不知道為什么，我總愛(ài)讀鄭板橋的詩(shī)詞作品。雖然，他的詩(shī)詞沒(méi)有幾首能讓人記住并脫口背誦的，而且他的文字也不夠精美，但是他的個(gè)性，他為人處世的態(tài)度，特別是他關(guān)注貧民百姓疾苦并為之代言的悲天憫人情懷讓我感動(dòng)?？梢哉f(shuō)，他是生活在清代為數(shù)不多的現(xiàn)實(shí)主義作家，敢于說(shuō)真話的詩(shī)人，頗有杜甫的遺風(fēng)。
鄭板橋生活的年代，是有名的“清三世”（康熙、雍正、乾隆）“全盛時(shí)期”，也是“文字獄”猖獗的年代。鄭板橋是他的號(hào)，官名為鄭燮，字克柔，號(hào)板橋，江蘇興化人，生于1693年，卒于1765年，以三絕——詩(shī)書(shū)畫(huà)——聞名于世，為“揚(yáng)州八怪”之一。
鄭板橋生活的時(shí)代，古體詩(shī)詞還算通用文體。眾所周知，唐代曾輝煌的古體格律詩(shī)在宋朝就衰落了，宋詞的崛起代替了古體格律詩(shī)，后來(lái)隨著元雜劇、明清話本、戲劇以及和小說(shuō)的興起，古體詩(shī)詞到了清代也不成為最主要文學(xué)樣式。但是文人雅士上至皇帝下至?xí)?，還抱著這古舊的文體不放，都愿意擺弄一些古體詩(shī)詞。特別是衰落了幾個(gè)朝代的長(zhǎng)短句在這個(gè)時(shí)期有了一點(diǎn)小起色。但是歌功頌德、附庸風(fēng)雅的作品多，真正能流傳下來(lái)的好作品少，而敢于直面現(xiàn)實(shí)的作品就更少。嚴(yán)格來(lái)說(shuō)，鄭板橋詩(shī)詞的藝術(shù)成就屬于一般，在文學(xué)史上沒(méi)有什么地位，遠(yuǎn)不如他的書(shū)法和繪畫(huà)有更深遠(yuǎn)的影響。但是，相比同時(shí)代的文人而言，他的詩(shī)詞敢于直言，因此成為那個(gè)時(shí)代人民真實(shí)生活的寫(xiě)照。甚至有人稱他為“小杜甫”。
鄭板橋出身貧寒，生活環(huán)境使他對(duì)百姓疾苦有共鳴，況且他為人正直，即使做官后也關(guān)心百姓疾苦。特別是他看透官場(chǎng)的腐敗和黑暗辭官后，又和百姓生活在一起。所以，他的詩(shī)詞作品總是能道出百姓的心聲，成為百姓疾苦的代言。
百姓為什么生活得貧苦？他認(rèn)為是悍吏造成的。他和百姓一樣痛恨悍吏。他眼中的悍吏“悍吏沿村括稻谷。豺狼到處無(wú)虛過(guò)”?！昂防糌澙諡榈蠹椤薄?（《悍吏》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版22頁(yè)）。但是他天真地認(rèn)為皇帝是好的，都是悍吏搜刮百姓造成的。這些悍吏中飽私囊，搜刮不夠，就動(dòng)用私刑：“又值奸刁取自肥；一絲一粒盡搜索，但憑皮骨當(dāng)嚴(yán)威?！薄皵亟?yuàn)A髓剔毛發(fā)”?！袄做章暻永敉?，云昏雨黑蒼天泣?！保ā端叫虗骸?，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版24頁(yè)）
百姓生活得怎樣疾苦呢？“晨起縫破衣，針線不成行。母年七十四，眼昏手又僵?！保ㄒ浴独钍闲@》《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版50頁(yè)） “十日賣一兒，五日賣一婦，來(lái)日剩一身，茫茫即長(zhǎng)路。長(zhǎng)路迂以遠(yuǎn)，關(guān)山雜豺虎。天荒虎不饑， 肝人伺巖阻。”（《逃荒行》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版74頁(yè)）真是民不聊生，水深火熱。他所描寫(xiě)的景象與杜甫的“三吏”“三別”頗為相似，而且其悲慘更為甚之，老虎因?yàn)槌蕴踊牡娜硕嗔?，一點(diǎn)都不饑餓了。這是多么悲慘的畫(huà)面！
即使年景稍微好一點(diǎn)，可以返回家鄉(xiāng)了。其情景不是喜悅而是更加凄涼：“井蛙跳我灶，狐貍睡我床。”“念我故妻子，羈賣東南莊?！比ペH回妻子的時(shí)候，其妻“摘下乳下兒，抽刀割斷腸。其兒知永絕， 抱頸索阿娘。墜地幾翻覆，淚面涂泥漿?！庇质且环x死別的場(chǎng)面?！昂蠓驍y兒歸， 獨(dú)夜臥空房；兒啼父不寐， 燈短夜何長(zhǎng)！”（《還家行》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版78頁(yè)）一家團(tuán)圓，卻造成另一家分離，其日子怎么能過(guò)得好呢？
鄭板橋還特別同情孤兒，寫(xiě)了好幾首有關(guān)孤兒無(wú)依無(wú)靠、受盡侮辱和生活凄涼的詩(shī)?！肮聝褐埔隆?， 食別人遺棄的骨頭。喂馬時(shí)草葉子傷了手指，“血流瀉瀉。 孤兒不敢言痛，阿叔不顧視。”（《孤兒行》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版66頁(yè)）而阿叔自己的親嬌兒穿皮裘，食美食。一個(gè)天上一個(gè)地下。寫(xiě)盡了人間的世態(tài)炎涼。而“十歲喪父，十六喪母”的另一孤兒，更慘。被人收養(yǎng)，成為這一家人的眼中釘，肉中刺。“孤兒汲水大江邊，失足落江水，鄰救得活全?！倍@家人得知非但“不謝鄰舍”，還“朝不與食，暮不與棲止?！辈粏?wèn)生死。孤兒只好住野廟，乞討過(guò)活。后來(lái)有賊強(qiáng)逼去偷盜，被官府逮住，這家人“悉力買告，令誣涅與賊同歸?！北还俑幩?，“痛孤冤毒。行刑人淚相續(xù)?！保ā逗蠊聝盒小罚栋鍢蛟?shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版68頁(yè)69頁(yè)）
