Full text of Izu's dancer

Yasunari Kawabata (Japan)

one

The road has become tortuous, and it is almost to the top of Tiancheng Mountain. Just when I was thinking, the shower had covered the dense Chinese fir forest into sparkling flowers and chased it from the foot of the mountain at an alarming speed.

I was twenty years old that year, wearing a college hat, a navy coat with broken white patterns, a skirt and a schoolbag on my shoulder. This is the fourth day of my solo trip to Izu. I stayed in Xiushan Temple Hot Springs for one night, stayed in Tangdao Hot Springs for two nights, and then climbed Tiancheng Mountain in my high-toothed clogs. Although I was fascinated by the overlapping mountains, virgin forests and deep valleys along the way. There is an expectation that urges me to move forward quickly. At this moment, the raindrops as big as beans began to hit me. I ran up the steep slope. Finally came to the teahouse at the north intersection of the top of the mountain. I took a deep breath and stood at the door of the teahouse. Because my wish has been fulfilled, the artists on tour are resting there.

When the dancer saw me standing there, she immediately gave up her cushion and turned over beside me.

"Ah ..." I just answered and sat down. Because I was out of breath and a little scared when I ran up the mountain, the word "thank you" was on my lips but I didn't say it.

So I approached the dancer face to face and hurriedly took out my cigarette from my sleeve. The dancer pulled the ashtray in front of her partner's woman and put it next to me. I still didn't speak.

The dancer looks about seventeen years old. She wears a very big old bun on her head. I can't even name that hairstyle, which makes her serious oval face look small, but beautiful and harmonious. She is like a portrait of a girl in a historical novel with thick hair. Among the dancers, there was a woman in her forties, two young girls, and a man of fifteen or sixteen, wearing a coat with the name of Changgang Hot Spring Hotel written on it.

So far, I have seen dancers twice. The first time was on the way to Tangdao. They met near Tang Chuan Bridge on their way to Xiushan Temple. There were three young girls with drums on their backs. As soon as I went back to visit them, I felt a sense of travel seeping into my body and mind. Then, on the second night in Tangdao, they visited the hotel. I sat in the middle of the stairs and threw myself into it. I thought: I was in Xiushan Temple that day, I will go to Tangdao tonight, and I will go south through Tiancheng Mountain tomorrow. I might go to Tang Ye Hot Springs. I will definitely catch up with them on the mountain road of Tiancheng Mountain, which is more than 20 kilometers. I came in such a hurry in my dream that I happened to meet them in a teahouse that sheltered from the rain, and my heart thumped.

After a while, the old woman in the teahouse led me to another room. This room is probably not used at ordinary times and there is no paper door. Looking down, the beautiful valley is too deep to see. My skin got goose bumps and my teeth trembled. The old woman came in to deliver tea, and I said it was cold. She took me by the hand and took me to their own house.

"Alas, master is soaked. Come and warm up. Come, dry your clothes. "

There is a stove in that room. As soon as the paper partition door is opened, there is a strong hot air blowing on my face. I stood at the door, hesitating. An old man sat cross-legged by the fire, bruised and drowned. His eyes are yellow, like rotten eyes. He looked at me gloomily. Old letters and paper bags piled up around him, so it can be said that he was buried by these rags. I witnessed the monster in the mountain with my own eyes and stood there. I never imagined that this was a living person.

"Let you see such a shameful human ... however, this is an old man at home, you don't have to worry. It looks ugly, but he can't move. Please be patient. "

The old woman said hello like this. Judging from what she said, the old man had a stroke for many years and was completely paralyzed. Many pieces of paper are letters from all over the country to treat stroke, and paper bags of stroke drugs bought from all over the country. He never missed anything he heard from travelers who walked over the top of the mountain or saw in newspaper advertisements. He asked about the treatment of stroke all over the country and bought drugs for sale. He didn't miss any of these letters and paper bags.

I didn't answer the old woman's words, so I bent down on the stove kang. The car on the top of the hill shook the house. I thought to myself, it's already so cold in autumn, and it's going to be snowed off soon. Why didn't the old man go down the mountain? Steam comes out of my clothes. The fire is so big that it gives me a headache. The old woman walked out of the shop and chatted with a visiting female artist.

"Isn't it? The girl I brought last time looks like this and becomes a beautiful girl, and you are out! Girls grow so fast, so beautiful! "

Nearly an hour later, I heard the voice of the touring artist preparing to leave. Of course I'm not calm, but I'm too anxious to stand up. I thought that although they were used to walking, it was a woman's footsteps after all. Even after walking for a kilometer or two, I can catch up with them, but I still feel uneasy sitting by the fire. But as soon as the dancers left, my dream seemed to be liberated.

