激发原创力 ,重塑文学尊严
———感悟贵州小说创作之缺失
Inspire Originality and Reshape Literary Dignity
Thought on the lack of creation in Guizhou’s novel
作家这种职业充满了浓重的命运色彩 ,尤其一个小说家。一个小说家写什么 ,不写什么 ,可以说受其生活经历、文化背景、知识结构的影响 ,有如一个驱散不去的梦魇。
The job of writer is full of strong flavor of destiny, especially a novelist. Novelists write something or not, it is influenced by writer’s life experience, cultural background and knowledge structure. All of these are just like a series of nightmare which cannot be dispersed.
“文如其人”有一层科学的含义 ,那就是一个作者在其作品中是无法真正摆脱自己的。所谓原创力 ,就是支持一个作家调动自身本体生活累积、文化因素转化成为文学作品的力量。
There is a scientific meaning about “The style is the man”, that’s why the writer can’t truly get rid of themselves in its works. What is called originality, it’s the power to make a writer mobilize own ontological life accumulation and cultural factors into literature.
贵州自明永乐十一年废除土司制度设布政使司建省 ,直至清雍正三年改土归流 ,遵义划入贵州 ,形成今天贵州行政版图 ,六百年光景 ,却从来没有在文化上受到过真正冲击 ,没有能够交融整合 ,对拼盘文化与土司文化来一次大的改造 ,形成强有力的文化板块。
It was abolished of the chieftain system in Guizhou Province from 1413 AD of Ming Dynasty, and then the administrative organs were established. Until being reformed and conformeded in 1725 AD of Qing Dynasty, Zunyi City was assigned to Guizhou Province, forming the administrative territory of Guizhou Province today. However, it has never been really impacted on the culture of the past 600 years so that it can be blended and intergrated, to make a major transformation of plate culture and chieftain culture to form a strong cultural plate.
作家是文化的产物 ,尤其一个地方作家 ,文化不仅是生长的根 ,还是必须要面对的现实。贵州文化破碎与孤独的性状 ,一方面富有特色 ,一方面又缺乏大气 ;一方面割据独立 ,一方面又猥琐自卑 ;一方面麻木冷漠 ,一方面又过敏热燥 ;一方面窄狭保守,一方面又胆大如牛、泛滥如洪水。
Writers are the products of culture, particularly a local writer. Culture is not only the root of growth, but also the reality that we need to face. The present situation of cultural loss and isolation in Guizhou Province is characterized as follows: characteristic but lack of confidence; independent but inferior; numb but impetuous; conservative but rampant development to another extreme without guiding ideology.
这种缺少精神内核的矛盾的多面体、多山头 ,直接形成贵州文化的复杂性 ,影响一代一代贵州作家原创力的开发。
This contradiction, which lacks the spiritual core, is polyhedron and mountainous, which directly forms the complexity of Guizhou culture and influences the development of the originality of generations of Guizhou writers.
原创力的开发首先是精神的确立。作家作为创作主体 ,被誉为 “人类灵魂的工程师”。作为人类精神与情感的产品 ,文学及其创作是一项崇高而又艰巨的事业 ,是需要作家毕生追求与付出的。
The first step of developing originality is the establishment of spirit. As the main body of creation, writes are hailed as “engineer of human soul”. Literature and its creation is a lofty and arduous undertaking as a product of human spirit and emotion, which requires the writer’s lifelong pursuits and devotion.
作家及其作品是相辅相成的两个面 ,缺一不可。现代派行为艺术的依据之一 ,可以说就是这里延伸出去的 :人的心灵和肉体的参与是好作品、大作品的一个重要因素。作家在创作上追求的同时 ,还应该追求自身素质的构建与完善。
Writers and their own works are inseparable, and not one of them can be dispensed with. It can be said that one of the bases of modern behavioral art is extended here: the involvement of human’s mind and body is an important factor in writing good and great works. Writers should pursue the co nstruction and perfection of their own qualities while pursuing their creation.
用时髦的话说叫 “德艺双馨”。但这个 “德”是“大德”,是清醒的充满理想 闪光与超越自我超越功利的 “大德”。只有作品与作家都达到一定的高度,才能称之为 “旗帜”。In popular word we say it “Excellent in both performing skills and moral integrity”, ‘virtue’ here should be great virtue, a sober ‘great virtue’ full of ideal flashing and transcending oneself and utilitarianism. Only when both works and writers reach a high level can they could be called as standard’.