鄭板橋筆下的《姑惡》也讓人讀了心痛。一個(gè)十二歲的小童養(yǎng)媳入了家門，被小姑子意指氣使折磨得不成樣子。不是打，就是罵，連牛馬都不如，“折薪纖手破，持熱十指枯?！薄敖袢账令毫R，明日鞭撻俱。五日無(wú)完衣，十日無(wú)完膚?！本瓦B向壁而哭也不行，小姑子聽(tīng)到后認(rèn)為是在詛咒她，舉刀就要來(lái)砍。這個(gè)十二歲的小女子，只盼望著早點(diǎn)死，去投江湖，喂魚(yú)鱉，“免受此毒荼”?？墒撬龑に酪膊荒堋！鞍毯垩谄平?，禿發(fā)云病疏。一言及惡姑，生命無(wú)須臾?！保ā稅汗谩?， 《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版70——71頁(yè)）
百姓生活在水深火熱之中，鄭板橋看不到希望，“繞郭良田萬(wàn)頃賒，大都?xì)w并富豪家。可憐北海窮荒地，半簍鹽挑又被孥?！保ā稙H縣竹枝詞之三》《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版95頁(yè)）。他為了改變?cè)陴嚮哪昝癫涣纳臓顩r，曾未經(jīng)批準(zhǔn)擅自動(dòng)用官糧舍粥，但是仍改變不了窮人賣兒鬻女的狀況。正因?yàn)槿绱怂搅藰O點(diǎn)，就連作畫(huà)也辛酸：“橫涂豎抹千千幅，墨點(diǎn)無(wú)多淚點(diǎn)多?！保ā额}屈翁山詩(shī)札》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版88頁(yè)）正由于這樣，他決定辭官“烏紗擲去不為官，囊囊蕭蕭兩袖寒，寫(xiě)取一枝清秀竹，秋風(fēng)江上作漁竿?！保ā队韪鏆w里，畫(huà)竹別濰縣紳士民》《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版91——92頁(yè)）
正因?yàn)榭床坏焦饷?，他變得桀驁不馴，特立獨(dú)行?！耙Фㄇ嗌讲环潘桑⒏谄茙r中，千磨萬(wàn)擊還堅(jiān)勁，任爾東西南北風(fēng)?！保ā吨袷?，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版93頁(yè)）他喜歡釣魚(yú)，借釣魚(yú)放松心情和世間煩惱：“老漁翁，一釣竿，靠山崖，傍水灣。遍舟來(lái)往無(wú)牽絆，沙歐點(diǎn)點(diǎn)輕波遠(yuǎn)，荻港蕭蕭白晝寒，高歌一曲斜陽(yáng)晚?！保ā兜狼槭住?，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版101頁(yè)）有時(shí)候收獲不少“蒲筐包蟹，竹籠裝蝦，柳條穿鯉?！钡郊猩蠐Q酒，“人與沙歐同醉，臥葦花一片茫茫，夕陽(yáng)千里?！保ā度瘊Q仙》，《板橋詩(shī)詞擷英》廣西人民出版社1983年版131——132頁(yè)）偶爾吃上一塊自家種的瓜，也快樂(lè)得似神仙，笑看那些在官場(chǎng)不知道隱退的家伙：“五色嘉瓜美”， “多少金臺(tái)名利客”“總不作，抽身計(jì)” ，“空日費(fèi)，官倉(cāng)米”。
去官以后，板橋賣畫(huà)為生，公元1765年死于貧困潦倒。他的書(shū)法自成一體，繪畫(huà)也技藝精湛，風(fēng)格獨(dú)特，成為后人學(xué)習(xí)的楷模。
今天我們重讀鄭板橋的詩(shī)詞，仍為他為人剛直不阿、時(shí)刻關(guān)心百姓疾苦的精神所感動(dòng)。做官的如果都能像他那樣兩袖清風(fēng)，體貼下情，把民生問(wèn)題看得比天大，我們的社會(huì)就會(huì)更加和諧。此外，他的悲天憫人的情懷也值得我們的作家、文學(xué)家去學(xué)習(xí)。只有沿著現(xiàn)實(shí)主義道路前行，與人民同呼吸，共命運(yùn)，想人民之所想，急人民之所急，才能為人民所喜愛(ài)所景仰。
Reading Zheng Banqiao
By Wang Yongli
I don't know why I prefer reading Zheng Banqiao's poetry. Although among his poems only a few can people remember and recite, and many scholars think his words are not as beautiful as those of Li Bai or Du Fu, I am moved by his personality and his attitude to life, especially his concerns for people who suffer hunger and cold. He actively campaigned to improve living conditions for impoverished people, as well as merely writing poems that expressed compassionate feelings for them. It can be said that he was one of the few realistic writers of the Qing Dynasty, a person who dared tell the truth, a critical poet who inherited Du Fu's legacy.
