1705034314
3 THE SONG OF THE RIVER
1705034315
1705034316
By W. Somerset Maugham
1705034317
1705034318
THE SONG OF THE RIVER, from On a Chinese Screen , by William Somerset Maugham, New York, George H. Doran Company, 1922, pp. 129-130.
1705034319
1705034320
You hear it all along the river. You hear it, loud and strong, from the rowers as they urge the junk with its high stern, the mast lashed alongside, down the swift running stream. You hear it from the trackers, a more breathless chaunt, as they pull desperately against the current, half a dozen of them perhaps if they are taking up a wupan, a couple of hundred if they are hauling a splendid junk, its square sail set, over a rapid. On the junk, a man stands amidships beating a drum incessantly to guide their efforts, and they pull with all their strength, like men possessed, bent double; and sometimes in the extremity of their travail they craw on the ground, on all fours, like the beasts of the field. They strain, strain fiercely, against the pitiless might of the stream. The leader goes up and down the line and when he sees one who is not putting all his will into the task he brings down his split bamboo on the naked back. Each one must do his utmost or the labor of all is vain. And still they sing a vehement, eager chaunt, the chaunt of the turbulent waters. I do not know how words can describe what there is in it of effort. It serves to express the straining heart, the breaking muscles, and at the same time the indomitable spirit of man which overcomes the pitiless force of nature. Though the rope may part and the great junk swing back, in the end the rapid will be passed; and at the close of the weary day there is the hearty meal and perhaps opium pipe with its dreams of ease. But the most agonizing song is the song of the coolies who bring the great bales from the junk up the steep steps to the town wall. Up and down they go endlessly, and endless as their toil rises their rhythmic cry. He, aw-ah, oh. They are barefoot and naked to the waist. The sweat pours down their faces and their song is a groan of pain. It is a sigh of despair. It is heart-rending. It is hardly human. It is the cry of souls in infinite distress, only just musical, and that last note is the ultimate sob of humanity. Life is too hard, too cruel, and this is the final despairing protest. That is the song of the river.
1705034321
1705034322
Notes
1705034323
1705034324
junk, Chinese sailing vessel with high poop and little or no keel.
1705034325
1705034326
trackers, boatmen who walk along the edge of the river and pull the boat up the river against the river current. They are called trackers because they track or follow the path along the shore.
1705034327
1705034328
chaunt, or chant, a short or simple melody characterized by the reciting of an indefinite number of syllables to one tone; the reciting of words in musical monotones.
1705034329
1705034330
current, the flow of water in the river.
1705034331
1705034332
wupan, literally wu pan or five planks, a boat the bottom of which is made up of five planks laid side by side; just as the sampan is literally san pan or three planks.
1705034333
1705034334
rapid, a swift running part of the river where the surface is usually broken up by obstructions of piles of rocks.
1705034335
1705034336
amidships, in or towards the middle of a ship especially with regard to her length.
1705034337
1705034338
incessantly, continuing or following without interruption; unceasing;uninterrupted.
1705034339
1705034340
like men possessed, like men influenced, controlled, dominated powerfully—said especially of demons and spirits that are evil.
1705034341
1705034342
bent double, with body bent over into stooping or curled-up position, into an inverted V position.
1705034343
1705034344
travail, labor; toil; severe exertion.
1705034345
1705034346
on all fours, crawling on hands and knees, the four alluding to the four limbs, the two arms and the two legs.
1705034347
1705034348
beasts of the field, animals that work in the field.
1705034349
1705034350
pitiless, because the stream shows no pity.
1705034351
1705034352
Why does the leader beat the man who is not putting all his will into the task?
1705034353
1705034354
vehement, acting with great force; furious; violent.
1705034355
1705034356
turbulent, in commotion; violently agitated or disturbed; tumultuous.
1705034357
1705034358
straining, pressed to extremes; doing its utmost; forced to exert itself to the greatest possible extent; making violent efforts.
1705034359
1705034360
breaking, ready to come apart, usually with suddenness and violence.
1705034361
1705034362
indomitable, not to be subdued; unconquerable; unyielding.
[
上一页 ]
[ :1.705034313e+09 ]
[
下一页 ]