鲁迅就是一面旗帜，这是谁也诋毁不了的。新中国成立后 ,由于众所周知的原因 ,鲁迅这种堪称民族脊梁的精神 ,实际上是一种文学精神, 只是停留在口头上 ,没有真正得到进一步发挥 ,为整个中华民族文化建设做出应有贡献。
Lu Xun，the vanguard who leads people forward, no one can denigrate it. Since the establishment of the people’s Republic of China. For obvious reasons, the spirit of Lu Xun, which can be called the backbone of the nation, actually it is a literary spirit. However, this spirit wasn’t really developed further to do due contributions for the cultural construction of the whole Chinese nation but just talk. Even exploited three or five times by people who have an ulterior motive again and again, they used the spirit as the tool of the right to sap real literary spirit, and it has become a dissimilation phenomenon at that time.
改革开放后 ,经济因素的影响产生的市场化写作 ,使相当一部分作家放弃文学精神 ,自动缴械投降 ,由高标准的追求沦为低水平的迎合 ,以致现在低俗、庸俗、媚俗甚至恶俗的文化现象泛滥 ,文学有一定的责任。After the reform and opening up, the market-oriented writing influenced by economic factors, it has made quite a number of writers abandon their literary spirit and surrender their arms voluntarily, their writing quality from high-standard pursuit to low-level catering, so that the vulgar, low even kitschy culture phenomena are rampant.
贵州作家在这个进程中受这两种因素影响甚于整个中国文坛 ,其深层次原因还是贵州孤独与破碎的文化背景在作怪 ,所以没有出现旗帜性的作家和能够经得起历史考验的作家。
In this changing process, Guizhou writers are influenced too much by these two factors than the whole Chinese circles. The deep reason is Guizhou’s cultural background is isolated and fragmented. So there are no writers are representative and who can stand the test of time.
但在这有限的空间里 ,贵州一些老作家智慧性地把文学精神转化成一种生活态度 ,虽然世俗 ,却没有市侩 ,执着地表现了对文学的坚守 ,像戴明贤、龙志毅、伍略、苏晓星等老作家 ,这是难能可贵的。
But in this limited space, some experienced writers in Guizhou have intelligently transformed the literary spirit into a kind of life attitude. Although what they do is secular, they haven’t become philistine and still show their persistence in literature persistently. Some experienced writers such as Mingxian Dai, Zhiyi Long, Wu Nue and Xiaoxing Su, their spirit of literary is estimable.
文学的成功与失败不是以获奖为标志的 ,历史上包括鲁迅等伟大的作家 ,谁给他们奖 ?反过来 ,有些奖是不能拿的 ,拿了只能表明一个作家的失败。
The success and failure of literature is not marked by winning prizes, there are many great writers in history include Lu Xun, who awarded them prizes? Conversely, some prizes can’t be won, if you win it, only to show the failure of a writer.
古之圣贤能够 “舍身成仁”,今之作家只要 “舍利薄名”,即可 “成仁”,却也不多见。一叶障目,不见泰山。有时候一个作家的成败 ,其实就是一片叶子那么简单。
Ancient sages can ‘die for the sake of the cause’. Nowadays, writers can become benevolent as long as they are indifferent to fame and wealth. One cannot see the world due to one block in front of eye. Sometimes the success or failure of a writer is as simple as a leaf.
开发原创力 ,还要突破地理文化的影响。地理文化对创作主体形成的投射 ,直接影响一个作家的世界观和审美模式。贵州山虽然不高 ,却层峦叠嶂、峰谷交错 ,既神奇险峻 ,又秀丽明媚。
To develop originality, it should be done for writers to break through the influence of geographical culture. The projection of geographical culture on the formation of creative subject has a direct impact on a writer’s world outlook and aesthetic model. Guizhou’s mountains are not high, but the feature is mountainous and rough, it caused the view is precipitous and beautiful.
到哪座山上唱哪首歌。这种“隔山变”使贵州自然神秘而又丰富多彩。山在老百姓眼里是充满动感的。他们对山的量化不是 “座”,而是 “匹”,一匹山就像一匹马一样是奔跑的。生于斯 ,长于斯 ,自然成就于斯。
It is said that when in Rome, do as the Romans do. This “mountain separation change” makes Guizhou mysterious and colorful. Mountains are dynamic in the eyes of people. They use ‘pi’ to quantity mountains not ‘zuo’, a mountain is moving likes a running horse. Born and bred here, naturally be successful here.
