第73章 死亡正如出生一样自然（2）

　　明代版本的《水浒传》尚存许多册，并且存在若干种，它们相互间的关系混乱。不过，可以普遍地分为两类——繁本和简本。繁、简是指描述事件的语言文字繁复而不是指描写的事件多或少。最早的繁本注明的日期是1589年，一百回版，前面有“天都外臣序”，接着是一二○回版，包括有征田虎和王庆，还有一个版本是七十回，删掉了一百零八将排座次后的一切情节。尚存最早的简本是1594年福建省建阳余氏双峰堂刊行的二十四卷一二○回版。这个版本的名称是《新刊京本全像增田虎王庆忠义水浒全传》。除此之外，还有一百回、一一五回和一二四回版本，也有二十五卷和三十卷版本。简本中的各种版本以文简事繁为特征，不仅语言文字更直截了当而且还包括平田虎和王庆的故事。至于是简本还是繁本更早的问题，学者们仍有纷争。但有一点是可以完全肯定的，那就是田虎和王庆事件是后来插入的，繁本一百回版较接近原型。明末文学评论家金圣叹删去了梁山好汉排座次后的一切情节，另增入卢俊义夜梦梁山头领全部被杀的段落，以此结束整部小说，他还把原第一回“洪太尉误走妖魔”改为楔子，并对全书的语言文字作了一些润色。删改完成后以七十回版本出现，立即获得成功，变成了清朝时期最流行的书之一。相比较而言，小说《水浒传》现今较好的版本包括一百回，其中头七十回是根据曾经最流行的金圣叹版，其它三十回是根据明朝容与堂首次刊行（人民文学出版社1975年再版），并被认为是最理想的版本。

　　There are a large number of copies extant of the novel printed in the Ming Dynasty， and they exist ina number of varieties. Their relationship with one another is confused， but it is convenient to divide theminto two categories—the complex and the simple. This refers to the language used to describe the episodesnot to whether there are more or fewer episodes. The earliest of the complex ones dates from 1589， in 100chapters with a preface by a scholar styled himself Tiandu Waichen. Following this there came an edition in120 chapters， which included the expeditions against Tian Hu and Wang Qing， and an edition in 70 chapterswhich cut out everything after the episode of the heroes taking seats in order of rank. The earliest survivingsimple version was published in Fujian Province in 1594 by the Twin Peaks Hall of the Yu Family ofJianyang in 24 volumes and containing 120 chapters. This version is titled The New Edition Fully Illustratedof the Complete Story of the Loyal and Righteous Outlaws of the Marsh with the Addition of the Tian Huand Wang Qing Episodes. Apart from this there are editions in 110， 115 and 124 chapters， as well as editionsin 25 and 30 volumes. The simple editions are characterized not only by their more straightforward languagebut also by the fact that they include the Tian Hu and Wang Qing episodes. As to which are earlier， the simpleor complex versions， scholars are still divided. But one thing is fairly certain， and that is that the Tian Hu andWang Qing episodes are later insertions， and that the complex， 100-chapter versions are closer to the source.

　　The literary critic Jin Shengtan of the late Ming Dynasty excised everything after the episode of the Liangshanheroes taking seats in order of rank and added the episode concerning Lu Junyi’s nightmare as the finalpart. He also changed the first chapter“Marshal Hong Releases Demons by Mistake”into a prologue andembellished the language of the entire book somewhat. The finished work emerged containing 70 chapters.

　　It was an instant success， becoming one of the most popular books of the Qing Dynasty. Comparativelyspeaking， nowadays the better edition of the novel Outlaws of the Marsh includes 100 chapters， the first 70chapters of which are based on Jin Shengtan’s version that was once the most popular one， the other 30 arebased on Rongyutang’s 100-chapter version that was first published in the Ming Dynasty (re-published bythe People’s Literature Publishing House， 1975) and considered the most perfect one.

