DIARY OF A MADMAN Ημερολόγιο Ριζοσπαστικών Εθνικιστικών Δράσεων (Νο 2) B' Εξαμήνου 2015
Diary of a Madman- Lu Xun
Transcript of Diary of a Madman- Lu Xun
-
8/20/2019 Diary of a Madman- Lu Xun
1/9
A M A D M A N
S
D I A R Y
Translated
y
YangXian;,i
and CladysYang
Two
brothers,
whose names I need not rnention here,
were both
good
friends
of
mine in high school;but after
a
separation
f
many years
we gradually
ost
touch. Some time
ago I happened o hear that one
of them was seriously
ll ,
and since I was going back to
my
old home, I broke my
iourney
to call on
them. I sawonly one,
however,who told me
that the invalid washis younger
brother.
"l
appreciate our coming such a
long way
to see us," he said,
"but
my
brother recoveredsometime agoand has gone elsewhere o take up an official
post."Then, laughing,
he
produced wo
volumes
of his brother'sdiary
saying
that from
these
the nahlre of
his
past llness could be
seen and there was
no
harm in showing hem
to
an old
friend.
I
took
the diary away, ead t through,
and found that he
had suffered rom a form of
persecution
complex. The writing
was most confusedand
incoherent,
and
he had
made many wild statements;
moreover
he had omitted to
give
any dates,so that
only by the color of the
ink
and the differences
n the writing could one tell
that it was not all wriften at
one time. Certain
sections, owever,were not altogether
isconnected, nd I
havecopiedout a part to serveas a subject or medical research. have not
altereda single llogicality n the diaryand have
changedonly the names,even
though the people referred o are all conntry folk,
unknown to the world and
of no
consequence. s
or
the title, it
rvas
hosenby the
diarist
himself
afterhis
recovery,
nd I did not charrge
t.
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Lu
Xun:
A Madman's
Diary
g
I
Tonight
the
moon
is very
bright.
I have
not
seen t
for
over
hirty
years, o odaywhenI saw t I felt n u'usually
high
spirits.
begin
to realize
hat
dLrring
he
past
hirty-ocld
ears
have
been
in
the
dark;
but
now
I must
be
extremely
careful.
otherwise
why
shotrld
he
Zhaos'dog
have
ooked
at me
twice?
I
have
eason
or
nrv fear.
z
Tonight
there
s no
moon
at all,
I know
that
this
is a
bad
ornen.This
rnor'ing
wlren
went
out
cautiously,
Mr.zhao had a strangeook in his eyes, s f he
were
afraid
of me,
as if
he wanted
o murder
me. There
were
seven
or eight
others
who
discussed
e in
a whisper.
And
they
were
afraid
of n.ry
eeing
hem.
So, ndeed,
were
all
the
people
passed.
he
fiercest
nong
thern
grin'ed
at
me, whereupon
shivered
rorn
head
to
foot,
knowing
that
tlreir
preparations
were
complete.
I
was
not
afraid,
owever,
ut continued
n my
way.
A
groupof
children
n
front
were
also
discussing
e, while
their
faces
oo
were
ghastly
pale.
I won-
dered
what
grudge
hese
children
corrld
have
against
me
to rnake
hem
behave
like
this. could
not help callingout,
"Tell
mel" But then they anawav.
I wonder
what
grudge
Mr. Zhao
has
against
me,
what
grudge
he people
on
the road have
against
me. I
can think
of 'othing
except
hat twenty
vears go
trod
on Mr.
Gu
liu's'
old ledgers,
r.rdMr.
Gu was
most
displeased.
lthough
Mr.
Zhao
doesnot
know
him, he
mr,rst
aveheard
alk
of this
a'd decided
o
avenge
im,
thus
he is
conspiring
gainst
me
with
the people
on the road.
But
tlren
what
of the
children?
At that
time they
were
not
yet
born, so why
should
they
eye me
so strangely
oday,
as f
they were
afraid
of me,
as f they wanted
to murder
ne?
This really
rightens
me,
it is
so bewildering
'd
upsetting.
I
know. They
must
have earned
his from
their parents
t
I can't
sleep
at night. Evervthing
requires
careful
consideratior.r
f
one is
to
understand
t.
