中印交流史上的一縷風(fēng)雅

今年是印度著名詩人、文學(xué)家、社會活動家、哲學(xué)家泰戈爾150周年誕辰。1924年泰戈爾應(yīng)孫中山先生之邀訪華，拉開了中印兩國近代史上規(guī)模最大的一次文化交流的序幕。曾獲諾貝爾文學(xué)獎的泰戈爾此次訪華，由徐志摩全程陪同并作翻譯。他們之間的友情也不斷加深，成為中印交流史上的一段風(fēng)雅佳話。

1924年4月12日上午10時，一艘輪船沿黃浦江緩緩駛進(jìn)上海匯山碼頭。輪船上紅帽銀須的印度詩哲泰戈爾出現(xiàn)在歡迎者的視線內(nèi)時，岸上響起了一陣激動的歡呼聲，中印兩國近代史上規(guī)模最大的一次文化交流就此拉開了序幕。

泰戈爾在上海入境，經(jīng)南京、濟(jì)南到北京，一路上會見各界著名人士，發(fā)表演講，全由詩人徐志摩翻譯。泰戈爾在上海、北京等地用英語發(fā)表演講，以其獨特的詩的語言、詩的意象，表達(dá)他深奧的政治、哲學(xué)觀點。要把他的講話精確地譯成中文是相當(dāng)困難的。然而，對英語有很深的造詣、文學(xué)功力深厚的徐志摩，翻譯起來卻顯得游刃有余。他以華麗的辭藻，抑揚頓挫的聲調(diào)，從容不迫、聲情并茂地把泰戈爾的思想傳遞給眾多聽眾。

徐志摩是真心誠意地崇拜泰戈爾。在泰戈爾來華前，他頻繁地與泰戈爾通信，安排來華的具體細(xì)節(jié)。在泰戈爾訪華過程中，他與泰戈爾形影不離，陪詩哲一同覲見中國末代皇帝溥儀；親自參演泰戈爾名劇《齊德拉》，以慶祝泰翁64歲的生日；泰戈爾訪華結(jié)束，徐志摩又陪他訪問日本，后一直把他送到香港，才依依惜別。

然而，令泰戈爾始料不及的是，迎接他的不但有春雷般的掌聲和美麗的鮮花，也有尖利刺人的荊棘。以五四新文化運動成果的捍衛(wèi)者和左翼文化人士，包括陳獨秀、茅盾、瞿秋白、吳稚暉、沈澤民、林語堂等，要“激顏厲色送他走”；而以梁啟超、徐志摩、胡適等為代表的另一批文化界人士，千方百計為他辯護(hù)，熱烈地歌頌他、宣揚他、歡迎他。

泰戈爾受到激烈批評的原因是多方面的，既與批評者對他的誤解有關(guān)，也與贊美、歡迎者大有干系，其中首當(dāng)其沖的是徐志摩。

無論是精神上、思想上還是在性情上，徐志摩與泰戈爾都是心心相印的。泰戈爾是徐志摩一生最為崇拜的偶像，也是他最知心的朋友。

然而，可能就是因為這種極端的崇拜，徐志摩沒能向中國人民客觀地介紹泰戈爾，而是帶有強(qiáng)烈的個人情緒，把泰戈爾敬若神仙。對曾獲得諾貝爾文學(xué)獎的泰戈爾進(jìn)行詩意的神化和過分的頌揚。當(dāng)時，泰戈爾正在積極為世界和平運動奔走，主張建立一個全人類相親相愛的理想王國。這位偉大的印度詩人和社會活動家的世界觀是矛盾而又復(fù)雜的，他支持正義，反對戰(zhàn)爭，但他所傳播的“愛”的福音和哲理顯然是中國的現(xiàn)實革命斗爭所不能接受的。中國當(dāng)時最迫切的任務(wù)是反帝反封建，中國人民當(dāng)時最重要的工作是積極參加即將到來的國民革命。而泰戈爾這時在中國到處宣傳以愛對抗暴力，大談博愛主義，這讓那些革命者看來就是在消磨人們的革命意志。