贵州作家对自然的理解 ,也就是对现实的理解 ,对自我的理解。同为高原山地 ,山有不同的山 ,水有不同的水 ,树有不同的树 ,草有不同的草 ,贵州作家对山水更有兴趣 ,对自然更有感觉 ,可以说 “十里不同天 ,入目皆芳菲”。
Guizhou writers’ understanding of nature is also their understanding of reality and self. As a plateau mountain, there are different mountains, waters, trees and grass. Guizhou writers are more interested in mountains and waters, so they have a better sense of nature. It can be said that ‘the weather is changeable in ten miles, what can be seen are beautiful’.
这跟大平原上的作家不一样 ,没有诱人的风景 ,也少了很多遮蔽 ,他们便一门心思琢磨人、琢磨社会。恰好小说就是以人为表现对象的。很多平原上的作家 ,或者丘陵地带的作家写小说比贵州作家写得好 ,这是一个很重要的因素。This is different from the writers on the Great Plains. They have no attractive scenery and much less shelter, so people there are considering human and society without distraction. However, the main context of novel is about human. Many writers from plain or hilly can write better in novels than Guizhou writers, which is a very important factor.
贵州作家写景状物 ,写山洞或者暗河里产生的民间故事是强项 ,包括写动物 (动物 其实也是自然的一部分 ),也可以得心应手。贵州作家有在文字上成功的,认真说起来 ,骨子里仍然有一种风景意识 ,读起来很美 ,但晃晃悠悠 ,特别强调转承启合 ,讲究自然的过渡。
Guizhou writers are good at writing scenery, caves or folk stories produced in underground rivers, including animals. Animals are actually part of nature, writers are also good at writing it. Guizhou writers have succeeded in writing. Seriously speaking, there is still a sense of landscape in their heart. It’s beautiful in language but unstable in structure, they focus on structure and natural transition.
但真要塑造有冲击力的人物 ,要把人物写得 “实沉”,贵州作家跟那些地理枯燥、景致呆板地区的作家相比还有一定的距离。
Compared with those writers who live in dull and changeless areas, Guizhou writers still have long way to work in creating impulsive and full characters.
如果在这方面我们能够从下意识里走出来 ,转移一下着力点 ,克服偏爱 ,甚至偏见 ,内容上真正以人物为中心 ,把握好分寸 ,叙事上控制住节奏 ,掌握好比例 ,情形是会有大的改观的。
So if we can get out of the subconscious, shift our focus, overcome preferences and even prejudices, and take the characters as the center in content, hold the rhythm in narrative, control the proportion, the circumstance will be greatly improved.
原创力归根结底是创作的生命力 ,必然经历兴盛与衰亡的过程。但相当一部分贵州作家 ,尤其小说家 ,其创作的生命力尤其短暂。
Originality is the lifeblood of creation after all, it inevitably goes through the process of prosperity and decline. But quite a number of Guizhou writers, especially novelists, their creative vitality is too short.
如果按时下对作家青年、中年、老年几个阶段的划分 ,六十岁的作家并不属于老年状态。可贵州很多在青年时代就写出好作品的作家 ,在六十岁后却很少提笔 ,更甭说出好作品。
If we divide them into stages of youth, middle age and old age, the writers who are 60 years old do not belong to the state of old age. However, many writers in Guizhou who wrote good works in their youth, but seldom wrote after sixty years old, not to write good works.
创作生命力消失 ,意味着作家的消失 ,这种情况并不是他们自愿的。江郎才尽 ,这种现象过早地到来 ,不能不说是贵州小说创作的一大损失。
The creative vitality has dried up, it means the disappearance of writers, though they are not voluntary. The inspiration has dried up, this phenNomenon appears prematurely, we have to say it’s a big loss of Guizhou’s novel creation.
纵观贵州小说家的创作情况 ,你会发现他们几乎都是从乡土文学民间叙事中走出来的。这没有什么不好 ,路子也很正 ,问题在于沿着一条没有变化的路能够走多远。如果这条路是你自己开辟的 ,有独创性 ,我觉得你可以走得远一些 ,真正走出一种辉煌来。Throughout the creation of Guizhou novelists, you will find that most of them get famous by writing the folk narrative of local literature. There’s nothing wrong about this writing style, and the way is right. The question is how far they can go along with a unchanged road. If the path is hewed out by yourself, it is unique, I think you can go further and get good grades.
