Modern Writing of Lotus

ji xianlin

There are several acres of clear ponds in front of the building. I remember that when I moved here more than 30 years ago, there seemed to be lotus flowers in the pond, and there were still some broken shadows of green leaves and safflower in my memory. Later, things changed, and the years passed, but the pond became "half an acre of square pond opened, the sky was high and the clouds were light", and the lotus flowers were never seen again. I keep a lot of old ideas in my mind. Every time I look at an empty pond, I always feel as if something is missing. This is not in line with my aesthetic concept. There should be something green in the pond, even reeds are better than nothing. The best and most ideal is of course the lotus. In China's old poems, there are simply too many descriptions of lotus flowers. Zhou Dunyi's On Ailian is probably unique. His famous phrase "Xiang Yuan Qing Xiang" is well known. It can almost be said that there is no one in China who doesn't love lotus flowers. But the pond in front of our building is the only one lacking lotus flowers. Every time I see or think about it, I always feel that I am a heart disease.

Someone came from Hubei and brought some lotus seeds from Honghu Lake. The shell is black and hard. It is said that if buried in mud, it can be preserved for thousands of years. So, I used a hammer to crack a crack in the lotus seed, so that the shower head would break out of its shell and never be buried in the mud. These are subjective wishes, and whether the lotus buds can come out is a big unknown. Anyway, I finally tried my best to put five or six broken lotus seeds into the pond. This is my destiny. In this way, I have one more job every day: go to the pond several times more. I always hope that one day, suddenly, "Xiao He shows sharp corners" and green lotus leaves grow out of the water. However, contrary to expectations, in the first year of throwing, nothing appeared on the water until the autumn leaves fell. After a lonely winter day, the next year, spring water filled the pond with green willows, which was a beautiful scene. However, there is still no lotus leaf on the water I expected. At this time, I was completely disheartened, thinking about those hard-shell lotus seeds brought by Hubei, probably because of unexplained reasons, there is no hope of planting lotus seeds anymore. My eyes can't suck lotus leaves out of the mud.

However, in the third year, a miracle suddenly happened. One day, I suddenly found some round green leaves growing where I threw lotus seeds. Although the color is extremely pleasing, it is thin, lying on the water like the leaves of a water lily. Only five or six leaves grew at first. I always feel a little too little, and I always hope to grow a few more pieces. So, I look forward to the stars and the moon, and go to the pond every day. There are farmers outside the school to catch aquatic plants. I always ask them to be merciful and not to break the leaves. But after a long summer, sad autumn came to the world again, leaving only five or six lonely leaves floating in the pond. For me, this is another hopeful but still depressing year. The real miracle appeared in the fourth year. After the severe winter, the pond overflowed with springs. When the lotus grows leaves, a large green leaf suddenly grows where there were five or six leaves last year, and the lotus doesn't seem to stop moving under the severe winter ice, because leaves also grow in the middle of the pond far from the original five or six leaf base.

The speed and range of blade expansion are amazing. Within a few days, a large part of the pond has been covered with green leaves. Moreover, the leaves that used to lie flat on the water like water lilies gathered strength from somewhere, and some actually jumped out of the water and grew into slender lotus leaves. It turned out that I had been suspicious for a long time, fearing that water lilies were growing in the pool, not real lotus flowers. In this way, the doubts in my heart were swept away: it turned out that the descendants of Honghu lotus grew in the pond. I was ecstatic, and these years have finally not been in vain. Everything in the world comes into being. Animals, plants and other creatures, including people, are always endowed with an extremely amazing survival force and an extremely amazing expansion and diffusion force, which is irresistible. As long as you are willing to take the trouble to observe, you will certainly admit it. What is in front of me now is the lotus in the pond in front of my building. As several brave blades jumped out of the water, many blades followed. Overnight, dozens of branches appeared, and they spread quickly. After less than ten days' work, lotus leaves have covered the whole pond. From where I planted my seeds, I spread to the east, west, north and south. I can't know how the lotus moves in the mud in deep water. Anyway, judging from the lotus leaves above the water, it takes at least half a foot to form this situation. Planting lotus leaves is definitely not enough.

Lotus flowers come one after another. According to experts who know lotus flowers, the lotus flowers in the pond in front of my house are different from those in other ponds in Yanyuan. The color of lotus flowers in other places is light red; And my lotus here is not only red, but also has many petals. Each flower can produce sixteen lotus petals, which certainly looks different. These dazzling red lotus flowers, hanging high above the lotus leaves, pose in the wind as if dazzling everything. When I was a child, I read an old poem: "After all, the West Lake in mid-June is different from the four seasons." The lotus leaf on the second day is infinitely blue, and the lotus flower on the second day is of different colors. "I love the beauty of his poems and deeply regret that I can't go to Hangzhou West Lake to enjoy them in person. Now the pond in front of my house is the scenery of the West Lake. It was I who moved the West Lake from Hangzhou to Yanyuan. Isn't it great and satisfying? Mr. Zhou Yiliang moved to Longrun Garden only a few years ago. His name is "Collection". I find it interesting and grateful. Shall I pass the lotus? The year before and last year, when the lotus flowers were blooming in Summer Moon Lake, I walked around the pond at least several times a day, sitting on a stone and quietly sucking the fragrance of lotus flowers and lotus leaves. " The quieter the cicada forest, the quieter Tonamiyama. "I really feel very quiet around. I sat there silently, and what I saw on the water was the green manure and red manure of the lotus.

