野草 Wild Grass4 / 22

求乞者 The Beggars

我順着剝落的高牆走路，踏着鬆的灰土。I walk along the crumbling high wall, treading on the loose ash-grey earth.另外有幾個人，各自走路。There are a few other people, each walking their own way.微風起來，露在牆頭的高樹的枝條帶着還未乾枯的葉子在我頭上搖動。A breeze rises, and the branches of the tall tree showing above the wall, still bearing their not-yet-withered leaves, sway above my head.

我顺着剥落的高墙走路，踏着松的灰土。另外有几个人，各自走路。微风起来，露在墙头的高树的枝条带着还未干枯的叶子在我头上摇动。

微風起來，四面都是灰土。A breeze rises, and all around is ash-grey earth.

微风起来，四面都是灰土。

一個孩子向我求乞，也穿着夾衣，也不見得悲戚，而攔着磕頭，追着哀呼。A child begs from me, also wearing a lined jacket, not looking particularly sorrowful either, but blocking my way, kowtowing, chasing after me with mournful cries.

一个孩子向我求乞，也穿着夹衣，也不见得悲戚，而拦着磕头，追着哀呼。

我厭惡他的聲調，態度。I am disgusted by his tone, his manner.我憎惡他並不悲哀，近於兒戲；I loathe that he is not truly sorrowful, that it is close to child's play;我煩厭他這追着哀呼。I am wearied by this chasing after me with mournful cries.

我厌恶他的声调，态度。我憎恶他并不悲哀，近于儿戏；我烦厌他这追着哀呼。

我走路。I walk on.另外有幾個人各自走路。There are a few other people, each walking their own way.微風起來。A breeze rises.四面都是灰土。All around is ash-grey earth.

我走路。另外有几个人各自走路。微风起来。四面都是灰土。

一個孩子向我求乞，也穿着夾衣，也不見得悲戚，但是啞的，攤開手，裝着手勢。A child begs from me, also wearing a lined jacket, not looking particularly sorrowful either, but mute, spreading out his hands, feigning a gesture.

一个孩子向我求乞，也穿着夹衣，也不见得悲戚，但是哑的，摊开手，装着手势。

我就憎惡他這手勢。I then loathe this gesture of his.而且，他或者並不啞，這不過是一種求乞的法子。Moreover, perhaps he is not really mute at all — this is merely a way of begging.

我就憎恶他这手势。而且，他或者并不哑，这不过是一种求乞的法子。

我不布施，我無布施心，我但居布施者之上，給與煩膩，疑心，憎惡。I give no alms, I have no heart to give alms, I merely stand above the almsgiver, giving in return vexation, suspicion, loathing.

我不布施，我无布施心，我但居布施者之上，给与烦腻，疑心，憎恶。

我順着倒敗的泥牆走路，斷磚疊在牆缺口，牆裏面沒有什麽。I walk along the collapsed mud wall, broken bricks piled in the gap in the wall, and there is nothing inside the wall.微風起來，送秋寒穿透我的夾衣，四面都是灰土。A breeze rises, sending the autumn chill through my lined jacket, and all around is ash-grey earth.

我顺着倒败的泥墙走路，断砖叠在墙缺口，墙里面没有什么。微风起来，送秋寒穿透我的夹衣，四面都是灰土。

我想着我將用什麽方法求乞：發聲，用怎樣聲調？I think about by what method I shall beg: uttering sounds, in what tone?裝啞，用怎樣手勢？……Feigning muteness, with what gesture? ……

我想着我将用什么方法求乞：发声，用怎样声调？装哑，用怎样手势？……

另外有幾個人各自走路。There are a few other people, each walking their own way.

另外有几个人各自走路。

我將得不到布施，得不到布施心；I shall get no alms, get no heart to give alms;我將得到自居於布施之上者的煩膩，疑心，憎惡。I shall get the vexation, suspicion, loathing of one who sets himself above the giving of alms.

我将得不到布施，得不到布施心；我将得到自居于布施之上者的烦腻，疑心，憎恶。

我將用無所爲和沈默求乞！……I shall beg with inaction and silence! ……

我将用无所为和沈默求乞！……

我至少將得到虛無。I shall at least attain nothingness.

我至少将得到虚无。

微風起來，四面都是灰土。A breeze rises, and all around is ash-grey earth.另外有幾個人各自走路。There are a few other people, each walking their own way.

微风起来，四面都是灰土。另外有几个人各自走路。

灰土，灰土，……Ash-grey earth, ash-grey earth, ……

………………………………

灰土……Ash-grey earth……

（一九二四年九月二十四日。）(September 24, 1924.)

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What it’s about

A man walks along a high wall whose plaster is flaking, treading loose grey dust, with a few other people each walking their own way and a light wind getting up. A child begs from him — wearing a lined jacket much like his own, not visibly wretched, blocking his path, knocking its head on the ground, running after him and wailing. He dislikes the voice and the manner. He hates that the child is not really grieving, that it is close to play-acting, that it follows him. He walks on. A second child begs, in the same lined jacket and also not visibly wretched, but dumb, spreading its hands and making signs — and he hates the gesture too, and suspects the child is not dumb at all and that this is simply a technique.

Then he turns the whole thing on himself, which is where the piece is going. He gives nothing and has no wish to give: he stands above the giver and hands out boredom, suspicion and hatred. Walking on past a collapsed mud wall with broken bricks piled in the gap and nothing behind it, the autumn cold coming through his own lined jacket, he begins working out how he will beg when it is his turn — in what tone of voice, with what gestures if he plays dumb. He will get no alms and no charity; what he will get is the boredom and the suspicion and the hatred of people who set themselves above giving. So he will beg by doing nothing and saying nothing, and at least he will be given nothingness. The wind gets up, the dust is on every side, a few other people each walk their own way, and the page trails off into rows of dots and the word for dust.

When it was written 背景

Dated 24 September 1924 and written on the same day as 影的告别, with which it was printed in 語絲. It is the first of the book's studies of the distance between two people who owe each other nothing, and the plainest of them: short declarative sentences, several of which come back verbatim as a refrain (微風起來，四面都是灰土), so the difficulty is not the vocabulary but working out where the narrator's contempt for the beggars stops and his portrait of himself begins. A learner who finds 題辭 impossible can start here instead. 聰明人和儍子和奴才 is the same subject written as comedy.

Words in this chapter 生词