Chapter 26 Yawen

Liang Shiqiu's elegant house is very simple, "the walls are not solid, and the doors and windows are not tight." The sound of paper tearing, the sound of peeling off leather shoes, all of which rippling from the gaps in the walls of the doors and windows at any time", broke his silence. "At night, the rats eat the lamps, and when they close their eyes, the rats can move freely", "making it difficult for people to sleep.... Mosquitoes are more harassing than rats.... When the mosquitoes in other places have long been cleared, in 'Yashe ’ It’s extraordinarily rampant, and if visitors don’t pay attention, the wounds on both legs will bulge like corn...”

However, "'Yashe' is most suitable for moonlit nights - the terrain is higher, and the moon is earlier. Watching the moon spit out from the top of the mountain, the red plate bursts out, and in a flash, the sky is bright and clear, the fields are silent, and the dogs are barking. There are two pear trees in front of the house. When the moon rises to the middle of the sky, the clear light filters down from the trees, and the shadows on the ground are colorful. Help me to be desolate. When the drizzle is drizzling, "Yashe" is also interesting again. Opening the window and looking forward, it is like Mie's method, like clouds and fog, and it is full of air."

Liang Shiqiu insisted that literature should reflect the most basic human nature throughout his life, and his "Elegant House Essays" is like this.When "The Essays of Elegant House" was first published in newspapers, Zhu Guangqian sent a congratulatory letter saying: "The contribution of the masterpiece "Elements of Elegant House" to literature is more than the work of translating Shakespeare." Initially, Liang Shiqiu published "Elegant House Essays" under the pseudonym "Zijia".Liu Shiying told Liang that he was eating at a restaurant in Shapingba, Chongqing, and heard several professors at the next table discussing Liang's "Elegant House Essays". One of the professors, Xu Zhongnian, said loudly: "You say that Zijia is Liang Shiqiu, how is this possible?" ? Looking at his translation of Shakespeare, the words are always a bit awkward, how could he write an article like "The Essays of Yasher"?"

Since Liang Shiqiu's "Elegant House Essays" was published in Taiwan in 1949, it has been reprinted in one edition. By 1975, it had reached thirty-two editions. So far, there have been fifty or sixty editions, creating the myth of prose publishing. Liang Shiqiu said: "I'm not good at mathematics, I can't study science and engineering, so I have to study literature and history." There are two reasons why I finally chose literature: I was in a relationship at the time, and I was particularly interested in literature because of my relationship; all my friends knew that he loved literature. Writing new poems and prose also encouraged him to study literature.

Liang Shiqiu began translating Shakespeare's works in the 1930s, which lasted for 40 years, and completed the translation of Shakespeare's complete works in the 1970s, including 37 plays and 3 poems. Hu Shi once sought five people to translate the complete works of Shakespeare: Liang Shiqiu, Wen Yiduo, Xu Zhimo, Chen Xiying and Ye Gongchao, but only Liang persisted.Liang said that he was able to complete this work thanks to three people, "The first is the initiative of Mr. Hu Shizhi. He said that he would hold a grand reception for me to celebrate when the translation was finished. It is a pity that the translation was not completed and the husband returned suddenly. Daoshan. The second is my father’s expectation. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, I returned to Beijing. One day my father came to my study on crutches and asked me how many Shakespeare plays were translated. I am ashamed that I have handed in blank papers in the past eight years. My father encouraged me and said: "I have to finish the translation anyway." I heard my fate and dare not forget it. The last but not the least support came from my late wife Cheng Jishu. If she hadn't been with me for more than 40 years, I would not have been able to finish this job".

After arriving in Taiwan, Liang Shiqiu insisted on translating the complete works of Shakespeare. After translating a play, he handed over the manuscript to Cheng Jishu for binding.Cheng used the awl with the sole of his shoe to punch holes in the edge of the manuscript paper, and then sewed it with thread to look like a thread-bound book. Liang Shiqiu said: "Three conditions must be met in order to translate the Complete Works of Shakespeare. First, he must have no knowledge. If he has knowledge, he will do research and textual research; second, he must have no genius. If there is genius , he will do creative work such as research, writing novels, poems and dramas; thirdly, he must live for a long time, otherwise he will not be able to finish the translation. Fortunately, I have all these three conditions, so I Completed the translation of this great book."

Disciple Yu Guangzhong talked about his teacher’s achievements in translating the complete works of Shakespeare, saying: “Since the May Fourth Movement, there have been thousands of translations by Western writers, but Mr. Liang Shiqiu is still the first person who can translate a great writer’s complete works. ""Liang Shiqiu's contribution, everyone knows the great translation of Shakespeare's complete works. His level is always there, and Liang Shiqiu's articles are as high as his forehead." Yu Guangzhong said in the article "Liang Weng Biography of Shakespeare": "Shakespeare was written for only 20 years, but Mr. Liang Shiqiu translated it for 36 years, but let us not forget that Shakespeare was written continuously. However, Liang Weng translated from time to time, from time to time in the difficult China, from before World War II to after World War II, from the severe cold of the North to the scorching heat of the South China Sea. Zhi Qiulang translated into today's Liang Weng."

In his later years, Liang Shiqiu wrote the "History of British Literature" with a million words in seven years.He stays at his desk every day and works tirelessly. His wife, Han Jingqing, finds that there is often a pool of blood on the cushion of Liang's chair.Because he stayed at the desk for too long, hemorrhoids bleed, and he was so absorbed in writing that he didn't know it.