家有寿桃图一幅，乃姥爷同僚为其40岁生日所画，其裱已然脆不可支，再动就要伤及画本身了。去年回国，把装裱部分统统裁掉，就像给肿瘤病人动手术一样。
There is a Chinese brush painting of peaches at my home. It was painted by a colleague of my mother's father for his 40th birthday.
画有题诗：There was a poem inscribed on the painting:
Plump are the peaches of the Mount of Sui
That West Mother presented to Han Emperor’s birthday
The east wind comes every three thousand years
Filling to the core the same old ripeness
Gone are the Mother and Dongfang who loved the fruit
Now, who can pick them to accompany fine wine vessels?
Never mind, nay, never mind, for I have a pen enabling
That fills this painting with the breeze of spring
A branch, a leaf, and a stem of flesh
All colorful, all vivid and all fresh
You, my talented friend, are right in your prime years
Your grandeur stands you out among the multitudes
While I paint this I imagine you in my mind
My pen is full of vigor and my hear, of pride
In a moment I accomplished what I desire to do
Outside my window, spring is deep in her presence
绥山桃实大如斗，西母曾为汉皇寿。
东风一度三千年，蟠桃结子犹如旧。
王母不来方朔去，谁为採作芳樽修。
老夫具有通天手，满纸春风来宇宙。
一枝一叶一根蒂，写入丹青皆古茂。
况君意气本轩昂，年力富强才(?)富（？）。
为君此画想君姿，笔端勃勃豪情逗。
须臾缋出万年枝，不觉牕前春意透。
既
乙丑四月望(?)以祝XX仁世兄四秩初度之庆六十五叟愻盫瞿鸿濩时同客鹿城。
注释：
Notes:
1.我姥爷，生于1886年农历三月初八， 卒于1932年农历九月十七。 曾供职温州、南京、北平司法界。曾任北平地方法院看守所长。妻，温州人。生一女，即我母。
1. My grandmother was born in 1886 and died in 1932. He worked in the legal profession in Wenzhou, Nanjing and Beijing and was the chief of the prison of local court. His wife was from Wenzhou and bore him a daughter who is my mother.
2.绥山：在四川峨眉县西南,《列仙传》“绥山多桃,在峨眉山之西南,高无极也,谚曰,得绥山一桃,虽不得仙,亦足以豪,”
2. Mount Sui was located in southwest of the Omei County of Sichuan Province. The Story of Immortals records that "On the Mount of Sui, peach trees are abundant. The mountain was to the southwest of the Omei Mountain and was extremely high. There is a proverb saying if one obtains a peach of the Mount of Sui, he is close to being an immortal."
3.西母曾为汉皇寿：
典故出自中国神话故事。 西王母曾经访问汉武帝。“西王母送给汉武帝5枚仙桃。汉武帝吃了以后，大饱口福，余味无穷。于是他偷偷地把桃核收起来，准备以后让人给种上。西王母笑道：“此桃三千年一生实，中夏地薄，种之不生。”汉武帝只好悻悻作罢。当时东方朔在窗户外面偷偷地窥视西王母，西王母对汉武帝说：“这个人曾经3次到我那里去偷桃。”东方朔听到后吓得赶快跪倒在地上，请求西王母的原谅。”（
http://www.mzb.com.cn/zgmzb/html/2005-02/18/content_31235.htm）
3. The story about West Mother giving peaches to the Han emperor for his birthday comes from Chinese mythology:"The West Mother gave the Emperor five peaches. The Emperor liked them a lot so he hid the core, intending to plant them.. The West Mother laughed and said that the peach tree bore fruits every 300 years and the soil of China was not fit for it. At that time, Dongfang Shuo was peeping at the West Mother from outside the window. The West Mother said the the Emperor:" This guy tried three times to steal my peaches". Hearing this, Dongfang was so scared that he knelt down to beg for pardon.