　　《水浒传》六百年来一直强烈地吸引着我国老少读者，它已被改写成戏剧、电影、电视剧、木偶剧、图画书，儿童们都能背诵其故事。《水浒传》被数十位着名学者评论过，被译成了十多种外语，长期以来一直受到赏识，产生了很大的影响。首先被译成了日文。那是18世纪，冈岛冠山译，根据李卓吾批评本一百回版译出的，1759年出版。另一种日文本于1790年出版，比原文多了二十回，书名叫《通俗忠义水浒传》。在20世纪又多了几种日文本，分别以七十回、一百回或一二○回出版，但最具影响的是吉川幸次郎、清水茂二人根据容与堂刊行本合译的一百回版。第一部全译英文七十回本是美国女作家赛珍珠译的，她把书名译为《四海之内皆兄弟》，于1933年分别在纽约和伦敦出版。第一部全译法文一二○回本，译者是雅克·达尔，于1978年出版。同年，作品被授予法国文学奖。第一部全译俄文七十回本是罗加切夫教授所译，1955年由莫斯科国家文学出版社出版；匈牙利文译本是戈道·恺撒所译，于1961年在布达佩斯出版。此外，还有拉丁文、德文、意大利文、捷克文、波兰文、越南文、朝鲜文和泰文的节译本。我国外文出版社分别于1980年和1992年出版了英文和西班牙文版。

　　Outlaws of the Marsh has fascinated Chinese readers， young and old， for six hundred years. It has beenadapted for stage and screen， for puppet theater， for picture books. Children know the tales by heart. It hasbeen commented upon by scores of eminent scholars and translated into more than ten foreign languages.

　　It has long been appreciated and has exercised a considerable influence. The first translation of Outlaws ofthe Marsh was into Japanese. This was in the 18th century， and was done by Kanzan Okajima based on LiZhuowu’s 100-chapter version. It was published in 1759. In 1790， another Japanese version was published，expanding the original one by 20 chapters. The title of this was The Popular Loyal and Righteous Outlawsof the Marsh. In the 20thcentury several more Japanese versions appeared in 70， 100 or 120 chapters，but the most influential was the 100-chapter version based on the Rongyutang edition translated by JiroKawayuki and Shigeru Romizu.The first complete translation into English was done by the American womanwriter Pearl Buck， who titled her 70-chapter version All Men Are Brothers. This was published separatelyin New York and in London in 1933. The first complete French translation was done by Jacques Dars， whose120-chapter version was published in 1978. In the same year， the work was awarded a prize for literature inFrance. The first complete translation into Russian was done by A. Rogachev， whose 70-chapter version waspublished in 1955 by the Moscow State Publishing House of Literature； A Hungarian version done by SzongorBarnabas was published in Budapest in 1961. Apart from these， abridged translations into Latin， German，Italian， Czech， Polish， Vietnamese， Korean and Thai have appeared. The Foreign Languages Press of Chinahas published an English edition in 1980 and a Spanish edition in 1992.

　　2.2　作者人生

　　2.2　The Writer’s Life

　　施耐庵（1296—1370），原名耳，又名子安，祖籍苏州，后迁居苏北兴化县白驹镇，元末明初杰出的文学家。自幼聪明好学，才气过人，事亲至孝，为人仗义。十九岁中秀才，二十八岁中举人，三十六岁与刘伯温同榜中进士。在钱塘（今浙江杭州）做过两年官，因为看不惯官场的黑暗政治，不愿对当道权贵逢迎拍马，因此，弃官回乡。

　　Shi Nai’an， 1296-1370， alias Er or Zi An， was a brilliant writer of Late Yuan and Early Ming， whosefamily migrated from Suzhou to Baiju Town， Xinhua County， North Jiangsu. He was a talented and generousman who showed uttermost filial piety to his parents. At the age of 19， he obtained the xiucai degree andobtained the juren degree at the age of 28. At the age of 36， he， along with Liu Bowen， obtained the jinshidegree. In Qiantang (present Hangzhou)， he served as an official for two years. Later Shi resigned andreturned home since he was unwilling to play up to the bigwigs and unsatisfied with the administration.