可令人遗憾的情形是贵州作家的这种民间叙事几乎都不是本土化的叙事。小说艺术终归是一种语言艺术。语言不是简单的词句间的意义相加 ,它所承载的背景、情味虽然是抽象的 ,却是可以感知的。
Regrettably, the folk narrative of Guizhou writers is hardly localized. Novel art is a kind of language art in the end. Language is not simply the sum of meanings between words and sentences. Although the background and flavor it carries is abstract, they can be perceived.
语言本身应该成为你表达的那一方乡土的符号。用在学校里学习的普通话来表现独特的民族民间生活,这是贵州作家的尴尬。
Language itself should be the symbol of native soil you expressed. It is an embarrassment for Guizhou writers to use mandarin they have learned in school to show their unique national and folk life.
贵州作家要改变这种状态 ,就要从单一的民间叙事中走出来 ,比如诗化的情绪的表达 ,比如哲学的智慧的表达 ,真正在表现方法上下一番功夫 ,即便不成功 ,但对你的民间叙事 ,绝对也是一种营养。
If Guizhou writers want to change the state above, they need to get out of them from a single folk narrative, such as the expression of poetic emotions and the expression of philosophical wisdom, and really work hard on the method of expression, even if it’s unsuccessful, but it is absolutely a kind of nutrition for your folk narrative.
这方面 ,贵州作家要向古人学习 ,“别裁伪体亲风雅 ,转益多师是汝师”。多读圣贤书 ,腹有诗书气自华。
In this aspect, Guizhou writers should learn from the ancients, ‘To distinguish the poems of predecessors, absorb the essence, and ask the same question to different mentors and friends, even a friend who will give forthright admonition’. Read more useful and meaningful books, cause wisdom in hold, elegance in mold.
只有努力拓宽自己的路子 ,才能走得更实在 ,也更远。贵州乡土文学的面貌从二十世纪三十年代开始 ,定格八十年 ,到现在应该有一种新的面貌。
Only by making great efforts to broaden our own path can we go further and more realistically. The visage of Guizhou local literature began in the 1930s and it has been developing on the basis of certain rules for 80 years. Now it should show a new outlook.
贵州作家有了一种自觉 ,贵州新乡土文学的产生才会成为一种现实。当然 ,这种创作生命力的早衰 ,并不排除作家心态被破坏了。
Guizhou writers have a sense of self-consciousness, the emergence of Guizhou’s new local literature will become a reality. Of course, the premature decline of creative vitality does not exclude the destruction of the writer’s mentality.
今天的文坛有很多稀奇古怪的东西 ,一个作家 找不到平衡点 ,摆脱不出来 ,万事皆空 ,还谈什么创作。
There are many strange things in today’s literary circles. A writer can’t keep a balance and always in a dilemma, how they talk about creation in a state of absolute nothingness.
索尔仁尼琴在讽刺苏联时期的意识形态时说过一句话 :一群瞎子给另一群瞎子担当向导。我希望今天在座各位 ,心灵应该是强大壮实的 ,保持清醒的头脑 ,不要成为“另一群瞎子”中的瞎子。
When Solzhenitsyn satirized the ideology of the former Soviet Union, he said a group of blind people and the others acted as guide. I hope that all of you here will have a strong heart and keep a clear mind. Don’t be a blind in ‘other group’.
贵州作家只有通过自己的良知 ,进行锲而不舍的文学追求 ,成为贵州文化的代言人 ,贵州文学才会有真正的尊严 ,真正的繁荣。
For Guizhou writers, they must be persistent in pursuing literary through their conscience and become the spokesman of Guizhou culture, so that Guizhou literature will be prosperous and respected by others.
作为贵州作家一员 ,说这么几点感悟 ,更多的是自己存在的问题 ,这里与大家共勉。
As a member of Guizhou writers, these are my own points and more about my own fault. Here let us encourage each other in our endeavous.
红的启蒙
The Enlightenment of Red
人的生命从呱呱坠地到长大成人 ,除了身体上的发育成熟 ,还必须经历思想上一次一次启蒙 ,意志上一次一次洗礼 ,才跟世界有一种默契 ,跟社会有一种融入。
Human’s life is from birth to growth except the physical maturation, it is necessary to experience the enlightenment of thought and the test of own will. There will be a secret agreement with the world and people can get into the mainstream of society.
而从形到神 ,也才算有一种结果 ,至少有一种阶段性的结果。当然 ,从我们睁开眼睛 ,感受第一缕陌生而清新的阳光 ,赤橙黄绿青蓝紫就与我们的生命相伴相随 ,它是自然的解析 ,也是我们日复一日的生活色彩。
And then it can be an outcome from shape to mind, at least it is a periodical outcome. There is no doubt that when we open our eyes, the first sunshine we felt is fresh but strange. And our life is full of the color of red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple, it’s the result of nature and the color of our day-to-day life.
