Reading China's Classical American Literature Manuscripts

Random talk on feilengcui mountain villa

Author: Xu Zhimo

Xu Zhimo (1896— 193 1), a poet, was born in Haining, Zhejiang. He is the author of poetry anthology "Zhi Mo Shi", "Tiger", prose anthology "Fallen Leaves", "Paris Scales" and short story anthology "Roulette".

Going out for a walk, going up or down the mountain here, on a sunny May evening, is like going to a beautiful banquet, such as going to an orchard, where every tree is full of the most elegant fruits of poetry. If you are not satisfied with just standing and watching, just reach out and take it away, and you can taste it at will, which is enough to intoxicate your soul. Sunshine is only warm, but never warm; The smell of the wind is gentle, and often because it blows from the forest with flowers, it brings a distant fragrance, which is connected with the smell of moist water vapor, rubbing your face and gently surrounding your shoulders and waist, so this simple breathing is endless pleasure; The air is always clear, there is no smoke near the valley, and there is no haze on the distant mountains. All the beautiful scenery is displayed in front of your eyes like a painting for you to enjoy in your spare time.

The advantage of being a guest in the mountains is that you never have to hesitate about your clothes and posture; You might as well shake your head or indulge the moss on your cheeks; Wear whatever you like; Play the role of shepherd boy, fisherman, farmer, tramp and Orion; You don't have to worry about tidying your bow tie. Not wearing a bow tie can give your neck root and chest half a day's freedom. You can wrap a long colorful towel around your head and learn the Egyptian posture of the leader of Taiping Army or Byron. But the most important thing is to put on your oldest old shoes, no matter how bad they look. They are lovely friends. They carry your weight, but they don't remind you that you still have a pair of feet under you.

It is best not to date a companion, but I think it is strictly forbidden to allow you to be single, because having a companion will always distract you, especially a young female companion, who is the most dangerous and authoritarian travel companion. You should avoid her like a beautiful flower snake in the grass! Usually, when we go from our own home to a friend's home or where we are deacons, we just move from one cell to another in the same prison. Bound will always follow us, and freedom will never find us; But in this beautiful mountain or country in spring and summer, if you have the opportunity to wander alone, that's when you are lucky, that's when you really receive, taste, be free and comfortable, and that's when your body and soul are in step; My friends, how old we are, we often just put chains on our heads and ankles. When we see children rolling in the grass and sand, playing in shallow water, or seeing cats chasing their tails, we don't envy them. But our cangue, our chain, will always be the boss who makes our actions! Therefore, only when you are single, go to the embrace of nature, and jump into the arms of your mother like a naked child, will you know what is the happiness of the soul, what is the happiness of a person's life, and what is the happiness of a person's walking. Therefore, you should be strict with yourself, extremely selfish, and only allow you, body and soul, to pulse with nature, to fluctuate with sound waves, and to be complacent in a magical universe. Our innocence is as delicate as mimosa. Once the companion resists, it rolls up, but in the quiet sunshine and breeze, the posture is natural and life is unimpeded.

When you roam alone, you will sometimes sit in the grass, sometimes lie on your back, and sometimes even roll, because the warm color of the grass naturally arouses your childish liveliness; On the quiet road, you can't help dancing, watching your figure change into various strange shapes, because the shadows on the roadside imply the joy of your dance in Xu's dance; You will also sing casually, and occasionally think of fragments of children's songs and your own casual ditties, because the warbler in the forest tells you that spring is worthy of praise; Needless to say, your heart will naturally follow the long mountain road, your heart will settle down looking at the clear blue sky, your thoughts will blend with the underwater sound between the ravines, and the spring water in the mountains will ring and sometimes clear; Sometimes it stirs up waves, flows into the cool olive grove and flows into the charming Arno River. ...

