一封“情书”

亲爱的中华文化：

你好！别来无恙。辗转难眠、思念难挨，特写此信，愿君见字如晤，展信舒颜。

“我在感情上的愚钝，就像是门窗紧闭的屋子。虽然爱情的脚步在屋前走过去又走过来，我也听到了，可是我觉得那是路过的脚步，那是走向别人的脚步。直到有一天，这个脚步停留在这里，然后，门铃响了。”

我被这段话惊艳了很久。是因为余华先生的顶级文笔吗？我想，也是。是因为这段话充满了你我的影子吗？我想，更是。这段话，有我往年的胆小与懦弱；这段话，有你往年的坚定与宽容。我曾不相信自己值得被爱，直到你出现在我的生命里。“爱，原就是自卑弃暗投明的时刻。”与你在一起的每时每刻，我都动了“永恒”的念头。纵使知道用时间去丈量爱情是自大妄为，我仍然想对你说：“如果非要把这份爱加上一个期限，我希望是一万年。”

大抵是在你眼里，我看到了“地久天长”。是你让我见证爱情最美好的样子，爱情，是“金风玉露一相逢，便胜却人间无数”的青涩懵懂，是“晓看天色暮看云，行也思君坐也思君”的汹涌澎湃，是“谁教岁岁红莲夜，两处沉吟各自知”的山海相隔，是“长相思兮长相忆，短相思兮无穷极”的朝暮相念，是“海棠影下  子规声里  立尽黄昏”的望穿秋水，是“正是江南好风景，落花时节又逢君”的欣喜若狂，是“在天愿作比翼鸟，在地愿为连理枝”的不朽诺言。因为你，我体会到了爱情应当是何模样。人与人之间，不过一瞬间，而爱情却是永远。

大抵是在你眼里，我看到了“诗与远方”。是你陪我踏遍万水千山，我们一起走过“晴川历历汉阳树，芳草萋萋鹦鹉洲”的湖北、“醉后不知天在水，满船清梦压星河”的湖南、“落霞与孤鹜齐飞，秋水共长天一色”的江西，也一起走过“君不见，黄河之水天上来，奔流到海不复回”的山西、“谁家玉笛暗飞声，散入春风满洛城”的河南。因为你，我感受到了旅途应当是何模样。每一次的行走，都是对这片土地的真挚颂扬。

大抵是在你眼里，我看到了“星河璀璨”。是你教会我，做人要有“穷且益坚，不坠青云之志”的节操，有“俱怀逸兴壮思飞，欲上青天揽明月”的志向，有“卒然临之而不惊，无故加之而不怒”的勇气，有“大鹏一日同风起，扶摇直上九万里”的潇洒，有“风力掀天浪打头，只须一笑不须愁”的乐观，有“海压竹枝低复举，风吹山角晦还明”的希望。因为你，我意识到了人生应当是何模样。光阴者，百代之过客也，唯奋力奔跑，方能生风。

因你，我理解爱与被爱。因你，我成为更好的自己。因你，我渴望追寻“大海汪洋”。因你，这片土地的江河山川、日升日落皆与我有了羁绊。因此，倘若“永恒”有同义词，我希望会是“你我”。

“青青河畔草，绵绵思远道。”“陌上花开，可缓缓归矣。”

敬颂

时祺！

爱你的，玄英

（本文选自人民日报出版社《我与中国的美丽邂逅：2024年来华留学生征文大赛优秀作品集》）

Dear Chinese Culture，

Hello！ I hope all is well with you. Restless and overwhelmed with thoughts of you at night， I write this letter hoping that reading my words will feel like seeing me in person， and may it bring a smile to your face.

“I am so obtuse in relationships， like stuck in a room with the doors and windows firmly shut. Although I could hear the footsteps of love pacing back and forth outside， I thought they were just passing by， heading towards someone else. Until one day， those footsteps paused here， and then， the doorbell rang.”

I was mesmerized by these words for a long time. Was it because of Mr. Yu Hua’s superb writing？ I think that’s part of it. Or is it because these words reflect experiences that you and I share？ I believe that even more. In this passage， there’s my past cowardice and timidity; in this passage， there’s your past steadfastness and tolerance. I didn’t believe I deserved to be loved until you appeared in my life. “Love is indeed the moment when one turns from self-doubt to enlightenment.” Every moment with you， I entertain the thought of “forever”. Even though I know measuring love with time is presumptuous， I still want to tell you that “If I must set a duration on this love， I hope it is ten thousand years”.

Perhaps in your eyes， I saw “everlasting”. You showed me the most beautiful form of love. Love is the naive excitement in Qin Guan’s poem： “A brief meeting at the Qixi Festival surpasses countless moments of being together”; the overwhelming passion in Tang Yin’s poem： “Watching the sky at dawn and the clouds at dusk， thinking of you whether I’m walking or sitting”; the long separation in Jiang Kui’s poem： “Only you and I share this deep missing for each other on the night of the Lantern Festival”; the constant yearning in Li Bai’s poem “eternal longing forever lasts， and ephemeral longing is the affection that never ends”; the anticipation in Hong Zikui’s poem “beneath the shadow of begonias， amidst the cuckoo’s call， I stand till dusk falls”; the ecstatic reunion in Du Fu’s poem that “Just as the South boasts lovely scenery， I meet you again when the flowers fall”; and the unbroken promise in Bai Juyi’s poem： “In the heavens， I wish to be birds flying wing to wing; on Earth， trees intertwined”. Because of you， I have come to understand what love should be like. The interactions between people are but a moment， yet love is forever.

Perhaps in your eyes， I saw “poetry and distant places”. You have accompanied me across rivers and mountains， to places like Hubei where “the trees of Hanyang shine under the sun， and grass on Yingwu Islet is lush” as described in Cui Hao’s poem， to Hunan where “I’m too drunken to realize the starry sky is reflected in the water and can’t tell if this is real or a dream” as described by Tang Gong， to Jiangxi where “the sunset and solitary ducks fly together， the autumn waters merge with the sky” as described in Wang Bo’s poem， to Shanxi where “the Yellow River comes from the heavens， rushing to the sea never to return” as described in Li Bai’s poem， and to Henan where “Jade flute secretly plays， filling Luoyang city through the spring breeze”， also in Li Bai’s poem. Because of you， I have felt what journeys should be like， and every journey becomes a sincere tribute to this land.

Perhaps in your eyes， I saw “a brilliant galaxy”. You taught me to live with the integrity of “being poor yet ever more resolute， never losing the will to climb higher”， to have the ambition—“with all spirits high and thoughts soaring， desiring to ascend to the heavens and embrace the bright moon”—as described in Li Bai’s poem; the courage of “facing sudden events without shock， receiving unwarranted attack without anger”， as described in Su Shi’s poem; the flair of “like the Dapeng bird rising with the wind in one day， soaring directly up 90，000 miles”， as described in Li Bai’s poem; the optimism of “with the strong wind lifting the heavens and waves striking my head， I only need to smile without worry”， as described in Yang Wanli’s poem， and the hope of “the sea wind presses down the bamboo but it rises again， the wind may obscure the mountain’s corner but it clears again”， as described in Chen Yuyi’s poem. Because of you， I realize what life should be like. Time is merely a traveler through the ages， and only by running with all our might can we create a breeze.