泉的英译为spring。spring在英文里还有一个含义:春天。应该感谢上个世纪三十年代的倪锡英,是他给了济南一个澄澈明净的誉称:泉城――按照英文字面,也可以理解为春之城。
“家家泉水,户户垂杨”,这是刘铁云在《老残游记》中对济南的描绘。济南人真是有福气,家家有泉水,家家就都有一个春天;户户皆垂杨,户户就都会春意荡漾。应该这样说,济南的每一条胡同、每一条街巷,一年四季都是春天的。
王府池子街可以说是典型的济南胡同,长不过百余米,宽不足六尺。人们走在这条小街上,不仅会感受到一种大都市难得的宁静,也会感受到一种极强的亲和力。它的淡雅、洗练、温馨、和谐,令人流连忘返。这条胡同是因街西侧有著名的王府池子而得名。
这么幽雅卓美的去处,自然引起了历史上那些达官显贵的垂涎。金末元初,山东行尚书省兼兵马都元帅、知济南府事张荣开始选择灰泉、珍珠泉一带修建府第,始为私人宅第。从那时起,济南人把这里称为“张舍人园子”,一叫就是多少年。后来,张荣的孙子、元大都督张宏又在王府池子池畔修建了一座巍巍壮观的“白云楼”。登楼远眺,全城景物,历历在目;尤其雪后,凭栏寻望,晴光四野,绮丽景色,令人叹为观止。因此有了“历下八景”中的一景:“白云雪霁”。清人范炯曾写诗并注云:“王府池即濯缨湖,白云楼在其上。”
明代成化年间,德王朱见?以张舍人园子改建德王府,遂将灰泉之名改为濯缨湖。清兵攻占济南后,废德王府改名巡抚衙署,将濯缨湖隔在墙外。据记载,过去濯缨湖中还有一沙渚,当地人多于此捞鱼虾,故名“捞虾渚”。清初的山东巡抚李树德于沙渚中央建有一亭,人称“王府池新亭”。其亭造型玲珑,彩绘秀美,栏杆精雕,多饰“亚”字图样。亭周绕以回廊,廊接虹桥,景象万千。由于这里景色秀丽,世人以唐朝诗人王维的“辋川别业”喻称之。民间因该湖原属于王府,故称之为“王府池子”。后来湖边土山多被夷平,建起许多民居,湖水面积不断缩小,终成为今日仅亩余的一方池水。
王府池子街的北段原名魏家胡同,是上世纪六十年代合并到王府池子街的。街北口路东墙根下,有腾蛟泉,泉池虽小但极方整,墙上有泉名刻石,十分醒目。濯缨泉和腾蛟泉皆为济南七十二名泉之一,一条胡同得占两泉,更为该街增色不少。
王府池子原来是王爷的园池,如今隐藏在曲曲折折的老街旧巷里,终于属于民间了。如今走在这条胡同里,青石板铺就的街道、潺潺的流水,简单的石板桥、古色古香的对联,一不小心跳出来的泉眼,让你真的怀疑自己来到了江南――王府池子是一幅悠然的画,小桥、流水、人家、写生的学生、游泳的老老少少;清净温婉的氛围,浓厚韵味的文化,垂柳倒映入清澈的河水中,王府池子这幅清净悠然的画将永远印刻在我们心中。
离王府池子几步之遥,有一条芙蓉街。小时候总觉得这条街是以芙蓉花命名的,后来才知道该街是以街上的芙蓉泉而得名。而且,这一条长长的胡同里,从南到北竟有三处泉水均以“芙蓉”命名。过去,胡同北段路东的古芙蓉泉畔,除建有关帝庙外,还建有芙蓉馆一座,专供外地来济的文人雅士客居。清代诗人董芸就在这儿写过一首《芙蓉泉寓居》,诗中也描绘了芙蓉泉畔的优美景色:“老屋苍苔半亩居,石梁浮动上游鱼。一池新绿芙蓉水,矮几花阴坐著书。”从诗中“芙蓉”、“花阴”可以证明这泉肯定是掩映在芙蓉的红花绿叶之中的。
古时候,在舜井旁的胡同里,有一处泉眼,名叫香泉,如今已没。但从古人的诗句中,仍可让人领略到香泉的春日景色:“虞帝祠前春草芳,石池漾漾碧泉香。源头活水思波远,万顷坡田摆柳黄。”过去,一到春日,舜祠周边春草茂密,其芬芳之味与香泉的清冽水汽融合在一起,便有了沁人心脾的香气。
明代有个诗人晏壁写过一首诗:“金线池边杨柳青,泉分石窦晓泠泠。东风三月飘香絮,一夜随波化绿萍。”光看内容,这首诗的名字应该叫做《咏春》,其实这首诗叫做《柳絮泉》。柳絮泉,得名于“泉沫纷翻,如絮飞舞”。一年四季,那一泉翻飞的“柳絮”都会撩得人心发痒,如临春境,仿佛看到“东风作絮糁春衣”的蓬勃气象。
济南的大小胡同里到处都是汩汩泉眼,来一次你是看不够的。一位老诗人曾经写道:借问济南多少泉,请数一数济南人的眼睛。你贪婪地看过它们后,静静地闭上眼睛,就会沉醉的。
“Quan” is equivalent to “spring” in English. It also refers to “spring season”. We should thank Ni Xiying for he gave Jinan such a bright and clean name in the 1930s: the City of Springs―which can be understood as the city of spring season as well.
