Chapter 46 "Xinzhou Miscellaneous Notes" Translator's Notes [1]

"Xinzhou Miscellaneous Notes" Translator's Notes [1] We all know that after the October Revolution in Russia, writers and artists can roughly be divided into two groups.A group fled to other countries to work as apartments; a group is still in their own country. Although some died and some left halfway, this group can probably be regarded as a new one. Boris Pilniak belongs to the latter literati.We all know that he went to China last year and then to Japan.After that, I don't know.Today I saw Kohei Ida and Shuichi Kojima [2] co-translated "Impressions of Japan", and I realized that he lived in Japan for two months and wrote such a book in Moscow at the end of October last year.

At that time, I thought, we cursed Japan, Russia, Britain, etc., but there were very few books about the situation in these countries.Talking about politics, economy, armaments, diplomacy, etc., you may not find it interesting at this time, but there may be some impressions of writers and artists traveling in other countries.So I wanted to introduce this book by Birenek first, and I read a preface that night-"Shinshu Miscellaneous Notes". This is only one-ninth of the whole book, and there are three chapters under it: "On This Theory", "Beyond This Theory", and "Conclusion".However, I got into trouble.One, "Xiang" is the Japanese image, while "Yin" is the Russian seal. When it comes to China, there are too many gaps, and there are too many notes.The translations of the two are too light and subtle, and I am no match for him; and I don't have a good dictionary at hand, so it takes a lot of trouble to find new words.Third, there are missing words and sentences in the original translation, which were obliterated by the Japanese censors, and it seems that they are not happy.And on the wireless phone of the rich man across the way, there are some national operas [3], "Ai Ai Ai Ai" and "Ding Ding Ding" on the pipa, so that I only have to send the eleventh chapter [4] in my head.Let's just start playing with the pen, I think, fortunately, this "Xinzhou Miscellaneous Notes" can also be independent, and now I will use this as the opening and at the same time as the end.

After reading this book, I feel that narratives and satires are generally very light, but I also feel a kind of inadequacy.That is: less profound.The books of several new Russian writers I have seen often make me have this kind of expectation.But I thought again, isn’t the so-called “profound” really a symptom of the “end of the century”[5]?If the society is simple and honest, of course there will be no hidden feelings, and it will not be profound.If what I think is right, then these "childish" works may be the beginning of the right road to "new life". We're bound by conventional wisdom, and we're not happy to be judged "childish."

But what is the opposite of "childish"?The good point is "mature", and the bad point is "old man".The revolutionary predecessors said to themselves, "When you are old, you will have it, if you are old, you will not have it, if you are mediocre, you will have it, and if you are faint, you will not have it" [6].But isn't "old mediocrity" enough? I don't know if Pilenec has any writings on China, but it is not mentioned much in "Impressions of Japan".But there is also one point, which I will introduce here by the way:—— "On the border of China, Zhang Zuolin's [7] dogs confiscated all my books. Even Flaubert's "Sala-mmbo" [8] published in 1897 was said to be an infection of communism In Halbin, as soon as I opened my mouth at the speech meeting, the Chinese police officers came over and said as if below. It is written in the same way as that language, and it is like this:——

——No, no.Sing a little bit, a little bit.Jump a little bit, a little bit.Can't read! I don't understand anything.According to the translation, it means that the policeman forbids me to speak and read aloud, but dancing or singing is allowed. ——People called to the yamen, obviously disturbed, wondering—someone said to me, why not just use singing tunes to make speeches.However, I am not sensitive to singing.Such a sincere China stands upright, smiles, is so humble that he hates it, doesn't understand anything, but babbles, "Speak, no, sing a little, a little."So China and I broke up cleanly. "("Beyond This Treatise", Section 2)

Nineteen twenty-seven, one one, two six.Recorded in Shanghai. ※ ※ ※ [1] This article, together with the translation of "Xinzhou Miscellaneous Notes", was originally published on December 24, 1927, the second issue of the fourth volume of the "Yusi" weekly magazine. [2] Shuichi Kojima, a Japanese translator. 〔3〕Quintessence Opera refers to the traditional operas of our country, such as Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera. 〔4〕Chapter 11 of Fahun imitates the joking language used to divide chapters in ancient scriptures, which means "fahun".For the original language, see Chapter 25 of Jin Shengtan's commentary: "I saw that the head was upside down, the feet were upside down, and it fell into the heart of the street, and I fell into a daze. Chapter 11." Jin Shengtan commented on this sentence: "Strange words It's ridiculous to carry along with vulgar Confucianism."

〔5〕"The end of the century" refers to the decadent atmosphere of spiritual culture unique to Western capitalist countries at the end of the nineteenth century.The decadent literary works that appeared at this time are called "end-of-the-century literature". [6] Source to be investigated. [7] Zhang Zuolin (1875-1928) was born in Haicheng, Liaoning.The Feng faction warlord of Beiyang.Since 1916, under the support of Japanese imperialism, he has ruled the Northeast for a long time and once controlled the Beiyang warlord government in Beijing. Later, he was killed by Japanese spies in Huanggutun near Shenyang.

〔8〕Flaubert's "Salammbo" is Flaubert's.Flaubert (1821-1880), French writer.Author of novels, "Emotional Education" and so on. , a historical novel about a mercenary uprising in ancient Africa, written in 1862.