散文佳作108篇 第34期:魯迅先生記 A Few Memories of Mr. Lu Xun

A Few Memories of Mr. Lu Xun

蕭紅

Xiao Hong

魯迅先生家里的花瓶，好像畫上所見的西洋女子用以取水的瓶子，灰藍(lán)色，有點(diǎn)從瓷釉而自然堆起的紋痕，瓶口的兩邊，還有兩個(gè)瓶耳，瓶里種的是幾棵萬年青。

Mr. Lu Xun had a plant pot in his sitting-room. It looked like the jar European women fetchedwater with, as shown in paintings. It was of a bluish-gray, with a few ripples naturally embossedwith its own glaze and, on either side of it, there was a handle close to the top. Planted in itwas some evergreen.

我第一次看到這花的時(shí)候，我就問過：

The first time I visited Mr. Lu Xun I asked:

“這叫什么名字?屋中既不生火爐，也不凍死?”

“What is the name of this plant? There is no fire in the room, but it is not frozen.”

每一次，走進(jìn)魯迅家里去，那是快近黃昏的時(shí)節(jié)，而且是個(gè)冬天，所以那樓下室稍微有一點(diǎn)暗，同時(shí)魯迅先生的紙煙，當(dāng)它離開嘴邊而停在桌角的地方，那煙紋的卷痕一直升騰到他有一些白絲的發(fā)梢那么高。而且再升騰就看不見了。

It was toward evening one winter day. The sitting-room downstairs was dim. Mr. Lu Xun wassmoking a cigarette. When he took it away from his lips, holding it between his fingers at thecorner of his desk, small puffs rose as high as the top of his grayish hair and, further up, theywere no longer visible.

“這花，叫‘萬年青’，永久這樣!”他在花瓶旁邊的煙灰盒中，抖掉了紙煙上的灰燼，那紅的煙火，就越紅了，好像一朵小花似的，和他的袖口相距離著。

“This plant is called evergreen. It’s always like that.” He flicked the cigarette ash to the ashtraynext to the pot and the cigarette grew redder still like a small flower glimmering two or threeinches from the cuff of his sleeve.

“這花不怕凍?”以后，我又問過，記不得是在什么時(shí)候了。

“It is not affected by the cold, is it?” I asked another time, not remembering exactly when.

許先生說：“不怕的，最耐久!”而且她還拿著瓶口給我搖著。

“No, it is not.” said Mrs. Lu. “It’s a very tough plant.” She held the pot by the top, shaking it forme to see.

我還看到了那花瓶的底邊是一些圓石子，以后，因?yàn)槭熳R(shí)了的緣故，我就自己動(dòng)手看過一兩次，又加上這花瓶是常常擺在客廳的黑色長桌上，又加上自己是來自寒帶的北方，對(duì)于這在四季里都不凋零的植物，總帶著一點(diǎn)驚奇。而現(xiàn)在這“萬年青”依舊活著，每次到許先生家去，看到那束花，有時(shí)仍站在那黑色的長桌上，有時(shí)站在魯迅先生照像的前面。

I noticed there were some pebbles around the bottom. Later, as I got to know them better,went up to the black table once or twice for a closer look at the plant. As I came from the coldnorth I always wondered why this plant did not wither even in winter.

花瓶是換了，用一個(gè)玻璃瓶裝著，看得到淡黃色的須根，站在瓶底。

The plant was now still alive. Sometimes it was placed on the black table, other times in front ofMr. Lu Xun’s photograph. But it had been transplanted into a glass pot through which theiryellowish roots could be seen at the bottom.

有時(shí)候許先生一面和我們談?wù)撝?，一面檢查房中所有的花草?？匆豢慈~子是不是黃了?該剪掉的剪掉，該灑水的灑水，因?yàn)椴煌５貏?dòng)作是她的習(xí)慣。有時(shí)候就檢查著這“萬年青”，有時(shí)候就談著魯迅先生，就在他的照像前面談著，但那感覺，卻像談著古人那么悠遠(yuǎn)了。

Mrs. Lu would chat with us while moving from one plant to another, checking if any of them hadturned yellow or needed clipping or watering. She would keep herself busy in her room.Sometimes she examined the evergreen, sometimes she talked of Mr. Lu Xun, in front of hisphotograph, as if of someone of remote past.

至于那花瓶呢?站在墓地的青草上面去了，而且瓶底已經(jīng)丟失，雖然丟失了也就讓它空空地站在墓邊。我所看到的是從春天一直站到秋天;它一直站到鄰旁墓頭的石榴樹開了花而后結(jié)成了石榴。

But where was the pot now? It was standing in the graveyard, in the grass, its bottom missing.The bottomless, empty pot had been there spring through autumn until the pomegranate atthe head of the neighboring tomb had blossomed and borne fruit.

從開炮以后，只有許先生繞道去過一次，別人就沒有去過。當(dāng)然那墓草是長得很高了，而且荒了，還說什么花瓶，恐怕魯迅先生的瓷半身像也要被荒了的草埋沒到他的胸口。

Since the Japanese bombardment of Shanghai only Mrs. Lu has made a detour to visit thetomb, but no others have ever been there. The tomb must have been overgrown with wildgrass and the porcelain bust of Mr. Lu Xun buried up to the chest, not to mention what wouldhave happened to the pot.

我們在這邊，只能寫紀(jì)念魯迅先生的文章，而誰去努力剪齊墓上的荒草?我們是越來越遠(yuǎn)了，但無論多么遠(yuǎn)，那荒草是總要記在心上的。

As for us over here, there is not much we can do but write some memorial articles. But whowill go and trim the grass on his tomb? We are getting further and further away from him, butno matter how far away we are, we must remember the grass on his tomb.

(劉士聰)