苏州之行 -- 苏州的山

虎丘

长长的石道，矗立的铜鼎，
回荡岁月的祭祀。
清水，绿荫，锁住一丘时空。
石阶边，香魂悠悠，
池水下，王骨莹莹，
千剑万剑交错。
仙佛已去，
云塔尤在，
镇山，镇魂，镇人界。
细雨飘落，青绿吐芽，
一春掩千年。

池水下，王骨莹莹

云塔尤在

一春掩千年

石公山

石 公山位于太湖中最大的岛西山岛上，因湖景和太湖石而闻名。我和妈妈去了，单程近两个小时的汽车，每人50元的门票（和虎丘同价）。因为多云，太湖水青绿而 苍白，水天一色。我看了没有什么感觉，可能是蓝色的太平洋看多了。妈妈倒是为这一眼望不到边的水域而感叹。山本身虽有几分秀丽，但是和网上的誉美之词相差 甚远。诗情画意的名字刻在平凡甚至粗陋的景点边，不免有些滑稽。像是有几分姿色的农家少女，冠名赛西施，并做搔首状。在石公庵里见到了海灯法师的灵古塔。海灯法师如何做了庵里的住持？本是一笔糊涂账。做为石公山一景，倒也相称。

值得一提的是太湖水边的御墨亭里，立有顺治帝手书的“敬佛”石碑。是顺治在董鄂妃葬礼后为嘉奖西山显庆禅寺主持而书。字体偏扁，不匀称。不知道是丧失爱妃心痛所致，还是清世祖对中文书法的体会仅限于此。因不完美而显得真实和贴近，和传说中的顺治相符了。

Southwest airline's birthday

佳一脸窃笑地指着酒水单上的一段字。原来这天是西北航空公司的生日，酒类免费。大家行动了起来，连边上的两位女士也兴致勃勃地询问着服务员，一脸快活的样子。我因为上次TGIAF时喝的鸡尾酒不错，这次在鸡尾酒中挑了个最温和的。佳在一贯地前思后想之后，选了最不出奇的红酒。

机舱里一片酒味。热闹闹的。

我的鸡尾酒是高浓度白酒加可乐，很冲。我本身不爱喝酒，虽然努力也喝不完。佳是半个品酒专家 -- 至少样子像，尽管上次猜酒比赛中五种里只对了一两个 -- 皱着眉，拧着鼻子，痛苦地说这是他喝过的最难喝的红酒了。他继续像喝中药似的皿了几口，得结论说这酒氧化了，不知还是哪一年开的瓶子。

服务员收杯子时问我喜欢这酒吗。我虽不喜欢，但因为是她推荐的,于是说这酒okay。她说：其它的更烈呢，并做醉酒时的东倒西歪状。

How Green Was My Valley, by Richard Llewellyn

Years ago when I was a child, CCTV imported a series of US movies, and "青山翠谷" was one of them. I still had the impression of the super-sized movie title with mountains as the background. However, I did not finish the entire movie, even it was replayed for a couple of times. Only some separate scenes of dark-faced miners remained in my mind. But the name "青山翠谷" became permanent in my memory since then，and it became stronger when I longed for the greens in this desert-like Los Angeles.

Several months ago, when I browsed the DVDs in the Santa Monica Public Library, the movie "How Green Was My Valley" caught my eyes. Yes, that was it. It was a fine movie, but more like a Broadway show, not something I had been expecting, something as light as daily life, but so rich that it would go back to your mind again and again.

This brought me to read the book. The story was told through the eyes of Huw Morgan, a young boy in a big mining family, poor but very respectable in their valley. It told us the life of Huw growing from a boy to a young man, including the unfairness he encountered in a town school and his fighting back, and his first dating in a nightingale singing night and his love in his sister-in-law. It also covered what happened to Huw's family members, marriage, child birth, departure, and death. The storied was set in a background that the life value in the valley (and the world) was changing, through the big events of the establishment of minors' unions, of which Huw's brothers were two of the leaders, the starving and even death after strike, and the arising of socialism. The story started with a happy family with other villagers singing in a green valley, and ended with one after another leaving and death, with valley being devoured by slags.

