【胡宗锋英译专栏】贾平凹： 我的故乡是商洛 Shangluo is My Homeland
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我的故乡是商洛
文/贾平凹 译/胡宗锋
本文经两位老师授权在“微风读书会”首发
Shangluo is My Homeland
Translated from the Chinese by Hu Zongfeng &Robin Gilbank
人人都说故乡好。我也这么说，而且无论在什么时候什么地方，说起商洛，我都是两眼放光。这不仅出自于生命的本能，更是我文学立身的全部。
Everybody insists that his homeland isgrand. So do I. Whenever and wherever Shangluo is mentioned my eyes alwaysbrighten. This arises not only out of instinct, but as a frisson that wells upfrom the very essence of my literary creation.
商洛虽然是山区，站在这里，北京很偏远，上海很偏远。虽然比较贫穷，山和水以及阳光空气却纯净充裕。我总觉得，云是地的呼吸所形成的，人是从地缝里冒出的气。商洛在秦之头，楚之尾，秦岭上空的鸟是丹江里的鱼穿上了羽毛，丹江里的鱼是秦岭上空的脱了羽毛的鸟，它们是天地间最自在的。我就是从这块地里冒出来的一股气，幻变着形态和色彩。所以，我的人生观并不认为人到世上是来受苦的。如果是来受苦的，为什么世上的人口那么多，每一个人活着又不愿死去?人的一生是爱的圆满，起源于父母的作爱，然后在世上受到太阳的光照，水的滋润，食物的供养，而同时传播和转化。这也就是之所以每个人的天性里都有音乐、绘画、文学的才情的原因。正如哲人说过，当你看到一朵花而喜爱的时候，其实这朵花更喜欢你。人世上为什么还有争斗、伤害、嫉恨、恐惧，是人来的太多空间太少而产生的贪婪。也基于此，我们常说死亡是死者带走了一份病毒和疼痛，还活着的人应该感激他。我爱商洛，觉得这里的山水草木飞禽走兽没有不可亲的。这里的不爱为官为民摆摊的行乞的又都没有不是好人。在长达数十年的岁月中，商洛人去西安见我，我从来好烟好茶好脸好心地相待，不敢一丝怠慢，商洛人让我办事，我总是满口应允，四蹄跑着尽力而为。至今，我的胃仍然是洋芋糊汤的记忆，我的口音仍然是秦岭南坡的腔调。商洛也爱我，它让我几十年都在写它，它容忍我从各个角度去写它，素材是那么丰富，胸怀是那么宽阔。凡是我有了一点成绩，是商洛最先鼓掌，一旦我受到挫败，是商洛总能给予藉慰。
Although Shangluo lies in a mountainousregion, standing here Beijing feels like a backwater and so does Shanghai too.Although comparatively down-at-heels, its mountains, waterways, sunshine, andair are pure, clean, and rich. I always feel that clouds are condensed out ofpeople’s breath; human beings are the streams issuing from the crevices of theearth. Shangluo is located at the head of the State of Qin and the tail-end ofthe State of Chu. The birds above the Qinling Mountains are the plumed fishlaunching upwards out of the River Dan and the fish of the River Dan are thebirds from above the Qinling Mountains divested of their feathers. They are themost unconstrained creatures to be found between the heavens and the earth. Iam merely a brook dribbling out of this patch of land, refracting shapes andcolour. Thus my view of life surmises that men do not enter into this world tosuffer. If men came here to experience tribulation why then are there so manypeople on the Earth and why is it that every living person is unwilling to die?A man’s life is the perfection of love. It originates from the lovemaking ofhis parents and then basks in the light of the sun, savours the irrigation ofwater, and imbibes the nourishment provided by food. At the same time mankindexpands and evolves. That is why everyone variously has musical, artistic, orliterary talent inbred in their nature. Just as a philosopher once said, “Whenyou see a flower and love it, in actual fact the flower loves you even more.”Why then do conflict, hurt, jealousy and terror still afflict this world? Isbecause of the greed engendered by overpopulation? On account of this, wealways maintain that when confronted by death the expiring one is ferrying awaya virus and a portion of pain with them. In this case, those who continue tolive on should be seized with gratitude toward the deceased. I love Shangluo. Ifind that the mountains, the waterways, the vegetation, the forests, the flyingbirds and the scurrying animals are all dear to me. The folks here are not fondof becoming officials. Those who set up roadside stalls and those who scrape aliving by begging are all decent compatriots. During these dozens of long yearswhenever the sons and daughters of Shangluo have dropped by to see me in Xi’anI have always received them with fine cigarettes, fine tea, a happy face, and asincere heart. Never have I dared to be a poor host. When the sons anddaughters of Shangluo ask me for a favour I always pledge my help readily anddo my utmost to gird my four limbs. Even today, my stomach still retains thememory of the cracked corn porridge with sliced potatoes. My accent remainsthat of the southern slope of the Qinling Mountains. Shangluo likewisecherishes me. She has permitted me write about her for dozens of years. She hastolerated me writing about her from various angles. Her raw materials are sorich and her mind so broad. Whenever I have achieved a speck, Shangluo has beenthe first to applaud me. Once I have become frustrated, it has always beenShangluo that has offered me solace.
