Beauty

Translated by Xia Yuzhu

Snowflakes are light, each having six tiny silver needles. Last night, they worked together to weave a well-fitted crystal outfit for the campus of S University. However, nothing is perfect, not even in a fairyland. The young dragon cypress at the north wall of the Humanities Building was bent over at a 30 degree angle after the night's snowstorm.
Several students came from a distance, each carrying a camera. Among them was a girl in a black wool overcoat. She was a real beauty, her almond-shaped eyes like pools of clear water or bright stars in the sky. It was hard to tell which they resembled more, but she herself was certainly eye-catching!

These members of the town's College Photographers Society had come out to capture the beautiful scenery endowed by nature. Laughing and talking merrily, they were approaching the leaning cypress .
"Let's take a shot just in front of the Building!" a rich baritone voice suggested.
"No, this cypress is bent by the storm and lacks natural beauty," the girl responded. Pointing to a place nearby, she proposed, "Why don't we go to the small garden of Biology Department, and they have not only cypresses there, but silver pines."
Her voice drifted in the crisp air like sweet, crystal sugar melting, slowly. So to the small garden they went, leaving their carefree laughter behind.
Another slim young man appeared at the Building, his coat stained with paint somewhere down the right corner in appreciation of the snow scene he suddenly caught sight of the bent cypress. He grumbled to himself, "The gardeners were indeed the campus in such a heavy snow as last night's. They should be held partially responsible for the ruin of the harmonious beauty of nature. "The amateur artist was staring at the bent cypress when inspiration flashed into his mind. He quickly opened his sketch book and drew an outline of the cypress with his charcoal pen. He planned to develop the sketch into a cartoon, when he got back to the dormitory. He had even figured out a title for it, "A Cypress Complains". He left with a sigh of sympathy for the bent tree and a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

In the dim sunlight, a young worker, with a worn bag on his shoulder, was hurrying to the Chinese Department to audit a selective course. All of a sudden a gust of wind blew over the bent cypress, shaking the overlaying snowflakes down onto the young man's head and shoulders. He looked up and noticed the tree. Then he slowed his steps, took a glance at his watch and hurried away.

In a short while, he came back with a spade, an old bamboo stick and apiece of rubber band. He worked with his deft hands on the bent cypress until it was straight again. The bell for cLASS was ringing and he dashed to the cLASSroom.

Silence reigned. Faint bluish footprints, of all shapes and sizes, formed in the snow lines of illegible words with subtle implications. That cypress was quietly gazing at the snow, as if meditating on the mystery of beauty.

媲 美

一朵雪花的体态是轻盈的，宛如六枚小银针，针万线，给S大学校园绣出了合身的水晶外套、但是，正如童话世界也有缺陷一样，文史楼北墙畔一株年轻的龙柏，由于一一夜风摧雪 ，已经倾侧成三十度斜角了。 远处走来几个身背照相机的年轻人。其中那位穿黑呢大衣的姑娘真美，一双亮晶晶杏核儿大眼，似湖？似星？谁也说不清，只惹得路人不时朝她张望。这群市大学生摄影协会会员准备捕捉大自然思赐的美妙镜头，”心情舒畅的说笑着，渐渐地走近这棵倾斜的龙柏。
“在文史楼前拍张雪景吧！”一个浑厚的男中音提议。
“不，这棵龙柏彼风雪压斜了，缺乏目然美。”姑娘那双纤手朝不远处一指：“喏，到生物系的小植物园去，那儿不仅有龙柏，还有雪松、扁柏呢。”
她的声波在清冽的空间扩散，像清甜的冰糖渐渐融化。年轻人留下了一，串无邪的笑声。
又一个竹骨梅肌的青年出现在文史楼前，衣服右下摆隐约可见斑驳的油画颜料污迹。他在欣赏雪景之余，猛然发现倾斜的龙柏，不满地轻声嘀咕：“搞环境保护的同志真马虎，昨晚下那么大的雪，竟没未校园巡视，他们对美的统一性的被破坏负有间接的责任！”这位美术爱好者凝视片刻，灵感的火花映亮心窗，他立刻打开速写本，捉着炭精棒，勾勒这棵龙柏的体态轮廓，准备回宿舍精心画一。幅漫画，连画名他想好了，就叫做：《一株龙柏的控诉》。当他离去时，遗憾地摇头叹息，眼波里颤动着一丝失望的情绪。
微弱的阳光下，急匆匆地走来一个肩挎旧书包的青年工人，他是来旁听中文系选修课的。突然，一阵风吹拂龙柏树，”扬起无数雪沫，洒在他头上、身上。青年工人仰脸看看那株龙柏，脚步放慢卞，他一看千表立刻加快步伐走去。
一会，他带来一把铁锹，一截旧茅竹、橡皮带，手脚麻利地不停地劳作，那株倾斜的龙柏终于挺直了脊梁，牢牢地屹立在校园。
上课铃声响了。他疾步如飞地向教室奔人。
静谧。点点不同的浅蓝色脚印留在雪地里。组合成一行行无人辨识的文本，蕴藏着精致微妙的内涵。那株龙柏静静注视着面前的雪地，仿佛苦心思索关于美的神秘的定义。