Llewellyn succeeded in telling many small stories involved with a big number of characters in a well organized well. Also, some depth was reflected in this work, in particular, the awaking of Huw's sexual sensation and his complicated feeling to his sister-in-law. Also, the nice mixture of the family events, the changing of the valley, and some hint from the big world outside enriched the story, and extended its meaning with marks of that age.

However, to my personal taste, I felt disappointed with this novel even thought it was not a bad reading. The main problem was that I felt that the author made this story, and too many places I could see that Llewellyn tried to please readers; it was like many spices were added in order to appeal the readers' attentions -- this might explain why the movie was like a Broadway show. Second, Llewellyn's skills in language were not impressive. The narration was not vivid; there always something preventing readers entering the world of the story. This became more annoying since the book was so long. If the length of the story could be cut to half, I might have a little higher opinion of it. Lastly, I personally did not appreciate moral lessons that Llewellyn tried to preach, and it sounded narrow-minded to me by criticizing others just because they did not follow the so-called "noble" principle of life.

The book was published by Scribner in 1997, ISBN 0684825554.

苏州之行 -- 苏州的街

观前街

观前街因位于玄妙观前而得名，据说是苏州最有名的一条街。从玄妙观向西至察院场一段是一条典型的商业步行街，在每个大些的城市里都可见到。现代建筑，考究的装潢，各类名牌，热闹的促销。从玄妙观向东至醋坊桥的一段多是（仿）古建筑，集中了一些老字号的店铺，比如乾泰祥，采芝斋和稻香村。乾泰祥声称仍维护着前店铺后作坊的传统。店内的绸缎让人眼花缭乱，中档的大概是百多元一米。其中有些小花图案适合妈妈穿，但是我的大力鼓动无效 -- 价格还是贵了。我们买了稻香村的松子枣泥麻饼和采芝斋的各色糖果，倒也没有吃出什么特别，不过想一想这些百年老店的昨天今天，倒有几分余味。观前街的附 近，我喜欢的是街南与之平行的一条小巷，名曰太监弄。太监弄是条“美食街”，集中了诸多酒楼和小吃店，其中的多家中华老字号，如松鹤楼，得月楼和绿扬馄饨，最为抢眼。松鹤楼的松鼠鳜鱼是乾隆称赞过的，刀工干净漂亮，炸得恰到好处，酸甜酱味足而不腻。遗憾的是我不喜欢酸甜味，觉得这种做法吃不 出桂鱼的鲜味。怀念15年前三苏酒楼的清蒸桂鱼。响油膳糊是在上桌时浇上滚烫的花生油，“嘶”的一声，因而得名。可惜油太多，酱味过重，吃不出鳝鱼香。不过，现在的黄鳝味道已经变了。在家做红烧鳝段，同样的做法，做不出往日的味道。吃过的饭店里，川福楼量大实惠，妈妈吃了一大盆的毛血旺，说是这次出门吃得最好的一道菜。我挺喜欢一家云南米粉店，所用的佐汤味道与众不同。太监弄的东头有一家卖糕点的小铺子。现做的南瓜饼，一口下去，脆脆的饼壳裂开，绽放出桔红的南瓜肉。还有裹着芝麻的软软的南瓜团，和酥脆鲜咸的肉松饼。是几个年轻人开的铺子，让人喜悦的地方。

我们住的莫泰168位于大城坊与观前街交界的地方。夜幕降临了，大城坊路中的小树上点点蓝灯亮起，如繁星，似童话世界。路中是宽大的木凳，人不多。坐下，清风徐徐而来。面前是随夜色沉静下来的玄妙观。回首，观前街上巴黎婚纱闪烁的霓虹，和灯前流动的人影。

