灵感忽至Inspiration Comes Suddenly
日期：2008－02－07 作者 冯骥才 来源: 文汇报 Date: 2008-02-07 ，Author: Feng Jicai ，Source: Wen Hui Bao
Translated in English by Wang Shijie on 2008-2-10Revise in 2010-8-3
凌晨时分被一种莫名的不安扰醒，这不安可不是什么焦虑与担心，而是有种兴致在暗暗鼓动，缘何有此兴奋我并不知道。随后想到今天是元月元日。这一日像时间的领头羊，带着一大群时光充裕的日子找我来了。
In The Wee Small Hours Of Morning，I was wakened from a deep sleep caused by a disturbance of ineffable uneasiness, which wasn’t from what the anxiety and fear was，but was from a certain of interest secretlly to arouse me to write. I didn’t know why I would fall in such exciting state. Afterwards, I began to think of today was the first day of January this year. This day was just like the time’s bellwether, which is bringing a large number of days with abundant time to look for me.
妻子还在睡觉，房间光线不明。我披衣去到书房。平日随手堆满了书房的纸页和图书在迷离的晨色里充满了温暖和诗意。这里是我安顿灵魂的地方。我的巢不是用树枝搭起来而是用写满了字的纸和书码起来的。我从中抽出一页素纸，要为今天写些什么。待拿起笔，坐了良久，心中却一片茫然。一时人像浮在无际无涯的半空中，飘飘忽忽，空空荡荡。我便放下笔，知道此时我虽有情绪，却无灵感。
Wife was still in sleep; the light in the room was not very clear. I draped a cloak over my shoulders, coming to my study. The papers and books gathered up every day were full of warmth and poetic flavor in the misted morning air. Here is the place to be arranged for my thoughts. The study, that is my nest, wasn’t put up by branches but was piled up by total of papers written with words, and books. I drew out a white paper from the stack, intending to write something to describe this special day. However, after I took up a pen and sat down on a chair for a long while, my heart was still full of ignorance. Temporarily, I was like a white cloud floating up in the endless and boundless air, flying gracefully with the senses of empty and deserted. Then I had to put down my pen. I began to be aware of that at this time, although I had emotions to write but had not the inspiration.
写作是靠灵感启动的。那么灵感是什么，它在哪里，它怎么到来？不知道。似乎它想来就来，不请自来，但有时求也不来，甚至很久也不露面，好似远在天外，冷漠又悭吝；没有灵感的艺术家心如荒漠，几近呆滞。我起身打开音乐。我从不在没有心灵欲望时还赖在桌前。如果毫无灵感地坐在这里，会渐渐感觉自己江郎才尽，那就太可怕了。
Writing needs to start up by inspiration. So then, what is the inspiration and where is it and how does it come? All these I don’t know. It seems that if it intends to come, then it will come soon even without any invitation. Sometimes people asked its coming but it does not, even for a long time and does not make any appearance, as if it is out of the outer sky, is so sternly cool and stingy that people are very difficult to approach. I think, if an artist had not the inspiration, his heart would be like a waste land, nearly close to languishment. Then, I stood up and opened the music. As a rule I never hold on sitting in front of my writing desk while I have no spiritual desire in mind. If there were not inspiration in the least when I was sitting there, I would feel gradually that all my imaginative power has declined. It is really awful for me.
