The Torrent of Life by Zhang Wentian ~ 张闻天 《生命的急流》 with English Translations

作品原文

张闻天 《生命的急流》

朋友,你知道什么叫生命吗?你知道什么叫做“生命之流”吗?
你一定不知道!因为在家庭里,你是你的父亲的奴隶,在社会上你是道德,法律与经济的奴隶,在学校里你是一切校规的奴隶。你既然到处是在做奴隶,那末你怎么知道生命与生命之流呢?
朋友, 你做了家庭,社会与学校的奴隶,你失却了一切表现你自己的机会,你就是活尸,虽是每天吃着饭,做着事或是读着书,但是你还是一个活着的死人!
你是一个活着的死人,朋友,你自己知道吗?
朋友,你不是想有一个男朋友或是女朋友吗?你不是希望现社会能够社交公开吗?但是,朋友,你的家庭早不问你愿意不愿意,已经替你订了一个素不相识的女子或是已经把你放给什么小政客、小官僚或是什么其他不相识的男子了。学校社会也不问你愿意不愿意已经把规则道德与法律来限制你的自由行动了。你们要想一同出去耍吗?他们说这是“野合”,就要把你捉到警察局里去。你们要想互相通讯吗?他们说这是有伤校风,就要把你驱逐出校。
哟,朋友,你是一个活着的死人,你自己知道吗?
朋友,你不是想有一点新鲜的思想拿来发表或拿来实现吗?但是,朋友,你的家庭,不就因为这一点要停止你的学费吗?你的社会,不就因为这一点要说你是“过激党”或“危险分子”,把你关进牢里或“推出斩之”吗?你的学校不也因为这一点要说你“有损学校名誉”或“犯校规第几十条”,把你记过或挂牌开除吗?
哟,朋友,你的“人权”在哪里,你能有一点思想的自由与行动的自由,努力去做一个人的权利吗?
不能,不能!
哟,朋友,你是一个活着的死人,你自己知道吗?
朋友,你在这人间大牢狱中间,你觉得痛苦与沉闷吗?你曾有一分钟想把这大牢狱打得粉碎吗?你曾有一分钟想大喊一声喊出你胸中的抑郁之气吗?
是呵,家庭,社会与学校的束缚是何等的严紧啊!道德,法律与学校规则的威吓是何等的可怕呀!但是,朋友,你知道什么叫做道德,什么叫做法律,什么叫做校规吗?
哟,使人类作伪,作恶,使人类变为活尸,变为陈死人,使生命萎缩,凋谢的道德,法律与校规呵!
哟,朋友,你能鼓起勇气来对于种种过去的骸骨,为努力的反攻吗?你能做一块大海绵来抹去一切被这些东西所传染的污点吗?
这个美丽的世界不是给死人住的,它是给活泼而有生趣的人住的。现在却到处是死人,死人。满坑满谷的死人:死鱼的眼,痴呆的面,规行矩步的行动,迟钝的声音。这个世界已经被他们完全弄脏了,弄脏了。
哟,朋友,喊出你心中所要喊出的声音吧,做出你心中所要做出的事情吧!总之一句,赶快表现出造物所给你的生命,在这黑暗的世界上举起一点光明的火花来;不然你的少年的肢体就要腐烂了,你的灵敏的头脑就要呆笨了,你的热情就要冷却了,那时是什么也迟了,什么也来不及了。
朋友,在现在这一刻这一个地方,把你的青春的力,你的生命赤裸裸地表现出来呵!你要把你的生命变做狂风,变做暴雨,把世界上一切肮脏的东西扫荡一个干净。什么道德,什么法律,什么校规,如若他们不过是阻碍你的前进,压抑你的努力的东西,就可以一齐抛掉,一齐破坏!与其做一个活死人,在世上活上一百岁,还不如活上一刹那后,立刻就死的好。
朋友,壮烈的死就是生命的最紧张的一刹那,有什么可怕的呢?
朋友,在你胸中汹涌着的,澎湃着的,激荡着的就是你的生命,把这种生命表现出来的时候,就成功了一种生命之流!
朋友,你不是喜欢看伟大的,壮丽的美国尼加哥拉的大瀑布吗?那就是象征生命之流的。朋友,你也不是更喜欢看那急激的,奔放的,你们四川瞿塘峡的急流吗?那也是象征生命之流的。你怎么能不喜欢看到你自己的生命也像他们一样伟大,一样壮丽,一样的急激与奔放呢?
哟,我要登上希马拉亚山的极高峰,举起两手赞美上天所给与我们的生命,而且祈祷那生命的洪流从青年的心坎中泛滥到世界上来的时期的到临!
看呵,那前面紫色的曙光不就是报告太阳的快要到来吗?朋友,努力前进吧!

