书城文学胡适留学日记
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第50章 民国四年(1915)二月十八日至六月七日(4)

Supremelord!Wewhoareabouttodie

Salutethee!Wehavecomeallatthycall

Tolaydownstrengthandsoulandallinall,

withoutamurmuring,norknowingwhy!

Butah!howwildroamtheselastthoughtsofours!

Howvividwerecallthethrillinglore

OfthoseAl·anGiants,whoofyore

Daredmetetheirstrengthagainstthywrathfulpowers;

Andbroughttheefromtheheavensandcaptivedthee,

TillallfourSeasonspassedbyandtheEarth

Withmirthbadewelcometothethirteenthbirth

Ofthenewmoonsincethycaptivity!

Andknow’stthouwhatthesedyingeyesbehold?

“Midsthumananguishandwar’sthund”ringstorms,

Therehavearisentwonewgiganticforms

Ofceaselessgrowthandpotencyuntold.

Andintheiradventweheartoll’dthyknell!

They-LoveandLaw-shallrightallhumanwrong,

AndPeaceandJusticebemankind’snewsong.

Sobeouridlewish:nowfaretheewell!

〔中译〕告马斯

垂死之臣敬礼陛下

至高无上之神啊!垂死之臣

向汝敬礼!吾人皆奉召而来

向汝奉献吾人之力量、灵魂和一切,

没有一丝呻吟,不问任何缘由!

啊!垂死之臣思绪万千,心潮澎湃!

回忆起有关亚兰巨人之传说

这令人激动之传说在眼前栩栩如生,

惟有这些巨人胆敢冒犯汝暴怒之龙颜;

他们将汝撵下天庭,捆缚结实,

一年四季悄悄地流逝了

吾人满怀欣喜祝贺汝之新生

成阶下囚十三个月后汝又降临!

汝可知垂死之眼注视着什么?

在人类之苦难和战争之硝烟中,

出现了两个崭新之巨人形象,

他们持续生长,力大无比。

他们一来就把汝之丧钟敲响!

他们--爱和法律--将匡正人类之过失,

和平和正义将为人类谱写新曲。

此乃吾人之愚愿:祝汝顺利!

二四、致留学界公函

(三月十九夜)

ANOPENLEITERTOALLCHINESE

STUDENTS

MydearBrethren:

IfImayjudgefromthesentimentsexpressedinthelastissueoftheMonthly,Iamafraidwehavecompletelylostourheads,andhavegonemad.“Fightandbevanquished,ifwemust”,saysoneClub.EvenMr.W.K.Chung,aChristianofmaturethought,declaresinfieryeloquence:“Evenifwefightandbedefeatedandconsequentlysufferthedisgraceoflosingourcountry,-eventhiscourseshouldbeinevitableandpreordained,Istillsay,wecouldnotbutchoosetofight...LetusfightandbeconqueredlikeBelgium.”EvenourEditor-in-chiefwhoinhiseditorialsadvisedusthathotheadshavenoplaceinthedeliberationofsuchgreatnationaldangerandthatweshouldconsultourheadsaswellasourhearts.-evenhewritesonanotherpage:“TheChinesewillhavenochoice(whichtheywillnothesitatetomake)buttofight!”

Now,letmesaythatallthisispureinsanity.Wehavelostourheads.Weareexcited,nervous,nay,“patrioticallyinsane.”MyBrethren,itisabsolutelyuselesstogetexcitedatsuchacriticalmoment.Noexcitement,norhigh-soundingsentiments,norsensationalsuggestions,haveeverhelpedanynation.Talkingoffighting“onpaper”isthemostshallowcourseforustotake,whocallourselves“students”and“capablemen”.

ItseemstomethattherightcourseforusstudentstotakeatthismomentandatthisdistancefromChina,isthis.Letusbecalm.LetusDOOURDUTYwhichisTOSTUDY.Letusnotbecarriedawaybytheturmoilofthenewspaperfromourseriousmission.Letusapplyourselvesseriously,calmly,undisturbedlyandunshakenlytoourstudies,andPREPAREOURSELVEStoupliftourfatherland,ifshesurvivesthiscrisis-asIamsureshewill,-ortoresurrectherfromthedead,ifitneedsbe!

MyBrethren,THATisourdutyandourrightcourse!

Isay,talkingoffightingJapanatthispresentmomentisinsanity.Forhowcanwefight?OurEditor-in-chiefsaysthatwehavethefightingstrengthofonemilliondeterminedsoldiers.Letuslookatthefacts,wehaveatmost120,000soldiersthatcanbecalled“trained”,butpoorlyequipped.Andwehaveabsolutelynonavy:thelargestvesselinournavyisathird-classcruiserwithadisplacementof4,300tons.Andhowaboutmunitions?Whatshallwefightwith?

