the mirror of kong ho-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！





among　them。〃







Perchance　this　tactfully…related　story；　so　applicable　to　his　own



deficiencies；　may　sink　into　the　imagination　of　the　one　for　whom　it　was



inoffensively　unfolded。　Yet　doubt　remains。　Our　own　picture…judgers



take　up　a　position　at　the　side　of　work　when　they　with　to　examine　its



qualities；　retiring　to　an　ever…diminishing　angle　in　order　to　bring　out



the　more　delicate　effects；　until　a　very　expert　and　conscientious



critic　will　not　infrequently　stand　really　behind　the　picture　he　is



considering　before　he　delivers　a　final　pronouncement。　Not　until　these



native　artists　are　able　to　regard　their　crude　attempts　from　the　other



side　of　the　canvas　can　they　hope　to　become　equally　proficient。　To　this



fatal　shortcoming　must　be　added　that　of　insatiable　ambition；　which



prompts　the　young　to　the　portrayal　of　widely　differing　subjects。　Into



the　picture…room　of　one　who　might　thus　be　described　this　person　was



recently　conducted；　to　pass　an　opinion　upon　a　scene　in　which　were



depicted　seven　men　of　varying　nationalities　and　appropriately　garbed；



one　of　the　opposing　sex　carrying　a　lighted　torch；　an　elephant



reclining　beneath　a　fruitful　vine；　and　the　President　of　a　Republic。



For　a　period　this　person　resisted　the　efforts　of　those　who　would　have



questioned　him；　withdrawing　their　attention　to　the　harmonious　lights



upon　the　river　mist　floating　far　below；　but　presently；　being



definitely　called　upon；　he　replied　as　follows：　〃Mih　Ying；　who　was



perhaps　the　greatest　of　his　time；　spent　his　whole　life　in　painting



green　and　yellow　beetles　in　the　act　of　concealing　themselves　beneath



dead　maple　leaves　upon　the　approach　of　day。　At　the　age　of　seventy…five



he　burst　into　tears；　and　upon　being　approached　for　a　cause　he



exclaimed；　'Alas；　if　only　this　person　had　resisted　the　temptation　to



be　diffuse；　and　had　confined　himself　to　green　beetles　alone；　he　might



now；　instead　of　contemplating　a　misspent　career；　have　been　really



great。'　How　much　less；〃　I　continued；　〃can　a　person　of　immature



moustaches　hope　to　depict　two　such　conflicting　objects　as　a　recumbent



elephant　and　the　President　of　a　Republic　standing　beneath　a　banner？〃







Upon　the　temptation　to　deal　critically　with　the　religious　instincts　of



the　islanders　this　person　draws　an　obliterating　brush。　As　practically



every　traveller　who　has　honoured　our　unattractive　land　with　his



effusive　presence　has　subsequently　left　it　in　a　printed　record　that



our　ceremonies　are　grotesque；　our　priesthood　ignorant　and　depraved；



our　monasteries　and　sacred　places　spots　of　plague　upon　an　otherwise





flower…adorned　landscape；　and　our　beliefs　and　sacrifices　only　worthy



to　exist　for　the　purpose　of　being　made　into　jest…origins　by　more



refined　communities；　the　omission　on　this　one's　part　may　appear



uncivil　and　perhaps　even　intentionally　discourteous。　To　this；　as　a



burner　of　joss…sticks　and　an　irregular　person；　he　can　only　reply　by　a



deprecatory　waving　of　both　hands　and　a　reassuring　smile。







With　the　two…sided　memories　of　many　other　details　hanging　thickly



around　his　brush；　it　would　not　be　an　achievement　to　continue　to　a



practically　inexhaustible　amount。　As　of　the　set　days　when　certain



things　are　observed；　among　which　fall　the　first　of　the　fourth　month



