The art of bow-making | Dong Woo Jang

翻译人员: Tina Zhao 校对人员: Ho Man Li

It is said that the grass is always greener

常言道，别人家的东西

on the other side of the fence,

总比自己的好。

and I believe this is true,

我信这话，

especially when I hear President Obama

尤其是当我听到奧巴馬总统

often talk about the Korean education system

常常大谈韩国教育系统，

as a benchmark of success.

视其为成功典范。

Well, I can tell you that,

嗯，告诉你吧，

in the rigid structure and highly competitive nature

韩国学校系统，人称高压锅

of the Korean school system,

机制僵化，

also known as pressure cooker,

竞争激烈，

not everyone can do well in that environment.

那种环境不会每个人都受得了的。

While many people responded in different ways

虽然大家对

about our education system,

我们的教育系统反应不一，

my response to the high-pressure environment

我对这个高压环境的应对办法是

was making bows with pieces of wood

用我公寓楼旁边捡到的

found near my apartment building.

木片做弓 。

Why bows?

为什么做弓呢？

I'm not quite sure.

我不清楚。

Perhaps, in the face of constant pressure,

也许，面对持续的压力，

my caveman instinct of survival

我这山顶洞人的生存本能

has connected with the bows.

自然就联系到弓箭了。

If you think about it,

设想一下，

the bow has really helped drive human survival

弓自史前时代起就真的帮助推进了

since prehistoric times.

人类生存。

The area within three kilometers of my home

朝鲜王朝统治时期，

used to be a mulberry forest

我家三公里范围内

during the Joseon dynasty,

都是桑树林，

where silkworms were fed with mulberry leaves.

桑叶用来养蚕。

In order to raise the historical awareness of this fact,

为了提高大家对这一历史事实的认识，

the government has planted mulberry trees.

政府栽种了很多桑树。

The seeds from these trees

鸟把桑树籽

also have spread by birds here and there

带到本市高速公路隔音墙附近

nearby the soundproof walls of the city expressway

一带，到场都是，

that has been built around the 1988 Olympics.

高速公路隔音墙是1988 年奥运会时建的。

The area near these walls,

这些墙附近,

which nobody bothers to pay attention to,

无人管理，

had been left free from major intervention,

树木任意滋长。

and this is where I first found my treasures.

我就是在那儿第一次找到了宝藏。

As I fell deeper into bow making,

当我对制弓越来越着迷时，

I began to search far and beyond my neighborhood.

我开始走出我的小区去找材料。

When I went on school field trips,

当我去学校户外活动时，

family vacations, or simply on my way home

同家人度假时，或仅仅是在我从课外班

from extracurricular classes,

回家的路上时，

I wandered around wooded areas

我在树丛附近徘徊，

and gathered tree branches

用我偷偷地塞进书包的工具

with the tools that I sneaked inside my school bag.

收集树枝。

And they would be somethings like saws, knives,

工具有锯、刀、

sickles and axes

镰刀和斧头，

that I covered up with a piece of towel.

我在树枝上盖了一条毛巾。

I would bring the branches home,

我把树枝带回家，

riding buses and subways,

又是公共汽车， 又是地铁的，

barely holding them in my hands.

我勉强抱着走。

And I did not bring the tools here to Long Beach.

我没有把工具带到长滩来。

Airport security.

机场安检。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

In the privacy of my room, covered in sawdust,

我自己的房间里，满地木屑，

I would saw, trim and polish wood all night long

我独自在里面整夜地又锯，又刨光，

until a bow took shape.

终于做出了弓的模样。

One day, I was changing the shape of a bamboo piece

一天，我正在改一片竹子的形状

and ended up setting the place on fire.

结果把竹片给烧着了。

Where? The rooftop of my apartment building,

在哪儿烧的？在我公寓大厦屋顶，

a place where 96 families call home.

里面住着96户 家庭。

A customer from a department store across from my building

大楼对面的一家百货公司的顾客

called 911,

打了 911，

and I ran downstairs to tell my mom

我跑下楼去告诉我妈妈，

with half of my hair burned.

当时我头发一半都烧焦了。

I want to take this opportunity

我妈妈现在就坐在观众席上，

to tell my mom, in the audience today:

我想籍此机会，告诉妈妈：

Mom, I was really sorry,

妈妈，当时我真的很抱歉，

and I will be more careful with open fire from now on.

并且，以后再着火我一定更小心。

My mother had to do a lot of explaining,

当年，我母亲被迫一再解释，

telling people that her son did not commit

一再跟人家讲，她儿子没犯

a premeditated arson.

故意纵火罪。

I also researched extensively on bows around the world.