看似一锅大白水的生活 ,却也跟阳光一样有丰富的包孕。这之间 ,赤,通常叫 “红”的,至关重要。
It seems that our life is monotonous，but it’s as rich as sunshine. Among this, “chi”what we usually call it as ‘red’, it plays a very important role.
热烈而温暖的红 ,不仅让人感觉刺激 ,还有极强的穿透力。科学家利用红的特性 ,还制造出红外线夜视镜来。
“Red” is hot and warm. It’s not only exciting for human senses, but also very penetrating. Scientists make use of the properties of ‘Red’ to invent infrared night vision.
但懵懂的孩子 ,尤其我们大西南的孩子 ,天无三日晴 ,地无三里平 ,阳光被过滤后 ,剩着一缕脉脉的照耀 ,宝贵尚且不够 ,哪里还会感觉红的威力与凶猛。
But for childish children, especially children in Southwest China, there is no sunshine in three days, and there is no flat land in three feet, it’s precious and not enough to use, how can feel the Red’s power and ferocity.
只是造物主一杆秤 ,天不赐,地生 ;
And the creator is like a steelyard. [Literally, the steelyard is a weighing tool by Lever Balance Principle in China. The key point is “balance” of the steelyard. It means the creator is fair.] The ground will grow while the god isn’t grant;
我们红的启蒙 ,却有小小的辣椒做了重要的担当 ;这种绝色尤物,有如散落的太阳 ,亦如燃烧的火烛 ,开始且不断地延伸着我们对色彩的具体理解 ,对生活的客观感受。
The enlightenment of red is taken by the tiny chili. This stunning creature is like scattered sun and burning candles, it makes us to start to know and stretch the specific understanding for color, and the objective feeling about life.
鲁迅说过第一个吃螃蟹的人是很可佩服的。回首成长的历程 ,我们对第一次吃辣椒的感觉也难以忘怀。完全可能是一个陷阱 ,看大人兴味浓浓地吃着辣椒 ,我们馋得口水直流 ,直到不顾一切地要一个这种从外表看怎么也说不上怕惧的东西 ,放到嘴里 ,咬上一口 ,这才天塌地陷一样愣在那儿 ;
Lu Xun said that it’s admirable to be the first person to try new things. Looking back the process of growth, we can’t forget when our first time to eat pepper, a complete trap in some way. All adults were eating pepper happily and heartily, we were eager to try it, too. After our first bite , we could do nothing to tell the feeling but just dried out there;
一股燃烧的火焰在嘴里窜来窜去 ,肆无忌惮地燎炙着稚嫩的口腔、舌头、咽喉 ;呼吸急促 ,嘴巴像渴死的鱼一样大大张着 ;火辣辣的痛苦 ,加之受骗上当的委屈 ,终于哇地叫唤起来。
A puff of burning fire was up and down in our month, irritating the tender oral mucosa, tongue and throat; and we were breathing hurriedly, our mouth were opening like we are the fish died of thirsty. The burning pain and the grievance of being deceived made us cried loudly.
而这时候 ,大人会幸灾乐祸地笑着 ,从水缸里舀一瓢凉水给你喝下去 ,这才慢慢地有一种缓解。而即便如此 ,我们却奇怪地辣不怕 ,仿佛一种骨子里的欲望 ,
At that time, adults were laughing at us and then they would give us cold water to drink so that the spicy feeling could be eased little by little. However, we still like eating the spicy food, it’s a desire in our body.
一次一次的辣 ,一次 一次的挨 ,挺到了如俗话说的 “贵州人怕不辣”,辣椒融到了我们血液里 ,成了我们生命的一个部分 ,成了我们生活的一种滋味 ,我们终于长大成人了。
We eat pepper and endure pepper again and again. At the end , we come to the stage as the old saying goes ‘Guizhou people are care about the food not spicy enough’, pepper integrate into our blood, and becomes a part of our life, a flavor of our live, we grow up!
事实上 ,人类文明最重要的启蒙就是从大自然中获取的。火山爆发 ,森林燃烧 ,动物倒毙火中 ,人类通过熟肉熟食 ,从茹毛饮血的蒙昧中走了出来。
In fact, the most important enlightenment of human civilization is obtained by nature. Volcanic eruption, forest burning and animals died in the fire, human eat cooked meat and foods.