Those
people,
some
of whom have
beenpilloried
by the rnagistrate,
lapped
in
the
face
by the local
gentry,had
their wives
aken
away
by bailiffs
or their
parents
driven to
suicide
by creditors, ever
ooked
as rightened
and as
ierce
then
as hey
did yesterday.
t. The
cltaracters
Cu
fiu
nrearr
old."
This refers
o tlre age-old
histon
of feudalisnr n
China.
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l o F I C T I O N , r g l 8 - r 9 4 9
The most extraordinary
hing
was hat woman
on the streetyesterday
ho
wasspanking
her
son.
"Little
devil " she
cried.
"I'm
so angry could
eat
you "
Yet
all the time it
wasme she was ooking
at. I gave
a
start,unable o hide my
alarm. Then
all those ong-toothed
eople with livid
faces
began
o
hoot with
laughter.
Old
Chen
hurried forward
and dragged
me home.
He
dragged
ne
home.The folk
at home
all
pretended
ot to
know
me;
hey
had the
same ook in
their eyesas
all the others.When
I went into
the study,
they locked me
in as f cooping rrp
a chicken or a
duck. This incident
eft me
even more
bewildered.
A few days
ago a tenant of ours
from Wolf
Cub Village
came to report he
failure
of the crops
and told
rny
elderbrother hat
a notorious
haractern
their
village had
been
beaten
o
death; hen
some people had
taken out his heart
and liver, fried them in oil, and eaten them as a means of increasing heir
courage.When I interrupted,
he
tenant and my
brother both stared
at me.
Only todayhave realized
hat
they had exactly he
same ook in
their
eyes
s
those
peopleoutside.
fust
to think
of it setsme shivering
rom the crown
of
my
head
o the
soles
of my feet.
They
eat human
beings, o they may
eat
rne.
I
see that the
woman's
"eat
yon," the laughter
of those long-toothed
people with livid
faces,and the
tenant's
story the
other day are obviously
secretsigns. realize all
the
poison
in
their speech,
all the daggers n
their
laughter.
Their
teeth are
white
and glistenimg:
hey use these teeth
to eat
rTlen.
Evidently, lthough
am
not
a bad man,
eversince
kod
on
Mr.
Gu's edgers
it has
been touch-and-gowith me.
They seem
to have
secrets hat I
cannot
guess, nd once heyareangry hey
will
call
anyone
a
bad
character. remember
when
my elder brother
aught
rne
to rvrite
cornpositions,
o matter how
good
a man was, f I produced
arguments o
tlre contrary
he would mark
that passage
to showhis approval;while if I excnsed vildoers e would say, Good for you,
that showsoriginality."
How can I possibly
guess
heir secret houghts-espe-
cially when they
are
ready o
eat people?
Everything requires
careful consideration
f
one is to
understand t.
In
ancient
times, as I recollect,people
often ate human
beings,but
I am rather
hazy
about
it. I
tried to look this trp,
but
my.history
has
no chronology
and
scrawledall over each pageare
the
words
"Cor.rfucian
Virtue and
Morality."
Since I could not
sleepanyway, read ntently
half
the night
until I
began o
seewords
between he
liues.
fhe
whole
book was
illed with
the two
words-
"Eat
people."
All
thesewordswritten n
tlre
book, all the words
spoken
by our tenant,
eye
me
quizzicallywith
an er.rigrnatic
nrile.
I
too am a nlan,
and they want
to eat rne
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LuXun
A Madnnn's
Diary
rl
4
In
the rnorning
satquietly
or sorne
ime.
old chen
brought n lunch:
one
bowl
of 'egetables,
re
borvl of stearr.red
ish.
The
eyesof the fish u,ere
white
and hard,
and
tsmouth
wasopen
ust
ike hose eoplewho want oeathurnan
beings.After
a few
nrouthfuls
cou]d not tell
whether
he slipperynrorsels
ere
fish
or hunran
lesl.r,
o I
brought t all
up.
I
said,
Old
Chen, tell
my brother
hat I feel
quite
suffocated nd want
to
have
a stloll n
the
garden."
ld Chen saidnothing
but
wentont,and
presently
he
came
backand
opened
he gate.
