稻草人

薛涛 夏盛

从来到稻田的第一天开始，稻草人就一动不动站在稻田里。鸟雀们目瞪口呆：这个家伙来历不明，看上去像一捆稻草。

稻草人自言自语：“稻田很美，真的很美。”

稻草人希望鸟雀们能听见这句话，然后检点自己的行为，可是鸟雀听不见。秋风漫过稻田，稻草人顺势挥手，赶走了啄食稻穗的鸟群。

稻草人说：“鸟群在天上的时候，天空美了鸟也美了。鸟群在稻田里啄稻穗的时候不美。”

有一天，稻草人深情地望着主人在稻田里劳作。稻草人便说：“主人爱稻田，我更爱。”

稻田旁有一棵白杨树，一只乌鸦常常光顾这里。乌鸦清楚，这棵树不适合修建鸟巢，是稻田旁边的炊烟吸引了他。炊烟一缕，从瓦房的烟囱口升起来。他便早早落在白杨树上，痴迷地望着炊烟。炊烟升到更高的地方便散了淡了，融入了蓝天，蓝天更蓝了。这个时刻，乌鸦往往会飞向高空，去炊烟消散的地方寻找它的踪迹。飞翔、落下；落下、飞翔……炊烟已了无痕迹，寻找没有结果，乌鸦却乐此不疲。他迷恋过程。

The scarecrow stood in the rice paddy， motionless all day and every day since he arrived. This caused quite a stir among the sparrows； the guy seemed to come from nowhere. He looks like a bunch of straw！

The scarecrow murmured to himself， “Beautiful！ The rice field is beautiful！”

The scarecrow hoped the sparrows could hear him and stay away from the paddy. But the sparrows did not hear him. When the autumn wind blew over the paddy field， the scarecrow waved his hands and drove away the sparrows pecking the ears of rice.

The scarecrow said， “When the birds are in the sky， the sky is beautiful and so are the birds； when the birds are in the paddy field pecking rice， they are not beautiful.”

One day， he watched his owner working in the paddy field and said， “My owner loves this rice field and so do I.”

A poplar tree grows beside the paddy field. A crow was a constant visitor. The crow knew clearly that the poplar tree was not a good place to build a nest on； what attracted him was the smoke from the kitchen chimney. A plume of smoke rose from the chimney of the tile-roofed house. The crow had been resting on the poplar tree and now he was obsessed with the sight. The smoke dispersed as it was rising， and when it disappeared into the sky， the sky was bluer. The crow then flew high up in the sky to follow the smoke. He flew up， landed， then flew up again. The smoke was not there； it was a fruitless pursuit. But the crow was infatuated with this and he did it repeatedly.

稻草人不在意身邊的白杨树，更不在意乌鸦的折腾。他的眼里只有稻田。

稻草人第一百零一次赶走了试图靠近稻田的鸟群。

“我是稻田的主人……”稻草人当然是说给自己听的，以便让自己牢记职责。

“你不是，田里的那个老人才是主人。”乌鸦的声音不算好听，却洪亮。

乌鸦又早早来了，他站在树枝上静候傍晚的炊烟。今天，他是想让稻草人知道他的存在，才跟这个目中无人的草人搭茬儿。乌鸦是个例外，他能听见稻草人心里发出的声音。

“是这样……他是我的主人，我是稻田的主人。”稻草人盯着眼前的稻田，并不看乌鸦。他早就注意到这只鸟了，这只鸟黑黑的傻傻的，看起来并不美。

“你也看到了，他顶着火热的太阳引水、插秧，他创造了稻田。谁是创造者，谁就是主人。”乌鸦不客气地说。

稻草人不言语了，他不像乌鸦那么能讲出深奥的道理。日落西山，主人离开了稻田，朝瓦房走去。

The scarecrow did not mind the poplar tree； nor did he care about the crow who was fooling around. In his eyes there was only the paddy.

For the hundred and first time， he drove away the sparrows who tried to come near the rice field.