Liu Tieyun (a famous writer in the Qing Dynasty) described Jinan in The Travels of Laocan as a place where there were “springs and weeping willows in every family”. Jinan people are so fortunate that their courtyards are bubbling with spring water and weeping with willows, which retains the spring season everywhere all year round. It can be said that every alley and street in Jinan retains the season of spring all year round.
Wangfu Pool Street is a typical Jinan alley, about 100m in length and 2m in width. When walking on the street, you will feel not only the quiet rarely achieved in big cities but also a kind of affinity. The elegant, neat, warm and harmonious street will make you linger on. The alley is named after the Wangfu Pool to the west side of the street.
Lotus Street is a few steps away from the Wangfu Pool. In my childhood I always thought it was named after the lotus, but later I learned that it was named after the Lotus Spring on the street. Moreover, there are three springs from south to north in the long alley, all of which are named after “Lotus”. In the past, in addition to the Guandi Temple constructed besides the old Lotus Spring on the east side of the north section, there stood a Lotus Hotel, specially used to accommodate those refined scholars arriving in Jinan. Dong Yun, a poet in the Qing Dynasty (A.D.1644～1911), wrote a poem here called Lodging besides the Lotus Spring. The poem describes the beautiful scenery of the Lotus Spring and its surroundings as “Living in the old house growing with green moss, enjoying the swimming golden fishes carved on the stone beam, I am engaged in writing sitting in the flowery shade, facing the green and clear Lotus Spring water.” The “lotus” and “flowery shade” indicate that the spring is set among red blossoms and green leaves.
In ancient times, in the alley next to Shunjing was a spring called Xiang (Fragrant) Spring that has disappeared today. However, we can still enjoy the beautiful spring scenery of the Xiang Spring from the poetry of ancient people: “In front of the Emperor Yu’s Temple are growing green grasses which give sweet smell; the spring water is rippled by the breeze in the stone pool; the water can be easily renewed for it has a living source; green willow trees growing in large area are weeping and swaying”. In the past, when spring came, vigorous grass grew surrounding the Shun Temple. The sweet smell blending with the cool water vapor of the Xiang Spring, made people refreshed.
Yan Bi, a poet of the Ming Dynasty (A.D.1368～1644), once wrote a poem: “Green willows sway besides the Jinxian (Golden Thread) Spring; the spring water flowing on the stone is cool and refreshing; it is blown flying in the air by the spring breeze, just like the fluttering willow catkins, and falls back quickly into the spring full of duckweed.” From the content we thought that the poem must be named Chant of Spring. In fact, it is called Liuxu (Willow Catkin) Spring because “the foam of spring dancing cheerfully is just like the dancing willow catkins”. Throughout the year, the dancing “catkins” of the spring water will stimulate people’s sightseeing interest. You will feel as if you were in a vigorous spring scene of “the spring breeze helps the growth of willow catkin, a sign of spring.”
Gurgling springs are scattered everywhere in the alleys in Jinan. One visit is not enough. An old poet once wrote: “If you want to learn how many springs in Jinan, please count the eyes of Jinan people. After appreciating the springs in Jinan, you will find pleasure even close your eyes.”