冰心 《春的消息》

坐在书桌旁往外看，我的窗外周围只是一座一座的长长方方的宿舍楼，楼与楼之间没有一棵树木！窗前一大片的空地上，历年来堆放着许多长长的生了锈的钢筋——这是为建筑附近几座新宿舍楼用的——真是一片荒凉沉寂。外边看不到什么颜色，我只好在屋子里“创造”些颜色。我在堂屋里挂上绿色的窗帘，铺上绿色的桌布，窗台上摆些朋友送的一品红、仙客来，和孩子们自己种的吊兰。在墙上挂的总理油画前，供上一瓶玫瑰花、菊花、石竹花或十姊妹。那是北方玫瑰花公司应我之请，按着时节，每星期送来的。我的书桌旁边的窗台上摆着一盆朋友送的还没有开过花的君子兰。又是也放上一瓶玫瑰。这一丝丝的绿意，或是说春意吧，都是“慰情聊胜无”的。

我想起我窗前的那片空地，从前堆放钢筋的地方，每到春来，从钢筋的空隙中总会长出十分翠绿的草。夏雨来时，它便怒长起来，蔓延到钢条周围。那勃勃的生机，是钢铁也压不住的。如今，这些钢条都搬走了，又听说我们楼前这一块空地将要种上花草。

前几天，窗外一阵阵的喧哗笑声，惊动了我。往外看时，原来是好几十个男女同学，正在整理这片空地呢！女学生穿的羽绒衣、毛衣，红红绿绿的；男学生有的穿绿军装，有的穿深色的衣服。他们拿着种种工具，锄土的锄土，铲土的铲土，安放矮栏的就在场地边上安插下小铁栏杆。看来我们楼前这一大片土地，将会被这群青年人整治成一座绿草成茵、繁花似锦的公园……

窗外是微阴的天，这群年轻人仍在忙忙地劳动着。今天暖气停了，我脱下毛衣换上棉袄，但我的心里却是暖烘烘的，因为我得到了春的消息！

Tidings of Spring
Bing Xin

Whenever I looked out of the window sitting at my desk, what stuck my eye at once would be a cluster of rectangular dormitory buildings standing side by side without a single tree in-between. The wide open ground beyond my window, which had been for years piled with rusty long steel bars—building materials for some new dormitories to be put up nearby, was a scene of desolation. Disappointed at the drab surroundings, I had to turn to “creating” colour under my roof. I decorated my room with green-coloured window curtains, spread a green cloth on the table, placed on the windowsills some poinsettias and, cyclamens given by a friend and some diaolan planted by my children. A vase filled with roses, chrysanthemums, carnations or multiflora roses was placed before an oil portrait of Zhou Enlai hanging on the wall. These flowers, when in season, were sent me weekly by Northern Rose Company at my request. On the windowsill beside my desk was a potted tender kaffir lily given me by a friend or sometimes a vase of roses. The consolation I derive from things green or from the vague hint of spring, though very small, is better than none.

Every year, I remember, when spring came, emerald-green grass would start shooting up from among the steel bars. It grew still faster under the summer rain until it enveloped all the steel bars, which were unable to arrest its exuberance. Now the steel bars have been removed and I hear that the vacant lot will be planted with flowers.

Several days ago, I was suddenly disturbed by a joyous din from outside the window. Looking out of it, I saw scores of boy and girl students in the middle of tidying up the open ground. The girls were in colourful down jackets or woolen sweaters, and the boys were in green army uniforms or dark-coloured jackets. They worked with hoes or shovels. Some were busy fencing off the land with iron-bar railings. Evidently, they were trying to turn the wide open ground in front of our building into a garden bright with lush green grass and blooming flowers.

It became somewhat gloomy, but the young people didn’t slack off their efforts. Today I took off my woolen sweater and put on a cotton-padded jacket instead because the central heating in our dormitory buildings had stopped as scheduled. Nevertheless, thanks to the tidings of spring, I’m warm at heart.