“I am the owner of the paddy field...” said the scarecrow， reminding himself of the responsibility.

“No， you are not！” the crow said in a loud hoarse voice， “The old man in the rice field is！”

The crow was on the branch very early. He was waiting for the smoke at dinner time. Today， he wanted to make his existence clear to the scarecrow. Otherwise， who would want to talk to that arrogant straw-man？ Strangely， unlike other birds， the crow can hear and understand what the scarecrow thinks and says.

“This is how it is...the old man is my owner； and I am the owner of the rice paddy.” The scarecrow looked straight at the rice field. In fact， he had already noticed this bird， black-feathered and silly-looking， not beautiful at all.

“You have seen it yourself - he， in the fierce sunshine， diverts the water， transplants the rice seedlings. He has created the rice field - he is the owner.” said the crow in his straight forward way.

The scarecrow was silent now. Unlike the crow， he was not good at making a speech. The sun set； the owner left the field and made his way towards his tile-roofed house.

稻草人說：“稻田有两个主人，白天的主人是他，夜晚的主人是我。”

主人进了瓦房，炊烟便升起来了。乌鸦痴迷地望着炊烟，也不再搭理稻草人。

稻草人说：“我是稻田夜晚的主人！你不承认吗？你为什么不回答呢？”

乌鸦说：“嘘——你也看看炊烟，炊烟很美……”

稻草人说：“稻田最美！”

许久，乌鸦说：“蓝天很美，你承认吧？”

稻草人说：“就算吧，可是比不过稻田。没有金灿灿的稻田，人们能在蓝天下面坐多久呢？没有金灿灿的稻田，蓝天太单调了。”

The scarecrow spoke up， “The rice field has two owners； he is the owner for daytime； and I am the owner for night time.”

The owner had gone into his house， and the smoke rose from the chimney. This fascinated the crow and he did not pay attention to what the scarecrow was saying.

The scarecrow asked， “I am the owner for the night now. Do you believe it？ Why arent you answering？”

“Shhh...” said the crow， “Look at the smoke - it is beautiful.”

“The field is more beautiful！”

For quite a while the crow did not say a word. Then he said， “The blue sky is beautiful. You admit it， dont you？ ”

“Right， but how can it be compared with the rice field？ It is the golden field that invites people to sit under the sky for a long time. The blue sky would be dull without the golden paddy field.”

乌鸦便说：“这就好了，你承认蓝天是美的。我说屋顶的烟囱是一支笔，你承认吗？这个你不一定承认。”

稻草人想都没想，说：“烟囱是一支笔，承认了又能怎样？”

乌鸦有点得意：“很好。那么，我说大地握着烟囱，用炊烟画出了蓝天。”

稻草人說：“真是这样的话，我承认炊烟也很美。可是，‘炊烟画出了蓝天只是一个想象。我不相信想象出来的东西。”

乌鸦无语了。乌鸦突然觉得，稻田里站立的这个家伙太刻板了，太乏味了。乌鸦飞上蓝天深处，去追寻炊烟的踪迹。

炊烟和稻田哪个最美，乌鸦和稻草人争论了很多天。他们争论着，秋越来越深了，稻田变成金灿灿的海洋。稻草人不免扬扬自得，可是乌鸦仍旧坚持炊烟最美。

The crow then said， “You have admitted the sky is beautiful. Now I say the chimney is like an artist's pencil， do you agree？ I doubt that you will.”

Without thinking， the scarecrow said， “The chimney is like a pencil. I admit it. So what？”

The crow was pleased with himself and said， “Very well. Now， I want to say the earth holds a Chimney Pencil and draws a painting with plumes of smoke.”

“If you must say so， I admit the chimney smoke is attractive， too， but， this is only imagination. I dont like things that are not real.”

This remark left the crow speechless. How tedious， this guy who just stands there all day！ The crow flew into the sky after the chimney smoke.

