《闹出来的书》及《两点星光》译文

 

但漆春华不闹显然是不行的。这是一种多血质的写作方式 ,真正的诗人才有幸有这种方式 ,不是一种选择 ,而是一种命运。

But obviously, Qi Chunhua cannot create a work the way his friends did. He adopts the way of sanguine humor. He is a real poet who makes writing no longer a choice, but a destiny.

 

我想到了巴尔扎克的方式 ,他一个人关在屋子里 ,写入迷了 ,便跟笔下那些人物斗起嘴劲来,常常弄得仆人在外面听着 ,还以为他脑子出了毛病。

I t reminds me of Balzac’s story. He would have squabbles with the character of his book when he gave himself over to writing and stayed alone at home. Hearing his conversations, his servants thought he had gone crazy.

 

巴氏的这种闹是一种灵魂的不安和狂躁 ,扭曲而又孤独。漆春华不能与巴尔扎克比 ,他的闹有一种世俗的意义 ,完全是直线的 ,与其说是生命的呼喊 ,还不如说是价值的证明。

Balzac’s struggle was s tem from his unrestful and agitated soul. He was lonely and distorted. Qi Chunhua could not be compared with Balzac. His attempts are much more secular and straightforward. The attempts aren’t so much the crying of life as a manifestation of self- worth.

 

我的朋友中也还有像他这样的 ,性情上来吧 ,一下打上门来,指着鼻子 ,“你敢看不起我。”完全是来真的。而漆春华则多半是在早晨,人还迷迷糊糊的 ,他的电话就打到床头 ,“剑平哪,”开初很柔和 ,“我昨天晚上又完成了一篇……”莫名的就亢奋起来。

Some of my friends are like him. When they get into a temper, he will find me and ask: “Do you look down upon me?” They mean it. But Qi Chunhua always phoned me in the morning when I was still sleepy. At the beginning, he speaks softly:" Jianping, I finished another poem last night.....”then he would be provoked by his own word and must read it to me at once. ,

 

接下来就一定读一遍,人在这头听着 ,“嗯,嗯,”要不断地用鼻子哼着 ,哪时候断了 ,他便在那头吵起来 ,“你又睡着了是不是’”折腾啊。

When you listen to him, You should repeat:" En, En.....".

If you did not say anything, he would ask: “Did you fall asleep again?" He was so enthusiastic.

 

这不算 ,读完了 ,然后安排吃饭的事情 ,他的吃饭就是散发他的初稿 ,已经打印好的 ,找几个人提意见,老地方 ,粗茶淡饭 ,可想而知。

The phone call was not enough for him. He would arrange us have dinner together at the usual place with homely fare. He would hand out the printed first draft and ask for our suggestion.

 

没有哪一个人很认真的 ,大家心头都清楚,主要让他宣泄一下写完了一篇东西的那种快感。席间 ,他要背诵 ,表明和这篇东西的感情 ,多半是普通话 ,表演式的 ,他写的东西他都能够背诵,这不能不让人佩服。

It is obvious that no one was serious about editing his draft. Everybody knew that he needs to express his excitement about finishing a poem. He would recite the poem, often in mandarin, with exaggerated performance, illustrating his attachments to this new poem. And it is admirable that he can recite all of his works.

 

背诵完了 ,他开始用筷子叮叮当当地敲着碗 ,真正击节而歌 ,把这篇东西唱一遍京韵大鼓吗 ?不是 ,河南梆子吗 ?不是 ,味怪怪的。而这一唱不要紧 ,惹得满堂的人都伸长脖子往这边看。他迷在自己创造的那种意境,什么也不知道。

After reciting, he would s tart to jingle the bowl with chopsticks and sing. Was he singing this work like story- telling in Beijing dialect with drum accompaniment? No, is that Yu Opera? No, it sounded so strange. Whatever his impromptu performance was, it certainly drew everyone’s attention at once.He did not know anything, because he was immersed in the world of his imagination.

