藝伎童話般的愛情故事 (w English and extracts)

 

撿起這本《藝伎回憶錄》，完全是出於一種好奇。這本25美分的舊小說是從圖書館外麵的架子上買的，一直被遺棄在車後備箱的一角。每次買菜打開後備箱看到，也提不起興致撿起來放進車庫裏。想當年，章子怡演的這部電影被炒得沸沸揚揚，我都不曾心動去看。 想到藝妓，腦子裏出現的就是一張抹的跟吊死鬼那麽白的臉，配上濃豔的兩瓣嘴唇，高高盤起的發髻，真是沒有太多的美感，除了這身和服，還有點欣賞價值，也不覺得日本舞能有什麽看頭。兩個星期前的一天，打開後備箱又看見那本書角越來越卷起的書，不知哪根筋觸動了，撿起開始讀。沒想到，不到兩個星期，這四百多頁的小說一氣嗬成地讀完了。

 

 

小說是一個美國作家寫的，以第一人稱講述二十世紀三十年代一位漂亮的九歲女孩（後來的藝名小百合Sayuri）因母親病重，父親年衰，被人以75日元從偏僻的魚村賣到燈紅酒綠的Kyoto的Gion，一個以藝伎聞名的地區，住進一家Okiya 。Okiya是日本那個年代專門給學做藝妓的女孩提供吃住，並投資送她去學才藝的一個地方。但這一切的費用，包括最初買她自己花的75日元，都成了女孩自己的債務，要等她自己成為藝妓後，全部償還的。小百合，和她被賣人妓院的姐姐試著逃跑。姐姐逃跑成功，小百合卻從屋頂逃跑時摔下來骨折，隻有繼續留在這家Okiya,  但卻因此失去了老板娘的信任，不再被送去學藝，不予栽培，就在家當傭人使喚。苦悶的小百合在十二歲那年，在街頭偶遇一位四十歲上下的紳士Chairman，Chairman的和善和遞給她擦拭的一帕手絹溫暖了她，讓她情竇初開。他仿佛像出現在她幽暗人生中的一道曙光，讓她看到人生的希望，並就此振作了起來，堅定地走上了藝妓的道路，成為一名出色的藝伎。

 

藝伎是一個比較特別的職業和群體，並因此連帶著一些產業， 比如，有提供吃住的寄宿場所，有培養藝妓的學校，有專門幫助穿衣服的著裝師，發型師，當然還有和服的設計製作。一件藝妓漂亮的和服當時的價格是1500日元。藝妓的一生沉沉浮浮，結局各人迥異。但是相同的一點是她們為美是付出代價的。且不說精神上和年幼時所受的訓練的苦，光從外表的裝飾，都是有代價的。臉上抹的富含鉛成分的化妝品，對皮膚的損傷可想而知，看似漂亮的和服，其實很後重，那個背後用幾尺長的錦緞疊成的obi，“像一條蛇重重壓著”。再則，因為這種穿著的繁複，每次得請專人穿上，藝伎陪客人時，不敢喝茶，隻能泯一口，生怕上廁所。還有頭上的發髻，有專門的發型師，做一次，頭皮被抓得生疼(怕過兩天掉頭皮屑), 盤好的頭發晚上睡覺要用特殊的枕頭，睡不安穩，不小心轉個頭就會被驚醒。

 

