小编导读:《病梅馆记》是清代著名文学家龚自珍的作品。作者托梅议政,形象地揭露和抨击了清朝封建统治者束缚人们思想,压抑,摧残人才的罪行,表达了作者要求改革政治,打破严酷的思想统治,追求个性解放的强烈愿望。
龚自珍《病梅馆记》
江宁之龙蟠,苏州之邓尉,杭州之西溪,皆产梅。
或曰:梅以曲为美,直则无姿;以欹为美,正则无景;以疏为美,密则无态。固也。此文人画士,心知其意,未可明诏大号以绳天下之梅也。又不可以使天下之民,斫直、删密、锄正,以夭梅、病梅为业以求钱也。梅之欹、之疏、之曲,又非蠢蠢求钱之民,能以其智力为也。有以文人画士孤癖之隐,明告鬻梅者:斫其正,养其旁条;删其密,夭其稚枝;锄其直,遏其生气;以求重价,而江浙之梅皆病。文人画士之祸之烈至此哉!
予购三百盆,皆病者,无一完者。既泣之三日,乃誓疗之,纵之,顺之。毁其盆,悉埋于地,解其棕缚。以五年为期,必复之,全之。予本非文人画士,甘受诟厉,辟病梅之馆以贮之。呜呼!安得使予多暇日,又多闲田,以广贮江宁、杭州、苏州之病梅,穷予生之光阴以疗梅也哉!
My Plum Tree Infirmary
Gong Zizhen
Longpan in Nanjing, Mount Dengwei outside Suzhou and Xixi near Hangzhou are all noted for their plum trees. Some say plum trees look best gnarled, lacking charm when straight; or look best lop-sided, being not worth a glance upright; or best when sparse, lacking form when luxuriant. Of course, this is what literati and connoisseurs think, but it should not be proclaimed as a binding rule for all plum trees in the world; nor should everyone be required to chop down straight trees, cut back the luxuriant and root out those growing upright, to make a living out of killing and deforming plum trees. Making plum trees lop-sided, sparse or gnarled was not something that could be dreamed up by dolts out to make money; but those who sell plum trees have been told about the eccentric tastes of literati and artists; so they chop off the main branches but keep the offshoots, cut back luxuriant growth and kill tender sprigs, root up straight trees and sap their vitality — all in order to fetch high prices. As a result, all the plum trees in Jiangsu and Zhejiang are deformed; so fearful is the destruction caused by these literati and artists!
I bought three hundred potted plums, all deformed, not a single whole one among them. For three days I wept over them, then vowed to cure them. I loosened and straightened the branches, smashed the pots, united the coir drops round the trees and planted them in the ground, determined to nurse them back to health within five years. Not being an artist or one of the literati, I will gladly put up with abuse for setting up this infirmary for deformed plum trees. My one regret is that I have not more time to spare, more land lying idle, for all the stunted plums of Nanjing, Hangzhou and Suzhou, so that I can devote my whole life to curing them!