The Complete Works of Xu Zhimo's Classical Prose

Chapter 28
The worst enemy of a person who carries all his possessions is the rain.Sometimes he doesn't care much about the daylight, but if the rain catches him after the sun goes down, he deserves to be pitied.He was not afraid of any physical pain from the damp, like his blessed countrymen, but he didn't like the smell of chills, and he had no place to warm himself.This embarrassing feeling is even more uncomfortable on an empty stomach.Originally, his only defense against the cold was a full stomach, as long as his stomach was not empty, he would not mind the invasion of wind and rain on his skin.People on the sea look for dark spots on the horizon, and astronomers look for new light in the sky. This homeless poor man is more anxious to see if there is a sign of rain in the sky.In order to avoid the flood in the future, he hides in the public library, which is the only ready-made open place; here he sits and stares blankly at a leaf of a book, without reading a word, which he really wanted to read.If there were no other seats available for a while, he stood in front of a newspaper and performed the almost impossible skill of standing up straight and falling asleep, because only in this way could he deceive the staff in the library and other decent people, they Waiting to read that newspaper.To be able to learn this hand, you have to go through many unsuccessful attempts. Breathing sluggishly, shaking your head, or bumping your body against the newspaper counter are all possible flaws; but when the time is up, he will stand up. He fell asleep there all the time, apparently concentrating on watching the most interesting piece of news. ... Often they have no clothes to change, so two people can often be seen standing near a fire at the same time, and one person is drying his wet socks.And the one who baked his dry bread...On this rainy day we see the small kindnesses that are only seen among the poorest; — One person saved eighteen coppers on the street and went home, paid four coppers for the bed, bought food, not only paid for another person’s bed, but also had to invite another person to share his food. He took care of another person with the remaining copper.If a person does a good job in business, he will give generously here and there until he does not leave a big one for himself.In this way, although you only see dull and anxious faces in the morning, by noon you can see that most of the tenants are already busy getting food and their beds have been settled.All kinds of troubles came to an end, some of them boasted, some hummed, and some joked with each other and often laughed.

These small favors are the chains of humanity, and they make a man comfort in the depths of despair, and not fear in the center of utter darkness.But our poet still can't figure out his fate of fame.Like other people who find a glimmer of hope in the morning, before it gets dark, he will know that this is nothing more than another unsatisfactory picture cake.He inquired about a well-known writer. For example, his enthusiasm for rewarding the underachievers was praised by many people. Of course, he did not miss this opportunity. He respectfully prepared a letter and sent the manuscript to ask for a look. The only response he got was that the gentleman was actually too busy to read his masterpiece, but he returned it intact!Such vain hopes attached to a down-on-his-luck genius.But Mr. Tevez did not know despair.He is still patient, waiting for his day without complaining.

五

What has been said above is a general outline of the process by which he tried to gain a place in the literary world, and now we have to know how Mr. Tewes changed from sound to crippled, and his life before returning to England.Because if it weren't for that accident, he might still be unwilling to give up his carefree wandering career, and still leave his traces in the area around Mississippi or Luoji Mountain.He didn't turn back to try the way on the other side until he came to the end of this side.He is not a half-way man.

He grew up in Wales, England. His mother married another person after his father died. He and his two younger siblings were raised by his grandparents.His family, in addition to his grandparents, a younger sister, and a demented younger brother, also has "a maid, a dog, a cat, a parrot, a dove, and a hibiscus bird".He has been a strongman since he was a child, and his relatives very much expected him to train as a professional "thug".So every time he came back from school with "a bleeding nose or a black eye", his family showed great joy and tried to teach him the secret of how to retaliate against his opponent next time.In addition to fighting, he learned an extraordinary skill in school. He and several of his classmates combined into an organized "pickpocket group".They specialize in all kinds of shops, and of course the most important thing is the candy shop.They carried out this business very smoothly for half a year, but when our little poet and his henchmen asked Mr. Patrolman to grab the scruff of his neck, he was tortured twelve times, and his grandfather lost ten pounds. fine.When he was nearing manhood his elders died, leaving him an estate of ten shillings a week in interest.He had already worked as a factory worker and learned how to make picture frames, but his unruly nature no longer allowed him to be cramped in the countryside. The New World, the golden America, was where he decided to display his skills at that time.When he arrived in the United States, the first friend he made was a wandering expert. From the northern province of Canada to the southern part of Mexico, from the Hezhen River Basin to the Pacific coast, he traveled without hindrance.The first skill he learned was how to ride the train for free: the most comfortable one is to ride on an empty train, and the truck or cattle car will be used as well; You can also sit curled up when you are in a hurry, but the best way is to sit on the roof of the car, which is not only less dangerous, but also the car manager rarely dares to come up to interfere with them.It is not easy to jump off the car, but sometimes you have to jump desperately in order to escape at a speed of thirty miles.Staying overnight is not a problem, the United States is full of dense forests, isn't it a natural hotel to light a fire in it?Sometimes they found empty houses on the road, and they climbed through the windows to occupy them (they more than once occupied the famous haunted house!).