不同於妓女，藝伎受過良好的舞蹈、樂器、茶文化等方麵的訓練，類似中國古代的名妓，不僅姿色好，琴棋書畫也精通。她們出沒於茶館，周旋於有權有勢有錢人之間，為男人提供美、色、茶餘飯後消遣的服務，討男人歡心。那時的藝妓要想成名，必須要有個師姐領入門，這個師姐的作用很大，她教她各方麵的知識，待人接物的儀態、規矩，勾引男人的“勾術”, 怎樣欲擒故縱，怎樣眉目傳情，顧盼流連。小說裏提到，師姐教小百合怎樣一顰一笑，舉手投足。比如，在給男人倒茶水時，怎樣不動聲色地讓男人看見她和服袖中的玉臂；而同樣給風姿殘燭的老藝妓沏茶時，卻需要緊緊扣住袖口，不露半點春色，以免招來她們的嫉妒恨。再比如藝伎走路時，迎麵走來男士，怎樣低眉順眼，隻用餘光偷偷瞟一眼，卻足以勾魂攝魄，讓其垂涎其美麗而不能忘懷。不僅如此，師姐還出謀劃策，盡快介紹她進入社交圈，把自己已經建立起來的圈子介紹給徒弟認識，以助其盡快成名，早日賺錢，分享其成果。為了成名，藝伎間的爭風吃醋，明爭暗鬥當然在所難免，彼此間也因此結下恩恩怨怨。

 

重要的一點是，藝伎要想真正擺脫當年收留她的Okiya,  過上好日子，還需要找個靠山－Danna, 相當於我們今天講的找有錢人包養。據網上資料，日本當時的社會，允許有妻子的結婚男子在外包養。被包養的藝伎既可以繼續做藝伎，也可以退出這個圈子。藝伎是不能結婚的，一旦結婚了則必須徹底退出的。小說裏有提到結婚後的藝伎退出了，有些還送自己女兒學做藝伎。

 

小說中的主人公小百合，傾心於Chairman, 一個大型電力公司的董事長，董事長有個合夥人叫Nobu, 為他們企業的轉危為安立下汗馬功勞。Nobu曾經在一次爆炸事故中斷了一個胳膊，臉上大麵積燒傷(像蠟燭油滴下),  但卻一直真心喜歡小百合，而董事長雖然心底裏也喜歡小百合，卻礙於與Noku的關係，一直不動聲色。即便如此，在小百合初夜權爭奪(bidding war)戰中，Nobu還是退下陣來，被一位醫生不惜一切，以11,500日元拿下，那個年代的最高價格, (一個高級藝妓一小時最高價是4塊日元)。 金錢的力量讓愛望而卻步。

 

小說的最後，比較有懸念。二戰結束後，對小百合愛慕傾心已久後的Nobu決意要做她的danna。小百合不甘心，不願深植心中的夢想從此灰飛煙滅，決定鋌而走險，設計圈套。雖然計劃是落空了，但董事長的從中“作梗”，讓他倆最後“有情人終成眷屬”，小百合與心中的“白馬王子”董事長攜手與共，退出藝伎圈，兩個共渡餘生。

 

與其說這是藝伎的成長傳記小說，不如說是一本童話般的愛情故事，真實性到底如何值得推敲，至少我在讀完後，半信半疑，急著想知道這故事是真人真事，還是隻是一部小說。結論是，這是小說，一部宣揚理想愛情的童話故事。小說大半部分在感歎，做藝伎不是因為喜歡，是出於無奈，人無法跟命運抗爭；藝伎是沒有愛的權利，不能有自己的感情，得考慮各種錯綜複雜的厲害關係，等等。但結局又好像在告訴人們，隻要你與命運抗爭，你依然可以與你的真愛生活在一起。要知道，董事長一直避開小百合，就是因為不想得罪他最敬重, 恩重如山的Nobu，可最後還是臨門一腳，橫刀奪愛，可信嗎？

 

這部小說融曆史、文化和個人情感為一體，再現當年的日本風俗和曆史。讀這部小說，時常讓我想起中國舊社會高級青樓女子的命運，也會想到當今社會的“天上人間”、富人包養。其實，無論國家地域如何不同，曆史如何演變，社會如何進步，人性卻亙古不變。

 

照片網上下載

 

My brain was like being drained recently, empty and lethargy, just like how I feel some time. I was not in a good mood to write, as each time when I forced myself to sit in front of the computer to write,  sentences could not flow out, but were squeezed instead like from a tube. I guess writing is about passion, and a good piece will only come up when you feel that your tank inside is overflowing like a volcano that it is to erupt. I am not a natural writer, and to keep up reading and writing is perhaps the only way to progress.

