在中华传统文化的长河中，端午节以其深厚的历史底蕴和独特的民俗风情，成为了一年四季中不可或缺的重要节日之一。提到端午，人们自然会联想到屈原的忠贞与爱国情怀，以及由此衍生出的赛龙舟、吃粽子等传统习俗。而沈从文先生所著的《端午日》，则以细腻的笔触描绘了湘西地区端午节的独特景象，为读者展现了一幅生动鲜活的生活画卷。

原文

端午日，当地妇女、小孩子，莫不穿了新衣，额角上用雄黄蘸酒画了个王字。任何人家到了这天必可以吃鱼吃肉。上午十一点钟左右，全茶峒人就吃了午饭。把饭吃过后，在城里住家的，莫不倒锁了门，全家出城到河边看划船。河街有熟人的，可到河街吊脚楼门口边看，不然就站在税关上游头的土地上，站定了看划船。河中龙船以长潭某处作起点，税关上游不远作终点，看得恰好是从税关到那条长长横溪斜渡船的码头。这一下午，城中军营和属地驻防弁兵长官，也莫不穿了便服，在城外河边看划船。每只船坐十八个桨手，一个带头的，一个鼓手，一个锣手。桨手每人持一支短桨，随了鼓声缓促为节拍，把船向前划去。带头的坐在船头上，头上缠裹着红布包头，手上拿两支小令旗，左右挥动，指挥船只的进退。擂鼓打锣的，多坐在船只的中部，船一划动便即刻嘭嘭铛铛把锣鼓很单纯的敲打起来，为划桨水手调理下桨节拍。一船快慢既不得不靠鼓声，故每当两船竞赛到激烈时，鼓声如雷鸣，加上两岸人呐喊助威，便使人想起小说故事上梁红玉老鹳河水战时擂鼓的种种情形。凡是把船划到前面一点的，必可在税关头领取五十个铜子，作为胜利的奖赏。鼓声停止后，周围一片寂静，只有水面漾起的微波轻轻拍打着岸边的石块，仿佛在诉说着刚才的热闹与激情。

翻译

On the Dragon Boat Festival, local women and children all wear new clothes, and an "king" character is drawn on their foreheads with realgar dipped in wine. On this day, any household can eat fish and meat. Around eleven o'clock in the morning, people in the city have lunch. After eating, families who live in the city lock their doors and go out of town to the riverside to watch the dragon boat races. Those with acquaintances in the riverside area can watch from the doors of the stilt houses, while others stand on the land at the upper part of the customs office to watch. The race starts at a certain point in the long channel and ends not far upstream from the customs office. The best viewing spot is from the customs office to the long cross-river ferry dock. In the afternoon, military officers and soldiers stationed in the city also wear civilian clothes to watch the race outside the city by the river. Each dragon boat carries eighteen oarsmen, one leader, one drummer, and one gong player. The oarsmen each hold a short paddle, moving it in rhythm with the drumbeat to propel the boat forward. The leader sits at the bow of the boat, wearing a red headband, holding two small flags to direct the boat's movements. The drummer and gong player sit in the middle of the boat; once the boat starts moving, they immediately begin pounding the drums and gongs simply to regulate the rhythm for the rowers. Since the speed of the boat depends on the drumbeat, during intense competition, the sound of the drums is like thunder, accompanied by the cheers of the spectators on both sides of the river, evoking scenes from stories about Lady Liang Hongyu's water battles during the Song Dynasty. The boats that reach the finish line first can win fifty copper coins as a reward. After the race ends, everything becomes quiet, only the gentle waves lapping against the rocks by the shore whispering about the excitement just passed.

赏析

沈从文的《端午日》通过对湘西地区端午节习俗的描写，展现了浓郁的地方特色和淳朴的人情风貌。文章开篇便点明了节日氛围，通过服饰、饮食等方面的细节刻画，将节日的喜庆与庄重表现得淋漓尽致。随后，作者聚焦于龙舟竞渡这一核心活动，细致入微地描写了比赛的过程以及观众的热情参与，使得整个场景栩栩如生，跃然纸上。

尤为值得一提的是，文中对鼓声和呐喊声的描写极具感染力，不仅增强了画面的真实感，还让人仿佛置身于那个充满活力与激情的现场。此外，对于奖品设置的描述，则体现了中国传统社会中注重公平竞争的价值观念。整篇文章语言优美流畅，情感真挚饱满，充分彰显了作者深厚的文学功底和敏锐的观察力。

总之，《端午日》不仅仅是一篇关于节日的文章，更是一幅记录民间生活的画卷。它让我们看到了传统文化的魅力所在，同时也唤起了人们对美好生活的向往与追求。