影响外国文学家 一生的清朝散文

我的祖父出生在宁波，曾祖父在浙江做传教士。曾祖父很长寿，在我还是小孩子的时候，他依然在世，所以我一直记得他。他有雪白的头发，面容苍老，房间里有很多来自中国的东西：对联、水墨画、中文书，以及他的护照，这些都对当时只有 4 岁的我产生了潜移默化的影响。我现在还留着他的护照，那是清朝发给他的，护照上他的中文名和我的是一样的。

周思，澳大利亚著名作家，他著有七部小说和两部短篇故事集, 他多次造访中国, 曾任澳大利亚驻华文化参赞，对中国作家与文学保持了密切的关注。小说《红线》即根据《浮生六记》所创作。对周思的访谈：《讲一个富有想象力的故事至关重要》收录在《单读 14：澳大利亚文学特辑》中。

20 年后，我在牛津读英语文学博士。一个朋友给我推荐了《浮生六记》，是林语堂翻译的英文版本，我非常喜欢，从那以后对中国和中国文化产生了兴趣。

《浮生六记》

沈复 著

林语堂 译

外语教学与研究出版社 出版

80 年代末，我来北京工作，看了这本书的中文版本，它再一次给我留下了深刻的印象。同一时间，我探访了浙江临海，我祖父出生的地方；两年前我又去了一次临海，和当地人交谈，发现祖父出生的那所房子还在那里，这是一个“漫长”的联系。

也许这就是为什么我对当下的中国很感兴趣，但同时又一直能意识到在当下中国的背后还有一个很深远历史的原因。

《浮生六记》中文版书摘 

时有浙妓温冷香者，寓于吴，有咏柳絮四律，沸传吴下，好事者多和之。余友吴江张闲憨素赏冷香，携柳絮诗索和。芸微其人而置之，余技痒而和其韵，中有“触我春愁偏婉转，撩他离绪更缠绵”之句，芸甚击节。

明年乙卯秋八月五日，吾母将挈芸游虎丘，闲憨忽至曰：“余亦有虎丘之游，今日特邀君作探花使者。”因请吾母先行，期于虎丘半塘相晤，拉余至冷香寓。见冷香已半老；有女名憨园，瓜期未破，亭亭玉立，真“一泓秋水照人寒”者也，款接间，颇知文墨；有妹文园，尚雏。余此时初无痴想，且念一杯之叙，非寒士所能酬，而既入个中，私心忐忑，强为酬答。因私谓闲憨曰：“余贫士也，子以尤物玩我乎？”闲憨笑曰：“非也，今日有友人邀憨园答我，席主为尊客拉去，我代客转邀客，毋烦倾他虑也。”余始释然。

至半塘，两舟相遇，令憨园过舟叩见吾母。芸、憨相见，欢同旧识，携手登山，备览名胜。芸独爱千顷云高旷，坐赏良久。返至野芳滨，畅饮甚欢，并舟而泊。及解维，芸谓众出：“子陪张君，留憨陪妾可乎？”余诺之。返棹至都中桥，始过船分袂。归家已三鼓，芸曰：“今日得见美丽韵者矣，顷已约憨园明日过我，当为于图之。”余骇曰：“此非金屋不能贮，穷措大岂敢生此妄想哉？况我两人伉俪正笃，何必外求？”芸笑曰：“我自爱之，子姑待之。”

明午，憨果至。芸殷勤款接，缝中以猜枚赢吟输饮为令，终席无一罗致语。及憨园归，芸曰：“顷又与密约，十八日来此结为姊妹，子宜备牲牢以待。”笑指臂上翡翠钏曰：“若见此钏属于憨，事必谐矣，顷已吐意，未深结其心也。”余姑听之。十八日大雨，憨竟冒雨至。入室良久，始挽手出，见余有羞色，盖翡翠钏已在憨臂矣。焚香结盟后，拟再续前饮，适憨有石湖之游，即别去。芸欣然告余曰：“丽人已得，君何以谢媒耶？”余询其详，芸曰：“向之秘言，恐憨意另有所属也，顷探之无他，语之曰：‘妹知今日之意否？’憨曰：‘蒙夫人抬举，真蓬篙倚玉树也，但吾母望我奢，恐难自主耳，愿彼此缓图之。’脱钏上臂时，又语之曰：‘玉取其坚，且有团园不断之意，妹试笼之以为先兆。’憨曰：‘聚合之权总在夫人也。’即此观之，憨心已得，所难必者冷香耳，当再图之。”余笑曰：“卿将效笠翁之《怜香伴》耶？”芸曰：“然。”自此无日不谈憨园矣。