泰戈爾也從一開始就對徐志摩產(chǎn)生了好感，覺得“這是一位詩友”，“是一個性情活潑的人”。對詩歌藝術(shù)同樣的熱愛，對心靈自由共同執(zhí)著的追求，敞開了泰戈爾和徐志摩的心扉，使他們成為無話不談的忘年交。在泰戈爾訪華形影相隨的日子里，兩人結(jié)下深厚的友誼，并且經(jīng)常互相交換詩和畫。徐志摩稱泰戈爾為“老戈爹”，泰戈爾在徐志摩家鄉(xiāng)時，“觀者如堵，各校學(xué)生數(shù)百名齊奏歌樂，群向行禮，頗極一時之盛。”泰戈爾為他的中國知音起了一個印度名字——蘇薩瑪。在孟加拉語中，“蘇薩瑪”意謂雅士，這對風(fēng)流倜儻的徐志摩來說，是個貼切的名字。

徐志摩的故居坐落在浙江嘉興海寧硤石鎮(zhèn)。逝去的歲月給這600多平方米的小洋樓留下了滄桑，但詩人的浪漫氣質(zhì)卻穿透滄桑，散發(fā)出絲絲縷縷的情思和馨香。

1897年1月15日，徐志摩出生在硤石鎮(zhèn)保寧坊的一戶富商人家。徐志摩自小過著優(yōu)裕的公子生活。1910年春，徐志摩離開家鄉(xiāng)，進(jìn)入杭州府中學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)，跟郁達(dá)夫是同班同學(xué)。1915年夏，他在杭州一中畢業(yè)后即考入北京大學(xué)預(yù)科。同年秋回家鄉(xiāng)與當(dāng)時政界、金融界赫赫有名的張氏的千金張幼儀結(jié)婚。然而徐志摩并不愛張幼儀。時值“五四”愛國運動正在孕育之時，徐志摩于1918年從上海搭乘客輪留學(xué)去了。在美、英等國家，他廣交名流，受到那“奇異的風(fēng)”的吹拂。

徐志摩初試啼聲，在英國劍橋開始了他的寫詩生涯。徐志摩氣質(zhì)浪漫，但并非花花公子。來到英國后，他的情緒由熱烈轉(zhuǎn)向淡泊，生活由緊張轉(zhuǎn)向閑暇，性格越來越趨向于清高和超脫，徐志摩敏于交際，善于言談，他在英國劍橋這個文化沙龍里周旋自如。

1922年10月15日徐志摩回到祖國。他的文學(xué)活動貫穿新月社的始終，被稱為“新月的靈魂”。對于新月社的名稱，曾有不同的說法，但陳西瀅與梁實秋都說“新月”二字套用自泰戈爾的一部詩集《新月集》。

新月社最初是想通過搞戲劇“露崚角”，但直到1924年泰戈爾來華才演出短劇《齊德拉》。容貌出眾的林徽因在劇中飾公主，風(fēng)流儒雅的徐志摩扮演愛神。

泰戈爾在北京天壇草坪上登臺演說時，由林徽因攙扶著，“林小姐人艷如花，和老詩人挾臂而行，加上長袍白面、郊寒島瘦的徐志摩，猶如蒼松竹梅的一幅三友圖”，當(dāng)時報紙上刊登有這三人合影的照片，一時傳為美談。

于是，一個纏綿悱惻的愛情故事問世了。26歲才華橫溢的徐志摩愛上了風(fēng)華絕代的林徽因，但結(jié)果是林徽因成了徐志摩恩師梁啟超的兒媳婦。就在徐志摩極其沮喪的時候，能歌善舞、能寫會畫的陸小曼走進(jìn)了他的生活。徐志摩把小洋樓親昵地稱為“香巢”，每日都要為陸小曼買一束鮮花。他故居后面有一口水井，徐志摩用詩一樣的語言對陸小曼說：“眉！這一潭清冽的泉水，你不來洗濯，誰來？你不來解渴，誰來？”陸小曼來了，1926年10月3日，他們在北海舉行了一個簡單的婚禮之后，便雙雙翩然南下。

泰戈爾在訪華期間，由徐志摩陪同，會見了梁啟超、沈鈞儒、梅蘭芳、梁漱溟、齊白石等各界名流。泰戈爾訪華后回到印度，將他在中國的演講匯編成《在中國的講話》，此書的扉頁上寫道：“獻(xiàn)給我的朋友蘇薩瑪，由于他的周到照料，我得以結(jié)識偉大的中國人民。”泰戈爾把印中兩國文化交流當(dāng)作他訪華的使命，此題詞是對完成這一使命的過程中徐志摩熱誠相助的充分肯定。