我当时还广泛研究世界各地的弓，

In that process, I tried to combine

其间，我尽力融汇贯通，

the different bows from across time and places

取古今韩外各弓之长，

to create the most effective bow.

致力于做出世界上最高效的弓。

I also worked with many different types of wood,

我试了各种木材，

such as maple, yew and mulberry,

如枫树、 红豆杉和桑树，

and did many shooting experiments

还到市内高速公路旁边的树丛里

in the wooded area near the urban expressway

做了很多次射箭实验，

that I mentioned before.

就是我之前提到的树丛。

The most effective bow for me

我认为：最有效的弓

would be like this.

应该是这样的。

One: Curved tips can maximize the springiness

第一：弯度适宜的箭尖，这样，拉弓射箭时，

when you draw and shoot the arrow.

能最大限度地弹射出去。

Two: Belly is drawn inward for higher draw weight,

第二： 箭弦内拉，让射手能拉满弓，

which means more power.

这样射出的力量更大。

Three: Sinew used in the outer layer of the limb

第三：在弓的外层使用动物的腱，

for maximum tension storage.

以期存储更大拉力。

And four: Horn used to store energy in compression.

第四： 用角来存储受压的能量。

After fixing, breaking, redesigning,

经过固定，拆卸，再设计，

mending, bending and amending,

修补、 弯曲和修改，

my ideal bow began to take shape,

我理想的弓初具雏形，

and when it was finally done,

终于做成时，

it looked like this.

弓是这样的。

I was so proud of myself

独自发明了如此完美的一把弓，

for inventing a perfect bow on my own.

我洋洋自得。

This is a picture of Korean traditional bows

这是韩国传统弓的图片，

taken from a museum,

是在博物馆照的，

and see how my bow resembles them.

请看一下我的弓有多像这些弓。

Thanks to my ancestors

感谢列祖列宗，

for robbing me of my invention. (Laughter)

抢了我的发明。（笑声）

Through bowmaking,

通过做弓，

I came in contact with part of my heritage.

我有幸接触到我先祖的文化传统。

Learning the information that has accumulated over time

学习经年累月积累下来的知识

and reading the message left by my ancestors

和读取祖先遗留下来的信息

were better than any consolation therapy

胜过任何的心理疗法，

or piece of advice any living adults could give me.

强过任何一位在世成年人所能给我的忠告。

You see, I searched far and wide,

你看，我当初上下求索，

but never bothered to look close and near.

偏偏没在身边找。

From this realization,

认识到这一点之后，

I began to take interest in Korean history,

我开始对韩国历史产生了兴趣，

which had never inspired me before.

之前我对韩史都毫无感觉的。

In the end, the grass is often greener

总之，原来自己家篱巴里的草

on my side of the fence,

才更绿呢，

although we don't realize it.

尽管我们不意识到这一点。

Now, I am going to show you how my bow works.

现在，请看我的弓怎么样。

And let's see how this one works.

各位请看：

This is a bamboo bow,

这是竹弓，

with 45-pound draw weights.

拉力45 磅。

(Noise of shooting arrow)

（箭破空的声音）

(Applause)

（掌声）

A bow may function in a simple mechanism,

也许，弓机制功能简单，

but in order to make a good bow,

但为了做把好弓，

a great amount of sensitivity is required.

正所谓：差之毫厘，失之千里。

You need to console and communicate

您要安抚联络

with the wood material.

这些木头材料。

Each fiber in the wood

木头里的每一丝纤维

has its own reason and function for being,

都有其存在原因和作用，

and only through cooperation and harmony among them

只有其通力合作

comes a great bow.

才能成就一把好弓。

I may be an [odd] student

我可能是个 [怪] 学生

with unconventional interests,

爱好特异，

but I hope I am making a contribution

但我希望通过分享我的故事

by sharing my story with all of you.

为这世界尽我一份绵薄之力。

My ideal world is a place

我的理想世界里

where no one is left behind,

没有落后生，

where everyone is needed exactly where they are,

人人各司其职，

like the fibers and the tendons in a bow,

仿佛是弓的纤维和筋，

a place where the strong is flexible

刚中有柔，

and the vulnerable is resilient.

柔中带刚。

The bow resembles me,

这弓就仿佛是我，

and I resemble the bow.

而我仿佛是这把弓。

Now, I am shooting a part of myself to you.

现在，我正把我的一部分向你射去。

No, better yet, a part of my mind

不对，说的再美妙一些，我心灵的一部分

has just been shot over to your mind.

刚刚向你的心灵射去。

Did it strike you?

射中你了吗？

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）