4.芳尊： 亦作“ 芳罇 ”。精致的酒器。亦借指美酒。《晋书•阮籍等传论》：“ 嵇 阮 竹林之会， 刘 毕 芳樽之友。” 唐 李颀 《夏宴张兵曹东堂》诗：“云峯峨峨自冰雪，坐对芳罇不知热。” 唐 杜甫 《赠虞十五司马》诗：“过逢连客位，日夜倒芳樽。” 宋 刘敞 《独行》诗：“却谢芳尊酒，悠悠谁与欢。” 清 纳兰性德 《金缕曲》词之三：“生怕芳尊满，到更深迷离醉影，残鐙相伴。” （汉典）
5.古茂：古雅美盛。《明史•刘基宋濂等传赞》：“ 基濂学术醇深，文章古茂，同为一代宗工。” 清 蒋士铨 《一片石•宴阁》：“沉郁古茂，情文兼至。” 梁启超 《湖南时务学堂学约》：“传世之文，或务渊懿古茂。”（百度）
6.缋： 同“绘”。
7.鹿城： 温州
8.四秩： 40岁
考证：
此画作于1925年5月7号。阴历四月十五。
愻盫：不详
瞿鸿濩：（1860--？）事迹不祥
上网查瞿鸿濩之名，查到一个瞿鸿禨：
After some research I found that the painting was painted on May 7th, 1925. The painter, Qu Honghuo (1860--?) has no record online, but there is a famous Qu Hongji. Qu Hongji was born in 1850 an died in 1918. He served the imperial court with various high ranking titles, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
瞿鸿禨生於宣宗道光三十年（1850年）。穆宗同治十年（1871年）辛未科进士，选庶吉士，授翰林院编修。德宗光绪元年（1875年），大考名列第一，擢为侍讲学士。光绪二十三年（1897年）升内阁学士，先后典福建、广西乡试，督河南、浙江、四川学政。中日甲午战争时，曾上四路进兵之策。庚子年曾随两宫西狩，出任工部尚书。返京后任军机大臣、政务大臣。请以策论试士，开经济特科。总理各国事务衙门改为外务部、任首任尚书，秉承慈禧太后意旨，屡献求和之策，深得赏识。赏黄马褂，加太子太保。（维基百科）
想起来小时候，我姥姥跟我讲她年轻时候，提起过“瞿子久（音）”这个名字，说瞿子久把她介绍给我姥爷。瞿鸿禨,字子玖。这么说瞿鸿濩很可能是瞿鸿禨的家族人，二人仅10岁之差，当为同时代人。根据地域分析，长沙，温州，很可能我姥姥跟瞿鸿禨是认识的。只不过我姥姥的身份，是一个文盲丫头而已。文革中，我妈思想很左，给我写信忆苦思甜，说我姥姥小时候伺候人，受苦很多，所以要我听话。我姥姥很生气，因为那个时候我少不更事，正是反叛家长的年龄，没少给我姥姥气受。我姥姥说，这下好了，我会更加看不起她的使唤丫头身份。后来长大，问她能否记得家人，她说不出所以，大概是说小时候，家中被火，因此当了丫环。主人家待她很好，后来给她找了人家。就提到瞿子久。
I found that Qu Hongji's styled name is Qu Zijiu. This reminds me that once upon a time, my grandma mentioned this name to me, saying he was her matchmaker. If this was true, then Qu Honghuo might be Qu Hongji's kin. There is an age difference of 10 years between the two, so they belonged to the same generation. According to the places mentioned in Qu Hongji's bio data, I assume that my grandma actually knew Qu Hongji, but not as an equal, but as a iliterate maid. During the Cultural Revolution (1966-76), my mother told me in a letter that my grandma suffered a lot in rich people's family and I should be obedient (I was raised by my Grandma away from my parents). I was a teen at that time and was rebellious. My grandma was very angry, saying when I learned about her history, I would be more contempt of her as a former maid. Later when I was old enough I asked her about her family background. She could not remember much. She just said when she was little, her family house was destroyed by a fire and she became a maid. Her master later found her a husband. It was in this occasion she mentioned the name Qu Hongji.