SoIsaywithallsincerityandwithalldevotiontoChina,thatitispurenonsenseandfoolishnesstotalkoffightingwhenthereisnottheslightestchanceofgaininganythingbutdevastation,anddevastation,anddevastation!

AndyoutalkofBelgium--ofheroicBelgium!MydearBrethren,letmetellyouwithallmyheartandsoulthattoresistthetideofanoceanwithasinglehandisnoheroism,andthattostrikeaneggagainstarockisnoheroism!Moreover,Belgiumdidnotcontemplatesuchanutterdefeat.ReadsuchbooksasHowBelgiumSavedEuropebyDr.CharlesSaroleaofBelgium,andyouwillseethatshewassureofFrenchassistanceandofBritishsupport.AndshewasconfidentofherLiegeandherAntwerpwhichhadthereputationofbeingthestrongestfortificationsintheworld.SoBelgiumstakedallherfortuneforthe“glory”ofbeingaheroicnation!Wasthattruecourage?Wasthattrueheroism?

AndmyBrethren,thinkofBelgiumandoftheBelgiansoftoday!Isthe“glory”ofheroismworthallthesacrifice?

IamnotblamingtheBelgians.WhatIwanttopointouthereisthatBelgiumisnotworthChina’simitating,andthatwhosoeverwishesChinatofollowBelgium’spathandfateissinningagainstChina.

Inconclusion,letmerepeat:DONOTGETEXCITED:LETUSDOOURDUTYWHICHISTOSTUDY.

ThefinalsolutionoftheFarEasternQuestionisnottobesoughtinfightingJapanatpresent;norinanyexternalinterferencebyanyotherPowerorPowers;norinanytemporaryreliefsuchastheequilibriumofpowersorthatoftheOpenDoor;norinanysuchproposalastheJapaneseMonroeDoctrine.Therealandfinalsolutionmustbesoughtsomewhereelse-far,fardeeperthanmostofusnowsuspect.Idonotknowwhereinitlies:Ionlyknowwhereinitdoesnotlie.Letusstudyitoutcalmlyanddispassionately.

Readthislettercarefullybeforeyoucondemnme.

Veryearnestly,

Yourbrother,

SuhHu

Ithaca,N.Y.

〔中译〕致留学界公函

诸位:

以上月期刊中各位所表示之义愤观之,余担忧吾辈皆头脑发热,理智失常。某一学生会以为“吾辈非战即死”。甚至连这位通情达理之基督徒--W·K·钟君也义愤填膺,宣称“倘使吾辈命中注定:凡战必败,终要遭受亡国之辱,余仍要说,吾辈别无选择,只有决一死战……宁可像比国人一样,非战即死。”甚至连该刊主笔先生,日前还在社论中劝诫众人,在此民族危亡之际,切不可鲁莽行事,乱了方寸,义愤之馀还须诉诸理智,如今他也在另一文中写道:“中国人别无选择,只有决一死战!(国人将毫不犹豫作此选择)”

此刻,余要说上述言论完全是疯话。吾辈情绪激动,神经紧张,理智失常,可以说是得了“爱国癫”。诸位,在此危急关头,情绪激动是决无益处的。激动之情绪,慷慨激昂之爱国呼号,危言耸听之条陈,未尝有助于国。吾辈自称“学子”、“干材”,若只是“纸上”谈兵,则此举未免过于肤浅。

以余观之,吾辈学子,远去祖国,爱莫能助;当务之急,当以镇静处之。让吾等各就本分,各尽责职;吾辈之责任乃是读书学习。不可让报章上所传之纠纷,耽误吾辈之学业。吾等正要严肃、冷静、不惊、不慌,安于学业,力争上流,为将来振兴祖国作好一番准备,只要她能幸免于难--余深信如此--若是不能,吾辈将为在废墟上重建家园而努力!

诸位,这才是吾辈之责任!才是吾辈之当务之急!

余以为,此刻言及对日作战,简直是发疯。我何以作战?主笔先生说,我有一百万敢决一死战之雄狮。且让大家来看一下事实:我仅有十二万士兵谈得上是“训练有素”的,然其装备甚为简陋。而且,我海军毫无战斗力:军中最大之战舰乃一三等巡洋舰,其排水吨位仅为四千三百吨。另外,军火又如何呢?我何以作战?