An essay written by Bajin 巴金 鸟的天堂 Bird Paradise An essay written by Bajin

Stone sculpture of Bajin’s essay Bird Paradise Bajin Having taken super in Chen’s primary school, the sweltering hot air had lessened and the setting sun had fallen behind the hill while a bright rosy cloud was staying in the sky, above the hill and beside the treetops. 鸟的天堂 巴金 我们在陈的小学校里吃了晚饭。热气已经退了。太阳落下了山坡，只留下一段灿烂的红霞在天，在山头，在树梢。在山树梢。

“我们划船去！”陈提议说。我们正站在学校门前池子旁边看山景。 “好，”别的朋友高兴地接口说。 Chen’s family memorial hall, the former primary school was located nearby Chen Family’s memorial temple. The former primary school was located in the temple. When we were standing beside a pond at the front of the school’s gate to watch the hill scenery, “Let’s have a rowing”, Chen, the school master suggested. “Well,” others replied with joy. “我们划船去！”陈提议说。我们正站在学校门前池子旁边看山景。 “好，”别的朋友高兴地接口说。

我们走过一段石子路，很快地就到了河边。那里有—个茅草搭的水阁。穿过水阁，在河边两棵大树下我们找到了几只小船。我们陆续跳在一只船上。一个朋友解开绳子，拿起竹竿一拨，船缓缓地动了，向河中间流去。 Passing through a stone-paved path we came to the river shore. There was a thatch pavilion beside the water. Behind the pavilion, we found several small boats laying beside the trees along the water edge. We jumped onto one of the boats. One of my friends untied the rope, adjusted slightly with a bamboo pole, the boat moved slowly toward the water.

三个朋友划着船，我和叶坐在船中望四周的景致。 远远地一座塔耸立在山坡上，许多绿树拥抱着它。在这附近很少有那样的塔，那里就是朋友叶的家乡。 Three of us were rowing; Ye and I sat in the boat center to watch sceneries around. 远远地一座塔耸立在山坡上，许多绿树拥抱着它。在这附近很少有那样的塔，那里就是朋友叶的家乡。 A pagoda embraced with green trees was erected at a distant mountain slope. There were few pagodas of such type nearby, it was Ye’s homeland. Three of us were rowing; Ye and I sat in the boat center to watch the sceneries around. A pagoda embraced with green trees was erected at a distant mountain slope. There were few pagodas of such type nearby, it was Ye’s homeland.

天马河落日 Sunset at Tianma River 河面很宽，白茫茫的水上没有波浪。船平静地在水面流动。三只桨有规律地在水里拨动, 那声音就像一支乐曲。 The water was rather wide; no waves on the vast and white water surface. The boat moved calmly on the water. Three oars were rowed regularly with a sound like a music.

在一个地方河面变窄了。一簇簇的绿叶伸到水面来。树叶绿得可爱。这是许多棵茂盛的榕树，但是我看不出树干在什么地方。 The water became narrower at a certain place, where bunches of green leaves extended to the water surface. How lovely these green leaves were. There had to be a plenty of flourish figs, but I couldn’t see where the stems were.

我说许多棵榕树的时候，我的错误马上就给朋友们纠正了，一个朋友说那里只有一棵榕树，另一个朋友说那里的榕树是两棵。我见过不少的大榕树，但是像这样大的榕树我却是第一次看见。 While I said that there would be many figs, my friends corrected my mistake immediately. One said there was only one single tree, another said there were two. I had seen many large fig trees, but it was the first time to see such a huge fig.

我们的船渐渐地逼近榕树了。我有了机会看见它的真面目：是一棵大树，有着数不清的桠枝，枝上又生根，有许多根一直垂到地上，进了泥土里。一部分的树枝垂到水面，从远处看，就像一棵大树躺在水上一样。 When our boat was approaching the fig gradually, I were able to view its true features: yes, it was a huge single tree with countless branches; roots were grown from the branches, many of them hung toward the ground and penetrated into the soil. Some branches hung towards the water. To view distantly, it seemed as if a huge tree sleeping upon the water.

现在正是枝叶繁茂的时节（树上已经结了小小的果子，而且有许多落下来了。）这棵榕树好像在把它的全部生命力展览给我们看。那么多的绿叶，一簇堆在另一簇上面，不留一点缝隙。 It was just the season for plant growing (tiny nuts were grown at the tree, many of them had fallen down). The fig seemed to show us her entire vital ability. There were so many green leaves, bunches upon bunches without any gap remained.

翠绿的颜色明亮地在我们的眼前闪耀，似乎每一片树叶上都有一个新的生命在颤动，这美丽的南国的树！ The bluish green color spackled before our eyes seemed as if new lives were throbbing at every leaf. What a pretty southern country tree it was!

船在树下泊了片刻，岸上很湿，我们没有上去。朋友说这里是“鸟的天堂”，有许多只鸟在这棵树上做窝，农民不许人捉它们。我仿佛听见几只鸟扑翅的声音，但是等到我的眼睛注意地看那里时，我却看不见一只鸟的影子。只有无数的树根立在地上，像许多根木桩。地是湿的，大概涨潮时河水常常冲上岸去。“鸟的天堂”里没有一只鸟，我这样想道。 The boat was laid under the tree for a while; we hadn’t land on the shore for it was quite wet. One of my friends told me it was the “bird paradise”; many birds nested on the tree; famers didn’t allow bird hunting here. I seemed to hear a bird flapping sound; but there was no birds in my sight. Tree roots erecting at the ground seemed as wood stakes. The land was wet, for water rushed frequently to the shore during flood tide. There were no birds in the “bird paradise”, I supposed.

