家有寵物,我們很難控制住泛濫的愛意。把寶貝兒曬到朋友圈或者微博上,已經是當代鏟屎官的常規操作。
如果把給那些有個性的古代養寵人拉上網線,他們的社交網絡頁面又會是怎樣一種畫風呢?
下面,進入腦洞時間。
寵鶴狂魔 衛懿公
古人在養寵上的一些雅好,我們今人附庸不起。
比如,哪怕你富可敵國,但是敢在家裡養仙鶴(丹頂鶴)這個國家一級保護動物,也是要吃官司。
古人就沒有這個煩惱,不過這個養鶴戶遇見的麻煩顯然比法院傳票更大...
背後故事
【朋友圈出場人物介紹】
姬閬················周惠王
弘演·············衛國大夫
衛赤愛鶴醬·······衛懿公
Duke Yi of Wey, given name Chi, was best known for his absurd life-style which led to a temporary fall of his state. Records of the Grand Historian and Zuo Zhuan recorded that Duke Yi was an enthusiast of crane breeding. 衛懿公,名遲,以其荒淫的生活方式導致暫時亡國而聞名。據《史記》和《左傳》記載,衛懿公熱衷養鶴。His generals and people were so unhappy with their lord that when Di people invaded his country, they refuse to fight and suggested sending off cranes to defend the enemy.他的將軍和臣民非常不滿他們的君王,以至於狄人入侵的時候,他們都罷戰、提議讓仙鶴去抵禦外敵。In the winter of 660 BCE, Di people destroyed the defense of Wey army and ruined the city of Chao Ge; today's Qi county of Henan Province. Duke Yi was killed.公元660年冬天,狄人攻破衛軍防線,並屠了朝歌城——今天的河南淇縣,衛懿公遇害。
據說,「鶴痴」衛懿公最後慘遭狄兵分食,整個人只剩個肝臟;衛國大夫弘演則把自己的肚子豁開,把君王的肝放進自己腔裡,充當「人肉棺材」殉主。
養寵能把江山養沒了,也是鏟屎官的一種境界。而當事人衛懿公,也成為了「玩物喪志」的代名詞。
寵鶴狂仙 林逋
我們說完了「魔」,再來說說「仙」。
同樣是養鶴專業戶,但北宋大隱士林逋遠比荒淫的衛懿公玩得高級:遠離廟堂,把梅當妻,鶴當子,「仙」到沒邊。他的朋友圈發出來,應該是這樣式兒的:
背後故事
The most extraordinary thing about Lin Bu was his Plum Blossom Wife and Crane Son, meaning that he had a plum blossom for his wife and a crane for his son. 最能體現林逋與眾不同的是他 「梅妻鶴子 」的傳奇經歷。「梅妻鶴子 」就是以梅為妻、以鶴為子。On his journeys to famous mountains and rivers, he bought every superb variety of plum blossom that he found, heedless of cost, and planted them around his courtyard for his own enjoyment. 林逋喜歡遊歷名山大川,在遊覽過程中,如果遇到上好的梅花品種就一定重金購買下來,種在庭院觀賞。When visitors came while he was out, the boy servant would let the crane free signaling to Lin Bu it was time to return home to entertain guests. 林逋還很喜歡賞鶴,在家中養了一隻,主人不在的時候,家裡的童子就把仙鶴放出來尋找林逋。林逋看到仙鶴就知道有客人來,該回家了。——《用英語講中國故事》(提高級)梅妻鶴子
鶴可以給予古代風雅之士一種極大的審美享受。除了林逋之外,吳國名將之後、西晉大文學家陸機也是個愛鶴之人。至於留下的是清名還是惡名,這就與鶴無關了。
鵝控+足控:王羲之
受到文人喜愛的寵物水鳥當中,除了鶴,還有鵝。
晉代的大書法家王羲之就喜愛大鵝到了「魔怔」的地步,而且他還是個不折不扣的「足控」。
背後故事
【朋友圈出場人物關係】
謝安:王羲之好友,東晉名臣,生活奢靡富貴;
謝奕:王羲之親家,謝安之兄,東晉重臣;
王凝之:王羲之次子,謝奕的女婿,東晉重臣;
王獻之:王羲之七子,擅長書法,與父並稱「二王」。
