阴阳永恒，大爱无疆
——序《 陈彦雄现代诗英译与赏析》
刘伟
十分有幸能够为陈彦雄先生所做的诗集写序，作为一个对现代诗歌毫无深入研究之人，我读的仅仅是其人格、情感与胸怀。
结识陈彦雄先生是在2016年秋季他应邀到美国康州百年名校霍奇基斯学校讲学。讲学期间，陈彦雄先生不仅同我的学生进行了耐心细致的交谈，而且声情并茂地为这群美国的大孩子娓娓道来《易经》。一个半小时的讲座，学生们虽然只是粗浅地了解易经，但是陈彦雄先生的传播中国传统文化的热情与敬业深深地打动了学生。尤其是陈先生的易画艺术给这群学生留下极为深刻的印象。下课后他们积极向我要求开设中国传统绘画课程，学习中国画的“一尺千里”与“意境传神”。
其实作为一个长期在美国进行中文教学与研究的老师，我每天日常工作不仅与现代诗歌关联不大，更与传统文化的传播相差千里。 目前中文教学在美国不过是外语教学，大量工作是教会洋学生们开口说话，阅读写作，为他们未来学术研究或者工作发展打下语言基础。 来霍奇基斯学校任教前，我在美国一流大学哈佛大学任中文讲师已有九年，深知即使是在哈佛大学这所世界最知名的学府，中文教学大部分时间也是在训练学生的听说读写能力。
博大精深的中国传统文化对这些外国学生来说是一个“神话”： 云里雾里、不知所云。 陈彦雄先生对霍奇基斯学校的学生说：”西方人知道《易经》是来自东方的中国，但不知道《易经》真正为何物？我要做东西方文化的桥梁，让西方人都来了解《易经》，让洋人都来学习中国的预测学和哲学”。这是何等高远的志向！ 千里之行始于足下，陈先生于霍奇基斯学校讲学期间的丰厚成效已经践行了他的志向，我们期待他开始下一个征程。
在美国工作生活十年，繁忙生活与文化隔离使我对现代诗歌的理解止步于上世纪八、九十年代汪国真与顾城的朗朗吟唱：“既然选择了远方，便只顾风雨兼程；黑夜给了我黑色的眼睛，我却用它来寻找光明”。当陈彦雄先生殷切嘱我为其诗集写序这项任务时，深感任务艰巨，因此总想细细品味，深思熟虑。无奈平日工作琐碎之事太多，无法进入读诗佳境。 真正坐下来阅读陈彦雄先生诗集时，正值学校放春假。 当繁忙的生活，劳顿的身心沉静下来的时候，阅读诗歌才可以真正经历心灵的洗涤。 “诗如其人”。他的诗既简朴又华丽，既纯净又丰润，可谓是阴阳两极的交织与脉动。 本诗集思想积极健康，题材广泛，内容丰富，有自然，有人物，有历史，有当下，是个人对宇宙的倾诉与对话，只有国学精湛，才情深厚的人才可做到游历其间，游刃有余，陈先生就是这样的诗人。
陈彦雄先生在我的课堂上说：”他最喜欢在夜深人静时作画，仿佛画中人物鲜活地与他交流”。 我想他的诗歌也多半是在深夜所写的，当你凝神阅读每一首优美的诗歌时，好像来自另一个世界的声音在与你对话，时而侃侃而谈，时而款款深情，告诉你何为爱自己、爱红颜、爱亲朋；爱故土、爱他乡、爱世界；爱历史、爱当下、爱未来。 总而言之，陈先生的诗歌中满怀的是对人生的炙热情感，对社会的人文关怀以及对宇宙真理的无限敬畏与探索追寻。
我国著名翻译家严复先生曾倡导“信、达、雅”的翻译标准。李映蓁女士和陈彦雄先生对这本诗集的翻译基本上遵循上述的翻译标准，翻译准确生动，语言流畅，有诗歌的韵律，是一部较好的译作，可见他们是下足功夫的。译者扎实的英语功底和良好的中西文学素养可见一斑。
陈彦雄先生胸怀博大，励志高远。 无论研究《易经》或者创作现代诗歌皆旨在弘扬祖国之丰厚文化遗产，追求人类情感表达之极致方式 。 而我个人寥寥几笔之序实在粗浅，仅为本人真实感受。
阴阳永恒，大爱无疆，祝愿陈彦雄先生传播中华文明圣火之路愈行愈远。是为序。
2017年3月16日书于霍奇基斯校园
（本文作者系旅美学者，现任霍奇基斯学校中文教师，曾任哈佛大学、布朗大学、卫斯理安大学中文讲师）
I am very lucky to have this opportunity of writing a preface for Mr. Chen Yanxiong’s poetry anthology. As a person who has less in-depth study of China’s modern poetry, I think I only can discuss my understanding of Mr. Chen’s personality, his depth of emotion, and his breadth of wisdom.
