Scent of Books (Extracts)

Hongbin Wang Trans. by Wang Jinyue（王金岳）

【1】 The phrase， “scent of books”， has existed since ancient times. Historically， people placed the leaves of a strong-scented herb called citronella in between the pages of their books to keep bookworms away. Once a book with such leaves was opened， it could give off a strong， pleasant smell， which was therefore referred to as the “scent of books”. Later， the meaning of this phrase was often extended to mean a climate of learning.

【2】 The scent savored from reading is a taste that emanates from a persons soul. It reflects the fickleness of human nature in this world， rich moral sentiments， long-standing cultural inheritance， magnificent mountains and rivers. … Each book tells a story or a feeling. Each story contains the sweets and bitters of life. Each feeling encompasses different dreams. Hence， I respect each book and try hard to make sense of it and appreciate the sincerity between the lines.

【3】 In ancient times， there were verse lines， “Only the learned rank high; all other trades are low”. Nowadays， there exist verse lines， “Thanks to the scent of books， ones lifetime becomes splendid; Thanks to the smell of books， ones life becomes wealthy.” In ancient China， there was a scholar who tied his hair on the house beam， and another who jabbed his side with an awl， in order to keep themselves awake in learning. There was also a scholar who bore a hole on the wall in order to get some light from the neighbors house. Today， there are people who read books in a toilet or under the bedclothes. Such people yearn for knowledge and respect their life. We cannot say that ones life would be completely meaningless without reading， but we are certain that ones life can become bright and colorful because of reading. What an elegant and pure activity reading is on the path of ones life！

【4】 In school， the most enjoyable day was the day when we received new textbooks. The brand-new books， completely new knowledge… and the peculiar scent of printing inks of the new books， particularly， appealed to us.

【5】 The light scent of inks like a naughty elf tantalized the wings of our nose so wickedly that we were unwilling to lay down our books once we held them. In the books， there were smells of rivers and seas， traces of dust and moonlight， flavors of joys and sorrows， separations and reunions. … While we calmed down， our emotions went up. Looking around， I witnessed various emotions and reactions surging up such as distress， elatedness， knitted brows and striking the desk in surprise. Sitting quietly at my desk， I saw winds rising and clouds gathering， and flowers blooming and fading. How fantastic this state was in which I had completely forgotten myself and the outside world！

【6】 Reading is a kind of spiritual practice， a sort of enjoyment. What it brings to us is meaningful perceptions， perpetual impetus and peace of mind as well as solace of soul. Certainly， to achieve these， we must change ourselves. There is also a need for the whole society to work together to create an atmosphere of learning. We need more libraries， more reading spaces， and more convenient and faster access to books. Only when we experience the pleasure of reading and books are readily available， can the scent of books accompany both our bodies and souls， anytime and anywhere.

（Excerpted from “Scent of Books”， Yuedu [Monthly Reading]， Issue 3， 2021）