From the geese, he learned both how to handle the brush and how to pause appropriately. When he saw the geese walking proudly and steadily on the ground, Wang learned how to pause in calligraphy practice to get the right rhythms. 鵝掌不僅帶給王羲之用筆的靈感,也給王羲之一種創作的節奏感。當鵝在岸上挺著胸脯走路時,那一雙鵝掌一步一個腳印。在鏗鏘有力的步伐中,王羲之看到了頓筆的力量感。Whenever Wang returned to his room or the ink pool for calligraphy practice, bearing in mind what he had learned from the geese, he would be glad to hear their gaggling. For him, this and calligraphy were as delightful as songs. 每當王羲之若有所思地回到屋中或墨池邊練字時,他還能聽到鵝引吭高歌的暢快,常常會心一笑。對於他而言,他的書法就是他的歌謠,他的書法就是他的暢快。To better understand the geese’s method of swimming, Wang used his observation of the birds』 movements to create 「goose boxing,」 a form of physical exercise. 為了深入體會鵝掌撥水的姿態,王羲之還根據鵝的姿態,編制了一套鵝掌戲,說白了,就是體操。——《用英語講中國故事》(熟練級)王羲之的鵝掌戲
正式得益於對鵝,尤其是鵝掌的喜愛,「足控」王羲之開創了「書法仿生學」:把自然界生物的動態融入自己的筆觸,讓書法洋溢著自然而平和的美感。
養虎達人:梁鴦
在法律不健全的古代,沒有你不能養的,只有你不敢想的。比如,先秦時代的「獸王」梁鴦就有本事把老虎馴得像貓一樣服服帖帖的,養成了名副其實的寵物。
給他通網的話,可能我們會得到一篇訂閱號的深度行業好文:
背後故事
The Keeper of Animals under King Hsan, of the Chou dynasty, had an assistant named Liang Yang, who was skilled in the management of wild birds and beasts. 周宣王時負責飼養禽獸的官吏手下有個僕役梁鴦,善於飼養野禽野獸。The King was afraid lest this man's secret should die with him, and commanded him to impart it to the Keeper. 周宣王擔心他的技術沒有傳人,便命令毛丘園向他學習。So Liang Yang appeared before the Keeper and said: With regard to my method of feeding tigers, all I have to say is this: when yielded to, they are pleased; when opposed, they are angry. Such is the natural disposition of all living creatures. But neither their pleasure nor their anger is manifested without a cause. Both are really excited by opposition.梁鴦對毛丘園說:「我姑且和你談談畜養老虎的方法。大概順著它就高興,逆著它就發怒,這是有血氣的動物的本性。但高興與憤怒難道是隨便發洩的嗎?都是違背它的習俗才觸犯起來的。'In feeding tigers, then, I avoid giving them either live animals or whole carcases, lest in the former case the act of killing, in the latter the act of tearing them to pieces, should excite them to fury. Again, I time their periods of hunger and repletion, and I gain a full understanding of the causes of their anger. 餵養老虎,不能用活的動物餵它,怕它因殺死活物時要發怒;不能用整個動物餵它,怕它因撕碎動物時要發怒。要知道它什麼時候餓了,什麼時候飽了,摸透它為什麼會發怒。Tigers are of a different species from man, but, like him, they respond to those who coax them with food, and consequently the act of killing their victims tends to provoke them. This being so, I should not think of opposing them and thus provoking their anger。虎與人不是一類,虎討好餵養它的人,是因為餵養的人順著它的緣故;那麼它傷害人,就是因為逆著它的緣故了。我哪裡敢逆著它使它發怒呢?——《列子》(黃帝篇)Lionel Giles 翻譯
從孫權和美國拳王麥可·泰森的虎口逃生經歷來看,武松這樣的猛男大概只存在傳說中。而古人之所以能把老虎馴服成寵物,自然就需要用道家的「接化發」巧勁:找到並順應其中規律,之後再地運用它。
雖然,我們受到當代法律的制約,註定和珍禽異獸無緣,但讀遍了精彩的中國故事,腦中的中國式智慧同樣會讓我們從養寵生活中,收穫不亞於古人的快樂或感悟。
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用英語講中國故事
由新航道國際教育集團組織國內外教育界、翻譯界權威專家編寫。本書採用漢英對照形式,通過不同級別內容的變化,幫助青少年中英文閱讀和寫作能力雙重提升。