Moreover, such a parade does not require playmates or a book. Books are an ideal companion, but you should bring books, whether on the train or in the guest room of your residence, not when you are walking alone. What great, profound, inspiring, clear and beautiful ideas can't be found in the wind, clouds, rolling mountains and terrain, colors and fragrance of flowers and plants? Goethe said: Nature is the greatest book. In every page of his words, we read the most profound news. And everyone understands what is said in this book. The Alps and five old peaks, Sicily and Putuo Mountain, Rhine and Yangtze River, Limeng Lake and Xizi Lake, gladiolus and Qionghua, deer snow in Hangzhou West Lake and red tide at sunset in Venice, larks and nightingales, not to mention generally purple-yellow wheat and generally yellow wisteria-green grass, all grow on the earth and fluctuate in the breeze-they use the symbol forever. As long as you have no mental scars, your eyes are not blind, and your ears are not plugged, this intangible highest education will be your birthright, and this most precious tonic will always be used by you. As long as you know this book, you will not be lonely when you are lonely in this world, poor when you are poor, comforted when you are distressed, encouraged when you are frustrated, supervised when you are weak, and stuck when you are lost.

Cambridge as I Know It (Excerpt)

Author: Xu Zhimo

( 1)

The spirituality of Cambridge lies in a river; I dare say that He Kang is the most beautiful water in the world. The name of this river is Granta, and there is also a Kan River. There may be a difference between bunk beds, but I don't know. There are many twists and turns in the river, and the upstream is the famous Byron Lake-"Byron? Swimming pool "-Byron used to play there; There is an old village called Gransted, and there is an orchard. You can drink tea in the shade of many peaches and plums. Flowers and fruits will fall into your teacup, and little birds will peck at your table. This is a world of difference. This is upstream; Downstream comes down from chesterton, and the river spreads out, which is the place for boating competitions in spring and summer. There is a dam at the boundary between upstream and downstream, and the water is very urgent. Listening to the sound of running water under the starlight, listening to the bells near the village, listening to the sounds of tired cows and grass by the river, this is the most mysterious thing in my Cambridge experience: the beauty and tranquility of nature, in the tacit understanding of starlight and waves, unexpectedly drowned your soul.

But the essence of He Kang lies in its middle strength, the famous "back", which is the building of several most famous colleges on both sides. Is that pembroke of St. Catherine coming down from above? S, Kim? S, Claire, Trinity, St. John? The most unforgettable part of S is the junction of Calea and Wang Family College, and the beauty of Calea is next to Wang Family Church (Wang? The grandeur of s chapel). There are more beautiful and solemn buildings in other places, such as the Louvre on the Seine in Paris, the banks of Rialdo Bridge in Venice, and the emerald-colored Cui Weiwei Bridge. However, the "back" of Cambridge has its particularity, which cannot be easily summarized in one or two sentences. Its beautiful and elegant artistic conception can be said to be beyond painting and transformed into the charm of music. Nothing is more harmonious and symmetrical than this group of buildings! On painting, only Connor's field can be compared; On music, only Chopin's Serenade can match it. Even this can't give you a vague impression. The beauty it gives you is simply a kind of spirituality.

If you stand in the shade of a big tree next to the Wangs College and look out, there is a large shallow lawn on the right, which is our alumni building. It is not early, but its charm is undeniable. Its pale stone wall is full of colorful roses in spring and summer, swaying in the breeze, and then the church is on the left. A forest-like pavilion cannot always point to the sky; On the left is Calea. Ah! That incredibly exquisite square court, who said that this is not the incarnation of St. Clare, and which stone does not shine with her holy spirit? On the back of Calea, the most expensive and luxurious Trinity College in Cambridge, an amazing Byron statue sits on the library building by the river.

