Chapter 25 Recalling Mr. Wei Suyuan

I still have memories, but they are very scattered.I personally feel that my memories are like fish scales scraped by a knife, some are still on the body, some have fallen into the water, when the water is stirred, some of them will still churning and flickering, but there is blood in the middle, Even I am afraid that I will spoil the eyes of connoisseurs. Now that some friends want to commemorate Mr. Wei Suyuan, I also have to say a few words.Yes, I am obliged to do so.I had no choice but to stir the water outside of me to see what would come up. Maybe it was more than ten years ago. I was a lecturer at Peking University. One day.In the teacher's preparation room, I met a young man with terrible hair and beard. This is Li Jiye.My acquaintance with Suyuan was probably introduced by Ji Ye, but I have forgotten the scene at that time.What remains in the memory now is that he was already sitting in a little room in the inn planning the publication.

This small house is the Weiming Society [2]. At that time, I was compiling and printing two small series of books, one was "Wuhe Series", which was dedicated to creation, and the other was "Wei Ming Series", which was dedicated to translation, both of which were published by Beixin Book Company.Publishers and readers didn't like translated books, and it was no different then than it is now, so "Wei Ming Series" was particularly neglected.Coincidentally, Suyuan and the others were willing to introduce foreign literature to China, so they discussed with Li Xiaofeng[3] that the "Wei Ming Series" should be removed and run by a few colleagues.Xiaofeng readily agreed, and this kind of book series broke away from Beixin Bookstore.The manuscript is our own, and we have raised another printing fee, which is considered to be the beginning.Because of the title of this series of books, even the name of the company is called "Wei Ming" - but it does not mean "no title", but "not yet a title", just like a child's "not yet mature".

The colleagues in the Weiming Society don't really have any ambitions or big ambitions, but they are willing to do it in a down-to-earth manner, bit by bit, but everyone is in agreement.And the backbone of it is Suyuan. So he sat in a shabby little house, which was the Weiming Club, and Xiao Ban seemed to be unable to go to school because of his illness, so it was natural for him to take turns guarding the village. My first memory is seeing Suyuan in this dilapidated village, a thin, shrewd, and serious young man. The rows of worn-out foreign books in front of the window prove that he still insists on literature even though he is poor.However, at the same time, I have a bad impression that it is difficult to get along with him because he rarely smiles. "Seldom smiling" was originally a characteristic of colleagues in Weiming Society, but Suyuan is the most obvious, and it can be felt immediately.But later, I knew that my judgment was wrong, and he was not difficult to associate with.He didn't laugh very much, probably because of his age difference, and his special attitude towards me. It's a pity that I can't turn into a young man, so that everyone forgets each other, which is confirmed.This truth, I think, Jiye and the others know it.

But after I understood my misunderstanding, I also discovered his fatal wound: he was too serious; although he seemed calm, he was fierce.Seriously, will it be fatal to a person?At least, then and now, it could be.Once you are serious, it is easy to become violent, and if you promote it, you will lose your life, and if you are calm, you will gnaw your heart. Here is a little example. —We have only small examples. At that time, because of the oppression of Prime Minister Duan Qirui[4] and his helpers, I had already fled to Xiamen, but the power of tigers and tigers in Beijing was still inexhaustible.Lin Suyuan, the president of the Women's Normal University of the Duan faction, led troops to take over the school, and after performing a full-scale martial arts show, he even referred to the remaining teachers as "Communists."This term has always given some people the convenience of "doing things", and this method is also an old-fashioned way, which is not uncommon in the first place.However, Suyuan seemed to become violent. From then on, in his letters to me, he hated the word "Suyuan" for a long time and did not use it, and changed the name to "Shuyuan".At the same time, conflicts broke out within the agency. Gao Changhong[6] sent a letter from Shanghai saying that Suyuan had suppressed Xiang Peiliang's manuscript and asked me to say something.I didn't say a word.So they started scolding on "Hurricane", first scolding Suyuan, and then me.Suyuan suppressed Peiliang's manuscript in Beijing, but Gao Changhong from Shanghai complained about the injustice, and I had to make a judgment in Xiamen. I thought it was brilliantly funny, and a group, although it was a small literary group. It is not uncommon for someone inside to make trouble whenever the situation is difficult.However, Suyuan was very serious. Not only did he write to me, describing the details, but he also wrote an article in a magazine to confess his confession.In the court of "geniuses", has anyone else made it clear? ——I couldn't help sighing a long time, thinking that he was just a literati, and he was sick, but he was desperately dealing with internal and external troubles, how could he last long.Naturally, this is only a small worry, but in a serious and intense individual, it is also quite a big one.

