MIRROR 鏡子

CONTENTS

	MOUNTAIN SPIRIT AND HUMAN SPIRIT 山鬼與山人─山居週年記事 By LIAO Chih-yun 廖之韻 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	SIGNIFICANT OTHER 貴人 By Ching Hsiang-hai 鯨向海 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	SOLEMN ATMOSPHERE 莊嚴氣氛 By Ching Hsiang-hai 鯨向海 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	DIALOGUE 對話 By SEN Kim Soon 辛金順 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	ON DEATH ROW 死囚獄中─死刑者 By WANG Chi-chiang 汪啟疆 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	I BELIEVE 相信 By Hsiang Ming 向明 Translated by John J. S. BALCOM 陶忘機

	LOST 迷路 By Jiao Tong 焦桐 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	COMPLICATIONS D’AMOUR: LOVE LETTER 愛情併發症─情書 By HSU Shui-fu 許水富 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	TAMSHUI SKETCHES: FISHERMAN’S WHARF 淡水采風─漁人碼頭 By Lo Ti 落蒂 Translated by David van der Peet 范德培

	A BACKWARD GLANCE AT THE DUSKY STREETS 街影回眸 By LAI Yu-ting 賴鈺婷 Translated by Adela JENG 鄭秀瑕

	TO COMPREHEND 領悟 By Yin Dih 隱地 Translated by Jonathan YING 殷立仁

	MIRROR 鏡子 By Yin Dih 隱地 Translated by Jonathan YING 殷立仁

	WHEN THERE’S NO NEED TO TAKE BETRAYAL SERIOUSLY 當背叛無須沉重以對的時候 By YEN Na 顏訥 Translated by Darryl STERK 石岱崙

	AFFAIR: WHAT YOU DON’T KNOW 外遇你所不知道的事 By YUAN Chiung-chiung 袁瓊瓊 Translated by Patrick CARR 柯英華

	MY ROAD TO CERAMICS 我的陶瓷之路 By SUN Chao 孫超 Translated by SUN Yilin 孫逸齡

	NEWS & EVENTS 文化活動 Compiled by Sarah Jen-hui HSIANG 項人慧

	PUBLICATIONS BY TAIPEI CHINESE PEN MEMBERS 會員新書

	NOTES ON AUTHORS AND TRANSLATORS 作者與譯者簡介

	APPENDIX : CHINESE ORIGINALS 附錄：中文原著

	2009 INDEX

	FACING MOUNTAINS IN THE DISTANCE, NO. 3 千里碧山對之三, ceramic slab, 138 × 66 cm, 1994........................................................................Cover

	RETURN FROM PARIS, NO. 6 巴黎歸來系列之六, ceramic slab, 52 × 72 cm, 1990..............Back Cover By SUN Chao 孫超

Yin Dih 隱地

MIRROR
鏡子*

translated by Jonathan YING 殷立仁

    We cannot see ourselves, so someone invented the mirror.     There are a lot of narcissists in the world. Since the mirror was invented, narcissists could not be any happier. They pick up the mirror to look at themselves only to discover that they love themselves even more. They look at themselves early in the morning, late at night, when they are wearing different wardrobes, even when they are undressed. They pity themselves, and they love themselves almost to the point of laughter.
    It is best for narcissists to be able to see themselves at all times. So long as there is a mirror, they will definitely look at their own reflections from every possible angle. Perhaps there is a healthy luster on their face, maybe their hair is messy, or there is dust on their clothes. Once they are satisfied with everything and even smile at the mirror, then they are ready to face the world.
    The opposite of narcissists are those who dislike mirrors; it is fine if they dislike mirrors, but these individuals actually make mirrors their biggest enemy.
    Only normal individuals do not have any strong feelings about mirrors. A mirror is nothing more than a still object that allows you to see yourself. For some, greeting their own mirror image to say hello on occasion adds variety to their lives. Those who either carry on a conversation with their reflection or stare at their likeness from dusk to dawn must have some sort of psychological disorder. Then there are those who upon seeing a mirror, want to hide from or break it; for someone to behave this way, it is more likely than not that they are near their wit’s end.
    But a mirror has a spirit of its own. A mirror has been a companion to its owner since the master’s youth, allowing its master to look at his own vibrant face, his trim and fit body. But, now that master has aged, mirror understands what master is feeling. As soon as it hears master’s footsteps, mirror runs faster than anyone else all because it does not want to face master. One day when the lady wind came by for a visit, mirror took advantage of her wild laughter and destroyed itself. Knowing that mirror is broken, master no longer needs to spend any energy plotting mirror’s demise. From this point on, master happily walked about in the dark house and lived a relatively peaceful life.
    Actually, mirror cannot stand those who come to visit everyday. What good does it do to look at oneself every which way? You are you, and I am I. Once you are done, you need to go to work or go out to play, rather than to keep on looking at yourself.
    Those who enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror are prime candidates to be cosmetologists or hair stylists. On the surface, cosmetologists or hair stylists are either putting on make-up or designing hair for others. But between washing, cutting, curling, or coloring, cosmetologists or hair stylists are almost always looking at themselves in the mirror day after day. And, amid all this gazing and blinking, a designer sub-consciously walked into the mirror. Ah, the world inside the mirror is naked, with every naked body staring at itself in the mirror. People in the world of mirrors do not eat, sleep, or make love. Men and women happily smile at one another, turning as if they were dancing before moving on in search of yet another mirror. “Looking at the mirror is all we do!” They are constantly in search of the next mirror, and smiling at their own images once a mirror has been found. Every citizen of the mirror nation is as happy as can be. They do not age as long as they look at themselves in the mirror. This is why they love being nude. They were shocked to see a fully dressed person stumble into their territory, and they surrounded the designer, making him sweat all over. It was then that he realized he had been in a trance, causing his customer to complain “My gosh, what did you do to my hair? Were you dreaming?”
    Looking at the mirror is indeed dreaming, and it is a type of nightmare. A cute young woman and a handsome young man look and look at the mirror but what they see is an old lady and an old man. Someone has said that a mirror does not lie. You see the image in the mirror has gotten old, so much so that your neck muscle has given in to gravity and you cannot help but be surprised. Can you believe that the person in the mirror is really you?

*	From Yin Dih’s 隱地 Wo de yan-jing 《我的眼睛》[My eyes]. Taipei: Elite Publishing, 2008, 223-227.