 

 

From time to time, the library disposes of some old novels and books at 25 cents each. Whenever I stopped by, I peeked at the special shelves right at the entrance to see if there are any classics or good ones to collect. Memoirs of a Geisha was not a classic, and out of a curiosity, I bought it together with a few other books.  It stayed in my car trunk for months, if not a year. On a boring day, I spotted it sitting creased and yellow in the corner of the trunk, inviting me to read. And surprisingly I finished it within two weeks.

 

Published in 1997, this novel is written by an American writer Arthur Golden, and was once on New York Times Bestseller List for over a year. In 2005, it was adapted into a movie, in which Zhang Ziyi is the actress who plays Sayuri, a legendary geisha in Kyoto. I never watched the movie, but the reading of the novel stirred my interest. However Netflix does not carry it, neither do the nearby libraries.

 

 

The novel was written in first person narratives. It is intriguing to see how an American writer portrays the life of a Japanese geisha with sensational vividness, bringing the exotic culture and the historical scenes to life. As a matter of fact, the writer was so successful that I was almost deceived to believe that it is a true story dictated by a geisha. But it is fictional- a story of a pretty nine years old girl of an impoverished family off a desolate fishing village, being sold to an okiya in a faraway place, and her ascent to fame. It may look like a Geisha’s life story, but it is more a romantic epic, a fable of how she encountered a kind Chairman by the riverbank at the age of twelve, falling in love with him and dreaming of entering his world by becoming a Geisha. This is her turning point in life, and it is this hope that helps her live through the hardship and ordeals.  The story ends when she and her Chairman danna lived happily ever after, like in a fairy tale. From the perspective of a novel, it is well-written, however unrealistic in my eyes.

 

*********************************************************************

Extracts from the novel

His face was very heavily creased, and into each crease he had tucked some worry or other, so that it wasn’t really his own face any longer, but more like a tree that had nests of birds in all the branches.

Just as seaweed is naturally soggy, you see, but turns brittle as it dries, my mother was giving up more and more of her essence.

His arms were sticks wrapped in old leather, dangling from two bumps.

I’d been blown about like a scrap of paper in the wind.

I felt a persistent, icy dread at the thought of any mother’s illness.

For a moment we were both awash in sparks and flames.

The day was drab, everything in shades of gray.

I felt as a dam must feel when it’s holding back an entire river.

The sky was extravagant with stars.

I felt as sore as a rock must feel when the waterfall has pounded on it all day long

Which couldn’t have been further from the truth.

All my senses were assaulted. Trucks rumbled past to close. I could smell the scorched rubber odor of their tires.

And then as if the day hadn’t been difficult enough, the worst thing of all happened.

My eyes had welled up with tears so much I could scarcely see.

But the tears pooled in my eyes before I could think of how to stop them

I felt a knob in my stomach.

I felt a jolt when I set eyes on them.

Willowy shape

A strip of bright sunlight fell across

Stood erect

Weaving its way from the hem up to the waist was a beautiful vine made of heavily lacquered threads bunched together like a tiny cable and sewn into place.

I heard thunder rumble overhead, and the air smelled of rain.

A certain thought was swelling in my head, growing until I couldn’t ignore it any longer.

I didn’t allow myself to picture my mother quite so vividly; just the thought of seeing her again was enough to bring tears to my tears.

I felt a pit inside myself as big and empty as if the whole world were nothing more than a giant hall empty of people.

This humble person has been alive long enough to see two generations of children grow up, and know how rare it is for ordinary birds to give birth to a swan. The swan who goes on living its parents’ tree will die; this is why those who are beautiful and talented bear the burden of finding their own way in the world.

