關(guān)于西施的幾個民間詞語

陳榮力

▲文化篇

“秀色掩今古，荷花羞玉顏?！崩畎撞焕橐粋€審美的高手，“荷花羞玉顏”比沉魚落雁更具美的生動和質(zhì)感。

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浣紗

那不過是日常生活里一種常見的勞作，她也不過是江南鄉(xiāng)野間一位平凡的女子，然而就因為二者的結(jié)合，江南地域里一條普通的溪流，從此有了一個盈滿詩意的名字——浣紗溪。這樣的女子其實在江南有很多很多，這樣的溪流其實在江南也不在少數(shù)。然而，就因為二者的結(jié)合，浣紗的越女從此成為江南最嫵媚的剪影。

“浣紗弄碧水，自與清波閑”。很難想象清澈的溪水從她嫩藕一樣的腳背上流過時，是怎樣的一種旖旎。很難想象歡快的水波在她凝脂一般的手掌下綻放時，又是怎樣的一種華麗。這個苧蘿山走下來的賣柴的女子，這個賣柴之余常到溪邊浣紗的施姓女子，她的美只有與水相伴、與勞動為伍才成為極致?！靶闵诮窆?，荷花羞玉顏?！崩畎撞焕橐粋€審美的高手，“荷花羞玉顏”比沉魚落雁更具美的生動和質(zhì)感。倘若離開了那條溪流、離開了水、離開了水里的那些荷花，西施之美便失去了依仗、失去了陪襯、失去了參照。江南女兒本來就是水之美的升華和結(jié)晶。

當(dāng)然，熟諳這一道理的并非只有一個李白?！坝盐骱任髯?，淡妝濃抹總相宜?！碧K東坡并不在意有沒有見過西施，在他眼里看見了西湖就等于看見了西施。其實同屬江南之水，浣紗溪之美何嘗遜色于西湖、西施呢？

1933年11月11日，37歲的郁達夫來到浣紗溪邊。這個情商橫溢的江南才子，喝著與浣紗溪有著同樣詩意名字的富春江的水長大。在那塊古樸蒼褐、書有“浣紗”兩字的巨大方石前久久佇立后，郁達夫?qū)懴铝恕鞍倌晷氖職w平淡，十載狂名換苧蘿”的詩句，那方石上的“浣紗”兩字，原是東晉王羲之的手跡。雖然郁達夫不是李白，也不是蘇東坡，但從李白到蘇東坡到郁達夫，這中間墨客騷人對浣紗溪、對浣紗西施的諸多感懷、詠嘆都可以忽略不計。因為在中國的文人中，真正懂得西施浣紗之美的，我以為只有三人，一是李白，一是蘇東坡，一是郁達夫。

去諸暨當(dāng)然要去看西施，看西施當(dāng)然也少不了去浣紗溪。去過了浣紗溪你才知道，那條溪流其實早已不是溪流，它是江南地域中一條人文的血脈，就像西施早已成為江南女兒的圖騰一樣。

美人計

句踐用美人計，在中國怕是最早的。主意當(dāng)然是文種和范蠡出的，但責(zé)任還在句踐。句踐就這點可貴，什么計謀要么不用，一用就要用得準(zhǔn)、用得狠，一步到位，見血封喉。如吃屎、如賜劍文種自殺之類。而且句踐又極有耐心，為將一個率真的村姑打造成一件報仇復(fù)國的暗器，“飾以羅轂，教以容步，習(xí)于士城，臨于都巷。三年學(xué)服而獻于吳?！迸P薪嘗膽尚且十年，三年在句踐看來自是小菜一碟。

