回帶。簡言之，安心初推出時，立場的「立場」乃是在嘲笑政府sell apps sell得不夠到位，以致無法落實全民監控，「業績」不如台灣。
你當然不會希望記得這些。畢竟「公共理性」，可比私人的理性要方便遺忘得多了。
10／12／2021
截圖於2021年5月18日
2022年11月22日 星期二
轉載：Wen Yuan-ning(溫源寧), Liang Yu-Ch'un(梁遇春), A Chinese Elia (1934)
Liang Yu-Ch'un(梁遇春), A Chinese Elia (1934)
By Wen Yuan-ning(溫源寧)
My last recollection of Yu-ch'un was a chat I had with him on Milton in my study. Three days afterwards he died. Just 26 years of age. A few days later, his little daughter died. He leaves a widow and one child.
A short life and gentle! Quiet in manner, dress and speech, Yu-ch'un somehow sticks more in one's memory than many others who are out to make an impression. Not in the least bit showy. In a crowd, he just hides himself in anonymity and smiles. In a company of two, he makes no effort to be heard. Contradiction is indicated by avoidance rather than by denial. The absence of vehemence in him is not a matter of nurture, but of nature. Modesty itself is modest in him. There are some who are modest with a vengeance: their modesty is so self-conscious and so painful. But with Yuch'un, his modesty is the least obtrusive thing about him: it constitutes his greatest charm. It is a modesty which does not rebuke(i.e. deny), but puts one uncommonly at ease with oneself. The proof of this lies in those restful silences which occur when one converses with him. Whereas with others, one feels terribly fidgety and nervous, when there is a pause in the conversation; with Yu-ch'un, on the contrary, to be silent is to rest awhile, in order to talk all the better later on, reculer pour mieux sauter(draw back in order to make a better jump). The result is, one never tires after a long tête-à-tête促膝談心with him. There is no constraint, no striving after a point, no showing off —just a folding of the hands(palm to palm, with one’s own fingers interlocking), as it were, to see the Mondays and Tuesdays of life go by.
Yu-ch'un wears no mask. He is just himself. And that "self" is a very ordinary self, with this difference: the ordinariness does not try to pass off 冒充for something extraordinary. The usual run of people would do anything rather than be ordinary. Yu-ch'un, on the other hand, is not afraid of being ordinary: this is his title to distinction.
To look at him, Yu-ch'un is just one of the crowd of persons that one can see any day in a crowded street. There is nothing distinctive about his features, except perhaps a certain puzzled look on his face, when he listens to one's talk. This puzzled look is very flattering to one's vanity, as it implies a certain intellectual superiority in the speaker over the listener, who seems to have to listen so hard to understand. But, in reality, Yu-ch'un takes in everything at once. This puzzled look is deceptively complimentary.
Besides the above trait, there is another which makes Yu-ch'un likeable—a slight stammer口吃 in his speech. There are some defects, which are either formidable or ludicrous(ridiculous). Cyrano de Bergerac's nose大鼻子情聖, for example, is ludicrous, and Cromwell's wart疣 formidable. But neither Cyrano de Bergerac's long nose nor Cromwell's ugly wart makes the owners of them likeable. A stammer, however, belongs to that small, but select, class of physical defects, that endear the possessors of them to one's liking. Not a little of Charles Lamb's likeability in actual life is due to his stammer. Indeed, is not a good deal of the winsomeness(childlike charm or appeal) of the Essays of Elia due to the liberal use of parentheses in them? And what is a parenthesis but a stylistic stammer?