音响里播放出的歌是前几年从俄罗斯带回来的，一位当下正红的女歌手的作品集。俄罗斯最时尚的歌曲的骨子里也还是他们固有的气质，浑厚而忧伤。忧伤的音乐最容易进入心底，撩动起过往的岁月积存在那里的抹不去的情感。很快，我就陷入这种情绪里。这时，忽见画案那边有一块金黄色的光。它很小，静谧，神秘；它是初生的太阳照在对面大楼的玻璃幕墙反射下来，落在画案那边什么地方。此刻书房内的夜色还未褪尽，在灰蒙蒙、晦暗的氤氲里，这块光像一扇远远亮着灯的小窗。也许受到那忧伤歌声的感染，这块光使我想起四十年间蛰居市廛中那间小屋，还有炒锅里的菜叶、破烂的家什、混合在寒冷的空气中烧煤的气味、妻子无奈的眼神……然而在那冰天雪地时代，惟有家里的灯光才是最温暖的。于是此刻这块小小的光亮变得温情了。我不禁走到画案前铺上宣纸，拿起颤动的笔蘸着黄色和一点点朱红，将这扇明亮的小窗子抹在纸上。随即是那扰着风雪的低矮的小屋。一大片被冷风摇曳着的老槐树在屋顶上空横斜万状，说不清那些苍劲的枝桠是在抗争还是兀自的挣扎。在通幅重重叠叠黑影的对比下，我这亮灯的小屋反倒显得更加温馨与安全。我说过，家是世界上最不必设防的地方。
The songs broadcasting in the sound device were getting back from Russia several years ago. It was an opus collection sung by a very famous Russian songstress at present. Even for the most fashionable Russian songs, their inner bones still retain their inherent characters : simple and honest, but distressed. It is well known that the distressed music is easiest to enter the bottom of the people’s heart, stirring up their feelings, which were gathered and stored up in their past years, unable to be rubbed off. Soon, I fell into this kind of mood. Just at this time, suddenly I saw a piece of golden light shown beside my painting desk， which was smalll, quiet and mysterious, and was just reflected from the glass curtain wall on the opposite multi-storied building in the morning sunlight. It dropped down somewhere nearby my painting desk. At this moment, the dim light at night in the study had not vanished out entirely. In the dusky and gloomy smoke or mist, this piece of light was like a remote little window lighted up by a lamp. Perhaps I was infected by the distressed songs, this piece of light made me think of a little house, which was nearby the business center and I had resided in it for forty years with the vegetable leaving in the stir-frying pan, rubbishy furniture, the coal-fired smell mixed within its cool air, and the hopeless expression in my ife’s eyes... However,only the home light was warmest in the world, then at this moment the little piece of brightness became warme and tender. I could not help but to walk to the front of my painting desk, spreading the painting paper, taking up the dithered writing brush and dipping it with some yellow color and a little of vermeil, and then plastering the bright little window on the paper. Following was drawing the low-short little house disturbed by the wind and snow then drawing a large sheet of an old locust tree horizontally inclined extremely on the roof, but I could not speak clearly whether the old and strong branches was in opposing or in struggle. Contrasting with the layer after layer of black shadows in the whole picture, instead the bright little house seemed warmer，more tender and safer. I have said that home is the place which needs not to set up defenses most in the world.
记得有一年，特大的雪下了一夜，我的矮屋门槛太低，早晨推不开门，门外挡着的积雪足足有两尺厚。我从这小窗户跳出去，用木板推开门外的雪才把门打开。当时我们从家里走出，站在清冽的冻耳朵的空气里，多么像雪后从洞里钻出来的野兔……于是我把没有落墨的纸当作矮屋前大块白雪。我用淡淡的水墨渲染地镀上厚厚而柔软的白雪时，还得记起那时常有的一种盼望——有朋友来串门和敲门。支撑我们走过困境与苦难的不是人间种种情与义吗？我便用笔在雪地上点出一串深深的脚窝渐渐通进我的小屋。这小屋的灯光顿时更亮，黄色的光影还透射到窗外的雪地上。
Nevertheless, in the time of the world all covered with ice and snow, only the lamp light in I remembered one year in past, an extraordinary serious snow dropped down for whole night. Due to the doorsill of my little house was so low that at the next morning I could not push away the door because it had been blocked by the accumulated snow, which was fully thick almost over two chi . I and all my families had to jump out the house through the little window. We pushed away the snow by a wood plate and then opened the door. At that time, walking out the little house, we stood in the cool air, which could freeze one’s ears. How like the hares just coming out from its hole we were. As a result, I thought the fine paper, which had not been started to write or draw, as a large sheet of white snow outside the door, then using the light Chinese ink, romantically drawing a picture on the paper, which was just like the very thick but very soft white snow. I still remembered the hope, which was used to take place those days in my mind. That is yearning for friends to call over or knock at the door of my little house. What can support us to extricate ourselves from the difficult position and suffering? It must be a variety of affection and justice among the people. Then I used my writing brush to sow a string of the very deep footprints, which were gradually coming into my little house. Therefore, the lamp light in the little house was brighter immediately and in addition the light shadow of its yellow color was penetrated to the "snow land'' outside the door.