The tears had begun to flow out of me just like water from a pot that boils over.

Mr. Tanaka had brought me nothing but suffering; but he also changed my horizons forever. We lead our lives like water flowing down a hill, going more or less in one direction until we splash into something that forces us to find a new course.

As I thought of this my mind began to swirl like a hurricane.

Though I am sure my words carried none of the fullness of my feelings.

I cleared my mind of everything but the image of him and the feeling of warm sun on my face and the hard stone wall where I’d sat that day when I met him.

I am no more a rival to her than a puddle is a rival to the ocean.

I can see you have a great deal of water in your personality. Water never waits. It changes shape and flows around things, and finds the secret paths no one else has though about-the tiny hole through the roof or the bottom of a box. There is no doubt it’s the most versatile of the five elements. It can wash away earth; it can put out fire; it can wear a piece of metal down and sweep it away.

She was gong to use me in the role of a weed that chokes out other plants in the garden.

Her eyes never met mine for more than a flicker of an instant.

My mind on the eve of my debut was like a garden in which the flowers have only begun to poke their faces up through the soil.

A man is interested in only one thing.

A sprinkle of laughter fell down onto us from the second-story windows brightly lit overhead.

You ought to feel flattered, really, considering that Hatsumomo geos to such trouble just to torment you.

Like a ball tossed in the air that seems to hang motionless before it falls, I felt myself suspended in a state of quiet timelessness.

I felt myself wading though an ocean of sorrow.

But every night I lay on my futon with his handkerchief pressed against my cheek, reliving again and again my encounter with him. I was like a temple bell that resonates long after it has been struck.

The comb was a showy red color adorned with bright flowers.

Accentuate the angles

The gloomy atmosphere seemed as thick as the water in a pond that night.

Hopes are like hair ornaments. Girls want to wear too many of them. When they come old women they look silly earing even one.

The radiant smile she’s worn now faded, just as the darkness fades from a valley when the sun rises on it.

I felt I was standing on a stage many hours after the dance had ended, when the silence lay as heavily upon the empty theater as a blanket of snow. I went to our okiya and stared with longing at the heavy iron padlock on the door. When I was locked in, I want to be out. Now life had changed so much that, finding myself locked out, I wanted to be inside again.

 

 

 

[洋蔥炒雞蛋]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 :
謝謝暖冬。我有些想起小百合看到那個男人後，想做藝伎的事了。
小百合在鄉下時，鄉下男人晚上去藝伎家玩樂，她形容那個藝伎臉被板子夾過，比較醜。十二歲女孩子的愛情心理，可能一直沒在我心裏留下足夠的真實感覺，反倒像是一個信念，或者盼望。我真應該再看一遍。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '洋蔥炒雞蛋' 的評論 : 洋蔥妹妹，那個小百合是從一個小島被賣到燈紅酒綠地方的，十二歲之前是抗拒的，想逃沒逃成。十二歲後碰見“白馬王子”(40多歲了),才決心好好做藝伎，所以總體上看還是愛情故事。你如果有時候可以重讀一下，看你的觀點會不會改變。它的文字還不錯，但是又比較簡單，讀起來一點不費力。謝謝洋蔥妹妹的input和留言！

[洋蔥炒雞蛋]

這是我難得的看完的一部英文小說，好些年前了，結尾倒是記不大清。
但小女孩很早就決心要做藝伎，她的決心很打動我。那是她能在那樣的環境裏爭取到最好的生活了。
關於愛情，似乎是小說裏不甚那麽重要的一部分，至少我這麽覺得。

[夕陽影裏一歸舟]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : Anna Karenina 我也才聽完，讀得很好。書太厚：-)

