2000年5月26日日记

黄安年文  黄安年2023年6月6日发布（第32786篇）

【按：自2022年12月23日起分批发布1999年10月22日-2000年7月4日我们的美国之行日记内容，这里是2000年5月26日日记。当时日记如实记叙所见所为所思所想，为普通公民实录具有史料价值，无涉当今价值判断】

* 9:17am-6:30pm,我们参观Plymouth港和Newport的Mansion。前者是英国清教徒移民始祖1620年在马塞诸萨地区登陆的地方，大凡来到Cape Cod和波士顿地区旅游参观的人都是必来之地，因为如果今天的美国佬忘记了这个等于忘记了“根”，就好像中国移民来到美国处处都蔑视大陆似的，岂不也有点忘“根”的苗头。最有点四不像的是有的新美国人，似乎既忘了欧洲移民的“根”，也忘了中国移民的“根”。来这里“五月花号船”是其中具有象征意义的景点，如果连这条船也不屑光顾，那就枉此一行了。

*12:50-1:45pm,大家一起去参观了这条难得看上的船，其实这是在1957年仿造当年远涉重洋的船。由于它一切均是按照资料和想象建造的，并且按照同样的航线航行在大西洋上，事实上来此参观的人是络绎不绝的。船体外围有许多历史回顾的背景资料图片，船体的每一部分均开放参观，还有好几位讲解员，其中有的显然是义务讲解的。看了这条船，可以想象在当时极其困难的条件下来到新大陆是多么的不易。比起来,现在移民美国是方便多了，那时要冒着生命危险，现在则十分安全。他们不仅终于从西欧来到北美登上了新大陆，而且还在船上协议订立著名的五月花协定，这个协定连同1619年在弗吉尼亚詹姆斯城的22公民代表协议构成了早期美国民主制度的基石。Plymouth Guide以显著篇幅介绍Mayflower II说：“The Mayflower was their space shuttle. Instead of turbo jets and booster rockets, she had the square sails of a 17^th century trading ship. Guided by the sun, stars and expertise of Captain Christopher Jones, The ‘Saints’(as the Pilgrims then called themselves) were on their own. Sheltered in a tiny boat that had already seen decades of service as a wine vessel, and before that, in the Norwegian fishing trade. The ‘Saints’ wanted to worship God in their own way and left the Church of England to seek religious freedom in Leyden, Holland where they lived comfortably for 1w years. However, Leyden was only a temporary refuge, Although the ‘Saints’ had fled England, they still wished to maintain their English language. Heritage and tradition. Fear of assimilation into the Dutch culture prompted leaders of the group to secure a patent for settlement in the New World.”。文章另外专门写了Two Months Sea & America’s First Constitution两段。两个月的航海行程写道：“Seeing the little ship Mayflower today, it’s almost impossible to believe that 102 men, women and children, guided by a crew of 25, were squeezed into a boat just 90 feet from stem to stern (that’s the length of three first downs in a football game) and only 25 feet at the Mayflower’s widest point. The seas were monstrous and icy and during the 65 days aboard the mayflower, the Pilgrims had little privacy. Destined for the ‘northern’ part of Virginia, the Pilgrims soon found themselves floundering on the deadly shoals off Chatham at the elbow of Cape Cod. Unable to clear this ‘graveyard of sailing ships’, they turned northwest around the hook of the Cape and found a safe harbor and fresh water in what is now called Provincetown.”。美国第一部宪法写道：“Almost before the ‘Saints’ refreshed themselves, they saw to the law. Unable to sail to their ’legal’ destination, they held representative meetings, came to an agreement drafted’ to combine themselves together into a civil body politic’ which they called the Mayflower Compact, but historians call it our first constitution.”。