The reflection is reflected in the water. When the wind blows, a lotus petal falls into the water. It falls from the top, but the reflection in the water falls upward from the bottom and finally touches the water surface. The two are one, floating there like a boat. I once read two sentences in a poem: "The pond flowers fall in shadow, and the sand birds fly with the sound." The author deeply regrets that the second sentence is no good. No wonder, how many people can realize the realm of "a pool of flowers falls on the shadow"? In the evening, my family often sits on the stones by the pond to enjoy the cool. One night, the moon in the sky was bright and bright, and it shed a silver light on the lotus. I suddenly heard a "plop". Mao Mao, my little white Persian cat, jumped into the water. She probably thought there was a white jade plate in the water and wanted to jump on it and catch it. As soon as she entered the water, she probably felt something was wrong. She quickly returned to the shore and broke the reflection of the moon. It took her a long time to get back to her original shape. This summer, the weather is extremely sultry, but the lotus flowers are in full bloom. Green covers the sky, red flowers reflect the sun, and a pond that is not too small is so full that even the water surface can hardly be seen. A neighbor who loves lotus flowers counts the number of lotus flowers cheerfully every day. Tell me today that there are four or five hundred flowers; Tell me tomorrow that there are six or seven hundred flowers. However, although I know he is meticulous, I don't believe he can really count the exact number of flowers.

I don't know how many bones are hidden under the lotus leaf and between the stones, which is hard to see on the shore. It is roughly estimated that there will be nearly 1000 flowers this year. This is really a magnificent view. The weather has suddenly turned cold these days, as if it had suddenly turned from summer to autumn. Although the lotus leaf in the pond is still green, it seems that the day of becoming a residual lotus will not be too far away. In another month or two, even the residual load will disappear without a trace when the water freezes. At that time, the lotus will probably hibernate under the ice and dream of spring. Their dreams will surely come true. "Winter has come, can spring be far behind?" I wish my "Jihe" all the best.

Zhu Ziqing's Moonlight on the Lotus Pond

Lotus pond moonlight

I'm very upset these days. Sitting in the yard enjoying the cool tonight, I suddenly remembered the lotus pond I walked through every day. It should look different under the light of this full moon. The moon rises gradually, and the children's laughter on the road outside the wall can no longer be heard; My wife is patting and skipping in the room, humming cotton songs vaguely. I put on my big shirt and walked out the door.

Along the lotus pond, there is a winding little cinder road. This is a secluded road; Few people walk during the day, and it is lonely at night. Around the lotus pond, there are many trees and lush. On one side of the road, there are some willows and some trees with unknown names. On a moonless night, the road is gloomy and a little scary. It's fine tonight, although the moonlight is still very weak.

I was the only one on the road, walking around with my hands behind my back. This world seems to be mine; I also like to go beyond my usual self and go to another world. I love excitement and peace; Like to live in groups, like to be alone. Just like tonight, under the boundless moon, a person can think of anything and think of nothing, and feel that he is a free person. What must be done and said during the day can be ignored now. This is the beauty of being alone; I just appreciate the boundless moonlight with lotus fragrance.

On the winding lotus pond, I look forward to the leaves of Tian Tian. The leaves are high out of the water, like an elegant dancer's skirt. Among the layers of leaves, some white flowers are scattered, some bloom gracefully, and some bloom shyly; Like a pearl, like a star in the blue sky, like a beauty who just took a bath. The breeze blew, sending wisps of fragrance, like a faint song on a tall building in the distance. At this time, leaves and flowers also have a slight tremor. Like lightning, it passed the other side of the lotus pond in an instant, and the leaves leaned side by side, so there was a clear wave mark. Below the leaves is the running water of the veins, which is covered and can't see some colors; Leaves are more exposed to the wind.

Moonlight, like running water, falls quietly on this leaf and flower. A thin layer of blue mist floats in the lotus pond. Leaves and flowers seem to have been washed in milk; Like a dream in a sarong. Although it is a full moon, there are faint clouds in the sky, so it can't shine; But I think this is just a benefit-deep sleep is indispensable, and nap is unique. Moonlight shines through the bushes, and the bushes at the height cast uneven and mottled shadows; The sparse shadows of curved willows seem to be painted on lotus leaves. The moonlight in the pond is uneven; But light and shadow have a harmonious melody, such as a famous song played in the Vatican.

Around the lotus pond, there are trees far and near, and willows are the most. These trees surround a lotus pond; Only on one side of the path, there are some gaps, which seem to be reserved for moonlight. An example of the color of trees is cloudy, which at first glance looks like a cloud of smoke; But the abundance of willows can be recognized in the smoke. There are distant mountains on the treetops, just a little careless. There are still one or two lamps leaking through the cracks in the tree. What is listless is the eyes of those who are sleepy. At this time, the most lively are cicadas in the tree and frogs in the water; But the excitement is theirs! I have nothing. I suddenly remembered the matter of picking lotus. Lotus picking is an ancient custom in the south of the Yangtze River. It seems to have a long history, but it flourished in the Six Dynasties. You can get a rough idea from this poem.