　　传说他曾加入过元朝末年的张士诚起义军。义军失败后，他浪迹天涯，漫游山东、河南等地，后曾寓居江阴当塾师。为避明朝征召，潜往淮安，染病而殁，就地埋葬，享年七十五岁。他殁后数十年，其孙文昱（述元）家道炽盛，迁其骨葬于白驹西落湖（今江苏兴化市新垛镇施家桥村），并请王道生作《施耐庵墓志》。

　　It is said that he once joined the uprising army led by Zhang Shicheng. After the army was defeated，he wandered to Shandong， Henan and other provinces. He roamed everywhere. He once lived in Jiangyinas a tutor of a private family. For fear of being summoned by the Ming government， he escaped to Huai An，where he died at the age of 75 and was buried there. Decades later， his grandson Wenyu (Shuyuan) flourishedand relocated his remains to Xiluo Lake， Baiju (present Shijiaqiao Village， Xinduo Town， Xinghua County，Jiangsu) and invited Wang Daosheng to write an epitaph in honor of Shi Nai’an.

　　后人建施耐庵纪念馆，坐落在白驹镇西郊花家垛上，传为施耐庵当年着书之所。此处四周环水，芦苇茂密，有着浓郁的《水浒》气息，游人到此，会疑心真的到了梁山水泊蓼儿洼。纪念馆位于花家垛中央，为前后三进、东西两厢徽式青砖小瓦古代民居建筑，四周有粉墙。第一进为门厅，朱漆大门上方是书法大师启功手书的“施耐庵纪念馆”匾额。

　　Later Shi Nai’an Museum was erected. It is located in Huajia Duo， Baiju Town， where Shi Nai’anconcentrated on writing. It was a place surrounded by water and flush reeds on four sides. The surroundingsare so close to what is depicted in Outlaws of the Marsh that tourists would take it as Liao Er Flats，Liangshan Marshes. The museum stands right in the middle of Huajia Duo. It was an Anhui style two-roomancient residence built with blue bricks and small tiles. The first entrance is the main gate on which a stele byQi Gong， a great calligrapher reads“Shi Nai’an Museum”.

　　施耐庵一生最大的贡献就是创作了《水浒传》。《水浒传》取材于北宋末年的农民战争。早在南宋时候，宋江起义的故事就已在民间流传，有些艺人开始讲述和演唱水浒故事。

　　宋末元初的《大宋宣和遗事》话本中，已有劫取生辰纲、杨志卖刀、宋江私放晁盖、刘唐下山、宋江杀阎婆惜等情节。当时，有个秀才龚开还写了《宋江三十六人赞》，完整地记录了三十六人的姓名和绰号。元朝时候，又出现了一批以李逵、燕青、武松、杨雄、张顺等为主角的杂剧。在这些杂剧中，水浒原来的人物故事日益丰富。

　　Shi’s greatest achievement is his Outlaws of the Marsh， which is based upon the peasant war in lateNorthern Song Dynasty. As early as the Southern Song Dynasty stories about Song Jiang were told or sung bysome folk artists. Old Incidents in Xuanhe Period of the Great Song Dynasty， which appeared around themid-13th century， contained some plots like Capturing the Birthday Gifts by a Ruse，Yang Zhi Selling HisSword， Song Jiang Releasing Chao Gai， Liu Tang Going Downhill and Song Jiang Killing Yan Poxi， etc. Atthat time， a scholar named Gong Kai wrote Song Jiang and his 30 Companions， giving a full account of the36 characters， with each one having a nickname. During the Yuan Dynasty， there appeared some zaju playsfeaturing Li Kui， Yan Qing， Wu Song，Yang Xiong and Zhang Shun， among others. In these zaju plays， thecharacters were developed further.