 

现在 ,这本书进一步证明了我的感觉 ,漆春华不仅仅闹文学界 ,还闹了书画界。一个长短句 ,请了书法家写一遍不说 ,还要请画家画一遍 ,真正的立体表现。

Now, this book certifies my idea that Qi Chunhua not only set his foot in literatus, but also in art circles. He invited a calligrapher and painter to create full illustrations for his poems.

 

幸而没有请音乐家来谱曲 ,请歌唱家来唱了 ,像有的书那样刻一张光盘夹在里面 ,否则是全方位的大闹文艺界。

Fortunately, he did not find a composer and a singer to create an album for his poem. Otherwise this collection would come with a CD disk. Otherwise this collection would become an encyclopedia.

 

当然 ,他还没有闹到四邻不安的地步 ,更不至于 “扰民”。相反 ,大家还很喜欢他 ,觉得他是一道风景线 ,这风景的意义已经超出文艺界 ,具有一种社会意义。

Of course, he did not disturb his neighbors, and cannot go so far as to disturb residents in the art world. On the contrary, people like him very much, and consider him as a landscape, which has a social significance beyond literature and art.

 

事实上,他的闹的另一面 ,是真性情、热心肠和痴迷的爱 ,这在当下并不多见。物欲横流 ,文化式微 ,漆春华能够放弃做大老板的潇洒 ,到清汤寡水的文艺界来闹 ,而且闹的是已经快要被人遗忘的诗词歌赋 ,闹得热血沸腾 ,闹出了感觉 ,这就不得不让人佩服。

In fact, what’s behind his behavior is a man of true disposition, warm- heartedness and rapturous love. I t is rare, in the society which is filled with desire for material comfort and Cultural collapse. Not everyone was willing to sacrifice the enjoyment of being a boss for the pleasure as well as the torture of literary creation as a starter.

 

何况闹之余 ,哪一个文友出书有困难 ,他解囊相助 ;哪一个文友鳏居 ,他牵线搭桥 ……他是那么热爱这个圈子。正是基于此 , 大家才放弃传统方式 ,共同来帮漆春华闹 ,便闹出来这么一本《野鹤吟》。  

What’s more, what he challenged was the creation of poems, a long- forgotten area. He was not only courageous but also productive in that area. In addition to his literary achievements, he was famous for his warm heart. He gave money to writers who couldn’t afford to publish their works. He set up writers and critics on dates....... He loves this circle, so everyone ignored their traditional ways and helped Qi Chunhua finish this Exclusive Collection of Yehe’s Poems.

 

就书论书 ,书中已经收了几位作家的文章 ,我也就不赘言。事实上 ,今人学古 ,只要像就行 ,如果完全是那么回事 ,跟克隆羊一样 ,有什么意思。

In terms of this book itself, there are several introductory and reviews from other writers, I am not going to add more opinion. As a matter of fact, moderns do not need to resemble ancient people like cloned sheep.

 

漆春华这些词章有气势 ,有意境 ,能够让人读出来一种古风味 ,也就行了 ,这好比穿衣裳 ,虽然不是名牌 ,却很暖和 , 也就实惠。

As long as one follows basic rules, his or her works will be acceptable. The poems in the book are powerful and picturesque, enabling us to recognize traditional characteristics. I t is like wearing clothes, one doesn’t have to wear designer ones, warm and affordable ones will do.

 

人一生一世很累,我们文学的发展也很累 ,从简单到复杂 ,产生出骈体文、格律诗 ,已经累倒不少英雄 ,一直到五四新文化运动 ,提倡我手写我口的白话文 ,才渐渐轻松起来。

Human life, in general, is tiring. So was the development of literature. It has evolved from simplicity to complexity. It was not easy to create parallel prose and metrical poems, numerous talents have devoted their life’s work to it. Until the New Culture Movement, writings in the vernacular were promoted and writers have benefitted from it.