頻繁的越洋鴻書，不斷加深著泰戈爾和徐志摩的友情。1929年，泰戈爾結(jié)束在國外的講學(xué)，回國途經(jīng)上海，在徐志摩家小住。徐志摩夫婦早為他布置了一間富有印度情調(diào)的房間，可泰戈爾卻偏偏喜歡擺著古色古香家具的徐志摩的臥室，徐志摩當(dāng)即作了調(diào)整，讓泰戈爾度過幾天愉快的時光。臨別前，泰戈爾用孟加拉語寫了一首贈詩：

親愛的，我羈留旅途，

光陰枉擲，櫻花已凋零，

喜的是遍野的映山紅，

顯現(xiàn)你慰藉的笑容。□

An Unforgettable Event in the History of Cultural Exchanges between China and India

By Fei Siming

Year 2011 is the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)， a Bengali poet， novelist， musician， painter and playwright who reshaped Bengali literature and music. The great man was the first non-European in history who was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.

On April 12， 1924 Tagore arrived in Shanghai， starting his first visit to China at the invitation of Dr. Sun Yat-sen. Accompanied by Xu Zhimo (1897-1931)， a celebrated early 20th-century Chinese poet， Tagore made this visit that marked the biggest cultural exchange between China and India in modern history.

Tagore’s first stop in China was Shanghai. Traveling northward through Nanjing and Jinan， he ended his visit in Beijing. Xu Zhimo was with him all the way， interpreting his thought to Chinese people vividly and expertly. Xu adored Tagore wholeheartedly. Through busy correspondence before Tagore’s visit in China， Xu made detailed arrangements for the Bengali poet’s visit. During the sage’s days in China， the two scholars were like peas and carrots. They even granted an audience with Pu Yi， the last emperor of China who has been dethroned as the result of 1911 Revolution. After his visit to China， Tagore visited Japan. On his way home the poet stopped over Hong Kong. Xu accompanied Tagore to Japan and then all the way to Hong Kong before waving farewell.

Tagore liked this Zhejiang poet at first sight. He regarded Xu as a poetic companion， a lively buddy. Sharing the same devotion to poetry and art， seeking for the same kind of mental freedom， Tagore opened his mind to this romantic fellow. They soon became good friends despite great difference in age， being in each other's confidence. They exchanged poetry and paintings frequently， spending hours in a pleasant conversation. They even gave nicknames to each other with good wish.

However， Tagore did not bargain for so much difficulty in China. Besides praise and applause， there were also thorns on the way. At that time， there were two streams of thought in Chinese society. The defenders of the achievement of May 4th New Culture Movement， including Chen Duxiu， Guo Moruo， Mao Dun and other revolutionary intellectuals gave him cold shoulder， calling for his leave. While more conservative Chinese cultural celebrities， represented by Liang Qichao， Xu Zhimo and Hu Shi， defended him， praising and advocating his work passionately.

The reason why Tagore was criticized was manifold. It was both due to some critics’ misconception and some Chinese scholars’ over-glorification of Tagore’s attainments.

Tagore and Xu shared each other’s interest. They were very much alike both in mind and temperament. Xu regarded the Bengali poet as an idol， a bosom friend. Perhaps it was Xu’s excessive adoration made him fail to introduce Tagore to Chinese people objectively. With a strong personal emotion， Xu deified him， eulogizing the great man inappropriately.

Tagore was canvassing for the world peace in many countries at that time， advocating a Utopia without war. He stood up for justice， opposing conflict. Such kind of philosophy of love was undesirable in Chinese society under the ongoing revolutionary endeavors in those days. The most urgent mission for Chinese at that time was to combat imperialism and feudalism. The most important task for them was to devote themselves to national revolution at hand. Tagore’s propaganda for love， peace， spiritual civilization and philanthropy was great， but many Chinese revolutionaries thought it would wear down people’s determination to fight.

During Tagore’s days in China， he visited Liang Qichao， Mei Lanfang， Shen Junru and other Chinese cultural and art celebrities in the accompaniment of Xu Zhimo.

After Tagore finished his visit in China and returned to his country， he put his speeches made in China into a book. On the title page of the book was printed a sentence， “To my Chinese friend. Under the care of him， I was able to make acquaintance with the great Chinese people”.

Tagore made cultural exchanges between China and India as the purpose of his visit to China. His inscription on the book was a way to show his appreciation of Xu Zhimo’s great help.

The frequent correspondence enhanced the friendship between Tagore and Xu day by day. In 1929， Tagore called on Xu and his wife at their apartment in Shanghai on his way back to India after his overseas lectures. They spent some joyful days together. Tagore composed a poem before leaving to show his gratitude for Xu’s generous hospitality and to commemorate their sincere friendship.□