Heaven's will pities the secluded grass

Author: Ke Ling
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: At the advanced age of eighty, Mr. Ke Ling is frail, his steps unsteady, and his hearing and sight impaired; yet his writings remain as vibrant as blossoms on an old plum tree, resilient and radiant after enduring frost and snow. His prose is a testament to enduring vitality, stirring the soul and evoking profound admiration. China is a land of prose. Through the vast expanse of time, the great tide of history has shaped timeless masterpieces, nourishing generations of scholars. As the 20th century dawned, the turbulent era, the influx of Western learning, and the collision and fusion of Eastern and Western cultures gave birth to a new realm of prose. As the 21st century approached, looking back at nearly a century of modern literary prose, the 1920s and the 1990s stand as twin peaks of brilliance, each a landscape of exquisite beauty. In the early 1980s, drama, reportage, and poetry once captivated the public but gradually faded, while fiction remained enduringly popular. The comprehensive rise of prose, reaching spectacular heights, occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Within a few years, masterpieces flourished, and the stars of prose shone brightly. The middle-aged and young prose writers were exceptionally active and innovative. Among them, the emergence of new works by some "white-haired" figures shocked and inspired the literary world. As the saying goes, "An old horse at the stable still dreams of a thousand miles; a loyalist in his twilight years still burns with youthful vigor" (Cao Cao, Step Out of Xia Gate). Their prose is marked by the vicissitudes of life, the depth of knowledge, the wisdom of experience, the subtle irony, the refined character, and the sharp precision of language. Among the most prominent are Ba Jin, Bing Xin, Xia Yan, Sun Li, Yang Jiang, Liu Baiyu, Xiao Qian, Ji Xianlin, Jia Zhifang, Wu Guanzhong, Zhang Zhongxing, and Jin Kemu. Ke Ling, included among them, stands out as one of the most distinguished. In his middle years, he edited newspapers and magazines, wrote plays and films, and composed poetry and fiction, excelling particularly in prose. During that time, he wrote out of necessity and idealism, yet faced imprisonment and hardship, crafting his words amidst the turmoil. His prose was sharp and incisive, with elegant and profound language. In the 1950s and 1960s, his prose was warm and sincere, though occasionally superficial due to the circumstances. Later, his work suffered criticism and underwent a nine-year exile. Despite adversity in his fifties, his later years of hardship laid the foundation for the flourishing of his prose at the age of seventy.
The relationship between writing and fate is often paradoxical. Poverty often breeds literary brilliance, a truth observed across cultures and eras. As Sima Qian wrote, "Confucius was imprisoned and wrote The Spring and Autumn Annals; Qu Yuan was exiled and composed Encountering Sorrow." (Sima Qian, Letter to Ren An). The thought is both startling and heartbreaking. In the nearly two decades of his later life, Ke Ling's prose, though connected to his youthful vigor, reflected decades of literary experience, resilience, and insight. Compared to the development of modern and contemporary prose, his later works of hundreds of thousands of words have a distinct brilliance, embodying the style of a master.
Ke Ling, having endured countless trials, has grown stronger like the cypress and pine. His brush spans the ages and the vast world, encompassing profound statements, intimate musings, historical reflections, character critiques, calls for justice, celebrations of virtue, deep insights, and emotional tribulations. His works range from brief essays of hundreds of words to lengthy narratives of tens of thousands, unrestricted by form or genre, unswayed by shifting trends or worldly ambitions. Instead, he pours his heart into his words, writing from the soul, "When emotion moves within, it finds expression in speech" (Mao Shi Xu), "I write with my hand, I speak with my heart" (Huang Zunxian, Miscellaneous Reflections). Thus, his prose flows effortlessly, capturing the essence of life and nature.
As the saying goes, "At the edge of the sky and the corner of the earth,, the soul, the nerves—everywhere." This collection includes his prose from his later years, not all of which are flawless, but many are masterpieces, blending erudition, courage, reason, and virtue. With a unique style and distinctive literary grace, his works approach the realm of "luminous and pure, illuminating the soul."
In writing, the pursuit of truth is paramount, often referring to genuine emotion, honest words, and the unity of life and art, in contrast to falsity, pretense, and deception. Ke Ling's writing, rooted in sincerity, also forges new paths, emphasizing "truth as the backbone." The connection between "truth" and "bone" highlights the foundational role of truth in his works while also conveying the essence of literary character, integrity, and strength. The ancient literary critic Liu Xie highly valued the "bone" in writing, stating, "Words depend on bone, as the body relies on its skeleton." "When words are straightforward, the literary bone is formed." Thus, focusing solely on "truth" without understanding its connection to "bone" fails to grasp the essence of Ke Ling's prose. The truth, more than anything, lies in its strength.
