正文
(藍色部分附有中文注釋。Chinese notes are added for the parts highlighted in blue)
3
The area around the intersection of University Avenue and Dundas Street West was so crowded that people could even doubt they were actually in Canada. It was Christmas Parade upcoming. People were coming from everywhere around GTA for the show. But it had nothing to do with me. For time being I hardly had mood for that.
It started to snow and this was the first heavy snow this year. Alas, it's an auspicious omen! I looked up. Big clusters of snowflakes danced in the tender breeze and turned to decorate whatever they touched first, high buildings, bill-boards, street lamps, trees, pavements, and the folks among which I was praying in my heart and then whistling Bizet's Toreador Song. The song used to help me a lot overcome fears.
Exciting people, speaking various languages and dialects, were bustling over to line up both sides along the parade route. Wangling out of the crowd, I headed to Art Gallery of Ontario which was located merely 300 metres away from the University-Dundas intersection. Vehicles were cleared from Dundas Street West beginning from University Avenue westward, except a few police patrol cars. Sharks! Bizet didn't help this time. Now that I was in for it, I had to carry on. But I was constantly on the tenterhooks, wondering what would be waiting ahead. Generally, I was nice, kind, gentle, and caring to Miss Vaughan. In my heart, Miss Vaughan is a special girl, smart, curious, warm-hearted, and well-educated though occasionally a little self-centered and fractious which she thought should rather be called particular "Miss Vaughan Elements", and was part of what highlighted her from what I was. In addition to the pearl in the palms of her parents, she was always the favourite student in teachers' eyes whichever school she was in, unlike me - whenever any trouble was found made, the teachers always turned to me first, no matter alibi applied to me or not. But, shouldn't the least favourite mate the most favourite?
Eleven Thirty sharp, I arrived at the gate of AGO. My friends Jenny and Chance were already in the hall. Jenny was a very good girl who always helped me get free admission tickets for various events in the past few years. After greeting, I thanked her a lot for the tickets she passed to me, and also told her that Miss Vaughan and Mama Vaughan would be here at twelve. Jenny smiled and asked if they were art fans. I told her I wasn't sure about Mama Vaughan, but Miss Vaughan definitely was. Jenny added that the tickets for Michelangelo exhibits were not free, yet, she could help me get a discount price only at 5.5 bucks which was nearly one fifth of the regular admission price for adults. So sweet was Jenny. 5.5 dollars would allow someone to go from Toronto to Mississauga, but could never make any one an overseas trip to visit Florence. Plus, time and energy would be greatly saved. I texted a message to Miss Vaughan to check where she was. She replied that they were still around Yonge and Finch, which meant they wouldn't be here by 12:30. Jenny and Chance bid me goodbye and entered.
I sat down on a bench by the wall, trying hard to calm down and saying to myself, "it's okay, it's okay. Death execution won't last long. No, death sentence won't scare down a hero. I won't be scared. Oh my god, I'm so scared ..." My left half brain was fighting my right half, peace and war, calm and nervousness, relaxation and tension, fast and slow, joy and pain, hot and cold, spicy and sweet, soy and vinegar, beef and potato, noodle and dumpling ... bit by bit, I lapsed into meditating on those sweet days I had had with Miss Vaughan ...
Suddenly, someone's phone ring woke me up from recollection. The ring tone was the melody of the viral hit Little Apple which had been viewed by netizens more than 1 billion times on the web. I didn't look up. A man's voice sounded partaking of Manchuria accent.
"Hey ... yah ... oh no ... (sigh) give me a break, what the heck are those? Inside or outside the paints, I don't know any one. Who is what? Who are they? They have nothing to do with me, whatsoever. I only stayed inside the gallery for ten minutes. I'm already out now. Yah, I know, the Christmas Parade is just nearby ... yah ... many people, many many people ... yah, of course, people mountain people sea ... yah, I'm going there now ..."
I looked up, eying his back disappear outside the gate. Now, it was well past 12:30. I started to worry about them and about the schedule because I had a tutor session for my student the late afternoon. I stood up and stepped out of the hall.
"Hey ... yah ... oh no ... (sigh) give me a break, what the heck are those? Inside or outside the paints, I don't know any one. Who is what? Who are they? They have nothing to do with me, whatsoever. I only stayed inside the gallery for ten minutes. I'm already out now. Yah, I know, the Christmas Parade is just nearby ... yah ... many people, many many people ... yah, of course, people mountain people sea ... yah, I'm going there now ..."
I looked up, eying his back disappear outside the gate. Now, it was well past 12:30. I started to worry about them and about the schedule because I had a tutor session for my student the late afternoon. I stood up and stepped out of the hall.
Winter was no longer a season I disliked much. Romance in winter would carry a special taste. I raised my left wrist. 1 o'clock. It was windy now. I took long exhalation, the puff turning white instantly. A gust of wind swept over and blew my green scarf askew on my chest while Miss Vaughan and Mama Vaughan appeared in the distance.