有鸟儿空中翱翔 ,人类也想生长一对翅膀 ,而终于发明飞行器飞了起来。我们山里孩子的进步 ,则跟大自然有千丝万缕的联系。
They don’t live the life of a savage any more. Birds are flying in the sky, human also want to have a pair of wings. Finally, the air craft was invented that we achieved our dreams to fly. The advance of children in the mountains is inextricably linked with nature.
除了辣椒 ,贵州山里还有一种叫 “和尚头”的果实 ,红亮光鲜如辣椒 ,却珍珠般大小 ,一捻即碎 ,美丽的外衣裹着黄黄的绒毛。
In addition to peppers, there is also a kind of fruit called “He Shang Tou” [a Chinese herbal medicine] in the mountains of Guizhou Province, which is red and bright as peppers, but pearl-sized, when you twist it in your hand it will crush. Its beautiful appearance wrapped with yellow fluff.
有恶作剧的山民 ,常常将这种绒毛放入孩子后颈 ,绒毛细若游丝 ,却格外有一种毒 ,叫人痒得难受 ,恨不能将一块背扇抓挠下来。
There are mischievous mountain people, they often put this kind of fluff into the back neck of the child. The fluffy is fluffy like gossamer, but it’s poisonous especially to make people itchy badly. Once people were suffered they are very anxious to scratch their back down.
我吃过这种苦头 ,从此有人走在后面 ,就格外有一种提防。山中百草 ,红成了热烈而刺激的象征 ,而最普遍清凉的绿 ,却也可能有几分凶险。
I have suffered it. Since then someone has been walking behind, people who walk ahead will be on guard. Hundreds of grass grow in the mountains, red become a warm and exciting symbol. However, it’s kind of dangerous of “green”[a kinds of grass, its appearance is green.] , which is the most commonly cool.
新中国成立初 ,一支南下部队进山剿匪 ,有一个战士内急了 ,顺便捋一把路边的草擦屁股 ,竟然疼得跳了起来。
At the beginning of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, an army went south to go to mountains to suppress bandits. A solider had to pee really badly, he pulled a piece of grass in passing beside the road to wipe his buttocks and he jumped up in pain.
他后来跟他的战友们说了一句话 :贵州草都咬人 ,难怪贵州土匪这么凶。而这种咬人的草不是别的 ,就是我们通常称叫的 “藿麻”。
He said to his comrade-in-arms later: Guizhou’s grass can hurt people, no wonder bandits in Guizhou Province are so fierce. And this grass is nothing, but we usually called ‘Huo Ma’, a green herb.
但归根到底 ,这还应该算辣椒形成了一种文化现象。辣椒这种洋玩意儿引进到贵州不过千年 ,现在落地生根 ,成为人们的家常佐餐 ,影响人们的精神世界 ,虽说不上源远流长 ,而积淀丰厚 ,却无可争辩。
But all in all, chili pepper forms a cultural phenomenon. Pepper is imported to Guizhou for thousands years as a foreign thing. Now it has been widely received by people and it has become a home-cooked meal for people, influencing people’s mind. Though it hasn’t long history, it’s indisputable that peppers culture is extensive and profound.
贵州人管辣椒叫海椒 ,不只是为了一种说明 ,而不提一个 “辣”字,恐怕更多地还为了一种亲近。
People in Guizhou call pepper as “Hai Jiao”, not just for explanation. Without mentioning word about spicy, perhaps it’s for intimacy more.
我祖母算仡佬族一个民间歌手。我那时候还小 ,她老人家把门前一块闲置的地挖了出来。第一年种苞谷。到了收获季节 ,她就跟苞谷编一道谜语 ———.
My grandmother was a folk singer of the Gelao Nationality.I was too young at that time, she dug out an unused field in front of the door. In the first year, she planted the maize. And when the spring season arrives, she made up a riddle for the corn:
我走进园子 ,找到一个老者 ,一把抓住他的胡子 ,问他有好大的年纪。
I came into the garden and saw an old man, and I grabbed his beard and asked how old he was
第二年种辣椒。辣椒打红闪 ,她老人家带着我来到地里 ,又跟辣椒编了一道谜语 ———
The second year she planted the pepper, the pepper became red, she took me to the field then she also made up a riddle for chili pepper:
一根树儿矮又矮 ,周身结些红转转。
A tree is too short, surrounded by red circles.