（but　that　would　disclose　another　involvement）；　another　when　flat　cakes



are　partaken　of　without　due　caution；　another　when　rounder　cakes　are



even　more　incautiously　consumed；　and　that　most　brightly…illuminated　of



all　when　it　is　permissible　to　embrace　maidens　openly；　and　if



discreetly　accomplished　with　no　overhanging　fear　of　ensuing　forms　of



law；　beneath　the　emblem　of　a　suspended　branch；　in　memory　of　the　wisdom



of　certain　venerable　sages　who　were　doubtless　expert　in　the　practice。



As　of　the　inconvenient　custom　when　two　persons　are　walking　together



that　they　should　arrange　themselves　side　by　side；　to　the　obvious



discomfort　of　others；　the　sweeping　away　of　all　opportunities　for



agreeable　politeness；　and　the　utter　disregard　of　the　time…honoured



example　of　the　sagacious　water…fowl。　As　of　the　inconsistency　of



refusing；　even　with　contempt；　to　receive　our　most　intimate　form　of



regard　and　use　this　person's　lip…cloth　after　a　feast；　yet　the　mulish



eagerness　in　that　same　youth　to　drink　from　a　cup　previously　used　by　a



lesser　one。　As　of　the　precision　（which　still　remains　a　cloud　of



doubt；）　with　which　creatures　so　intractable　as　the　bull　are



successfully　trained　to　roar　aloud　at　certain　gong…strokes　of　the　day



as　an　agreed　signal。　As　of　the　streets　in　movement；　the　lights　at



evening；　and　the　voices　of　those　unseen。　As　of　these　and　as　of　other



matters；　so　multitudinous　that　they　crowd　about　this　person's　mind



like　the　assembling　swallows；　circling　above　the　deserted　millet



fields　before　they　turn　their　beaks　to　the　sea；　and　dropping　his　brush



（perchance　with　an　acquiescent　sigh）；　he；　also；　kow…tows　submissively



to　a　blind　but　appointed　destiny；　and　prepares　to　seek　a　passage　from



an　alien　land　of　sojourning。







With　the　impetuous　craving　of　an　affectionate　son　to　behold　a　revered



sire；　intensified　by　the　fact　that　he　has　reached　the　innermost　lining



of　his　sleeve；　with　affectionate　greetings　towards　Ning；　Hia…Fa；　and



T'ian　Yen；　and　an　assurance　that　they　have　never　been　really　absent



from　his　thoughts。







KONG　HO。























Ernest　Bramah；　of　whom　in　his　lifetime　Who's



Who　had　so　little　to　say；　was　born　in



Manchester。　At　seventeen　he　chose　farming　as　a



profession；　but　after　three　years　of　losing



money　gave　it　up　to　go　into　journalism。　　He



started　as　correspondent　on　a　typical



provincial　paper；　then　went　to　London　as



secretary　to　Jerome　K。　Jerome；　and　worked



himself　　into　the　editorial　side　of　Jerome's



magazine；　To…day；　where　he　got　the　opportunity



of　meeting　the　most　important　literary　figures



of　the　day。　　But　he　soon　left　To…day　to　join　a



new　publishing　firm；　as　editor　of　a



publication　called　The　Minister；　finally；



after　two　years　of　this；　he　turned　to　writing



as　his　full…time　occupation。　　He　was　intensely



interested　in　coins　and　published　a　book　on



the　English　regal　copper　coinage。　　He　is；



however；　best　known　as　the　creator　of　the



charming　character　Kai　Lung　who　appears　in　Kai



Lung　Unrolls　His　Mat；　Kai　Lung's　Golden　Hours；



The　Wallet　of　Kai　Lung；　Kai　Lung　Beneath　the



Mulberry　Tree；　The　Mirror　of　Kong　Ho；　and　The



Moon　of　Much　Gladness；　　he　also　wrote　two　one…



act　plays　　which　are　often　performed　at　London



variety　theatres；　and　many　stories　and　articles



in　leading　periodicals。　　He　died　in　1942。























End