20多年前我在浙江参加一个诗会时，读到写著名音乐家马思聪在“文革”期间出走的长诗《海中舟的叙说》，禁不住发出由衷的赞叹，因此认识了它的作者周孟贤。自那以后，我们没有再见面，也没有联系过。前十来天突然接到他的长途电话，要我为他的长诗选集作序，我欣然答应了，因为《海中舟的叙说》又涌上我的心头。
　　我对此诗久久未忘是有原因的。马思聪以《思乡曲》名扬天下，而残酷的“文革”铁拳却迫使这位爱国爱乡的音乐家逃离祖国、流落异邦。1984年底，有关部门落实政策，摘掉他头上“叛国投敌”的帽子，然而这一事件始终令人满怀酸涩。马思聪是广东人，是从广州出走的，平反的消息传出之后，广东地区诗人竟不著一字，而远在浙江湖州的周孟贤却激动得连夜挥笔，通过拟人笔法，驰骋想象，写下这首作品!这既展现出周孟贤灵敏的诗感，还展现出深邃的思考力——他从这位艺术巨人的遭遇看到了极左路线摧残人才的罪恶，并认识到这种罪恶对祖国、对民族的危害。诗是这样结束的：
　　
　　苍天呵!珍爱每个儿女吧
　　保护每条神经——
　　才有美丽的地平线
　　保护每颗人心——
　　才有辉煌的日出
　　
　　诗人所关注的，已不止是马思聪一个人的命运，很有现实意义。
　　前几天，我收到了周孟贤寄来的长诗选的全部作品。读后发现，写某著名制冷专家因报国无门而被迫去国外的《祖国，请你思索》，写“河王”杨联康崇高品格的《黄河的儿子》，写经济学家孙冶方的睿智和为真理献身精神的《太湖，颤动着对青山的怀念》等，都是《海中舟的叙说》的姊妹篇，字里行间都同样萦回着珍护人才的焦灼呼吁。《黄山独白》用象征主义的手法来写，没有具体的人物形象，看似很虚，然而所表达的依然是人才问题。周孟贤为什么对这个主题如此关切?他在来信中说：“世上有许多悲剧，如海啸、地震、旱涝和车祸等，这些悲剧于渺小的人类来说有时是无法避免的，也是能够接受的，但人类自己人为造成的悲剧就太不应该了，我认为这是一切悲剧中的悲剧……一个国家有否希望，就看她对待人才(或曰知识分子)的态度。”由此可知，是高度的爱国良知和民族责任感驱使他命笔。清代著名诗人沈德潜说得好：“有第一等襟抱，第一等学识，斯有第一等真诗”，《海中舟的叙说》等篇，正是这样的诗作。
　　这本诗选还收集了其他题材的作品，也都具有思想深度，排于卷首的《大鸟引我溯长江》最值得阅读。
　　
　　这首近1500行的长诗是用浪漫主义与现实主义结合的方法来创作的，倾注了诗人的大量心血。诗人在概括地揭露了当前社会种种令人叹息的不良现象之后，在大鸟的引领下“溯长江”，创造出深远壮阔的境界。“溯长江”其实是溯历史。历史是人创造的，于是诗人让李清照、崔颢、屈原、李白、杜甫、陆羽、陶渊明、辛弃疾、诸葛亮、孔子、孟子、孟浩然、孟郊、范仲淹、王安石、苏东坡、文天祥、施耐庵、罗贯中、鲁迅、吴敬梓、蒲松龄、韩愈、贾谊、曹雪芹、毛泽东等近80位历史名人以不同的角度出现在诗行中。诗人以凝练的笔墨刻画他们各自的悲欢，并展现他们所共同打造的中华民族的光辉历史，字里行间洋溢着强烈的自豪，同时又抚古思今，揭露有些人“用改革的刀子／像削萝卜一样削掉弱者的利益”的可恶，发出“世界为啥冷暖无常多灾多难”、“为啥官场污垢残秽至今难于冲净”等的叩问；进而这样提醒长江：“可记得该载舟的没载舟/该覆舟的没覆舟”……强烈的忧患意识贯串全诗。诗人的心随着长江波涛急速跳动，迸发警人神魂的呐喊。
　　周孟贤所表达的情思，都具有鲜明的民族传统印记，在某些“新潮”诗人的心目中，都属“老土”的东西，但它们却闪射着良知的亮光。周孟贤表示：“要走正路、写正品，努力创作出有思想、有感情、有良心，亦即具有当代意识和忧患意识的作品。”他做到了，他忠实地履行了诗人的职责。
　　以上主要是议论作品的思想内涵。至于其艺术特点，诗坛老前辈汪静之已作了评价：“周孟贤真诚朴素，感情丰富。诗如其人……热情奔放，畅快淋漓是孟贤诗的特色。”(见《海上追月•序》)此说简洁而中肯，因此笔者不敢再饶舌。
　　(这是作者为《周孟贤抒情长诗选》所作的序，本刊略有删节，题目为编者所加。近1500行的长诗《大鸟引我溯长江》发表在今年9月1日的《文艺报》)
　　
　　Long Poems Sing of Human Destiny
　　Yang Guangzhi
　　
　　
　　I first met Zhou Mengxian at a seminar on poetry in Zhejiang Province more than 20 years ago when I read his long poem entitled "A Tale of a Boat on the Sea? The admirable long poem was about Ma Sicong, a prominent violinist who left China during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976). Zhou and I had not seen or contacted each other since the seminar until about half a month ago when I got an unexpected call from him. He asked me to write a foreword to his selections of long poems. I agreed without hesitation as what I had read in that long poem welled up in my mind.