The mention of Elia reminds one of the many similarities that one can note between Lamb and Yu-ch'un. It is a well-known fact that Yu-ch'un is a great admirer of Lamb. He is one of the few Chinese who can really relish the Essays of Elia. This gravitation towards Lamb is an expression of affinities between them. For one thing, Yu-ch'un, like Lamb, is a great reader, but not of the omnivorous雜食性 sort: he browses only in certain chosen meadows— Berkeley, among the philosophers; Defoe(Daniel Defoe, an English writer most known for his novel Robinson Crusoe魯賓遜漂流記), among the novelists; Lytton Strachey, among the biographers; and Lamb, Hazlitt, and Montaigne, among the essayists. As one comes across Burton(Robert Burton) and Browne(Thomas Browne) and Shakespeare again and again in Lamb's essays, so also Yuchun's favourites turn up all over his writings, not so much in direct quotations, as in odd fancies and humours and in certain refinements of expression.
Yu-ch'un has not written much. A collection of essays (春醪集) and a few translations comprise all he ever did. But his influence remains in the subtle note of urbane(notably polite or polished in manner; suave) intimacy that meets one in some essays of the best among present-day authors.
From Wen’s Imperfect Understanding(不夠知己)
By Wen Yuan-ning(溫源寧)
My last recollection of Yu-ch'un was a chat I had with him on Milton in my study. Three days afterwards he died. Just 26 years of age. A few days later, his little daughter died. He leaves a widow and one child.
A short life and gentle! Quiet in manner, dress and speech, Yu-ch'un somehow sticks more in one's memory than many others who are out to make an impression. Not in the least bit showy. In a crowd, he just hides himself in anonymity and smiles. In a company of two, he makes no effort to be heard. Contradiction is indicated by avoidance rather than by denial. The absence of vehemence in him is not a matter of nurture, but of nature. Modesty itself is modest in him. There are some who are modest with a vengeance: their modesty is so self-conscious and so painful. But with Yuch'un, his modesty is the least obtrusive thing about him: it constitutes his greatest charm. It is a modesty which does not rebuke(i.e. deny), but puts one uncommonly at ease with oneself. The proof of this lies in those restful silences which occur when one converses with him. Whereas with others, one feels terribly fidgety and nervous, when there is a pause in the conversation; with Yu-ch'un, on the contrary, to be silent is to rest awhile, in order to talk all the better later on, reculer pour mieux sauter(draw back in order to make a better jump). The result is, one never tires after a long tête-à-tête促膝談心with him. There is no constraint, no striving after a point, no showing off —just a folding of the hands(palm to palm, with one’s own fingers interlocking), as it were, to see the Mondays and Tuesdays of life go by.
Yu-ch'un wears no mask. He is just himself. And that "self" is a very ordinary self, with this difference: the ordinariness does not try to pass off 冒充for something extraordinary. The usual run of people would do anything rather than be ordinary. Yu-ch'un, on the other hand, is not afraid of being ordinary: this is his title to distinction.
To look at him, Yu-ch'un is just one of the crowd of persons that one can see any day in a crowded street. There is nothing distinctive about his features, except perhaps a certain puzzled look on his face, when he listens to one's talk. This puzzled look is very flattering to one's vanity, as it implies a certain intellectual superiority in the speaker over the listener, who seems to have to listen so hard to understand. But, in reality, Yu-ch'un takes in everything at once. This puzzled look is deceptively complimentary.
Besides the above trait, there is another which makes Yu-ch'un likeable—a slight stammer口吃 in his speech. There are some defects, which are either formidable or ludicrous(ridiculous). Cyrano de Bergerac's nose大鼻子情聖, for example, is ludicrous, and Cromwell's wart疣 formidable. But neither Cyrano de Bergerac's long nose nor Cromwell's ugly wart makes the owners of them likeable. A stammer, however, belongs to that small, but select, class of physical defects, that endear the possessors of them to one's liking. Not a little of Charles Lamb's likeability in actual life is due to his stammer. Indeed, is not a good deal of the winsomeness(childlike charm or appeal) of the Essays of Elia due to the liberal use of parentheses in them? And what is a parenthesis but a stylistic stammer?