I
did not nrove,
but watched
o
seehow they
woulcl
reat ne, eeling
certain
that hey
wotrld
not et me
go.
Sureenough My
elder
brothcrcarne lowlv
ut,
leadingan
old nran.'l ' l.rere
as
a murderous
leanr rrhis
eyes, nd earingiha t
I would
see
t
he owered
is heacl,
tealing
ideglances
t nre ronrbehincl
is
glasses.
'You
seen very
well today,"
saidn.ry
rother.
"Yes,"
aid
.
"l
have nvited
IVIr.He here
oday o
examine
you."
"All
right,"
I replied.
Actually I krrew
quite well
that this
old
man rvas
he
executioner n
disguise Feeling
my
pulse
was
sirnply
a
pretext or him
to
see
hor.v
at I was,
or this rvould
entitle him
to a share
of
n-ry lesh.
Still, I wasnot
afraid.Although
I do not
eat men rny
corlrage
s
greater l.ran
heirs. held
out
rny two
fists o
see
what
he would
do.
The
old man sat
down, closedhis
eyes,
fumbled for
some inre, rer.nained 'rotionlessor a while, hen openedhisshiftv
eyes
and saicl,
Don't
let
vour irnagination
nrn awaywith
you.
Rest
quietly or
a few days,
and
vou
will be
better."
Dorr't
let
your
irr.ragination
rn away
with
votrl
Rest
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F r c T r o N , g l 8 - r 9 4 9
5
These ew days
havebeen
hinking again:suppose
hat old
man
were
not an
executioner
n
disguise,
ut a
real
doctor;
he would be
nonetheless n eater
of
human fesh. That bookon herbsby his predecessori Shizhen2 tates xplicitly
that
men's
lesh
can be
boiled and eaten;
how then can
he st ill deny that
he
eatsmen?
fu for my elder brother,
have
also
good reason o suspect
im. When
he
was eachingme, he told
me
himself,
People
exchangeheir sons
o eat."3
nd
once
n discussing bad
man he said hat
not only did the
fellow
deserve
o
be
killed,
he should
"have
his flesheatenand
his hide sleptot-t."
was
still
young
at the time,
and for quite a
while my heart beat
faster.That storyour
tenant
from Wolf Cub
Village told
the
other
day aborrteating
a man'sheartand
liver
didn't surprise
him at all-he
kept nodding
his head. He is evidently
ust
as
cruel
asbefore.Since
t
is possible
o
"exchange
ons o eat,"
hen anythingcan
be exchanged,
nyonecan
be eaten. n the
past
simply
istened o
his expla-
nationsand
let it go at that;
now I kuou'that
when he gaveme theseexplana-
tions,not
only was here
hurnan at at the comer of
his ips,but his
whole heart
wasset
on eatingmen.
6
Pitch-dark.don't
knowwhethert is dayor
night,
The
Zhaos'dog as tarted
barking gair-r.
The
fiercenessf a
lion, he inriditvof
a rabbit,
he craftiness
f a
fox. . .
/
I know their
way: hey
are not prepared o
kill
outright,
nor
would
they
dare,
for fear of the consequences.
nstead hey
have banded together and set
traps
everywhere,
o force
rne
to
kill rnyself.The
behavior
of the
men and women
in the street
a few daysago and
my elder
brother's
attitude
these ast few days
make
t quite
obvious.
What they like best
s for
a
man to takeoff his belt and
hang himself
rom
a
bearn,
or
then
thev can enioy heir hearts'desirewithout
being
blamed
for rnurder.
Naturally that delights hem and sets hem
roaring
with
laughter.On the
other
hand, if
a
rnan is frightened
or
worried to
death,
though
that
makes
hirn rather hirr,
they
still
nod in
approval.
z.
Farnous pharmacologist
(r5r&-r593).
It is not stated nhis
Compndium
of Materia Medica
that human flesh corrld be rrsedas
a
nredicine;
his *es one of the delusionsof the madman.
3.
