劉紀蕙:波西米亞,一種生活的形態 (Bohemia, a lifestyle )


http://www.srcs.nctu.edu.tw/srcs/teachers_cv_01.htm#02


波西米亞,一種生活的形態 (Bohemia, a lifestyle )
Cacao Mag 寫於 2010年8月23日 16:49
◎Writer:Joyce Liu Translator:Dominique Huang English Revisor:Khaled Shukri Dancer:Shu-Yi Chou Photographer:LAN CHI-SHENG




波西米亞,一個帶有各種浪漫想像的名詞,或許是當前流行的多元民族風混搭的時尚服飾風格,刺繡蕾絲、皮質流蘇、串珠墜飾、大耳環、一圈又一圈的手環、層疊的披肩加上寬鬆多摺的大擺裙,或是帶有神祕色彩、 居無定所而狂放不羈的流浪藝人,或是強調心靈自由而叛逆的藝術家與知識份子 。

普西尼歌劇《波西米亞人》中幾個年輕人似乎是波西米亞人的代表人物。貧窮而無立錐之地的詩人、畫家、音樂家與哲學家聚居一處,為了自己的藝術工作而堅持。詩人魯道夫說,我寫詩,我生活。詩,就是生活。刺繡女工咪咪是整齣戲劇的靈魂。她說,她喜歡屬於詩意的東西,愛、夢、春天與幻想。比才歌劇《卡門》中卡門那個狂野大膽、追求愛情、如同流浪小鳥之心,更說明了波西米亞的特性。雨果小說《鐘樓怪人》中一群流浪四方的吉普賽賣藝者,更有個性鮮明而執著的波西米亞色彩。法國輕歌劇《巴黎聖母院》中艾絲美拉達(Esmeralda)所唱的「波西米亞人」(Bohemienne),更強烈地勾畫出這個女子的波西米亞性格:如同酒神的女祭司,她有著漂泊不定的吉普賽心靈,血液中流淌奔騰著故鄉河流的呼喚。

這些作品中所凸顯的,是生命的強烈脈動。現實生活無法侷限這些漂泊不定的心靈。一股朝向生命源頭的力量,驅使一個又一個波西米亞人面對自己生命的神祕召喚。在某些古老民族的神話、吟唱或是舞蹈中,例如希臘神話中的酒神戴奧尼斯西的女祭司舞蹈、北非阿爾及利亞吉普賽人的吟唱音樂、賽爾特人充滿節奏性的舞蹈、伊斯蘭教的蘇非旋轉儀式,還有許許多多生活中充滿音樂舞蹈儀式的族群,他們從腹腔胸腔吟唱出的旋律震動到整個身體的擺動節奏,我們也會看到類似的生命脈動。

然而,「波西米亞」(Bohemia, Bohême, Böhmen)本身是個含有內在矛盾的組合詞。這個名詞原本意思是「波伊人之家」(Bohemia, Boiohaemum,Boi-Heim, home of the Boii),是指波伊人曾經遷移之處。波伊人(Boii)是出沒於古歐洲的賽爾特人(Celts)最大的一支。據說賽爾特人西元前兩千年從中亞遷移到歐洲中部,而波伊人大約於西元前三四百年穿越阿爾卑斯山,先定居於義大利北部,後來輾轉遷移到今日捷克共和國的波西米亞地區。

波伊人的字根,Boii,原指只有牛群而不擁有土地與恆產的人。「波伊人之家」(Boi-Heim) ,既有其不被拘束的生命狀態,又有其所屬之居住地,似乎就已經說明了波西米亞所透露的生命矛盾:生命內在的移動變化狀態,無法被固定形態或是固定財產所綁束,但是生命又必然藉由形式呈現自身,代表自身,有所歸屬,有所承諾。這個形式上的束縛,使得內在生命力的動蕩不安顯得更為強烈與迫切。