“句踐征絕艷，揚蛾入?yún)顷P(guān)。提攜館娃宮，杳渺詎可攀？”集三千寵愛于一身的西施，在蘇州吳王宮里的日子與苧蘿山下的鄉(xiāng)村生活自然是天壤之別。別的不說，就說那個筑在靈巖山上的館娃宮吧，銅鉤玉欄，酒綠燈紅，撫琴臺、玩月池、浣花池、采香徑、脂粉塘別出心裁、一應(yīng)俱全。尤其是那條大甕上覆以厚板的“響屐廊”，更是千金博一笑的極致?；夜媚锍蔀榘籽┕鞯耐?，想必也望塵莫及?？上т交ǔ夭皇卿郊喯^娃宮里的西施已不是浣紗的村姑，而是一件精美絕色的物品。

總思量生活在吳王宮里的西施，會是怎樣的表情？應(yīng)該不外乎兩種吧。其一，高揚蛾眉，俏啟皓齒，嫣然一笑百媚橫生，春風(fēng)驚艷姑蘇城。但這樣的笑里藏著刀，這樣的刀上蘸滿仇，因為這里的西施已不是浣紗溪邊的村姑，她是一件報仇復(fù)國的暗器。其二，顰眉皺目，繾綣慵懶，別無選擇隨遇而安，聽天由命逢場作戲。這樣的麻木里盈著無奈，這樣的無奈里滿是心酸，因為西施不是一件報仇復(fù)國的暗器，依然是來自浣紗溪邊的一位村姑。與其是前者，我寧愿相信是后者。報仇復(fù)國的重任，荷載在一位柔弱的女子身上，荷載在一位率真普通的村姑身上，這是天下最大的殘酷。男人們都在干什么？！

記載句踐用“美人計”的《越絕書》說，“越乃飾美女西施，使大夫種獻之于吳王……吳王大悅。申胥諫曰：不可，王勿受。吳王不聽，遂受其女，以申胥為不忠而殺之。”大凡“美人計”中主角大都不會留下一個好的名聲，西施卻是一個例外，即使伍子胥因她而死也無妨。因為她從來就不是一件武器，她是一位率真、普通的村姑，在這一點上，老百姓的眼睛始終是雪亮的。

沉江

關(guān)于西施最后的歸宿，一直是個謎。史料和民間大致有三種說法。一是西施跟了范蠡一道去做生意。范蠡功成身退后改名陶朱，生意做得很大，成為中國商賈的鼻祖。在我老家附近有一座陶朱廟，香火至今鼎盛。一說西施乘舟浮?；蚍何搴蒇?。前幾年看到一篇文章，說日本發(fā)現(xiàn)西施的后裔，又說東南亞也有。西施到底去了日本還是去了東南亞，恐怕要看當(dāng)時的風(fēng)向了。還有一說，則有點讓人難受，西施在越兵首次攻入?yún)嵌?、火燒館娃宮時，就沉江而死了。

前兩說細(xì)想起來皆有破綻。其一，精明過人的范蠡在逃避“狡兔死，走狗烹;高鳥盡，良弓藏”的命運時，是不可能帶走曾被淪為夫差玩物的西施的。雖然當(dāng)年范蠡也是這一“美人計”的始作俑者，但他還沒有這份懺悔之心、救贖之情，范蠡要憐香惜玉，也輪不到西施，何況他自己的風(fēng)險尚大得緊呢。其二，乘舟浮?；蚍何搴蒇?，想來西施當(dāng)年還不具備這個資源和條件。因此倘用排除法，西施的沉江而死這一說雖讓人難以接受，倒也是唯一說得通的答案。

蹊蹺的是，最早記述西施其人其事的一些典籍如《墨子》等，將西施的沉江作為與比干之殪、孟賁之殺、吳起之裂相提并論的事實?！笆枪时雀芍?，其抗也;孟賁之殺，其勇也;西施之沉，其美也;吳起之裂，其事也?！保ā赌印びH士》）墨子和西施是同時代人，他的說法應(yīng)該有點權(quán)威性。