　　施耐庵在这些民间传说、话本和杂剧的基础上，运用惊人的艺术才能进行再创作，写成了这部名着。《水浒传》以大量的篇幅，叙述了各种不同人物被逼上梁山参加起义的经过。

　　通过这些叙述，作者愤怒地揭露了封建社会的黑暗和统治阶级的罪恶，深刻地揭示了农民起义的社会根源。

　　With amazing artistic techniques， Shi Nai’an reworked the previous folklore， storytelling and zajuinto this great masterpiece. Outlaws of the Marsh portrays outlaws from different walks of life. In telling thesestories， the indignant author， while exposing corruption of the society and evils of the ruling class， revealedthe social root causes of the peasant revolt.

　　小说《水浒传》情节曲折紧张，引人入胜。它的语言明快洗练、丰富生动，往往三言两语就能刻画出鲜明的形象，具有很高的艺术水平。书里的人物形象带有理想主义色彩，同时又深深地扎根于生活的土壤之中。小说在民间口语的基础上创造出一种通俗、简练、生动、富于表现力的文学语言。

　　This high accomplished novel is characterized by intriguing plot， dramatic effects， and concise language.

　　The characters depicted in this novel， though somewhat utopian， were deeply rooted in real life. Outlaws ofthe Marsh represents a terse， lively and expressive language style which was created out of the vernacularthen in use.

　　关于罗贯中的介绍，请参见《三国演义》的作者人生。

　　About Luo Guanzhong’s introduction， please make reference to“The Writer’s Life”of Threekingdoms.

　　2.3　作品赏析

　　2.3　Appreciation of the Novel

　　《水浒传》是小说类中一般被称作英雄传奇的首创之作。作为英雄传奇小说的典范，《水浒传》所颂扬的江湖豪侠精神始终贯穿于后世文学，直至当代的武侠小说。自从电视连续剧《水浒传》播放以来，其主题歌《好汉歌》“路见不平一声吼……”就唱红了全国各地，似乎会永远唱下去。梁山的好汉们愿为朋友和正义抛弃身家性命，那就是为什么美国第一位获得诺贝尔文学奖的女作家赛珍珠把《水浒传》译成英文时取名为《四海之内皆兄弟》，也是为什么凡是热爱正义的人都爱读《水浒传》的原因。

　　Outlaws of the Marsh is the originator of the fictional genre popularly known as the heroic romance. Asthe archetype for the literary genre of heroic romance， the gallant spirit that Outlaws of the Marsh sings odeto becomes a permanent theme for later literary works， even for contemporary martial arts novels. Since theTV serials Outlaws of the Marsh were broadcast on television， its thematic song A Song of Heroes“Shout astop to something unjust in your way...”has made a hit with the audiences all over the country and seeminglyit will last for ever. The Liangshan heroes are willing to sacrifice anything， including their lives， for theirfriends and justice. That’s why Pearl Buck， the first American woman writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize inliterature， has translated the novel Outlaws of the Marsh into English and entitled it All men Are Brothers.

　　That’s also why all people who love justice love to read Outlaws of the Marsh.

　　我国古代作家通常把颂扬帝王的事迹作为其写作的主题。与此形成对照的是，小说《水浒传》的大多数主要人物是一群遭到这种或那种不公正待遇而被“逼上梁山”山寨避难的下层老百姓。小说的题材选择和目标趋势对一般作品来说带有点颠覆的味道。正是《水浒传》

　　的与众不同吸引着大量的普通人民大众，也恰恰是《水浒传》的“四海之内皆兄弟”的精神和平等、公正的原则反映了民间文化的精髓。

　　Chinese authors in olden times generally took the glorification of the deeds of emperors and kings astheir themes. In contrast， the protagonists of the novel Outlaws of the Marsh are for the most part low-bornmembers of a stalwart band of heroes forced by some injustice or another to seek refuge in the mountainfastness of Liangshan. The choice of subject matter and the thrust of the novel have a somewhat subversivetinge to the general works. It is just its unusualness that fascinates a large number of common people. It is alsoprecisely its ethos of“all men are brothers”and principles of equality and justice that reflect the essence ofthe folk culture of the time.