"This kind of person, master, who knows where they live? When guests leave their place, they stay there. What is the specific location tonight? "

There was a very contemptuous tone in the old woman's words, which even made me feel that if so, I would let the dancer stay in my room tonight.

As the rain weakened, the peaks began to brighten. Although they stopped me and said it would clear up in ten minutes, I still couldn't sit still.

"Take care, old man. It's getting cold. " I said seriously and stood up. The old man rolled his yellow eyes with difficulty and nodded slightly.

"Master, master!" The old woman shouted and chased him out. "It's really hard for you to spend so much money. I am really sorry. "

She hugged me and refused to give me her schoolbag. I tried to stop her again and again, but she refused, saying that she would take me. She followed me, taking small steps in a hurry and walking a long way, always repeating the same words: "I'm sorry I didn't treat you well." Next time you pass by, I will remember your appearance. Thank you. You must come in the future, don't forget. "

I just left a silver coin of fifty cents, but I was surprised to see her, and I felt tears in my eyes. But I want to catch up with the dancer as soon as possible. I think the old woman's faltering steps have brought me trouble. Finally, I came to the tunnel at the top of the mountain.

"Thank you very much. The old man is at home alone, so go home. " As I said this, the old woman handed me the bag.

Walking into the dark tunnel, cold water drops drop by drop. Ahead, the exit to Nan Yidou showed a faint light.

two

Out of the tunnel, the mountain road winds down like lightning along the whitewashed fence set up by the cliff. Looking down from here, the scenery at the foot of the mountain looks like a model, and artists can be seen below. I caught up with them after walking less than a kilometer, but I couldn't slow down suddenly. I passed those women by pretending to be indifferent. After about 20 meters, the man walked alone. He stopped when he saw me.

"Your footsteps are really fast ... it's already sunny."

I set my mind at rest and began to walk side by side with that man. He keeps asking me questions. Several women saw the two of us talking and ran after us from behind.

The man is carrying a big wicker bag. A 40-year-old woman is holding a puppy. The older girl was carrying a bag, the other girl was carrying a small wicker bag, and each girl was carrying a large piece of luggage. The dancer carried drums and bulging shelves. This forty-year-old woman is slowly talking to me, too.

"It's a college student," the older girl whispered to the dancer. I turned around and heard the dancer smile and say, "Yes, I know. Students often come to the island. "

This group of artists is from Bofu, Oshima, Hong Kong. They said they came out of the island in spring and were on the road all the time. The weather turned cold, and they were not ready for the winter, so they stayed in Shimoda for another ten days and returned to the island from Ito Hot Spring. When I heard about Oshima, it was even more poetic. I looked at the dancer's beautiful bun and asked about Oshima.

"Many students come to swim here," the dancer said to her partner.

"It's summer, isn't it?" I said, turn around.

The dancer panicked and seemed to answer in a low voice: "Winter is also ..."

"Winter?"

The dancer still looked at her partner and smiled.

"Do you swim in winter?" I said it again, and the dancer blushed, but her expression was serious and she nodded gently.

"This child, idiot." The forty-year-old woman said with a smile.

It is about 20 kilometers from Hejinchuan to Tang Ye. After the top of the mountain, the colors of the mountains and the sky make people feel the wind and light in the south. I continued to talk to that man and made out completely. After passing through small villages such as Shencheng and Li Ben, we can see the thatched roofs of Tang Ye on the foothills. At this time, I decided to travel to the fields with them. He was very happy to hear that.

In front of the inn in Tang Ye, when the 40-year-old woman showed me a farewell expression, he said for me:

"The man said that he would go with us."

"Yes, yes. Travellers make friendships in the world. People as boring as us can also relieve your troubles. Then, please come in and have a rest. " She replied casually. The girls looked at me together, without any unexpected expression on their faces, silently looking at me, slightly shy.

I walked up to the second floor of the inn with everyone and unloaded my luggage. Cushions and paper partitions are old and dirty. It came from downstairs. She sat in front of me, her face flushed and her hands trembled, and the tea bowl tilted down from the saucer. She didn't dare to pour the tea bowl and put it on the mat. The tea had spilled. I was shocked to see her shame.

"Oh, what a nuisance! The child's heart is broken. This, this, this, this, this, this, this ... The forty-year-old woman said, frowning as if stunned, and threw the rag over. The dancer picked up the rag and mechanically wiped the mat.

This unexpected remark made me suddenly reflect on my original thoughts. I feel that the fantasy aroused by the old woman at the top of the mountain is suddenly broken.

