十五年以前，我有機會獨坐一只小篷船，沿辰河上行，停船在箱子巖腳下。一列青黛嶄削的石壁，夾江高矗，被夕陽烘炙成為一個五彩屏障。石壁半腰約百米高的石縫中，有古代巢居者的遺跡，石罅隙間橫橫的懸撐起無數巨大橫梁，暗紅色長方形大木柜尚依然好好的擱在木梁上。巖壁斷折缺口處，看得見人家茅棚同水碼頭，上岸喝酒下船過渡人也得從這缺口通過。那一天正是五月十五，河中人過大端陽節。箱子巖洞窟中最美麗的三只龍船，早被鄉下人拖出浮在水面上。船只狹而長，船舷描繪有朱紅線條，全船坐滿了青年槳手，頭腰各纏紅布。鼓聲起處，船便如一支沒羽箭，在平靜無波的長潭中來去如飛。河身大約一里路寬，兩岸皆有人看船，大聲吶喊助興。且有好事者，從后山爬到懸巖頂上去，把“鋪地錦”百子邊炮從高巖上拋下，盡邊炮在半空中爆裂，形成一團團五彩碎紙云塵，彭彭彭彭的邊炮聲與水面船中鑼鼓聲相應和。引起人對于歷史回溯發生一種幻想，一點感慨。FifteenyearsagoIchancedtocharteralittleboatwithabamboocanopytosailuptheRiverChen.WestoppedatthefootofChestPrecipice.Theriverherewasflankedbyloomingblackcliffsirradiatedbythesettingsunintoaprismaticscreen.Increviceshalfwayupthecliffs,ahundredmetresorsoabovetheriverweretheremainsofthemenofoldwhohadlivedhere.Countlesshugebeamsspannedthecrevices,andonthesestillrestedbigoblongwine-redchests.Byaninletinthecliffforadrinkorgoingdowntotheferryallhadtopassthisway.

Ithappenedtobethefifthdayofthefifthmonth,soeveryonewasoutontherivercelebratingtheDragonBoatFestival.ThreebeautifuldragonboatshadbeenloweredtothewaterfromthecaveinChestPrecipicewhichservedasboat-house.Theselongnarrowboatshadvermiliondesignsontheirprows;theiryoungoarsmenworeredgirdlesandredturbans.Whendrumssounded,theboatshotoutlikefeatherlessarrowstothemiddleofthestream,unruffledbywaves.Theriverwasaboutoneliacross,andthebankswerepackedwithspectators,shoutingtospurontherowers,someenterprisingyoungstershadclimbedupthebackofthemountaintotheclifftop,tothrowdownfire-crackerswhichwentoffinmidair,dischargingwhorlsofconfettiandluminousdust,theirexplosionsanantiphonytothegonginganddrummingontheboats.Thismademerecallthepastandruminateoverhistory.

當時我心想：多古怪的一切！兩千年前那個楚國逐臣屈原，若本身不被放逐，瘋瘋癲癲來到這種充滿了奇異光彩的地方，目擊身經這些驚心動魄的景物，兩千年來的讀書人，或許就沒有福分讀《九歌》那類文章，中國文學史也就不會如現在的樣子了。在這一段長長歲月中，世界上多少民族皆墮落了，衰老了，滅亡了。即如號稱東亞大國的一片土地，也已經有過多少次被來自西北方沙漠中的蠻族，騎了膘壯的馬匹，手持強弓硬弩，長槍大戟，到處踐踏蹂躪?。ㄐ梁ジ锩跋?，在這苗蠻雜處的一個邊鎮上，向土民最后一次大規模施行殺戮的統治者，就是一個北方清朝的宗室！辛亥以后，老袁夢想做皇帝時，又有兩師北老在這里和滇軍作戰了大半年。）然而這地方的一切，雖在歷史中照樣發生不斷的殺戮，爭奪，以及一到改朝換代時，派人民擔負種種不幸命運，死的因此死去，活的被逼迫留發，剪發，在生活上受新朝代種種限制與支配。然而細細一想，這些人根本上又似乎與歷史毫無關系。從他們應付生存的方法與排泄感情的娛樂看上來，竟好象今古相同，不分彼此。這時節我所眼見的光景，或許就和兩千年前屈原所見的完全一樣。Ithought:Howfantasticeverythingis!IfQuYuan,aministerofthekingdomofChua,hadnotbeenbanishedtwothousandyearsagoandwanderedinhisfrenzytoafabulousplacelikethis,toseesuchstirringsights,thescholarscomingafterhimmightnothavehadhisglorious