"I have been a beggar for three years, and I don't even want to be an emperor." But if it takes three years for our beggars to realize what it is like, Mr. Tevez wisely chose this absolutely unprofessional job as soon as he arrived in the United States. career.It was almost impossible to starve to death in the United States at that time, because who did not have surplus bread and milk, and who would not help the poor wandering?As long as you open your mouth, you will have food and clothing.It's not like in the UK, how long you have to stand for a bowl of hot soup before you get a soup coupon, and how long you have to stand before you can exchange that coupon for a bowl of soup.Those soups "don't need to be adjusted with a spoon, and you don't have the pleasure of picking your teeth after eating; it's just this clear soup, without the shadow of a green bean, a green onion, or a radish (radish); what None, except flies."The recordable time they begged was in Baltimu, where the residents were much nicer, just as the women there were much more beautiful.As long as you "stand still on the street and feast on the beauty of the past, you will believe that God has never treated you badly."They were a collaboration of three, our poet of course the least experienced.His job is to hold a bag and wait for luck on the corner of the street, while his two comrades split up to "work" to the houses on both sides of the street.Not only did they respond to their requests, but they also ate dinners from three families in a row; in less than an hour, not only the pockets carried by Mr. Tevez were filled, but even the extra-large pockets on their bodies were empty.This begging experience, our poet said, was "not easily forgotten."For when they came home to clear up the surplus, they were surprised and delighted to find that not only did they have everything they wanted, but there was not a single packet that came down that contained only bread and butter. "Clams, turkey, broiler, steak, leg of lamb, bacon, and sausages cooked; Irish sweet potatoes, sweet yams, and taro; brown bread, white bread; pancakes, fruit cakes of all kinds, in every variety cakes; bananas, apples, grapes and oranges; plus a large pile of dried fruit and a whole bag of candy" This is a simple list of the contents of the sixty or so bags they asked for.Only three did not give, but the other two paid them to go.

In summer, of course they go to the beach of "Long Island" to sell summer.Sunshine, cool wind, soft and warm sea water, do not need money or their help.They are not swimming in the soft waves, lying tired under the green shade, or sitting on the rocks to watch the tide.But as enviable as their plan to sell off the summer, their method of selling off the cold is even more ingenious.The winter in the northern province of the United States is extremely cold, and there is no ready-made poor house in the small town like in the English countryside, or four or five coppers can buy a place in a small apartment.But if there are no other public dwellings here, there is a prison here.Prisoners in prison not only have good food to eat but also have fire to keep warm, and unless you commit crimes such as murder, you have freedom of movement. In the "common room" you can sing, chat, haha, and play card.Mr. Tevez's comrades all know these institutions. As long as they find a way to go to prison, they don't have to worry about the problem of food, clothing and housing this winter.But how does the prison enter the law?Of course you have to sin.But crime also has steps, you have to contact beforehand.When you arrive at a station, you must first find the bailiff at that place. He will understand your purpose as soon as he sees him, and he will always welcome you.You can bargain with him, first ask him for a cake of tobacco, and then ask him for a few cents for wine.You tell him how many days you want, one month or two months, and that is the rule.In the future, you only need to go to the hotel designated by him to drink and have fun, and when it is getting darker, take the wine and go to the street to sing a few times or something. Naturally, the voice should be higher, and Mr. Marshal will come from the darkness. He took you into custody and said, "Hey, buddy, what's the matter? Making noise in the streets late at night is a disturbance to peace. You have violated the hundreds or dozens of articles of the police regulations. You are now a prisoner." When you arrive at the judge, you see The bailiff whispered a few words in his ear, and he told you that you had indeed committed a crime. He now sentenced you to a fine of 15 yuan or [-] yuan. Go to jail for a month or two (as you have agreed with Mr. Marshal).You've got everything from this night on, and if you still feel like you need to recuperate by the end of the term, you'll just have to run a few miles to another town and "commit another crime."When you committed a crime, not only did you feel comfortable, but even the prison guards, Mr. Marshal, and even the judges in the hall all thanked you for your kindness; As usual, there is a reward of one yuan, and Mr. Judge is also paid another two yuan as usual for adjudicating a crime.Everyone is cheap, except for the citizens of the rental tax, all public institutions are maintained by them.But such corrupt and humorous situations, although very common at the time, certainly did not last long.