The mention of Elia reminds one of the many similarities that one can note between Lamb and Yu-ch'un. It is a well-known fact that Yu-ch'un is a great admirer of Lamb. He is one of the few Chinese who can really relish the Essays of Elia. This gravitation towards Lamb is an expression of affinities between them. For one thing, Yu-ch'un, like Lamb, is a great reader, but not of the omnivorous雜食性 sort: he browses only in certain chosen meadows— Berkeley, among the philosophers; Defoe(Daniel Defoe, an English writer most known for his novel Robinson Crusoe魯賓遜漂流記), among the novelists; Lytton Strachey, among the biographers; and Lamb, Hazlitt, and Montaigne, among the essayists. As one comes across Burton(Robert Burton) and Browne(Thomas Browne) and Shakespeare again and again in Lamb's essays, so also Yuchun's favourites turn up all over his writings, not so much in direct quotations, as in odd fancies and humours and in certain refinements of expression.
Yu-ch'un has not written much. A collection of essays (春醪集) and a few translations comprise all he ever did. But his influence remains in the subtle note of urbane(notably polite or polished in manner; suave) intimacy that meets one in some essays of the best among present-day authors.
From Wen’s Imperfect Understanding(不夠知己)
錄者按：真是寫得極好的一篇文章，也大概是我暫時在《不夠知己》裏讀到最好的一篇。（22/11/2022）
2022年11月19日 星期六
轉載：也談魯迅 小思
也談魯迅 小思
讓我也來湊個興談談魯迅。
最近一期《中國烹飪》裏，刊了一篇文章，是從魯迅的書信、日記中找出資料來證明魯迅也懂飲食之道，例如懂得怎樣燉火腿等等。文章目的大概想表示魯迅的偉大，從大事到小事無一不懂，懂得生活享受但並不講究追求。但我以為，說魯迅懂得批評食品的精劣，對某些人來說，比說魯迅是個「鬥士」，可能印象更深更好。
看別人文章寫魯迅怎樣偉大，很難感動我，只有直接看魯迅的書信、日記，才能真正使我對他肅然起敬。
最近看他給蕭軍蕭紅的五十三封信，我就很感動。他忙得很，但給後輩朋友覆信之快，和措詞的親切細心，簡直像個閒來無事的人。他甚至在信裏教蕭軍怎樣到大馬路屈臣氏大藥房去買二元四角一瓶的痱子藥水。他忙寫稿趕翻譯，身體又不好，但仍小心處理二蕭寄給他的稿件，一一為他們分寄到不同的刊物去。他的經濟情況並不好，「手頭很窘，因為只有一點零星收入，數目較多的稿費，不是不付，就是支票」，但蕭軍向他借錢，十一天後，他就告訴蕭軍：「今天有點收入，你所要之款，已放在書店裏，希持附上之條，前去一取。」再看他對海嬰給沸水燙傷的情急，看他溫柔無奈的提及對孩子的態度，就絕不懷疑「俯首甘為孺子牛」只是妄語了。