“转”读“跩”。辣椒不仅红 ,还有显摆的意思。这里 ,祖母有意忽略辣椒的味道 ,而更看重辣椒的色彩和姿势。
‘Turn’ here is read as ‘Qiu’. Chili pepper is not only red, but also has obvious meaning. Here, my grandma intentionally neglected the taste of chili pepper, and paid more attention to the color and posture of pepper.
显然 ,辣是一种融入与契合 ,一如一句俗谚 :运来扁担开花 ,倒霉海椒不辣。这才成就了今天的贵州人怕不辣。
Obviously, spicy is a dissolution and fit, it just like a proverb that “when fortune comes the shoulder pole will blossom, the pepper is not spicy when you are unfortunate”. That’s why people today in Guizhou are worry about the food is not spicy.
而四乡八里的 ,孩子生下来满百日做酒 ,大人在八仙桌上放几样东西让孩子抓 ,有钢笔、算盘什么的 ,往往还有一个红辣椒。也许鲜艳夺目,孩子常常会先抓辣椒 ,再抓别的东西。
And in villages and towns, when a child born after 100 days, his or her parents will invite many people to celebrate, adults put several things on the traditional big square table for their children to grasp. There are pens, abacus and so on. Pepper is also essential. Maybe for its bright and dazzling color, children often grab pepper first, then choose something else.
这时候 ,大人就很高兴 ,认为孩子将来一定会红红火火 ,是做大事情的人。辣椒也好 ,海椒也罢 ,先辣而后红 ,哪怕一种心理暗示 ,也算参与了民族民间的精神活动。?
At that time, adults are very happy, they think that children will be prosperous in the future and make a great success. Spicy pepper or “Hai Jiao”, they are spicy first and red second, even it’s a psychological hint, we can consider it as a way to take part in the spiritual activities of the national folk.
但辣椒到底也还是一种食品 ,依照唯物主义观 ,只有从 “形”上倒腾清楚了 ,游刃有余 ,才可能出神入化 ,达到一种物我两忘的境界。我有一个老辈子 ,大老远来到我家。
However, pepper is a kind of food in the final analysis. According to materialism, only when it is clear from the shape and has a good grasp of it, can it be superb and achieve a state of forgetting both yourself and the external world. I have an elder who came my home from very far away place.
我们知道她不大吃辣椒 ;但那年月 ,无辣椒 ,也就无菜 ;我们只好把 “牤海椒”摆了上来。殊不知老人家吃了后 ,竟要求看一看 “牤海椒”结在什么树上 ,这跟她往常吃的辣椒品种实在不一样。大家啼笑皆非 ,你一言我一语解释了半天 ,这才打消了她的困惑。
We knew she can’t eat much pepper, but for that time, no pepper means no dish; so we had to put pepper on the table. After eating, she wanted to see what kind of tree can produce this pepper, because it is quite different from the pepper she ate before. People on the spot were not to know whether to laugh or cry, and her idea was dispelled after people’s explanation for long time.
但老人家回去后 ,却离不开这种菜非菜、饭非饭的食品了。而“牤海椒”的 “牤”却是贵州土著仡佬人的土词 ,实际是 “喂”、“塞”的含义。“牤海椒”不过一种借代用法。
But after she backed home, she couldn’t eat without this kind of food which isn’t dish or rice. However, the word ‘Mang’ is a local word of Gelao people in Guizhou, it literally means ‘feed’ and ‘plug’. The word’s usage of ‘Mang Hai Jiao’ is a metonymy.
她不会写这个字 ,也不懂拼音 ,提笔写信 ,便要求我们把 “一个海椒里头装糯米面”给她寄一点。
She didn’t know how to write it and she knew nothing about Chinese phonetic, too. Then she asked us to send her ‘the pepper with sticky rice powder’.
当然 ,真正利用好辣椒文化并将辣椒文化发挥到极致的 ,还要数一代伟人毛泽东。
Certainly, the great man, Mao Zedong, who was the first one really capitalize on pepper and take pepper culture to the extreme.
众所周知 ,毛泽东饮食两大爱好 :一是红烧肉 ,认为补脑子 ;一是辣椒 ,觉得增强革命性。据斯诺在《红星照耀中国》一书中描述 :
As we all know, Mao Zedong had two major dietary hobbies: one is cooked pork with brown sauce, it’s helpful to use brain; the other is pepper, for enhancing revolutionary. According to the description of Red Star over China of Snow:
“毛泽东有着南方人爱吃辣椒的癖好 ,甚至用辣椒夹着馒头吃。” 而斯诺有所不知 ,毛泽东吃西瓜都要就辣椒面呢。
“Mao Zedong had a southern penchant for eating chili pepper, even he ate steamed bun with pepper”. But Snow didn’t know that when Mao Zedong ate watermelon, he still ate with chili pepper.
