The Scent of Books (Extracts)

 

By Wang Hongbin

Trans. by Ji Weiqi (纪玮琪)

 

The Chinese term of “Shuxiang (书香)” is literally translated as “the scent of books”. The term was originated from the ancient practice of protecting books from being eaten by moths. The ancients would put some lemongrass that carried delicate fragrance, between the book pages. When opening the books, people would enjoy a nice smell, or in another word, “the scent of books”. Later, the meaning of the term was extended to include a social environment favorable for reading.

 

The scent of books in reading arises from one’s innermost feelings – the understanding of social snobbery, the comprehension of moral sentiment, the appreciation of long-standing cultural heritage, and the admiration of majestic mountains and rivers, etc. Every book tells you its own story and recounts to you its own feeling. Each story contains one’s life experiences of joys and sorrows as well as one’s expressions of sentiments and ideals. Thus, I show my respect to every book, try to understand its meaning and apprehend its sincerity.

 

In ancient times, there was a proverb, “The worth of other pursuits is small, the study of books excels them all.” And nowadays, a saying goes, “Thanks to the scent of books, life becomes rich and wonderful.” In old days, there were stories in which intellectuals tried everything they could to keep studying. For instance, a reader tying his hair to a beam to stop himself from feeling sleepy, or prodding himself awake with an awl in the thigh; or a reader boring a hole on the wall to make use of the neighbor’s light… And now, there are cases in which readers study in lavatories or under quilts. All these assimilate people’s thirst for knowledge and their respect to life. They show how assiduously readers have studied. You cannot say that one’s life will be meaningless if he or she doesn’t have books to read, but you can be certain that one’s life will be splendid and colorful because of reading. In one’s lifelong journey, reading is always the most pure and elegant thing to do.

 

When attending school, nothing is more exciting than the occasion when you are given new books. The pretty new books stand for fresh knowledge, while the smell of the specific ink given off by the newly-printed books is particularly attracting.

 

The light ink smell is like a mischievous spirit that is dancing just in front of your nose to tease you. Once you pick it up, you can’t let it go. When reading books, you will feel the thick flavor of rivers and big seas, and the traces of moon and dust, or share the joys and sorrows, the partings and reunions, as well as ups and downs… When you open your eyes, you will feel the vicissitudes of life – depression or joyfulness, frowned with displeasure or overwhelmed with enjoyment and admiration. Imagine how you will be completely charmed when you just sit in front of the desk and do the reading you like best, with the winds rising and clouds scudding and surging, or the flowers in blossoms falling in mud. What an intoxicating state you can feel that you are really in!

 

Reading is a sort of self-cultivation as well as an appreciation. What it can bring to us is the ever-lasting admiration and motivation. It’s also a consolation in recognition of the efforts you have made with a calm heart and peaceful spirit. Needless to say, self-change is very necessary, and so is true with the reading atmosphere jointly created by the whole society. We need more libraries, more rooms and space for reading, more convenient and easier ways for obtaining books. When we truly enjoy the pleasure in reading and when we are always within easy reach of books, we can say: the scent of books is integrated with my body and guides my heart.

 

(Extracted from Yue Du, Issue 3, 2021)

 

 

 

Scent of Books (Extracts)

 

By Hongbin Wang

Trans. by Wang Jinyue (王金岳)

 

The phrase, “scent of books”, has existed since ancient times. Historically, people placed the leaves of a strong-scented herb called citronella in between the pages of their books to keep bookworms away. Once a book with such leaves was opened, it could give off a strong, pleasant smell, which was therefore referred to as the “scent of books”. Later, the meaning of this phrase was often extended to mean a climate of learning.

 

The scent savored from reading is a taste that emanates from a person’s soul. It reflects the fickleness of human nature in this world, rich moral sentiments, long-standing cultural inheritance, magnificent mountains and rivers. … Each book tells a story or a feeling. Each story contains the sweets and bitters of life. Each feeling encompasses different dreams. Hence, I respect each book and try hard to make sense of it and appreciate the sincerity between the lines.

 

In ancient times, there were verse lines, “Only the learned rank high; all other trades are low”. Nowadays, there exist verse lines, “Thanks to the scent of books, one’s lifetime becomes splendid; Thanks to the smell of books, one’s life becomes wealthy.” In ancient China, there was a scholar who tied his hair on the house beam, and another who jabbed his side with an awl, in order to keep themselves awake in learning. There was also a scholar who bore a hole on the wall in order to get some light from the neighbor’s house. Today, there are people who read books in a toilet or under the bedclothes. Such people yearn for knowledge and respect their life. We cannot say that one’s life would be completely meaningless without reading, but we are certain that one’s life can become bright and colorful because of reading. What an elegant and pure activity reading is on the path of one’s life!

 

In school, the most enjoyable day was the day when we received new textbooks. The brand-new books, completely new knowledge… and the peculiar scent of printing inks of the new books, particularly, appealed to us.

 

The light scent of inks like a naughty elf tantalized the wings of our nose so wickedly that we were unwilling to lay down our books once we held them. In the books, there were smells of rivers and seas, traces of dust and moonlight, flavors of joys and sorrows, separations and reunions. … While we calmed down, our emotions went up. Looking around, I witnessed various emotions and reactions surging up such as distress, elatedness, knitted brows and striking the desk in surprise. Sitting quietly at my desk, I saw winds rising and clouds gathering, and flowers blooming and fading. How fantastic this state was in which I had completely forgotten myself and the outside world!

 

Reading is a kind of spiritual practice, a sort of enjoyment. What it brings to us is meaningful perceptions, perpetual impetus and peace of mind as well as solace of soul. Certainly, to achieve these, we must change ourselves. There is also a need for the whole society to work together to create an atmosphere of learning. We need more libraries, more reading spaces, and more convenient and faster access to books. Only when we experience the pleasure of reading and books are readily available, can the scent of books accompany both our bodies and souls, anytime and anywhere.

 

(Excerpted from “Scent of Books”, Yuedu [Monthly Reading], Issue 3, 2021)