普通人不易了解偉大的人，特別是偉人的孤寂，鬥士的堅忍。對普通人說偉人如何偉大，就是感動，也很「隔」。既然偉人也是血肉之軀，他們跟普通人一樣有凡人的苦悶、愛欲、快樂。那麼，就從他們的「平凡」處看，看他們怎樣對待平凡的生活、問題，看他們的缺點，更能反映他們的「不凡」，也更能感動普通人（Havelock Ellis, Impressions and Comments, January 29, 1913:"For supper, we are told, Milton used often to eat a few olives. That statement has frequently recurred to my mind. I never grow weary of the significance of little things... Milton is one of the “great” things in English life and literature, and his admirers dwell on his great achievements. These achievements often leave me a little cold, intellectually acquiescent, nothing more. But when I hear of these olives which the blind old scholar-poet was wont to eat for supper I am at once brought nearer to him." Samuel Johnson, "The Life of Sir Thomas Browne": "Of every great and eminent character, part breaks forth into publick view, and part lies hid in domestick privacy. Those qualities which have been exerted in any known and lasting performances, may, at any distance of time, be traced and estimated; but silent excellencies are soon forgotten; and those minute peculiarities which discriminate every man from all others, if they are not recorded by those whom personal knowledge enables to observe them, are irrecoverably lost."）。
一九八一年十一月六日
摘自小思《承教小記》，191－192頁。
2022年11月13日 星期日
轉載：〈白虎〉 劉紹銘
〈白虎〉 劉紹銘
楊憲益先生大去。九十多歲的老人，歷經世變，早已生願成灰。他1915年元月十日生於天津，父親在中國銀行任行長。他在英文自傳White Tiger一開筆就說根據陰曆的推算，他命造屬虎。母親告訴他，他出生前的一晚她夢見白虎入懷。據算命先生說，此子八字好壞參半。壞的是終身無兄弟，父親亦因他的誕生而折壽。八字好的一面是什麼呢？將來歷盡劫波後，事業上會處處出人頭地（have a distinguished career）。果如相士所言，楊憲益的父親在他五歲時因病去世，而他自己真的沒有兄弟，只有兩個妹妹。
在天津念完中學後，楊憲益打算到北平（北京）升學，不是北大、清華，就是燕京。但他中學老師有C. H. B. Longman先生夫婦，一早就看出這個學生的潛力，願意在自己回英國度假時帶他同行。他們打算在英國給他安排補習希臘文和拉丁文老師，然後再參加牛津大學的入學試。楊家是銀行世家，供養這個獨子到英國唸書，能力綽綽有餘。
希臘文和拉丁文苦修了五個月後，楊憲益參加了牛津的入學試，順利通過。面試時「主考官」問他花了多少時間在這兩種語言上，他如實說出來：五個月。考官說：「不會吧？這一定是運氣……因為我們這裡的英國孩子通常都花上七八年的時間修讀拉丁和希臘文才進得了大學的。」考官因此建議他延遲一年入學，打好這兩種語文的基礎。
「白虎」在牛津唸書時，七七事變爆發，全面抗戰開始。楊憲益報國心切，全身投入抗日宣傳活動，除到處演講外，還親自土法煉鋼地編印宣傳手冊，把自己的功課拋諸腦後。 1940年春天他參加學位結業試，僥倖以第四級榮譽（Fourth Class Honours）畢業。 《石頭記》的英譯者霍克思（David Hawkes）說White Tiger的文字，時見「自嘲性的超脫和絕不落空的幽默感」。且看這位「四級榮譽生」怎樣面對自己。 Each year there were only one or two Honours student who got a fourth. It was even harder than getting a first。每年只有一兩個考生取得四級榮譽，因此四級榮譽比一級榮譽更為難得。