　　《水浒传》的思想内容很复杂，人们对它的看法也有争议。《水浒传》最早的名字就叫《忠义水浒传》，“忠义”是它突出的思想，最能体现这一思想的是宋江，可以说宋江是忠义的化身。宋江讲江湖义气，仗义疏财，济困扶危，是梁山好汉的领袖。同时，他也是一个孝子，一个忠臣，他带领梁山好汉受了朝廷的招安，为朝廷出力，最后宁愿为朝廷而死，也不愿背叛朝廷，终于把梁山的事业引向悲剧的结局。

　　Outlaws of the Marsh is so complicated in ideological content that people have their widelydiffering views about it. In fact， its earliest name is A Loyal and Righteous Outlaws of the Marsh， whichcentres on“loyalty and righteousness”. Song Jiang is the most representative of it and， so to speak， itspersonification. A leader of the Mount Liangshan heroes， Song Jiang is very loyal， hospitable and generousand is ready to lend a helping hand to the poor and distressed. A filial son and loyal subject， he leads theMount Liangshan heroes to receive the government amnesty， exerts himself to his utmost for the throne. Hewould rather die for than turn against the throne， thus bringing the cause of Liangshan to a tragic ending.

　　为什么那么多人被“逼上梁山”？为什么宋江和他的弟兄们是如此的“忠义”，以致宋江带领梁山好汉们受了朝廷招安，奉命去征辽国、打方腊，朝廷利用他们，到最后就下令把他们都消灭了呢？这是多么不义啊！在如此环境下人们怎能生存？那社会多不正常啊！简直是彻头彻尾地腐败了！难怪宋江和他的弟兄们以及无数的士兵都死于严重的社会环境污染。

　　这是《水浒传》思想内容的一个深刻思想。

　　Why are so many people forced to Liangshan？ Why are Song Jiang and his brothers so loyal andrighteous that Song Jiang leads the Mount Liangshan heroes to receive the governmental amnesty and be givena mission to campaign against the rival Liao Dynasty and the uprising led by Fang La， but at the end of theirusefulness they are eliminated upon orders from the court？ What an injustice！ Under such circumstances，how can people survive？ What an abnormal society！ It’s really out and out corrupted！ No wonder Song Jiangand his brothers and countless soldiers died from the serious pollution of the social environment. This is aprofound idea of the ideological content in Outlaws of the Marsh.

　　《水浒传》思想内容的另一深刻思想是如何对待人才。诸如宋江、林冲、武松和很多其他人才非但没受到一点儿尊重或任用任何重要职位。相反，却受到残酷的迫害或陷害。正是那些贪官污吏对人才无恶不作的不公正迫害才把他们一个个地“逼上梁山”去寻求避难。

　　这与高俅形成了鲜明的对照。高俅，一个地痞流氓，不到半年，“被抬举做到殿帅府太尉职事”——最高军事指挥官，因他曾是过去的端王，而今无人不知的徽宗皇帝的“玩伴”，高俅一上任就公报私仇，迫使“王教头私走延安府”。他与高层大贪官蔡京、童贯和杨戬等勾结并控制着行政大权。他们任人唯亲，形成了一个从上到下的关系网，上下串通，陷害忠良，残酷地压榨百姓，迫害人才。

　　The other profound idea of the ideological content in Outlaws of the Marsh is how to treat talentedpeople. Talents， such as Song Jiang， Lin Chong， Wu Song and many others， are not respected at all orappointed to any important position. On the country， they are cruelly persecuted or framed. It is just theinjustice perpetrated against them by corrupt officials and evil gentry that have forced them one by one toseek refuge on Liangshan. This is a striking contrast with Gao Qiu who is a rascal and hooligan and made amarshal commanding the Imperial Guards—the top military commander in less than half a year， for he hadbeen a playfellow of Prince Duan who has been known as Emperor Hui Zong. Since Gao Qiu assumed office，he has used the power of the state for his own private revenge. He has forced“Arms Instructor Wang to gosecretly to Yanan Prefecture”. He has collided with the corrupt high-ranking officials Cai Jing， Tong Guan，Yang Jian， etc and manipulated the administration. They appoint people by favoritism. They have formed awell-connected network and conspired against loyal and virtuous officials and cruelly oppressed people andpersecuted talents.