波西米亞是擁有固定財產的中產階級者布爾喬亞的對立面。布爾喬亞(bourgeoisie)其字根burgari是burg的衍生詞,意指防禦堅固的城堡。布爾喬亞即指居住於城裡的人,也指有財產與資本的人,後來延伸為商人,甚至是取代貴族的統治階級。波西米亞與布爾喬亞的對比,便在於波西米亞不擁有恆產,不累積財富,不佔據城邦,不建立權力結構,不藉傳統與體制而壟斷社會資源;然而,布爾喬亞則佔據城邦,透過交易與買賣,累積財產,擴張勢力範圍,甚至建立法律,透過穩定的象徵秩序來保障自己的權力位置與財富的獲取。

我們從波西米亞與布爾喬亞的對立中,看到了人類存在狀態的兩種模式。這兩種模式並不是特定族群的生活方式,也不是歷史的必然發展。顯然,在人類社會的發展進程中,後者是佔據優勢的。財富、權力、象徵秩序、法律、教育、社會儀式、典律規範,替人們圍繞出一層又一層安全而有保障的生活,也鞏固了限制生命的可見與不可見的枷鎖。然而,人類的財產,是綁束流動心靈的枷鎖;人類社會實質或是象徵的成規,更是限制此生命變化的框架。文明社會與都會生活中,我們處處可見這些嚴密而不留縫隙的防護罩。人們藉由這些防護法則應對進退,為自己累積身分地位之證明,也替自己構築了牢不可破的心靈堡壘,自我監控。

為什麼藝術家比較會面對波西米亞式的生命矛盾與內在衝動?原因或許是藝術家有較為敏銳的感受力,因此無法讓這些形式代替自己的感受與表達。 生命動力本身就是多變的,生命隨著生活處境的改變而發生變化,持續透過心靈流動而迸發。心靈要衝破這些有形無形的囚籠,便需要向既定形式與規範挑戰,尋找屬於自己的藝術形式,以便讓自己的生命情態得以出現。

然而,所謂「藝術家」,並不是指特定社會階層或是社會身分。人們內心都有其藝術家心靈,因為生命本身便具有藝術感受與創造性的能力與迫切。只要是活著,便有這種感受的能力與創造的渴望。但是,無論是感受力的強度、情感的萌發、創作力的迫切、思想的探索,都必然需要透過形式的中介而出現,也必然立即承受此形式之侷限與無力。「波西米亞」便是這種處於形式與生命之間無法妥協的張力。

波西米亞可以喚醒我們的,大概就是在此張力所觸及的極限處,我們會尋找到自己的形式,碰觸到自己的生命。

Bohemia is a term with all kinds of romantic imagination. It may be thecurrently popular fashion of the multi-ethnic mix and match style withembroidered lace, leather tassels, beaded pendants, big earrings, lots of armrings, or layered shawls with loose folded skirts. It may be mysterious,unrestrained and homeless street artists, or rebellious artists and intellectualswho express their free mind and soul.

In Puccini's opera "Boheme,"several young men represented the Bohemians. Poor and homeless poets, artists,musicians and philosophers lived together in order to persist in their own workof art. Rudolf, a poet, once said, "I write poetry, and I live. Poetry is life."Mimi, the embroidery worker, was the soul of the whole drama. She said that sheliked poetic stuff, such as love, dreams, spring and fantasy. In Bizet's opera "Carmen,"Carmen, who was wild and bold and pursued love with the heart of stray birds,showed the characteristics of Bohemia. In Hugo'snovel "Hunchback of Notre Dame," a group of wandering gypsyperformers had a more clear and dedicated color of Bohemian personality. In theFrench opera "Notre Dame de Paris," the song "Bohemienne," sungby Esmeralda, strongly outlined the Bohemian character of this woman; like the Dionysuspriest, she had a vagrant gypsy soul, and in her blood was flowing the calling fromthe rivers of her hometown. These works highlighted the strong pulse of life.Reality could not confine these vagrant souls. A force turned towards thesource of life and it drove the Bohemians to face the mystery call of their ownlife. The lives of many ancient tribes, such as the Dionysus priests in Greekmythology, the Algerian gypsy in North Africa,the Celts, or the Islamic Sufis, were full of music and dance rituals. Theysang from the abdominal chest and the melody swung their whole body. From theserituals, we can also see a similar pulse of life.

