百歲詩翁,這里是指上海104歲的吳祖剛(已故劇作家吳祖光的堂兄);人瑞侶,說的是吳祖剛和他101歲高齡的老伴萬心慧。他們相濡以沫、風(fēng)雨同舟已79載。最近,我得到了幾幅他們拍攝于近年的照片及吳老之詩詞手稿,有一張照片中,吳老雙手托著兩個玩具人物,與老伴一起欣喜地賞玩著。
在《退密詩歷續(xù)編》中,我讀到了周退密詞丈(今已98歲高齡,上海詩詞學(xué)會顧問)作于2007年6月的一首詞,詞中記敘了讀《吳祖剛先生百歲華誕唱和詞》后的快感。周老說到的這組唱和詞,我手頭存有,共4頁11首,最初是周退密詞丈原唱,接著是吳祖剛先生步韻答謝,再接下去又有王瑜孫、周瑞深、喻蘅、馬祖煦等四位耄耋詞丈競相唱和寄賀。吳祖剛欣讀之后詩興更濃,逐一再唱答謝。其中一首吟道:“海上有逋客,百歲遇神仙。紛紛天上珠玉,投我拾爭先。拜舞臨風(fēng)高唱,忘卻衰年扶杖,飄逸柳鳴蟬。兩岸春池小,蓮葉正田田。太平世,福如海,壽如泉。期頤隊隊咸集,擊壤戲人間。百萬白頭翁媼,齊唱和平世界,祥靄薄云天。展讀琳瑯句,愛意總綿綿?!保ㄋ{(diào)歌頭)
幾幅人瑞伴侶照片,一組“水調(diào)歌頭”唱和詞,反映了“當(dāng)代盛人瑞,屢見地行仙”之盛景,也展示了泱泱詩國之延綿相傳,成了媒體和社會所關(guān)注的健康珍聞和詩壇佳話。
人瑞伴侶
在人口達1000萬余的上海市,2011年吳、萬二老已成了排名第三的婚齡最長夫婦。他倆是1932年結(jié)婚的,至今已近80年。吳老的老伴出身蘇州名門,他們的婚禮是在蘇州飯店舉辦的,那是一個賓館,樓下有個宴會廳,可以提供酒席。結(jié)婚照上的新娘萬心慧并沒有穿著當(dāng)時傳統(tǒng)的鳳冠霞帔,而是一身相當(dāng)時髦的白色婚紗,手里拿著捧花,吳祖剛則是西裝革履,顯得格外精神。他們辦的是新式婚禮,全套行頭都是西式的。當(dāng)時提倡新文化新生活,所以禮儀上沒有磕頭,而是以鞠躬代替。
吳祖剛夫婦現(xiàn)住在滬東一個新村的五樓。兩老如今的生活起居均由保姆照料。據(jù)保姆介紹,吳祖剛老人腿腳還靈便,隔三差五自己會下樓逛逛超市。他的腦子還很好使,思維敏捷,記憶力強,就是眼睛耳朵都不靈了。拜訪他的客人,會注意到老人的右耳放著助聽器,和人對話時聲音也很大。脖子上還掛著一個鑒定珠寶的專用放大鏡,這是他看報紙時的“獨門裝備”。
說起長壽的秘訣,吳老開玩笑說:“哎呀,我也不知道為什么跟別人不一樣,我們也沒吃過長生不老藥呀?!彪m然自己也不太清楚長壽的原因,但吳老依舊與大家分享了他的日常食譜:早餐一杯牛奶、一塊面包;午餐兩個蔬菜、一塊魚肉或雞肉(偶爾也吃些豬肉)、一碗米飯;晚餐一杯麥片、一個番茄。老人說自己吃東西也不忌口,只有前兩年體檢時醫(yī)生說他肌酐指標有點高,讓他少吃肉,“不過這兩年指標又正常了,我就開戒了?!标P(guān)于起居時間,許多老人通常都有午睡的習(xí)慣,吳祖剛卻說“從來不睡,中午睡了晚上就睡不著”。但二老晚上睡覺較早,八九點鐘就上床了。
如果說有規(guī)律的生活作息是二老健康的保證,那么時刻保持愉快的心情則是老人長壽的重要原因之一。人們和吳祖剛、萬心慧二老言談接觸中,童心未泯的吳祖剛老人經(jīng)常三言二語就把現(xiàn)場氣氛“炒”得火熱,歡聲笑語更是沒有間斷過。住在同一幢樓里的吳老小兒子吳儆津感慨道:老爸比我們還要時髦。時髦的老兩口至今仍和孩子的家居保持“一碗湯的距離”,和孩子住在一幢樓里,都能保持自己的生活方式,吳老倆也能過“二人世界”。吳祖剛與萬心慧共養(yǎng)育了4個兒子,如今已是一個四世同堂、子孫和睦的大家庭。
百歲詩翁
吳祖剛老人吟詠數(shù)十年。10年前他結(jié)集過一部《且剛詩草》,6年前友人又為他編印了《且剛詩詞》(上下集)。加上近幾年的吟詠,他的作品已超千首。我近時看到他的新作有兩首。其一是2011年春節(jié)寫贈周退密的《西江月》詞,其二是2011年二月寫給顧國華的另一首《西江月》。
吳祖剛1908年生于江蘇常州的一個文化世家,家學(xué)功底深厚,1931年畢業(yè)于北京大學(xué)法律系。后在幾個地方、幾種崗位就職,曾經(jīng)任過銀行襄理。新中國成立以后,懷著對教育的熱愛,他放棄了高薪工作,到了上海北虹高級中學(xué)任教,一干20余年。稟承嚴謹?shù)墓ぷ鲬B(tài)度,據(jù)以深厚的學(xué)問素養(yǎng),奉行細膩的育人方式,為國家培養(yǎng)和輸送了大批人才,可謂桃李滿天下。2007年3月,北虹高級中學(xué)在上海新雅大酒店白云廳為他舉辦了祝賀百歲華誕的慶典,酒會在歡快的樂曲聲中拉開帷幕:上海著名教育家于漪老師、虹口區(qū)教育局領(lǐng)導(dǎo)及各兄弟學(xué)校的代表蒞臨致賀。北虹中學(xué)的師生們以歌曲、舞蹈等形式向吳祖剛老師表達自己的祝福。他的學(xué)生之一、香港著名實業(yè)家、北虹高中校友會會長崔伯強不僅發(fā)起、出資并精心組織了這場活動,而且借著這次壽誕慶典,宣布設(shè)立學(xué)校的“吳祖剛獎學(xué)基金”,使全校師生和校友們深為感動。