楊先生說得這麼輕鬆，一來他天性喜歡自嘲，但最大的原因是他一早就決定書一念完就回國參加抗戰。國難當前，個人學位試的榮辱，已無暇計較了。 1937年因兩人同在China Society工作的關係，憲益認識了「學妹」Gladys Taylor，中文名字叫戴乃迭。 Gladys在北京出生，父親是英國傳教士。 1940年，兩人相處了一段日子後，無視雙方家長反對，毅然先訂終身，再首途回國。 1941年3月輾轉到了重慶，在陪都結婚。
楊憲益從小思想「進步」，基本上是社會主義的信徒——同時也是個言行不羈的「異見分子」。中華人民共和國成立後，楊氏夫婦的專長很受當局重視，憲益更受到邀請參加錢鍾書主持的「毛選」翻譯小組工作。這該是個莫大的榮譽，但他竟然拒絕了，因為他只對翻譯文學作品有興趣。夫婦二人隨後替北京外語出版社翻譯了多種經典文學名著，如《離騷》、六朝志怪小說、《長生殿》、《儒林外史》和《紅樓夢》等。
楊氏夫婦對英譯中國文學的貢獻，得從歷史角度去衡量。今天誰要開一門英譯中國文學的課，不愁沒有譯本選擇。重要的著作，還有各家不同的譯文。但上世紀五六十年代的情形可不是這樣。他們二人做的，是開荒的工作，所譯的東西，以前沒有出現過。閔福德（John Minford）給White Tiger寫的“前言”說了公道話：「對五六十年代那些在西方國家苦讀中國文學的學生說來，楊憲益和他夫人Gladys兩位早已是活生生的傳奇人物。如果不是因為他們夫婦二人，特別是他們一本接一本出版的譯作，實難想像我們怎樣熬過來的。」我六十年代中開始在美國教書，沒有Yang Hsien-yi and Gladys Yang合譯的東西作教本，課也開不成。
自1968年春開始，好些留在北京工作的「外國專家」（foreign experts）相繼被捕入獄。事緣毛主席夫人江青女士在一篇演講詞中提到，中國境內有不少居留了相當長時間的外國間諜，他們表面跟我們很友善，給我們幹活，但實際上是「探子」。楊憲益服務的單位是北京外語出版社，得跟「外國專家」經常保持聯絡。他太太是英國人，自己拿的是牛津學位，跟英國領事館的人員時相往還，亦人之常情。 1968年五一勞動節前一天，楊氏夫婦雙雙被捕入獄，罪名是「私通外國」。除此之外，他還居然拒絕將毛主席的著作翻譯成英文。
他們在牢中度過四年，終於在1972年勞動節那天官方因找不到他們「通敵」的證據而無罪釋放。「領導」讓憲益返回原來的工作單位，也發還他在獄中度過的四年的工資。事後他回憶說，四年監牢生活倒不算寂寞，因有「難友」互相扶持。 Gladys的日子就難過多了，幸好還可以接觸到一些官方認可的外文書報。她還啃完馬克思的《資本論》。要不是坐牢，她是不會看得下這類文字的。獄中沒有交談對象，她就自言自語。出獄多年，這習慣還改不過來。 Gladys待人接物，藹藹然有古風。獄卒每次給她端茶送飯時，她都沒有忘記跟他們說：「謝謝！謝謝！」
楊憲益夫婦「平反」後面對最痛苦的一件事是兒子楊燁神經失常。根據李輝《了不起的楊憲益》一文引憲益妹妹楊苡給他的信所說，楊燁在他爸爸媽媽坐牢時，「一邊盡他作為大哥的責任，擔負著供養小妹（妹妹即楊熾）在北大荒插隊，一邊默默地受著各種羞辱與嘲笑與誣衊，四年來沒人把他當個要求進步的青年大學生看待，沒人理他，這才導致他的精神分裂」。
楊燁的情況日見惡化，父母決定把他送到精神病院，但因為他母親是外國人，病院以無前例為理由拒絕認收。他們只好把他送到英國接受治療，寄居Gladys姊姊或妹妹Hilda家裡。時逢聖誕假期，楊燁覷準「阿姨」出外訪友時溜了出去買汽油引火自焚。據楊苡的記載，這是1977或1978年冬天的事。
李輝文章說到，Gladys當初在牛津跟憲益論婚嫁時，母親極力反對，說：「如果你嫁給一個中國人，肯定會後悔的。要是你有了孩子，他們會自殺的。」九十年代後期，Gladys患上老人癡呆症，李輝跑到他們住的友誼賓館去看她，她已衰老得完全變了一個人，不能交談，坐在輪椅上，呆呆地看著他們。 「楊先生與我談話時，總要常常轉過身看她一眼，還站起來自己去餵她一口水，喝好，自己拿小手絹幫她擦擦嘴角」。
1999年11月中旬，Gladys去世。火化後，連骨灰也沒有留下來。 2005年吉林衛視訪問楊先生，問到他夫人的骨灰有什麼安排，他先抽一口煙，然後慢慢地說：「都扔了。」「為什麼不留著？」他指指煙灰缸，反問：「留著幹什麼？還不是和這煙灰一樣。」楊憲益愛賦打油詩，太太死後以此遣悲懷：「早期比翼赴幽冥，不料中途失健翎。結髮糟糠貧賤慣，陷身囹圄死生輕。青春作伴多成鬼，白首同歸我負卿。天若有情天亦老，從來銀漢隔雙星。」
