“挑戰(zhàn)不可能”：香港龍舟賽上的盲人“黑武士”

HONG KONG — A blur of boldly patterned jerseys and fluttering banners of green, pink and yellow. The platinum of a boat’s wake against the pewter of the sea. Oars paddling in hypnotic unity. All of it made brighter and more vibrant by a glaring summer sun.

香港——圖案大膽的針織運(yùn)動(dòng)衫和風(fēng)中飄動(dòng)的綠、粉、黃色條幅令人眼花繚亂。船在青色海面上劈開一道白色的水波。槳手們劃槳?jiǎng)幼髡R劃一，像是被催眠了一般。所有的這一切都因?yàn)橐鄣难籽紫娜兆兊酶用髁?、富有活力?/p>

This is Hong Kong’s annual Dragon Boat Festival, a centuries-old tradition throughout Asia that combines sacred rituals with serious competition.

這是香港一年一度的龍舟嘉年華，這一在亞洲各地有著悠久歷史的傳統(tǒng)將神圣儀式與嚴(yán)肅競(jìng)賽結(jié)合到了一起。

Among the competitors last month were the Darkness Fighters, Hong Kong’s only dragon boat team composed of visually impaired paddlers and their sighted coaches. Most of them are well past retirement age.

上個(gè)月的參賽者中，有一支“黑武士失明龍舟隊(duì)”，這是香港唯一一支由視覺(jué)障礙的劃船手及視力良好的教練組成的龍舟隊(duì)。其中大多數(shù)隊(duì)員都早就過(guò)了退休年齡。

“I’m really happy to be here today because I didn’t think I would be able to do things like this,” said Tsang Jau Rung, 72, who began losing her sight 16 years ago and joined the Fighters this year.

“我好開心因?yàn)槲覠o(wú)諗過(guò)(沒(méi)想過(guò))可以玩到龍舟。”72歲的曾照容說(shuō)，她16年前失明，今年加入了黑武士。

For Ms. Tsang, and the other blind paddlers, joining the team has meant breaking with housebound routines that provide a sense of safety, but also inflict a crushing loneliness. Competing is an opportunity to socialize as well as a chance to exercise.

對(duì)曾女士及其他失明的劃船手來(lái)說(shuō)，加入這個(gè)隊(duì)伍意味著打破足不出戶日常生活帶來(lái)的安全感及令人難以承受的孤獨(dú)感。參加競(jìng)技是一個(gè)社交、鍛煉的好機(jī)會(huì)。

The festival is said to commemorate the suicide of Qu Yuan, a third-century poet and patriot, and his community’s effort to rescue him from drowning. It is a celebration of teamwork in the face of isolation and desperation.

龍舟節(jié)據(jù)說(shuō)紀(jì)念的是三世紀(jì)自殺的詩(shī)人、愛(ài)國(guó)者屈原，以及民眾為了營(yíng)救他的行動(dòng)。它是對(duì)面對(duì)孤獨(dú)和絕望時(shí)團(tuán)隊(duì)合作的贊美。

“It is a group effort,” said Annie Wing Chee Lo, 60, who steadily lost her sight over the past 10 years. “It requires our utmost focus and perseverance for us to do well.”

“我鐘意有個(gè)團(tuán)體精神，”60歲的盧詠慈說(shuō)。她在過(guò)去10年里漸漸失明的。“一心一意一仗，一起堅(jiān)持。”

On race day, hundreds of teams from across the territory representing Hong Kong’s modern tribes — locals and expatriates, bankers and fishermen — meet to compete.

比賽那天，來(lái)自該地區(qū)數(shù)以百計(jì)代表香港現(xiàn)代部族的隊(duì)伍——本地人和外籍人士，銀行家和漁民——齊聚一堂，開始競(jìng)技。

The Fighters’ boat is exactly the same as the ones rowed by their sighted competition — long, wooden and tottery, with a dragon figurehead at the prow, 22 paddlers at work.

