Han Niu
"My poems just let history get out of the disaster soberly."
Witness "suffering"
In Han Niu's situational poems, the beautiful images of life are often placed in sinister situations: some are at the critical juncture of being aimed at by guns, such as Monk; Some have been "killed" by violence, such as maple trees that have been cut down; But most of them are still crippled by evil in bad living conditions, such as South China Tiger, Half Tree, Giant Root and so on. However, they did not fall, but stubbornly survived in distortion and bravely fought against danger. In a word, the aesthetic relationship between images and situations in Han Niu's situational poems is often the resistance of life images, which conflicts and struggles with cruel violence in sinister situations. A heavy sense of hardship and a strong sense of strength in Han Niu's situational poems arise from this. Works will come from the pain of life and the pursuit of personality until death, will be reflected in animals and plants with similar experiences, and will be expressed in a symbolic image or artistic conception.
Ai Qing said, "Suffering is more beautiful than happiness." Ai Qing is the first great poet in the history of new poetry who has not made suffering weightless. At that time, Han Niu, full of blood, embarked on the road of anti-Japanese and poetry creation with Ai Qing's Poem of the Northland in his pocket. Ai Qing's influence on Han Niu is decisive and lifelong. Ai Qing's poetry collection "The North" has an epic weight, which lies in his original creation of many situations that condense national suffering. Han Niu, like Ai Qing, tried to create a unique suffering situation in his poems. He said, "You will never write a poem unless you find something new."
Han Niu said: "My poem is not a personal autobiography, but a tiny detail of a great historical biography and a fruit of history. All my works, including essays, are fresh faults in history and have epic pain. " He also said: "My poetry and I are so tenacious to live, not to chew pain, not to retaliate against history. My poetry only makes history come out of the disaster soberly. " As a witness, it is Han Niu's "self-definition" to express the national suffering in a specific historical period and hope that the Chinese nation will not repeat such a catastrophe.
People who have really experienced great disasters can best understand happiness.
Happiness is not enjoyment.
"arrested 1955, wearing a counter-revolutionary hat for 25 years, without citizenship and without the right to publish works; Constantly reforming through labor, still working as an editor in the unit, and asking you to copy cards as soon as you engage in sports. Then go to the countryside to work, for two or three years. As soon as the festival was over, we were blown to work in Badaling ... That era was ridiculous and ridiculous, not to mention happiness. " Han Niu said: "Perhaps a sad person, a person who has experienced so many misunderstandings, distortions, persecutions and blows, and a person who has really experienced a great disaster can best understand happiness. True happiness is not empty or realistic enjoyment. Happiness is a spiritual pursuit from the heart and an ideal realm. "
Han Niu has suffered too much in his life: exile, hunger, persecution, arrest, imprisonment, imprisonment, trial, labor reform, all kinds of heavy work ... It is indeed a "painful and rich life", and his poems are the true records of this kind of life pain. If his early poems were too intense and exposed in conveying this kind of pain, the poetic style after the hardships of purgatory life became deep and concise. "It's too easy for me to talk about suffering. There are blood, tears, anger and accusations in my poems ... but I didn't bow to suffering, retreat, escape, degenerate, surrender, betray my conscience, humanistic spirit and my poems. It is because I believe that there must be a higher humanistic realm and spirit beyond all realistic norms and interests, which is worth pursuing. This in itself is a part of happiness, and you can call it happiness. "
In Han Niu's view, happiness is a process of constant pursuit, discovery, breakthrough and pursuit. "For poetry, for literature, I can give everything. Under no circumstances have I given up poetry or stopped literary creation. My poetry is inseparable from my life experience. It is about autobiographical inner activities, and poetry reflects my living conditions. "
The power of life
He said that poetry is the driving force of his life. Without poetry, he wouldn't be today. In May, 2003, Lefsky, the visiting chairman of Macedonian Writers' Association, presented Han Niu with the "Literary Baton Award" at the Chinese Writers' Association. This award is an international literary award established by the Macedonian Writers Association. "When I learned that the Macedonian * * * Republic's' literary scepter award' was awarded to me, I immediately felt very ashamed and uneasy. The scepter is a broad and lofty image in my heart. It not only symbolizes solemnity and sacredness, but also shows awesome authority. And I am just an ordinary old man trudging to the holy land of human poetry; In the turbulent and harsh life of more than half a century, I am eager to burn myself completely in order to create an ideal world: plasma, tears, bones and muscles, unwilling soul, are all contributions without regrets. Perhaps it is precisely because of this persistent and infatuated spirit that readers understand and trust; It can also be said that it is precisely because the fate of the individual is always closely related to the security of the country and the immortal belief of the nation that my true humanity and poetic temperament have been cast. "
In modern and contemporary poetry, Han Niu is an unavoidable name. Among middle school students, it is more because his poems of at least 10 have been selected into the textbooks of People's Education Press and those of students from China, Hongkong and South Korea, and have many fans. In the first general survey of readers of China's poems held in Sohu.com, 680,000 readers of Selected Poems voted for him. Among the top ten favorite poets, Han Niu ranks fifth. "I am very happy to be recognized by readers."