Their squabble went on day after day. The late autumn was now here. The rice paddy was turned into a golden sea. Scarecrow felt so proud； while the crow was still fascinated with the chimney smoke.

主人收割了水稻，饱满的稻田一下子干瘪了，稻草人却高大起来。这些变故让稻草人无比失落，可他一动不动守护着空荡荡的稻田。那些鸟雀们远远地飞来了，他们发现稻草人的样子很可笑：他只有一条细腿，并且是个偏执狂。

“水稻没有了，你怎么还傻站在那里啊？”鸟群侮辱了稻草人。

“我是稻田的主人，这里是我的岗位……”稻草人执拗地说。当然，这宣言是说给自己听的，也不需要鸟群听见。

乌鸦来看炊烟了。乌鸦第一次发现，稻草人现在的样子是一个很美的姿势。他便对那些鸟雀说：“目光短浅！明年还有水稻，稻草人还是稻田的主人。”

乌鸦回击了鸟雀，乌鸦也帮稻草人坚定了信念：明年还有稻田。整个冬天，瓦房里燃烧稻草，每天傍晚都有炊烟观赏。关于炊烟与稻田哪个更美，时不时还被稻草人和乌鸦提起。

The old man reaped the rice. The rice field was now shallow and the scarecrow seemed taller than before. He was at a loss as to this change. But he guarded the empty rice field as before and stood motionless all day. The sparrows flew over and noted this awkward figure -one-legged and hard-headed scarecrow.

“The rice is all gone. Why are you still standing there？” The birds teased the scarecrow.

“I am the owner of the rice field； this is my post...” said the scarecrow. He said it to himself and did not need any bird to hear him.

The crow came to watch the smoke. For the first time， he found the scarecrow had a beautiful gesture. He said to the birds， “How short-sighted you all are！ Next year there will be new rice growing here and he is still the owner of the rice field.”

The crows witty words beat the birds and gave encouragement to the scarecrow - there will be new rice next year. Through the whole winter， dried rice straw burned in the old mans house； at every dusk， there was chimney smoke to watch. And the babble still went on， about which is more beautiful， the chimney smoke or the rice field.

稻草人说：“我承认炊烟很美。你也应该知道炊烟是从哪里来的，那是主人燃烧了稻田啊。所以我还是说，稻田最美。”

这一次乌鸦的口气明显软了下来：“原来，没有稻田便没有炊烟……”

争论不存在了，乌鸦和稻草人成了朋友，乌鸦陪稻草人一起等候春天。他们都相信春天一来，主人会重造一片稻田。不久大雪覆盖了稻田，还送给稻草人一顶雪白的帽子。大部分时间他俩都不再说话，乌鸦踏着树枝欣赏炊烟，稻草人戴着白帽等候春天。

One day the scarecrow said， “I admit the smoke is beautiful； but you should know where it comes from - it comes from the rice being burnt！ That is why I think the rice field is more beautiful.”

For the first time the crow replied in a low voice， “ I see. There is no smoke if there is no rice field...”

There was no more argument now. They became friends. Together they waited for the spring， in the belief that the old man would make a new rice paddy. Soon， snow covered the field， and gave the scarecrow a white hat. The two friends were silent for most of the time. The crow rested on the poplar trees branch， watching the smoke； the scarecrow in his white hat waited for the spring.

白帽子被春风摘掉那天，乌鸦告诉稻草人：“春天来了，你的稻田要回来了！”

稻草人便整天喜气洋洋的，有时候还跟乌鸦说几句玩笑。乌鸦却落落寡欢的。乌鸦道出了心事：“我的炊烟越来越薄了，稻草快烧光了。”

稻草人说：“春天来了，过几天就有新稻田了。”

几天后，炊烟绝迹了。主人却只顾在瓦房里打点行李，后来把农具也捆扎在一起。这让乌鸦和稻草人很费解。一只麻雀飞来告诉他们：“你们还不知道吧？主人要离开这里了……”

乌鸦无语，茫然地望着大地。乌鸦的心里有了一个不祥的直觉。

乌鸦许久才回答：“他要是走了，稻田没有了，炊烟也就没有了……”

稻草人说：“我不信他会丢下稻田。”

A swirl of warm spring wind came and took away the white hat. The crow told his friend， “The spring is coming and your rice field is returning！”

Rejoiced， the scarecrow embraced the spring wind. Now he was even in the mood to make jokes with the crow. But the latter wore a sad look and said， “My smoke is thinner and thinner now. There must be little rice straw left in the house.”