Externally, I looked calm and unabashed. But internally, a pebble got dropped into the pond. It had been one year. One whole year that I hadn't seen Miss Vaughan. The thing was, neither of us looked excited when we met again after such a long period. It was as if we had never parted, as if we were on the same bench two or three hours before. Watching Twelve Years A Slave with her was like something that had taken place a day before. How strange! She gained weight and she still walked the way she used to, exactly the same as before, which always looked funny and cute to me. When they stopped in front of me, I totally forgot what I had practised and prepared to say. I thought I even heard a weird "what's up" from myself to Mama Vaughan when I held out my hand although I immediately switched my clumsy and inappropriate greeting from English channel to Mandarin one, which was a simple "hi".
There was nowhere to park when they arrived at the TTC parking lot beside Finch Station because tons of people had come from all over GTA and many remote cities and towns in Ontario for the annual Christmas parade in downtown Toronto. When Miss Vaughan was explaining to me why they came this late, I even dare not take a close look at her for over two seconds because Mama Vaughan was right beside me. I had to behave. Actually, I always behaved. During the days Miss Vaughan and I were together, we, to our own surprise, treated each other very politely like guest. Nothing related to sex had ever happened as if we had not been an over 6-month couple of boy friend and girl friend no matter how her plump breasts had been bouncing up and down in the rhythm of her paces in spring, summer, and fall. Those days were poetically joyful.
When I passed them to Miss Vaughan and Mama Vaughan, somehow I found AGO tickets even looked very smart, as smart as the entrance staircase inside the gate of AGO 
where I went back and forth and stepped up and down during the waiting time as I was a kid myself. Mama Vaughan was around about 5 feet 3 inches or around 1.6 metre, just 1 inch shorter than her daughter. Without glasses, she looked like a regular communist cadre to me. But with glasses on, she was like a school teacher. In the past of my life, teachers and parents were the ones I would like to deal with as less as possible especially when I was a student. Her hair was cut short, some grey hairs dotted among the black ones. The hair was not curled, it well did her age justice. Her mandarin carried southerner accent. I kind of studied different dialects when travelling around and working with people from different areas. Plus, my father was a language genius. He often teased me with different dialects and English in different accents.
where I went back and forth and stepped up and down during the waiting time as I was a kid myself. Mama Vaughan was around about 5 feet 3 inches or around 1.6 metre, just 1 inch shorter than her daughter. Without glasses, she looked like a regular communist cadre to me. But with glasses on, she was like a school teacher. In the past of my life, teachers and parents were the ones I would like to deal with as less as possible especially when I was a student. Her hair was cut short, some grey hairs dotted among the black ones. The hair was not curled, it well did her age justice. Her mandarin carried southerner accent. I kind of studied different dialects when travelling around and working with people from different areas. Plus, my father was a language genius. He often teased me with different dialects and English in different accents.As per my suggesion, we first went straight to the Michelangelo Exhibits. I was very glad as I knew the exhibition would be once-in-a-lifetime at AGO. But Miss Vaughan always kept her mom walking between her and myself. Somehow I felt I get treated as a potential rapist. When we entered the exhibition chamber, I came to realize - it did not only has Michelangelo's works, but also had Auguste Rodin's. To my strangeness, the first thing that hit my mind was not being intoxicated with joy or feeling lucky for the chance to embrace the two greatest sculptors at the same time, but the calculation on how much 5.5 bucks would save me from another trip of France. What a fake art fan of me!
After I told Miss Vaughan my new finding, she asked me to translate for her mom and left alone to check those art works herself, which frustrated me. As a revenge, I started to read out the English of the brief introduction on the wall, for Mama Vaughan when she asked me what was indicated there.
"Michelangelo Buonarroti was a famous soccer star prior to becoming a renowned artist in Italy. He later established Fiorenza Soccer Club and led the team to beat AC Milano in the final and won the first championship in Serie A. Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael were called 'Three Musketeers of Fiorenza' during the Renaissance in Italy soccer history..."
"Michelangelo Buonarroti was a famous soccer star prior to becoming a renowned artist in Italy. He later established Fiorenza Soccer Club and led the team to beat AC Milano in the final and won the first championship in Serie A. Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael were called 'Three Musketeers of Fiorenza' during the Renaissance in Italy soccer history..."
A head craned out from aside and turned to look at me. It was a Caucasian granny, looking confused. I immediately turned and translated what I had read on the wall for Mama Vaughan. But of course, the content I was telling Mama Vaughan was what the brief introduction truly and originally stated. The granny murmured something behind me, but her words were covered by my own voice.
Right, today, I came here not for Michelangelo Buonarroti, not for Auguste Rodin, not for AGO or whatever, but for Mama Vaughan. Reminding myself, I moved slowly with her and stopped to study the art pieces one by one, interpreting in a very low voice so as not to affect other people around.