Zheng Banqiao lived his lifetime during the heyday of the Qing Dynasty (under emperors Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong). A time which was also however the rampant time of "the Inquisition". Zheng Banqiao was his nickname, his formal title was Zheng Xie, and his penname Kerou, he referred to himself as Banqiao, meaning a plain bridge. He was born in Xinghua County of Jiangsu Province in 1693 and died in 1765. He was well known for his three marvelous talents–poetry, calligraphy and painting. He was called one of the "Eight Wonders of Yangzhou".
The era Zheng Banqiao lived in was the time that the ancient classic poetry style was grudgingly considered a general writing tool. As everyone knows, the splendid zenithal time for classical metrical poetry was during the Tang Dynasty but declined in the Song Dynasty. The rise of lyrics being written to certain tunes with strict tonal patterns and rhyme schemes in fixed numbers of lines and words became the main trend in the Song Dynasty instead. In the Yuan Dynasty the rise of Yuan Dramas replaced lyrics. In the Ming Dynasty and Qing Dynasties the rise of vernacular novels became mainstream. But scholars, from the emperor to students, were still holding old classical poetry and liked to write poems in the ancient style. After declining over a period of several dynasties, lyrics (also called long and short sentences) improved a little, but there was too much flat artistic work in the Qing Dynasty and even less really good work, especially of the kind that dared to face reality. Strictly speaking, Zheng Banqiao’s poetic achievement is general, in the history of literature it has no status, and is nowhere near as good as his calligraphy and paintings which had a more profound effect on his successors. Compared with writers from the same time, Zheng Banqiao’s poems spoke out boldly on behalf of the people, portraying real lives in the era. Zheng Banqiao was even called a "little Du Fu".