The ancient
historical ecord
Zuo
zhuan
stateshat
during
a siege n
488
B.C.
the
besieged
were so fanrished hat they
"exchanged
heir sotts o eat."
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LuXun:
AMadman's
iary
rl,
They only
eatdead
lesh
remember
eading
omewhere
[a
hideous
beast
with an
uglv
look
ir-r ts eye
called
"hyena,"
which
often
eats
dead
lesh.
Even
the
largest ones
t crunches
nto
fragments
nd swallows;
he
mere
hought
of
this rnakes
our
hair stand
on
end.
Hyenas
are
related o
wolves,
wolvesbelong
to the
canine
species.
'he other
daV
he
Zhaos'dog
eyed
me
several
imes:
t
is obviously
n the plot
too
as heir
accomplice.
The old
man's
eyes
were cast
down,
but
that did
not deceive
me.
'fhe
most
deplorable
s my elder
brother
afraid,
why
is he plotting
with others
o eat
man
to what's
wrong?
Or
is he so
heartless
crime?
He's
a man
too,
so
wh,v
sn'the
me?
Does
orce
of
habit blind
a
that
he will
knowingly
ommit
a
8
ln cursit]g
man-eaters,
shall
start
with my
brother.
n dissuading
man-eaters,
I shall start
with
him too.
Actually
such
arguments
hould
have
convinced
hem
long ago'
'
Suddenly
someone
ame
in. He
wasonly
about
twenty
years
old
and
I did
not see
his features
ery clearly.
His
face
was
wreathed
n
smiles,
but
wher.r
e
nodded
o
me his smile
didn't
seem
geuuine.
asked
im,
"ls
it
right
to eat
human
beings?"
Stil l
smiling,
he
replied,
When
there
s no
farnine
ow
can
one
eat
human
beings?"
I
realized
t
once
he
wasone
of
them;
but
stil l
I summoned
p courage
o
repeat
my
question:
"ls
it right?"
"What
tilakes
ou ask
such
a
thing?
You
reallyare
' fond
of
a
loke'
' ' It
is
very
ine today."
,,lt
is
fine, and
the
moon
is very
bright.
But
I want
to ask
you: Is
it right?"
He looked
disconcerted
nd
muttered,
No
' ' '"
"No?
l'hen
why
do
they still
do
it?"
"What
are you
talking
about?"
,.what
am
I talking
about?
They
are
eating
men
now
in wolf cub village,
and
you
can
see
t
written
all
over
he
books,
n
fresh
ed
ink'"
His
expression
hanged.
He grew
ghastly
ale.
lt
may
be
so,"
he said,
taring
at me.
"That's
he
way
t's always
een.
. .
"
"Does
that
make
t
right?"
"l
refuse
o discuss
t
with you.
Anyway,
ou
shouldn't
alk
about
t.
It'swrong
for anyone
o talk
about
t."
I leaped
up
and
opened
my
eyes
wide,
but
the man
had
vanished.
was
soaked
with
sweat.
He
was
much
younger
han
nry
elder
brother,
but
even
so
he
was
n it.
He
mr.rst
ave
been
aught
by
his parents.
Arrd
I am afraidhe has
already
aught
his son;
hat
is why
even
he
children
ook
at
me
so
fiercely.
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F r c T r o N ,
g l S - l g 4 g
I
wanti'g
to
eat men,
at
the
same
irne
afraid
of
being
eaten
hemselves,
hey
all
eye
each
other
with
the
deepest
uspicion.
.
.
How
comfortable
ife would
be for
thenr
f tlrey
could
rid
themselves
f such
obsessions
nd
go
to work,
walk,
eat,
and
sleep
at ease.
hey
have
only
this
one
step
o
take.
Yet athers
rd
sons,
usbands
ncl
wives,
brothers,
riends,
eachers
and
students,
worn
enemies,
and
eve'
strangers,
ave
all
ioined
in
this
con-
spiracy,
iscouraging
nd
preventing
eaclr
otlrer
rom
taking
his
step.
l o
Early
this morning I went to find mv elder brother.He wasstandingoutside
the
hall
door
ooking
at the
sky
whe'
I
walkecl
p behind
him,
standingietween
hirn
and
the
door,
and
addressed
i'r
with
exceptional
oise
and polit".,.rr,
"Brother,
have
sornething
o say
o vou."