2000年8月3日，《壹周刊》有一篇訪問楊先生的特稿（《天涼好個秋》），只見圖片中八十高齡的老人獨坐書房，右手拈著水杯，擱在膝上。旁邊是五塊錢人民幣一瓶的紅星二鍋頭。記者對他的印像是，「他對身邊的一切，淡薄得叫人吃驚，在他的書櫃裡，零散地放著他與妻子合譯的作品，記者拿出來看，他淡然地說：『拿去吧！我不要了。』吃晚飯時，他主動說：『我們家，連骨灰都不留的。』他指的是老伴，火化後，他連她的骨灰都不拿回，更別說墳墓了。『我將來也是一樣。』兒子呢？葬在倫敦嗎？『是吧。我沒有看過。』像在說別人的事。」
Gladys逝世前，楊先生的心情雖因喪子之痛而受影響，但明是非、辨善惡的本性絲毫未改。1989年「六四」事件爆發，先後有加拿大、美國、澳州、路透社和BBC等電台和電視台訪問他。他來者不拒，用impeccable English 向全世界宣佈他對事件的看法。他認為奪去胡耀邦總書記之職是違法行為，是黨內一小撮反對改革的法西斯死硬分子所作所為。這種言論，比「私通外國」更容易加之以罪。他老命能保下來，應算是黨的恩典。當然，也得付出代價，他開除了黨籍。
White Tiger有中譯本，但節刪不少。我引的資料，直接採自楊先生英文原文，2002年中文大學出版社出版。楊先生的打油詩，有兩句教我感受至深，可惜當時過目後沒有抄下來，現靠記憶錄下，上一句的字眼恐怕與原文有些出入：「千年古國貧愚弱，一代新邦假大空。」楊先生把夫人帶到中國來，想不到害她遭遇這麼多的苦難，負咎之情，從悼亡詩中「白首同歸我負卿」一語可知。楊先生的妹妹敏如，在嫂嫂死後有文懷念她，說：「我的畏友，我的可敬可愛的嫂嫂，你離開這個喧囂的世界安息了。你生前最常說的一句話是『謝謝』，甚至『文革』中關在監獄，每餐接過窩頭菜湯，你也從不忘說『謝謝』。現在我要替我的祖國說一句：『對不起』，『謝謝』！」李輝說這是悼念Gladys的文章中最震撼的一句話。
摘自劉紹銘散文集《藍天作鏡》，173－179頁。
2022年11月3日 星期四
甚麼是啟蒙？
甚麼是啟蒙？
讀康德的經典短文〈甚麼是啟蒙？〉（What Is Enlightenment?）（1784），當看到結尾處時，還是不爭氣的笑了出來：
讀康德的經典短文〈甚麼是啟蒙？〉（What Is Enlightenment?）（1784），當看到結尾處時，還是不爭氣的笑了出來：
「once the germ(胚芽) on which nature has lavished most care - man's inclination and vocation to think freely - has developed within this hard shell, it gradually reacts upon the mentality of the people, who thus gradually become increasingly able to act freely. Eventually, it even influences the principles of governments, which find that they can themselves profit by treating man, who is more than a machine, in a manner appropriate to his dignity.」（Kant’s Political Writings，頁59-60，H. B. Nisbet譯）
一種「（恰好）能配稱於其尊嚴的對待」（a manner appropriate to his dignity）。世道之脩然，人情的刻深，僅此片語，亦大可盡見無遺了。是故綜觀全文，真正最能在二百年後仍反映出人性事實的，恐怕也只有以下這段話：
「To test whether any particular measure can be agreed upon as a law for a people, we need only ask whether a people could well impose such a law upon itself.」(同上，頁57)
能「impose」，就是「well impose」；正如受得住，即為受得起。當中說了是否等同沒說，或容有仁智之見；但聽到沒聽到，人生在世，原就沒有多少可以含糊其詞的餘地。
22/2/2022稿
4/11/2022改
圖片源自網絡。
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