At this time, a woman in her forties looked at me frequently and suddenly said, "This scholar is wearing a nice coat with dark blue and broken white patterns." So she stared at the woman next to her again and again and asked, "That piece of cloth is the same pattern as that worn by Ji Min, isn't it? Isn't it the same pattern? " Then she said to me, "In my hometown, I left a child who went to school, and now I think of him. This patterned cloth is the same as that worn by the child. It's too bad that navy blue and white rags have become more expensive recently. "

"What school do you go to?"

"The fifth grade of ordinary primary school."

"Oh, ordinary primary school grade five, really ..."

"Now I go to school in Jia Fu. I have lived in Oshima for many years, but my hometown is Jiafu of Jiafei. "

After an hour's rest, the man took me to another hot spring hotel. Until now, I just want to live in the same small hotel with artists. We walked along the street, walked a long section of gravel road and slate road, and crossed the bridge by the river near the public bath. Across the bridge is the courtyard of the hot spring hotel.

I went into the small bathroom of the hotel and the man followed me from behind. He said he was twenty-four, his wife had miscarried twice, the baby died prematurely, and so on. Because he was wearing a coat called Changgang Hot Spring, I thought he was from Changgang. Moreover, judging from his appearance and behavior, I imagine that he is probably out of curiosity, or fell in love with a girl who works as a busker and carries luggage for them.

I have lunch immediately after taking a shower. I set off from Tangdao at eight o'clock in the morning, but it's not yet three o'clock in the afternoon.

When the man left, he looked up at me from the yard and greeted me.

"Take this to buy some persimmons to eat. Sorry, I won't go downstairs, "I said, picking up some wallets and throwing them in." He refused to take the money and was about to go out when the paper bag had left in the yard, so he turned to pick it up.

"This can't be done." He threw the paper bag up and landed on the thatched roof. I threw it again. He took it and left.

It began to rain heavily in the evening. The images of the mountains are indistinguishable from each other and are all dyed white. The river in front of them was turbid and yellow, making a loud noise. I thought dancers wouldn't perform in the street because of the heavy rain, but I couldn't sit still and went into the bathroom two or three times. The room was dark and no one knew it. A square hole was made with a paper fan next door. There is a lamp hanging on the beam.

In the heavy rain, there was a slight drum sound in the distance. I pulled it away and leaned out as if I were grabbing at the wooden cover. The drums seemed closer, and the wind and rain hit me on the head. I closed my eyes and listened, wondering where the drums came from. Soon, I heard the voice of Sanxian. I heard a woman's long voice; I heard cheerful laughter. Then I learned that artists were called to the dining hall opposite the inn, and I could distinguish the voices of two or three women and three or four men. I waited, thinking that I would turn here as soon as the performance over there was over. But wine is so active that it never seems to stop. A woman's shrill voice always penetrates the night like lightning. I was a little nervous and sat there with the window open all the time.

"Ah, the dancer is at the party. She is sitting and playing drums. "

As soon as the drums stopped, people became impatient. I was immersed in the rain.

Soon, I don't know whether everyone is chasing each other or dancing in circles. The chaotic footsteps lasted for a long time, and then suddenly quieted down. I opened my eyes wide, as if to look through the darkness and see what happened in this silence. I'm worried. Won't the dancers be ruined tonight?

I closed the wooden window and went to bed. I'm still in pain. I went to take a shower and took a casual shower for a while. The rain stopped and the moon appeared. The autumn night washed by rain is bright and bright. I thought even if I walked out of the bathroom barefoot, I still had nothing to do. I spent two hours like this.

three

At nine o'clock the next morning, the man came to my room. I got up and asked him to take a bath. The weather in Xiaoyangchun, South Izu is cloudless and sunny in Wan Li. The rising river is warmly covered in the sunshine under the bathroom. I felt my troubles were like a dream last night. I said to the man:

"You were partying so late last night."

"Why, did you hear that?"

"Of course I heard it."

"It's all locals. People in this place are just fooling around and yelling, which is not interesting at all. "

He acted as if nothing had happened and I was silent.

"Those guys have come to the other side of the bath. You see, they seem to have noticed this side and are still laughing. "

In the direction he pointed, I looked at the public bathing place across the river. Seven or eight people appeared in the steam, naked.

Suddenly, a naked woman ran out from the end of the dark bath, stood there and made a gesture of jumping from the protruding part of the strip field to the bottom of the river bank. She stretched out her arms and shouted something. She was naked and didn't even have a towel. This is a dancer. I looked at her snow-white body, stretching her legs like a Jatropha curcas. I felt a clear spring wash my body and mind and sighed deeply. Laugh out loud She is still a child. She is such a naive child. When she found us, she was very happy and ran naked to the sun. She stood on tiptoe and stretched herself. I smiled happily and my mind was clear. A smile hung on my lips for a long time.