Then I remembered the words in Song of Xizhou:

Lotus is picked in autumn in Nantang, and the lotus is over the head; Bow your head and get lotus seeds, green as water. If someone picks the lotus tonight, the lotus here will be considered "too much"; You can't just see some shadows of running water. This makes me really miss Jiangnan. -thinking like this, I suddenly looked up and felt that it was my own door; Gently pushed the door and went in, but there was no sound. My wife has slept for a long time.

Lin Qingxuan's "Bao Lianhua"

Seven years ago, I rented a cabin converted from a warehouse in Muka. Although the hut is short and shabby, it is very interesting because of its extremely beautiful scenery.

Every morning when I open the window, I look into the distance. The first thing I saw was the papaya tree planted by the window, and then a tall banyan tree. Under the banyan tree, there is a pastoral area with vegetables and flower beds. The vegetable garden and flower beds are surrounded by a small lake of about half an acre. No matter spring, summer, autumn and winter, there are always ducks and geese fed by the landlord in the lake.

I write in a window with good wind and scenery every day. When you are tired, as long as you look up at the window, you always feel clear in your chest.

What I like best is that a corner of the lake is full of green bag lilies. It is said that the cloth-bag lotus is a low-grade aquatic plant with strong fecundity. If you throw it anywhere there is water, it will grow. Lush and strong. The shape of the cloth bag lotus is really beautiful. Its root is a round bulb with many layers in green. Its leaves are also very strange, rolled into a circular arc, like a child looking up at the sky and playing the trumpet.

Sometimes, I will catch some cloth-bag lilies and put them on my desk. They have no land, often stay green for a long time without immediate moisture, and their withering is not like ordinary plants. They turn from green to yellow and then slowly dry out, which is particularly pleasing.

Later, a neighbor moved near my home. He keeps several sheep. For some reason, his sheep like to eat banyan leaves. He breaks off many banyan leaves every day to raise sheep. Finally, he simply tied his plants under the banyan tree and climbed up the tree to pick leaves. In just a few weeks, all the leaves of the banyan tree were picked, leaving only bare branches and faded bare branches swaying in the strong wind.

I hate that middle-aged man who is herding sheep.

When the banyan leaves are finished, he said that his sheep also like to eat lilies.

He specially made a long bamboo pole to catch the bag lotus in a small lake, and it was a big one when fishing. Before long, a large piece of cloth-bag lotus was eaten by a flock of sheep. Although I stopped him several times and had an argument, banyan and bag lotus grew there for a long time because they were wild and there was no human competition for them. The man asked me in a word: "Did you plant it?"

That man's sheep breeding technology is not good, and his sheep soon became ill; Soon, he also moved out, but I had a bare autumn, and I was very sad every time I opened the window.

When winter comes, I often walk alone by a small lake. I can't see a bag lotus, and I often touch the fig branches that have been ruthlessly cut off. Even the ducks and geese in the lake are not as hard as before. I often look at the dead bag lotus in the Leng Yue at the window of the cold wind at night, and I feel so bitter that I want to cry. I think both the lotus and the banyan have disappeared forever in this small lake.

After the hot winter, spring began to get busy. I dare not open the window and hide in the hut to sort out the unfinished manuscript.

One day, an old friend came to visit and suggested taking a walk by the lake. I was surprised to find that the banyan tree didn't know when it grew a small bud. New shoots are not one leaf and two leaves, but thousands of plants. Four or five tiny buds appeared on the edge of all the broken wounds, making the almost withered banyan tree seem to be covered with a coat full of green pearls. It is even more wonderful to wrap lotus flowers. The original corner has been filled and extended to both sides. Although each flower is only one inch long, it is even more fascinating because of its low height. Dark green has not yet grown up, it is transparent green.

I told my friend the story of a flock of sheep. For the recovery of Bao Lianhua and Banyan, we embraced happily by the lake. To celebrate the victory of life, we were drunk in the spring outside the window that night.

At that time, I only knew that I was happy for the rebirth of the banyan tree and the bag lotus, because I was so happy during that time that I didn't know what it meant.

After several years of vicissitudes, I feel that emotions and years are grinding people. I often think of myself as a banyan tree, or a cloth bag lotus. Emotion and years are grazing a group of evil sheep, gnawing at our original lush and lively hearts. Some people died in these bites, and some people failed. Death and failure are far from inevitable. The question is whether the east wind will come again and whether it will rupture itself.

Of course, the old scar of the wound can't be completely healed, and the lotus flower eaten can't be recovered. Failure in combination does not mean failure to heal, and failure in rehabilitation does not mean failure to regenerate. Any emotion and years of frustration can always be solved!

I opened my diary seven years ago, and when I was drunk that day, I wrote two sentences obliquely:

"To be happy with the heavy work,

Don't grieve for death. "