 

所以 ,我们不能苛评《野鹤吟》没有规矩 ,它也并不是要复 古,但寻古 ,新诗发展到今天 ,也应该是回头一望的时候了 ,这或许会给潦倒的诗坛一丝光亮。至于《野鹤吟》这种形式 ,我想作为一种成人读品 ,作者意在收集 ,把一个地方好的风光、好的书画拢在一起 ,  

So we could not say the Exclusive Collection of Yehe’s Poems does not follow the rules. It aims at recreating instead of reviving classics. It is time to look back upon the new poetry, which may give a glimmer of light to the poor poetry world. As for the form of the collection of poems collected by Yehe, I think it can be as an adult book. The aim of author is to gather painting and produced by artists from a certain place.

 

除了一种文艺欣赏 ,还有一种资料的实惠。看上去很杂 ,其实是一种朴拙。既名野鹤 ,就无拘无束 ,这也是一种新品格。说清楚了漆春华 ,也就说清楚了《野鹤吟》。

Apart from this, the book also serves as a gallery and archive. It looks very miscellaneous, but indeed it is sincere. Yehe, which stands for wild cranes, means free of restraint, this is also a new personality. If you understand Qi Chunhua, you’ll understand this book.

 

(2001)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

两点星光

                                                   Two Impressive Creatures

 

那地方叫绞坝。顾名思义 ,一块坝子藏在山里 ,依山走势 ,扭来扭去 ,扭出三个村落 : 上绞坝两个村落、下绞坝一个村落。三个村落三个生产队,三个生产队成一个大队。

That place was called Jiaoba. The name means that a flat area hid in the mountains twists and turns. And there lied three villages. Two of them were in Upper Jiaoba, and one was in Lower Jiaoba. The three production teams from three villages made up the production brigade.

 

也许 “绞” 不吉利 ,大队叫 “团山”。我高中毕业后下乡当知青在下绞坝 ,省去 “绞”,叫“下坝”。

But the name of brigade was named after Tuanshan, maybe that’s because Jiao, which means entangle and hang someone, was an unlucky Chinese character. After I graduated from high school, I went to the countryside as an educated youth in Lower Jiaoba, which was also omitted as Xiaba[1].

 

下坝生产队三十多户人家 ,二百多号人。骆、杨两大姓住在坝上路边,一些孤姓像李呀、胡呀、吕呀、文呀 ,则大多散居在山坡上山湾里。我们知青点三个知青 ,算集体户。

The production team in Xiaba was consisted of over thirty households, more than two hundred people. People who share the two most popular surnames, Luo and Yang, lived on the roadside of Xiaba. Others whose surnames were less common in the village, like Li, Hu, Lv, and Wen, scattered in the hillside. We have three educated youth here, were counted as collective household.

 

下乡不过两三个月 ,生产队便用上头给知青拨的建房费 ,在大路边上砌了一幢葫豆砟的房子 ,我们就算安了家。

After two months after we have arrived in the countryside, the production team used the building fund for the educated youth to build a house Using a unique local construction technique that combines stones, which were everywhere nearby, with mortar together on the side of the road. That house became our home.

 

从一九七四年四月到一九七七年三月 ,差不多三年光景 ,我在这里度过了我人生中一段特殊的日子 ,虽昏冥暗淡 ,却也有点点星光照耀。这之间,有两桩事情 ,成了我弥可珍惜且永远消磨不去的记忆。

From April 1974 to March 1977, I had spent almost three memorable years there. Although the life was poor and uncomfortable, I always remembered those special creatures and the stories connected to

them. There are two things that made me unable and unwilling to forget.

 

 

雷公虫

                                                                    Centipede

初到下坝 ,我们住在生产队的烘棚里。下坝地势低洼 ,却只有一条排洪沟。山洪暴发 , 进大出小 ,堤溃水漫 ,坝子一片汪洋。

When we first came here, we lived in the drying shed which belonged to the production team. The Xiaba is low-lying. What’s worse, there was only one flood control channel. Every time a flood strikes, Water will overflow the control channel and turn Xiaba into a lake.

 

而坝子中央一个消坑 ,淹而不没 ,洪去而水退 ,腐殖泥沉淀下来 ,却给坝子上了一层肥料。坝子上的苞谷因此长得格外的好 ,不仅大个儿 ,饱满 ,籽粒在阳光下照 ,还透着一层油亮。

There was a natural deep hole in the ground in the middle of Xiaba, it will also be flooded but it has never been filled. When floodwater recedes, the sapropel will subside and become fertilizer. Therefore, the corn grew well. The kernels felt nice and plump, gleamed with sunshine.

