The Gay Genius《苏东坡传》-01

Thoughts -- 熟读深思

12月继续参加 Eric 的读书会，阅读林语堂先生在美旅居期间写就并于1947年出版的 The Gay Genius：The Life and Times of Su Tungpo，中文版由张振玉转译为《苏东坡传》。

读完自序部分，惊讶于林语堂先生对苏东坡的评价如此之高之细腻全面：

One might say that Su Tungpo was an incorrigible optimist, a great humanitarian, a friend of the people, a prose master, an original painter, a great calligraphist, and experimenter in wine making, an engineer, a hater of puritanism, a yogi, a Buddhist believer, a Confucian statesman, a secretary to the emperor, a confirmed winebibber, a humane judge, a dissenter in politics, a prowler in the moonlight, a poet, and a wag.

我们未尝不可说，苏东坡是个秉性难改的乐天派，是悲天悯人的道德家，是黎民百姓的好朋友，是散文作家，是新派的画家，是伟大的书法家，是酿酒的实验者，是工程师，是假道学的反对派，是瑜伽术的修炼者，是佛教徒，是士大夫，是皇帝的秘书，是饮酒成癖者，是心肠慈悲的法官，是政治上的坚持己见者，是月下的漫步者，是诗人，是生性诙谐爱开玩笑的人。

苏东坡.png

之于我，对苏东坡的了解，尚止于唐宋八大家之一，一门三学士（苏洵、苏轼、苏辙），脍炙人口的《水调歌头·明月几时有》和《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》等诗词，以及他和佛印禅师之间的趣闻轶事，而其中最广为流传的则是那篇有关 “牛粪” 的小故事：

这样性格鲜明活泼生动的苏东坡，正是林语堂先生笔下的 gay genius 吧（请注意，这里的 gay 作为形容词，表示 bright and attractive，令人愉悦使人着迷的）。

Words and Expressions -- 字词表达

Political chicanery and calculation were foreign to his character.

chicanery, 书面语，不可数名词，表示 “利用诡计哄骗他人”, the use of clever plans or actions to deceive people；与 trickery 同义。
例句：The investigation revealed political chicanery and corruption at the highest levels.

be foreign to…，表示 “与…无关的”，to be not typical of someone’s usual character.
例句：Aggression is completely foreign to his nature.

That is the kind of charm which I am trying to describe in my lame and halting fashion.

lame, 形容词，口语中表示 “（借口、论点、评论等）站不住脚的，蹩脚的”，not strong, good, or effective；与 weak 同义；
例句：She gave some lame excuse about missing the bus.
仿句：The boss is tired of hearing his lame excuse about lateness.

口语中还可表示为 “差劲的”，boring or not very good，与 poor 同义。
例句：A lot of the songs on this album are a bit lame.
仿句：We watched a lame movie yesterday.

halting，形容词，表示 “因不确定而结结巴巴的，迟疑不决的”，stopping often because of not being sure about what to say or do；与 hesitant 同义。
例句：Progress in the negotiations has been halting.

He wore his heart on his sleeve.

on your sleeve，口语中表示 “感情外露，坦率”，in a way that can be clearly seen.
例句：Many politicians wear religion on their sleeves. [=show their religious beliefs in a very open way]
例句：He wears his emotions/heart on his sleeve. [=his emotions are easy to see]
仿句：She is too shy to wear her heart on her sleeve.

Poems and Prose -- 诗词英译

The bird’s song in spring and the cricket’s chirp in autumn. 春鸟秋虫之声

Cries of monkeys in the jungle or of the storks in high heaven, unaware of the human listeners below. 猿吟鹤唳本无意，不知下有行人行。

spit it out like a fly found in one’s food. 如蝇在食，吐之方快。

the composition of a Shantung schoolteacher after sipping bad liquor and eating spoiled beef. 正是东京学究饮私酒，食瘴死牛肉，醉饱后所发者也。

He played and sang through life and enjoyed it tremendously, and when sorrow came and misfortune fell, he accepted them with a smile. 他的一生载歌载舞，深得其乐，忧患来临，一笑置之。

Up above, I can associate with the Jade Emperor of Heaven, and down below I can associate with the poor folks. I think there is not a single bad person in this world. 吾上可陪玉皇大帝，下可陪卑田院乞儿。眼前见天下无一个不好人。

Out of the Buddhist faith to annihilate life, the Confucian faith to live it, and the Taoist faith to simplify it, a new amalgam was formed in the crucible of the poet’s mind and perceptions. 从佛教的否定人生，儒家的正视人生，道家的简化人生，这位诗人在心灵识见中产生了他的混合的人生观。