Ke Ling's The Ordeals of Ma Sicong and his portrayal of the revelry and enlightenment brought by sudden storms reveal his sharp observation and powerful prose, imbued with a profound and resilient spirit. In 1984, his A Farewell to Eileen Chang, written when she had been forgotten for decades, presents his independent views, defying conventional wisdom. His courage and insight are truly "words that shock the storm and lightning." His critiques of and the other Zhou brothers, who have long been consensus in literary history, stand as bold and incisive statements, revealing wisdom beyond the surface. As early as 1982, Ke Ling wrote critically about Qian Zhongshu, praising his character, integrity, scholarship, and the novel Fortress Besieged, while condemning the excesses of the "Leftist faction" and the narrow-mindedness of some critics.
Ke Ling seeks truth in his writing, and his value transcends individual works or specific arguments. His "bone spirit" has universal significance, revealing the underlying issues and flaws of the era. Truly, "strong bones and fierce spirit."
Similar to truth, prose should also embody beauty. There are various forms of beauty—described through words, revealed through atmosphere, enriched through character, established through personality, even contrasted or revealed through the ugly. Ke Ling's prose celebrates beauty but also seeks its ultimate artistic expression in "divine essence." The connection between "beauty" and "divine essence" is a new dimension in Ke Ling's writing, emphasizing the integration of beauty throughout the work while also implying the highest realm of beauty as spirit, elegance, demeanor, insight, and vividness. True and profound beauty in prose is not merely the charm of plain language, the depiction of scenic beauty, the richness of vocabulary, the portrayal of virtuous characters, or the expression of noble thoughts or emotions. Artistic beauty lies in the harmony of form and spirit. Only when the spirit is lively and the essence is profound can one reach the realm of perfection.
In his Buenos Aires, the elderly writer vividly recreates three sculptures: the "Mermaid" modeled after Hans Christian Andersen's tale, Don Quixote and Sancho Panza from Cervantes, and the "She-Wolf suckling naked infants" from Roman mythology. In Ke Ling's prose, the scenes are beautiful, yet they carry a deeper "divine essence"—a rich and profound philosophical meaning embedded in the unity of three independent yet interconnected artistic expressions, and a powerful impact on human nature. Ke Ling keenly captures how static beauty in sculpture becomes exceptionally dynamic and vivid.
Ke Ling excels at nurturing "divine essence" within beauty and conveying it through prose. In his portrayal of the rural artist Anonymity, the contrast between the master's stunning performance on stage and his humble appearance offstage—clad in a black cotton coat—brings the character's demeanor to life. In In Memory of Fu Lei, Ke Ling focuses on the two "no's" in the translator's response and the image of a crane "looking up to the heavens, never bending to look at the mud below," revealing Fu Lei's spiritual realm.
In conveying the "divine essence" with elegant, refined, natural, and flowing language, Ke Ling stands out among contemporary prose writers. His skillful use of old words in new ways, the revival of obscure terms, the clever application of common words, the repetition of compound words, the use of synonyms, the flexible combination of phrases, the varied sentence structures, parallel sentences, and the musicality of rhythm and tone elevate his prose to a transcendent artistic realm.
In Dreaming of Dreams, dreams permeate the entire work, reflecting the frost and snow of the modern literary world. With a single turn of his pen, Ke Ling compares the chaos of the past decades to the shifting sands of "yes, no, maybe, maybe not, sometimes yes, sometimes no, sometimes no, sometimes yes, coming and going in confusion." Those familiar with modern and contemporary social and literary history will appreciate the novelty and profundity of his imagery and the depth of his insights, marveling at the brilliance of his prose.
Ke Ling's literary life and life's hardships are intertwined. His writings on these themes are often gems of wisdom, each word and sentence brimming with emotion and experience. His words are both poignant and profound, revealing the struggles and reflections of countless cultural figures in the modern era: "The life of a writer, full of warmth and bitterness, ups and downs, gains and losses. The ivory tower, the crossroads, the path to glory, the gates of hell—separated by just a sheet of paper." His prose is not only elegant in language but also rich in content, culminating in the shocking and powerful line, "Separated by just a sheet of paper," capturing the fate and hearts of countless cultural figures in the modern era.
His ability to turn a few strokes into gold and convey the spirit in a single line has reached the pinnacle of perfection, leaving one in awe. Ke Ling's prose, though written in old age, is ever-vibrant, encompassing the vast and profound. At the invitation of the People's Daily Press Publishing House, I compiled this collection, and at the request of Mr. Ke Ling, I wrote this preface. As a junior scholar, my knowledge is limited, and my words may fall short. Nevertheless, I present this work to the readers and the literary world for their guidance and wisdom.