 

无论白苞谷黄苞谷 ,只要是下坝苞谷 ,磨成面 ,煮成饭 ,那种蒸煮两次的两造饭 ,吃在口里 ,那种滋润 ,那种香 ,可以说是那个年代的一种特别享受。但也正因为下坝苞谷油性大 ,加上洼地里潮湿 ,所以收秋后苞谷不容易干 ,难保存 ,生产队便修了烘棚来炕苞谷。烘棚紧挨着仓房。

Corn and Rice medley made from grounded corn kernels from Xiaba, regardless of variety, was steamed twice before being served. It sated moist and smelled appetizing, a unique experience from that age. Because the corn was oily and Xiaba was damp, corn was difficult to dry and be preserved in autumn. The production team built the drying shed, which is next to the barn, to dry corns.

 

苞谷下炕了 ,男男女女的便集中在仓房里敲的敲 ,打的打 ,敲打不净 的,便把苞谷核擀苞谷米 ,两个巴掌十个指头并在一起 ,一手一手往下抹。这样一边炕 ,一边脱粒 ,不到一个月 ,一坝的苞谷炕干了 ,也归仓了 ,而烘棚也就空了下来。

At the same time, men and women gathered in the barn to get kernels off the cob by hitting the dried ones against each other. If there were still kernels left on one cob, they would grip a bare cob with all their fingers and scrape it. It usually takes less than a month to process all the corns harvested that year. So the drying shed was left unused until the fall of next year.

 

这一空 ,就要空到来年的秋天。知识青年上山下乡 ,正好安顿在烘棚里。烘棚烟熏火燎 ,墙上黑黢黢的 ,我们找一些报纸糊上去,竟像新房子一样亮堂。

It became a perfect place for educated youth to sleep and rest. The smoked wall was dusty and dark, we collected some newspapers to cover it up. It was amazing that the drying shed looked as bright as a new house at once.

 

但我们到生产队的时候正赶上雨季 ,接连几天绵阴雨 ,空气潮湿 ,糊在墙上的报纸吸足了水分 ,屋子里也多了几分阴气。

However, it was in rainy season when we arrived at the production team. Because of the damp air and continuous rain, the newspapers absorbed enough water and the room became a damp place as well.

 

一天夜里 ,队上会计骆开珍来看我们。骆开珍是男的 ,而且是一个男子气十足的爷们 , 真正虎头虎脑 ,整个生产队 ,甚至上下二坝 ,据说就他和骆科文气力最大。

One night, the accountant of our production team, named Luo Kaizhen1, came to see us. Luo Kaizhen was a man, and he is really strong and sinewy. It was said that he and Luo Kewen were the strongest person in the production team, even in Upper Jiaoba and Xiaba.

 

如果使猛力 ,年轻的骆科文还赶不上他。“文化大革命”初,镇上造反派闹腾 ,他们常让他走在前面 ,真还能够镇住一些人。这么一个人 ,却取了一个女人的名字。

What’s more, if they compare body strength with each other, the younger one Luo Kewen would lose. At the beginning of the "Cultural Revolution", the rebel factions in the town were rioting. They often asked Luo Kaizhen to march in the front of the team to suppress the rebels. Luo Kaizhen was a strong man with a feminine name.

 

但或许这个缘故 ,他粗中有细 ,不仅当生产队的会计 ,还兼了生产大队的会计。那年头 ,按工分分配 ,钱啊粮啊 ,都是会计算盘子划拉出来的。

Maybe for this reason, he was a meticulous man. He was not only the accountant of our production team, but also the production brigade. In those years, we distributed income and food according to the work point system, which was a system for calculating working time. The only calculating tool was an abacus and Luo Kaizhen did a great job.