"Go
ahead
hen." He
turned
quickly
toward
ne,
nodding.
"ltt
nothing
n*rch,
but I
find
it
hard
to
say.Brother,
probably
all
primitive
people
ate
a little
human
flesh
o
begin
witlr.
Later,
because
heir views
altered,
so're
ofthem
stopped
nd
tried
so hard
o
do what
was
ight
that they
changed
into
men,
ir.rto
eal
men.
But
sonle
are still
eating
people-
just
like
reptiles.
Somehavecha'ged i'rto fish,birds,nronkeys, nd finalrymen; but those
who
make
no
effort
to
do whatt
right
are
still
reptiles.
when
thosewho
eat
men
compare
hernselves
itl-r
hose
wl.ro
on't,
how
ashamed
hey
rnust
be.
probably
much
more
ashamed
han
the reptiles
are
before
nonkeys.
"ln
ancient
tirnes
Y
Ya boiled
his
son
for
fie
and
Zhou
to eat;a
hat
is the
old
story.
But
actually
si'ce
the creatio.r
of lreave'
and
earth
by
pan
Gur
men
have
been
eating
each
other,
from
the
ti're
of
yi
yat
son
to the
time
of Xu
Xilin,6
and from
the
time
of Xu
Xilin
dow.
to
the
rnan
ca.ght
in
wolf
cub
Village.
Last
year hey
executed
crirni,al
irr
rre
city,
a.rd
a co.,sumptive
oaked
a pieceof bread n his
blood
and
suckecl
t.
"They
want
to
eat
me,
and
of
corlrse
yo*
can
do
nothi'g
about
it
single-
handed;
but why
n-urst
ou
ioi'
thenr?
As
'rar-eaters
they
are
capable
of
a.y-
thing.
If
they
eat
rne,
hey
can eat
you
aswell;
rnernbers
f
the
same
group
can
still
eat
each
other.
Btrt
if yotr
will
iust
change
your
ways,
change
ight
"*"y,
hen
everyone
will
have
peace.
Altho.gh
this
has
been
going
on
silce
time
4.
Yi
Ya,
a fa'orite
of Duke
tf.an
of
ei in the sc'e,th cent'ry 8.c., wasa good cook a.rd
sycophant'
Whetr
the
dtrke renrarked
that he
had
never
tasted
he
flesh
ofchildreri,
yi
ya
cooked
his
own
son
for him
to
eat.
f
e
and
Zhou
uere
kirrgs
of
earlier periods.
This
misstatenrelt
s
presented
as a sign
of
mental
denrugenrent.
5.
A
nrythological
6gure.
6. A revoltlti onan'
esecttted
n r9o7
for
assassirratirrg
Qing
official.
His
heart
and
liver
were
eaten.
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8/20/2019 Diary of a Madman- Lu Xun
8/9
Lu
Xun:A Madman's
Diarv
rq
immernorial,
odaywe
could rnake
a special
effort o
do what is right,
and
sav
this
can'tbe
done 'm
sureyou
can say hat,Brother.
l 'he
otherdavwhen
he
tenant
wanted
he rent reduced, ou
said t cor-rldn't
e
done."
At
firsthe
only srniled
cynically, herr
a rnurderous
leam
came
nto
his
eyes,
and when
I spoke
of their
secret re turned
pale.Outside
he gatequite a
crowd
had
gathered, mong
hem Mr.
Zhao
and
his
dog,all
craning heir necks
o
peer n.
I could not
see
all their faces.
Sorneof them
seemed o be masked;
otherswere
he old lot , long-toothed
with livid faces,
oncealing
heir
aughter.
I knew
thel' were
one gang,
all eaters f human
flesh.But I
also
kneu'
hat
they
did not
all think
alikeby
any means.
Someof thern hou ght
hat since t
had
always
eenso,men
shouldbe
eaten.Others new hey
shouldn't atmen
but
still
wanted
o, and
were
afraid peoplemight
discover heir
secret; o although
what
saidmade hem
angry hey
stil lsmiled heir cynical,
ight-lipped rniles.