From time to time I shifted with Mama Vaughan arm in arm not only because that made me feel I look like her son-in-law, but because I had to, especially when she wedged from aside, between the watching visitors and the works. I slightly pulled her back as though I was trying to explain what the note on the wall indicated beside the works, so that she wouldn't feel I pulled her back for the purpose of avoiding being impolite. For this, I could let Miss Vaughan know later instead of telling Mama Vaughan not to do this and not to do that, straight.
"Pity, David is not here." Mama Vaughan said.
"Right. It's too big, not easy to be transported by air." I added, "Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco is not here either."
"Why isn't it here either?"
For five seconds, I was wondering whether Pope Francis and AGO Curator would allow that to happen, leaving technical and financial issues alone. But still, I replied gently and patiently, "if David is big, then Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco is gigantic. It's hardly possible to dismantle the chapel and then disassemble the ceiling fresco piece by piece and then transport them by sea and then assemble them here piece by piece after building up a chapel inside or outside AGO."
"I just don't know anything of these. But look," Mama Vaughan pointed at Rodin's sculpture statue Adam, "this Adam doesn't look as close to real Adam as the Adam in that drawing does."
Miss Vaughan was cute, but Mama Vaughan was cuter.
"When did you see Adam in person last time?" I questioned, purely out of curiosity.
"I just feel that one look like Adam more."
"I feel the same." I wondered why I echoed in flattery. "Actually, Rodin considered himself as the genuine successor of Michelangelo. His inspirations to create his art works were often triggered by many of Michelangelo's masterpieces."
"So whom did we have in China during the era of Michelangelo?"
"Well, the time he lived is Ming Dynasty in China. we didn't have famous sculptor, but we had famous painter Mountain-Man-Of-Eight-Greats Zhu Da."
She shrugged unheard of. I was thinking if Qiu Ying and Xu Wei were also around that era, but I wasn't sure if these two names would help.
"Wearing this much here, don't you feel hot?" Mama Vaughan asked.
"Yes, I'm so hot that I'm sweating inside."
"Just take your coat off." She suggested.
"All right. Excuse me for a moment." I turned and found myself a corner in dark shade with no people close by.
"Pity, David is not here." Mama Vaughan said.
"Right. It's too big, not easy to be transported by air." I added, "Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco is not here either."
"Why isn't it here either?"
For five seconds, I was wondering whether Pope Francis and AGO Curator would allow that to happen, leaving technical and financial issues alone. But still, I replied gently and patiently, "if David is big, then Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco is gigantic. It's hardly possible to dismantle the chapel and then disassemble the ceiling fresco piece by piece and then transport them by sea and then assemble them here piece by piece after building up a chapel inside or outside AGO."
"I just don't know anything of these. But look," Mama Vaughan pointed at Rodin's sculpture statue Adam, "this Adam doesn't look as close to real Adam as the Adam in that drawing does."
Miss Vaughan was cute, but Mama Vaughan was cuter.
"When did you see Adam in person last time?" I questioned, purely out of curiosity.
"I just feel that one look like Adam more."
"I feel the same." I wondered why I echoed in flattery. "Actually, Rodin considered himself as the genuine successor of Michelangelo. His inspirations to create his art works were often triggered by many of Michelangelo's masterpieces."
"So whom did we have in China during the era of Michelangelo?"
"Well, the time he lived is Ming Dynasty in China. we didn't have famous sculptor, but we had famous painter Mountain-Man-Of-Eight-Greats Zhu Da."
She shrugged unheard of. I was thinking if Qiu Ying and Xu Wei were also around that era, but I wasn't sure if these two names would help.
"Wearing this much here, don't you feel hot?" Mama Vaughan asked.
"Yes, I'm so hot that I'm sweating inside."
"Just take your coat off." She suggested.
"All right. Excuse me for a moment." I turned and found myself a corner in dark shade with no people close by.
I came back in a minute and then offered to help carry Mama Vaughan's coat and stuffs on my arm crook.
"What is this?" She asked when we came to a drawing.
I looked at the note on the wall. "It's Study for Fortifications for the Porta al Prato in Florence."
"What is it for?"
"It's for military engineering to defend Florence from attacks from other cities or states' troops. See? There, 'Laurentien Library', is also a structure design drawing made by this guy. Michelangelo is not only a painter, a sculptor, a poet, but also an engineer, and he's very good at mathematics. I believe most of artists are good at math, especially geometry."
"So what theory did he have or create in math?" Mama Vaughan was picky.
"Honestly, I'm not sure about that. But what I know is, Michelangelo was very smart to apply various mathematics theories into architecture and engineering. Look, without being applied into reality and life, theory is just theory itself, from which we human being hardly benefit or benefit little. For this, Michelangelo is a doer."
She nodded agreement and then asked if the stuffs I carried on my arm were too heavy for me. I said that was nothing and just a piece of cake. Right after that I added in a voice only audible to myself, "I can even carry your daughter with one arm." But instantly, I started to blame myself for talking horse. I was fit and strong, but to carry Miss Vaughan with one arm was another matter.