However, the "Bohemia"(Bohême, Böhmen) itself is a combination ofwords with internal contradictions. The term originally meant "Home of theBoii" (Bohemia, Boiohaemum, Boi-Heim),where the Poii had once migrated. The Boii were the largest branch of the Celtsin ancient Europe. It is said that the Celts migratedfrom Central Asia to Central Europe two thousand years BC, and the Poii crossedthe Alps around three or four hundred BC. Theyfirst settled down in Northern Italy and then moved to the Bohemian region,situated in today's Czech Republic.

The root, Boii, originallyreferred to people who owned cattle but no land. "Boi-Heim" lived theirlives unrestrainedly, yet they had their own residence. The changing state ofthe inner life would not be constrained by fixed style or property. Yet life hadto show itself through the forms to represent itself, to be vested, and to commit.This formal restraint made the turbulence of the inner vitality stronger and moredesperate. Bohemia was the opposite of the Bourgeois,who were the middle class with fixed property. Bourgeoisie, whose root, burgari,was derived from the word burg, meaning a solid defensive castle. The Bourgeois were people who lived in the city and ownedproperty and capital. They then became business people and even replaced thearistocratic ruling class. The contrast between the Bohemiaand the Bourgeois was that the Bohemians did not have permanent property. Theydid not accumulate wealth, occupy the city, or establish power structures. Theydid not monopolize social resources through traditions and systems. However,the Bourgeois occupied the city and accumulated property through trade. Theyexpanded their influence and established laws. Through the symbolic order ofstability, they protected their position of power and access to wealth.

From the opposition of the Bohemia and the Bourgeois, we see two models in the stateof human existence. These two models are neither the lifestyle of specificgroups nor the inevitable development of history. Obviously, in the developing processof human society, the latter has the advantages. Wealth, power, symbolic order,laws, education, social rituals, and norms not only have built the walls of a safeand secure life for people but also have consolidated the visible and invisibleshackles to restricted life. But human assets are the shackles which fasten theroaming soul. The real or symbolic conventions of human society limit theframework of such life-changes even more. In civilized society and urban life,we can see this seamless protective cover everywhere. People could surviveunder these protective laws, and prove their own position of identity. Theycould build an unbreakable spiritual fortress and self-monitor.

Why are artists more likely to facethe life contradictions and inner impulse of the Bohemian style? The reason maybe that artists have a more acute sensibility. For them, these forms could nottake the place of their own feelings and expression. Life force itself is changeable.Life changes whenever the living conditions change. It bursts out continuouslythrough the flow of the heart and soul. Minds are to break through these tangibleand intangible cages. They need to challenge the established forms and normsand to find their own art form, so that their own lifestyle could emerge.

However, the so-called"artist" does not refer to a particular social class or socialstatus. Everyone has artistic soul in his heart, because life itself has an artisticfeeling, creative abilities as well as desperation. As long as they live, theywill have such an ability to feel and desire to create. Yet, intensity of sensibility, emotional inspiration, desperatecreativity, and exploration of ideas, all require the forms as the intermediary.Thus, it must immediately cope with constraints and powerlessness from theseforms. "Bohemia" is theuncompromising tension between forms and life.

What Bohemia can awaken us to is probably the limitations of suchtension. Ultimately, we will find our own styles and touch our own lives.

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劉紀蕙 Joyce Liu現任台灣交通大學社會與文化研究所教授。1984年獲得美國伊利諾大學比較文學博士。主要研究領域為跨藝術研究、東亞現代性問題、精神分析與文化理論、台灣文學與文化。出版專書《文學與藝術八論》(1994)、《孤兒‧女神‧負面書寫:文化符號的症狀式閱讀》(2000)、《心的變異:現代性的精神形式》(2004),以及《心之拓樸》(2010)。特別與本期單元「波西米亞」深入解析文化與實質精神。

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