从二十世纪六十年代起 ,毛泽东在医生劝阻下 ,几乎不吃红烧肉了 ;而辣椒 ,却与之相伴终身。
Since the 1960s, Mao Zedong was dissuaded by the doctor, so he hardly ever ate braised pork in brown sauce; however, he ate pepper all the time in his whole life.
通过吃辣椒 ,毛泽东有了深刻的感性认识 ,并结合实践 ,上升成为一种理性认知 ,又反过来刺激他更加喜欢辣椒。
By eating pepper, he had profound perceptual knowledge, then combined with reality became a rational cognition, and this in turn stimulated he likes eating pepper more.
循环往复 ,他最后总结出了一套辣椒革命的理论 ,认为不吃辣椒不革命 ,吃辣椒的人革命性强 ,但凡革命者大多喜欢吃辣椒。
So move in circles, he summed up a set of pepper revolution theory at last, he thought that no pepper, no revolution. People who eat pepper have deeper revolution, and many revolutionaries like eating pepper, too.
他还举例说明 :季米特洛夫是保加利亚人 ,吃辣椒 ;斯大林是格 鲁吉亚人 ,也吃辣椒 ;我们湖南人喜欢吃辣椒 ,出了多少革命家啊 !
And he illustrated Dimitrov was Bulgarian he ate pepper: Stalin was Georgian, he ate pepper, too. Hunanese likes eating pepper, how many revolutionaries have come out!
更耐人寻味的是解放战争时期 ,斯大林送了延安一批枪支弹药 ,毛泽东思量再三,最后送了斯大林一串红辣椒 ,而谁又敢说 ,这仅仅是一串红辣椒呢 !
The period of the liberation war was more intriguing, Stalin sent a batch of ammunition to Yan’an. After much deliberation, Ma Zedong decided to send back a bunch of red pepper to Stalin, who can say it was just a bunch of pepper!
红辣椒 ,辣椒红 ,到底是 “红”成就辣椒本色而辣椒更刺激 ,还是辣椒赋予 “红”活力而 “红”更光彩 ,谁也说不清楚。近些年 ,有人用辣椒提取辣红素生产口红。
Red pepper, pepper is red, nobody can explain it clearly whether color of red makes the pepper pungent, or pepper gives red more energy. In recent years, some people extract capsanthin for production of lipstick from pepper.
辣椒少了辣红素还是不是辣椒 ?我很怀疑。而辣红素失去了辣椒 ,也就是一支口红而已。从自然走向装饰 ,也算一种文明 ,而如果缺乏节制 ,却一定是一种堕落。
Pepper can be itself without capsanthin? I highly doubt it, and capsanthin is merely a lipstick without pepper. From nature to decoration, it also can be a civilization, but if lacking of saving, it must be a degeneration.
从大地抽取石油 ,使我们的生活能够穿一件美丽的衣裳。石油危机 ,大量燃料从生物中提取 ,使万物生长的土地痛苦不堪。
Extracting petroleum from ground to make sure we can wear ‘beautiful clothes’ in life. Oil crisis, large quantities of fuel are extracted from living things, it destroyed the land where everything grows.
最后 ,我们不得从茫茫太空中 “提取”一个地球 ,这件美丽的衣裳就会成为我们寿终的老衣而陪伴我们走向坟场。
At the end, we can’t ‘extract’ an earth from empty space, this ‘beautiful clothes’ will become our shroud to accompany us to the death.
辣椒中国化 ,不只是环境与人的需求和适应 ,还有与中国传统哲学自然天成的契合。
Chinization of pepper is not merely the needs and adaption of human and environment. Besides, it’s about the natural corresponding for Chinese traditional philosophy.
辣椒文化 ,本身体现人与自然的一种往返 ,是虚实相生的典范 ,是精神与爱对生命的一个拥抱 ……
Pepper culture, it shows a return between human and nature, it’s the example of how virtual and real can be created, a hug for life of spirit and love...
我们享用也享受万物 ,但我们还须用心倾听 ,感受它们用生命发出来的一声叹息 ,感受那无处不在的天籁之音。
We use and enjoy everything, we should listen them with heart, whether a sigh with their life or the ubiquitous sound of nature.