我是商洛的一棵草木，一块石头，一只鸟、一只兔，一个萝卜，一个红薯，是商洛的品种，是商洛制造。
我在商洛生活了十九年后去的西安，上世纪80年代我曾三次大规模地游历了各县，几乎走遍了所有大小的村镇，此后的几十年，每年仍十多次往返不断。自从去了西安，有了西安的角度，我更了解和理解了商洛，而始终站在商洛这个点上，去观察和认知着中国。这就是我人生的秘密，也就是我文学的秘密。
I am but a blade of grass, a tree, a stone,a bird, a rabbit, a carrot, and a sweet potato tuber from Shangluo. I am theseed of Shangluo, germinated in this place.
I went to Xi’an after having lived fornineteen years in Shangluo. Thrice in the 1980s, I toured around every countyhere, venturing into almost every town and village both large and small. In thedozens of years since then I have still gone back and forth more than ten timesevery year. Ever since I arrived in Xi’an, I came to better understand and knowmore about Shangluo from the perspective of Xi’an. Standing on the latitude ofShangluo from start to finish, I observed and ingested more about China. Thisis the secret of my life and the cipher for my literary career as well.
至今我写下千万文字，每一部作品里都有商洛的影子和痕迹。早年的《山地笔记》，后来的《商州三录》《浮躁》，再后的《废都》《妊娠》《高老庄》《怀念狼》，以及《秦腔》《高兴》《古炉》《带灯》和《老生》，那都是文学的商洛。其中大大小小的故事，原型有的就是商洛记录，也有原型不是商洛的，但熟悉商洛的人，都能从作品里读到商洛的某地山水物产风俗，人物的神气方言。我已经无法摆脱商洛，如同无法不呼吸一样，如同羊不能没有膻味一样。
凤栖常近日，
鹤梦不离云。
To date, I have set down more than tenmillion words. There are the traces and shadows of Shangluo in all of my works.In my early years, Notes on the MountainArea and later the Three Notes onShangzhou and Turbulence, andlater still The Abandoned Capital, Pregnancy, Old Gao Village, MissingWolves, as well as Shaanxi Opera,Happy, Ancient Kiln, Firefly,and Lao Sheng have each formed afacet of literary Shangluo. Certain stories and anecdotes, both large andsmall, within them have partially had their prototype in Shangluo while othersdid not. Yet those who are familiar with Shangluo can detect in those workspeculiar spots, mountains, materials, local customs, characters, and dialectexpressions which embody the spirit and air of the place. I cannot rid myselfof Shangluo, just as I am unable to stop breathing. To put it another way, I amlike a sheep that cannot cast off its odour.
A phoenix tower always approaches the sun,
A crane’s dream always features the clouds.
我是欣赏荣格的话：文学的根本是表达集体无意识。我也欣赏生生不息这四个字。如果在生活里寻找到、能准确抓住集体无意识，这是我写作中最难最苦最用力的事。而在面对了原始具象，要把它写出来时，不能写得太熟太滑，如何求生求涩，这又是我万般警觉和小心的事。遗憾的是这两个方面我都做得不好。
I genuinely appreciate Carl Jung’ssentiments: “The essence of literature is to express the collectiveunconsciousness.” Moreover, I cleave to these four words: “Robust life withoutending.” The most difficult and most daunting task in my writing career hasbeen to find and grasp accurately the collective unconsciousness of life.Still, when faced with primal images and when having to notate these one cannotcapture them too familiarly and too slickly. What I feel extremely mindfulabout and care deeply for is the quest to seek novelty and astringency. Such apity that I have not exactly prospered on either front.
人的一生实在是太短了，干不了几件事。当我选择了写作，就退化了别的生存功能，虽不敢懈怠，但自知器格简陋，才质单薄，无法达到我向往的境界，无法完成我追求的作品。别人或许是在建造故宅，我只是经营农家四合院。
Life really is too short. One cannot achievemanifold things. When I chose to write, the other functions of survivalwithered so I couldn’t risk being sluggish or slack. I know that I am simpleand shallow in my natural constitution, and deficient in quality and talent,being unable to realize the utopia about which I have been dreaming. I have beenunable to bring to fruition the works of my imagination. Others may be erectingan ancient Forbidden City. I am only cobbling together my country compound.
我在书房悬挂了一块匾：待星可披。意思是什么时候星光才能照着我啊。而我能做到的就是在屋里安了一尊佛像和一尊土地神，佛法无边，可以惠泽众生，土地神则护守住我那房子和我的灵魂。
In my study there hangs a scroll whichstates: “Waiting to be under the canopy of the stars.” This poses the question:when will the starlight shine on me? All I can do is to set up an effigy of theBuddha and a totem of the God of the Earth in that room. The Buddha’s abilityis boundless. He can bestow favour upon all mankind. The God of the Earth candefend my house and protect my soul.
(A speech delivered at the Jia PingwaLiterary Symposium at the Shangluo College of Higher Education, November 2014).
英译作者胡宗锋与著名作家贾平凹。
胡宗锋，西北大学外国语学院院长、陕西省翻译协会主席胡宗锋教授。自2008年以来，胡宗锋教授带领其翻译团队一直致力于陕西作家作品的英译工作。他们不仅翻译完成了贾平凹先生的《废都》《土门》《高兴》《白夜》《老生》外，还翻译了陈忠实、穆涛、方英文、红柯、吴克敬、叶广芩等陕西文坛名家作品。在胡宗锋教授的带领下，西北大学外国语学院已经形成了一支以青年教师为主力，以译介陕西作家作品传播中国文化为使命的工作团队。相信在胡院长的带领下，他们会让更多的优秀作家作品走出国门，让世界了解中国，不断增进相互的理解与沟通，为实现中西文化的共融共通助力！
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