Because the dancer's hair was too medium, I always thought she was seventeen or eighteen and dressed as a girl, so my guess was all wet.

I went back to my room with that man. Soon, the big girl came to the courtyard of the hotel to see the chrysanthemum garden. The dancer just walked in the middle of the bridge. The 40-year-old woman came out of the public bath and looked in their direction. The dancer suddenly shrank her shoulders, thinking that she would be scolded, so she took a step back with a smile. The 40-year-old woman came to the bridge and raised her voice and began to cry.

The older girls also said, "Come and play!" They all went back. But that man sits at night.

In the evening, I played Go with a banker who took off the paper, and suddenly I heard drums in the hotel yard. I was just about to stand up.

"Here comes the busker."

"Hum, these characters are meaningless. Hey hey, it's my turn to play. I've already played here, "said the paper merchant, pointing to the chessboard. He was fascinated by the result.

When I was in a trance, the artists seemed to go back to the past. I heard the man shouting in the yard, "Good evening!"

I waved to him in the corridor. The artists whispered to each other for a while, then turned to the door of the hotel. Three girls followed the man and said "good evening" in turn, hanging their hands in the corridor and saluting like geisha. I can see from the chessboard that my chess is going to lose.

"There's nothing I can do. I give up. "

"Where will lose? My side is still not good. Anyway, it is still a boutique game. "

Without looking at the artist's side, the paper merchants counted the numbers on the chessboard one by one and became more and more cautious about the underground work. Women put drums and three strings in the corner of the room and play gobang on the elephant chessboard. At this time, the chess I once won has lost. But the paper merchant still insists:

"how about it? Please try another set. "

But I didn't mean anything, just smiled, and the paper merchant stopped reading, stood up and left.

The girls approached the board.

"Are you going on tour somewhere tonight?"

"I want to go in circles," the man said, looking at the girls.

"Well, let's call it a day. Let's have fun. "

"It's fun, it's fun."

"Won't you be scolded?"

"Why, just running around, there will be no guests anyway."

They played gobang or something and didn't leave until after twelve o'clock.

After the dancer went back, I couldn't sleep, and my brain was still clear. I shouted in the corridor.

"Paper boss, paper boss!"

"Oh ..." The old man who was nearly sixty jumped out of the room and agreed with great enthusiasm.

"It's sunny tonight. Let me tell you something. "

I am full of a very belligerent mood at the moment.

four

I have an appointment to leave Tang Ye at eight o'clock the next morning. I put on the cap I bought next to the public bathing place, stuffed the college student cap into my schoolbag and walked to the small hotel along the street. The paper partition on the second floor was completely open, and I walked up without care, but the artists were still sleeping on the mat. I was a little flustered and stood in the corridor.

On the mat in front of my heel, the dancer blushed and suddenly covered her face with two palms. She slept in a bunk with an older girl, with a thick color on her face and red lips and eyes. This funny sleeping position penetrated into my heart. She blinked, turned to her side, covered her face with her palm, slipped out of bed and sat in the corridor.

"Thank you for last night!" As she spoke, she saluted beautifully and left me standing there at a loss.

The man and the big girl sleep in the same bed. I didn't know they were husband and wife before I saw this.

"I'm very sorry. I was going to leave today, but we are going to receive guests tonight, and we are going to extend it by one day. If you have to leave today, you can meet you in Shimoda. We decided to stay at Jiazhouwu Hotel, and you can find it right away, "said the 40-year-old woman, lifting her body on the bedding. I feel abandoned.

"Can't go tomorrow? I didn't know mom would extend it by one day. It's always good to have company on the road. Let's go together tomorrow, "said the man.

The 40-year-old woman went on to say, "Never mind. I really want to be with you, and I'm really sorry I didn't discuss it with you in advance. Even if it rains, I will leave tomorrow. The day after tomorrow is the forty-ninth day when the baby died on the road. I've been thinking about this day of breaking seven, running all the way, and I want to go to the fields to break seven before that day. It's impolite to tell you this, but we have unexpected fate.

So I postponed my trip and went downstairs. In order to wait for everyone to get up, I chatted with people in the hotel in a dirty room. The man invited me out for a walk. A little south along the street, there is a beautiful bridge. Leaning against the railing of the bridge, he talked about his life. He said that he attended a new drama school in Tokyo for a short time, and I heard that he often performed in Oshima Port. He said that the scabbard in their luggage was like a belt.