However, Mr. Tewes sometimes interrupted his career, and when he had the opportunity, he often took a break to do a short-term job of a few days or a few weeks.When the harvest is harvested in the village, when the fruit is ripe, or when there is a huge construction project somewhere, our poets follow other rogue comrades to work.When the work period is over and the pockets are full of money, they go to drink, and they have to drink up to finish.His last occupation was "cowman", escorting cattle and sheep from America to England.He traveled more than once in the Atlantic Ocean, where he learned a lot of sailing experience and the cruelty of livestock, which left an indelible impression in his poems.

During these five years, there were frequent dangers and many difficulties, but his spirit was always lively and cheerful.Among the thieves and beggars, he humbly accepted his education.In the bright fields, in the fragrant forests, on the windy river banks, in the bustling taverns, his poetic soul absorbs its healthy nutrition without hesitation.His only regret occasionally is that his life is too full and his poetic thoughts are too accumulated, but he has no time to sit down and write calmly.One of his worst distresses was a fever he had suffered at Olins.

I don't know why I didn't get on the train, but instead walked towards the countryside, which made me very regretful.Because I didn't have the strength to go, there was a large grassy swamp beside the road, so I crawled into it and lay there for three days and three nights, and I could no longer stand up and walk.Hungry wild hogs are common in this area, and sometimes they get very close to me, but when they see my body turning, they roar and run away.There are dozens of hungry eagles perched on the branches above my head, and I also know that the grass is full of poisonous snakes.I was very thirsty, so I drank the stagnant water in the small pool in the grassy marsh, which was a breeding ground for microbes, and its color was the rainbow in the sky, and often a sip of this kind of water can poison people to death.When I am chilled, I crawl into the hot sun and lie shivering; the cold overheats my body.I snaked back into the shade again.I didn't eat a single bite for four days, and I didn't eat much in the few days before I came here.I could see the trains coming and going on the tracks, but I didn't have the strength to shout.Lots of cars echoed, and I knew they stopped less than a mile from me to fill up water or coal.Knowing that I would die if I stayed in this vicious grass swamp, I tried my best to climb onto the track and arrived at a nearby station where there were many cars parked.It was less than a mile away, but it took me over two hours to get there.

He thought he was going to die, but he met a doctor from his hometown in the hospital and healed him attentively.In this way, he wandered for five years in his ideal new world paved with gold. He came with more than ten pounds, and returned home five years later with three shillings and a few pence.But he didn't give up on his dream of gold, and he crossed the Atlantic for a second time, returning to Canada to try his luck.As it happened, his fate awaited him there.When he arrived in Canada, he took the train for nothing as usual, but this time he paid a lot for the car!He jumped off the car and lost his leg. The car was going too fast. He kicked in the air, holding the car with his hand, and was dragged for a while. When he reached the ground, he knew something was wrong, and his right foot was broken.After two operations, one leg was amputated, and he stayed on the verge of death for many days. Although Mr. Tevez did not die, he became disabled from then on.Only then did he return to England, abandon his golden dreams, and begin his (as described above) search for literary opportunities.

六

This is an overview of Mr. Tevez's progress from poor to successful.His autobiography (The Autobiography of a Super Tramp) is not a confession, because he has nothing to confess.He is an acute man, so he does what comes to his mind, and the virtue of prudence is not his.In the common and boring days of modern life, we feel a lot of "substitute" happiness when we read the autobiography of Mr. Timothy, but just because of that we are reading thousands of bizarre detective stories and sensational stories. adventure talk.

The difference is that Mr. Tevez's writing is not only personal experience, but even though what he wrote is very factual, his writing style is only simple and clean, without extravagance, refinement, and no intention of boasting at all.What moved us the most was this: although he wrote mostly about the low life, the dark, dirty, distressed world, the world of beggars and thieves, we only felt the dignity of the author's attitude and the soundness of mind. .His poverty and homelessness are self-seeking, we only see that he finds "human cheese" everywhere, and communicates harmoniously among the distressed people.No matter how he walked to the edge of despair, when he was approaching the real (not imaginary) death of starvation and disease, his heart was only calm.He neither complained nor felt sorry for himself. He never cursed the society he lived in, never envied the welfare of others, never boasted of his unique genius, never hurt himself for what happened to him, never resented the inhumanity of his fate, He is a gentleman of peace.He broke a leg and was permanently crippled, but he wrote it offhand, and Mr. Shaw said he wrote about his own accident as a lobster loses its tendril or a lizard falls on him. It seems that the tail will be heavy and long after a while.No, he didn't waste words on describing his own sufferings, and what he noticed and missed most during his hospitalization was the extraordinary kindness of the natives there to an unfortunate wanderer.

Only with a heart like Mr. Tewes can there be poems like Mr. Tewes.His poetry is but we'll have to wait for another opportunity to talk about his poetry.

April
Originally published in May 1928, "New Moon", Volume 5, Issue 1

(End of this chapter)