"Michelangelo was also very good at human anatomy, and he often anatomized certain bodies he had managed to obtain." I further commented on my idol.
"What was that for?"
"Because he thought he couldn't sculpt perfect bones, vessels, tendons, and muscles without seeing what lied beneath the flesh. Da Vinci did the same. And I would do the same if I had opportu-" looking her way with a peep, I stopped to avoid Mama Vaughan from worrying about her daughter.
"But where are vessels here?" She pointed at a study drawing.
"It's just a sketch, a draft, not half done." I explained.
"But what thought does it embody?" This was the first time one asked me such question on a not-even-half-done sketch of human body. How should I answer?
"Hang on. Let me check what is written in the note here first." I started to read out, "before Michelangelo was transferred to AC Milano, he accepted the thought of Mencius. Especially, he believed in 'what counts most is folks, country is next, king is what counts least'. But after joining AC Milano, he changed his belief. As you can well see, the thought in this drawing embodies Marx-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung Thoughts ('Mao Tse-tung' was mumbled), Deng Xiaoping Theory ('Done Shopping' was pronounced instead of the pinyin for Deng Xiaoping for obvious reason), Three Represents, Scientific Development Concept, and ..."
Once again, a head poked out from beside and turned to face me. It was still that granny, Agent Caucasian Granny. This time, I didn't turn away, but simply winked at her. She turned instead, shaking her head.
When I was about to tell Mama Vaughan what was given in the note, she had already moved to Rodin's sculpture works. I followed to catch up with her and explained, "this is the masterpiece among masterpieces, the famous The Burghers of Calais. You know what, these people could virtually be seen as the saints of the city ..."
I paused and found she was not beside me. I checked around and saw Mama Vaughan standing in front of another bronze sculpture statue. Her dexterity surprised me because within one blink, Mama Vaughan moved quite a distance away, and her move was swift and soundless, just like Nie Xiaoqian in Pu Songling's Ghosts' Stories.
Unlike Mama Vaughan, Miss Vaughan's move was fast and furious, like an M1A2 main battle tank.
"Is this also Rodin's?" Mama Vaughan noticed me upcoming and asked.
"Yes, Rodin's. It's Balzac."
"Who is Balzac?"
"The world-class writer." I tried not to frown.
"What book did he write?"
"La Comédie humaine."
Mama Vaughan shook her head, "never heard of it."
How strange. As per what I remembered, Miss Vaughan and I had talked about Les Chouans and Le Père Goriot 18 months before. Miss Vaughan had a good habit - tell everything between her and myself to her mom - which upset me much because it was exactly like that her mom had been manipulating our love all the time. Mama Vaughan had sent me e-mails twice like interrogating me as same as Gestapo did to those Resistance fighters and Jews. Instantly, I had been scared to a piece of dead meat and couldn't breathe properly for half month.
So Mama Vaughan didn't know Balzac? No wonder I was a bad guy in Mama Vaughan's eyes. I had known the fact a year before through Miss Vaughan. Had Mama Vaughan read Balzac's books, she could have punished a bad guy like me to be her son-in-law as fast and harshly as possible. No mercy! No tolerance! That was for sure, especially when I would tell her, "in terms of character and personal style, I'm Felix Grandet of the 21st century."
Reading changed people, reading changed people's lives, reading changed the world. Xi Big Big once told the public at a press conference during his visit to Europe that he had read Balzac, Victor Hugo, Maupassant, Flaubert, Baron de Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, and many others' books. This was very good, because, to me, it meant Xi Big Big had taken the philosophy and thought of humanism and thus, step by step, he would lead Chinese people to eventually walk on the road toward democracy and liberty and build China into a country of the people, by the people, for the people. That way, that day, China would be like Canada, a friend to all, a foe to none, and a happy-all-the-time country though its hockey team occasionally got beaten by the neighbour. I didn't know why all these were in my head when Mama Vaughan and I were standing in front of Rodin's masterpiece Le Penseur.
"You know this is The Thinker." I said to Mama Vaughan.
"Some call it The Professional Thinker in China." She commented.
"Yes. People use different translated names. The term in Chinese has two meanings, the first refers to thinker or one who thinks, the second stands for professional thinker or one who always thinks and has certain systematic thoughts as a result. I think either translation works."
"Right," agreed Mama Vaughan.
"Actually, this sculpture statue has been cast in multiple versions and is found around the world. About 28 bronze casts of the sculpture are in museums and public places. I know Taiwan has one, Japan has one. And the one in Kentucky, the United States was made by investment casting. There's also one on exhibition in Beijing currently though it doesn't belong to Beijing."
No echo sounded. So I knew she was somewhere else.
"How do you feel?" I heard Miss Vaughan asking and traced her voice to look. She was talking to Mama Vaughan eight or nine metres away from where I was. I walked to them and said, "I think I can also do 'Studies for the Head of Leda." But she didn't seem to have heard me as she kept talking to her mom.
For the first time, we three came to an art work together. It was Michelangelo's portrait drawing Cleopatra.
