雙語|現(xiàn)代散文:何為 生命

Life 生命

◎ He Wei ◎ 何為

There are various ways of returning to nature，but people generally respect the last wish made by their parents towards their journey's end．A friend of mine incidentally related to me the following occurrence which，like a little story，is very touching：

如果回歸自然，各有不同的方式，后人總是尊重前輩的人生最后一次選擇。一位朋友偶然講起一件事，有如一篇小小說，聽者動容。

In a newly opened-up forest，a quietly dressed woman walked all by herself on a winding path straight towards one of the trees．There were many trees of varying sizes，and some had just been transplanted，but all were shooting up fast，standing straight and stout and covered with light green young leaves．Evidently，some people had been put in charge of these memorial trees.

在新開發(fā)的叢林里，一條蜿蜒的小徑上，一個衣著素色的女人踽踽獨行，徑直走向林子里的一棵樹。這里許多樹大小參差不一，有的移植不久，不過都長得很快。在一個時期內(nèi)，都挺直有神。新生的樹葉嫩綠有生機。當然，有人專門護理這些紀念樹。

As she had been doing for we don't know how many years，the woman stood silently beside the tree with a bunch of fresh flowers in her hand．She raised her head to fix her eyes on the tree and kept moving her unique small lips as if she were soliloquizing or sharing her innermost feelings with someone．She took a step back to assess how much the tree had grown in height and softly removed the mottled fallen leaves under it．She bent forward to hug and kiss the tree that had been transplanted many years before，and gently stroked its wrinkled bark as if it were something alive．Then she reluctantly turned round and left，vanishing into the last rays of an autumn day in the deepening dusk.

不知多少年，這個女人總是帶著一束鮮花默默地置于樹根旁，然后仰起頭來，對著樹身凝視，翕動著她獨有的小小嘴唇，既像獨語，又像傾訴。她退后一步，打量她這樹高了多少，細心地除去樹下斑斑駁駁的落葉，向這棵移植多年的樹傾身擁抱，親了一下，輕輕摩挲樹皮的皺紋，如同面對一個有生命的軀體。不久，她依依不舍地轉身離去，消失在暮色漸濃的秋天最后一抹余暉里。

At a sudden gust of the autumn wind，the tree rustled like it was whispering secretly and the woman，being the only person capable of understanding the full implications of the whisper，immediately turned round．Then，after mumbling a few words to the tree，she said goodbye to it and set out on her way home with tears in her eyes.

一陣秋風吹過，樹葉沙沙地響動，仿佛隱秘的私語。女人頓時回過身來，惟有她才能聽懂私語的全部含意。于是喃喃自語向大樹告訴。含著淚，走向她的歸途。

As the years went by，the woman，a regular solitary visitor on the path，became older and older.

年復一年，小徑上的女人孤獨的背影，顯得越來越蒼老了。

Several years later，the tree became even taller and was crowned with verdant foliage．It stood erect and became more and more luxuriantly green in the wind．It looked up at the firmament to watch the motions of the sun，moon and stars and thus merged itself with Mother Nature.

若干年后，這棵樹長得更高大了，樹冠綴滿蔥蘢的樹葉。它屹立在這片土地上，風吹來，滿樹充滿生命的綠色更繁茂了。它對著蒼穹，仰望太陽、月亮和星星的運行，與大自然親密無間連成一片。

Another period of time afterwards，there appeared close to it a newly transplanted small tree．It was robust and quiet．With the passage of time，the roots of the two trees had become twined together．They each had a delicate small wooden cinerary casket buried underneath them．The ashes in the caskets had gradually turned into organic fertilizer passing into the trees trunks by way of the roots．The two elderly persons had successively chosen the same way of returning to nature so as to have life prolonged in the bosom of nature．Each tender leaf in the trees was pregnant with green hope.

又過了些時候，靠近大樹旁出現(xiàn)了一棵新移植的小樹。小樹很壯碩，也很安靜。隨著歲月遞增，年長日久，大樹和小樹埋在泥土下的根莖錯節(jié)，相互交織。兩棵樹下各埋著一個精致的小木盒，木盒里的骨灰，逐漸化為樹根下的有機肥，融入樹身內(nèi)。兩個老者相繼以這樣的方式回歸自然，在大自然的懷抱中，生命得以延續(xù)。樹上每一片小綠葉都孕含著綠色的希望。

It's a true story．It's a poem singing the praises of tree burial．No need to identify the two elderly people though．It could be any person.

這是真的，是一首歌頌樹葬的詩篇。不用問他們是誰，是誰，就是誰。

何為，散文家，原名何振業(yè)，浙江定海人。二十世紀四十年代初先后就讀于上海大同大學和圣約翰大學，1937年開始發(fā)表文學作品，在上海歷任報紙記者、刊物編輯和電影文學編輯。1959年調至福建電影制片廠任故事片編輯負責人，1964年轉任福建省作家協(xié)會專業(yè)作家?，F(xiàn)為中國作家協(xié)會全國委員會名譽會員。何為的散文以其獨特的情節(jié)著稱?！渡芬晃氖切伦鳎x自他2003年出版的散文集《近景與遠景》。文章短雋有味，意境清新，富有詩情與哲理。