访曹雪芹北京西山旧居

朱曼华

古槐
庭前
两株空腹古槐
一高一矮
满脸深邃的皱纹
已经绽开
古槐经过多少风霜雨雪？
古槐录下多少人间情爱？
古槐是苍天雕塑的宝玉？
古槐是衰老的黛玉宝钗？

【注】北京人常称香山最高峰为"鬼见愁"。五十年代末香山里的昭庙曾是军委总参一所军校（今日的洛阳解放军外国语学院） 所在地。作者曾有机会在这里学习并见过朱德总司令，经常有机会爬山，攀登鬼见愁，即香炉峰。

Climbing in the Western Hills
By Manfield Zhu

MY Visit to Cao Xueqin’s Resident Village
(at the Foot of Peking Western Hills)
Before the courtyard pagoda trees old, hollow,
One is tall, and the other is low
Both faces with the deep split wrinkles,
Washed by rain or wind, painted by frost or snow,
How many love stories, were they told?
Baoyu might be an incarnation of them,
But could Daiyu and Baochai turn old?
(by Manfield Zhu)

Note: (1)As an author of A Red Dream of Mansions, Cao Xueqin’ was born in 1763 or 1764, and died approximately in 1812. Once his father was an high official in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) but later deposed and his mansions with his property were searched and confiscated.Thus great Chinese famous writer Cao's living conditions changed from the rich to the poor. His great novel reflected his large family's rise and fall. He was living not only a luxurious life but also a miserable life. That is why he succeeded in writing such a great novel.
(2)Lin Daiyu was Jia Baoyu's only favorite girl but he was forced to mary Xue Baochai at last according to the novel. Lin Dauyu (林黛玉) and Jia Baoyu were both of key characters in A Red Dream of Mansions. Lin Dauyu was one of Jia Baoyu's younger female cousins.