But at this moment, your attention has already been captured by Calea's three-ring tunnel bridge like magic. Have you ever seen the West Cold Broken Bridge on the Bai Causeway of the West Lake (unfortunately, they have already been trampled down by the automobile company representing the ugly spirit of modern times, and now they have left this world forever with the desolate Leifeng)? You can't forget the mottled moss on the bridge, the antique wooden fence and the lakes and mountains leaking under the arch of the bridge, can you? Calea doesn't have such a decent canopy, and it's no better than Guanyin Bridge next to the Seven Immortals Temple in Lushan Mountain, with a bird's eye view of Wulaofeng and Shentan Waterfall. It's just a small bridge with a three-ring hole, and the mouth of the bridge is only covered with fine waves and swaying shadows. The rows of small holes on the bridge and the white stone balls on the top of the diaphragm section are just exaggerated decorations such as herbs and wild flowers on the head of the village girl. But you look intently, more intently, and then you reflect on your state of mind to see if there is any vulgar thought. As long as your aesthetic instinct is immortal, this is your chance to realize pure beauty and magic!

But you still have to choose the time to enjoy it. The weather and climate in Britain are extremely bad. Winter is ridiculously bad. When it is foggy and blind, you must be willing to go to hell itself without hesitation. Spring (there is almost no summer in Britain) is even more ridiculous and lovely, especially its warmest and most gorgeous dusk in April and May, which is really gold. A night by the He Kang River is a tonic for the soul. Ah! At that time, I was very sweet, alone, very sweet and carefree. Night after night, I saw myself leaning on the railing of the bridge and staring at the western sky:-

Look at the quiet bridge shadow once,

Count the fine ripples of the spiral;

I warmed the moss on the diaphragm,

Moss cools my heart; ……

There are several complicated scenes, how can they be as delicate as hairspring:

Unforgettable July dusk, the trees in the distance are very quiet,

Like a splash-ink mountain, lined with soft colors:

Dense, seven points goose yellow, three points orange green,

That wonderful meaning can only be captured on the edge of Qiu Meng; ……

(2)

On both sides of the river are the most lush lawns that are evergreen all the year round. From the upstairs where the alumni live, there are always more than a dozen oxen and white horses on the grassland on the other side, whether in the morning or in the evening. Their calves and hooves are not in the weeds, and they chew leisurely. The yellow flowers of the stars are turbulent in the wind, so they should be brushed with tail bristles. The two ends of the bridge are protected by sloping weeping willows and shadows. The water is completely clear, less than four feet deep, and long strips of aquatic plants are evenly distributed. The lawn on the shore is my pet. In the Qing Dynasty, in the evening, I often went to sit on this natural brocade, sometimes reading and sometimes watching the water. Sometimes I lie on my back and look at the clouds in the sky, and sometimes I snuggle up to the tenderness of the earth.

But the wind on the river is far more than the beauty on both sides. You have to buy a boat to play. There are more than one kind of boats: ordinary sculls, light canoes, and the most chic gondolas. The last one is not common in other places: it is about 20 feet long and 3 feet wide. You stand straight at the stern and walk with a long pole. This support is a technology. I am too stupid to learn. On the first attempt, it was easy to paddle the boat in the river and bump it around. English people don't laugh easily, but be careful of their silent frown! I don't know how many times the original leisurely order in the river has been disturbed by my reckless layman. I really haven't learned it; Every time I rent a boat and try again, a white-bearded boatman often sarcastically says to me, "Sir, it's so hard to punt, and it's so hot and tired. Let's go for a walk in a canoe! " I didn't listen, but the long pole pulled the boat away little by little, and as a result, I cut off several sections of the river!

How effortless and beautiful it is to stand on the bridge and watch others hold it! Especially on Sunday, there are several expert girls, wearing white mourning clothes, skirts fluttering in front of the wind, wearing wide-brimmed tulle hats, and their shadows shaking among the water plants. Look at the posture when they leave bridge opening. They twist up a long pole without weight, and only squat slightly, inadvertently, and the hull will float out of the bridge. Their agility, leisure and lightness are really worth singing.

