（一）

　　程亚杰喜欢画白桦树，早年画过著名油画《罗马小溪》里面的主角就是白桦树，看到程亚杰的油画白桦树自然会想起叶赛宁的抒情诗《白桦》：

毛茸茸的枝头，

雪绣的花边潇洒，

串串花穗齐绽，

洁白的流苏如画。

在朦胧的寂静中，

玉立着这棵白桦，

在灿灿的金晖里

闪着晶亮的雪花。

　　诗歌以白桦为中心意象，从不同角度描写它的美。第一段描写整体，第二段描写局部，赞美白桦纯洁、朦胧以及宁静的美，诗中的白桦树，既具色彩的变化，又富动态的美感。白桦那么高洁、挺拔。程亚杰的油画《白桦》和诗歌异曲同工，笔触行云流水，抑扬顿挫，纯色和混合色交织，表现出白桦特有的纯洁与高尚，书写出如诗的画卷。

　　白桦是俄罗斯的国树，是这个国家的民族精神的象征。程亚杰早年在前苏联求学，深受学院派列宾、列维坦和抽象主义创始人康定斯基的影响。

（二）

20世纪最受欢迎的美国诗人之一罗伯特·弗罗斯特也写过白桦的诗：

“挺直、黑黑的树排列成行，只见

白桦树却弯下身子，向左，也向右，

我总以为有个孩子把白样“荡”弯了

可是“荡”一下不会叫它们一躬到底

再也起不来。这可是冰干的事。

下过一场冬雨，第二天，太阳出来，

你准会看到白桦上结满了冰。

一阵风吹起，树枝就咯喇喇响，

闪射出五彩缤纷，原来这一颤动，

冰块坼裂成瓷瓶上的无数细纹。

阳光的温暖接着使那水晶的硬壳

从树枝上崩落，一齐倾泻在雪地上——”

　　罗伯特·弗罗斯特曾赢得4次普利策奖，被称为“美国文学中的桂冠诗人”。他的诗歌风格上的一个最大特点是朴素无华，含义隽永，寓深刻的思考和哲理于平淡无奇的内容和简洁朴实的诗句之中。这既是弗罗斯特的艺术追求，也是他事业成功的秘密所在。这样的评价同样适合程亚杰，而且程亚杰的画作里同样有着乡土情结和精神密码：内心的荒原，自己的荒野。诗人和画家都描绘了美丽乡野的风景和白桦树，诗中有意境，画中有诗意。

罗伯特·弗罗斯特在另一首白桦林中写道：

“白桦树开始剥落其婴儿绿的

外鞘 露出下面的银白

因为任何人都喜欢年轻 轻微的变化

很可能被注意到 很快全身变白

它象征白昼倍长 黑夜减半

树皮全部莹白

只剩叶绿的华盖——

一株唯一依仗其美丽

伸向空中的原生树

（也许比轻信的空气胆小）

让某些怀旧的人回想”

　　恰似程亚杰画中挺拔的树干，斑驳的树皮，绚烂的阳光，神秘的深林，碧绿的草色，深沉的倒影。

（三）

　　凝望程亚杰的白桦树，耳畔还会响起朴树的同名歌曲《白桦林》，那是前苏联乌克兰的一首歌曲，描写苏联卫国战争时期的故事。一位姑娘在白桦林下，默默地注视着自己的爱人随着军队远去，她在白桦树上刻上她和爱人的名字，满怀期待着等待爱人凯旋。

　　《白桦林》是由朴树作词、作曲，歌手叶蓓、朴树分别演唱过。朴树翻唱的这首《白桦林》，将感情发挥到了极致。而叶蓓诠释的《白桦林》带着很浓厚的学院派味道。但是歌声中唱到的“年轻的人们消逝在白桦林，望眼欲穿地每天守在那里，他一定会来来这片白桦林。”的深情在画中都能看到。

　　歌声能让我们听到白桦林的诉说，程亚杰的画能让我们走进那茂密的白桦林，和白桦树一起呼吸，一起摇曳。

The Birch

Xi Lin

(I)

　　Cheng Yajie likes painting the birch which is the main theme of the his famous oil painting Roman Stream. Nothing is more appropriate than Yesenin’s lyric poem The Birch to describe this painting.

Of winter, white

In the faint glow

Of early light

And softest snow.

The birch still yields

Stars at this time,

Though over fields

Sun breaks through rime.

　　The poem in the theme of the birch describes its beauty from different angles. The first paragraph makes an overall description. The second paragraph depicts the birch in detail and praises its pure, hazy and tranquil beauty. The poem embodies the birch with colors and dynamic beauty. The birch is so noble, tall and straight. Compared to this poem, Cheng Yajie’s oil painting The Birch is different in approach but equally satisfactory in result. The brushwork is natural, smooth, cadenced and rich in feelings with mixed colors, which displays purity and nobility of the birch. The oil painting is poetic.

　　Birch is the national tree of Russia and symbolizes national spirit of the country. Cheng Yajie studied in the former Soviet Union in his early years during which he was influenced by academic Repin and Levitan, as well as Kandinsky, the founder of abstract art.

(II)

Robert Frost, one of the most popular American poets in 20th century, wrote a poem about birches.

When I see birches bend to left and right

Across the lines of straighter darker trees,

I like to think some boy's been swinging them.

But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay

As ice-storms do. Often you must have seen them

Loaded with ice a sunny winter morning

After a rain. They click upon themselves

As the breeze rises, and turn many-colored

As the stir cracks and crazes their enamel.

Soon the sun's warmth makes them shed crystal shells

Shattering and avalanching on the snow-crust—

　　Robert Frost received four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry and was named poet laureate of Vermont. His poetic style is simple, modest, meaningful and thought-provoking. He implied his profound thoughts and philosophy in prosaic and simple poems. This is Frost’s pursuit for art and also his secret of success. Cheng Yajie’s style is a little similar. His paintings also show local complex and spirit code, that is, wildness in his inner heart. Robert Frost and Cheng Yajie all described the beautiful countryside scenery and birches. We can find images in the poem and poetry in the painting.

Robert Frost wrote about birches in his other poem called A Young Birch:

The birch begins to crack its outer sheath

Of baby green and show the white beneath,

As whosoever likes the young and slight

May well have noticed. Soon entirely white

To double day and cut in half the dark

It will stand forth, entirely white in bark,

And nothing but the top of leafy green—

The only native tree that dares to lean,

Relying on its beauty, to the air,

(Less brave perhaps than trusting are the air.),

And someone reminiscent will recall.

　　All these images are just like the tall and straight trunks, mottled barks, shining sunlight, mysterious forest, green grass and deep reflection.

(III)

　　Staring at Cheng Yajie’s birches, we will also think of Pu Shu’s song The Birch Wood, a Ukrainian song which tells a story of defending Soviet Union in the war. A lady stood under the birch and saw her love off to join the army. She carved both her name and her love’s name on a birch, and waited for her love to come back from the battle.

　　Pu Shu wrote words and composed for the song The Birch Wood which was sung by Ye Bei and Pu Shu later. Pu Shu perfectly expressed the affections of this song, while, Ye Bei interpreted it in a strong academic feeling. From this painting, we can feel that “ The young man disappeared in the birch wood, his love stood there everyday and was convinced he would come back one day”.

　　We can hear what the birch wood is saying from this song. Cheng Yajie’s painting brings us into the birch wood to breathe and move with birches around.

作者：林夕