　　《水浒传》中的一百零八条好汉大多是江湖上的豪杰，小说写得最精彩的就是这些江湖豪杰被逼迫起来反抗朝廷，打家劫舍，杀富济贫的侠义行为。读过《水浒传》，我们不会忘记这样一些精彩的情节：鲁智深拳打镇关西、林冲风雪山神庙、武松醉打蒋门神、晁盖等人智取生辰纲……最后，如同千条溪流向大海一样，好汉们一个个走上梁山，从个人的反抗走向集体反抗：三打祝家庄、夜打曾头市、智取大名府、大破高唐州、两赢童贯，三败高俅，干出了一番轰轰烈烈的事业。可以说《水浒传》是一曲江湖豪杰反抗朝廷的颂歌。

　　The 108 heroes in Outlaws of the Marsh are mostly the heroes of the rivers and lakes. What is the moststriking about the novel is the bravery and chivalry of these heroes， who are driven to rise in insurrectionagainst the government by fighting and killing， robbing and burning， preying on the rich and avaricious andlending a helping hand to the poor and distressed. We are surely impressed by the following plots： Major LuPommels the Lord of the West； Lin Chong Ascends the Mountain One Snowy Night； Wu Song， Drunk， BeatsJiang the Gate Guard Giant； Wu Yong by a Ruse Captures the Birthday Gifts and the like. Just as thousandsof brooks empty into the sea， as all the heroes ascend Mount Liangshan one after another and channel theirrespective revolts into their collective ones against the government： Song Jiang’s Third Attack on the ZhuFamily Manor； Song Jiang Attacks Zengtou Village at Night； Wu Yong by a Ruse Takes Daming City； ChaoJin Is Trapped in Gaotang Prefecture； Song Jiang Twice Vanquishes Chancellor Tong Guan； Song Jiang ThirdDefeats Marshal Gao， all combine to accomplish a grand and spectacular cause. In this sense， Outlaws of theMarsh is a praiseworthy song of the revolts of the heroes of the rivers and lakes against the government.

　　现在咱们来看一看《水浒传》的艺术特色。水浒一百单八将，除了宋江见于正史记载外，其他的人大都是虚构的人物，为了与历史演义小说相区别，人们把《水浒传》称为英雄传奇小说。《水浒传》最主要的成就是塑造了一系列生龙活虎、性格各异的传奇英雄形象。

　　清代的金圣叹特别欣赏《水浒传》中的人物，他在点评《水浒传》时说：其他的小说看一遍就不想再看了，只有《水浒传》是百看不厌，因为“他把一百八个人性格都写出来了”。

　　《水浒传》写人，善于紧扣人物的不同身份、经历，通过人物的语言行为展示出人物鲜明的个性。比如写鲁智深拳打镇关西，就是通过对鲁智深与郑屠的对话以及三拳打死郑屠的动作，刻画出他神勇侠义而又粗豪的性格。《水浒传》写人，常常运用夸张、渲染的手法把英雄的行为理想化，使人物具有超人的传奇色彩，如鲁智深倒拔垂杨柳、武松打虎、石秀跳楼等。