 

 

作品译文

The Torrent of Life
Zhang Wentian

Friends, do you know what is meant by life? And what is meant by the “torrent of life”?
I bet you don’t! Because you are a slave to your father at home, a slave to morality, law and economy in society, and a slave to various rules at school. Being such a slave, how could you possibly come to understand life and the torrent of life?
Friends, now that you’ve become a slave to family, society and school, you are deprived of any opportunity to assert yourself. You are a walking corpse, even though you eat, work or study every day!
You are a walking corpse, friends. Are you aware of it?
Friends, aren’t you eager to have a boyfriend or girlfriend? Don’t you hope that the present society will allow free contacts between boys and girls? But, friends, without your consent, your parents have already engaged you to a girl you don’t know at all or arranged your marriage to a petty politician, official or any man who is a complete stranger to you. And, whether you are willing or not, schools and society have imposed restrictions on your free activities in the name of law, rules or morality. Don’t you want to go on a date? But they will call this “illicit sex” and take you to the police station. Don’t you want to correspond with a schoolmate of the opposite sex? But they will call this an immoral act in violation of school discipline and kick you out.
O friends, you are a walking corpse. Are you aware of it?
Friends, don’t you intend to have some fresh ideas expressed or put into practice? But your family will, just because of this, discontinue financing your schooling. Society will, just because of this, have you put into prison or even “beheaded” on a charge of being an “extremist or “dangerous element”. And your school will, just because of this, give you a demerit, discredit you in public or dismiss you–all on a charge of “damaging the school reputation” or “violating this or that school rule”.
O friends, do you have any “civil rights” to speak of? Do you have any freedom of thought and behavior, or the right of being a man?
No, none at all!
O friends, you are a walking corpse. Are you aware of it?
Friends, don’t you find this big prison on earth agonizing and suffocating? Don’t you ever, for one fleeting moment, think of smashing this big prison? Don’t you ever, for one fleeting moment, feel like giving vent to your pent-up emotion by letting out a loud yell?
Yes, how repressive is the bondage of family, society and school! How horrible is the threat of morality, law and school rules! But, friends, do you know what on earth is known as morality, law and school rules?
O friends, morality, law and school rules encourage people to cheat and do evil, make them as good as dead or completely dead, and cause life to wither and fade.
O friends, why not pluck up enough courage to stage a counter attack against all devitalized remains of the past? Why not clean away, as if with a big sponge, all the stains left by them?
This beautiful world is meant for people alive and kicking, not for the dead. Now the dead are everywhere with their fishy eyes, vacant looks, well-regulated behavior and slow-witted speech. The world has been totally messed up by them.
O friends, speak up your mind, and do what you want to do! In short, hurry up to give full play to the life bestowed on you by Nature, and hold aloft a torch to offer a little light to the dark world, for, otherwise, your young limbs will begin to rot, your brilliant brain will be dulled and your enthusiasm will cool off. It will be too late to mend.
Friends, bring your youthful vitality and life into full play right now and here! Turn your life into a hurricane to make a clean sweep of all filth on earth. To hell with all morality, law and school rules if they stand in your way and suppress your efforts. Much better to die a martyr than to be a 100-year-old walking corpse.
Friends, to die a hero’s death is to die an instant death–a most stirring moment in one’s life. There is nothing to fear at all.
Friends, what is surging and turbulent within you is your very life. When this life is given full play, it succeeds in becoming the torrent of life!
Friends, you must admire the great magnificence of the Niagara Falls in America. It is symbolic of the torrent of life. Friends, you must admire even more the swift rolling rapids of the Qutang Gorge in Sichuan Province. That, too, is symbolic of the torrent of life. No wonder you will be delighted to see your life displaying the same greatness, the same magnificence and the same swiftness and force.
O, if I could reach the summit of the Himalayas, I would hold high both hands in praise of life given us by Heaven and pray for the advent of the time when the torrent of life would move from the hearts of the young to spread all over the world.
Look, isn’t the purplish light of early dawn heralding the rising sun? Friends, let’s strive to forge ahead!

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