In early summer, when the sun is getting warmer, you can buy a boat, paddle off the bridge, lie in the shade, read your book or dream, the fragrance of Sophora japonica floats on the water, and the sound of fish teases in your ear. Or in the early autumn dusk, facing the cold light of the new moon, looking at the secluded place of the upper class. Lively teenagers, with their girlfriends, are holding a pair of oriental colored paper lamps by the boat, carrying chatterboxes and cushions in the boat's heart, and are also sailing to places where no one is there, enjoying their wild happiness-who doesn't like to listen to underwater music depicting dreams and spring scenery on the quiet river!

People who are used to city life are not easy to know the changes of seasons. When you see the leaves fall, you know it's autumn, when you see the leaves turn green, you know it's spring; Install the stove when it is cold, and dismantle it when it is hot; Take off the cotton robe, put on the double robe, take off the double robe and put on the single robe: that's it. The news of the stars in the sky, the news of the underground soil and the news of the wind blowing in the air are none of our business. Busy, there are so many things, who has the patience to bear the transfer of stars, the rise and fall of flowers and plants, and the changes in the situation? At the same time, we complain about our life, pain, boredom, bondage and boredom. Who will admit that being a man is happy? Who doesn't curse life?

But the dissatisfied life is mostly because of self-help. I am a believer in life, and I believe that life is never as gloomy and miserable as most of us just push it from our own experiences. Our root cause is forgetfulness. People are born children, just as flowers and birds on branches are born children; But unfortunately, we are civilized people. Our entry into the WTO is as deep as a day, and we are as far away from nature as a day. Can you be happy without flowers and plants in the soil and fish in the water? Can you survive? From nature, we get our life; From nature, we should share our continuous support. Which swaying tree goes deep into endless secret places without a wrong root? We will never be independent. There are happy children who never leave their mothers, and healthy people who are always close to nature. You don't have to swim with deer, you don't have to go back to the "abode of fairies and immortals"; In order to cure the embarrassment of our current life, as long as we don't completely forget nature, there is hope that our symptoms will be alleviated. Roll a few times on the grass, take a bath in the sea, and go to the heights to see the sunrise and the evening scenery-the burden on your shoulders will be relaxed.

This is of course a very superficial truth. But if I hadn't lived in Cambridge, I wouldn't have such confidence. I have only spent that spring in my life, which is pitiful and has never been wasted. In that spring, my life was natural and I really enjoyed it! Although it happened to be the most painful period in my life. I had a lot of free time then. Have a plenty of freedom, have a plenty of opportunities for absolute separation. Strange to say, I seem to realize the brightness of the stars and the moon, the green grass, the hospitality of flowers and running water for the first time. Can I forget the arrogance of early spring? How many mornings, I braved the cold and walked alone in the frosty Woods-listening to birds singing, looking forward to the sunrise, looking for flowers waking up in the soil, and experiencing the most subtle and wonderful spring letter. Ah, that's the new thrush trying its new sound on the endless green branches over there! Ah, this is the first little snowball to earn semi-frozen soil! Ah, isn't this the new lonely wicker?

Very quiet, this water-soluble avenue, only the bell of the distant milk delivery car, dotted with the silence around here. Go along this avenue to the end, then turn into a path in the Woods and go to a smoky place. Overhead is the shade of elm trees, revealing the bleak dawn; Further on, through this forest, Yuan Ye is flat at present. You can see cottages and green wheat fields, and there are three or two buns-shaped hills in the distance to cover a passage. The horizon is foggy, and the sharp shadow is the temple near the village. Listen, Xiao Zhong's gentle voice. This area is the plain in the middle of this state, and the terrain is like light waves in the sea, which fluctuates greatly; Mountains are invisible, some are evergreen grasslands and fertile fields. Looking up at the mound, Cambridge is just a lush forest, supported by several pavilions, and the charming He Kanghe River is nowhere to be seen. You can only imagine first-class simplicity with the brocade-like trees. Cottage and Woods are the chess pieces of this website. There are huts with good shade and huts with good shade. This morning is the time to watch the kitchen smoke: the fog rises gradually, revealing a gray sky (preferably after dusk). From far and near the kitchen, the smoke is silky, continuous, rolling, light, late, thick gray, light blue and light, and gradually rises and disappears in the quiet vitality, as if it were someone who came to China. Chaoyang is rare, and the weather is early spring. But when it comes, getting up early is a great pleasure. In an instant, the color of the field deepened, and a layer of gauze-like gold powder covered the grass, trees, passages and farmhouses. For an instant, there was a thick morning tenderness around here. In an instant, your heart also moistened the glory of being born during the day. The clear sky of "spring" victory seems to whisper in your ear. "Spring" your happy soul seems to echo there.

