Angels from Hell

As I proceeded down the county road
with a small cottage far in sight,
the yellow light of the early dusk
gradually succumbed to the intensifying amber.

On the sky were thin streaks of cloud cutting through the red,
the muted white somewhat soothing the intensity of its background.

Over the west were the descending remnants
of an obviously once eminent sun,
which appeared unable to continue carrying its own weight.
It gave out its last breaths
before sinking into the mass of earth below,
indignantly.

The scene remained lifeless, despite all this activity.
The sky was boundless,
but only marginally contrasted
with the innumerable acres of crop below.

Pervading the atmosphere was a stillness,
a silence known only to death itself.
It seemed that the entire place
was suffering an insurmountable agony
that was infinitely increasing.

The shrubs were voiceless.
The wind, if it blew at all, did not make its activity known,
for there was no sound,
no movement of leaves,
nor rustling of loose fences,
or the gliding of clouds above.
The whole place immersed into a deep mourning
not even the gaiest of music could distract.

I hastened, battling against my exhaustion.
A nameless, fathomless fear arose inside of me.
I could feel my body trembling,
but for a reason I scarcely discerned.
My expression was robust as usual,
but my countenance was tending towards a softness
betraying confusion and fatigue.

When my body hit the ground, I felt nothing.

I awoke and found myself lying on some soft green turf.
The sky was blue, I saw birds flying.
But the aversion immediately returned and I was aghast,
discovering the profoundness of my fear.
It was like a nightmare that endlessly repeated itself,
though in different forms,
but all grotesque,
eventually turning into reality.

I let my thoughts wander,
in a futile attempt to escape
from the grasp of the horrific images
beating savagely in my heart.

I continued with my journey, without looking back,
because it was not a time for reminiscence.
I walked over field over field of yellow crop 

for hours too many to count,
staggering on,
before I finally heard the advent of horses.

Immediately the fear returned.

A battalion of about twelve horsemen surrounded me.
I was taken to a nearby stone house
where there were fifty more soldiers,
their faces all shining like cold metal.
Some of them had large breasts,
anonymous creatures,
angels from hell,
with monstrous physiognomies.

I was devoured by my own fear.
It seemed my entire being had emerged from nothingness,
and I would fade away into the same nothingness any moment,
and disappear forever.

"You have betrayed the great Rus",
said one of the soldiers.

I froze, but my instinct for flight took over.
I exhausted my remaining strength
and hit the officer on his face.
The other soldiers wasted no time and motioned,
closing on me......

Outside the stone house, the air was warm
and filled with the sweetness of lilies.
There was a small pond some way down the footpath,
its water scintillating with the fractured beams of sunlight.
The wind blew soundlessly,
undisturbed by the human madness inside.

Then came darkness,
the darkness of death,
the denial of God,
the Great Punishment.

But there was one person,
who was oblivious to the dark.
He looked up the skies,
and saw twenty seven stars.
The light shone through his heart,
and lighted up his face.
Then, he examined his conscience,
and saw all he had,
was a staff,
and a sling.

"Journey" by Angela Zhang, written by Corrinne May

VOX POPULI, VOX DEI

一九八九年五月，北京學運白熱化之際，正在唸法律的我是學生報的總編輯，是透過全校學生普選出來的學生代表。在那青瀝歲月，我跟編委會的年輕戰友們，肩擔着要作學生喉舌的重任同時，臉上總帶點兒桀驁不馴，年輕人吧，總有很多自己的想法。那時候，大家都血脈沸騰，這邊廂的學生遊行吶喊爭取民主，那邊廂的市民正高呼支持新聞自由。我跟編委們怎會例外。經過數個晚上通宵達旦的努力，我們於一九八九年五月二十六日出版了「學運號外」，把當時的學潮動態記錄下來。

首先, 讓我跟大家重温一下這些珍貴的資料。

一九八九年四月二十六日，「人民日報」指稱學生運動為動亂。二十七日，北京二十萬學生沒理會當局阻止，參加環城大遊行，政府調派解放軍第三十八軍約二萬人進城戒備。國務院拒絕承認「北京市高校學生自治聯會」(“市高聯”) 的合法地位。五月一日，「市高聯」發表「告香港同胞書」，呼籲遠方的港人聲援。

五月四日，五千名香港學生和市民於遮打花園集會, 紀念五四運動七十週年。當天也有近五百名新聞工作者參加遊行，爭取新聞自由。五月十日，在北京有近萬名大學生騎單車遊行，支持新聞工作者。五月十三日，二千多名北京學生開始在天安門廣場絶食。他們要求政府與學生盡快對話，更稱不達目的，誓不罷休。五月十七日，學生絕食進入第五天，有超過二千名學生不支倒下，需要接受治療。當天，大約六千名香港大專學生和教師在維園集會，之後學生再遊行至新華社。

