英譯現(xiàn)代散文●散書偶感 ◎ 何為

散書偶感

Random Thoughts on Giving Away Books

◎　何為

◎　He Wei

乍一聽來，“散書”的說法很費解。那天京華老友在長話中說，他們有些上年紀的同行，正在散書或考慮散書。他就是其中的一個。原來“散書”之談，出自一位德高望重的世紀老人、前輩作家，大意謂少年是集書的時候，老年是散書的時候。是啊，人到老年，有些事不能不考慮該如何處理了。

The idea of giving away one's books sounds rather puzzling at first. The other day, my friend Jing Hua told me over the long-distance that some of his elderly colleagues were giving away or considering giving away the books they owned and that he himself was doing the same. The idea originated with a venerable old veteran writer, who said something to the effect that youth is the time for collecting books and old age for giving away books. Yes, getting on in years, one needs to ponder over the question of how to deal with certain things in life.

散書也是近年來我常常想到的問題。我的所謂藏書，實在并不足道，不過從幼時學(xué)文開始，數(shù)十年文學(xué)生涯中，相偕而來的書日益增多。現(xiàn)在只能將書刊雜亂地到處堆置，倘若集中起來，也是一個小小的書城。

In recent years, I, too, have often turned over in my mind the question of books though, in fact, my so-called private library is not worth mentioning. Nevertheless, it has kept accumulating in the scores of years of my literary career. Now, piled up in a jumble here and there in my house, they add up to quite a large number though.

那年我的工作調(diào)到福州，搬家最苦最累的是搬書。到福州數(shù)年，“文革”期間我的書幸而未遭劫，及至下放到偏僻的閩北山區(qū)，全部書籍都隨卡車裝去，那真是一種磨難。兩年后忽又調(diào)回省城，于是所有的書又裝車回到福州。長途漫漫，車上馱著沉重的書，山一程，水一程，書上沾著山野的露水，帶著青草的香味。直至數(shù)年后，那整箱整箱的書又運回上海，重返我離去的地方。全靠我家老二的強勞力和靈巧聰慧，才能保全顛沛流離中的舊書。在焚書的年代，保存舊書無異是一筆小財富。

Years ago, when I was transferred to a new post in Fuzhou, the capital city of Fujian Province, the removal of my books gave me a big headache. During the several years when I was in that city, my books were lucky enough to survive the disaster of the so-called“Cultural Revolution.”But, when I was sent to do manual labour in the remote mountains of northern Fujian, all the books had to go with me by truck, which plunged me into a world of trouble. Two years later, when I was suddenly transferred back to Fuzhou, the books had to be loaded on a truck again for a long ride over mountains and rivers, exposing themselves to the dew drops of the mountain area and inhaling the aroma of green grass. It was not until many years later that the books, then packed in boxes, were at last transported back to Shanghai, the place where I had originally come from. I owe the safety of my books to the efforts of my second son, who is physically strong and bright and clever. Books that have survived the age of obscurantism are without doubt an invaluable asset.

這些舊書伴隨我一生。在我的人生道路上相伴愈久，依戀之情也愈深。一般說來，私人藏書大致可分三類：待讀又不可不讀的書，可讀可不讀的書，不讀的書。最后一類最簡單，論斤賣掉當(dāng)紙漿即可。第二類最難處理，大體上總要過目一遍，常常為一本書的去留煞費躊躇。書是有感情的，總是藕斷絲連地依依不舍，恨起來快刀斬亂麻統(tǒng)統(tǒng)散掉。我年輕時曾說過，書是最忠實的，只要你不離棄，它永不背叛你。啊，我的書!

All my old books are my life-long companions. The longer the companionship, the more profound my attachment for them. Generally speaking, there are three kinds of books in my private collection, namely, books for required reading that have not yet been read, books for optional reading and books unworthy of reading. Books of the last kind can be disposed of easily, that is, by selling them off cheap as waste paper bound for the pulp mill. The second kind of books are most difficult to handle. I generally give a glance into them before making a difficult decision on whether to keep them or not. Books are emotional and always reluctant to part from me. And sometimes, in a fit of impatience, I will even feel like resolutely doing away with them all at once. As I said in my young days, books are most faithful and will never betray you so long as you don't abandon them. Oh, my books!

說到第一類書，古典文學(xué)名著的精品以外，有許多文友們著作的簽名本，也有自己喜歡的雜書，都是非保留不可的，生也有涯，將來不得而知。

Books of the first kind consist of many autographed copies of works by my literary friends and miscellaneous favorite books of mine as well as de luxe editions of literary classics. They are to be kept intact by all means. But, as there is a limit to human life, the future of these books is unknown.

散書的年紀到了。我也想有所行動，然而那些山積的舊書，倘若分門別類，分批分散出去，從包扎裝箱到郵寄，如此繁雜的體力勞動，現(xiàn)在我是無能為力了。幸而我故紙堆里有價值的不多，姑且等一等再說。

It is high time for me to give away my collected books. But it is beyond my power to do the toilsome labour of sorting out piles upon piles of books and then doing all the wrapping, packing and mailing. Fortunately, there are few things of much worth among piles of my musty old books. So I might as well take it easy.

《散書偶感》是當(dāng)代著名作家何為寫于2000年12月的一篇佳作。英譯時略有刪節(jié)。