……

Waiting for the scenery on the river, there is news every day this spring. Care about the moss marks on stones, the flowers in rotten grass, the rapidity of water, the growth of aquatic plants, the clouds in the sky and the new bird songs. The timid snowball is the messenger of Tanchun Letter. Lily of the valley and vanilla are the first joyful sounds. Gentle and graceful lotus, exquisite narcissus, lively Crook, hardworking dandelion and daisy-at this time, the spring has been brilliant in the world, and there is no need for diligent exploration.

Grand spring conference. This is the time for your outing. Lovely road administration, here is no better than China, where is it not an open avenue? Walking is fun, but riding a spinning bike is more fun. Cycling in Cambridge is a common skill; Women, children and old people all enjoy this pair of round dances (I heard in Cambridge that spinning wheels are not afraid of being stolen, so everyone has their own cars and no one wants to steal them). You can choose a direction, you can go to a passage, follow the breeze of the grass and let the wheels go far away. Keeping half a day's leisure is a tonic for the soul. There is plenty of shade and beautiful grass on this road, so you can rest anywhere. You love flowers. There are many splendid grasslands here. You like birds. There are many skilled songbirds here. If you love children, this country is full of amiable children. If you love human feelings, there are many villagers here who don't mind traveling. You can "hang the bill" for the night everywhere, with yogurt and tender potatoes for you to enjoy, and a dazzling array of fruits for you to taste fresh. If you like wine, there are new wines suitable for you everywhere in this country. If dark beer is too strong, cider and ginger wine will quench your thirst and moisten your lungs. ..... Take a book, walk ten miles, choose a quiet place, look at the sky, listen to birds, read books, and dream on the grass when you are tired-can you imagine a more suitable way to relax?

Lu Fangweng has a poem: "Call a swift horse to welcome the new moon, but enjoy the cool night." . This is the romance of being an official. Although I didn't ride a horse or sit in a sedan chair when I was in Cambridge, I also had my romantic life: I often rode my bike to catch up with Pingyang in the sky at sunset. I can't catch up with the sun. I don't have the absurdity of Kuafu, but I stole the tenderness of the evening scene. I have three or two painting-like experiences, which are still vivid in my mind. Just watching the sunset, we usually only know how to climb mountains or face the sea, but in fact we just need a vast sky, and the sunset glow on the flat ground is sometimes just as magical. Once I rushed to a place with a village fence in my hand and watched the changes in the western world through a wave of wheat. Once, a large flock of sheep came back from grazing on a wide road. The huge sun is shining on their backs with Hui Jin, but the sky is dark in You Lan, leaving only one road and a group of creatures in this incredible light! My heart suddenly felt the oppression of the opposite sex, and I really knelt down and faced the golden light of Ran Ran. This is another unforgettable miracle. It is close to the endless prairie, which is full of bright red poppies. On the grass, it is as elegant as ten thousand golden lamps. Sunlight shone obliquely from the brown clouds and became a strange purple, too transparent to stare at. Suddenly, in my dazzling vision, this meadow became ... don't mention it, you don't believe it!

It's been over two years, Cambridge. Who knows my homesickness? I don't want anything else I just want to be shaken by the late clock in the evening, the uncovered field, leaning on the soft grass alone and watching the first big star appear on the horizon!

Balance from Paris

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