Chapter 7 between us and the enemy

Because I was educated in an enemy country since I was a child, I have lived in an enemy country for more than ten years, during which time I naturally made many Japanese friends.After returning to China, when I lived in Fuzhou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, etc., those civil and military officials, scholars and scholars from the enemy country came to visit China, and they probably always wanted to meet and talk with me.Not to mention anything else, just say that many generals in the war between the two countries this time, such as Matsui Iwane, Hasegawa, Abe, etc., when they came to China, they always came to see me, and when I went to Japan, I often saw them. of.

When the July 7th Anti-Japanese War broke out, it was natural that we could no longer talk about personal relationships with these enemies and friends; although, news about me was occasionally discussed in their news magazines.Even after the war, my family disputes became a talking point in the literary and art circles of the enemy country.The "Poetry of Destruction of the Family" published in "Great Wind" was also translated and included in the special edition of "Nippon Review" commemorating the 2600th anniversary of the Emperor's Period in January this year.According to the meaning of the Spring and Autumn Period, I can only ignore these things with an attitude of not asking.

This time, Ke received another letter from the Department of Arts and Sciences of the Tokyo Yomiuri Shimbun, which contained the original manuscript of an open letter sent to me by the literary critic Nii Geshi.The editor has repeatedly begged me to write a similar answer to Xinju Geshi.I have thought about this for a long time. If I ignore it, I am afraid that people will laugh at my small citizen’s resentment and lack the generosity of a gentleman; How about as promotional material? First, it violates the righteousness of the Spring and Autumn Period; second, there is no way to deal with the spirit of my old mother and brothers who died in the country this time.So in the end, I decided to translate the letter here first, and then give a reply in Chinese, and disclose it in the "Morning Star" column compiled by myself. , or can try to get the best of both worlds.

Now, let’s translate Xin Jushi’s public statement below. Message to Mr. Yu Da: I am now finishing your excellent short story "The Past" translated by Mr. Toshio Okazaki, so by chance, in my mind, I have recollections about you in the past. It has been about ten years since I first met you.I still remember that under your leadership, I went to play in the Chinese-style park in Nanshi, Shanghai, and took a walk in the quiet foreign cemetery in Jing'an Temple; I even had a lot of rest in a cafe at the corner of Xiafei Road. Time. Here, you once told me that this is a place where men and women in the intellectual circles of modern China often come, and you yourself will soon go to Anhui University to teach.

I will ask you again, "What are you talking about?" You say, "I will talk about it, and I will talk about it from the first volume of "Tonghu"!" Until now, I haven't read it completely. This sentence, I really felt a kind of surprise, so the conversation turned to the Chinese equivalent, I mentioned the English translation, but you said that the English translation "Dreams of Red Chamber" is really not very big Appropriate, I still remember the reasons you gave at the time. A few years ago, when I went to Shanghai for the second time, I heard that you have moved to Hangzhou.I met your elder brother, Yu Huashi, and he said: "My brother came to Shanghai from Hangzhou two or three days ago, and he just returned yesterday. If he knows that you are coming to Shanghai this time, he may not be able to see you again." For regret."

However, later on I had the chance to meet you in Tokyo.Because the Japanese PEN Association held a regular meeting and invited you and Mr. Guo Moruo to be the guests of the PEN Association, so I had to express my magnanimity to you again at the meeting. The Sino-Japanese War (Duff's Note: The enemy commonly referred to it as the "Nizhi Incident") broke out. Don't you know where you are now?What are you doing?It's something I often think of.The feelings between people will not be changed by the misfortunes caused between the two countries.This is not only true for you, but also for all the Chinese friends I know, I miss you here in the same way.

I really pray that the misfortune between the two countries can be eliminated one day, and it will still be the same as before, no, no, or more intimately than before, so that we can have the opportunity to communicate with each other about art.In fact, among comrades engaged in literature, most of them can understand each other, trust each other, share their hearts and minds, and have in-depth discussions frankly; because "humanity" is a common problem.In short, it is friendly, such adjectives as Japanese friends or Chinese friends are unnecessary to think about. All in all, the fundamental peaceful reincarnation between the two countries is the bond of mutual trust between cold people. There is no need for war, nor is there any need for policies.Moreover, in the world of creating people, policies are completely useless things, so they will pass quickly.

To be honest, I really have a lot of doubts about the status quo of the twentieth century. I really feel that this is the era of politicians' speeches.But, of course, there may be reasons why it has to be so.That is enough to prove that there are still many flaws in human life.But creators cannot give up the real responsibility of creating these defects. Do you think this is correct?Yu Jun! In this brief essay, I also wish you good health! Xinjuge To Xinju Geshi: Dear Nii-kun, from the Tokyo Yomiuri Shimbun's Department of Arts and Sciences, I have forwarded a public statement from you to me. Today, when the two countries are at war, I promise you that you will never give up, and I am still thinking about my recent situation. Thank you. I am very grateful for this friendship.