Soon, the Weiming Society was closed[7] and several people were arrested.Maybe Suyuan had coughed up blood and was admitted to the hospital, but he wasn't there.But later, those who were arrested were released, and the Weiming Society was also unsealed, suddenly sealed and opened, suddenly arrested and released, I still don't understand what kind of thing this is. It was the second year when I arrived in Guangzhou—early autumn of 1927. [8] I still received several letters from him one after another. I wrote them while lying on my pillow in Xishan Hospital, because the doctor didn’t allow me. He sits up.His words were more pronounced, his thoughts clearer and broader, but it also made me worry more about his illness.One day, I suddenly received a book, which was "Overcoat" [9] translated by Su Yuan, bound in cloth.As soon as I understood it, I shivered: This is obviously a souvenir he gave me. Could it be that he has already realized the limit of his life?

I can't bear to read this book again, but I can't help it. Because of this, I remembered that a good friend of Suyuan also coughed up blood, and one day he coughed up at Suyuan. He panicked and ordered in a loving and anxious voice, "Don't vomit anymore!" At that time, I remembered Ibsen's "Brandt" [10].Didn't he order the people in the past to rise up again, but without this supernatural power, he just buried himself under the avalanche? ... I saw Brandt and Su Yuan in the air, but I had no words. At the end of May 1929, what I considered most fortunate was that I went to Xishan Hospital by myself and had a chat with Suyuan.His skin was tanned from sunbathing, but his spirit was not sluggish.We were very happy with a few friends.But in my joy, there was always sadness: I suddenly thought of his lover, who was engaged to someone else with his consent; then I thought that he might not be able to achieve even a little wish of introducing foreign literature to China; Thinking of him lying here quietly, wondering whether he thinks he is waiting for complete recovery or death; suddenly I think why he sent me a hardcover "Overcoat"? ... There is also a large portrait of Dostoevsky on the wall.For this gentleman, I respect and admire him, but I also hate his cruel to calm articles.He arranged mental torture, and brought the unfortunate people one by one, and tortured them for us to see.Now he is staring at Suyuan and his couch with gloomy eyes, as if telling me: this is also an unfortunate person that can be included in the works.

Naturally, this is just a small misfortune, but personally in Suyuan, it is quite a big one. At 5:30 in the morning on August 1, 1932, Suyuan finally died of illness in Peking Tongren Hospital, and all plans and hopes also died.What I regret is that to avoid disaster, I burned his letters. [12] I can only keep a copy of "Overcoat" as the only souvenir, and keep it by my side forever. It has been two years since Suyuan died of illness, and during this time, no one in the literary world has spoken to him.This is not unusual, he is neither a genius nor a hero. When he was alive, he could only survive in silence, and after death, of course he had no choice but to die in silence.But for us, he is a memorable young man, because he silently supported the Weiming Society.

The Weiming Society is almost extinct now, and its period of existence is not long.However, since the operation of Suyuan, introduced Gogol, Dostoevsky, Antreev, Fvan Eeden, and Ehrenburg (IEhrenburg)'s "Cigarette Pouch" and Lavrenev's "Forty-one". [13] also published "Wei Ming Xin Ji" [14], including Cong Wu's "Jun Shan", Jing Nong's "Son of the Earth" and "The Tower Builder", and my "Zhaohuaxishi". At the time, it was still quite a watchable work.Facts don't show mercy to frivolous and sinister children. They have all disappeared in a few years, but the translations of Weiming Society have not withered in Wenyuan so far.

Yes, but Su Yuan is neither a genius nor a hero. Of course he is not the spire of a tall building, or the beautiful flowers of a famous garden. However, he is a piece of stone downstairs and a handful of soil in the garden. He is the most important person in China. many.He is not in the eyes of the beholder, only the builder and the planter will never leave him alone. The suffering of the literati is not that they were attacked and neglected during their lifetime. After a rest, their words and deeds died, so the boring people misplaced their confidantes. It's a sad tool to sell fame and profit.Now I use these few thousand words to commemorate the Suyuan I know well. I hope there is no place for selfish enrichment, and I have nothing else to say.

I don't know if there will be any time to commemorate in the future, if it stops at this time, then, Suyuan, goodbye from now on! On the night of July 16, 1934, written by Lu Xun. CC [1] This article was first published in October 1934, No. 4, Volume 3, of the Shanghai Monthly "Literature". 〔2〕The Weimingshe literary group was established in Beijing in the autumn of 1925. Its main members include Lu Xun, Wei Suyuan, Cao Jinghua, Li Jiye, Tai Jingnong, etc.He has successively published "Wild Plains" semi-monthly magazine, "Wei Ming semi-monthly magazine", "Wei Ming series", "We Ming Xin Ji" and so on.After the autumn of 1931, due to economic difficulties, it disintegrated invisible.