Just when I was ready to enjoy the time with Miss Vaughan beside me, she stepped away again. What on earth had I done? This was very upsetting. She had overdone. How could she always step away and leave her mom unattended here while her mom knew nothing of either English or arts? Where was her filial piety? But, of course, Mama Vaughan had me beside. Then she was not unattended. But Miss Vaughan didn't need to shun me, regardless she believed she had left her mom in good hands.
"Who is this?" Mama Vaughan asked when I was wondering whether she minded her daughter being beside her or not.
"Cleopatra. I can also ..." I paused. "I can't do this."
"Do you also do drawing?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"Do you have an album?"
"Well, I showed one of my portrait drawings to her." I tilted my head to direct where Miss Vaughan stood.
"What do you think about this one?" She took a very close look.
"It's great." I replied simply, studying the drawing.
To me, the portrait had not been completely done. At least the snake biting Cleopatra's left nipple had not been finished because I could easily do the same. But in general, I witnessed the special air of the ancient Queen that Michelangelo had revealed - wistful, serene, composed to face death.
"She's a queen of ancient Egypt." I explained to Mama Vaughan. "Actually, there's a movie for her. It's a very good one."
"Who starred?"
"Elizabeth Taylor played the role of Cleopatra." Noticing her look, I added, "she is Michael Jackson's friend and godmother of his kids."
"What is this?" She asked when we came to a drawing.
I looked at the note on the wall. "It's Study for Fortifications for the Porta al Prato in Florence."
"What is it for?"
"It's for military engineering to defend Florence from attacks from other cities or states' troops. See? There, 'Laurentien Library', is also a structure design drawing made by this guy. Michelangelo is not only a painter, a sculptor, a poet, but also an engineer, and he's very good at mathematics. I believe most of artists are good at math, especially geometry."
"So what theory did he have or create in math?" Mama Vaughan was picky.
"Honestly, I'm not sure about that. But what I know is, Michelangelo was very smart to apply various mathematics theories into architecture and engineering. Look, without being applied into reality and life, theory is just theory itself, from which we human being hardly benefit or benefit little. For this, Michelangelo is a doer."
She nodded agreement and then asked if the stuffs I carried on my arm were too heavy for me. I said that was nothing and just a piece of cake. Right after that I added in a voice only audible to myself, "I can even carry your daughter with one arm." But instantly, I started to blame myself for talking horse. I was fit and strong, but to carry Miss Vaughan with one arm was another matter.
"Michelangelo was also very good at human anatomy, and he often anatomized certain bodies he had managed to obtain." I further commented on my idol.
"What was that for?"
"Because he thought he couldn't sculpt perfect bones, vessels, tendons, and muscles without seeing what lied beneath the flesh. Da Vinci did the same. And I would do the same if I had opportu-" looking her way with a peep, I stopped to avoid Mama Vaughan from worrying about her daughter.
"But where are vessels here?" She pointed at a study drawing.
"It's just a sketch, a draft, not half done." I explained.
"But what thought does it embody?" This was the first time one asked me such question on a not-even-half-done sketch of human body. How should I answer?
"Hang on. Let me check what is written in the note here first." I started to read out, "before Michelangelo was transferred to AC Milano, he accepted the thought of Mencius. Especially, he believed in 'what counts most is folks, country is next, king is what counts least'. But after joining AC Milano, he changed his belief. As you can well see, the thought in this drawing embodies Marx-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung Thoughts ('Mao Tse-tung' was mumbled), Deng Xiaoping Theory ('Done Shopping' was pronounced instead of the pinyin for Deng Xiaoping for obvious reason), Three Represents, Scientific Development Concept, and ..."
Once again, a head poked out from beside and turned to face me. It was still that granny, Agent Caucasian Granny. This time, I didn't turn away, but simply winked at her. She turned instead, shaking her head.
When I was about to tell Mama Vaughan what was given in the note, she had already moved to Rodin's sculpture works. I followed to catch up with her and explained, "this is the masterpiece among masterpieces, the famous The Burghers of Calais. You know what, these people could virtually be seen as the saints of the city ..."
I paused and found she was not beside me. I checked around and saw Mama Vaughan standing in front of another bronze sculpture statue. Her dexterity surprised me because within one blink, Mama Vaughan moved quite a distance away, and her move was swift and soundless, just like Nie Xiaoqian in Pu Songling's Ghosts' Stories. Unlike Mama Vaughan, Miss Vaughan's move was fast and furious, like an M1A2 main battle tank."Is this also Rodin's?" Mama Vaughan noticed me upcoming and asked.
"Yes, Rodin's. It's Balzac."
"Who is Balzac?"
"The world-class writer." I tried not to frown.
"What book did he write?"
"La Comédie humaine."
Mama Vaughan shook her head, "never heard of it."