　　Now let us come to the artistic features of Outlaws of the Marsh. Of the 108 heroes only Song Jiangappears in the official historical records and the others are all imaginary characters. To distinguish Outlawsof the Marsh from any historical novel， people rank Outlaws of the Marsh among legendary novels ofheroes. The greatest success of Outlaws of the Marsh is in its portrayals of a series of legendary hero-figures， which radiate with vivacity and vigor as well as differing individual traits. Jin Shengtan， a QingDynasty scholar， had a great adoration for its characters and made comments about the novel， saying：“Ihaven’t the least idea of reading the other novels again after I have ever read them， but I have been constantlyreading Outlaws of the Marsh with undivided interest for it has come up with 108 differing individualtemperaments.”In characterization Outlaws of the Marsh， which focuses on their different backgrounds andexperiences， displays their distinctive temperaments through their languages and behaviors. For example， inthe chapter“Major Lu Pommels the Bully of the West”Lu Zhishen’s bravery， chivalry and forthrightnessis well exhibited in his dialogue with Butcher Zheng and his three fatal blows to him. Moreover， it resorts tohyperboles or exaggerations to realize the heroes’s behaviors and color them with superhuman qualities. Forexample， Lu Zhishen uproots a willow tree， Wu Song kills a tiger and Shi Xiu jumps from the heights.

　　《水浒传》在写人的同时，也善于写故事，通过故事揭示人物的性格，通过人物的活动展开故事，把故事写得曲折生动、跌宕起伏，引人入胜。例如写武松，就写了一连串惊心动魄的故事：景阳冈打虎、斗杀西门庆、醉打蒋门神、大闹飞云浦、血溅鸳鸯楼等。

　　While describing the characters， Outlaws of the Marsh also excels in story-telling—displaying thecharacters’ personalities in the progressing stories and in turn developing the stories through the characters’

　　activities， all combine to make the whole story very complicated and appealing. For example， Wu Song isdepicted in a string of breathtaking stories： Wu Song Kills the Tiger on Jingyang Ridge； Wu Song Fights andKill Ximen Qing； Wu Song， Drunk， Beats Jiang the Gate Guard Giant； Wu Song Goes Wild at Flying-CloudPonds； and General Zhang’s Blood Spatters the Duck and Drake Bower.

　　《水浒传》的语言通俗流畅、简练准确、生动传神。作者熟练地运用白话写作，纯用白描的手法，写人声口逼肖，叙事简洁生动，写景如在目前，使《水浒传》的语言成为古代白话小说的典范。

　　The language of Outlaws of the Marsh is plain and fluent， succinct and accurate， vivid and graphic. Amaster at the vernacular language and the clean and straightforward style of writing， the author draws a true-to-life picture of his characters， presents a brief and lively narration， thus making his scenic deions veryvivid and graphic. In this way the language of Outlaws of the Marsh becomes the model for ancient Chinesevernacular novels.

　　小说《水浒传》，以一百零八个主人公的荣辱沉浮和功过事迹为中心，展开了一幅当时真实社会的全景画卷，该画卷正好反映了丰富多彩的传统中国文化。在我们阅读小说的过程中，我们也能发现一种生态伦理学与生态哲学一致的强烈生态意识。传统的中国哲学是“生命”的哲学。对孔子来说，天是一切生物之源。《易经》解释说，“生命的不断创造是易”，“天地之大德是创造生命”。后来各代儒学思想家都坚持“天地生万物”的思想。

　　“天通过阳创造生命，通过阴养育生命”。请读第七十一回“忠义堂石碣受天文”：“此石都是义士大名镌在上面：侧首一边是‘替天行道’四个字，一边是‘忠义双全’四字；顶上皆有星辰南北二斗；下面却是尊号”。“石碣前面，书梁山泊天罡星三十六员”；“石碣背面，书地煞星七十二员”。噢，梁山一百零八位好汉原来都来自上天，他们“替天行道”口号中的“天”，指宋朝皇帝，他是“天子”，天的儿子。看！“天”和“人”一致了！“天人合一”是传统中国文化的核心。“天人合一”与当代生态哲学——深层生态学是一致的。