盡管退休歲月漫漫,吳祖剛老人對教育事業(yè)和教學(xué)崗位仍然懷念,且寄希望,以為是民族振興之本。90歲那年,他寫下了一篇《七律·希望工程》:“掛角書聲入夢來,天真赤子重栽培。昆岡待琢多珍璞,阡陌何容有棄才。不擇細流歸大海,無聲雨露潤荒臺。山陬處處寒桃李,沐浴春風(fēng)爛漫開?!?/p>
2003年5月,年已96歲的吳祖剛,竟以少年的心懷,讓幻想插上翅膀,洋洋灑灑地寫下了一首想和李白“聯(lián)唱”的《夢游珠穆朗瑪峰》詩篇,其中“誰云青天不能上。風(fēng)蕭蕭兮珠峰坡,老夫此去兮思荊軻?;厥准疑劫鉁I滂沱,此志既已決,萬夫不可奪。長歌策杖登山行……”寫登峰之艱辛過程及智勇心態(tài)。這首詩寫成后一經(jīng)傳誦、見報見刊,讀者皆驚奇,賞者皆欽敬。有的以為是吟壇上的一聲絕響,有的以為是老年文化苑中的一朵奇葩,映照出時代氣息,折射出奮發(fā)的精神風(fēng)貌。
吳祖剛老人的吟詠生涯,主要是退歸以后開始,七八十歲多產(chǎn)、大器晚成,百歲聞名。他在101歲時寫下的《老懷四疊》,在中華詩詞界引來公眾唱和。唱和的人遍布江南塞北。評論界認為,吳祖剛的《老懷四疊》大氣、奇氣俱備。其中“華容道上三關(guān)過,長坂坡前一路沖”、“枝頭兩個白頭翁,對話啁啾南北風(fēng)”、“百年一覺銀河夢,明日行程征遠空”等句子,平中出奇,滄桑感人。吳祖剛老人早年還翻譯過小說,是位智者和達人。在他的吟詠中,似乎題材不論大小,興之所至,隨心所欲寫下。寫與友人唱和、家人團聚、飲食起居,又寫粉碎四人幫、進入新時期、詠港澳回歸、三峽興建,歌“神舟”升天、“嫦娥”奔月,吟遺傳基因、時光隧道……所見所聞所思所感皆出筆下。如《七律·神舟》,反映出我國航天科技的突飛猛進和中華赤子的高尚志向。
祖剛老人翰墨生平中,還有他似乎是獨有的韻事。興致來時,吳老常常揮毫潑墨吟詩作聯(lián),大家閨秀出身亦懂文墨的老伴萬心慧,便在一旁作陪,時不時還給提點意見,頗有“紅袖添香”的味道。吳老說,以前老伴身體好的時候,常常由她把詩友的信函與唱和的詩稿讀給自己聽,還代筆給人家回信。他與堂弟吳祖光及堂弟媳新鳳霞也有翰墨往來。有《七絕·題祖光鳳霞詩書畫集》:“鹡鸰原上雨飄蕭,皓首相逢骨未銷。喜見雙枝花更發(fā),光霞無際淌秋濤?!薄?/p>
Poet Enjoys Longevity and Happy Marriage
By Zhu Mingyao
The 104-year-old Wu Zugang is a poet happily married with 101-year-old Wan Xinhui. Their wedding took place in 1932. According to a demographic survey in 2011, the couple is the third longest marriage in Shanghai, a metropolis with a population of more than 10 million. The centenarians are media stars and inspire the curiosity of those eager to learn the secrets of longevity.
Wu Zugang and Wan Xinhui got married in 1932. The wedding was ultramodern in those days, a break away from the tradition. The bridegroom sported a western suit and leather shoes whereas the bride wore a white wedding gown with a bundle of fresh flowers in her hands.
Now they live in a fifth-floor apartment in downtown Shanghai, taken care of by a nurse. The poet walks downstairs and visits a shopping mall in the neighborhood every now and then. He thinks fast and has a good memory but his eyesight and hearing have deteriorated seriously. He talks with people through a hearing aid and reads with a magnifying glass, which hangs from his neck with a string.
