Story: "Cat" by Qian Zhongshu (5)

The entire central portion of Qian Zhongshu's story "Cat" is occupied by an enormous "tea party" sequence that first dwells on satirical portraits of seven Chinese intellectuals. The seven intellectuals wonder whether China will plunge into war, and digress into comments about Chinese society and, eventually, relationships. Gradually the conversation comes to center on the opinions of an unemployed Chinese painter named Chen Jiayun, who may or may not have had an affair with his hostess Aimo already. 俠君把牛奶倒在茶碟里，叫淘气來舔，撫摸著淘气的毛，回答說：“這并不矛盾。這正是中國人傳統的心理，這也是貓的心理⋯⋯我中國學問根柢不深，記不起古代什么一位名將說過，士兵的勇气都從畏懼里出來，怕懼敵人，但是更怕懼自己的將帥，所以只有努力向前殺敵⋯⋯所以，怕打仗跟能打仗并不象傅聚卿所想象的那樣矛盾。” Isn't it possible that Jiayun's battle stations were ready where Jianhou's were not? 曹世昌說：“我沒有陳先生的气魄，不過，咱們知識分子有咱們對國家的職責。咱們能力所及，應該赶快去做。我想咱們應當喚起國際的同情，先博得輿論的支持，對日本人無信義的行為加以制裁⋯⋯ Satire worth dissecting here. And then: 曹世昌說：⋯⋯今年春天在倫敦舉行的中國藝術展覽會已經引起全世界文化人士對中國的注意，這是最好的机會，千万不要錯過⋯⋯這几句話講得頤谷心悅誠服，想畢竟是曹世昌有道理。 A basically ridiculous idea, as Fu Juqing points out: 有位英國朋友寫信給我說，從前歐洲一般人對日本藝術開始感覺興趣，是因為日俄之戰，日本人打了胜仗；現前斷定中日開戰，中國准打敗仗，所以忽然對中國藝術發生好奇心，好比大房子要換主人了，鄰居就會去探望。” The topic of discussion, in other words, is cultural crisis, which is a bit like the crisis of a home. And the shame of invasion is comparable to the shame of cuckolding, as we see in Lu Bolin's reply: 反正中國爭不來气，要依賴旁人。跟日本妥協，受英美保護，不過是半斤八兩。我就不明白這里面有什么不同。要說是國恥，兩者都是國恥。 Zheng Xuxi's follow-up brings back what I'm calling the central gesture of the story, the effort to dress up coarseness in a veneer of refinement, and then see what happens: 人生原是這樣，從丑和惡里提煉出美和善。就象桌子上新鮮的奶、雪白的糖、香噴噴的茶、精美可口的點心，這些好東西入口以后，到我們腸胃里經過生理化學的作用，變質變形，那种爛糊糟糕的狀態簡直不堪想象，想起來也該替這些又香又甜的好東西傷心叫屈。可是非有這樣肮髒的過程，肉体不會美和健康。我——” And then Aimo breaks in: 李太太截斷他道：“你講得叫人要反胃了！我們女人不愛听這种拐彎抹角的議論。人生有許多可恨、可厭，全不合理的事，沒法避免。假如戰爭免不了，你犯不著找深奧的理由，證明它合理，證明它好⋯⋯ The story becomes lecherous fast as this sequence comes to a close. Aimo begins to flirt with Yigu, which does not escape Jiayun's notice as it does Jianhou's: 頤谷听得出了神，注視著愛默講話時的側面，眼睛象兩星晶瑩的火，燃燒著惊奇和欽佩。陳俠君眼快，瞧見他這樣子，微笑向愛默做個眼色。愛默回頭看頤谷，頤谷羞得低下頭去，手指把面包捻成一個個小丸子。 Zhongshu is undeniably good at the affect of the shy young man! “你倒沒有聘個女——女秘書？”袁友春問建侯。他本要說“女書記”，忽然想到這稱呼太直率，做書記的頤谷听了也許刺耳，所以忙改口尊稱“秘書”，同時心里佩服自己的机靈周到。 A throwaway joke, but more evidence that self-satisfaction and narrow-mindedness are the follies being pilloried here. But the tea party doesn't end there: “而且一定也精益求精，象他對烹調一樣，沒有多少女人夠得上他的審美標准，”傅聚卿說。建侯听著，洋洋得意 Jianhou is so happy to receive attention he doesn't care or seem aware he will be the butt of humor again. 平常女子象這次西班牙內戰里弗郎哥的‘第五縱隊’，做間諜工作，把你顛倒了，你還在夢里。 Multi-cultural political humor.... 記得達爾文就觀察到狗能模仿人的幽默，我十几年前看德國心理學家潑拉埃講儿童心理的書里，也提起這類事。 Crackpot political humor makes a joke of political consciousness. On the cat, once more: 它在李府上養得久了，看慣美麗女主人的榜樣，無形中也受了感化。 Is this related to my surface refinement gesture? A more useful multi-lingual joke calls Jianhou a man out of place in time; meanwhile we confirm that the cat and the woman are closely related: 建侯假如生在十六世紀的法國，他這身段的曲線美，不知該使多少女人傾倒愛慕，不拿薪水當他的女書記呢！那時候的漂亮男女，都得把肚子凸出－－法國話好象叫Panserons－－鼓得愈高愈好，跟現代女人的束緊前面腹部而聳起后面臀部，正是相反。建侯算得古之法國美少年，也配得做淘气的榜樣。所以我說老袁倒果為因。并不是淘气學愛默的姿態，是愛默參考淘气的姿態，神而明之，自成一家。這話愛默听了不會生气的。傾國傾城，天字第一號外國美人是埃及女皇克婁巴德拉－－埃及的古風是女人愈象貓愈算得美。 And the transforming lady: 有時一個女人遠看很美，頗為可愛，走近了細瞧，才知道全是假的，長得既不好看，而且化妝的原料欠講究，化妝的技巧也沒到家。 Out of time tonight -- I'll return to this subject Tuesday night or Wednesday.