Just like what you said in your book, although there are misfortunes of fighting between countries, personal friendship will not change.Not only the friendship between individuals, but I believe that the sympathy between the people still exists as well.Here, I can give you an example. There are many Japanese friends who came to China because of their participation in the war. They have already received preferential treatment from us in Chongqing, Guilin, Kunming and other places.They automatically organized a broad alliance, staged a show to raise funds, rescued our refugees and wounded soldiers, and worked with us, hoping that real peace would come as soon as possible.The play they performed in Japanese is called "Three Brothers", which actually made our compatriots weep after watching it.Nii-kun!Human feelings are the same all over the world.A sense of justice, humanity, and conscience are possessed by anyone.Mr. Wang Yangming's theory of conscience is still an unassailable truth even today, even in this brutal doomsday!

I understand the situation in Japan and the air you breathe; so I don't need to say anything about politics or the current situation here.Because even if you say it, you will never see it.But there is one thing, I can tell you that the common people (people) in China have made great progress as a result of this war.They have learned to be united, they have learned to persevere and endure to the end.They all have the determination of "any sacrifice, no hesitation".They all regard the crisis of the country as their own responsibility.Because the war is going on on Chinese soil.All those injured and injured by the plane bombing were their fathers and sisters.The Japanese bomb reminded them of their national concept.

As far as I am concerned, this time the war destroyed my pastoral career in Hangzhou and Fuyang, and took away my 70-year-old mother and the elder brother you met in Shanghai; the collection of 30,000 books , and my beloved wife, Wang, all left me because of this war; but I only have one confidence in this kind of thing, that is, "justice, one day, will come to make up for all my losses." When I was a student in a high school, I once read a novel "Mischel Kerhaas" by the Austrian writer Kleist. My current determination is also the same as this one who demands justice until his last breath. The protagonist is the same. What you said in your letter about "doubts about the status quo of the twentieth century", "there are still many shortcomings in human life", and "we creators should rise up and truly make up for these shortcomings", are 120% sympathetic.Many creators in China are already working on this step separately.Chinese literature and art have made three hundred years of progress in these short three years; almost all of China's intelligentsia have now become actual creators.If you can come to the mainland of China (the rear of the battlefield) at this moment and observe carefully, you will frankly admit that what I said is not empty words. What China holds is that it has a vast land, abundant resources, and a large population; what it lacks is a bad heart.However, after the baptism of this war, those held have displayed their prestige even more, and the difference has been improved to eighty-nine out of ten.The dross among the nation has been swept away by the waves; now those who are carrying the heavy burden in the rear are all very good citizens. The Chinese people are originally the most peace-loving; but they can also distinguish the difference between real peace and hypocritical peace.Peace will come to the Eastern Hemisphere one day, but they feel that now may not be the time. Nii-kun!Do you think that what I said above are all threatening adverbs?No, absolutely not, these are the current status and facts of free China.Regardless of whether this article can reach your eyes or not, I always want to report our current state of mind and environment to you without any pretense.Half of it can also let you know the current situation of me and other your friends, and half can also be used as a reference for the Japanese people.When looking at things, you must look at the reality. You must not always be kept in the dark, blindly listen to one-sided words, and fall into the old trap of "the people can let them know, but they can't let them know". Finally, I have a lot of friends in Japan. The hospitality I received when I went to Japan four years ago is still vivid in my mind.Especially when I arrived in Kyoto, I went to Nara as soon as I got off the bus, and went to visit Shiga Naoya, which caused a panic in the Kyoto police department, and they couldn't find the passengers they were responsible for protecting. Feel sorry. For the convenience of replying to the letter, I would like to make a quick mention here, and wish those friends good health.As for you, Mr. Niiju, I think there will be a day when we shake hands and talk happily.At that time, I thought that all the monsters that hindered peace and provoked war had already gone to heaven or descended to hell.We will talk about art with a sincere heart and sincere feelings, and seek ways to make up for all the shortcomings of human beings in the world. Yu Dafu Postscript: Just as this article was being drafted, I received a letter from Lin Yutang from his home country.He has already settled down in Chongqing; in the near future, he will go to the battlefield to inspect, collect materials, and complete his second major work.His "A Moment in Beijing", I think you have already read it; now I am here to translate it into Chinese for him.The original version of the translation has been explained in detail by himself.I believe that after my Chinese translation is published, many corrections will be made to the two translations of the same book that have been published in Japan. Originally published in Singapore's "Sin Chew Daily" on June 1 and 3, 1940