Letter to the Coast 02｜Rain in the Desert, Blue Redbud and Hemingway

(Wang Yu’s last letter: Letter to the Desert | Chickens, Foxes and Mountains)

(Wang Yu’s last letter: Letter to the Desert Letter | Quail, Kitten and Sunflower)

Dear Wang Yu:

I have received both of your letters.

I’ve been busy with trivial matters recently and haven’t been able to sit down and reply calmly, so I’m sorry for the delay. But I think of you almost every day, of your life on the coast, of the valleys and pastures you mentioned in your letters, and of your Maisie.

In your last reply, you said that your valley has a dry season from June to September and there is not enough water and grass. My desert is just the opposite. It rarely rains in normal times, but it has been raining this August.

When I say it has been raining, it does not mean that it rains continuously, but that it rains violently every day in the evening or at night.

The heavy rain the night before yesterday was particularly scary.

We received the warning from the government in advance, so we stayed at home and did not go out.

At three or four o'clock in the afternoon, the clouds in the sky began to accumulate thicker and thicker, rolling and surging constantly.

While I was preparing dinner in the kitchen, the rain finally fell. They tap eagerly on our windows and roof like rude visitors. The wind was also blowing hard, shaking the big trees on the grass. This situation actually reminds me of the harsh winter.

When the rain stopped, we ran out of the house and found that a piece of the tile on my roof had been blown off and fell on the gravel ground next to the cactus. A small river has formed in a low-lying land far in front of the house, and the water is at least knee-deep. Mr. Knuckles, the neighbor across the street, smiled and said, "Ha, I can tell my friends that I have a house with a river view!"

More than one or two green bark trees in the community were cut off. , The branches as thick as a bowl were smashed to the ground in clusters here and there, and some were uprooted and lying on the side. It looked like they were fighting with Feng'er and were defeated.

Do you know the scientific name of this green bark tree that can be seen everywhere in the Sonoran Desert? Their English name is Blue Palo Verde, and their Chinese names are Desert Blue Flower Bauhinia and Blue Palo Verde.

This tree has smooth, delicate green bark throughout and bright yellow flowers. It’s understandable that you want to call them green or yellow, but they are called blue-flowered Bauhinia! Is it completely out of touch with reality? It’s interesting to think about it!

Fortunately, they also have a Chinese name called Blue Flower False Bauhinia. I think the person who gave it this nickname must be like me and thought that the desert blue redbud was not worthy of its name, so it was given a fake name in the middle.

It is said that when this kind of tree grows to more than 12 meters, its leaves will turn blue, so it is named blue-flowered Bauhinia. But, I haven't witnessed it yet.

This kind of blue-flowered false redbud always grows very tall, with a common height of seven or eight meters. Although their leaves are small, their branches are very lush. Perhaps, because of this, it is very popular. Every time after a storm in the desert, I always see them with broken arms and legs, lying on the ground with broken branches waiting for Mexican gardeners to come to prune and clean them.

Like the cactus, the blue-flowered redbud is an iconic plant of the Sonoran Desert. They beautify my city.

In autumn and winter, after their tiny leaves fall from the ends of the trees, they usually look bare. However, because their bark is green, when viewed from a distance, people may mistake them for evergreen trees.

In April and May, the blue-flowered redbud tree will be full of golden color. Its flowers are more beautiful and beautiful than the rapeseed flowers in your hometown. The small yellow flowers of the blue-flowered redbud bloom densely on every branch, in groups, in rows, and in pieces, so beautiful that it makes people enchanted.

In your letter, you asked me if Ling Xiao was okay. Perhaps because it is close to my window and is shielded from the wind and rain by the house, it is still safe after many storms.

And yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it bloomed again in August after blooming in April!

I remember I once told you that I wanted to move it away from the window. Now, maybe I should change my mind.

In your last letter you told me the story of your summer pasture, which I found very interesting.

Your neighbors, Mario and his son, are typical Portuguese farmers, right? They herd cattle, grow fruits and vegetables, and take care of trees. They are a little different from typical farmers in China, and they are not very similar to farmers in the United States. However, they are all equally hard and busy, they all get along closely with nature, and they all pass through Labor brings abundant harvest from the land!

I enjoyed the stories you told about them and their fox and chicken. These words make me laugh. Thank you.

You mentioned Maisie in your first letter. You said that you were very happy that Maisie was back. But in the second letter, I realized that its return this time was extraordinary. I feel sad and sad for 15-year-old Maisie. I know how you feel. Here, across the American continent and the Atlantic Ocean, let me hug you from the distance.

Fortunately, now you have Cali again. (I vaguely think it is Maisie’s child born outside.)

My friend read your article and said, "This kind of writing is really good. However, stray cats have bacteria." He I don’t understand, but Maisie is not a stray cat. Maisie is just like you and me, born to like to be close to nature.

In your second letter, you said that when you learned that I bought Hemingway’s book because of you, you were annoyed by the question you asked earlier. My dear, where is your ignorance? Where is the rudeness? You have no idea how much I appreciate you! You must not believe that I fell in love with Hemingway because of you! Otherwise, I will sadly miss this great author.