我在《崛起》一书中对于五月花号船有较为详细的叙述，“这些‘移民始祖’在马萨诸塞湾的科德角登陆，建立了以普利茅斯命名的定居地。在上岸前的11月11日，41名成年男子签署了五月花公约，宣布自愿结成平等的公民政府，制定自己的法律、章程和官职机构。这些‘移民始祖’大多是信奉受迫害的清教的贫苦工匠、农民和订有契约的契约佣仆。他们主张个人直接祈祷，反映了在上帝和法律面前人人平等的资产阶级法权观念；主张建立纯正廉洁的教会，反对教会勒索和繁琐的宗教仪式，反映原始积累时期资产阶级积累资金的要求；主张以资产阶级共和制原则改革教会，反对偶像崇拜。”（第52页）看完五月花号船，接着在旁边看了Plymouth Rock，似乎J对此也不屑一瞧，好在我胸中有数，只用不到5分钟看完了这块历史的见证石。对于这块奠基石，介绍写道：“Plymouth Rock is the symbolic stepping stone from the old world to the new. Plymouth Rock’s existence was first recorded in 1715. When it was described in the town boundary records as ‘a great rock’. The only testimony of the rock’s attribution, however, was given by Thomas Faunce, elder of the Plymouth Church, who in 1741 identified the rock as the Pilgrims first landed”。

2000年5月26日 (星期五) 阴历四月二十三,New Port晴，C12-C24

    今天是来美国的第217天,离预定7月4日返回北京的日子还有40天；离移民局同意我们延期居留美国的签证期限（8月22日）还有2个月27天。今天还是Y&J休假的第七天，是去罗得岛Rose Summer House的第五天。

    9:17am-6:30pm,我们参观Plymouth港和Newport的Mansion。前者是英国清教徒移民始祖1620年在马塞诸萨地区登陆的地方，大凡来到Cape Cod和波士顿地区旅游参观的人都是必来之地，因为如果今天的美国佬忘记了这个等于忘记了“根”，就好像中国移民来到美国处处都蔑视大陆似的，岂不也有点忘“根”的苗头。最有点四不像的是有的新美国人，似乎既忘了欧洲移民的“根”，也忘了中国移民的“根”。来这里“五月花号船”是其中具有象征意义的景点，如果连这条船也不屑光顾，那就枉此一行了。

     9:17am出发,走138号接24号公路,这条线路已经驾轻就熟了。汽车在13A出口走44号公路向东一直行驶,10:35pm就到了Plymouth港。地图清楚表示，从44号公路穿过3号公路就到了Plymouth港口沿岸的Water Street,那里密集了主要的参观景点：Mayflower II & Plymouth Rock, Waterfront Tourist Information Center。汽车在港口码头的停车场停了，J对Information Center很感兴趣，拉我一起到中心了解情况，谁知他在那里听服务员过细的讲解而不得要领，我已经将所需资料收集齐全，当务之急是购买那种船票更为合适，看到11:00am即将开船的龙虾号游艇(Red Lobster),以为只需要一个小时可以在游艇上将整个港口看个痛快。

11:00am，我们匆匆上船，才发现是一只最多能坐不到20人的小船，是专门做龙虾知识介绍的旅游船，这条小船连同我们不到十一二人，只在港内转了一圈，根本没有出港， 有3/4的时间是在讲解螃蟹和龙虾的知识，我们别开生面在船上花钱听课，风浪时起时伏，颇有点胆战心惊。12:30pm,龙虾号游艇回到了码头。后来发现并非只有这条小船才出港，Plymouth Guide介绍称：“Cruise Plymouth Harbor in comfort aboard the Pilgrim Belle, a Mississippi style paddle wheeler. Get a narrated account of this historic town and seaport & a mariner’s view of Plymouth Rock, Mayflower II, Plymouth Beach, Clarks Island and Gurnet Point Lighthouse. Pilgrim history, maritime lore and fascinating information about commercial fishing & lobstering await you on this 1-hour-and-15minute cruise ”。此外还有Splashdown号船以及从Plymouth to Privincetown往返旅游船。

