塵寰萬事，何以陳說

艾米·S.

Its said there isnt anyone you couldnt learn to love， once youve heard their story. Dave Isay knows that. The ability to honor every human by listening to what they have to say about themselves is central to StoryCorps1， the nonprofit he founded in 2003.

The premise of StoryCorps is simple： One person interviews another and their conversation is recorded for posterity2. Its a strikingly straightforward proposition. But then， storytelling has always been less about glitz or gadgetry and more about connection and communication. No matter the tech， humans have invariably figured out a compelling way to tell each other stories.

Thats not to say we all tell stories the same way. Far from it. As Kay Turner， a folklorist and independent scholar whos on the board of the New York Folklore Society， notes， “Even if a story is the same， each culture will tell it differently， because each one has its own genres and cultural rules.” Thats led to a host of different traditions and practices beloved around the world. Here are just some of them.

Hula

You might not know it while on an island vacation luau3， but traditional hula dancers dance not to a beat， but to language， Hawaiian-language chants or songs. Without the words， the dance loses meaning as a story. Hula shares traditional stories as well as mythology and creation tales， including those of the gods and goddesses of the islands.

Chinese Shadow Puppetry

Traditional shadow puppetry tells folk stories， issues moral lessons， and projects specific local customs. Most often seen at celebrations such as weddings or religious festivals， the puppets are silhouettes shaped from leather or paper that are manipulated on long rods by storytellers. The puppeteers either sing， often in falsetto， or are accompanied by singers and musicians. Though it originated in China during the Han dynasty， the tradition has spread to countries throughout Southeast Asia.

Zajal

The classical Arabic version of a poetry slam4 or rap battle， Zajal originated in Lebanon and is practiced across the Middle East and the United Arab Emirates. Competitions pit one poet or spoken-word artist against5 another. One poet recites a stanza （often insulting the opponent）， then the other responds with a stanza using the same meter and rhyme.

Cunto

This ancient Sicilian storytelling method draws from Greek theatre and relies heavily on improvisation. It alternates between sung verse and spoken prose and is often performed on a small wooden platform. The stories can occasionally include marionettes， though are typically told with a single prop or none at all. The storytellers， known as cuntisti， traditionally tell stories of epic heroes and their struggles， though these days they also include tales of daily Sicilian life.

Rakugo

This Japanese tradition is performed in monologues by a single storyteller， called a hanashika6. The storytellers are similar to comedians， and they tell tales of daily life and reinforce historical and moral lessons， though they generally avoid making direct reference to particular events or figures.

Griot

Griots， or Jelis， are the traditional keepers of a societys history in West African cultures. Griot storytellers often play instruments such as the kora， similar to a lute7， and preserve family and cultural histories in the manner of a genealogist. In some West African cultures， griots were at once singers of praise and messengers for nobility.

Bharatanatyam

Indian temple dancers， or devadasis8， perform bharatanatyam， a dance that is considered a form of prayer. The dances tell the stories of specific deities， such as Krishna or Shiva， and are unique to different temples and spiritual days. While the bharatanatyam， which originated in Tamil Nadu， in South India， has been in existence for millennia， it has experienced a renaissance in the past century.

Calypso

Calypso developed in the early 20th century in Trinidad， where the lyrics， which described local life and neighborhood dramas， were used as a tool to share news and shine a light on everything from the challenges of a banana farmer to local political corruption. As a political tool， calypso was often subject to censorship by the government. “Song is a popular form of expression in all Caribbean storytelling，” says Maxine Alexander， a Jamaican-American artist and storyteller. “Reggae9 and calypso deal very heavily in political injustice and social disparity， so storytellers use this musical platform to express things that couldnt be spoken about. Were singing about the stories around us in daily life.”