第二天我们划着船到叶的家乡去，就是那个有山有塔的地方。 We drove to Ye’s homeland next day; there were mountains and pagoda in his homeland.

从陈的小学校出发，又经过那个“鸟的天堂”。这一次是在早晨，阳光照在水面上，也照在树梢。一切都显得非常明亮。我们的船也在树下泊了片刻。 Departing from Chen’s primary school, we had once again come by the “bird paradise”. It was a bright morning; sunlight shined upon the water and treetops. Everything here was bright and clear. Our boat was laid under the same tree for a while.

起初四周非常清静。 It was quiet and calm around at first.

后来忽然起了一声鸟叫。朋友陈把手一拍，我们便看见一只大鸟飞起来，接着又看见第二只，第三只。我们继续拍掌。很快地这个树林变得很热闹了。到处都是鸟声，到处都是鸟影。大的，小的，花的，黑的，有的站在枝上叫，有的飞起来，有的在扑翅膀。我注意地看着。我的眼睛真是应接不暇，看清楚这只，又错过了那只，看见了那只，另一只又飞起来了。 Then, a sound of bird crow broke out suddenly. My friend Chen clapped his hand at once, we saw a big bird flying out afterward, and then came the second and the third. We followed clapping continuously; the forest became noisier and noisier. There were birds crying and flying everywhere; big, small, multi-colored or black. Some were standing and crying at A tree branch, some were flying and some were flapping. I kept my eyes open attentively, but my eyes were too busy to attend; having watched one of the birds clearly, I missed the others.

一只画眉鸟飞了出来，被我们的掌声一吓，又飞进了叶丛，站在一根小枝上兴奋地叫着，那歌声真好听。 A thrush flew out; it might be frightened by our clapping, flew to the leaf clump, stood at a small branch and cried excitingly; its singing was very lovely and attracting.

“走吧，”叶催我道。小船向着高塔下面的乡村流去的时候，我还回过头去看留在后面的茂盛的榕树。我有一点的留恋的心情。 “Let’s go”, Ye hastened me. When the boat was driven toward the village beside a high pagoda, I turned my head to look the flourish fig with a reluctant feeling.

昨天我的眼睛骗了我。“鸟的天堂”的确是鸟的天堂啊！ 1933年6月， 广州 My eyes cheated me yesterday. “Bird paradise” was rarely a paradise of birds! Written in Guanzhou, June 1933

“鸟的天堂”位于广东新会县天马村，原先是天马河中的一个冲积土墩。17世纪时有位道士无意将一枝榕树枝插在土墩上。由于当地的热带性气候及肥沃的土地，这根树枝逐渐成长竟独木成林，覆盖了整个土墩面积约1000平方米。几千只鸟在此安家，早出晚归叹为奇观。 The ‘Bird Paradise’ was located in Tianma village of Xinhui county, Guandong China. It was originally a mud pier in a small river passing through the village. A religious worker stuck a fig branch in the ground accidently in 17th century . Thanks to the tropical climate and the fertile soil, it has multiplied to form a single tree forest covering the whole pier about 10,000 square meters and created a home for tens of thousands of birds flying and hovering at dawn and dusk.

巴金先生于1933年来这里旅游后写了篇散文“鸟的天堂”。巴金的散文使这地方声名大振，当地人原先称之为‘雀墩’，此后改名为“小鸟天堂”或“榕树岛”。 Bajin, one of the most famous novelists in China wrote an essay ‘Bird Paradise’ after he visited there in 1933. The place has become well-known afterwards. It was called as ‘bird mound’ originally; since then it has been renamed as ‘Bird Paradise’ or ‘Fig Islet’.

为了开发当地旅游经济，在“鸟的天堂”对岸兴建了游乐公园。因为不允许游客游客登岛，公园建造了赏鸟楼并提供游船环岛服务。 To enhance the local tourism for economical benefits, an entertainment park has been established at the opposite bank of the ‘Bird Paradise’. The park has provided bird watching platform and boating around the islet, for visitors are not allowed to set foot on the islet.

但最近的博客揭露游客在那里很难见到飞翔的鸟，但可以观赏笼中鸟作为代替。 But, recent blog pages reveal that visitors can hardly see any flying birds there; they may watch caged birds instead. http://blog.163.com/like_zbf/blog/static/1305230732011019101951105/

或许是环境污染及旅游增长的沉重负担迫使鸟类迁居。 May be the environmental pollution and the over burden of tourism growth keep the birds away.

Hope them come back soon! God bless the birds, Hope them come back soon! English translation: Zhenquan Pei www.slideshare.net/zqPei

附记 巴金先生在文中提到的“朋友”是新会大泽乡陈洪有先生，天马乡人陈毓就、即文中提到的小学校长“陈”、天禄乡人叶渠均（文中提到的“叶”），还有廖北和、刘家沃等青年。1930年他们在上海劳动大学读书时深受陶行知办学思想的影响，在实践中研究和试验乡村教育，贯彻知行合一、手脑双全的教育理论。1932年春，以陈洪有为首的这群朝气蓬勃、进步有为的新会籍上海劳动大学毕业生，在当时新会篁竹乡（今江门市郊篁庄管理区）创办了西江乡村师范学校，他们分别担任该校各教学组组长……（摘自百度） 文中的“陈”是不是“陈氏祠堂”陈姓后人， 是我大胆臆测，未经考征。 因为找不到“叶”故乡（天禄乡）的古塔照片，引用了新会茶坑乡（梁启超故乡）的尼子塔，请谅解。