下码头后，12:50-1:45pm,大家一起去参观了这条难得看上的船，其实这是在1957年仿造当年远涉重洋的船。由于它一切均是按照资料和想象建造的，并且按照同样的航线航行在大西洋上，事实上来此参观的人是络绎不绝的。船体外围有许多历史回顾的背景资料图片，船体的每一部分均开放参观，还有好几位讲解员，其中有的显然是义务讲解的。看了这条船，可以想象在当时极其困难的条件下来到新大陆是多么的不易。比起来,现在移民美国是方便多了，那时要冒着生命危险，现在则十分安全。他们不仅终于从西欧来到北美登上了新大陆，而且还在船上协议订立著名的五月花协定，这个协定连同1619年在弗吉尼亚詹姆斯城的22公民代表协议构成了早期美国民主制度的基石。Plymouth Guide以显著篇幅介绍Mayflower II说：“The Mayflower was their space shuttle. Instead of turbo jets and booster rockets, she had the square sails of a 17^th century trading ship. Guided by the sun, stars and expertise of Captain Christopher Jones, The ‘Saints’(as the Pilgrims then called themselves) were on their own. Sheltered in a tiny boat that had already seen decades of service as a wine vessel, and before that, in the Norwegian fishing trade. The ‘Saints’ wanted to worship God in their own way and left the Church of England to seek religious freedom in Leyden, Holland where they lived comfortably for 1w years. However, Leyden was only a temporary refuge, Although the ‘Saints’ had fled England, they still wished to maintain their English language. Heritage and tradition. Fear of assimilation into the Dutch culture prompted leaders of the group to secure a patent for settlement in the New World.”。文章另外专门写了Two Months Sea & America’s First Constitution两段。两个月的航海行程写道：“Seeing the little ship Mayflower today, it’s almost impossible to believe that 102 men, women and children, guided by a crew of 25, were squeezed into a boat just 90 feet from stem to stern (that’s the length of three first downs in a football game) and only 25 feet at the Mayflower’s widest point. The seas were monstrous and icy and during the 65 days aboard the mayflower, the Pilgrims had little privacy. Destined for the ‘northern’ part of Virginia, the Pilgrims soon found themselves floundering on the deadly shoals off Chatham at the elbow of Cape Cod. Unable to clear this ‘graveyard of sailing ships’, they turned northwest around the hook of the Cape and found a safe harbor and fresh water in what is now called Provincetown.”。美国第一部宪法写道：“Almost before the ‘Saints’ refreshed themselves, they saw to the law. Unable to sail to their ’legal’ destination, they held representative meetings, came to an agreement drafted’ to combine themselves together into a civil body politic’ which they called the Mayflower Compact, but historians call it our first constitution.”。

我在《崛起》一书中对于五月花号船有较为详细的叙述，“这些‘移民始祖’在马萨诸塞湾的科德角登陆，建立了以普利茅斯命名的定居地。在上岸前的11月11日，41名成年男子签署了五月花公约，宣布自愿结成平等的公民政府，制定自己的法律、章程和官职机构。这些‘移民始祖’大多是信奉受迫害的清教的贫苦工匠、农民和订有契约的契约佣仆。他们主张个人直接祈祷，反映了在上帝和法律面前人人平等的资产阶级法权观念；主张建立纯正廉洁的教会，反对教会勒索和繁琐的宗教仪式，反映原始积累时期资产阶级积累资金的要求；主张以资产阶级共和制原则改革教会，反对偶像崇拜。”（第52页）看完五月花号船，接着在旁边看了Plymouth Rock，似乎J对此也不屑一瞧，好在我胸中有数，只用不到5分钟看完了这块历史的见证石。对于这块奠基石，介绍写道：“Plymouth Rock is the symbolic stepping stone from the old world to the new. Plymouth Rock’s existence was first recorded in 1715. When it was described in the town boundary records as ‘a great rock’. The only testimony of the rock’s attribution, however, was given by Thomas Faunce, elder of the Plymouth Church, who in 1741 identified the rock as the Pilgrims first landed”。

看完奠基石已经肌肠轳轳了，一路在一些食品商店看来均不满意，还是到超级市场买熟食在车上边走边吃，1:45-2:05pm,在超级市场购买好食品，就走上回家路。2:10-3:40pm，就回到Newport。