He says doesn’t have any secret formula for longevity. “Gee, I don’t know why we are different. We have never taken any elixir.” He is most willing to share their regular daily diet with everyone. Nothing fancy. He gave up eating meat two years ago as a medical test indicated something abnormal in him. But he began to eat meat again after the indicator is normal now. They never take a nap after lunch. They go to bed around 8 or 9 o’clock in the evening.
If a regular regime is part of the longevity, feeling happy is probably the key. The old poet has a big sense of humor and he can be the star of any conversation. The couple’s youngest son lives in the same apartment building, yet the couple keeps “a distance of a bowl of soup”, whatever it means. That is, the couple still leads a life in a world of the two. They have four sons and theirs is a big family of four generations.
Born in 1908 into a family in Changzhou, a central city in eastern China’s Jiangsu Province, he graduated as a law major from Beijing University in 1931. He worked a number of jobs. After the founding of New China, he resigned from a well-paid bank job and came to teach in Beihong High School of Shanghai. There he worked as a teacher for more than 20 years.
Wu’s poem-writing passion started after his retirement. As a poet, he climaxed in his 70s and 80s and he made his fame when he turned 100. He writes short poems in the traditional style, but his subjects are by no means traditional. He writes spontaneous poems in response to friends’ poems. In poems he discusses family reunions, details of everyday life, politics, and latest events in news media. And he even touches upon trendy topics such as genes and time tunnel.
His wife’s health is not so good now. When his wife’s health was good, she acted as his eyes. She read him letters and poems from friends and wrote replies. Sometimes she even advised him on phrases and ideas for his poem writing. □