"Among many poets in China, in the field of poetry creation, I never consider myself an outstanding person, but I am indeed an unusual and pious trekker. Although I am ordinary, I am firm. " Han Niu said: "I have never counted how many poems I have written in my life, but I know one thing: most of my poems are heavy, which is really a regret in my life. For many years, I have been eager to write some sweet poems. I have been writing poems hard just to taste a drop of honey that I have never tasted. In the history of nearly a hundred years in China, as a sincere poet, there are few poets who have not written a bitter poem. If someone pretends to be a poet but has never written a bitter poem, I absolutely don't trust the quality of this poet, let alone appreciate his or her poems. How I long for my poems to make readers suck a little sweetness in the future. " Han Niu's study is not big, but the whole wall is covered with bookshelves. Books, horizontal, vertical and dense, are mostly poems and literary works. The reporter noticed that there are many grotesque stones in desks and bookcases, all of which are unwashed and polished natural stones from shape to color, naked and unruly. Han Niu has an unusual friendship with these stones.
The poet pointed to a big stone held in a delicate wooden tray-it was Han Niu's hard work in Mengze, Guyun, Hubei Province, and once he turned over the soil in the scorching sun, a yellow stone suddenly appeared in front of him. He bent down and lifted it, which was much heavier than ordinary stones. Han Niu wiped it with naked sweat. It was like waking up and opening its eyes, shining with dignified and affectionate light. A classical literature expert took it, weighed it repeatedly, rubbed it repeatedly, and rubbed it with the tip of his tongue. He said to Han Niu, "You have found a treasure, mainly Tian Huang, but it is extremely difficult to polish. It has been buried in the ground for at least tens of thousands of years. " Classical literature experts added: "It can be broken into stones and polished into the most precious Yin Zhangshi." Han Niu thought: Why hurt it and dismember it into a stamp? No, never! It should preserve its perfect image, which can also be said to be the image of a poem bred by the sacred land.
"It's not because experts identified this stone that it suddenly became precious. From the moment I met it underground, I felt its spirituality; A large uncultivated wasteland is full of Chu-colored soil. Why did you only find this stone? How can it endure tens of thousands of years of deep burial without turning into mud? " Han Niu took it back to the dormitory and hid it by the pillow. He often rubs it at night and puts it on his forehead. Cool, as if a clear spring had infiltrated his hot body. I tried to write a poem, but I didn't. I only remember writing about its three noble qualities: first, it is hard and can withstand burial and corruption; The second is silence, which can withstand loneliness; Third, it has an eternal fire in its heart. When it is hit, it will shine brightly. This stone (supported in a wooden tray) gave me great wisdom and strength. From then on, I learned the silence of stone and found that silence is the strongest language and the deepest realm. As Kafka said, one may escape from songs (and curses), but one can never escape from the silence that cannot be captured. Silence is an endless world. "
He has a tall figure, bright eyes, Hong Zhong-like voice, and steady steps with his head held high. If it weren't for your beautiful hair, you would be too tough to resonate with his 80-year-old age-your manners are full of energy. On the day of the interview, I didn't expect that it happened to be Han Niu's 83rd birthday. Leaders of Chinese Writers Association and Poetry Publishing Society congratulated him on his birthday. "My back is very straight! No, my spine is straight. " Han Niu's writing is humorous and poetic. Now, whenever people admire his health, he always says that it is due to more than 20 years of labor reform. All the misfortunes were taken away by a relaxed humor, and countless hardships became colorful lives.
Han Niu's wife, Wu Ping, was born in a famous family, and her grandfather was the chief teacher (equivalent to the provost) of Shi Jing University Hall (the predecessor of Peking University), and was a leader of Tongcheng School in the later period. Wu Ping once worked underground with Han Niu in Luoyang, Henan. Wu Ping was bedridden for many years due to fracture in his later years, and Han Niu took care of him alone. "Now, with my wife gone, I'm a loner, with no chores to worry about, and I can concentrate on writing again."
"My life is quite good now. I am an idle person. I have nothing to do after supper. I read books, watch TV, go out for a walk, and sometimes chat with young people. Now that my life has reached such an open and comfortable state, I can talk about my heart and truth and spit out my bumps and lumps. This is a comfortable feeling in itself, and you can call it happiness. " Han Niu, a native of Shaanxi, is really frank.