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '夕陽影裏一歸舟' 的評論 : 謝謝歸舟妹妹讀我的英文，謝謝鼓勵，堅持寫是我的願望，雖然有時也想偷懶，寫得也是時好時壞。很高興你對這小說有同感，向你學習，多讀書，我現在正在讀托爾斯泰的Anna Karenina,大家啊，寫得好極了，等讀完再來分享。才讀了100多頁，書很厚。謝謝歸舟妹妹來看我，順祝春好！

[夕陽影裏一歸舟]

回來看看，看到這篇英文讀書筆記。暖冬的英文流暢！一般我看了英文的書也想用英文寫筆記，被感染的，多讀多寫真的管用呢。書和電影很多年看過，也覺得書寫得很細膩，把女人之間的鉤心鬥角都寫出來了，但是結尾很不真實，算是敗筆：-)電影不看也罷，書裏的小日本女人被人高馬大的中國演員演，變味了。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 'GraceX' 的評論 : 謝謝Grace又來留言。是的，我更喜歡真人真事，雖然小說來源於生活，但畢竟是理想化了。祝Grace新一周快樂，開心！

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 'yy56' 的評論 : 謝謝聞香的到來和留言。是啊，真得謝謝土豆，子喬和水沫的，沒有他們的問題和解釋，我的理解有偏差。聞香近作不少，等改日再去細讀。

[GraceX]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 : 暖冬，你這點跟我有點像，與小說相比，我更喜歡看真實的故事。

[yy56]

我也是看過書和電影，了解一下日本文化，謝謝子喬的問題和土豆的回答。當然謝謝冬夏的好文。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 'GraceX' 的評論 : 謝謝Grace，很開心你這麽說，很開心你喜歡。讀的時候還是有被打動到，到最後知道是小說,有點失望。謝謝你。祝新一周快樂！

[GraceX]

暖冬好，你的這篇文寫得相當好，將書做了非常簡潔又全麵的介紹。即便不讀也知道了大概，而且印象相當深。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 'Once-always' 的評論 : Oncemm來了，要給你沏茶，暖暖身。紐約還這麽冷嗎？希望春天早日來臨。是啊，這抹的厚厚的慘白的臉，像個木偶人，再有，這和服哪能跟中國的旗袍比美啊，還有這舞蹈，雖然沒怎麽看過，但是想象的出，也跟中國的舞蹈不能比。日本這個民族也是比較奇特的。mm過獎了，我就這點東東，寫提綱的水平，嗬嗬：))謝謝mm鼓勵,祝春安！

[Once-always]

暖mm你這篇評文寫得太精彩了，吊死鬼似的白臉，一看就能想象出藝妓的模樣，一直好奇為什麽她們那樣的打扮會吸引男人，我看著就覺得挺怕怕的。：） 等有空去一定去找電影來看。你的英文簡介寫得也很棒，簡潔幹練，以後我的小說大綱都應該請你來寫呢。 ：）

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '土豆-禾苗' 的評論 : 多謝土豆，sugar daddy,是有那麽點意思，謝謝你的知識和了解，很有幫助啟發。祝春好！

[土豆-禾苗]

回複 '暖冬cool夏' 的評論 :
1，https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E8%8A%B8%E5%A6%93 中的7“旦那”就是DANNA；
2，串聯思考比較：贖身、Sugar Daddy等不同曆史時期的社會行為；
3，東方文化中的“情緒”與西方文化的“權”；

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '土豆-禾苗' 的評論 : 一覺醒來，終於等到了土豆，你這個25年威士忌好啊，喝得腦子還這麽清楚：))，你真是博學多聞。多謝你的解釋，非常清楚。在上網查相關資料時，看到有類似這樣一句，日本有地方的妓女也把自己稱為芸妓。
另外還有兩點疑問，你可以不必再解釋了。一、小百合的初夜權可以賣，這不是賣身嗎？二、小百合的師姐豆波有個danna, 小說裏提到好像讓她懷孕好幾次。難道danna不算在範圍內？我準備接著看看YouTube裏的記錄片，或許會提到。多謝土豆澄清，我這就改過來先。周末愉快！