黑武士的船與他們視力良好的競(jìng)爭(zhēng)對(duì)手所劃的船一模一樣——狹長(zhǎng)、木制的船搖搖晃晃，船頭有一個(gè)龍像，能搭乘22名槳手。

At the front of each boat is a large drum, beat to keep members of the team in time.

每艘船的前部都有一個(gè)大鼓，鼓點(diǎn)能夠讓隊(duì)員跟上節(jié)奏。

Even those who can see cannot ensure they won’t smack into the paddlers in front or behind them, but the Fighters must learn exactly where and when to place their oars solely by the sound of the drum.

即使是那些能看見(jiàn)的人，都無(wú)法確保自己不會(huì)撞上前后方的劃船手，但黑武士必須僅憑鼓聲，學(xué)會(huì)在哪里、何時(shí)下槳。

Many of the team’s members are participating in an organized sport for the first time in their lives, at an age when their peers have retired. There are nearly 175,000 blind people in the city, according to the Hong Kong Federation of the Blind, and 65 percent of them are over the age of 70.

許多隊(duì)員都是平生第一次參加有組織的運(yùn)動(dòng)項(xiàng)目，而在這個(gè)年紀(jì)，他們的同輩都已退休。根據(jù)香港失明人互聯(lián)會(huì)(Hong Kong Federation of the Blind)的數(shù)據(jù)，這座城市里有約17.5萬(wàn)名盲人，其中有65%的年齡都在70以上。

Just getting to practice is an achievement. One paddler, Lau Fat, 65, must take a bus. Make three subway transfers. And navigate the streets in one of Asia’s busiest cities.

僅僅是參加訓(xùn)練就已經(jīng)是一項(xiàng)成就了。65歲的劃船手劉發(fā)必須要坐公交，轉(zhuǎn)三次地鐵，在亞洲最繁忙城市之一的街道上穿行。

“It’s hardest for newly blind people,” said Mr. Lau, who since losing his sight five years ago has also learned Kung Fu and how to play an erhu, a traditional Chinese stringed instrument. “They need to be convinced that they don’t need to be home alone but should come out and do things.”

“這對(duì)剛剛失明的人來(lái)說(shuō)最難，”劉先生說(shuō)，他自五年前失明以來(lái)，就一直在學(xué)習(xí)功夫和中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)弦樂(lè)器二胡。“他們需要人們說(shuō)服他們，不需要獨(dú)自呆在家里，而是應(yīng)該出來(lái)做些事情。”

On race day, Mr. Lau said he was nervous but found the steady beat of the boat’s drum calming.

比賽那天，劉先生說(shuō)他很緊張，但發(fā)現(xiàn)船上有節(jié)奏的鼓聲很能平復(fù)人心。

“We are happy to participate,” he said. “But of course we want to win.”

“我們很高興能參與，”他說(shuō)。“但當(dāng)然了，我們是想贏的。”

“This is the Darkness Fighters’ mantra,” the team shouted before carefully getting into the boat. “Challenge the impossible!”

“黑武士精神，”小心翼翼地上船前，龍舟隊(duì)喊道。“挑戰(zhàn)不可能!”

For the blind paddlers the race has its own sensory delights: the thrum of the drum, the spray of the water, the crowd’s cheers.

對(duì)那些失明的槳手來(lái)說(shuō)，這場(chǎng)比賽有著自己的感官愉悅之處：敲打的鼓聲，四濺的水花，觀眾的加油聲。

By the end of the race, they are sopping wet, exhausted and beaming with pride. They placed fifth out of eight teams.

比賽結(jié)束時(shí)，他們渾身濕透、筋疲力盡，臉上卻帶著自豪的微笑。他們?cè)诎酥ш?duì)伍中名列第五。

“We were all on point with our rhythms and didn’t mess one another up,” Mr. Lau said. “That alone is a win for us.”

“我們都跟上了節(jié)奏，沒(méi)擾亂別人，”劉先生說(shuō)。“這對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)就已經(jīng)是勝利了”。