穆涛散文选译（四）

                                                             身体器官的服务员

                                         The Servers within the Organs of the Human Body

                                                                 By Mu Tao

                                    Translated by Hu Zongfeng and Robin Gilbank 

大脑是受身体器官支配的。

　　饿了，要吃。渴了，要喝。寒了增衣，瞌睡了找枕头。腰酸了揉腰，腿麻了捶腿。憋屈了，出门走走，散散心。到年龄了，进小学中学大学，读硕士念博士，老话叫金榜题名，新名词叫为中华之崛起而读书。再到岁数了，娶个人或嫁个人，洞房花烛，乱云飞渡，把婚姻大事办了。这些都是大脑的常务工作。

　　见到好吃的多吃几口，碰到漂亮的人多看几眼，遇着顺耳话多听几句。这是人之常情，但要守个度，不宜过量。人往高处走。芝麻开花节节高。敌人一天天烂下去，我们一天天好起来。这些都是励志的话，按着这样的图纸去施工的时候，大脑一定要清醒，不要被这些话弄得头昏脑涨，要留神这些话背后危险的一面。人做下了糊涂事，用西安土话说，叫脑子进水了。贪污犯，盗窃犯，强奸犯，杀人犯，脑子里不仅进了水，而且是涝了。

　　人肚子里，窝藏着两种东西，食物和知识。这两样东西性质不同，但运行原理是一样的。都是以有形的模样，在大脑的统筹下收入囊中。饺子、面条、米、肉、蔬菜是食物，课本、书、典籍、榜样的行为是知识。之后消化成无形的能量，分散供给身体的各个器官。无法再消化的，就通过渠道排泄出去。一个人把“之乎者也”吃进肚子，吐出来还是满嘴的“之乎者也”，就是没有消化好。读书和吃饭一样，不是越多越好，吃饱就行了。但吃饱了要去干活，这是吃的目的。一个人读了一肚子书，满腹经纶而无所作为，也是饭桶。

　　头悬梁，锥刺股，是古人发奋读书的两段掌故，是防瞌睡的苦肉办法。现代社会里这样的事少了，听的多的是割眼皮、垫鼻子、瘦腰瘦脸蛋不成功的医案。无论为了读书，还是为了美丽，这些方法均不宜提倡，精神升华到不给自己身体制造麻烦的程度为最佳。庄子写过三个残疾人，王骀，申徒嘉和哀骀它。前面两位没有小腿，是“兀者”。后边一位顾名思义，没脚趾头，而且相貌丑陋。但这三位都是大智慧人，威力八方。王骀让孔子五体投地，申徒嘉让郑国宰相子产无地自容，哀骀它让鲁哀公心甘情愿献出王位。这三位智者的大脑，不是自己身体器官的好服务员，没照顾好身体的零部件，但它们实现了生命价值的最大化。这样的天赋人才也是极端的例子，观众不宜模仿。

        The brain is manipulated by the organs of the human body.

       When one is hungry one eats; when one is thirsty one drinks; when it is cold one puts on extra clothes; when one is sleepy one searches for a pillow; when a person’s back aches he massages his waist; when a person’s leg is numb he pummels it with a fist; when one feels wronged and depressed one goes out to take a walk so as to lighten the heart. When the time comes one attends primary school, high school and then university. He strives for an MA and a PhD. In ancient times, this was called succeeding in the imperial examination. In the fashionable world of nowadays it is known as “reading to bring about the rise of the PRC.” As more time passes, one gets married, enjoys the colourful candles of the matrimonial chamber, and falls about in a disorderly scramble like the clouds on high. Thus, one fulfills the conjugal obligation. All of these matters form the daily routine of the brain.

        When one sees delicious food one eats a little more. When one runs into a beautiful person one wants to have a double-take. When sweet words enter one’s ears one wants to listen more. This is human nature. Even so, there should be boundaries which are not exceeded. People aspire to a higher position. As a sesame plant blossoms it grows loftier and loftier. The enemy becomes more rotten day by day and we become better and better. All of these are meant as words of encouragement. If one wants to follow these blueprints one must first have clarity in the brain and overcome all giddiness. One should be aware of the dangerous dimension behind these words. When one does something foolish, we call this “having water on the brain” in the Xi’an dialect. Embezzlers, thieves, rapists and murderers not only have water on the brain, their brains are truly flooded.

       There are two entities hidden in the human belly: knowledge and what we have eaten. These two things are different in nature, yet conform to the same principle of circulation. All have been consumed in a certain form or shape under the guidance of the brain. Boiled dumplings, noodles, rice, meat, and vegetables are food. Textbooks, books, Classic works, and the deeds of those who set a good example constitute knowledge. After they have been digested and converted into energy this is distributed throughout the organs of the body. That which cannot be digested will be expelled through certain outlets. If a person eats “pearls of literary Chinese” and then expels them wholesale as the “pearls of literary Chinese” that means that they have not been digested properly. Studying is the same as eating. It is not a case of the more the better. As long as one is full that is enough. When one has eaten his fill he must return to work. That is the purpose of eating. If one has a bellyful of books and is possessed of learning and ability, but makes nothing out of this, he is just a bucket for food.

        Tying their hair to the rafter and digging a bodkin into their buttocks were two measures by which scholars in ancient times forced themselves to read attentively. These means of self-mortification prevented them from falling into a slumber. In modern society we hear less about these types of methods. What we hear more about are cases of failure, where people have sought unsuccessfully to have their eyes surgically enhanced or their noses lifted or their faces and waists made more slender. No matter whether the object is study or beauty none of these methods should be advocated. The best recourse is to elevate one’s thoughts to such a degree that trouble is not brought upon one’s own body. Zhuangzi once described three disabled persons. They were Wang Tai, Shen Tujia, and Ai Taita. The first two had no shins, so they were known as the “footless ones.” The last one, according to the meaning of his name in Chinese, had no toes and was grotesque. However, these three were all great minds. Their fame spread far and wide. Wang Tai made Confucius prostrate himself before him. Shen Tujia made the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Zheng feel ashamed to show his face. Ai Taita made Duke Ai of Lu willingly offer his throne to him. The brains of these three great minds were not good servers to the organs of the body. They did not take diligent care of all the parts of the body, yet they realized the value of life to its full potential. These talented people were extreme examples. Readers are not prepared to imitate them.           

                       选译自穆涛《先前的风气》

                                                            Selected from Social and Cultural Customs of Bygone Days by Mu Tao

                                                                                    English translation by Hu Zongfeng and Robin Gilbank