而西施的沉江而死，是他沉還是自沉，又有不同的版本。他沉說，說是夫差或句踐將西施沉了江。夫差一向視西施為寶物，又至死未知西施是句踐打造的一件亡國的暗器，所以想來不大可能。而在句踐的眼里，西施既不是良弓又非良犬，不會影響他穩(wěn)坐龍基，殺了西施倒有損于自己道德上的正確，想想也犯不著。如此下來，自沉于江便成了西施惟一的選擇。在西施看來，“玩偶之家”的吳國已灰飛煙滅，她何處寄身;故國雖在，但她回得去嗎？所以自沉于江便成為別無選擇的選擇。《墨子》說“西施之沉，其美也?！币参┯凶猿粒攀潜瘎≈凶畲騽尤诵牡囊荒?。

只是我們不知道西施到底自沉于何處？按西施的意愿，想來是最愿意回歸浣紗溪的。質(zhì)本潔來還潔去，這是江南水做的女兒的天性，無論是村姑也好，還是曾經(jīng)是報仇復(fù)國的暗器也罷。

Phrases from Legend of Xi Shi the Beauty

By Chen Rongli

Stories about Xi Shi the Beauty are legendary that some phrases from the stories are now very much alive and used in describing various situations. The following are three phrases.

Huansha or Clothes Washing

Washing clothes in river was a job done by women in Jiangnan in the past. Even now， some rural women still wash clothes in nearby streams or rivers. Xi Shi was a clothe washer. The stream zigzagging through the village where she lived and washed clothes was therefore called Huansha Stream.

Because of Xi Shi， girls washing clothes in river became a symbol of Jiangnan in poems. Li Bai， presumably the greatest poet of the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， wrote a poem about the beauty of Xi Shi， which mentions her washing clothes in stream water. In the traditional culture， Xi Shi wouldnt have been that beautiful without the stream， the lotus flowers in the stream， and the crystal water. Li Bai wasnt the only poet who knew the importance of the water. Su Dongpo of the Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127） compared the beauty of the West Lake to the beauty of Xi Shi in a poem. The comparison is more than about the beauty. In Chinese， west is pronounced as Xi. Thats why so many people believe that the lake is named after Xi Shi the beauty. Yu Dafu， a poet and novelist of the 20th century and native of Hangzhou， visited Huansha Stream in November 1933. He admired 浣紗， meaning clothe washing， carved on a stone in the village where Xi Shi was born and brought up. It was originally handwritten by Wang Xizhi， presumably the greatest calligrapher in Chinese history. Yu Dafu wrote a poem in commemoration of Xi Shi. Those who visit Zhuji will inevitably visit Huansha Stream. The stream is more than a physical existence. It is something that shines in the culture of Jiangnan. Xi Shi is a symbol of young girls in Jiangnan.

Honey Trap

In Chinas written history， King Goujian of the Yue State may have been the first person who perfectly used the strategy of beautiful women. The idea was first proposed by his two ministers， but the king took all the credits for using Xi Shi so effectively. Xi Shi and another young girl spent three years learning to be perfect spies and perfect concubines in the Yue State before they were sent to the Wu State， the archrival of the Yue State.

Drowned in River

What Xi Shi did after the Yue State successfully revenged the Wu State has remained a mystery. History and folktales offer three different finales. Some say that Xi Shi went away with Fan Li， one of the two ministers who came up with the honey trap scheme. Fan Li became a successful business tycoon. In folklore， Fan is the forefather of successful business people in China. Some people say that Xi Shi escaped to a life as a reclusive. But a woman as beautiful as Xi Shi living as a solitary reclusive in wildness and surviving all the challenges and difficulties looks highly unlikely. Some say that Xi Shi fled to Japan and some claim that the beauty fled to a Southeast Asian country. Some historical accounts state that Xi Shi was drowned in river and killed when the Yue army stormed the capital of the Wu State and set fire on the palace where she lived as a lady. One of the historical statements was given by Mozi， a famous Warring States philosopher， inventor and master engineer. A contemporary of Xi Shi， Mozi might have known better.

Even if Xi Shi was drowned in river， whether Xi Shi committed suicide and drowned herself in river or she was drowned by the King of the Wu or the King Goujian of the Yue remains unclear. On second thought， it might be right to guess that Xi Shi drowned herself.