[B]别特摩尔大厦[/B]
     
[I]安得广厦千万间
大庇天下寒士俱欢颜[/I]
                 ──杜甫〈茅屋为秋风所破歌〉

这间比皇宫还广的广厦
虽然庇不了
天下所有的寒士
真要庇上个千百人
却绰有余裕

但今天外头风和日暖
而这些手持门票
在名贵家具与摆饰的屋内
鱼贯瞻仰的观光客
看样子也不像是什么寒士
他们啧啧赞叹的
是时间的帏幕后
女主人的美丽倩影
以及灯烛辉煌仆役穿梭的宴会上
袅袅飘出的鬓香与酒肉香

他们可能压根儿没听过
杜甫这个名字
或竟把它同近年日渐风行
淡而无味却有减肥作用的豆腐
混为一谈

附注：北卡州阿许维尔(Asheville)的别特摩尔大厦(Biltmore Mansion)，座落于8000
（原为125,000）英亩的土地上，是美国最大的私人住宅。它是富家子弟George
Vanderbilt 动员了1000个工人，历时六年于1895年建成的。全屋占地4英亩，面宽390英尺，用102级的大理石旋梯连接四层楼，共有250个房间，65个壁炉，43个浴室，34个卧房，
以及3个厨房。富丽堂皇的餐厅里有可容纳64位宾客欢宴的大餐桌。另设有室内保龄
球场，撞球间，运动室，游泳池，音乐室以及各式各样的游乐场所与设备。屋外则
有250英亩的林园及10英亩的花园，牧场，鱼池，小瀑布以及让我们那天走迷了路的
林间小道等等。近年更增建了酿酒厂，礼品店以及几个餐馆。自1930年起开放让公
众参观，门票约美金30元。



[B]Biltmore Mansion[/B]

[I]where can I find thousands of spacious buildings
to house the world's poor scholars and make them happy[/I]
--Tu Fu,"Song of The Thatched Hut Blown Down by Autumn Wind"

This mansion, more spacious than a royal palace
might not be able to house all the world's poor scholars
but it can easily make a few hundred of them
less unhappy

This morning the wind is calm and the sun bright
and these people holding tickets in their hands
with their heads high on their shoulders
sure don't look like any poor scholars to me
they move around the ornate furniture and decoration
admiring the beautiful image
of the hostess behind the curtains of time
and sniffing at the still-permeating aroma
of perfumed hair and wine and food
from banquets a hundred years ago

Besides, they probably have never heard
of the name Tu Fu
in fact they might even confuse it
with Tofu, the weight-reducing health food
also from China

Biltmore House, the largest private home built in America at the end of
the 19th century, is situated on 8,000 acres in Asheville, North Carolina.
It has 250 rooms, 65 fireplaces, 43 bathrooms, 34 bedrooms, and 3 kitchens.