新发现的张爱玲早期英文习作

祝淳翔

张爱玲从小就立志成为一名双语作家，成年后有相当多的作品先用英文发表，再译成中文。散文《更衣记》《洋人看京戏及其他》《中国人的宗教》《重返边城》如是，小说《秧歌》《赤地之恋》亦复如是。其中最早的一篇，写于1938年。据张子静所撰姐姐的传记称，“一九三八年初，将近旧历年的时候”，张爱玲从父亲家逃离。不久，将“被软禁的经过写成英文，投到《大美晚报》（Evening Post）发表”。六年以后，张爱玲成名，又在《私语》（载《天地》1944年10期）里重述一遍。

这种“双语重复书写”的奇特现象，展现出一个自由游弋于英语、汉语世界的，令人略感陌生的张爱玲，曾引发海外的“张学”研究者郑树森、王德威和刘绍铭等人的特别关注。如细究其原因，说穿了也不难理解，因为张爱玲从小就有双语学习的经历。不过在印象中，张爱玲并不愿多谈早年的求学经历。1939年，远在香港大学读书的张爱玲，应《西风》杂志征文，投去短文《天才梦》，自述三岁背唐诗、七岁写小说，九岁决心当钢琴家。这一切，给读者留下强烈的早慧形象，同时似乎刻意隐没去在校期间那份应有的执着与勤奋。至于那隐讳的态度之所以如此强烈，想来大概缘于这段经历是张爱玲记忆中的软肋，其间父母离异，父亲再娶，她又搞僵了与继母的关系。

倘若将张爱玲的求学与从文经历，放在较深广一些的时空维度去审视，就不难发现圣玛利亚女校（St. Mary's Hall，简称“圣校”）的重要性。1931年，十一岁的张爱玲进入圣公会所办圣玛利亚女校，被分入初中一乙组（Class Section B），直到1937年高三毕业，张爱玲生命中整整六年的光阴，便在此度过。当人们被好奇心驱使，去窥看《凤藻》（The Phoenix）年刊中的集体照，混杂在同学们中间的张爱玲，形同安徒生童话里的丑小鸭，身材瘦弱，貌不惊人。也许普通读者的脑海里会冒出这样的念头来：若不是日后在文坛声名鹊起，恐怕很少会有人对她多加留意吧。事实上，高中时期的张爱玲已经在文学领域崭露头角了。据张爱玲读高二时赴“圣校”任教务部主任的汪宏声回忆，为了平衡此前偏重英文教学的弊端，圣校才开始大力加强和推进国文课程教学。汪老师给学生们布置了国文作文和影评，并创办《国光》月刊，张爱玲便是杂志社的编辑兼积极撰稿者。汪的回忆，还从侧面透露出张爱玲的英文素养的养成，并不晚于国文素养，两者几乎齐头并进。

最近，当翻阅2014年第一期《档案春秋》，其中徐如林的文章《凤栖于梧：张爱玲的中学时代》，引起了笔者的关注，因为该文披露了一篇此前无人知晓的英文习作The Sun Parlor（徐文译作《太阳房》），载于1936年《凤藻》年刊（第102页）。受其启发，笔者更在上海图书馆近代期刊馆藏中，找到另外两篇张爱玲写于1937年的英文习作，篇名分别为“The School Rats Have a Party”和“A Dream on the Journey”（姑译成《校鼠舞会》和《书旅一梦》）。由于馆藏纸质版有破损，经合理推断，其出处应当也都是1936年《凤藻》年刊，为方便引用，其页码分别为第48页、第72-74页。

徐文提供了《太阳房》全文截图及其编译文字，我们从中了解到“圣校”校刊《凤藻》社，坐落于一处阳光充沛的会客室。室内陈设有长条桌和椅子，是给学生们读报用的。房间一角的架子上，有一只带锁的内藏机密的木盒，引人好奇，原来它被用来盛放大家的投稿。

