你见过汗血马吗？它神话般的传说，在我国流传了1000多年：原来这马在剧烈奔跑时从前脖部位流出的汗鲜红似血，被司马迁所著《史记》冠以一个响彻华夏大地的美名——“汗血马”。汉武帝把它喻为“天马”，并作“天马之歌”予以赞美，唐代的官员也特别喜欢这种名驹，杜甫《洗兵马》诗中云：“京师皆骑汗血马。”由此可见，汗血马从汉朝时被引入中国直至元朝，曾被人们喜爱了上千年，它是中外物种交流的一个重要方面。但元朝以后，中国人很少见到这种宝马了。
　　2002年6月间，我在翻阅报纸中，无意间被一行《这就是汗血宝马》的标题所吸引。这则发自新华社的消息称：6月17日，从中国百姓视野中消失已久的神秘的“汗血宝马”由空中穿越古丝绸之路抵达天津机场，给马年的中国人带来了惊喜。这匹名为“阿赫达什”的5岁黑色公马，是土库曼斯坦领导人送给中国领导人的礼物。
　　这则消息，让我欣喜异常：因为我当时正在搜集整理的《物种》邮票中，一直将“汗血马”这一物种空着，在茫茫邮海中，一直寻觅不到“汗血马”这样的物种邮票。看了眼下这则消息，无疑增添了我寻觅宝马邮票的信心。同时也让我把追踪的目标锁定在中亚国家。一天，门铃声骤然响起，我急速跑下楼去，一绿衣人递给我一封沉甸甸的大型挂号信件，打开一看它真给了我一个意外的惊喜：原来我向国内外藏友发出的十几封寻觅“汗血马”邮票信函，今天终于有了回应，黑龙江一位专集俄罗斯和“独联体”国家邮票的朋友，给我寄来了土库曼斯坦于2001年发行的全套“汗血马”邮票！
　　汗血马是张骞出使西域时从“大宛国”引进的，“大宛国”即今土库曼斯坦。所以我今日收到的这套邮票，是原汁原味的土库曼斯坦首次发行的汗血马邮票，心情不禁为之激动！
　　“汗血马”是中国人对此种马的称呼。它在土库曼斯坦叫“阿哈尔捷金马”，邮票的图案，用的均是摄影，它真实地展现了阿哈尔捷金马不同的品种，实在是一组“汗血马”的微型展览。这组由6枚邮票组成的小版张，展现了深受土库曼斯坦已故总统尼亚佐夫宠爱的马匹，这些马匹可谓是土库曼斯坦的“六骏”：其中由两枚马的头部组成的小全张，一枚叫“火山”，一枚为“土库曼珍珠”，是汗血马中的佼佼者；两枚无齿小型张，展现了体形优美、四肢修长、步履轻盈的汗血马的英姿。特别引人注目的是，邮票还印了土库曼斯坦国徽，仔细一瞧，国徽图案中央绘有一匹白色的“汗血马”。这就是说，汗血马乃土库曼斯的“国宝”，民族的象征。遥想当年，大宛国王爱汗血马胜过一切，甚至不愿以汗血马换取汉朝用黄金铸成的金马，这说明在国王眼里，汗血马是何等的珍贵啊！
　　
　　我在撰写此文时，又收到一套刚从俄罗斯购到的、土库曼斯坦续发的“汗血马”邮票，打开一看，墨香犹存，内容恰好与上一套汗血马邮票相衔接，是珠联璧合的姐妹篇，这4枚小全张，再现了汗血马在放牧场、训练场和竞赛场的各种精彩画面：画面上既有吮吸母乳的幼崽，也有昂首嘶鸣、戎装出征的赛马，最出彩的一枚小全张，竟以宽银幕式的特写镜头，凸现一匹一身长着金黄柔软细毛的汗血马，它双目清澈明亮，两耳垂直竖起，气宇轩昂，显示出高贵神韵。
　　汗血马不仅在中国古代称其为“日行千里”的神马，就是在当代它也是功勋卓著的马匹：在苏联卫国战争期间，300名苏军战士从阿什哈巴德骑上汗血马穿山越岭几千公里，赶到莫斯科参战，这种长距离急剧奔驰，竟一匹马未死；在国际大赛中汗血马更是独领风骚，1968年在墨西哥奥运会上它被评为世界最好的体育用马。1986年在“巴黎凯旋门杯”赛马比赛中，获得冠军的一匹汗血马竟以5000万美元卖出，创历史最高纪录。
　　有意思的是，土库曼斯坦送给中国的“阿赫达什”，也是“出身名门”，其“父”于1995年的世界马匹速度赛中获得冠军。“阿赫达什”通体遍黑，四蹄雪白，唯鼻子呈粉色，是汗血马中最为漂亮的“踏雪马”。据报道，阿赫达什已经在中国生子育女，当了爸爸，膝下已有5个孩子，它为中土友谊留下了一段佳话。
　　
　　Heavenly Horses That Sweat Blood
　　By Tu Xuefan
　　
　　The horses that legendarily sweated blood were around in China for more than 1,000 years. The great historian Sima Qian mentioned the purebreds in his immortal “Records of the Historian?about two thousand years ago, describing them as the ’horses that sweat blood? The Wu Emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.) called them the heavenly stallions and had a musical composition made to praise the marvelous creatures. The Tang poet Du Fu mentioned in a poem that the officials in the capital rode the horses that sweated blood. These historical records testify to one particular example of species exchanges between China and the rest of the world in ancient times. Historians confirm that the horses were first introduced into China in the Han Dynasty and that after the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) they were no longer seen in China.
　　
