这个故事的原型出自印度的佛经故事,鸠那罗是阿育王之子,有一双漂亮的眼睛,阿育王的王后,即鸠那罗的继母爱上了他的眼睛,逼与恋爱,可鸠那罗不从,王后发怒,发誓一定要获取那双眼睛。后来,太子奉命出征平息动乱,而阿育王罹患重疾,王后说可以治愈王病,但求七日为王,作为报酬。王允诺于她,王后旋即命人取出鸠那罗的双目。后来,王子扮成了艺人回到王宫中,揭穿了王后的恶行,于是被焚死。
这个故事和《莎乐美》几乎如出一辙,莎乐美爱上了施洗者约翰,想要亲吻他,却遭拒绝。于是为希罗德跳舞,博得奖赏,最终得到了约翰的头颅,“约翰,你总不肯让我吻你,现在我可以亲你了!”最后,希罗德命卫士杀死了莎乐美。
东方的佛经与西方的《圣经》竟然有如此相似的故事,也许是个巧合,但为什么两个故事里作恶的都是女人呢,也许只有女人才会为了极致的美作出疯狂的举动,男人是理性的动物,他们不会这样做。莎乐美和王后最终迷恋上的只是那个男子的身体的一部分,而不是整体,这点也很有意思。眼睛,是心灵的窗户,挖走了他的眼睛,即是夺走了他的心。头颅,则是整个身体最珍贵的部分,它常与男性,男子气,理智或权威联系在一起,拥有了他的头颅就等于拥有了他的一切吧。
无巧不成书,我原是对苏雪林一点印象都没有,早上信手翻《余年集》,书签所夹之页正好出现了“苏雪林”三个字,岂不是缘分?苏雪林是武汉大学的中国文学系教授,与另两外才女袁昌英、凌叔华并称
“珞珈三杰”,据吴鲁芹回忆,虽然苏女士文章写得不错,可中国文学课却上得很沉闷,他还逃过课,所以苏雪林也从不把他当作门生看待,以至于后来老师托他办事,还是客气地称他“××先生”,可见她做人很顶真。
我从网上,千辛万苦还找到了英译的佛经故事,从里面挖出了Kunala's
eyes(《鸠那罗的眼睛》)这段故事,贴上博客证明不是宋宋信口开河,编出这个故事的。 A similar
story is found about Tishyarakshita and her
stepson Kunala.~ After the
death of the
Asoka's first
wife (274- 237
B.C.) named Asandhimitra,
Asoka married
one of her
attendant, Tishyarakshita, and made her his chief
wife. She had fallen in love
with Asoka's
eldest son (by
another wife) and heir Kunala,
viceroy of Taxila. He rejected
her advances. however, and was shortly sent abroad to
put down a revolt. The
Emperor became ill in his son's
absence and
decided to recall Kunala and
set him on the throne. Tishyarakshita,seeing what
this would mean for her, managed to cure the Emperor herself,
obtaining in return the favour
of exercising regal power for seven days. She
immediately has Kunala's eyes put out, but later
the blind son comes
to the court
disguised as a lute-player, and she is
burnt.