从时安的思竹谈起

两年前的夏天，我去看望大病初愈中的时安弟兄。他请我帮他一件事，就是把他入夏前写的那篇“思竹”散文翻译成英文，他想寄给刚上完大一的女儿泱泱看。我也特别喜欢那篇文章，就爽快答应下来。不难想见，时安弟兄思竹以寄情，思竹一文当为他所写许多脍炙人口的文章中自己的最爱。

如果按照时安弟兄给过去写作班员的挑战，用一个字来描写他的话，我想，竹，应当是最适合不过的了，虽然几天前继红姐妹曾恰如其分地用”山“来形容他体魄的伟岸与人格的坚毅。

记得小时候，自家后院最远端，父亲刻意种了一片竹林，在“北风那个吹，雪花那个飘“之季节，好象一道绿色防风墙。长大成人，自己当家买房后不久，也刻意从普林斯顿华人教会的刘铭辉牧师家移栽了几根竹子，栽种在后院最远端。十多年来，每逢春回大地，成片的春笋从四周八围探出头来，成了人鹿共享的美食。时安弟兄爱竹出名，我们自然乐意与他分享后院的出产。从孩提时代步入中年人生，竹子总是与我形影不离，达到了“居却不可无竹”的境界。时安弟兄一篇思竹美文，让我对竹产生了更深的敬意，从竹生发出更多的思考。每天面对后院的竹林吃饭，时安弟兄的思竹篇又不时浮现在脑海，好象听见他声情并茂的朗诵。

人生百年之后，难免时过境迁，物是人非。我想，我留下的，除了那片卫星拍得到，古狗搜索得到的竹林，还有什么是可以长存的呢？

这些天来若歌与乡音团契弟兄姐妹对时安弟兄的追思，已经提供了很明确的答案。

附录：时安弟兄“思竹”美篇与信达雅有待继续改进的英译。

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思竹

周時安

江南多竹，于是江南人爱竹。

佳室必背竹而居，有清山抱之，有绿水环之。

居之于竹楼，坐之于竹椅，卧之于竹榻，行之于竹筏。饥时以竹筒为器，置米于其中，辅之新嫩笋尖，烹成米饭，清香鲜美，久置不坏。出门时戴一顶由竹子编成的斗笠，可以遮风、挡雨、蔽日；闲来时折一杆新枝截成两段，一段製成鱼竿，一段製成短笛。持鱼竿者，是邻家的老翁，此刻临渊而坐，无我无物地凝钓著一江山色；而短笛则由溪中牛背上的牧童悠悠扬扬地吹出，悠荡得使群山起伏，激跃得令流水驻足。美哉，朦胧中好一幅《江南牧笛垂钓图》。

风起，竹林吟唱，或低沉似呜咽如泣如诉，或高亢似放歌如鸣如颂。雨后，竹林清新，春笋叠出脆绿，浓妆淡抹烟朦。夏日行路，躲入幽静的竹径，毒辣的日头顷刻似成了羞涩又顽皮的少女，不时透过疏密相间的竹叶探入林中，与你玩起捉迷藏的游戯。行一路清凉，洒一路斑驳，习习微风袭鬓发，沁沁潮息润心脾，顿消暑意。

古来文人多偏爱于竹，而甚于爱树。以竹入画可为主题，而以树入画却多是陪衬。画树常曲，且繁生槾枝。而画竹则挺且直。或浓墨或淡染、或顿提或勾划、或饱润或枯瘦，即成一幅墨竹图，老杆新篁，葱翠欲滴，神形兼备。历来写竹者众，其中姣姣，当推文同、高克恭、赵孟頫、管道升、郑燮，而其中又以清人郑燮为最。文人喜竹，不仅因爱其形，更是因爱其品：竹 -- 中空且有节。中空又谓虚心，虚心有节乃文人之向往为人处世之高尚境界。待人应虚心，处世需持节。怀纳川向学之谦心，忧国忧民之忧心；持文人之道义之名节，民族泱泱之气节。如竹之谦虚诚恳却不卑躬屈膝，于顶端处迎高风，由躯身中见亮节。食可以无肉，居却不可无竹，是为不俗（苏轼语）。故此竹并梅、兰、菊同被恭入花木é四君子û之列。

虚心持节也应是基督徒之德行。凡事谦卑，持守真神之道，虽于当今之世，实为不易，然爱竹者可常以竹品醒之。

予生于江南，故此爱竹。今家安于北美，憾鲜于见竹。成此《思竹篇》，以为遥念，竹韵兮，竹风兮，如竹兮。

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On Bamboo (Shian Zhou)

South of Yangtze is never short of bamboos. Small wonder, people there love bamboos.

A nice abode almost always parks in front of a patch of bamboos, nestled at foothill and flowed around by river.

Imagine: dwell in a bamboo hut, sit on a bamboo chair, lie down on a bamboo bed, and travel by a bamboo raft. In time of want, add rice in a bamboo container, steam with fresh and tender bamboo shoots, you get aromatic meal that lasts. In time of travel, wear a bamboo hat to shield from wind, rain, and Sun. In time of leisure, pluck out a bamboo stalk and sever it, the long piece for fishing pole, the short a flute. The elderly neighbor sits by a pond, holding the freshly cut fishing pole, abandoning himself to the wonder scenery reflected in the water. The young lad straddles a buffalo, making melodies with the bamboo flute to beckon the wavy mountains and quiet the dancing creek. Such is the sight in the painting “Fluting and Fishing in Jiang Nan”.

Imagine: a forest of bamboos sing with the ruffling wind, sometimes sobbing to a mere whisper, other times shouting into a deafening thunder. After baptism with spring rain, bamboos shoot up out of the turf like mushrooms. On a sultry summer day, bamboos become your hiding place, while you are being chased by the mischievous Sun that relentlessly seeks you out in the thicket of bamboos. Such is the cool way of travel on a path dotted with flickering patterns of sunlight, all the while the breeze finesses my hairdo and the moist soothes my heart. What fun of summer chill!

Ancient pens love bamboos more than trees. Bamboos take center stage in paintings, whereas trees are often peripheral. Trees branch out whereas bamboos stand erect. Thick ink or light touch, sudden tailing or sharp bending, full or lanky, thus becomes a painting of bamboos, old and new, luxuriantly verdant, vividly lively. Many have shown a knack in writing about bamboo, the elitists are but a few. The learned love bamboo, not only its outward appearance, but inner qualities as well. Bamboo is distinguished by its hollow chamber segregated by nodes. Hollow symbolizes humility, and node connotes integrity. Humility with integrity is a lofty goal to be attained in life. One must show humility with moral integrity when dealing with people. Be humble and open enough to embrace differences and yet morally upright to hold onto foundational principles. Be humble as hollow as the bamboos, yet stand the ground as firm as the bamboos. As Su Shi put it wisely, to eat can be without meat, but to live shall not be short of the bamboo spirit. Thus, bamboo ranks with plum, orchid, and chrysanthemum as the four gents of flowers and trees.

Humility with integrity is also fitting for Christian conduct. Being humble before God and obedient to his way instead of the worldly wisdom is not easy. Those who love bamboos may learn a lesson from its character.

Born and raised south of Yangtze, I am a lover of bamboo. Now that I sojourn in North America , I lament the scarcity of bamboo. With this reflection, I recompense myself by the fond memory of bamboo. Behold bamboo and its charm and character.

(Translated upon the author’s request)