How strange. As per what I remembered, Miss Vaughan and I had talked about Les Chouans and Le Père Goriot 18 months before. Miss Vaughan had a good habit - tell everything between her and myself to her mom - which upset me much because it was exactly like that her mom had been manipulating our love all the time. Mama Vaughan had sent me e-mails twice like interrogating me as same as Gestapo did to those Resistance fighters and Jews. Instantly, I had been scared to a piece of dead meat and couldn't breathe properly for half month.
So Mama Vaughan didn't know Balzac? No wonder I was a bad guy in Mama Vaughan's eyes. I had known the fact a year before through Miss Vaughan. Had Mama Vaughan read Balzac's books, she could have punished a bad guy like me to be her son-in-law as fast and harshly as possible. No mercy! No tolerance! That was for sure, especially when I would tell her, "in terms of character and personal style, I'm Felix Grandet of the 21st century."
Reading changed people, reading changed people's lives, reading changed the world. Xi Big Big once told the public at a press conference during his visit to Europe that he had read Balzac, Victor Hugo, Maupassant, Flaubert, Baron de Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire, and many others' books. This was very good, because, to me, it meant Xi Big Big had taken the philosophy and thought of humanism and thus, step by step, he would lead Chinese people to eventually walk on the road toward democracy and liberty and build China into a country of the people, by the people, for the people. That way, that day, China would be like Canada, a friend to all, a foe to none, and a happy-all-the-time country though its hockey team occasionally got beaten by the neighbour. I didn't know why all these were in my head when Mama Vaughan and I were standing in front of Rodin's masterpiece Le Penseur.
"You know this is The Thinker." I said to Mama Vaughan.
"Some call it The Professional Thinker in China." She commented.
"Yes. People use different translated names. The term in Chinese has two meanings, the first refers to thinker or one who thinks, the second stands for professional thinker or one who always thinks and has certain systematic thoughts as a result. I think either translation works."
"Right," agreed Mama Vaughan.
"Actually, this sculpture statue has been cast in multiple versions and is found around the world. About 28 bronze casts of the sculpture are in museums and public places. I know Taiwan has one, Japan has one. And the one in Kentucky, the United States was made by investment casting. There's also one on exhibition in Beijing currently though it doesn't belong to Beijing."
No echo sounded. So I knew she was somewhere else.
"How do you feel?" I heard Miss Vaughan asking and traced her voice to look. She was talking to Mama Vaughan eight or nine metres away from where I was. I walked to them and said, "I think I can also do 'Studies for the Head of Leda." But she didn't seem to have heard me as she kept talking to her mom.
For the first time, we three came to an art work together. It was Michelangelo's portrait drawing Cleopatra.
Just when I was ready to enjoy the time with Miss Vaughan beside me, she stepped away again. What on earth had I done? This was very upsetting. She had overdone. How could she always step away and leave her mom unattended here while her mom knew nothing of either English or arts? Where was her filial piety? But, of course, Mama Vaughan had me beside. Then she was not unattended. But Miss Vaughan didn't need to shun me, regardless she believed she had left her mom in good hands."Who is this?" Mama Vaughan asked when I was wondering whether she minded her daughter being beside her or not.
"Cleopatra. I can also ..." I paused. "I can't do this."
"Do you also do drawing?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"Do you have an album?"
"Well, I showed one of my portrait drawings to her." I tilted my head to direct where Miss Vaughan stood.
"What do you think about this one?" She took a very close look.
"It's great." I replied simply, studying the drawing.
To me, the portrait had not been completely done. At least the snake biting Cleopatra's left nipple had not been finished because I could easily do the same. But in general, I witnessed the special air of the ancient Queen that Michelangelo had revealed - wistful, serene, composed to face death.
"She's a queen of ancient Egypt." I explained to Mama Vaughan. "Actually, there's a movie for her. It's a very good one."
"Who starred?"
"Elizabeth Taylor played the role of Cleopatra." Noticing her look, I added, "she is Michael Jackson's friend and godmother of his kids."
Mama picked out her camera. "Is it allowed?"
I checked around. "I can't find any no photo notice. It means ok to me."
To my surprise, there was another portrait on Cleopatra's reverse. But it was a grostesque figure, not done, same posture. It was quite bizarre. When I was getting close to take a study, Miss Vaughan came over. I felt like telling her how much I had been missing her and how excited I was inside at the moment of seeing her. But she stood beside Mama Vaughan who was taking photo on the grostesque woman.
"Please e-mail the photos to me." I requested softly.
"No way!" Miss Vaughan was still Miss Vaughan. She hadn't changed at all, not even a bit.
I checked around. "I can't find any no photo notice. It means ok to me."
To my surprise, there was another portrait on Cleopatra's reverse. But it was a grostesque figure, not done, same posture. It was quite bizarre. When I was getting close to take a study, Miss Vaughan came over. I felt like telling her how much I had been missing her and how excited I was inside at the moment of seeing her. But she stood beside Mama Vaughan who was taking photo on the grostesque woman.
"Please e-mail the photos to me." I requested softly.
"No way!" Miss Vaughan was still Miss Vaughan. She hadn't changed at all, not even a bit.