后憨为有力者夺去，不果。芸竟以之死。

《浮生六记》英文版书摘 

At this time there was a Chekiang sing-song girl by the name of Wen Lenghsiang, who was staying at Soochow. She had composed four poems on the Willow Catkins which were talked about all over the city, and many scholars wrote poems in reply, using the same rhyme words as her originals, as was the custom. There was a friend of mine, Chang Hsienhan of Wukiang, who was a good friend of Lenghsiang and brought her poems to me, asking us to write some in reply. Yün wasn't interested because she did not think much of her, but I was intrigued and composed one on the flying willow catkins which filled the air in May. Two lines which Yün liked very much were:

“They softly touch the spring sorrow in my bosom,

And gently stir the longings in her heart. ”

On the fifth day of the eighth moon in the following year, my mother was going to see Huch'iu with Yün, when Hsienhan suddenly appeared and said, "I am going to Huch'iu, too. Will you come along with me and see a beautiful sing-song girl?" I told my mother to go ahead and agreed to meet her at Pant'ang near Huch'iu. My friend then dragged me to Lenghsiang's place. I saw that Lenghsiang was already in her middle-age, but she had a girl by the name of Hanyüan, who was a very sweet young maiden, still in her teens. Her eyes looked "like an autumn lake that cooled one by its cold splendour." After talking with her for a while, I learnt that she knew very well how to read and write. There was also a younger sister of hers, by the name of Wenyüan, who was still a mere child.

I had then no thought of going about with a sing-song girl, fully realizing that, as a poor scholar, I could not afford to take part in the feast in such a place. But since I was there already, I tried to get along as best I could.

"Are you trying to seduce me?" I said to Hsienhan secretly.

"No," he replied, "someone had invited me today to a dinner in Hanyüan's place in return for a previous dinner. It happened that the host himself was invited by an important person, and I am acting in his place. Don't you worry!"

I felt then quite relieved. Arriving at Pant'ang, we met my mother's boat, and I asked Hanyüan to go over to her boat and meet her. When Yün and Han met each other, they instinctively took to each other like old friends, and later they went hand-in-hand all over the famous places on the hill. Yün was especially fond of a place called "A Thousand Acres of Clouds" for its loftiness, and she remained there for a long time, lost in admiration of the scenery. We returned to the Waterside of Rural Fragrance where we tied up the boats and had a jolly drinking party together.

When we started on our way home, Yün said, "Will you please go over to the other boat with your friend, while I share this one with Han?" We did as she suggested, and I did not return to my boat until we had passed the Tut'ing Bridge, where we parted from my friend and Hanyüan. It was midnight by the time we returned home.

"Now I have found a girl who has both beauty and charm," Yün said to me. "I have already asked Hanyüan to come and see us tomorrow, and I'll arrange it for you." I was taken by surprise.

"You know we are not a wealthy family. We can't afford to keep a girl like that, and we are so happily married. Why do you want to find somebody else?"

"But I love her," said Yün smilingly. "You just leave it to me. "

The following afternoon, Hanyüan actually came. Yün was very cordial to her and prepared a feast, and we played the finger-guessing game and drank, but during the whole dinner, not a word was mentioned about securing her for me. When Hanyüan had gone, Yün said, "I have secretly made another appointment with her to come on the eighteenth, when we will pledge ourselves as sisters. You must prepare as a crificial offering for the occasion"; and pointing to the emerald bracelet on her arm, she continued, "if you see this bracelet appear on Hanyüan's arm, you'Il understand that she has consented. I have already hinted at it to her, but we haven't got to know each other as thoroughly as I should like to yet." I had to let her have her own way.

On the eighteenth, Hanyüan turned up inspite of a pouring rain. She disappeared in the bedroom for a long time before she came out hand-in-hand with Yün. When she saw me, she felt a little shy, for the bracelet was already on her arm. After they had burnt incense and pledged an oath, Yün wanted to have another drink together with her that day. But it happened that Hanyüan had an engagement to go and visit she Shih-hu Lake, and soon she left.

Yün came to me all smiles and said, "Now that I have found a beauty for you, how are you going to reward the go-between?" I asked her for the details.

"I had to broach the topic delicately to her," she said, "because I was afraid that she might have someone else in mind. Now I have learnt that there isn't anyone, and I asked her, 'Do you understand why we have this pledge today? ' 'I should feel greatly honoured if I could come to your home, but my mother is expecting a lot of me and I can't decide by myself. We will watch and see,' she replied. As I was putting on the bracelet, I told her again, 'The jade is chosen for its hardness as a token of fidelity and the bracelet' s roundness is a symbol of everlasting faithfulness. Meanwhile, please put it on as a token of our pledge. She replied that everything depends on me. Soit seems that she is willing herself. The only difficulty is her mother, Lenghsiang. We will wait and see how it turns out."

"Are you going to enact the comedy Linhsiangpan of Li Liweng right in our home?"

"Yes!" Yün replied.

From that time on, not a day passed without her mentioning Hanyüan's name. Eventually Hanyüan was married by force to some influential person, and our arrangements did not come off. And Yün actually died of grief on this account.

图片来自谭凤嬛为《浮生六记》所画配图

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