烟雪飞绪

悄云

总体上讲，我们蜗居的小镇四季分明，四时佳兴。但是倘若把季节切割得更细些，就会发现，在众芳摇落之后，大雪纷飞之前，总有一段尴尬的冬日。届时草色由碧绿转为枯黄，泥土日渐裸出。大树茕然孑立，只剩下光秃秃，瘦嶙嶙的枝叉，全无了往昔为生灵遮风挡雨的豪放。随着全球气候变暖，这般尴尬的日子更是潜滋暗长。入冬以来，我一直为此闷闷不乐。可是一天早晨爬起来，忽见烟雪飘舞，窗外一白无际。银妆素裹的大地，令我顿时神清气爽，心生惬意。

走出房外，眼见邻家的松树叉上已经堆满了的积雪，一阵风吹过，枝叉弯下了腰，仿佛向上苍传达着臣服之意。唐代诗人杜荀鹤曾以 “江湖不见飞禽影，岩谷时闻折竹声” 描绘雪后的空寂与静谧。眼前，我的小院里虽也不见飞禽，却仍有小松鼠拖着沾雪的大尾巴上窜下跳的身影。厚重的雪地上，还有一串串小鹿赏光的蹄印，如同一朵朵小梅花，绣在无边的素被之上。寻着蹄印追去，每踏一步，都会陷入一个小雪窝。吱吱作响之中，我尽享着下坠时松软的快感。鹿蹄印消失在被戏称为小植物园的边上，凑近一瞧，发现两棵丁香的枝条已经被剥了皮。面对惨状，我除了哀叹，无计可施。回首张望，但见鹿与人的足印纠缠在一起，深浅不一。我苦笑着想，就权当我与Bambi* 共产共情了吧。



　　按照 routine (常规), 我驱车前往家对面的社区大学去打Pickle Ball(匹克球），这是一天中最令人兴奋的活动。和那里的教工和学生几场撕杀过后，我已是气喘吁吁，大汗淋漓。清洗完毕走出健身馆，我并不急着回家，而是决定在校园里徜徉, 继续赏雪。沿途只见钟塔在苍茫之中凛立，平添了一种往日不曾感受到的孤傲，有了点“一种清孤不等闲” 的气度。向下望去，Dome (圆顶)体育馆如同一片坠落的白色天穹，冷卧在大地之上。走近学校的 mascot(吉祥物)大灰熊 the Grizz的雕像， 它虽然一如既往地保持着张牙舞爪的表情，但由于脸上身上挂着残雪，看来竟更像一只大熊猫，面部也浮出了些许大熊猫般与世无争的温存。其身后枯黄的芦荻，在雪色中变得十分鲜亮。相衬之下，the Grizz 便显得不那么落寞了。

回家的路上我在想， 院子里的鹿痕人迹应该已被风雪吞没了吧。正所谓雪泥鸿爪，过罢无痕。世间行客之踪，短如足印，长至生命，都逃不过灰飞烟灭的终结。而文字，是我能想到的定格红尘过往的最细腻的方式。这些过往，不必是什么宏大的事件。不妨只是一场及时的烟雪，或是一缕飘飞的思绪。

2025年2月2日

*Bambi 是动画片《Bambi 》里主角小鹿的名字

图片均来自作者

PS: Google translate （Google 翻译总体有进步，但还是有明显错误😑）

Smoke and snow fly

Generally speaking, the town where we live has four distinct seasons and is prosperous at all times. But if you cut the season more finely, you will find that there is always an awkward winter day after the crowd falls and before the heavy snow. At that time, the color of the grass will change from turquoise to yellow, and the soil will become more and more bare. The big tree stands alone, leaving only bare and thin branches and forks, without the luxury of sheltering the creatures from the wind and rain in the past. With global warming, such embarrassing days are even more hidden. Since winter, I have been sullen about it. But when I got up one morning, I suddenly saw smoke and snow dancing, and the window was white. The earth wrapped in silver makeup made me feel refreshed and comfortable.

When I walked out of the room, I saw that the pine tree in the neighbor's house was already covered with snow. A gust of wind blew, and the branches bent down, as if conveying the intention of submission to the sky. Du Xunhe, a poet in the Tang Dynasty, once described the emptiness and tranquility after the snow with "There is no shadow of birds in the rivers and lakes, and the sound of broken bamboo can be heard in the rock valley". In front of me, although there are no birds in my small yard, there are still little squirrels jumping up and down with their snow-stained tails. On the thick snow, there are also a string of deer's hoof prints, like small plum blossoms, embroidered on the boundless quilt. Looking for the footprints and chasing, every step you take will fall into a small snow nest. In the squeak, I enjoyed the soft pleasure of falling. The deer hooves disappeared on the edge of the so-called small botanical garden. When I looked closer, I found that the branches of two lilacs had been peeled off. In the face of the tragedy, I had nothing to do but lament. Looking back, I saw the deer and people's footprints entangled together, with the depth and shallowness. I smiled bitterly and thought, just think of me as a communist relationship with Bambi*.

According to the routine, I drove to the community college opposite my home to play Pickle Ball, which is the most exciting activity of the day. After several fights with the teachers and students there, I was already out of breath and sweaty. After cleaning, I walked out of the gym. I was not in a hurry to go home, but decided to wander around the campus and continue to enjoy the snow. Along the way, I can only see the bell tower standing in the vastness, adding a kind of pride that has never been felt in the past, and a little "a kind of loneliness and leisure". Looking down, the Dome gymnasium is like a falling white sky, lying coldly on the ground. Approaching the statue of the school's mascot (mascot) big grizzly bear, although it maintains the expression of teeth and claws as usual, because of the residual snow on its face, it looks more like a giant panda, and its face also shows a little indisputable warmth like a giant panda. The yellow reeds behind it became very bright in the snow. Against each other, the Grizz looks less lonely.

On the way home, I was thinking that the deer marks in the yard should have been swallowed up by the wind and snow. As the saying goes, there is no trace after the snow and mud. The traces of the world's visitors, as short as footprints, as long as life, and they can't escape the end as ashes. And words are the most delicate way I can think of to freeze the past. These pasts don't have to be grand events. It might as well be just a timely smoke and snow, or a wisp of floating thoughts.