This was really a myth. On the front, it was Cleopatra. On the reverse, it was an odd figure, an unknown woman. Who was she? Why did Michelangelo do it this way? What was Michelangelo trying to tell us? To compare beautifulness with ugliness? Could there be anything like Da Vinci Code hiding underneath? Back and forth, I watched both sides closely and thought hard. Yet, my efforts went resultless and it was quite natural. Otherwise, I wouldn't be myself, Michelangelo couldn't be Michelangelo. Somehow I started to think about Mama Vaughan's question again. Who else did we have in China in addition to Zhu Da, Qiu Ying, Xu Wei back then? In seconds, a number of names hit my mind - Shen Zhou, Tang Yin, Wen Zhengming, and Zhu Yunming though Zhu was rather a calligrapher. In the same period, Italy had da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. These three were enough to symbolize Italy. Moreover, there were also Galileo, Bruno, Fermi, Dante, Boccaccio, D'Annunzio, Paganini,Vivaldi, Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, Marco Polo, Pavarotti, Andrea Bocelli, Ennio Morricone, Lamborghini, Ferrari, and sexy Italian men and women, plus Serie A, various funny gestures, and pizza, Italy was well reasoned to be a proud country.
"Let's go." Mama Vaughan's voice pulled me out of meditating.
"Leaving? But," I paused and took a look at Miss Vaughan while Mama Vaughan seemed kind of running out of her patience for Michelangelo and Rodin. If Mama Vaughan wasn't very interested in these works, then I wouldn't expect her to be more interested in Henry Moore' sculpture.
I was sure Mama Vaughan hadn't taken a careful look at the bronze sculpture work outside AGO although it was right on their way here. Undoubtedly, Henry Moore was part of what made AGO AGO. Meanwhile, I couldn't even get enough time to watch many works carefully in this exhibition, especially Madonna and Child and The Burghers of Calais.
If I had come here alone, I would be staying here for half day. However, I lost guts to insist at thought of Miss Vaughan. Another thing was, Mama Vaughan was the centre, not myself. Mama Vaughan was the sun and Miss Vaughan was the earth while I was the moon going around the earth going around the sun.
"Let's go." I balanced the stuffs hanging on my arm crook and echoed.
"Let's go." Mama Vaughan's voice pulled me out of meditating.
"Leaving? But," I paused and took a look at Miss Vaughan while Mama Vaughan seemed kind of running out of her patience for Michelangelo and Rodin. If Mama Vaughan wasn't very interested in these works, then I wouldn't expect her to be more interested in Henry Moore' sculpture.
I was sure Mama Vaughan hadn't taken a careful look at the bronze sculpture work outside AGO although it was right on their way here. Undoubtedly, Henry Moore was part of what made AGO AGO. Meanwhile, I couldn't even get enough time to watch many works carefully in this exhibition, especially Madonna and Child and The Burghers of Calais. If I had come here alone, I would be staying here for half day. However, I lost guts to insist at thought of Miss Vaughan. Another thing was, Mama Vaughan was the centre, not myself. Mama Vaughan was the sun and Miss Vaughan was the earth while I was the moon going around the earth going around the sun."Let's go." I balanced the stuffs hanging on my arm crook and echoed.
Notes:
01. GTA - 包括附近衛星城市在內的大多倫多地區 (Great Toronto Area)
02. Bizet - 法國作曲家比才
03. Toreador Song - 《鬥牛士之歌》，選自比才歌劇《卡門》 (Toréador, en garde - Carmen)
04. Florence - 佛羅倫薩
05. Little Apple - “筷子兄弟”的網絡神曲《小蘋果》
06. Manchuria accent - 東北腔
07. Inside or outside the paints, I don't know any one - 畫裏畫外畫喪（上）畫下，咱就沒一個印笥（認識）的
08. They have nothing to do with me, whatsoever - 都啥扯犢子玩意兒妮（呢）
09. yah, of course, people mountain people sea - 可不咋，銀（人）三（山）銀（人）海
10. TTC - 多倫多交通委員會，相當於中國的城市交通局 (Toronto Transit Commission)
11. Auguste Rodin - 法國雕塑家羅丹
12. Fiorenza - 佛羅倫薩，即英文的Florence
13. AC Milano - 足球俱樂部AC米蘭隊
14. Serie A - 意大利甲級聯賽
15. Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Raphael were called 'Three Musketeers of Fiorenza' during the Renaissance in Italy soccer history - 在意大利足球史上，米開朗基羅、達芬奇、拉斐爾在文藝複興時期被稱為‘佛羅倫薩三劍客’(純粹是在調侃)
16. Caucasian - 高加索人種，泛指白人
17. David - 米開朗基羅作品、全世界最著名男性雕像《大衛》
18. Sistine Chapel Ceiling Fresco - 米開朗基羅作品《西斯廷教堂天頂畫》
19. Pope Francis - 教皇方濟各，即Pope Francisco或Pope Franciscus或者Pope Francesco
20. Adam - 羅丹雕塑作品《亞當》
21. Mountain Man of Eight Greats Zhu Da - 八大山人朱耷，明朝畫家
22. Qiu Ying - 仇英，明朝畫家
23. Xu Wei - 徐渭，明朝畫家
24. Study for Fortifications for the Porta al Prato in Florence - 米開朗基羅畫作《佛羅倫薩市普拉托河港要塞工事習作》
25. Laurentien Library - 《勞倫憲圖書館》
26. doer - 實幹家
27. Mencius - 孟子，中國偉大思想家、哲學家、教育家
28. What counts first is folks, country is next, king is what counts last - 民為重，社稷次之，君為輕
29. Marx-Leninism, Mao Tse-tung Thoughts, Deng Xiaoping Theory, Three Represents, Scientific Development Concept ... - 馬克思列寧主義、毛澤東思想、鄧小平理論、三個代表、科學發展觀……
30. The Burghers of Calais - 羅丹雕塑作品《加萊義民》
31. Nie Xiaoqian - 聶小倩，《聊齋誌異》中女鬼
32. Ghosts' Stories - 《聊齋誌異》
33. Pu Songling - 蒲鬆齡，清朝文學家
34. Balzac - 巴爾紮克，法國文學家，此處為備受爭議的羅丹雕塑作品《巴爾紮克》，而非其它兩個巴爾紮克的雕塑
35. La Comédie humaine - 《人間喜劇》，內有《朱安黨人》、《高老頭》、《歐也妮·葛朗台》、《貝姨》等作品
36. Les Chouans - 《朱安黨人》
37. Le Père Goriot - 《高老頭》
38. Gestapo - 德國秘密警察
39. Resistance fighters - 抵抗運動戰士
40. she could have punished a bad guy like me to be her son-in-law as fast and harshly as possible. No mercy! No tolerance! - 她應該從快從重地把我懲處為她女婿。絕不手軟！絕不姑息！
41. I'm Felix Grandet of the 21st century - 哥們兒是二十一世紀的葛朗台。Felix Grandet即《歐也妮·葛朗台》中的吝嗇鬼主人公菲利克斯·葛朗台
42. Victor Hugo, Maupassant, Flaubert, Baron de Montesquieu, Rousseau, Voltaire - 雨果、莫泊桑、福樓拜、孟德斯鳩、盧梭、伏爾泰
43. Le Penseur - 羅丹雕塑作品《思想者》，即The Thinker
44. The Professional Thinker - Le Penseur的另一中文譯名《思想家》
45. Studies for the Head of Leda - 米開朗基羅畫作《麗達頭像習作》
46. Cleopatra - 米開朗基羅畫作《克麗奧巴特拉》
47. filial piety - 孝道
48. Elizabeth Taylor - 伊麗莎白·泰勒，美國早期電影明星，飾演《埃及豔後》中克麗奧巴特拉
49. Cleopatra - 電影《埃及豔後》
50. Shen Zhou - 沈周，明朝畫家
51. Tang Yin - 唐寅，明朝畫家、書法家
52. Wen Zhengming - 文征明，明朝畫家、書法家
53. Zhu Yunming - 祝允明，明朝書法家
54. da Vinci - 達芬奇，文藝複興時期意大利畫家、天文學家、發明家、建築工程師和軍事工程師
55. Raphael - 拉斐爾，文藝複興時期意大利畫家
56. Galileo - 伽利略，意大利數學家、物理學家、天文學家，科學革命的先驅
57. Bruno - 布魯諾，意大利思想家、自然科學家、哲學家和文學家
58. Fermi - 費米，意大利物理學家、諾貝爾獎獲得者
59. Dante - 但丁，文藝複興時期意大利著名詩人
60. Boccaccio - 薄伽丘，文藝複興時期意大利人文主義作家
61. D'Annunzio - 鄧南遮，意大利著名詩人、小說家、劇作家、民族主義者
62. Paganini - 帕格尼尼，意大利小提琴演奏家、作曲家
63. Vivaldi - 維瓦爾第，意大利作曲家
64. Puccini - 普契尼，意大利歌劇作曲家
65. Verdi - 威爾第，意大利作曲家
66. Rossini - 羅西尼，意大利作曲家
67. Marco Polo - 馬可·波羅，意大利旅行家、探險家
68. Pavarotti - 帕瓦羅蒂，意大利男高音歌唱家
69. Andrea Bocelli - 安德烈·波切利，意大利盲人歌唱家
70. Ennio Morricone - 恩尼奧·莫裏康尼，當代歐洲音樂巨人、電影配樂大師、意大利作曲家
71. Lamborghini - 蘭博基尼，創立蘭博基尼汽車公司
72. Ferrari - 法拉利，創立法拉利汽車公司
73. Henry Moore - 亨利·莫爾，英國半抽象現代主義雕塑家
74. Madonna and Child - 米開朗基羅畫作《聖母聖嬰》
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