Suddenly
my brother's
acedarkened.
"Clear
off, he whole
ot of yotr "he roared.
What's
he point of
looking
at
a
madman?"
T'hen
realizecl
artof theircunning.Theywouldnever
e
will ing
o change
their
stand, nd their
planswereall laid:
they
had
abeled
me a
madman.
n
future,
when I was
eaten,not
only
would
therebe no trotrble
but peoplewould
probably
be grateful o
them. When our tenant spokeof
the
villagers
ating
a
bad
character,t wasexactly
he samedevice.
fhis
is their
old trick.
Olcl
Chen came ir.r oo in
a towering entper.But thev
cotrld
not
stop my
mouth. I had
to
warn
thosepeople:
"You
should
change,change rom the bottom
of your hearts.You must
re-
alize that there will be
no place or man-eatersn
the
world
in future.
"lf
you
don't
change,
ou
may
all be eaten y eachother.Howevermany
of
you there
are,you will be wiped
out
by
the
rcal rnel,
jtrst
as
wolves re
killed
bv hunters-
just
ike
reptiles "
Old Chen drove everybody way.My brother had
disappeared.
ld Chen
advisedme
to go back o my room. It waspitch-dark n
there.The beams
ar-rd
rafters
shook above
n.ry
head.
After
shaking
or
a
while
they grew
bigger
and
bigger.They
piled on top of
me.
The vveightwas so
great, couldn't
r.nove. hey rneant
hat I shoLrlcl
ie.
However, knowing
that the weight
was false,
stnrggled
out, dripping with
sweat.But I
had
to
warn
them:
"Yon
must
changeat once,change
ronr he bottom
of your hearts Youmust
know
that there'll be no
place
or
man-eaters
n future.
. .
."
1 l
'l'he
sur-r asstopped hining, he
door s neveropened.
ust
rvomealsday
after
dry.
Picking up my chopsticks, thought of
rny
elder brother. know
now
how
my litt le
sister ied:
t rvas
ll
throughhim. My sister
as
only fiveat the irle.
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8/20/2019 Diary of a Madman- Lu Xun
9/9
L6 F l c r roN,
9 l8 -1949
I
can
still remember
-row
weet
she ooked,
poor
thi'g.
Mother
wept as f
she
would
never
stop,but he
begged
her not
to cry,
probably
because
e had
eaten
our sister
himself
and so his weeping
madehirn
rather
asharned.
f
he
had
any
sense
f shame.
. .
My sisterwaseatenby my brother,brrt don't knowwhetherMother realized
it
or not.
I
think Mother
must have
known,
but
when
she wept
she
didn't say
so
outright,
probably
because
he
also ho'ght
it proper.
remember
when
I was
four
or
five,
sifting n
the
cool of
the hall, rny
brother
old
me that
if a man's
parents
were ll he
should
cut
off a piece
of his flesh
and boil it for
them,
if he
wanted
o be considered
good
son;:
and
Mother
didn't
contradict
him. If
one
piece
could be
eaten,obviously
o could
the whole.
And yet
ust
o think
of the
weeping
hen
still makesmy heartbleed; hat is the extraordinaryhing about
it
t 2
I
can't bear
o think
of it.
It
has
only
iust
dawned
on me that
all
these
years
have been iving
in
a
place
where
or four thousand
years
huma'
fesh
has
been
eaten.My
brother
had
iust
taken
over the
charge
of the house
when
our
sisterdied,
and he may
well haveusedher flesh n our food,making us eat t unwittingly.
I may
have
eaten several
pieces
o[ rny
sistert
flesh
unwittingly,
and now it
is
my turn. .
. .
How
can a man ike
nryself,
fter our
thousand
ears
f man-eating
istory-
even hough
I knew
nothing
about t
at first-ever
hope
to
face
real men?
r 3
Perhaps
here are still
children who
haven't
eaten
men?
Save
he children.
. .
7.
The
doctrine
of fil ial pieh'used
bv the feudal
nrling
class
o poison
he
people
preached
that
a son
should, f necessary,
ut off his
orrrr
flcsh
to
feed
ris parents.
tgtS