进入Newport后，我们直奔位于Bellevur Ave.的Mansions，当汽车开到标志极其明显需要拐入小道时，，车子绕了一个大圈耽误了不少时间才到了要参观的Marble House，3:50pm-4:40pm,参观Marble House(1888-1892)，这是William K. Vanderbilt的庄园，介绍称：“William K Vanderbilt asked architect Richard Morries Hount  to design for him ‘the very best living accommodations that money could buy.’The result was marble House, built at a cost of 11 million, and containing 500,000 cubic feet of marble. Vanderbilt presented the house to his wife Alva as a 39^th birthday present. The grounds include a colorful Chinese Teahouse overlooking the Atlantic Ocean”。就该庄园装饰之富丽堂皇来说，决不亚于The Barkers而她的临大西洋之宽阔远胜于The Barkers。该庄园在大西洋畔还专门建有中国式亭楼，虽然和正宗的中国亭楼相比远非象样的，但是毕竟有点中国味。图片介绍说：“Marble House.buile in four years for William K. Vanderbilt, is perhaps the greatest neo-classical house in America”。“The ballroom, or Gold Room, at Marble House is ceretainly the most opulently ornamented in Newport”。“The floor and walls of the entrance hall at Marble House are lined with yellow Siena marble from Italy”。“The entrance grille of steel and gilt bronze, one of the most distinctive features of Marble House, weighs more than ten tons”。“One of a pair of sconces which was made by J. Allard et fils, the great Paris firm which designed many Newport interiors”。“The pink Numidian marble and gild bronze ornamentation convey a sence of opulence and grandeur in the dining room”。“The four corers of the dining room are decorated with gilt stag heads on ormolu plaques”。“The Gothic room was used to house Mrs. Vanderbilt’s xollection of rare Gothic miniatures and Renaissance ov=bjects d’art”。“Mrs. Vanderbilt’s lilac colored bedroom is decorated in an elaborate Rococo Revival style”。“The Chinese Teahouse, overlooking the Cliff Walk at Marble House, was built in 1913 by Mrs. Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont the former Mrs. William K, Vanderbilt”。这些精选的照片集中反映了19世纪末美国镀金时代建筑风格的一个侧面。

    4:55-6:00pm,我们快步参观旁边的Rosecliff Mansion(1899-1902),5:00pm停止参观,我们算是赶上末班车,否则会去参观较远一处的The Elms的。讲解员极具风趣,在我们所见的几位讲解员中，是最具表情和投入的。我们仔细听了每一部分的介绍。三栋各具特色的Mansions看后已经对于镀金时代的建筑风格有了初步的形象了解。介绍称：“Rosecliff (1899-1902) Commissioned by Nevada silver heiress ‘Tessie’ fair Oelrichs, architect Stanford White modeled Rosecliff after the Grand Trianon, the garden retreat of French kings at Versailles. Mrs. Oelrichs hosted fabolous entertainments here, including a fairy tale dinner and a party featuring famed magician Harry Houdini. More recently, Rosecliff has been the setting for several Hollywood movies, including The Great Gatsby and True Lies.”。图片介绍说：“Rosecliff, the most refined and classical of the Newport mansions, was modeled after the Grand Trianon at Versailles”。“The Rosecliff ballroom, the largest in Newport, was the scene of many lavish balls given by Mrs. Hermann Oelrichs”。“The restored rose garden, for which the mansion named, continues to be carefully maintained”。“The dining room at Rosecliff, with its carved marble mantel, is adorned with neo-classical style plaster relief decoration”。“A french Gothic style chimmy piece of Caen stone and plaster dominates the salon, or reception room, at Rosecliff”。“The famous heart-shaped staircase, which dominates the entrance hall, adds to Rosecliff’s romantic aura”。“Numerous statues and fountains adorn the grounds of Rosecliff”。“The northwest bedroom at Rosecliff is decorated in ‘Empire’ taste”。

    离开Mansions回到Rose家算是十分顺利，她已经从佛罗里达回来了。6:30-7:30pm我和L做饭,7:30-9:00pm宴请Rose，着也是我们第一次宴请她。说实在的她对我们特别热情，不仅邀请我们免费住在她的Summer House里，而且亲自带领参观旅游，给予各种指导，如果这次不是得益于她的帮助，我们会走更多的冤枉路和花费更多的冤枉钱。

    9:00-9:50pm,整理资料和回家物品，10:00pm休息。