没想到，就这样一幅画出来了。温情又伤感，孤寂又温馨。画中的一切都是我心底的景象。我写过这样一句话：“人为了看见自己的内心才画画。”而心中的画多半是它们自己冒出来的。这是一种长久的日积月累，等待着有朝一日的升华；就像冬日大地上的万物，等待着春风吹来，一切复活；又如高高一堆干枝干柴，等待着一个飞来的火种。这意外出现的火种就是灵感。
I have never thought, a painting would come forth just like in such way. It was full of tender feeling and sentiment, loneliness and warmth. All of this painting were the spectacular view in my mind. I had written such a sentence: "People draw a picture is for catching sight of their innermost being." However the pictures in heart probably were bursting out by themselves. This is a kind of sublimation, which is accumulated day by day and month by month and waiting some days to produce in the future, is just like a high heap of dry branches and dry firewood, which is waiting a flight kindling. The kindling to happen along is exactly the inspiration.
灵感带来突然之间的发现、突破、超越与升腾。它是上天的赐予,是上天对艺术家的心灵之吻。是对一切生命创造的发端与启动。那么我们只有束手等待它吗？当然不是。正如无上的爱总是属于对它苦苦的追求者的, 在你找它时，它一定也在找你。当然它不一定在你规定的时间和地点到来。就像我在书房原本是想写点什么，灵感没有来，可是谁料它竟然化做一块灵性的光降临到我的画案上？它没有进入我的钢笔，却钻进我的毛笔。
Inspiration brings about the discovery, development, overstep and leaping up all of a sudden. It is the grant of Heaven, is a soul’s kiss to the artist given by Heaven, and is the inchoation and starting up for all the creations of all human beings. So then, is it only having our hands tied to wait for it? Certainly, it isn’t. Just like the supreme affections always belong to its active pursuers. That is saying, when you are seeking inspiration; surely it is also looking for you at the same time. Of course, it not always comes at the agreed time and place of yours. It is just like in my study, originally I intended to write something, but the idea did not come out. Yet, who can think of, it actually changes to a piece of intelligence light falling down to my painting desk? However, it did not enter my pen but did come into my writing brushes.
记得前些年访问挪威时，中国作协请我写一幅字赠送给挪威作家协会。我只写了两个字：笔顺。挪威的作家朋友不明其意。我解释道：“这是中国古代文人间相互的祝词。笔顺就是写作思路顺畅，没有障碍的意思。”对方想了想，点点头，似乎还没弄明白我写这两个字的含义。中国的文字和文化真是很深，对外交流时首先要把自己解释明白。我又换了一种说法解释道：“就是祝你们写作时常常有灵感。”他听了马上咧开嘴，很高兴地谢谢我，也祝我常有灵感。看来灵感对于全球的艺术家都是“救世主”了。
Remembered I visited Norway some years ago, the author’s association of China asked me to write a sheet of calligraphy as a gift to present to the author’s association of Norway. I only wrote two Han-Characters: “Bi Shun''. The author friends of Norway did not understand its meaning. Then I explained it and said: "This is a congratulation speech among the ancient Chinese men of letters. "Bi Shun " has the meaning of thinking of writing is going on smoothly and without obstacles." The Norwegian friends thought a while, nodded their heads, but seemed that they still could not be sure the real significance of the two Chinese characters. The Chinese character and culture are very profound indeed. When in progress of external exchange abroad, first we need to explain our meaning clearly. Then I adopted another way of saying and said: "'Bi Shun’ is the wish you often have the inspirations in writing." After heard these words, they open their mouths slyly and barely at once and thanked me gladly. They expressed good wishes to me and hoped me keep the inspirations too. It looks as if the inspiration is the Savior of all the artists in the world.
新年初至，灵感即降临我的书房画室，这于我可是个好兆头。当然我明白，只要我守住自己的信仰与追求及其所爱，灵感会不时来吻一吻我的脑门。
2008.1.1新年第一篇
Just at New Year arriving in for the first time the inspiration befell my study and atelier. This is a good omen for me. Of course, I know, so long as I keep up my faith, pursue and its affection, Inspiration will kiss my brain from time to time.
2008.1.1 The first essay in New Year.
Translator by Wang Shijie
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