　　正是小说《水浒传》所表述或再现的博大精深的文化确定了 它是人类文化财富宝库中的一颗真正的宝石。

　　The novel， Outlaws of the Marsh， centered on the vicissitudes and exploits of the 108 heroes， unrollsa panorama of the real society of that time， which just reflects the rich and colorful traditional Chineseculture. While we are reading the novel， we can also find a strong eco-consciousness that is at one witheco-ethics and eco-philosophy. Traditional Chinese philosophy is a philosophy of“life”. To Confucius，Heaven is the source of all living things. The Book of Changes (Yijing) explains，“The continuous creationof life is change”， and“The great virtue of Heaven and Earth is creating life.”Confucian thinkers of latergenerations have been carrying on the idea of Heaven and Earth giving birth to all life”.“Heaven createslife through yang and nurtures life through yin.”Please read Chapter 71“In Loyalty Hall a Stone TabletBears a Heavenly Script”：“These are names of all of you gallant warriors. On one side it says：‘Act inHeaven’s Behalf.’On the other：‘Complete Loyalty and Righteousness.’At the top are diagrams of theGreat and Small Dippers. Below that are your names.”“On the front of the stone tablet were the namesof the 36 stars of Heavenly Spirits.”“On the back of the stone tablet were written the names of 72 starsof Earthly Fiends.”Oh， the 108 Liangshan outlaws originally came from Heaven. They“act in Heaven’sbehalf”.“Heaven”in their slogan means the Song emperor， who is Heaven’s son. Look！“Heaven”is justat one with humans！ The theory that man is an integral part of nature is the core of traditional Chinese culture.

　　The theory that man is an integral part of nature is just at one with the contemporary ecological philosophy—deep ecology. It is the broad and profound culture the novel Outlaws of the Marsh expresses or representsthat establishes it as a true jewel in the store of mankind’s cultural wealth.

　　过房他这阿叔高三郎儿在房内为子。本是叔伯弟兄，却与他做干儿子。因此，高太尉爱惜他。那厮在东京倚势豪强，专一爱淫垢人家妻女。京师人怕他权势，谁敢与他争口，叫他做花花太岁。当高俅被告知他小衙内为林冲老婆时，因两次不能得到她，又吃她一惊，病得越添重了，就叫他的老都管唤他心腹陆谦和富安到堂里并问道：“我这小衙内的事，你两个有甚计较？救得我孩儿好了时，我自抬举你二人。”他们设了一系列的圈套，包括“豹子头误入白虎堂”（第七回）、“林教头刺配沧州道”（第八回）、“林冲棒打洪教头”（第九回）、“林教头风雪山神庙”（第十回）、“林冲雪夜上梁山”（第十一回）。最后林冲被逼得绝望而杀了仇敌逃奔到梁山。

　　When Gao Qiu first rose to high office he had no son to help him run his numerous affairs. And so headopted the son of his uncle， Gao the Third. Since the boy was not only his cousin but now also his foster son，Marshal Gao loved him to excess. He was called Young Master Gao. The young scoundrel made full use ofhis foster father’s influence in the Eastern Capital. His favorite pastime was despoiling other men’s wives.

　　Fearful of his powerful connections， none of the husbands dared speak out against him. He became known asthe“King of Lechers”. When Gao Qiu was told that his son had failed in both attempts to get Lin Chong’swife and had that awful scare in addition， he felt worse than ever. The marshal asked his old chamberlainto summon his trusted men Lu Qian and Fu An into the marshal hall and said：“Do you two have a planthat can cure my son’s ailment？ If so， I’ll raise you both in rank.”They set a series of traps， including“LinChong Enters White Tiger Inner Sanctum by Mistake”(Chapter 7)，“Arms Instructor Lin Is Tattooed andExiled to Cangzhou”(Chapter 8)，“Lin Chong Defeats Instructor Hong in a Bout with Staves”(Chapter9)，“Lin Chong Shelters from the Snowstorm in the Mountain Spirit Temple”(Chapter 10)，“Lin ChongClimbs Mount Liangshan in the Snowy Night”(Chapter 11). Lin Chong is finally driven by desperation toslay his enemy and flee to Liangshan.