The scarecrow said，“Spring is coming and there will be a new rice field.”

A few days later， there was no more smoke coming from the chimney. The old man was busy himself with packing. He put away all his farm tools， too. The crow and his friends felt puzzled. They could not figure out what was going on. A sparrow flew by and told them that the owner was planning to move.

The crow did not speak. He looked at the field as if he were lost. He had a bad feeling something bad was going to happen.

The scarecrow asked， “Why is he leaving？ I love the paddy； so does he.”

After a long pause the crow said， “If he leaves， there will be no rice field. No smoke either.”

The scarecrow said， “I dont believe he will leave the rice field.”

那只麻雀歷来喜欢散布一些小道消息，乌鸦和稻草人都不愿相信这是真的，他们等待最后的结果。直到有一天，主人扛着包裹走出瓦房，惆怅地望着他的稻田。稻田里别无他物，只有稻草人还坚守在岗位上。主人扔下包裹朝稻田跑过去，站在稻田中央。

主人自言自語道：“我太老了，两腿得了严重的风湿病，不能再插秧了。要不是喜欢这片稻田，我早就答应儿子进城了。”

稻草人很悲伤，“原来他真要离开这里了。”

乌鸦说：“这一次，我俩都错了。”

主人低头对稻草人说：“跟我走吧伙计，我不能丢下你。”

The sparrow was a great gossip， so the crow and scarecrow did not believe her. They waited for the truth to come out. Then one day， the old man walked out of his house， carrying his package. He looked at the rice field sentimentally. The paddy was empty except for the scarecrow. The old man put his package down and walked to the center of the rice field.

“I am too old. I cant transplant the rice seedlings now. My legs ached from the chronic arthritis， and if it were not for this rice field， I should have gone to the city to join my son long ago.”

The scarecrow was sad now. So the old man was really leaving.

“We are both wrong about him.” said the crow.

The old man lowered his head to the scarecrow， “Come with me pal. I am not going to leave you here.”

稻草人说：“我哪儿也不去。”

主人只管轻轻抱起了稻草人。稻草人说：“把我烧掉吧，让乌鸦再看一回炊烟……”

主人似乎懂了稻草人的心思，他看了看远处开来的汽车，又看了看远处开来的汽车，抱着稻草人进了瓦房。不久，一缕轻烟从屋顶升起来，融入了瓦蓝的天空。

“我承认，蓝天是大地用炊烟画出来的。现在，我去画了……”在最后的时刻，稻草人对他的老友乌鸦说。

乌鸦看到了最美的一缕炊烟，也是最后一缕炊烟。然后，乌鸦朝高空飞去，他去追寻那缕炊烟的踪迹。他奋力向高处飞，直到心肺炸裂。

The scarecrow answered， “I am not going anywhere.”

The old man carried the scarecrow gently in his arms. He heard the scarecrow whisper， “Please set me on fire. Let the crow watch the smoke one more time.”

The old man seemed to understand what the scarecrow said. He looked at the car coming to take him away. He looked at the car again. Then he carried the scarecrow into his house. A plume of smoke rose from the chimney， and dispersed into the blue， blue sky.

“I agree with you that the blue sky is painting works of the land drawn with chimney smoke. I am going to do my work now...” The scarecrow， in his last breath， said to his friend the crow.

The crow saw the most beautiful smoke in his life. One last plume. The crow lifted his body and flew after the smoke. With all his might， he flew up and up to the sky， and in where the smoke disappeared， his heart broke.