媲美[1]

Beauty

林青

Lin Qing

 

一朵雪花的体态是轻盈的，宛如六枚小银针，千针万线，给S大学校园绣出了合身的水晶外套。[2]但是，正如童话世界也有缺陷一样，文史楼北墙畔一株年轻的龙柏，由于一夜风催雪压，已经倾成30·斜角了。

Snowflakes are light, each having six tiny silver needles.  Last night, they worked together to weave a well-fitted crystal outfit for the campus of S University.  However, nothing is perfect, not even in a fairyland.  The young dragon cypress[i] at the north wall of the Humanities Building was bent over at a 30 degree angle after the night’s snowstorm.

 

远处走来几个身背照相机的年轻人。其中那位穿黑呢大衣[ii]的姑娘真美，一双亮晶晶杏核儿大眼[iii]，似湖？似星？谁也说不清，只惹得路人不时朝她张望。这群市大学生摄影协会会员准备捕捉大自然恩赐的美妙镜头，心情舒畅地说笑着，渐渐地走近这棵倾斜的龙柏。

Several students came from a distance, each carrying a camera.  Among them was a girl in a black wool overcoat.  She was a real beauty, her almond-shaped eyes like pools of clear water or bright starts in the sky.  It was hard to tell which they resembled[iv] more, but she herself was certainly eye-catching!  These members of the town’s College Photographers Society had come out to capture the beautiful scenery endowed[v] by nature.  Laughing and talking merrily, they were approaching the leaning cypress.

 

“在文史楼前拍张雪景吧！”一个浑厚的男中音提议。

“Let’s take a shot just in front of the Building!” a rich baritone[vi] voice suggested.

 

“不，这棵龙柏被风雪压斜了，缺乏自然美。”姑娘那双手朝不远处一指。“喏，到生物系的小植物园去，那儿不仅有龙柏，还有雪松、扁柏呢。”

“No, this cypress is bent by the storm and lacks natural beauty,” the girl responded.  Pointing to a place nearby, she proposed, “Why don’t we go to the small garden of Biology Department?  It has not only cypresses there, but silver pines.” 

 

她的声波在清冽的空间扩散，像清甜的冰糖渐渐融化。年轻人流下了一串无邪的笑声。

Her voice drifted[vii] in the crisp[viii] air like sweet, crystal sugar melting slowly.  So to the small garden they went, leaving their carefree laughter behind.

 

又一个竹骨梅肌的青年出现在文史楼前，衣服右下摆隐约可见斑驳的油画颜料污迹。他在欣赏雪景之余，猛然发现倾斜的龙柏，不满地轻声嘀咕：“搞环境保护的同志真马虎，昨晚下那么的雪，竟没来校园巡视，他们对美的统一性的被破环负有间接的责任！”这位美术爱好者凝视片刻，灵感的火花映亮心窗，他立刻打开速写本，捏着炭精棒，勾勒这棵龙柏的体态轮廓，准备回宿舍精心画一副漫画，连画名也想好了，就叫做：《一株龙柏的控诉》。他离去时遗憾地摇头叹息，眼波里颤动着一丝失望的情绪。

Another slim young man appeared at the Building, his coat stained with[ix] paint somewhere down the right corner.  In appreciation of the snow scene he suddenly caught sight of the bent cypress.  He grumbled[x] to himself, “The gardeners were indeed very negligent[xi].  They didn’t even come out to patrol [xii]the campus in such a heavy snow as last night’s.  They should be held partially responsible for the ruin of the harmonious beauty of nature.”  The amateur artist was staring at the bent cypress when inspiration flashed into his mind.  He quickly opened his sketch book and drew an outline of the cypress with his charcoal pen.  He planned to develop the sketch into a cartoon, when he got back to the dormitory.  He had even figured out a title for it, “A Cypress Complains.”  He left with a sigh of sympathy for the bent tree and a flicker[xiii] of disappointment in his eyes.

 

微弱的阳光下，急匆匆地走来一个肩挎旧书包的青年工人，他是来旁听中文系选修课的。突然，一阵风吹拂龙柏树，扬起无数雪沫，洒在他头上、身上。青年工人仰面看看那株龙柏，脚步放慢了，他一看手表立刻加快步伐走去。

In the dim sunlight, a young worker, with a worn bag on his shoulder, was hurrying to the Chinese Department to audit a selective course.  All of a sudden a gust of wind blew over the bent cypress, shaking the overlaying[xiv] snowflakes down onto the young man’s head and shoulders.  He looked up and noticed the tree.  Then he slowed his steps, took a glance at his watch and hurried away.

 

一会，他带来一把铁锹、一截旧茅竹、橡皮带，手脚麻利地不停地劳作，那株倾斜的龙柏终于挺直了脊梁，牢牢地屹立在校园。

In a short while, he came back with a spade, an old bamboo stick and a piece of rubber band.  He worked with his deft[xv] hands on the bent cypress until it was straight again. 

 

上课铃声响了。他疾步如飞地向教室奔去！

The bell for class was ringing and he dashed to the classroom.

 

静谧。点点不同的浅蓝色脚印留在雪地里，组合成一行行无人辨识的文字，蕴藏着精致微妙的内涵。那株龙柏静静注视着面前的雪地，仿佛苦心思索关于美的神秘的定义。

Silence reigned[xvi].  Faint bluish footprints, of all shapes and sizes, formed in the snow lines of illegible words with subtle implications.  That cypress was quietly gazing at the snow, as if mediating on the mystery of beauty.