Ba Jin
We had dinner in Chen's primary school. The fever has dropped. The sun went down, leaving only a brilliant Xia Hong on the horizon, on the top of the mountain and on the treetops.
"Let's go boating!" Chen suggested. We stood by the pool in front of the school and watched the mountain view.
"Good," said the other friends happily.
We walked along a gravel road and soon reached the river. There is a thatched pavilion. Passing through Shui Ge, we found some boats under two big trees by the river.
We jumped on the boat one by one. A friend untied the rope and picked up a bamboo pole. The boat moved slowly towards the middle of the river.
Three friends rowed the boat, and Ye and I sat on the boat and looked around.
There stands a tower on the hillside in the distance, and many green trees embrace it. There are few towers like this near here. This is my friend Ye's hometown.
The river is wide, and there are no waves on the white water. The ship sailed calmly on the water. Three paddles paddle regularly in the water.
In one place, the river narrows. Clusters of green leaves stretch out to the water. The leaves are lovely green. These are many lush banyan trees, but I can't see where the trunk is.
When I said many banyan trees, my mistakes were corrected by my friends at once. One friend said there was only one banyan tree, and another friend said there were two banyan trees. I have seen many big banyan trees, but it is the first time for me to see such a big banyan tree.
Our boat is getting closer to the banyan tree. I had a chance to see its true face: this is a big tree with countless branches, and it has taken root again, and many roots hang down to the ground and go into the soil. Some branches hang down to the water, and from a distance, they look like a big tree lying on the water.
Now is the season of lush foliage (the trees have produced small fruits, and many of them have fallen off. This banyan tree seems to show us all its vitality. There are so many green leaves, one on top of the other, leaving no gaps. Green is shining before our eyes, as if every leaf has a new life trembling, this beautiful southern tree!
The boat anchored under the tree for a while, and the shore was wet, so we didn't go up. Friends say this is "a paradise for birds". There are many birds nesting in this tree, and farmers are not allowed to catch them. I seem to hear some birds flapping their wings, but when my eyes look closely, I can't see the shadow of a bird. Only countless roots stand on the ground, like many wooden stakes. The ground is wet, so the river often washes ashore at high tide. There is not a bird in "Bird Paradise", I think. The ship has left. A friend paddled the boat and slowly flowed to the middle of the river.
There are several litchi trees on the path by the river. Many red fruits are hung on the green leaves. That's where our ship flows. A friend picked up an paddle and rowed the boat into a small ditch. By the side of the path, the boat stopped and we all jumped on the shore.
Two friends quickly climbed the tree and dropped some lychees with leaves from the tree. Chen and I stood under the tree and picked them up. When they went down to the field, we all ate lychees and walked back to the boat.
The next day, we went boating to Ye's hometown, where there are mountains and towers. Starting from Chen's primary school, we passed the "bird paradise" again.
This time it was in the morning, and the sun shone on the water and the treetops. Everything looks bright. Our boat also stayed under the tree for a while.
It was very quiet at first. Suddenly a bird called. When our friend Chen clapped his hands, we saw a big bird flying, and then we saw the second and third one. Let's keep clapping. Soon, the forest became very lively. Birds are everywhere, birds are everywhere. Big, small, flowery and black, some are standing on the branches screaming, some are flying, and some are flapping their wings.
I watched carefully. My eyes are really flooded. I saw this clearly, missed that, saw that, and the third flew away. A thrush flew out, surprised our applause, flew into the Woods, stood on a twig and sang excitedly. Its songs are very nice.
"Let's go," Ye urged me.
When the boat flowed to the countryside under the tower, I looked back at the lush banyan trees left behind me. I'm a little nostalgic. My eyes deceived me yesterday. "Bird's Paradise" is indeed a bird's paradise!
June of 1933 in Guangzhou
Selected from Travel Essays
1. The moon is full of surprises.
In the spring stream.
(Wang Wei: "Bird Song Stream")
There are no birds in the mountains,
A thousand roads without footprints.
(Liu Zongyuan: "Jiang Xue")
Petals shed like tears,
Lonely birds sang their sorrows.
(Du Fu: (Wang Chun))
In the spring morning, I woke up easily.
Birds are singing everywhere around me.
(Hao Haoran: "Spring Dawn")
5. Caiyun lave? My mind is free and easy,
Birds fly back and forth in front of my nervous eyes ..
(Du Fu: (Wang Yue))
6. The weather is getting better every day.
Birds live in harmony.
(Tao Yuanming: (drinking)
7. Here, the mountain light shines on the birds.
The human mind touches peace in the pool.
(Chang Jian: (the Buddhist temple behind the broken mountain temple))
8. Birds fly high,
Lonely clouds go to leisure alone.
(Li Bai: "Sitting alone in Jingting Mountain")
9. The bird stays in the tree by the pool.
The monk knocked at the door.
(Jia Dao: "Li Ning lives in seclusion")
10. Cicada is very quiet in the forest.
Tonamiyama is more hidden.
(Wang Ji: if you enter)
1 1. Looking at the mountains from a distance,
Listen to the water silently.
Spring is gone and the flowers are still there.
It's not surprising that people have come.
(Gao Ding: "Painting")
12. There are no multiple routes from Pengshan.
Oh, bluebirds, listen! -Give me what she said! .
(Li Shangyin: "Untitled")
13. Every tree has no flowers.
Birds sing spring mountain all the way.
(Li Hua's Improvisation in Spring)
14. Just look at the capital,
A bird will fly for half a year.
(Li Deyu's "Cliff Climbing City")
15. In the wild wind in the vast sky, the ape is sobbing.
Birds fly over the clear lake and white sand beach and fly home.
(Du Fu's Ascending the Mountain)