 

加上队上骆家有的几个字辈 “书、开、科、帝”,除了大队支书骆书伦 ,骆开珍就算老辈子。所以 ,骆开珍在生产队也算一个有分量的人物。

The generation names of Luo were shu, kai, ke and di, the oldest generation were all named Luo Shulun, for example, Luo Shulun was our brigade branch secretary. Except him, Luo Kaizhen was the eldest ones. So Luo Kaizhen was an important figure in our production team.

 

我们到生产队的第二天 , 骆开珍就来请我们吃饭。他老婆很能干 ,不但一个接一个跟他生了一堆孩子 ,做的饭菜也特别好吃 ,尤其菜豆腐 ,蘸酱海椒 ,下两造饭 ,实在令人难忘。

On the second day of our arrival, Luo Kaizhen invited us to dinner. His wife was very capable. She not only gave birth to a bunch of children, but also cooked well. Her best dish was the CaiDouFu1. We ate it with home-made chili sauce, making it an extraordinary dish to go with corn and rice medley. It was really unforgettable.

 

我们很敬重他 ,都叫他骆叔叔。他来看我们 ,自然也算知识青年上山下乡 ,跟贫下中农打成了一片。板凳不够 ,我就坐在床头。大家天南地北扯着 ,从国家大事到家长里短 ,忽地骆开珍眼睛一下愣住了 ,目光越过我头顶 ,直直地盯在墙上。

All of us respected him very much, and called him uncle Luo. He came to visit us. Naturally, it meant that the educated youth got along well with the poor and lower-middle peasants. There weren’t enough stools, so I sat on the bed. We talked about many things, from the state affairs to domestic trivia. Suddenly, Luo Kaizhen turned his eyes over my head and stared at the wall behind me as if something caught him off guard.

 

骆开珍的眼睛算下坝的一个品牌 ,浓眉大眼 ,而且有神 ,只要一瞪 ,那就是一定有什么事情要发生了。说时迟 ,那时快 ,只见他从我对面的凳子上一跃 , 一下冲到我跟前 ,一巴掌风一样掠过我的头顶 ,噗地拍在我旁边的墙上。大家还没有醒悟过来 ,一条硕大的雷公虫就从墙上滚到了地上。

His big eyes and bushy eyebrows were famous in Xiaba. If he frowned, there must be something happening. He leaped from the bench opposite me, rushed towards me, slapped over my head and pounded the wall next to me. Before we came to ourselves, a big centipede fell from the wall to the floor.

 

雷公虫被拍得稀烂 ,只有金属一样的脚爪还在抽动。我一下头皮发麻 ,直感觉一种透骨的寒凉。等到稳一稳神 ,我才发现骆开珍手吮在嘴里 ,鲜血正牵丝网线往下淌。

It was smashed, only his rattling metallic legs remained intact. I felt terrified and was frozen with fear. When I regained myself, I discovered that Luo Kaizhen was sucking his hand, and his blood was streaming down.

 

原来糊墙的报纸下面藏着一颗钉子 ,正好扎在骆开珍手上。我跟骆开珍从前不认识 ,他在我遇到危险的时候毫不犹豫就扑了上去 ,这让我感激得不知说什么好。

There was a nail hidden under the newspapers on the wall, and stucked him in accident. Luo Kaizhen and I didn't know each other before. He didn't hesitate to spring when I was in danger. I felt grateful but didn’t know say anything.

 

现在 ,他又受了伤 ,我心里多出来几分亏欠。看他手上被扎的窟窿还在流血 ,我忽地想到哪里 听说的尿能够消毒止血 ,便叫上他来到屋外粪池边上。他滴血的手接在下面 , 我滴滴答答往他手上撒了一泡尿。这一招还真灵 ,尿停血止 ,骆开珍摸着黑就回了家 ,连一个背影都没有留下来。那夜晚 ,我躺在床上 ,大半夜了 ,却清醒醒地 ,耳朵总有一种捕捉 , 仿佛雷公虫那窸窸窣窣在墙上爬行的声音随时都会响起来。

Now, he was injured, and I felt a little more owed in my heart. That night, I was lying in bed, but I was awake until the middle of night. And as if the crawling sound of centipedes appeared at any time, I could hear that clearly.

