Bing Xin's praise of cherry blossoms

Cherry blossoms are the pride of Japan. People who go to Japan must first think of cherry blossoms before arriving; Here we are, first of all, cherry blossoms. If you arrive between summer and autumn, Japanese friends will say sadly, "You missed the cherry blossom season!" " "If you arrive in winter, they will keep you, saying," Stay a little longer until you see the cherry blossoms! "In a word, cherry blossoms, like Mount Fuji, have become a symbol of Japan.

To say the least, I have seen cherry blossoms dozens of times. Look at the Castle Peak Cemetery, Ueno Park and Thousand Birds Garden in Tokyo ...; Look at Kyoto, look at Nara ... See it in the rain, see it in the fog, see it under the moon ... Japan is full of cherry blossoms, some are hundred-flower trees, and some are quietly standing by the roadside water. Spring in Japan is immersed in the breath of cherry blossoms!

My Japanese friend told me that there are more than 300 kinds of cherry blossoms, the most of which are mountain cherry, Yoshino cherry and eight-fold cherry. Sakura and Yoshino Sakura are not as white as peach blossoms or pear blossoms. They are lotus gray. 20% off cherry blossoms are plump and ruddy, almost like begonia in Beijing in spring. In addition, there are pale yellow Yujin cherry blossoms, drooping branches of cherry blossoms, the earliest cherry blossoms on the other side of the spring equinox, and more than 300 petals of chrysanthemum cherry blossoms ... They cover each other and compete with each other. The cherry blossom songs written by Huang Zunxian, a poet in Qing Dynasty, are as follows:

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Mojiang splash green water microwave

Flowers covered the river.

See what flowers look like in the whole city.

Everyone sings cherry blossom songs together.

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Flowers are shining and the sea shadows are like the tide.

Rangers gathered to dig caves.

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A ten-day national tour

Happy year-end.

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This song describes the overwhelming victory of the Japanese in watching cherry blossoms in spring. "10 Day Tour" is very short. After the cloudy day, spring is warm and cherry blossoms are blooming all over the mountain. After a storm, they quickly withered, and the mountains were covered with fallen English! Therefore, Japanese scholars have written many "short-lived" sad poems. It is said that cherry blossoms are also characterized by "early blooming and early setting".

Perhaps because I come from China, my association with cherry blossoms is not so gloomy. Although I first saw cherry blossoms in the spring of 1947, in the Castle Peak Cemetery in Tokyo, the cemetery was full of gloomy grave sweepers and drunken guests who drank too much wine. When I passed through the tunnel covered with lotus-gray flowers like a dome, I felt a deep touch.

I went to Japan this spring when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I saw cherry blossoms everywhere, in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto, Hakone-CHO and Kamakura ... but the cherry blossoms I saw in Kanazawa Xiangshan on April 13 were the most vivid and magnificent I have ever seen!

On April 12, it was raining heavily, and we went to Neitan fishing village not far from Kanazawa City. I overheard on the road that tomorrow is the day when the workers of Kanazawa taxi company go on strike. Kanazawa has 12 taxi companies, 250 cars and hundreds of drivers and workers. They asked for higher wages to relieve the pressure of life. They have gone on strike five times and failed to achieve their goal. Tomorrow's strike will be the sixth time.

That afternoon, on the beach with heavy rain and in the farmers' homes in Neitan, we heard many touching stories of workers and peasants resisting the American occupation of farmland and finally winning. In the evening, I attended a warm welcome meeting for the masses. Everyone is too excited to sleep well. I got up early the next day and set off in a hurry. I almost forgot that the bus drivers went on strike today.

At 8: 40 in the morning, we came out of the hotel and eleven cars were neatly placed at the door. We got on the bus separately and walked slowly along the mountain road, winding down. The weather is mysterious, the warm east wind blows, and the bright sunshine shakes our eyes. ...

Then it suddenly occurred to me that today is not the day when car drivers go on strike. Didn't they strike at eight o'clock in the morning? Didn't they postpone the strike in order to get us on the bus? I quickly asked my Japanese friend who was sitting in front of me with the driver. The Japanese friend turned around and said with a slight smile, "In order to send the China writers' delegation to the residence, they held an emergency meeting last night and decided to change the strike time to nine o'clock in the morning!" When I excitedly said a word or two of thanks, the man looked at me quietly, stared at the driver in front, tilted his head slightly and said humbly, "Promoting the friendship between the Japanese and Chinese people is also part of the struggle!"

My heart jumped suddenly, like a lit fireworks, and the spark of gratitude came out of my heart, generate …

On the mountain road in the early morning, there were no other vehicles, only eleven of us, rustling and speeding by. At this moment, I suddenly saw hundreds of cherry blossoms on both sides of the mountain road after the rain! This cherry blossom, piled up in piles, is like a sea of clouds, blushing and colorful in the early morning sunshine. When the winding mountain road is covered by this boundless cloud of flowers, we are like sitting in eleven canoes end to end, riding the swaying east wind, splashing flowers on both sides, and making rapid progress towards the rising sun!

Down the mountain, to the city center, there are still no other vehicles in the street, only a lot of cars in the street, the door is open, there are large and small cars lined up at the door, and the red flag is inserted in the door. The auto workers stood neatly by the door, smiling at our car passing by.

When we arrived at the station, we got off the bus and held the drivers' hands tightly with boiling enthusiasm, thanking them for their help and wishing them success in their struggle.

The warm farewell scene has passed, the train has been driving for a long time, snow-capped mountains and running spring water pass by the window, but my eyes are still shining with this wonderful cherry blossom that I have never seen before!

I turned around and asked my Japanese friend, "Cherry blossoms are beautiful, but from the Japanese point of view, where is the beauty of cherry blossoms?" He scratched his head and said with a smile, "there is no beautiful flower in the world ... as for the love for a flower, it is because of the feelings in everyone's heart." Japanese literati feel the shortness of life from the beautiful and easy-to-fall cherry blossoms, and samurai associate it with heroic sacrifice. As for ordinary people, they like cherry blossoms, because it first brings people the news of exciting and happy spring after the severe winter. In Japan, there are many cherry blossoms! Mountains, watersides, streets, courtyards, everywhere. The snow hasn't melted, the winter clothes haven't gone, and the dark room is still chilly in spring. As long as a little east wind blows from a distance and the sun shines in the sky, cherry blossoms will bloom all over the mountain! Whether it's Sakura in the mountains, Sakura Yoshino or Sakura Hachi ... I reported the exciting news of spring to the people on the three islands next to me. "

These words made me understand two things. One is: cherry blossoms bloom all over Penglai Island, which are the flowers of the Japanese people themselves and will always give the Japanese people excitement and encouragement in spring; One is that the psychological activities of flower watchers form a special love for some flowers. The cherry blossoms in Kanazawa are no better than those in other places. An affectionate and moving remark from the car driver expressed the deep friendship of the Japanese working people to the Japanese people, which turned the cherry blossoms everywhere in my eyes into a sea of clouds and flowers of friendship between the Chinese and Japanese people, and made the canoe of friendship March forward like an arrow towards the brilliant sunrise!

The memories in the middle of the night are warm and full of enthusiasm. I am happy to write an ode to cherry blossoms.

196 1 may 18 in the evening.