614149-help-some-details-in-the-shadow?utm_medium=email&utm_source=comment_instant#comment_88705259

"I am a SF editor & Wolfe fan in China, and we are trying to publish The
Book of New Sun in Chinese. I've done a lot of work in reading and
translation , yet there are still some sentences I can't understand. Hope I
can get some help here.

THE HOUSE AZURE
While I was undressing I said, ?Nevertheless, we all seek to discover what
is real. Why is it? Perhaps we are drawn to the theocenter. That?s what the
hierophants say,that only that is true.?

what does "theocenter" mean? I can't find this word in dictionary nor can I
google it. and what does the whole sentence mean?
--------------------------------------------
THE LAST YEAR
I carried them to her, and she said my beard had shot up like them, and I
should be bluer of cheek than the run of common men, and the next day
begged my pardon for it, saying I was that already.

what does "bluer of cheek"and " run of common men" mean here?
-----------------------------------------
DORCAS
?Your pardon, sieur,? he said. ?But I can?t come no nearer. Wet she may be,
but she gets too dry for me, or you couldn?t walk upon it.

Does "she" refer to the boat or Cas' body? what does the sentence mean?

------------------------------------------
THE PLAY
confirm the outcome of a love affair by putting the elector of one suit
atop the patroness of another

If the word suit refer to the some card game, then what does "elector"and
"patroness"mean?"

-- 
Daniel Otto Jack Petersen
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