雙語散文|何 為——第二次考試
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第二次考試
著名的聲樂專家蘇林教授發(fā)現(xiàn)了一件奇怪的事情：在這次參加考試的二百多名合唱訓(xùn)練班學(xué)生中間，有一個二十歲的女生陳伊玲，初試時的成績十分優(yōu)異：聲樂、視唱、練耳和樂理等課目都列入優(yōu)等，尤其是她的音色美麗和音域?qū)拸V令人贊嘆。而復(fù)試時卻使人大失所望。蘇林教授一生桃李滿天下，他的學(xué)生中間不少是有國際聲譽(yù)的，但這樣年青而又有才華的學(xué)生卻還是第一個，這樣的事情也還是第一次碰到。那次公開的考試是在那間古色古香的大廳里舉行的。當(dāng)陳伊玲鎮(zhèn)靜地站在考試委員會里幾位有名的聲樂專家面前，唱完了冼星海的那支有名的“二月里來”，門外窗外擠擠挨挨的都站滿了人，甚至連不帶任何表情的教授們也不免暗暗遞了個眼色。按照規(guī)定，應(yīng)試者還要唱一支外國歌曲，她演唱了意大利歌劇“蝴蝶夫人”中的詠嘆調(diào)“有一個良辰佳日”，以她燦爛的音色和深沉的理解驚動四座，一向以要求嚴(yán)格聞名的蘇林教授也不由頷首表示贊許，在他嚴(yán)峻的眼光下，隱藏著一絲微笑。大家都默無一言地注視陳伊玲：嫩綠色的絨線上衣，一條貼身的咖啡色西褲，宛如春天早晨一株亭亭玉立的小樹。眾目睽睽下，這個本來笑容自若的姑娘也不禁微微困惑了。
復(fù)試是在一星期后舉行的。錄取與否都取決于此。這時將決定一個人終生的事業(yè)。經(jīng)過初試這一關(guān)，剩下的人現(xiàn)在已是寥寥無幾；而復(fù)試將是各方面更其嚴(yán)格的要求下進(jìn)行的。本市有名的音樂界人士都到了。這些考試委員和旁聽者在評選時幾乎都帶著苛刻的挑剔神氣。但是全體對陳伊玲都留下這樣一個印象：如果合乎錄取條件的只有一個人，那么這唯一的一個人無疑應(yīng)該是陳伊玲。
誰知道事實卻出乎意料之外。陳伊玲是參加復(fù)試的最后一個人，唱的還是那兩支歌，可是聲音發(fā)澀，毫無光彩，聽起來前后判若兩人。是因為怯場、心慌，還是由于身體不適，影響聲音？人們甚至懷疑到她的生活作風(fēng)上是否有不夠慎重的地方！在座的人面面相覷，大家?guī)е儐柡鸵苫蟮难酃馀e目望她。雖然她掩飾不住自己臉上的困倦，一雙聰穎的眼睛顯得黯然無神，那頑皮的嘴角也流露出一種無可訴說的焦急，可是就整個看來，她通體是明朗的，坦率的，可以使人信任的；僅僅只因為一點意外的事故使她遭受挫折，而這正是人們感到不解之處。她抱歉地對大家笑笑，于是飄然走了。
蘇林教授顯然是大為生氣了。他從來認(rèn)為，要做一個真正為人民所愛戴的藝術(shù)家，首先要做一個各方面都能成為表率的人，一個高尚的人！歌唱家又何嘗能例外！可是這樣一個自暴自棄的女孩子，永遠(yuǎn)也不能成為一個有成就的歌唱家！他生氣地側(cè)過頭去望向窗外。這個城市剛剛受到一次今年最嚴(yán)重的臺風(fēng)的襲擊，窗外斷枝殘葉狼藉滿地，整排竹籬委身在滿是積水的地上，一片慘淡的景象。
考試委員會對陳伊玲有兩種意見：一種認(rèn)為從兩次考試可以看出陳伊玲的聲音極不穩(wěn)固，不扎實，很難造就；另一種則認(rèn)為給她機(jī)會，讓她再試一次。蘇林教授有他自己的看法，他覺得重要的是為什么造成她先后兩次聲音懸殊的根本原因，如果問題在于她對事業(yè)和生活的態(tài)度，盡管聲音的稟賦再好，也不能錄取她！這是一切條件中的首要條件！
可是究竟是什么原因呢？
蘇林教授從秘書那里取去了陳伊玲的報名單，在填著地址的那一欄上，他用紅鉛筆劃了一條粗線。表格上的那張報名照片是一張叫人喜歡的臉，小而好看的嘴，明快單純的眼睛，笑起來鼻翼稍稍皺起的鼻子，這一切都像是在提醒那位有名的聲樂專家，不能用任何簡單的方式對待一個人——一個有生命有思想有感情的人。至少眼前這個姑娘的某些具體情況是這張簡單的表格上所看不到的。如果這一次落選了，也許這個人終其一生就和音樂分手了。她的天才可能從此就被埋沒。而作為一個以培養(yǎng)學(xué)生為責(zé)任的音樂教授，情況如果是這樣，那他是絕對不能原諒自己的。
第二天，蘇林教授乘早上第一班電車出發(fā)。根據(jù)報名單上的地址，好容易找到了在楊樹浦的那條僻靜的馬路，進(jìn)了弄堂，驀地不由吃了一驚。
那弄堂里有些墻垣都已傾塌，燒焦的棟梁呈現(xiàn)一片可怕的黑色，斷瓦殘垣中間時或露出枯黃的破布碎片，所有這些說明了這條弄堂不僅受到臺風(fēng)破壞，而且顯然發(fā)生過火災(zāi)。就在這災(zāi)區(qū)的瓦礫場上，有些人大清早就在忙碌著張羅。
蘇林教授手持紙條，不知從何處找起，忽然聽見對屋的樓窗上，有一個孩子有事沒事地張口叫著：
“咪——咿——咿——咿——，嗎——啊——啊——啊——”仿佛歌唱家在練聲的樣子。蘇林教授不禁為之微笑，他猜對了，那孩子敢情就是陳伊玲的弟弟，正在若有其事地學(xué)著他姊姊練聲的姿勢呢。
從孩子口里知道：他的姊姊是個轉(zhuǎn)業(yè)軍人，從文工團(tuán)回來的，到上海后就被分配到工廠里擔(dān)任行政工作。她是個青年團(tuán)員，——一個積極而熱心的人，不管廠里也好，里弄也好，有事找陳伊玲準(zhǔn)沒有錯！還是在二三天前，這里附近因為臺風(fēng)而造成電線走火，好多人家流離失所，陳伊玲就為了安置災(zāi)民，忙得整夜沒有睡，終于影響了嗓子。第二天剛好是她去復(fù)試的日子，她說聲“糟糕”，還是去參加考試了。
這就是全部經(jīng)過。
“瞧，她還在那兒忙著哪！”孩子向窗外揚(yáng)了揚(yáng)手說，“我叫她！我去叫她！”