Zheng Banqiao was from a poor family, allowing him to identify with the sufferings of those living similarly. As an official of the county, he was just and concerned about the people. In particular he saw through the corruption and darkness of other officials, causing him to resign from his position and return to live an ordinary life. His poems always expressed people's aspirations and became a declaration of their lowly existence.
Why were people living in poverty? He thought that it was the fault of the cruel officials, the same as ordinary people did. In his eyes "The cruel officials rob rice passing though the villages. These Jackal and wolves never waste chances anywhere". "The cruel officials are corrupt and blackmail as bad as bandits". (“The Cruel Officials", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 22.) But he naively believed that the emperor was good and robbery by the cruel officials caused all disasters. These cruel officials, in order to line their own pockets with taxpayers' money, collected from every family, and as if that was not enough they would use the lynch as torture: "To make it worse after the sly official has lined his pockets, collected the last grain, they torture the skin and bones of the poor. The officials are too stern." "Chopping at people’s ribs and clipping the cord and ticking their hair." "Their thunderous voices make the officials seem more severe, the dusk clouds, the black rain and the heavens seem to cry." ("Lynching Evil", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 24.)
How painful and miserable a life did people live? "She is sewing rags in morning, but not sewing in rows. Mother of seventy-four years, eyes out of sight, her hands become stiff." ("The Small Garden of Lee" Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 50.) He described a poor man: "After ten days he sold his infant son, and five days later he sold his wife. On the next day he had nothing but himself and begging along the endless road. The long road is winding and zigzagging, with many perilous passes, and miscellaneous jackals and tigers in the mountains. The tigers aren’t hungry in disaster years, for they eat the livers of people coming before the huge cliff." ("Flee from Famine Line", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 74.) What he described is really horrible. The people were destitute and in dire straits. The scene he described is quite similar to Du Fu's "Three Officers" and "Three Parts", but seems even more miserable, because the tigers ate too many people. The tigers were not even a bit hungry in the famine year. How sad a picture!
Even if the year became slightly better and the beggar could return home, the scenario was still not joyous but more desolate: "Frogs jump on my kitchen range, some foxes are sleeping in my bed." "Missing my wife, but she was sold at the southeast village." When he went to the village to redeem his wife, his wife had to "abandon the new baby who was sucking her milk from her chest, the separation like a knife stabbing into her heart. The baby knew his mother was parting him forever, so he held her neck screaming. He fell down onto the floor, turning back and forth, his face full of tears and mud." What a scene of separation and death! "The husband later had to carry the baby away and face the empty room in the night. The baby cried as he did so, the father left sleepless for a whole night. The lamp wick seemed too short, but the night seemed too long." ("Returning Home”, Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 78.) A family reunion caused another family’s separation. How could they live their lives on such a miserable day?
Zheng Banqiao paid special attention to orphans and wrote several songs about the ones who suffered loneliness, insult and terrible treatment. "An orphan with rags", eating the bones of those abandoned. His finger was injured when he fed the horse grass leaves: "His blood is gushing, but the orphan does not cry because his uncle never took care of him." ("The Orphan Song", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 66.) Contrasted, the son of his uncle dressed in fur and ate good food. One was living in heaven, the other living in hell. Zheng Banqiao wrote about the fickleness of the world. He described the life of another more miserable orphan: "At ten years old he lost his father, at the age of sixteen he lost his mother." Although adopted he became this new family 's deep hatred, like a thorn in their side. "The orphan fetched water at the river’s edge, but fell into the river. A neighbor saved his life." But the family, instead of " thanking the neighbor for saving the boy", "refused to offer the orphan boy food in the morning, and refused to offer him a bed in the night." They did not take care the orphan’s life or death. The orphan had to sleep wild in the temple and lived on begging. Later, a thief forced him to steal something, and the orphan was caught by the authorities. His uncle’s family "Managed to bribe the plaintiff and made up a story that the orphan was the thief’s accomplice." The official executed the orphan. "The lonely orphan was wronged, even the executioner cried." ("The Later Orphan Song" Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People Press, 1983 edition, page 69.)