七里山塘

山塘街，和山塘河道平行，东起古运河上的渡僧桥，西至虎丘山下，长约七里。千年古街，曾是江南水乡苏州的商业繁盛之地，颐和园后的苏州街就是乾隆仿照七里山塘修建的。

在广济桥下车，沿河穿过一条小弄，来到一地。牌匾高悬的白居易纪念馆内，人影零落，后面的三层阁楼气度不凡，却大门紧锁。一字排开的民间工艺小摊子，台面空 空。百年老店“乾生元”高楼大户，紧邻的却是灰暗的杂货铺和小吃店。街道开阔，铺着整齐的石块，路边停着的却是运货小卡车和杂货店主人的轻骑小摩托。以为 这就是山塘老街，不禁失望。向前走着，妈妈忽然说：“去那看看吧”。见是从路边凹入的一条巷子，挂红绸横幅曰山塘古街。不起眼，几乎错过。

这才是藏景隐秀的山塘古街。清一色白墙青瓦的二层明清建筑，配着红木镂空的门窗。火红的灯笼，金黄的挂穗，热烈中不理会粉墙上岁月斑驳的痕迹。抬步进一店， 房间中空，边上的柜台和墙壁上陈列着工艺品。静谧的灯光，映着朱红和明黄的刺绣。走入幽深的房间，跨过暗红门槛，穿过雕花隔屏，见主人在里间深处而坐。妈 妈寻到了六块彩石和她的第n把牛角梳。都是她的宝贝。在这段店铺林立的老街，再次见到了熟悉的匾额，松鹤楼，采芝斋。在这里，它们不再张扬，安安静静位于 其一。

山塘河

在一个亭廊里休息。里面似乎多是本地的居民，看着来人目光却停滞不动的老人，和吃着、叫着、奔来跑去的小孩。时间在这里似乎慢下来了，十点多了，却是清晨歇息的景象。亭廊的一侧临着山塘河，几米多宽的河道上，旅游船慢慢开过，留下外国游客惊诧喜悦的眼神。

杂货店

走 过了数百米长的商业老街，就到了居民住户的地段。开始还有不少做游客生意的小摊子。玉石上乌黑的裂痕，烙在青铜器皿上的灰垢。渐渐的是供给住家的蔬菜堆，水果摊，包子铺和杂货店。一个繁忙热闹的小市场。匆匆穿梭而过的摩托，面无表情的卖包子人，白色的食品帽和工作服上的油渍。蹲着挑菜的人，和叮当跳跃 的苏州方言。 市场之后是一户户住家，家家面街临水。一个老太太坐在自家门前摘蒜苔。手指甲掐一下，上下掰动，扯断。深陷的嘴窝跟着蠕动一下 -- 也许正和喜欢了一辈子不愿就此放弃的硬蚕豆战斗吧。

河对面的一家

河对面的一家开了窗，一盆水泼进河中。“房后是脏水，夏天可怎么过啊？”妈妈 说。的确，游人眼中的水乡风情在日常生活中是另一番体会。“可能是一些老年人习惯这里了，不愿意离开吧”。推开窗，打开门，左邻右舍就是一个大家庭。一个小脚老太太站在街中央，满脸是笑，不知正和哪家哪户聊着天呢。在这出生长大的人，无论去了哪里，永远丢不下那份水乡情怀吧。

在一个亭子里 歇息时，遇到了从北京高校来的两对老年夫妇，结伴在江南城市间动车自助游。我问起桂林阳朔、云南大理和新疆的风景，想选一个明年游玩。刚退休的那个男教授 情绪盎然，侃侃而谈他多年前公务去新疆时的戈壁感触。说起吐鲁番葡萄沟的清凉，新疆公路的平坦宽阔，和白毛子雪的可怕。妈妈静静地听着。觉得有些心酸，他 们走遍了中国，还是公费的，而这只是妈妈一生中的第二次外出旅游。这两对老年夫妇兴致勃勃地继续出发了。走完山塘街后，他们还要赶着去看狮子林的假山。我 和妈妈又坐了一会，才起身。