至于《校鼠舞会》和《书旅一梦》，它们一短一长，是两篇虚构作品。前者讲述学校里一匹名唤“布莱克”的母老鼠与公老鼠“布朗”的结婚舞会，俨然一派迪士尼动画的场景。

后者的出场人物丰富了许多。在文学测验的前晚，作者在自修室里读书入梦，去到一处“爱丽丝未曾去过的奇境”，先后碰上来自《一千零一夜》的阿里巴巴夫妇和智勇双全的女奴麦尔加娜、《圣经》里的女英雄波斯王后以斯帖、瑞士作家约翰娜·施皮里《海蒂》里的海蒂和阿尔姆大叔、《金银岛》里的独腿海盗西尔弗船长，还有丽贝卡·兰德尔和米兰达阿姨（他们以及阿拉丁先生，均来自凯特·道格拉斯·维珍所著《太阳溪农场的丽贝卡》），以及华盛顿·欧文笔下的瑞普·凡·温克尔。人物之间居然还发生了矛盾冲突，引人发噱。读后第一感觉，年轻的张爱玲文笔老练，想象力超卓，人物刻画得绘声绘色，惟妙惟肖，与各自性格、身份大体保持一致。细节雕琢上亦不失精细，例如描摹海盗船长时，还不忘捎带上那尖声叫嚷“八个里亚尔”的鹦鹉。特别值得一提的是，文中说丽贝卡是其最爱，不禁投射着张爱玲本人的思想感情。小说主人公丽贝卡的父亲英年早逝，她颇经历了一番苦难，却始终保持着乐观积极的态度。该小说也是美国人心目中的励志经典，1938年改编成同名电影，由童星秀兰·邓波儿主演，惠及全世界的几代人。

文学史上，好多作家成名后，常悔其少作。张爱玲不仅并不例外，而且对于少作被挖掘“出土”，深恶痛绝。此前，陈子善先生从1937年《凤藻》年刊中，找到并中译过两篇张爱玲的英文习作，分别是“My Great Expectations”（《心愿》）和“Sketches of Some Shepherds”（《牧羊者素描》）。但据宋以朗先生《张爱玲没有写的文章》（载《南方都市报》2013.7.9）引1990年张爱玲给其父的信，称：“中国时报转载校刊上我最讨厌的一篇英文作文，一看都没看就扔了……”态度之决绝，简直令人瞠目结舌。这也使笔者一开始不无顾虑，但考虑到这些毕竟是“祖师奶奶”文学生涯起步期难得的佳构，虽然会被认作钱锺书所说的发掘文墓的考订家，可我自信它们对热爱张爱玲的读者、研究张爱玲的学者来说，不会没有意义。至少能丰富大家对张爱玲早期阅读史的了解，以及加深对其英文虚构能力的认知。而所有这些新增的样本，如能引发更多热议，则善莫大焉。

此外，笔者起初有意将两篇文章译成中文，但鉴于眼下熟习英文者众多，何况张爱玲文笔高妙，为免弄巧成拙，还是原样奉上为妥。好了，闲话少絮，请品鉴花季年华的张爱玲的英文习作——

The Sun Parlor

My favourite spot in St. Mary's Hall is the Sun Parlor. It gives me the same impression as its name; a warm, bright room constantly filled with sunshine. It is a rectangular room. The walls are painted in white, but the lower half of them is hidden behind a cover of black wood. In the middle of the room there is a long black table, and around it are many chairs. These are prepared for the girls to have a chance for reading newspapers. In one corner of the room there is a wooden box placed on the shelf. This belongs to the Phoenix Broad, and every girl has the privilege of putting her own themes in it. The box is locked, and we always dream of how we would open this mysterious box and see the things within. On the wall there hang many interesting pictures and records that attract girls' attention every time they pass the Sun Parlor. The room is very bright, because one side of it faces the big glass door that leads to the school gate, and one side of it is composed of three glass doors which face the school garden. Sunlight can reach the room in both directions. When we stand before the glass door, we can see the whole view of our lovely school garden. In winter afternoons, when the pale yellow sunlight lies lazily on the stone ground, we sit beside the steam heaters, with newspapers in our hands. We feel nice and warm and pleasant, and thoroughly enjoy the charm of the "Sun Parlor".

TSANG AI-LING, 1937

The School Rats Have a Party

In our school there is a beautiful lady rat named Miss Black. She is very stylish and famous, so that all the rats know her. She married a great gentleman named Mr. Brown on Saturday. That night they were very happy, all their friends and relatives came to the party. Miss Black wore a pretty long dress，and a white long veil on her head. It made her black face and body more black. Mr. Brown has two little brown eyes, and little black whiskers. When their wedding was finished, they gave a feast and danced and sang. The guests and ladies danced with their little boots and little high heeled shoes as loudly as they could, but no student heard it, because it was midnight and they were fast asleep.

Next morning, I rose very early and went down the stairs to take a walk. When I passed the doorway, suddenly I heard a noisy voice, then I peeked in at the door. When I saw the happy party, how surprised I was! I cried, "See! See! The rats have a party!" Maybe my voice was too loud for the rats all stood up and took their feast and quickly ran to their home.

TSANG AI-LING, 1937

A Dream on the Journey

It was a night before our literature test. I sat in the study hall, with my book opened before me. I tried to read, but I heard the noisy music and tap dancing steps which I had seen last week in a movie. There seemed to be many beautiful dancers waving their handkerchiefs and winking their eyes at me. Under these noisy sounds and flashing scenes, the words in my book slipped away so smoothly and quickly, before I could catch them and keep them in my brain. I turned over the page and tried another paragraph. The same things went on, and still I could not control myself. I got very tired and weary. So I leaned on the desk and went to sleep, forgetting all about our literature test.