 

大鱼

Big Fish

 

山垭滑石条那儿有硬山 ,炸了几回 ,太长 ,也太宽 ,并没有完全降下去,排洪沟里还是积满了水。

There was a rock hill in the talc beallach. Villagers have tried several times to blow it up, but it was too long and too wide to be completely cleared. The flood control channel was still filled with water and became a perfect habitat for their.

 

积满了水的排洪沟长了不少蚂蟥 ,怕孩子们下到沟里玩水 ,大人们干脆叫排洪沟蚂蟥沟。等到来年雨季 ,洪水滚滚滔滔而来 ,扫荡蚂蟥沟里的积水 ,也将抱成团的蚂蟥冲出滑石条 ,冲到张鸭坝。

The adults were afraid that that their children would play there, therefore, they called it leech ditch. When the rainy season arrived, the floods would flush the water as well as the looped leeches down the ditch to Zhangya dam. It was a col, too. Because the floods swirled and formed a huge mountain pond there.

 

张鸭坝也是一个山凹 ,洪水在那里打着旋 ,形成了一个巨大的山塘。山塘装满了水 ,喀斯特山地穿一个窟窿 ,将一塘水又打着旋往黑暗里拉。水慢慢地消了下去 ,剩一个塘底儿。而洪水淹没后的张鸭坝却更肥沃 ,也更出庄稼。

The pond was filled with water, just like any other mountains in Karst mountain area, the water would finally disappear through dark holes. Water level dropped gradually leaving a little water behind. After the flooding, the Zhangya dam was more fertile and produced more crops.

 

因而吕必书、胡云志他们几家人守在张鸭坝塘边上 ,一步也不挪窝 ,哪怕洪水漫到了屋里 ,也一动不动。山塘虽然剩一个底儿 ,却有齐腰深。

Therefore, Lu Bishu's and Hu Yunzhi's lived on the edge of the Pond, and they never moved to any other places nearby. Even if the flood reached the house, they would stay in it. Although there was only a bottom left in the mountain pond, it was aist-deep.

 

 

傍晚 ,我们从镇上赶场回来 ,走在山弯里的马路上 ,看静静悄悄的山塘 ,忽地激一阵水花 ,隐约一团黑影在水面跳动 ,随即啪的一声水响就传了过来。我从小在河边长大 ,知道这是大鱼 “板子”。

In one evening, we came back from the town. We watched the quiet mountain pond while walking down the mountain road. Suddenly, a shadow bobbed on the water with splash and sound. Because I grew up on the riverside, I knew there was a big fish.

 

鱼与人同 ,硕大的母鱼产卵 ,总有一种奔生奔死的挣扎 ,才能把鱼卵排出来。翌日 ,我们跟队上的骆科木借了一张网。骆科木从前喜欢打山 , 一张网是用来套山里的野物子的。山的网跟打鱼的网不一样 ,眼子大不说 ,网线也用麻绳, 要结实得多。

When a big fish spawns, it will struggle hard to ovulate like human does. The next day, we borrowed a net from Luo Kemu on the team. He used to hunt in the mountain, and the net was used to trap wild animals in the mountains. Hunting net for mountain animals is different from that for fishes. It has bigger holes and is made of hemp rope, making it stronger.

 

打我们早早吃了饭 ,就背着一张打山网来到张鸭坝山塘边上。看着一塘浑水 ,三个人脱得剩一个裤衩就下到水里。太阳很好 ,照在身上暖洋洋的。

We finished dinner early, and we carried the net to the bank of the Mountain Pond of Zhangya dam. Looking at the pool of muddy water, we took off all the clothes except the underwear and went into the water. The sun was very good, radiating enough heat for us.

 

我们拉开网 ,两个人守两头 ,一个人守中间 ,提着网纲绳慢慢地把一张网往前推。这工夫 ,男男女女的扛着锄头来到塘边上媷苞谷。

We opened the net, two people held the two ends of it and one person in the middle, and pushed the net forward slowly. At this time, men and women carried hoes to the pond to harvest corn.