I met Mr. Chen Yanxiong in the autumn of 2016, when he came to the Hotchkiss School for a lecture. During his visit, Mr. Chen not only patiently conversed with my students, but also explained the I-Ching in great detail. Through this ninety-minute lecture, although my students could only gain an understanding of a few somewhat superficial concepts of the I-Ching, Mr. Chen’s enthusiasm and dedication to educating them on traditional Chinese culture greatly moved them. In particular, Mr. Chen’s painting of I-Ching left a deep impression. After his lecture, my students eagerly requested we set up a traditional Chinese painting course, to learn the crux of what makes Chinese painting unique.
As a matter of fact, my job here as an instructor and a research fellow in Mandarin Chinese has little to do with modern poetry, let alone the idea of propagating traditional Chinese culture. Presently, the teaching of Mandarin Chinese is regarded simply as a foreign language, primarily ing on improving students’ proficiency in speaking, writing, and reading while establishing the foundations required should they decide to further their studies or career needs. Before being hired by Hotchkiss, I had already been a Mandarin instructor at the university level for nine years; I understand with the utmost clarity that, even in places like Harvard, the majority of time in Mandarin studies is dedicated toward helping students reach a level of fluency. The profundity of traditional Chinese culture remains an unattainable “myth” to these students. When he was visiting Hotchkiss, Mr. Chen once told the students, “The westerners know that the ‘I-Ching’ originated from the east, namely, China, but they do not grasp the true purpose of it. I want to be a bridge between the cultures of the east and west, helping westerners to understand the I Ching, allowing foreigners to learn Chinese philosophy.” A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The enriching experiences that Mr. Chen had during his visit at Hotchkiss have validated his aspiration; we look forward to his next great journey.
In the past decade, rigorous workload and cultural isolation have led me to discontinue my explorations of modern poetry; my recollections of modern poetry merely stop short at the names of two contemporary poets, Mr. Wang, Guozhen and Mr. Gu, Cheng who were very famous in the 1980s and 1990s in China: “Since I have opted to head toward the distant, I have no choice but to bear the storms” “The dark nights have bestowed upon me a pair of oblivious eyes, with which I am destined to discover the light.” When Mr. Chen presented me with the task of writing the preface for his anthology, I was incredibly humbled, ardently wanted to live up to his expectations, and so, wished to spend more time reading his poems in depth. But the minutiae of daily routines have kept me from reaching the level of inner peace that Mr. Chen’s poems call for. It was not until spring break that I finally got the chance to sit down. There is truth in the trite saying that one has to reach a sense of calmness before experiencing the essence of poetry genuinely. Poetry has always been the mirror that reflects its creators. Mr. Chen’s poems are simple yet substantial; they are transparent but elegant. The content of this Modern Poetry is thoughtful and positive with a wide range of topics. Mr. Chen writes about nature and man; he comments on history as well as the present. His poems recount his conversations with the universe. Only the truly great ones write with such liberty and precision. Mr. Chen is one of them.
Mr. Chen also said during his visit that he very much enjoys painting in quiet nights, that he feels as though the characters in his paintings come alive and speak to him. I suppose that most of his poems were born of quiet nights as well. When you concentrate and read these poems, it is as if an unworldly voice is speaking to you. The voice is at times direct, at times emotional, telling you what it means to love yourself, your lover, your friends; it also teaches you what it takes to love the fatherland, the foreign land, and the broader world around you; it, too, wants you to learn to accept the past, to cherish the present, and to hope for a better future. In short, Mr. Chen’s poetry is driven by his burning passion for life; it is the embodiment of his humanitarian approach to our society as well as his unquenchable curiosity for the universal truth.
China’s famous translator Mr. Yan Fu advocated translation standards: faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance. Ms. Li Yingzhen and Mr. Chen Yanxiong basically follow the above translation standard and make their translation vivid and fluent with the beautiful poetry rhythm. I grandly appreciate their solid knowledge of Chinese and English literacy.
Mr. Chen Yanxiong has great aspirations. Whether it is his research in the I Ching or his writings of modern poetry, Mr. Chen has always aimed at propagating traditional Chinese culture through his pursuit of the greatest expression of human sentiments. In this sense, my attempt at writing something substantial in these few worlds pale in comparison, but nevertheless, they are my truest feelings. thus can only be seen as chronicles of my personal beliefs
I am hereby wishing Mr. Chen the best of luck for the future as he continues his journey to bring traditional Chinese culture around the world.
Liu, Wei
March 16, 2017 written on the Hotchkiss campus
The author of this preface is a Chinese scholar in U.S.. She currently works at the Hotchkiss School as a Chinese Instructor. Prior to coming to Hotchkiss she worked as a lecturer in Chinese at Harvard University, Brown University and Wesleyan University