據說，人人都有可愛之處，聽過他們的人生故事就會愛上他們。戴夫·伊賽深諳此道。他于2003年創立了非營利性組織StoryCorps，該組織的核心宗旨就是通過傾聽個體的人生自述來表達對每一個生命的尊重。

StoryCorps的設想極為簡單：一人與另一人訪談，記錄談話內容傳于后世。這一做法格外簡潔明了。不過，講故事始終沒有多少浮華雕飾，更多側重聯系溝通。無論技術如何發展，人類總能找到方法將彼此的故事講得引人入勝。

這并非意味著我們述說故事的方法千篇一律，實際上遠非如此。紐約民俗學會理事凱·特納是一位民俗學家，亦是一位獨立學者。正如她所指出的那般，“即便故事內容一式一樣，每種文化的陳說之道也會各有不同，因每種文化均有其特有的體裁與文化準則”。這便使世上有了許多各不相同但同樣深受喜愛的傳統與習俗。以下僅為其中幾例。

草裙舞

在盡情享受夏威夷度假中的美饌盛宴時，你或許還不知道，傳統草裙舞舞者們的翩翩舞步，附和的并非節拍，而是語言——夏威夷語的圣歌或歌曲。若有曲無詞，舞蹈便失去了敘事性。草裙舞講述的是傳統故事及神話和創世故事，包括群島之上男女諸神的故事。

中國皮影戲

傳統的皮影戲講述民間故事，傳達道德訓誡，展現當地特有的風土人情。皮影戲多見于婚禮、宗教節日等慶典。皮影剪影由皮革或紙板制成，說書人以長竿操縱。皮影戲藝人要么以假聲歌唱，要么由歌者或樂師進行伴奏。這一傳統雖起源于漢代的中國，但已遠播至東南亞各國。

俚謠

俚謠是一種傳統的阿拉伯語詩歌吟誦對抗賽，起源于黎巴嫩，盛行于中東和阿拉伯聯合酋長國。參與該項賽事一對一比拼的是詩人或說唱藝術家們。詩人背誦一段詩節（時常用語言攻擊對手），對方用韻律與韻腳與之毫無二致的一段詩節回敬。

昆托

這一源遠流長的西西里敘事方式以希臘戲劇為鑒，且在很大程度上依靠即興創作。它在唱詩與念白之間來回切換，通常于一隅盈尺木臺上進行表演。在故事的講述過程中，偶爾會有牽線木偶登場，不過通常僅會借助一件道具（或全無道具）。敘事者一般被喚作cuntisti，通常講述史詩英雄及其斗爭故事，但如今也講述西西里人的日常生活。

落語

這一日本傳統藝術由喚作“噺家”的說書人以獨白的形式進行表演。說書人類似喜劇演員，他們訴說市井的家長里短，注重歷史與道德訓誡，但通常避免直接提及特定事件或人物。

部族史說唱藝人

在西非文化之中，部族史說唱藝人（或Jelis）是社會歷史的傳統守護者。部族史說唱藝人經常演奏類似于魯特琴的科拉琴之類的樂器，并以系譜學家的方式對家族與文化歷史羅縷紀存。在西非某些地方的文化中，部族史說唱藝人既是詠功頌德的歌者，亦是膏腴貴游的使者。

婆羅多舞

印度的神廟舞者（或叫神廟舞女）表演婆羅多舞，這種舞蹈被視為祈禱的一種形式。舞蹈表現特定神靈（如奎師那或濕婆）的故事，每個神廟和宗教節日都有各自獨特的舞蹈。婆羅多舞起源于南印度泰米爾納德邦，已然長存千年，又在過去的百年重振旗鼓。

卡利普索民歌

卡利普索民歌盛行于20世紀初的特立尼達拉島。字里行間，將當地風土人情和家長里短的故事娓娓道來。這些歌詞被用于傳播消息，揭露蕉農遭遇的苦難和地方政治的腐敗等人世黑暗。作為政治工具，卡利普索即興諷刺歌時常受到政府審查。“在加勒比海地區的各種敘事法中，歌曲是一種流行的表達形式。”牙買加裔美國藝術家、敘事者馬克辛·亞歷山大說道，“雷蓋樂與卡利普索民歌重在揭露政治的不公正與社會的不平等，敘事者借這一曲榭歌臺，將不可言宣之事曲盡其妙。所詠之事，盡是日常生活?！?/p>

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者）