"I delayed my future and ended up like this, but my brother got married beautifully in Jia Fu and became the heir of the family. So I am not needed. "

"I always thought you were from Changgang Hot Spring."

"Are you? That older girl is my wife. She is one year younger than you, seventeen years old. During the trip, her second child was born prematurely and she died within a week. My woman's health has not recovered yet. That mother is her biological mother and that dancer is my own sister. "

"Oh, you said you have a 14-year-old sister ..."

"It's her. I hate letting my sister make a living, but there are other reasons. "

Then he told me that his name was Rongji, his wife was Chiyoko and his sister was Xunzi. Another 17-year-old girl named Yuriko was hired by a stranger from Oshima. Jung Ji seems very sad, showing her crying face and staring at the beach.

When we came back, the dancer who had washed the powder was lying on the side of the road, patting the dog's head. I said I would add it back to my hotel.

"You go and play."

"Okay, but I'm alone ..."

"You go with your brother."

"I'll go right away."

Soon, Rongji came to my hotel.

"What about them?"

"Women are afraid of their mother's nagging."

But as soon as we played gobang, several women crossed the bridge and hurried upstairs. As usual, they saluted politely and sat in the corridor. Chiyoko stood up first.

"This is my room. Please make yourself at home. Come in. "

The artist played for an hour and went to the bathroom of this hotel. They invited me to go with them again and again, but there were three young women, so I dodged. Later, the dancer immediately came running alone and told Chiyoko:

"Sister said she wanted you to wipe your back."

I didn't play gobang with that dancer. As long as she is proud, she can easily beat them in a round of circulation with Rongji and other women. I play gobang very well, but I play most people. I don't need to give up with her, so I'm happy. Because it was just the two of us, at first she reached far away, but gradually she forgot the shape and concentrated on the chessboard.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to be scolded," she said, pushing the chess piece and running out. At this time, my mother stood in front of the public bath. Chiyoko and Yuriko also hurried out of the bathroom and fled back without going to the second floor.

On this day, Rongji played in my room from morning till night. The simple seemingly friendly hotel hostess advised me that it would be a waste to invite such people to dinner.

I went to a small hotel in the evening, and the dancer was learning Sanxian from her mother. She stopped when she saw me, but after listening to her mother's words, she picked up Sanxian. Whenever she sings a little higher, her mother says:

"Didn't I say there was no need to raise my voice!"

Rongji was called to the lobby on the third floor by the restaurant opposite, and he was looking at something, which can be seen from here.

"What is he reading?"

"Folk songs."

"What a strange ballad."

"That's a vegetable seller. He can't understand what you read at all. "

At this time, a 40-year-old bird shop merchant living in a small hotel opened the paper partition and invited several girls to eat vegetables. The dancer and Yuriko went to the next room with chopsticks to eat the chicken hotpot left by the bird shop. When they returned to the room together, the bird shop merchant left the chicken hot pot. When they returned to the room together, the bird shop merchant patted the dancer on the shoulder. Mother showed a fierce face and said:

"Hey, don't touch that child, she's still a yellow flower girl."

The dancer called the old uncle and begged the bird shop merchant to read it to her. & lt Roaming the Yellow Gate of Mito >> However, the merchant of the bird shop quickly stood up and left. She kept saying "read for me", but she didn't tell me this directly, as if her mother would ask me. With an expectation, I picked up this popular story book. As soon as I started reading, the dancer leaned over to me, almost touching my shoulder, with a serious expression and sparkling eyes, staring at me without blinking. Just now, she almost met the bird dealer. I've already seen this. These big black eyes are shining with beautiful light, which is the most beautiful place on the dancer. The lines of her double eyelids are indescribably beautiful. Secondly, she laughs like a flower, and she is vivid with "Laughing like a flower".

After a while, the hotel maid came to pick up the dancer. She changed her clothes and said to me, "I'll be right back." Wait for me, please read on. "

She walked into the corridor, bowed and said, "I'm leaving."

"You can't sing," mom said. She nodded slightly and drummed.

My mother turned to me and said, "Now she is changing her voice."

Dancers are sitting on the second floor of the restaurant and beating drums. From here, her back seems to be in the next hall. The drums made my heart beat clearly.

"As long as the drum rings, the whole room will be happy," mom said, looking across the street.

Chiyoko and Yuriko also went to the lobby over there.

After an hour's work, four people came back together.

"That's it …" The dancer poured fifty silver coins from her fist into her mother's palm. I watched it for a while & gt They talked about babies who died during the journey. It is said that the child was born as transparent as water, and even had no strength to cry, but he still lived for a week.