慢慢地，街道宽起来了，河道也宽阔干净多了。沿河一侧没有了住房，而是整齐的河堤石栏。树开始多起来。在平民百姓的宅户中出现了讲究的大宅院，会馆，和寺庙。河对岸是干净漂亮的仿古楼群，却冷冷清清，看不到人迹。快到虎丘了。

就这样，走过了七里山塘。

O Pioneers! And Other Tales of the Prairie, by Willa Cather

This collection contains three works by Willa Cather: The Bohemian Girl (1912), O Pioneers! (1913), and A Lost Lady (1923). They all have the prairie (in Nebraska) as background, and tell the stories of three women, one struggling against the neighboring dumb farmers, one fighting and conquering the wild, and one elegant lady who had once been a most lovely scene in that wild land.

The Bohemian Girl (1912) was one of Cather's earliest works. Cather seemed to put most story elements in this novella, but as said in my previous post, Cather failed to produce and deliver a unique and sharp story, and its language was weak.

In O Pioneers! (1913), we can clearly see the unique name tag of Willa Cather. This is a successful work. Cather was able to tell her story (but not much on her thoughts) clearly and sharply. However, the language was plain and the way that the plots are presented was simple and straightforward. Cather's the other novel, My Antonia (1918), probably her best-known work, was telling a similar story, but in a much more artistic way.

The novella The Lost Lady (1923) is a triumph. Cather was now a master in words and story telling. Her new focus seemed to be on delivering her thoughts beyond plots. She succeeded in balancing the weights of stories and ideas, making it a fun reading and, at the same time, so rich that you want to read it again later.

This fine collection was produced by The New York Public Library in 1998, and published by DoubleDay. ISBN 0385487207.

苏州之行 -- 苏州的寺观

玄妙观

在观前街的莫泰168安顿下以后，就来到了旁边的玄妙观。玄妙观是一个四方院落，四边上是几个侧殿和很多侧屋，中间是三清主殿和殿前的空地。四方院落和观前街处处连通，人们可以自由进入。除了供者神像的大殿和侧殿外，所有的侧屋里是清一色的买卖。小小的屋子，大大的店名，和纸板上的广告词。炫目的丝绸，密密麻麻排列的仿古陶瓷器，和见缝插针堆砌的供香，像一团混沌。侧殿木然地位于其中，可以隐约看见里面的神像，和面目模糊的工作人员，卖票，检票。主殿前空地的花坛边和亭子里，是紧紧密密挤在一起歇脚的人。坚守阵地的沙丁鱼，和空中翻滚的聊天声。 旁若无人的人群，小屋里凝滞的膨胀，侧殿里缭绕香雾中的神像，对立着，却又自得其位地存在着。它们中间，是残留着一分清静和庄重的三清主殿。零星几个在殿间匆忙穿梭的上香人，是唯一清晰的动作。

从虎丘回来那一日，下着小雨。从玄妙观边走过，见里面一片空荡，只有地面上人群匆匆离去时的痕迹。 片刻之后，是和阳光一起回来的喧哗。

寒山寺

今天的寒山寺, 糟蹋着夜泊枫桥的美。寒山寺本身并没有错，只是普通的寺庙。触目的是寺前的通知：只有在寺内购的香是法师念过佛的，许愿才有效。逆耳的是永不间断的钟声，涌动着，单价1.67元。辛勤的烧香人啊，在你把裹香的塑料纸随手乱扔的时候，佛会许可你的愿望吗？

今天的寒山寺，又不愧是苏州旅游的第一精华。它集中体现了苏州旅游的特色和风采。“黄山归来不看山”，寒山寺归来，也就可以“尽兴地”离开苏州了。