Many years ago, when I was still in China, I read Hemingway's famous "The Old Man and the Sea". When I was reading it, on the one hand, I probably didn’t have enough peace of mind. On the other hand, I didn’t think that I would have any connection with the United States one day. I just always felt that I had no interest in fishing, and I didn’t want to know about the life and life of a North American fisherman. His inner world, therefore, I was not able to appreciate any beauty contained in this book.

When I went to buy the "Nick Adams Story Collection" that you recommended, I just thought that this book contained descriptions of Indians and primitive forests, streams and wilderness unique to North American life. There is content about fishing, hunting, and canoeing that Americans like, which I should be interested in. After all, I now live in North America.

When reading the first few stories of "The Collected Stories of Nick Adams", I often couldn't help but wonder: What is a novel? Shouldn't there be a full storyline?

As far as I know about literary common sense, I remember that plot is one of the three elements of a novel. Usually in the novels we read, the plot includes the beginning, development, climax and ending. But if you look at "Three Gunshots" at the beginning of "The Nick Adams Stories", there is no complete storyline; "Crossing the Mississippi" seems to me to be completely prose; and your favorite "The Last Clean Place" , although it is so long, I feel that the plot is still incomplete and feels a bit beginning and no end.

Even so, as I read on slowly, I have to admit that Hemingway’s novels are so impressive! The scenes he describes are so vivid, the characters he creates are so vivid, and the society he reflects is so real and palpable! In "Ten Indians", the subtle emotions of young people are accurately and brilliantly portrayed, which made me understand and couldn't help but smile. In "The Light of the World", the image of the snobbish bartender is vivid and penetrating, and I couldn't help but admire it. In this article, the detailed description of the free dishes is also extraordinary.

I understand that simplicity is the characteristic of Hemingway's writing. His unique elliptical narrative, which is the so-called "iceberg theory" in the literary world, is his contribution to the narrative art of novels.

Yes, Hemingway's novels only show you one-eighth of the content, and the remaining seven-eighths rely on readers to imagine and expand by understanding themselves. For example, the portrayal of young people in the war in "The Eve of D-Day" is, in my opinion, powerful enough to read. He uses concise language to describe the psychology of these young people involved in the war and their environment, which are so detailed, vivid and real. When I was reading, I felt as if I had suddenly traveled with the text to the warship in the Bay of Biscay in the Atlantic Ocean in 1914, and was in the same environment and situation as the protagonist in the novel. As for what their fate will be in the future, the novel does not explain it, but every reader will have their own plans for their ending after reading it.

Hidden in thought, Hemingway's novels have a strong artistic appeal.

Although I have read too few of his books, I have already felt his artistic charm from "The Collected Stories of Nick Adams". His telegraph-like clean language style made me admire him even more. I love his short and masterful language so much!

This artistic characteristic of his was brought to its extreme in "Nick sat with his back against the wall...". I don't know if you agree with my point of view. It was from this article that I fell passionately in love with Hemingway.

I counted, and this article "Nick sat with his back against the wall..." has only 302 words in total. However, there is so much content behind his concise language. It fully reflects Hemingway's language ability and artistic charm.

In addition, I also like the warmth in Hemingway's writing. Whether it is the friendship between the old fisherman Santiago and the little boy Manolin in "The Old Man and the Sea" or the innocent and intimate brother-sister relationship in "The Last Pure Land", they are all so warm, soft and beautiful. .

As a famous writer in the history of literature, Hemingway also has many other artistic characteristics. I need to read more of his books to appreciate it. In short, I have fallen deeply in love with Hemingway's writing. I thoroughly enjoyed his novels.

Many times, many of us fail to appreciate the beauty of all the good things in this world. Just like me, my previous interests and experiences have determined that I cannot appreciate the brilliance of Hemingway's works. Now, I've gone from complete indifference to deep love. It's not easy. This is the magical result brought about by special opportunities and a specific state of mind. So, thank you very much.

In Hemingway's book, he repeatedly writes about Indians - the indigenous people in the American continent. Most of our impressions of Indians are probably still based on the images of them from a long, long time ago - the images of Indians portrayed in film, television and literary works of the last century.

After I came to the United States, I was fortunate enough to have lunch with an old Indian chief, and also participated in the same club activities in college with my Indian classmates. So, in my next letter, I will tell you about today’s Indians.

Finally, I want to tell you, my dear, that the star photo you sent me has come to me across the ocean! With your breath, your temperature, your friendship!

I like the blue color on the front of the postcard that represents the ocean. This is also the blue color of Van Gogh’s starry sky, which is affectionate and beautiful.

Your handwriting is great! It is what a literary young man should look like. :)

The wonder is your stamp. That's an olive tree. I only got to know this kind of tree after I came to the United States.

One day in early winter last year, an old American lady I was walking with suddenly pointed to a tree on the side of the road with fallen fruits and said, this is an olive tree. What fell to the ground was the dark purple fruit printed on your stamp.

I wrote a lot today, so I’ll stop here.

I wish you well! May Rica grow up happily by your side!

Oranges

in the Sonoran Desert

August 16, 2018