[土豆-禾苗]

在喝25年陳的威士忌，來晚了一步，回答：

1，（均為日語漢字），以前用「芸者（ge i sha）」,明治以後，開始用「芸妓（ge i gi）」。日語中的“妓”確實有中文妓女的意思，但作為單詞“芸妓”，則為“藝術女郎”，（嗬嗬），賣藝不賣身，而且有很高的自尊心，與賣身的有巨大差別。

2，但在二戰後期開始，經濟/生存所迫，也有了賣身的，如客戶提出要個“可以過夜的芸妓”即指這個意思。1956年、日本製定《売春防止法》，這類身體服務的逐漸減少，又恢複了以前的“賣藝不賣身”的尊嚴。

3， Memoirs of a Geisha，“Geisha”日語是“芸者”，也就是“芸妓”的古語，這部作品中文該翻成《藝伎回憶錄》，伎為技巧本領，如用妓字，對中國受眾會有誤導。（另外，這部作品日語名為《SAYURI》，也就是直接用了女主角的名字；同另一部電影《旭日追凶 Rising Sun (1993)》一樣，都在日本被罵得不輕，但也沒出現抵製好萊塢之類的荒唐愛國亢奮）。

4，中文的妓女/娼婦，日語（漢字）是：遊女（古語） / 娼婦、売春婦（現代用語）。這個“遊女”出處為『詩経』周南?漢広編中的一句“漢有遊女，不可求思”。

5，日語漢字的讀音我就不標注了，如想知道可電話：1-888-TUDOU。

各位，周末愉快。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 'ziqiao123' 的評論 : 子喬好，剛剛回複水沫，講到是哪個伎，我昨晚查google，是這個妓，等土豆來。電影我沒看過，裏麵還有鞏俐，都是大牌。謝謝子喬留言，聽說北加昨天的雨量創記錄了。正好好好休息吧。

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '水沫' 的評論 : 水沫好！昨天還查了查，geisha到底應該翻譯成那個姬，妓,伎，想想還是用了這個妓，因為我覺得她們應該沒有明確講是不賣身的，不過水沫這個提醒的好，我昨晚還在YouTube看到有好像有關geisha的documentary,改天找來看看。水沫過獎了，這次的英文寫得很困難，水平不夠的，加上書評不好寫，常常偷懶，像給自己交作業。謝謝水沫的信息，有空找電影來看。周末愉快！

[ziqiao123]

電影和小說我都看過，現在情節已經全然記不起來了，隻記得電影裏除了章子怡還有楊紫瓊。
藝伎和藝妓是有區別的，兩個日文字也不一樣，geisha 應該是藝伎，這個問題等土豆來進一步論證。

[水沫]

這個電影我看過，當年還是去電影院看的，當年小百合的海報到處都是~~記得當時日本人很生氣，用中國演員演日本人。中國人也很生氣，怎麽中國人去演日本妓女，其實準確地說，應該是藝伎，不是藝妓，章子怡自帶爭議，所以有人就故意混淆。愛情的故事總是有悲涼，也有圓美，圓美的故事讓人心生溫暖。暖冬真是英文係高材生，英文超好~~~

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '蓮盆籽' 的評論 : 蓮子好！你一語中的，是畸形，可作者把他們描寫的這麽美好。你的留言讓我再一次思考。多謝蓮子！周末快樂！

[暖冬cool夏]

回複 '寒一凡' 的評論 : 一凡早！請一凡喝茶，家鄉上好的綠茶。是啊，永遠的話題，愛恨情仇，講不完的人間故事。祝周末好！

[蓮盆籽]

沒讀過，謝謝暖冬分享讀書筆記！
畸形的文化，極端男權下女人的悲慘命運。結局是個童話。

[寒一凡]

哈哈，暖冬的沙發！
好文！美好的愛情是永遠的話題。謝謝分享！