　　In June, 2002, I incidentally read a piece of news by Xinhua that a horse traditionally known to the Chinese as the horse that sweated blood was introduced again to China through the Silk Road. The five-year-old black steed was a gift from the state leader of Turkmenistan to the Chinese president in the Year of Horse.
　　I was excited.I had been collecting stamps on various species and a blank space in one of my albums was saved for stamps of the equine marvels, but unfortunately I did not have any. The news rekindled my enthusiasm. Targeting the countries in central Asia as possible sources of such stamps, I wrote to a dozen of my friends both at home and abroad for help.
　　
　　Then miracle happened. One day, to my great joy, I received a set of six stamps issued in Turkmenistan from a friend in Heilongjiang Province, who specializes in collecting stamps issued in Russia and other states in CIS. The set has six photographs of the Akhal-Teke, presumably world’s best stallions native to the central-Asia country stallions. The set is like a miniature exhibition for the Akhal-Teke, Turkmenistan’s national symbol over centuries. According to history, the Han Dynasty of China offered horses made of gold to exchange for the Akhal-Teke stallions, but in vain.
　　While I was in the process of penning this story, another set of stamps highlighting Akhal-Teke stallions arrived at my desk from Russia. A sequence to the first set, the four miniature sheets show Akhal-Teke horses at a home pasture, a training ground and a sporting ground. One sheet features a typical Akhal-Teke stallion in gold color, its eyes expressive and crystal clear, ears upright in a noble and magnificent mood.
　　
　　In ancient China, Akhal-Teke stallions were known as horses that traveled 500 kilometers a day. In modern times, they are also known for their unique accomplishments. In World War II, three hundred cavilers rode the stallions and traveled thousands of miles in a rapid march to reach Moscow. All the horses survived the grueling journey. In international sporting contests, Akhal-Teke stallions have been famed for their peerless speed and supreme performance. An Akhal-Teke horse was applauded as the best sporting horse at the Mexico Olympic Games in 1968. In 1986, a champion Akhal-Teke changed hands for a record of 50 million US dollars after winning a racing championship in Paris.
　　Intriguingly, the Akhal-Teke stallion China received from Turkmenistan is a descendent of a championship winner. Its father won the world speed championship in 1995. Except for the white hoofs and the pinkish nose, the stallion is pure black. It has fathered five descendents in China.
　　(Translated by David)