“不。只要告訴你姊姊：她的第二次考試已經(jīng)錄取了！她完全有條件成為一個優(yōu)秀的歌唱家，不是嗎？我?guī)缀醴噶艘粋€錯誤！”
蘇林教授從陳伊玲家里出來，走得很快。是的，這天早晨有什么使人感動的東西充溢在他胸口，他想趕緊回去把他發(fā)現(xiàn)的這個音樂學(xué)生和她的故事告訴每一個人。
The Second Test
Professor Su Lin, a well-known expert on vocal music, found something very puzzling. Twenty-year-old girl Chen Yiling from the Chorus Training Class of more than 200 students had come out exceedingly well in the preliminary test, scoring high marks in vocal music, sightsinging, ear training and music theory. Her beautiful tone color and broad range, in particular, won high praise. But, to the great disappointment of everybody, she failed the second test. The professor, who had trained a large number of students, many of them now of international fame, had never seen a young girl with such a brilliant talent. And the above strange happening was something he had never known before.The preliminary test took place in a spacious hall of antique style. Chen Yiling stood calmly before the eminent vocal music experts on the Test Committee. When she finished singing Xian Xinhai's famous When February Comes, throngs of listeners could be seen standing entranced outside the doors and windows, and even the professors, who usually wore an air of casual indifference, could not help exchanging knowing looks at one another. As it was required of each candidate to sing a foreign song as well, Chen sang the aria Un bel di from the Italian opera Madama Butterfly. The audience were amazed by her splendid tone color and deep comprehension. Even Professor Su, known for his strict demands, also nodded his approval, his stern eyes twinkling with delight. Chen, wearing a light green woollen sweater and close-fitting brown trousers, stood there like a graceful tree on a spring morning. However, under the silent stare of so many eyes, the smiling girl appeared somewhat ill at ease.
The second test came to pass a week later. The result of this test was to determine each candidate's fate — accepted or otherwise, and what his or her future career would be like. With most of the candidates already eliminated by the preliminary test, this second test was even more demanding in every respect. All celebrated local musicians were present. During the test almost all Test Committee members and visitors wore a harsh and nitpicking look. Nevertheless, they were all under the impression that of all the remaining candidates Chen would undoubtedly be the last one to fail the second test.