　　I can recall that long poetic work vividly because it was about Ma Sicong, who rose to national stardom because of his Nostalgia, a violin solo piece that touched the national heart. The tumult forced the musician to flee from home. Ma was politically rehabilitated at the end of 1984, no longer a criminal who 襤ad committed treason and defected to the enemy camp? But what happened to the violinist was a tragedy, and nothing could change his ruined life. Ma was a Guangdong native and he fled the country via Guangzhou. When the news of his rehabilitation was publicly announced, poets in the province did not write a word about him. But Zhou Mengxian, a poet in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, was sleepless the night he heard the news. He penned the long poem that night. The opus not only reflects Zhou Mengxian’s keen insight of poetry, but also shows his deep thought. The poet saw how talented people suffered the ultra leftist atrocities. He said this atrocity was detrimental to the country and the people. The poem was not just about the fate of a violinist. It was a brave charge against the disastrous Cultural Revolution. The charge had immediacy for that time.
　　A few days ago I received from him all the poems to be published in his new book of poetry. I am amazed that Zhou has written many other similar long poems about destinies of individuals. He sighs about an engineer who had to leave the country; he sings of a scientist who traced the world’s rivers and studied them; he lauds the economist Su Yefang’s wisdom and dedication to truth. The most noteworthy piece in the book is a 1,500-line poem entitled The Giant Bird Leads Me to the Source of the Yangtze River. The masterpiece discusses nearly 80 historical personages in Chinese history.
　　In the eyes of some avant-garde or new wave poets, what Zhou writes may appear too traditional, but his poetry shines with his conscience. He wants to write about the era, conscience, and concern about the fate of the country and individuals. His poems display a style that is warm, sincere, simple, and effusive. This book not only anthologizes Zhou’s creative works, but also creates an image for Zhou the poet.
　　Editor’s note: This is a condensed version of the author’s foreword for Zhou Mengxian’s latest poetry. The title of this version is from the editor. Zhou Mengxian’s The Giant Bird Leads Me to the Source of the Yangtze River was published in the September 1, 2005 issue of Literary Gazette, a national academic newspaper.
　　
　　(Translated by David)