Zheng Banqiao's "The Evil Sister-in-law" makes readers heartbroken. A twelve-year-old little girl was beaten and tortured by her sister-in-law. By beating or cursing, the evil sister-in-law had the little girl living a miserable life, even worse than the lives of beasts of burden. "Folding firewood made the little girl’s tender hands break, and holding hot water made her ten fingers rough.” "Today she is cursed and tomorrow she is clubbed and thrashed. Five days later her clothes are beaten shabby, and after ten days she is beaten to a such a state her perfect skin is never more." To make things even worse she could not cry, even behind walls, for the evil sister-in-law would hear and misunderstand her to be cursing her. The sister-in-law would wave a knife trying to cut the poor little girl. This twelve-year-old only hoped to die earlier, to jump into the river, to feed the fish and turtles, and "to liberate herself from this torture". But she could not commit suicide. "Broken cloth cover her scars, and thinning hair mark malnutrition and disease. If one word is uttered to link this to the evil sister-in-law, the little girl will be beaten to death without a moment’s notice." ("Evil Sister-In-Law", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 70-71)
The people lived in dire straits and Zheng Banqiao could see no hope. "Around the city millions of hectares of fertile lands are merged into the land of wealthy and powerful families. The poor people from the Beihai wasteland made half a basket of salt, but were arrested by the officials." (“The Third Wei County Bamboo Song" Selection of Banqiao’s Poems Guangxi People Press, 1983 edition, page 70-71.) In the famine years, in order to change the destitute status that the people were in, Zheng Banqiao, without authorization offered the refugees porridge freely with the state’s grain. But he still could not change the situation that caused people to sell their children. It was because of the reason above that he was disappointed to the extreme, he even painted some paintings with bitter feelings: "Across and vertically I paint thousands of lines, my ink is no more than my tears on the paper." ("Preface for the Anthology of Quwenshan Poetry" Selection of Banqiao’s Poems, Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 88.) Because of all this he decided to resign. "I throw away the black gauze and will never be an official again. I take nothing but my two empty sleeves into the cold wind. I write with delicate bamboo and make another into a fishing rod to fish on the river in the autumn." ("To Notice, Painting a Bamboo to Farewell the People and Gentlemen of Wei County", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems, Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 91-92.)
Just because he could not see the bright side, he took back his control of his conduct, becoming as troublesome as bamboo, which "insists on the green hill and is not loosened, is rooted in the rock. After being ground thousands of times and hit a million more, you are still strong, no matter how fiercely the four direction wind is." ("The Stone Bamboo", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems, Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 93.) He liked fishing and from fishing he could relax and get rid of his worldly worries: "An old fisherman, with a fishing rod, by a cliff, is sitting on the side of the bay. He never cares about the boats moving to and fro, the sea gulls ahead like little spots, the waves of light running farther away. The reed in the harbor are rustling on the cold day, I am loudly singing a song and the sun is setting." ("Ten Poems" Selection of Banqiao’s Poems, Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 101.) He sometimes harvested from the waters: "The cattail basket contains crabs, the bamboo cage is loaded with shrimp, and I use the willow twigs to tie carp." He sold them in the market in exchange for wine." The gulls and I are both drunk, lying on the reed, looking at the sea of white reed flowers, while the sun is setting thousands of miles away." ("Crane", Selection of Banqiao’s Poems, Guangxi People’s Press, 1983 edition, page 131-133.) He occasionally ate a homegrown melon as happy as a God, and laughed at those in official circles who did not know how to resign and live in seclusion: "coloured wonderful melon is beautiful", "how many gold platform guests who pursue fame and money ever prepare for resigning" but instead think about" costing the rice everyday at the state warehouse."
After resigning from his official life, Zheng Banqiao lived on painting. In 1765 he died in poverty. His handwritings became cult like and his paintings with superb techniques became a unique style, a model for future generations to learn from.
Today we reread the poems of Zheng Banqiao, still touched and moved by his upright character and by his spirit that was always concerned with the sufferings of the people. If all officials could have the integrity of Zheng Banqiao, a man who was honest, upright, had two empty sleeves wind free from corruption, was concerned about the sufferings of the people, and considered the people's livelihood bigger than the sky, our society would be more harmonious. In addition, his compassionate feelings are also worth learning by our writers and literature researchers. Only by traveling along the realistic path, only by breathing together, only by thinking for the people and meeting the people's urgent needs, can the writer be loved and respected.