Translated by Xia Yuzhu

Snowflakes are light, each having six tiny silver needles. Last night, they worked together to weave a well-fitted crystal outfit for the campus of S University. However, nothing is perfect, not even in a fairyland. The young dragon cypress at the north wall of the Humanities Building was bent over at a 30 degree angle after the night's snowstorm.
Several students came from a distance, each carrying a camera. Among them was a girl in a black wool overcoat. She was a real beauty, her almond-shaped eyes like pools of clear water or bright stars in the sky. It was hard to tell which they resembled more, but she herself was certainly eye-catching!

These members of the town's College Photographers Society had come out to capture the beautiful scenery endowed by nature. Laughing and talking merrily, they were approaching the leaning cypress .
"Let's take a shot just in front of the Building!" a rich baritone voice suggested.
"No, this cypress is bent by the storm and lacks natural beauty," the girl responded. Pointing to a place nearby, she proposed, "Why don't we go to the small garden of Biology Department, and they have not only cypresses there, but silver pines."
Her voice drifted in the crisp air like sweet, crystal sugar melting, slowly. So to the small garden they went, leaving their carefree laughter behind.
Another slim young man appeared at the Building, his coat stained with paint somewhere down the right corner in appreciation of the snow scene he suddenly caught sight of the bent cypress. He grumbled to himself, "The gardeners were indeed the campus in such a heavy snow as last night's. They should be held partially responsible for the ruin of the harmonious beauty of nature. "The amateur artist was staring at the bent cypress when inspiration flashed into his mind. He quickly opened his sketch book and drew an outline of the cypress with his charcoal pen. He planned to develop the sketch into a cartoon, when he got back to the dormitory. He had even figured out a title for it, "A Cypress Complains". He left with a sigh of sympathy for the bent tree and a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

In the dim sunlight, a young worker, with a worn bag on his shoulder, was hurrying to the Chinese Department to audit a selective course. All of a sudden a gust of wind blew over the bent cypress, shaking the overlaying snowflakes down onto the young man's head and shoulders. He looked up and noticed the tree. Then he slowed his steps, took a glance at his watch and hurried away.

In a short while, he came back with a spade, an old bamboo stick and apiece of rubber band. He worked with his deft hands on the bent cypress until it was straight again. The bell for cLASS was ringing and he dashed to the cLASSroom.

Silence reigned. Faint bluish footprints, of all shapes and sizes, formed in the snow lines of illegible words with subtle implications. That cypress was quietly gazing at the snow, as if meditating on the mystery of beauty.

媲 美

一朵雪花的体态是轻盈的，宛如六枚小银针，针万线，给S大学校园绣出了合身的水晶外套、但是，正如童话世界也有缺陷一样，文史楼北墙畔一株年轻的龙柏，由于一一夜风摧雪 ，已经倾侧成三十度斜角了。 远处走来几个身背照相机的年轻人。其中那位穿黑呢大衣的姑娘真美，一双亮晶晶杏核儿大眼，似湖？似星？谁也说不清，只惹得路人不时朝她张望。这群市大学生摄影协会会员准备捕捉大自然思赐的美妙镜头，”心情舒畅的说笑着，渐渐地走近这棵倾斜的龙柏。