 

听说我们拿骆科木打山的网在塘里折腾 ,大家都觉得稀奇 ,仿佛平地多一种娱乐 ,一边媷着翼头上的草 ,一边就你一言我一语地开玩笑 : “万山娃 !你网鱼都淡了 ,把螺蛳网住了 ,找不到妇人哟!”

They heard that we took the hunting net of Luo Kemu to the big fish. Everyone was interested in our action, as if it was an extra entertainment. While they were weeding with a hoe on the wing of the field, they joked: "Wan Shanwa! If you catch margarya melanoides instead, you can't find a wife!"

 

万山娃是我们一个知青点的 ,人很老实 ,队上的女人们都喜欢拿他开玩笑。有一天打闹草歇闹的工夫 ,几个女人还抓住他的四肢在空中悠 ,这样一边“筛糠”,还一边拿出奶子来 ,往他脸上挤一脸的奶水。

Wan Shanwa is one of the educated youths, he was very honest. The women of our production team like to play jokes on him. Once, several women grabbed his limbs in the air, shook Wan Shanwa like sieving something, and took out the chest to hit his face, so that there was some breast milk left on Wan Shanwa's face.

 

万山娃不恼 ,只抿嘴笑 ,也乐在其中的样子。而现在 ,究竟一个在岸上 ,一个在水里 ,也掀不起来高潮 ,很快便专注各自的活路了。

Wan Shanwa was not annoyed but grinned, and he seemed to enjoy this. Now, the women were ashore and Wan Shanwa was in the water, so it wouldn't happen anything, everyone focused their own work soon.

 

太阳当顶 ,我们的网才推到塘中央。塘水虽然不深 ,却也齐胸 ,只是被洪水冲到山塘里的刺刺网网沉在水底 ,挡在前面 ,我们不得不一边清理一边前进 ,这就耽误了工夫。

When the sun went up, we have just pushed to the center of the pond. Although the water was not deep, it was also chest-height. But the debris that was pushed by the flood into the pond sank to the bottom and blocked the way. We had to clean up and move forward.

 

听队上的人说 ,这塘从来没有干过 ,平日里还有娃儿钓鱼 ,偶尔也得几条鲫鱼 ,却从没有看见哪样大鱼。一张打山的网,拳头大的眼子 ,竟然煞有介事在塘里拉了起来 ,大家不笑话才怪。

It was said that this pond never dried up. Sometimes, some children would fished several crucian carps, but never seen any big fish. We used a hunting net with big holes, and it seemed that there were big fishes. No wonder everyone laughed at us. But we thought we could find it.

 

但我们的感觉还真好 ,太阳偏西的时候 ,一张打山网一排浮子越过深水区 ,正像弓一样在浅滩上张着嘴巴 ,阴郁地往前撮着。几乎同时 ,我们几个人都看见了那一道闪光的水花 ,而水花落下去 ,则一匹青幽幽的鳍如戟一般划了过来。我们还没有完全明悟 ,只见网纲绳上面红红的尾子一弹 ,一道金光一掠 ,便落到弓背上 ,往深水里一沉 ,一下无影无踪。

Because when the sun was westward, a row of floats sailed across the deep water area, just like a bow on the shoal with an opening mouth gloomy went forward. Almost at the same time, all of us saw the glittering water. And when the water fell, a green pinna flashed. We hadn't realized it. We only saw a red tail on the net. After a golden light swept, it fell in the net and sank into the deep water, then disappeared without a trace.

 

那一瞬间 ,我们一颗心也跟着沉到了水底 ,直觉得眼前一片黑。“大鱼 !大鱼!”塘边上媷苞谷的人惊咋咋地叫着 ,才把我们从黑暗中唤了回来。

At that moment, we felt disappointed, just like falling into the deep water. And darkness came over our eyes. "Big fish! Big fish!" The man who was working on the edge of the pond was screaming in surprise. Suddenly, we are called back from the darkness.

 

几个人你望望我,我望望你 ,都泥牛一样 ,只有两颗眼仁转着。也没有说什么 ,大家又仿佛找回来一些力量 ,掉转方向 ,把一张打山网往水塘中央推了起来。

People looked at each other, just like mud cows that only turned eyes, but not say anything. We seemed to restore some power, then changed the direction and pushed the net to the center of the pond.