Unfortunately, the result was contrary to everybody's expectation. When Chen's turn came last, she sang the same two songs, but her voice was unpleasant and utterly lacklustre as if she were no longer her old self. Was it due to stage fright, nervousness or indisposition? People even suspected some sort of impropriety in her private life. They stared at each other in speechless despair and eyed her questioningly. Weariness was written all over her face. Her bright eyes now looked dejected and dull. And the corners of her otherwise playful mouth wore an expression of unspeakable anxiety. But, as a whole, she was bright, candid and trustworthy. People just could not understand what little accident, if any, had been the cause of her frustration. She smiled apologetically and disappeared out of the room.
Professor Su was obviously upset. He had always believed that to win people's genuine love and esteem, an artist must first of all be exemplary in every way, first of all a noble-minded person. A singer was of course no exception. But a girl like Chen, who had no urge for self-improvement, would never become a successful singer. He turned in anger to look out of the window. The town had just been hit by the worst typhoon of the year. The ground outside was strewn with broken twigs and dry leaves. Fallen bamboo fences on the sodden ground. What a pitiful sight!
The Test Committee were divided in their opinions about Chen. Some held out little hope of her achieving success as a vocalist, saying that the two tests had shown her voice far from able to hold its own. Others wanted to give her an opportunity for another try. Professor Su, however, had a view of his own. He thought it important to find out the root cause of her failure in the second test. He maintained that if her failure was due to her questionable attitude towards her career and life, she should on no account be admitted no matter how highly gifted she was. That, he said, should be the first and foremost of all things to be considered.
Now what on earth was the cause of her failure?
Professor Su got Chen's application form for enrollment from his secretary and underlined in red pencil the address she had put down on it. The photo attached to the form showed a very cute face with a pretty little mouth, lucid guitless eyes and a nose which would pucker up a little bit whenever she smiled. All that seemed to warn the professor against treating a person in a simplistic way — a person alive with thought and emotion. There must be certain practical aspects of the young girl which the simple application form made no mention of. Her failure to pass the second test might mean her life-long divorce from music and hence a permanent stifling of her musical talent. Should that be the case, the professor, whose duty it was to foster young musical talents, would never forgive himself.
The next morning, Professor Su took the first tram of the day. Thanks to the address given on the application form, he finally managed to find the secluded street in Yangshupu. The moment he stepped into the lane, he was taken aback by what he saw.
There were broken walls, charred beams of a ghastly black and scorched rags here and there among debris — all telling of the destruction wrought by the recent typhoon and the ensuing fire. Since early in the morning, some people had already been busying themselves amongst the rubble.
Professor Su, with a slip of paper in hand, was wondering where to find the address when all of a sudden he heard a child crying out randomly from an upstairs window of the opposite building, like a singer practising his voice:
Mi—yi—yi—yi—, ma—ah—ah—ah— The professor could not help smiling. He guessed right that the kid was Chen's younger brother affectedly parroting his elder sister's voice.
The professor then learned from the child that his elder sister Chen, ex-member of a PLA art troupe, was now on the administrative staff of a factory after being transferred from the army to civilian work in Shanghai. As a Youth Leaguer, she was enthusiastic and earnest. Whenever the factory or her neighborhood was in need of some help, she was always considered the right person to approach. Just a couple of days before, the neighborhood had caught fire as a result of electric wire sparking caused by the typhoon. Consequently, many families were left homeless. Chen spent a sleepless night caring for the disaster victims, which in turn affected her voice. The next day, when it occurred to her that it was the very day for the second test, she blurted out, "Oh, my!" Yet, she went to the test all the same.
That was the whole story.
Look, she's still busy working over there! exclaimed the child from the window, gesticulating with his raised hand. "Let me call her! I'll go and call her!"
No, don't. But just tell your sister that she's been admitted after passing the second test! She has every qualification for being a superb singer, hasn't she? I've almost made a mistake!
The professor walked away from Chen's house, and that very quickly. Yes, his bosom swelling with a thrill, he wanted to hurry back to let everybody know of the music student he had discovered and the whole story about her.
《第二次考試》是散文家何為（1922—?。┑那捌诖碜鳎?956年12月26日在《人民日報》上發(fā)表后，立刻博得好評。此文以情節(jié)取勝，構(gòu)思精巧，寓意深邃，乃一篇玲瓏剔透的成功之作。