算一下，我姥姥1900年出生。我妈1927年出生。估计我姥姥25-26岁跟我姥爷结婚。如果是瞿鸿禨介绍，那瞿鸿禨是75岁。可是瞿鸿禨1918年就去世了，怎么可能当月老？而且他1911年以后就到上海去了。跟北京，温州都没关系。看来这“咱祖上也曾阔过”的阿Q名言，跟老方是搭不上界了。
A little bit calculation founds that since my grandma was born in 1900 and my mother in 1927, my grandma might have married my grandpa at the age of 25-26. It they had been matched by Qu Hongji, then Qu should have been 75, but Qu passed away in 1918 and he could not have been the matchmaker. Besides, he retired to Shanghai after 1911 and had nothing to do with Beijing and Wenzhou. So it seems to me that I cannot possibly claim the statement said by Ah Q, that "my ancestor was once rich".
我姥爷1886年出生，41岁上得了个女儿我妈。 这个瞿鸿濩肯定是认识我姥姥的。我姥姥是温州人。瞿鸿濩画这个寿桃图的时候，与我姥爷“同客鹿城”，也就是都在温州。看来当月老的，应该是这个瞿鸿濩。可是我姥姥怎么会说出来瞿子久这么个名字，真是一个迷。
My grandma was born in 1886 and had a daughter at the age of 41, who was my mother. The painter Qu Honghuo definited knew my grandma. My grandma was from Wenzhou and when Qu was painting the picture, he was at Lu Town with my grandpa, which is the old name for Wenzhou. I assumed that the matchmaker might have been this Qu, not that Qu, but how could my grandma say the name of Qu Hongji, I cannot figure out.
我姥爷46岁就去世了。当时我姥姥32岁。我妈5岁。已经在北平了。后来我姥姥改嫁，生一子。所改嫁之人，自然不是我的姥爷，应该叫step-姥爷吧。我亲姥爷所留遗物，到我懂事的时候从家里几个破箱子翻出来的，只有一件清朝的袍子和一叠孔子作揖像的拓片。
My grandpa died at the age of 46, when my grandma was 32 and my mother 5. They were in Beijing at that time. Later, my grandma married another man and had a son with him. He should be my step-grandpa. He was still living when I was born, at least in 1957. The stuff left by my own grandpa was not much. When I was old enough to dig the poor old trucks of my grandma, I only discovered a coat of fine silk and embroidery of the late Qing dynasty, several brownish old photos, two scroll paintings, one of which is this peach one, and several pieces of stone rubbing of Confucius image, in the famous hands-before-chest salute posture.
听说这个后爸，并不十分待见我妈。在那个重男轻女的时代，加上又是后爹，可以理解。但是我妈对那个step-弟弟，倒是没有辜负为姐的角色。到了老年，我姥姥股骨骨折后，我舅还在上班，就让我妈接到外地，一直到送终。我姥姥也是重男轻女的老脑筋，却怎么也想不到伺候她老的，是女儿和女婿。
I heard that step-grandpa did not like my mother very much. It was understandable at that time when boys were valued more than girls and when the father was a step one. My mother, however, did her duty towards his younger step-brother. In her old age, when my grandma broke her hip and my step-uncle was still working, my mother, who lived in another city, took over the care of my grandma till the latter died, outside. My grandma also valued boys more than she did girls and she would never have expected that it was her daughter and son-in-law who accompanied her till the last moment.
文革中，我的出身最初定为“城市贫民”。后来因为父母在邮电部门工作，上头有政策，说邮电职工都是产业工人，于是一纸证明寄来，我的档案又把我的出身定为“工人”。听起来比“城市贫民”具有一点无产阶级先进性，但是一样穷。和那个时候比较，大概我又可以说“咱的祖上也曾阔过”的话了。
During the Cultural Revolution, my family background was determined as urban poor. Later I got a certificate from my parents' workplace, saying that because they worked in the postal service, they were defined as industrial workers and thus my family background should be defined as worker. It sounded better in that the word suggested the so called progressiveness of the proletariat, but in fact a worker is as poor as an urban poor. So I think I can still say the famous statement of Ah Q: my ancestor was once rich.
