Day 16 | Daily Note | The Gay Genius

POETS, COURTESANS, AND MONKS 诗人、名妓、高僧 | Chapter 11
2017年12月19日, 星期二

verve

The people had the gaiety of the south, with its songs and its women, and they loved this young famous poet just as poet, with all his dash and verve and insouciance.

verve 这个词，在柯林斯中特别指出它是书面语[WRITTEN 笔语]，牛津四的英文解释为 “enthusiasm, spirit or vigour, esp in artistic or literary work”， 意在描述对文学艺术的热忱。用于形容苏东坡，尤其是杭州人们眼里的诗人苏东坡，这个词在这里用得很漂亮。

the common people

During his term of office as an assistant magistrate he was not able to do much for the people, but for them it was enough that he was poet; when he was arrested, the common people of the city set up altars in the streets to pray for his release.

the common people 在维基百科中有多个义项： “The common people, also known as the common man, commoners, or the masses, are the ordinary people in a community or nation who lack any significant social status”。 或者说，关于“平民”，可以有多个角度的界定，但区别主要不在字面上而在社会历史的流变当中，wikipedia解释其为 “members of neither royalty, nobility, the clergy, nor any member of the aristocracy”， 并阐释了实际上， “since the 20th century the term common people has been used in a more general sense to refer to typical members of society in contrast to the highly privileged”， 指出20世纪以来，“普通人”这个词已经被用在更一般的意义上，与在财富和影响力等方面享有特权的人对应，普通人是社会最典型而普遍的一员。

brook

Starting from West Lake, the traveler could go in all directions, either following the north bank to the famous Lingyin Temple and reaching the top of Tienchu, or starting from the south bank, he could go to Keh-ling, stop over at Hupao, famous for its spring water, have his tea there, and return by following a beautiful winding mountain brook.

brook 作为动词时，与否定词连用表示不容忍。在这里brook是名词，小溪小河的意思：A brook is a small stream. 同样解释为小溪小河，有三个词：

• stream a small narrow river
  如： a cool mountain stream

• brook [literary] a small stream
  如： There was a small brook, rushing and sparkling along between green banks.

• creek a narrow area of sea that goes into the land, or a small river
  如： The River Fal with its many creeks was a perfect place for smugglers.

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本章读来最让人赏心悦目之处便是关于杭州城的细细刻画。跟着作者的笔触一步一步踏入山水好景，一点一点涉足城市的风情人文，和美食。

The residences of the magistrates were situated on top of the Phoenix Hill, enjoying a full view of the Chientang River with its great fleet of seafaring ships on the south, and the West Lake, surrounded by cloud-capped mountains, dotted with temples and rich men's villas, on the north, while the waves of the bay lashed its shores on its east.

Immediately below the Phoenix Hill, and lying on a strip running north and south between West Lake and the Chientang Bay, was the city itself with its high walls, its bridges and canals.

融入了苏东坡个人情致的这地方，更是华美如诗如画。

His mind was inspired by the beauty of the place, and his heart was soothed by its pliant charm. Hangchow won his heart and he won the hearts of the people of Hangchow.

After he left, the soft beauty and warmth of the south continued to haunt him in his dreams.

家乡城市的少儿图书馆挂着标语写“为读者找好书，为好书找读者”，而读到杭州城与苏东坡的遗爱难忘，也有这种与文化熏染下相得益彰之感：

It is not an easy thing for a town to find its poet, who can discover the living, changing, complex individuality of the locality and in a verse of four lines compress and express the essence, the spirit, and the beauty of the region.

西湖在过去一千年来，一直是名士美人流连之所，重重叠叠的回忆太多了。
——张爱玲

杭州三面云山一面城，从前有“天目山垂两乳长，龙飞凤舞到钱塘”之语，说的是山脉起源于天目，雄健有双峰插云；奇特有飞来峰；险峻如琅裆岭；开旷又如玉皇江湖飞云。毕竟江南秀山丽水，与北国大相径庭，雅致精巧多秀丽，且崇山深谷，回肠百寸，维绕不绝，明暗阴影纷幻多端，是为幽深。
山又兼有四时之色：春淡，冶，如笑；夏苍翠，如滴；秋明净，如妆；冬惨淡，如睡。
——王旭烽

不论是“记取西湖西畔，正暮山好处，空翠烟霏”，还是“炉烟一窗，瓶花一床，更添十里湖光，对南屏晚妆”，都增添了浓厚的诗情画意。文人墨客在杭州，肩负厚重而曼妙的文化传承，岁岁年年重重叠叠的是自然体悟和共鸣。

小说里的杭州是这样的：

此时恰为金风送爽之晨，梧叶新黄，柿叶初红，松柏旧绿，乌柏乍紫。马车向前奔去，群山扑面而来，玉树临风，丁丁当当，如仙人佩法鸣响。南山一带，秋思惹人；瞅瞅鸟鸣，飒飒林涛，有声有色，一派大喜悦。天醉久不出城，心里阴郁结气一吐为快，顿时消化在这山光水色之中，心儿便如鼓满了风的船帆，涨得胸口隐隐发疼。西湖明镜一片已闪逝而过，马车进了山拗，有杂树参天：枫、桂、栗、樟和皂荚；又有无名树细高多曲折，色泽光怪陆离。偶尔几株银杏，错落山中，一身明亮，今天醉耳目一新。又见那阳光劈山射来，齐齐斩印了山树，照亮的树冠晶莹透彻，光明欢乐，笑语欢歌，幽暗的下方树干则藏入山谷，敛而不发，默听绕膝泉水幽咽。
天醉看了感动，眼泪就流了出来，叫寄客看了纳闷，问：“怎么啦，不舒服吗？”
天醉便咽着嗓子，使劲儿地摇头。他认为寄客是不能理解他的，他是不可能有这种感动的。

炉烟一窗 瓶花一床 更添十里湖光

以上。