I walked into a mysterious wonderland, the wonderland that "Alice" had not gone in. I was sitting beside a dining table, having a tea-party with Ali Baba and his wife, and Morgianna, who had been once a slave and was now his daughter-in-law. On the other end of the table sat a graceful, mild, fair-haired, grand lady. A golden crown was set upon her head. She was Queen Esther, as Ali Baba told me, the most powerful and kind lady in this land. Then I heard a knock on the door; Ali Baba told me that it must be the other guests invited. Morgianna ran and open the door, and a gigantic, tremendous, white-bearded old man walked in, with a little girl leaning on his arm.

"Hello，Miss Ai-ling, you don't recognize me now, eh? We met three and a half years ago, on the Alps--"

"You're the Alm Uncle!" I cried out before he had finished his speech. I held out my hand earnestly, and we greeted each other happily.

"Here's Heidi. Does she look fatter and taller than before?" He showed me the child. Heidi was still a healthy and innocent little girl. She told me that the "Old grandmother" was still alive, and had white bread to eat every day.

We sat down and began our eating. Suddenly, a sharp voice calling "Pieces of eight! Pieces of eight!" was heard. Then we heard heavy foot-steps; a sea-faring man with a wooden leg came in, with a parrot standing on his shoulder.

"Excuse my interruption, Your Majesty. May I join the party?" Long John Silver bowed gracefully to the queen. And Queen Esther nodded her head and smiled sweetly-she was always so sweet and gentle, even to a pirate. So Long John took his seat and joined our party. I was a little afraid of him, when I thought about his killing people in Treasure Island. But Morgianna and Alm Uncle were all very calm, even Heidi, the child. So I felt ashamed of myself.

In the midst of our eating I saw a pretty face peeping in at the door. The big, glorious, black eyes recalled someone to me. I suddenly sprang to my feet and rushed to the door, holding her hand and screaming.

"Oh, Rebecca Randall! Is it really you-oh, I have longed for you!"

It was really Rebecca, the one I loved best among those friends. We held together both with tears in our eyes. The first question I eagerly asked her was:

"How about Mr. Aladdin? Did you-" I meant "Did you marry him?" but I stopped in the middle.

There was no reply. Rebecca blushed, smiled, lowered her head, and began to hum a love song.

During this time I hadn't mentioned that Aunt Miranda was just now coming in after Rebecca. She stared at me, then turned to the rest of the people. When she saw Long John and Morgianna, she pulled her face very long and made her eyes perfectly round, and screamed.

"Dear! Dear! Sea-robber-and slave! Inviting us Sawyers to the party with sea-robbers and slaves! Oh my, I'm fainting!....Rebecca, button up your coat, put on your hat and stop laughing and crying like a three-year-old child! We must leave here as quickly as possible."

She pulled Rebecca hard out of the room. Ali Baba and his wife looked puzzled. Long John was trying to hide his angriness and laughed unnaturally. Morgianna was still so white and calm, only moving her lips a little; she seemed to be trying to say something. Heidi did not know what had happened. She looked at Long John, looked at Aunt Miranda, and then turned to her grandfather.

When Aunt Miranda was pulling Rebecca, a funny little old man darted in at the door and ran hard against Aunt Miranda. They both fell on the ground. Aunt Miranda grumbled, "All of the men in this house are as rude as rubbers." She rose up and disappeared with Rebecca through the door.

The little old man stood confused and panting. Ali Baba asked him, "Mr. Rip Van Winkle, are you driven out by Dame Van Winkle again?" Rip Van Winkle shrugged his shoulders, cast up his eyes, and said nothing.

Just then, there was a bell tinkling far away. "It must be our friend, 'The King of the Golden River'. He has come to take us to the feast of Xerxes, the Persian king. I think we had better say good-bye", said Ali Baba to me. So they sang a song to bid farewell to me. I can only remember the chorus, “Oh, we wish you may have a good mark tomorrow, tomorrow!…………” The song got softer and softer, and at last I could not hear it. I opened my eyes and found myself still sitting in the study hall. My book had already dropped on the floor. The bell was ringing, and students were going out one by one. I picked up the book, rubbed my eyes, and read it while I was going out. I found it very interesting so that I could not stop reading. There seemed to be lovely scenes with all those people I had seen in the dream acting in them. I held my book tightly and cried, "A thousand thanks to the people in our wonderland!"

TSANG AI-LING, 1937