五月十八日，政府與學生的會面沒有達成任何協議。絕食昏迷的學生人數達三千多人。同一天，有二百多萬人在北京市内冒雨遊行。五月十九日，趙紫陽勸說學生停止絕食，當天下午，學生停止絕食，改為靜坐。五月二十日，學生運動再次被指為動亂，北京部份地區由上午十時開始實行戒嚴，天安門廣場的二十多萬學生採取總絕食。當天，在香港那邊，有四萬多名學生跟市民在八號颱風訊號下於維園集會。五月二十一日，百萬香港市民參加環市大遊行，歷時八小時。五月二十二日凌晨時分，軍方保證如果學生保持泠靜，軍隊絕不會採取行動。逗留在天安門廣場的學生約有四萬名，局勢稍為緩和。當天，香港股市急跌三百三十九點。

五月二十四日，形勢急轉直下，中國共八個軍區呼籲城外軍隊進城穏定秩序。同日，代表國内一百一十六所大專院校的廣場學運指揮部正式成立。

我們的號外是五月二十六日出版的, 所紀錄的事只到二十四日。我們都知道，到了六月那鈞瓷窯變的一刻，看着那些傷心慘目的畫面，我們流淚了。

那時候，我聽的最多的，不是什麼流行曲，而是「血染的風采」。那時候，我隻身走進戲院看「皇天后土」。我雖然沒有親身經歷過文化大革命，但見到一幕幕子女批鬥父母、朋友互相出賣，沒有人性可言的情景，一陣無名的恐懼，如鬼魅般不聲不響爬進心裏，令我不寒而粟。

轉眼間，二十五年過去了。在歲月的淬礪下，我們的家，香港，這個東方之珠，有沒有變的更光亮呢？我們香港人，有沒有變的更文明、更進步呢？好像有，也好像沒有。我只知道，這幾天下來，我會莫名地嚐到自己流下來的淚水，才發現，自己在哭。

昨天晚上，我把那已變黃的「學運號外」翻了出來，再看一遍。我邊看着，邊想着我們那些正在外面坐在灰塵紛紛的路上，心裏卻塵埃無著的學生和年輕人，我想着我們的家如何被仇恨撕裂，萬般滋味湧心頭。

二零一四年的今天，儘管佔中運動是違法無誤、學生罷課活動被騎劫是事實、「政棍」爭奪控制權也顯而易見，可是，政治一貫是黑暗的，我可沒有因為這些感到半點悸動。最令人心痛的是到了今天，我們竟然跌進陷阱，互相批鬥漫駡，甚至用卑劣下三流的手段傷害那些年輕人。我們有沒有想過，當我們批判别人被利用、被洗腦的同時，自己也是踏上了棋盤，只是面對的方向不同而已。我們要認清什麼才是我們真正的敵人。我們千萬不可以倒行，歸到文革式的社會！

我因工作需要，曾經閱覽一些立法會會議紀錄。從我的有限觀察所得，以前的立法局辯論，是辯論。現在的立法會辯論，往往以辱罵批鬥方式進行。我覺得，今天我們看到的景象，跟這種方式的議會政治有莫大關係。畢竟，真正的民主不是少數服從多數那麼簡單。真正的民主，是根源於人與人之間的尊重和信任。沒有尊重和信任的，是空有軀殼，沒有靈魂的假民主。我記得唸法律系一年級時，我們法律系學會内閣需要設計一個會徽。那時候，我們的院長贈予我們一個座右銘："Vox Populi, Lex"。 這組拉丁文意思是：人民的聲音應為法律。昨天我再翻尋網上資料，看到另外一組拉丁文："Vox Populi, Vox Dei", 意思是：人民的聲音就是上帝的聲音。根據維基網站資料，此組用語背後的精神是這樣的：

“There being no natural or divine Law for any Form of Government, or that one Person rather than another should have the sovereign Administration of Affairs, or have Power over many thousand different Families, who are by Nature all equal, being of the same Rank, promiscuously born to the same Advantages of Nature, and to the Use of the same common Faculties; therefore Mankind is at Liberty to chuse what Form of Government they like best.”

我深信這就是民主的根源。每個人生來平等，沒有人與生俱來有權可以駕馭其他人。因此，人應該互相尊重。因此，人有權自由選擇由誰掌政。我大膽地相信，香港人都希望擁抱民主，選擇自己的特區政府。那麼，不論我們喜歡什麼顏色的天空, 我們大可於絲細斑駁的雲彩間，互相補給，令我們的家繼續發揮她應有的魅力。香港是多元化的國際社會。正因為我們有容納不同聲音的氣度，我們才有今天的香港。因此，我們不要推諉塞責，唯有攜手面對，我們才可一起走過現在的難關。

同學們，年輕人們，香港人見到你們和平團結、互相守望的高尚氣質，香港人很欣賞你們一片丹心，你們都是棟樑佳木。可是，在二零一四年的今天，香港的政局、社會、經濟、金融、交通、生活各脈絡無不緊緊交織，牽一髮必動全身。我們不是要香港陸沉。再者，我們已不是身處二十五年前的北京，爭取民主不需要流血的。香港人已贏了漂亮一仗，讓我們光榮步出中環吧！往下的日子，只要我們堅守着猶在各人心裏的一片青山綠水，將來必有希望！

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