 

一向老实的万山娃这一次却显出过人的智慧 ,他把一只稀眼背篼背在了身上。水底已经清理干净 ,网拉得很快。越过深水区 ,我们就看见了那熟悉的影子。

This time, the honest Wan Shanwa showed extraordinary wisdom. He put a basket weaved by bamboo onto his back. The bottom of the water has been cleaned up, so the net has been pulled very quickly. Crossing the deep waters, we saw the familiar shadow.

 

大鱼仿佛也预感到它的末日 ,沉重地在浅水里晃荡着。坚固的打山网不慌不忙 ,却一刻不停地围了上去。这一次 ,我们把网纲绳提起来 ,大大高出水面。

The big fish seemed to pre-feeling its ending, heavily sloshed in the shallow water. We were not busy pulling out the sturdy net, but went around quickly. This time, we lifted the net rope up, which was much higher than the water.

 

大鱼认命似的没有一点挣扎。万山娃的大背篼一撮 ,就把它捞了起来。这时候 ,我看见大鱼红红的尾子拖在大背篼外面 ,才知道这条金甲大鲤鱼怎么也有七八斤重。

The big fish did not want to struggle. Wan Shanwa used big basket to catch it. At this time, I saw the red-tailed big fish dragging outside with tail, and then I knew this carp might weight seven or eight pounds.

 

 

 

我们带着一种丰收的喜悦回到了知青房。杀鱼、剖鱼 ,不亦乐乎。我们几个知青的家都在镇上。那年月 ,有一条大鱼可是一件快活的事情。We returned to the our room with a joy of harvest. We had such a great time killing and shearing the fish. All of our families were in the town. At that time, it was lucky that we’ve caught such a big fish.

 

想到这是我们下乡几个月最大的一次收获 ,大家一致决定把一条鱼砍成四块 ,三个人一人带一块送到镇上各自的家中 ,也让家人尝一尝鲜 ,解一 解馋。而留下一块鱼跟一碗鱼蛋 ,大家说好连夜赶回队上打牙祭。

We thought that this was the biggest harvest for the past several months, so we decided to cut the fish into four pieces. Each of us took one piece to our homes in the town so that our families will be able to it and enjoy this luxurious food. And we agreed to go back to the team overnight to eat the rest of fish and a bowl of roe.

 

从生产队到镇上不过六七里地 ,我们来去不过两个钟点 ,便回到了知青房。等开锁进门 ,我们几个人都愣住了 ,盖鱼块的筲箕滚到了屋中间 ,灶上装鱼块的土钵空空的 ,只残留着几丝腥气。

It was just six or seven miles from the production team to the town, we only spent two hours on our way back. We were stunned by what we saw in our home. The earthen bowl was empty, the fish chunk was gone. We could still smell it, though. And the bamboo sieve covering the bowl the middle of the floor.

 

远远的 ,我们听见几只猫在咪呜咪呜地叫着 ,这才醒悟过来 ,该死的猫啊 !我们悲愤交加 , 却又无可奈何。但我们的鱼蛋却保住了。我用一只瓷盆把鱼蛋罩在八仙桌上 ,有效地阻止了偷腥的猫。

We heard a few cats meowed, and then we suddenly realized what had happened, damn cats! We were sad and angry, but we couldn't do anything. But our roe was still there. I used an enamel basin to cover the roe on the square table, effectively protected it from those greedy cats.

 

一大碗鱼蛋 ,也应该有一斤多。我们炒鱼蛋做下饭菜 ,也没有什么作料 ,放了一些干辣椒 ,还是压不住那个腥。很久以后想起那个味儿来 ,我都想吐 ,只是吐不出来而已。

A large bowl of roe might weight more than half a kilo. We Stir fried the roe. Because there was little seasoning, we just put some dried chilies in it. But we couldn’t get rid of fish odors. When I recalled that smell long after, I still wanted to vomit, but I couldn’t spit anything out.

 

(2011)