《野草》題辭
當我沈默著的時候，我覺得充實；When I am silent, I feel full.我將開口，同時感到空虛。When I am about to speak, I feel empty at the same time.
当我沈默著的时候，我觉得充实；我将开口，同时感到空虚。
過去的生命已經死亡。The life of the past has already died.我對于這死亡有大歡喜，因為我借此知道它曾經存活。I take great joy in this death, for through it I know that it once lived.死亡的生命已經朽腐。The dead life has already rotted.我對于這朽腐有大歡喜，因為我借此知道它還非空虛。I take great joy in this decay, for through it I know that it is not yet empty.
过去的生命已经死亡。我对于这死亡有大欢喜，因为我借此知道它曾经存活。死亡的生命已经朽腐。我对于这朽腐有大欢喜，因为我借此知道它还非空虚。
生命的泥委棄在地面上，不生喬木，只生野草，這是我的罪過。The mud of life lies cast off upon the ground, growing no trees, only wild grass — this is my transgression.
生命的泥委弃在地面上，不生乔木，只生野草，这是我的罪过。
野草，根本不深，花葉不美，然而吸取露，吸取水，吸取陳死人的血和肉，各各奪取它的生存。Wild grass, its roots not deep, its flowers and leaves not beautiful, yet it drinks dew, drinks water, drinks the blood and flesh of the long dead, each one seizing its own survival.當生存時，還是將遭踐踏，將遭刪刈，直至于死亡而朽腐。Even while it lives, it will still be trampled, still be cut down, until it dies and rots.
野草，根本不深，花叶不美，然而吸取露，吸取水，吸取陈死人的血和肉，各各夺取它的生存。当生存时，还是将遭践踏，将遭删刈，直至于死亡而朽腐。
但我坦然，欣然。But I am calm, and glad.我將大笑，我將歌唱。I will laugh aloud, I will sing.
但我坦然，欣然。我将大笑，我将歌唱。
我自愛我的野草，但我憎惡這以野草作裝飾的地面。I love my wild grass for its own sake, but I detest this ground that is decorated with wild grass.
我自爱我的野草，但我憎恶这以野草作装饰的地面。
地火在地下運行，奔突；Underground fire runs and surges beneath the earth;熔岩一旦噴出，將燒盡一切野草，以及喬木，于是並且無可朽腐。once the lava erupts, it will burn up all the wild grass, and the trees too, and then there will be nothing left even to rot.
地火在地下运行，奔突；熔岩一旦喷出，将烧尽一切野草，以及乔木，于是并且无可朽腐。
但我坦然，欣然。But I am calm, and glad.我將大笑，我將歌唱。I will laugh aloud, I will sing.
但我坦然，欣然。我将大笑，我将歌唱。
天地有如此靜穆，我不能大笑而且歌唱。Heaven and earth are so silent and still that I cannot laugh aloud and sing.天地即不如此靜穆，我或者也將不能。Even if heaven and earth were not so silent and still, I might still be unable to.我以這一叢野草，在明與暗，生與死，過去與未來之際，獻于友與仇，人與獸，愛者與不愛者之前作證。With this clump of wild grass, at the juncture of light and darkness, life and death, past and future, I offer it as testimony before friend and foe, man and beast, those who love and those who do not love.
天地有如此静穆，我不能大笑而且歌唱。天地即不如此静穆，我或者也将不能。我以这一丛野草，在明与暗，生与死，过去与未来之际，献于友与仇，人与兽，爱者与不爱者之前作证。
為我自己，為友與仇，人與獸，愛者與不愛者，我希望這野草的朽腐，火速到來。For my own sake, for friend and foe, man and beast, those who love and those who do not love, I hope for the decay of this wild grass to come swiftly.要不然，我先就未曾生存，這實在比死亡與朽腐更其不幸。Otherwise, I myself will never have truly lived, and that would be a greater misfortune than death and decay.
为我自己，为友与仇，人与兽，爱者与不爱者，我希望这野草的朽腐，火速到来。要不然，我先就未曾生存，这实在比死亡与朽腐更其不幸。
去罷，野草，連著我的題辭！Go now, wild grass, together with my inscription!
去罢，野草，连著我的题辞！
一九二七年四月二十六日April 26, 1927
魯迅記于廣州之白雲樓上Lu Xun, written in the White Cloud Tower, Guangzhou
鲁迅记于广州之白云楼上
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What it’s about
The dedication Lu Xun wrote for the book once it was a book, and the densest page in it. It opens on the sentence the whole collection turns on: when I am silent I feel full, and as I open my mouth I feel empty. His past life is dead, and he takes great joy in the death because it proves the life once existed; the dead life has rotted, and he takes great joy in the rot because it proves the death was not nothing. The mud of life lies abandoned on the ground and grows no tall timber, only wild grass — and that, he says, is his fault.
The grass is the book. Its roots are shallow and its flowers and leaves are not beautiful, and it lives by drinking dew and water and the blood and flesh of the long dead; while it lives it will be trampled and mown down until it dies and rots — and he is calm about that, glad about it, he will laugh out loud and sing. He loves his own wild grass and detests the ground that uses it for decoration. Underground the earth-fire runs and rushes, and when the lava comes up it will burn away the grass and the timber with it, and then there will be nothing left to rot. He offers this one clump of grass, in the space between light and dark, life and death, past and future, before friend and enemy, human and beast, those who love him and those who do not, as testimony — and hopes its rotting comes quickly, since if it does not, that would mean he had never lived at all, which is unluckier than death and decay. Go, wild grass, and my dedication with you.
When it was written 背景
Written at 白雲樓 in Guangzhou on 26 April 1927, two weeks after the Nationalist purge of Communists began in Shanghai and days after it reached Guangzhou. It is the last-written page of the collection and the one that fixes the mood the rest is read in; it ran in 語絲 that summer and stood at the front of the book 北新書局 brought out in July 1927, and censors had it cut from reprints in the early 1930s, which is why some older copies begin at 影的告别. For a learner it is the hardest thing here and the wrong place to start: short parallel clauses with an almost classical weight, abstractions stacked in pairs (明與暗，生與死，過去與未來), and hardly a concrete noun to hold on to except the grass. Come back to it after 影的告别 and 過客.
Words in this chapter 生词
- 朽xiǔ朽xiǔ — rotten
- 喬qiáo喬qiáo — tall
- 穆mù穆mù — solemn · reverent · calm · burial position in an ancestral tomb (old) · old variant of 默
- 于yúHSK 6于yú — to go · to take · sentence-final interrogative particle · variant of 於 (yú) (HSK 6)
- 刈yì刈yì — mow
- 它tāHSK 2它tā — it (HSK 2)
- 熔róng熔róng — to smelt · to fuse
- 腐fǔ腐fǔ — decay · rotten
- 刪shānHSK 7-9刪shān — to delete (HSK 7-9)
- 坦tǎn坦tǎn — flat · open-hearted · level · smooth
- 欣xīn欣xīn — happy
- 岩yán岩yán — cliff · rock