[3] Li Xiaofeng (1897-1971) was born in Jiangyin, Jiangsu.Graduated from Peking University, joined Xinchao Club and Yusi Club, and later became the host of Beixin Bookstore. [4] Duan Qirui (1864-1936) was born in Hefei, Anhui, and was a warlord of the Beiyang and Anhui cliques.He served as the Prime Minister of the Beiyang Government and the Provisional Executive Government of Beijing. 〔5〕Lin Suyuan, a native of Fujian, is a small bureaucrat in the Research Department.In August 1925, in order to suppress the student unrest at Beijing Women's Normal University, the Ministry of Education of the Beiyang Government ordered the school to be closed and changed to the Normal Department of Beijing Women's College, and Lin was appointed as the senior of the normal department.On September 5 of the same year, he led the army and police to the Women's Normal University to carry out armed takeover. 〔6〕Gao Changhong, a native of Yu County, Shanxi Province, was one of the main members of the Hurricane Society. He was a young author with nihilism and anarchism in his thoughts.In October 1926, Gao Changhong and others founded the "Hurricane" weekly magazine in Shanghai. The second issue of the magazine contained Gao Changhong's correspondence "To Mr. Lu Xun", which said: "I received a letter from Peiliang, saying that he and Mr. Wei Suyuan The reason for the conflict was that Mr. Wei returned the high-sung "Razor" and suppressed his "Winter"... Now the editor of "Wildland", and even the authoritative executive editor, is Mr. Wei Suyuan...but the authority may be Do it to others, or should you do it to your companions... Now the attitude is obvious, and it is blatantly 'returned' to me! The knife is on the head! At this point, can I not come out to argue? "Finally, he said to Lu Xun: "If you are willing to speak, I also want to hear your opinion." (Written by Trotsky, translated by Li Jiye and Wei Suyuan) was detained in Jinan Shandong Provincial First Normal School.According to a telegram from Shandong warlord Zhang Zongchang, the Beijing Police Department closed down Weimingshe on March 26, and arrested Li Jiye and three others.Unsealed until October. [8] According to Lu Xun's arrival in Guangzhou, it should have been at the beginning of 1927 (January 18). 〔9〕 "Overcoat" is a novella written by Russian writer Gogol, and Wei Suyuan's translation was published in September 1926 as one of the "Wei Ming Series".According to "Lu Xun's Diary", he received the book gift from Wei Suyuan on August 3, 1929. 〔10〕Ibsen (HIbsen, 1828-1906) Interpreter of Ibsen, Norwegian playwright. "Brandt" is his poetic play, in which Brandt tries to use his personal power to arouse people to oppose the secular old customs.He led a group of believers up the mountain to find the ideal realm. On the way, people could not bear the pain of climbing the mountain and doubted his ideal, so they knocked him down, and finally he died under an avalanche. 〔11〕Dostoevsky (EMFGHIGJHLMM, 1821-1881) Dostoyevsky (EMFGHIGJHLMM, 1821-1881) Dos  Skeleton Shake V  Harmony TE  ∷ Lazy * Poor", "Insulted and Damaged", etc.See "Qijieting Essays II: Dostovsky's Affair". [12] In 1930, Lu Xun was wanted by the Kuomintang authorities for participating in the China Freedom Movement League. The following year, he was arrested for Rou Shi. .See "Books from Two Places Preface". [13] The translations included in the "Wei Ming Series" include: Russian Gogol's novel "Overcoat" (translated by Wei Suyuan), Dostoevsky's novel "The Poor" (translated by Wei Congwu), Antelev (translated by Wei Congwu), 1871-1919)'s plays "Into the Stars" and "The Man in the Black Mask" (translated by Li Jiye), the fairy tales of Dutch Wang Aiqin (1860-1932) (translated by Lu Xun), the Soviet Union Ehrenburg (1891-1967), etc. The short story collection "Cigarette Pouch" (edited and translated by Cao Jinghua) by seven people, and the novella "Forty-first" (translated by Cao Jinghua) by Lavlenev (1891-1959) of the Soviet Union. 〔14〕"Wei Ming Xin Ji" is a series of special collections and creations published by Wei Ming Society. "Junshan" is a collection of poems, "Son of the Earth" and "The Tower Builder" are collections of short stories.