NineOdes

toread,andthehistoryofChineseliteraturemighthavebeendifferent.Inthosetwothousandyears,manyracesdeclined,grewmoribundorwerewipedout.ThisgreatcountryintheFarEastwasofteninvadedbybarbariansfromdistantdesertsinthenorthwest,whoranamokonsturdyhorses,armedwithbows,spearsandhalberds.(Ontheeveofthe1911Revolution,itwasaprinceoftheManchuimperialhousefromthenorthwholaunchedthelastmassacreoftheMiaoandothernationalminoritypeopleinabordertownhere.Andaftertheestablishmentofarepublic,whenYuanShikaidreamedofmakinghimselfemperor,twomoredivisionsfromthenorthfoughthereformorethanhalfayearwithtroopsfromYunnan.)Andyetdespiteallthis,theendlesscontentionandslaughterthroughouthistoryandthedynasticchangeswhichinflictedsuchcalamitiesonthepeople,killingsomeoffandforcingthesurvivorstogrowqueuesorcuttheirqueues,subjecttotherestrictionsimposedbytheirnewrulers,oncarefulconsiderationthepeoplehereseembasicallytohavehadnoconnectionwithhistory.Judgingbytheirmethodsofsurvivalandthedistractionswithwhichtheyworkofftheirfeelings,thereappearstobenodifferencebetweenpastandpresent.ThescenebeforemethatdaymayhavebeenexactlythesameasthatseenbyQuYuantwothousandyearsago.

那次我的小船停泊在箱子巖石壁下，附近還有十來只小漁船，大致打漁人也有玩龍船競渡的，所以漁船上婦女小孩們，無不十分興奮，各站在尾梢上或船篷上銳聲呼喊。其中有幾個小孩子，我只擔心他們太快樂興奮，會把住家的小船跳沉。MyboatmooredatthefootofChestPrecipicenearadozensmallfishing-boats.Asthefishermenhadgonetojoinintheboatrace,therewereonlyexcitedwomenandchildrenonboard,standingatthesternoronthecanopycheering.Iwasafraidsomeofthechildren,whoweredancingwithexcitement,mightcapsizethelittlehouseboats.

日頭落盡云影無光時，兩岸漸漸消失在溫柔暮色里。兩岸看船人呼喝聲越來越少，河面被一片紫霧籠罩，除了從鑼鼓聲中尚能辨別那些龍船方向，此外已別無所見。而巖壁缺口處卻人聲嘈雜，且聞有小孩子哭聲，有婦女們尖銳叫喚聲，綜合給人一種悠然不盡的感覺。天已經夜了，吃飯是正經事。我原先尚以為再等一會兒，那龍船一定就會傍近巖邊來休息，被人拖進石窟里，在快樂呼喊中結束這個節日了。誰知過了許久，那種鑼鼓聲尚在河面飄揚著，表示一班人還不愿意離開小船，回轉家中。待到我把晚飯吃過后，爬出艙外一望，呀，天上好一輪圓月。月光下石壁同河面，一切如鍍了銀，已完全變換了一種調子。巖壁缺口處水碼頭邊，正有人用廢竹纜或油柴燃著火燎，火光下只見許多穿白衣人的影子移動。問問船上水手，方知道那些人正把酒食搬移上船，預備分派給龍船上人。原來這些青年人白日里劃了一整天船，看船的已慢慢散盡了，劃船的還不盡興，并且誰也不愿意掃興示弱，先行上岸，因此三只長船還得在月光下玩個上半夜。Aftersunsetthelightfaded.Bydegreesbothbankswereswallowedupinthesoftdusk.Theshoutsofthespectatorssubsidedtoo.Apurplemistcoveredtheriverandthedragonboatswerelostfromsight,thoughgonginganddrummingdisclosedtheirwhereabouts.Stillababelofvoicescouldbeheardfromtheinlet,thecryingchildrenandvociferouswomencombingtoinduceasenseofinfinitude.Itwasdarknow,tomeforameal.Ihadintendedtowaittillthedragonboatscamebacktorestandwerehauledupintothecaveasthefestivalendedamidstjubilantshouts.Butalthoughalongtimewentby,gonginganddrummingstillfloatedovertheriver,showingthatmostpeoplewerenotyetwillingtoleavetheirboatsandgohome.BythetimeIfinishedsupperandcrawledoutofmycabintolookround,why,afinefullmoonhadrisen!Moonlighthadsilveredthecliffsandeverythingontheriver,transformingthescene.Bythewharf,firesofoldhawsersorfirewoodhadbeenlit.thefirelightshowedshadowywhitefiguresmillingaround.Ilearnedfromtheboatmenthattheywerecarryingfoodandliquoraboardtodelivertothecrewsofthedragonboats.Theyoungoarsmenhadrowedallday,yetnowthatthespectatorswerescatteringtheywantedtokeepitup,nocrewwillingtogiveuporbethefirsttogoashore.Sothosethreeboatswouldgoonracingtillmidnight.

提起這件事，使我重新感到人類文字語言的貧儉。那一派聲音，那一種情調，真不是用文字語言可以形容的事情。要一個長年身在城市里住下，以讀讀《楚辭》就“神王意移”的人，來描繪那月下競舟的一切，更近于