凭弔大城朝的宮城废址
Mourning the Ruins of the City of Ayutthaya

离开鬼塔，汽车就由此匆匆地向西北驰骋。一路上，大家不断的回头看着那座矗立的古塔之林，觉得在这里勾取的画稿太少，引为憾事。

我们抵达大城市镇，恰是下午一时正。大家自清晨六时略用些早点就出发，至今已觉枴腹雷鸣了。於是便决定在此市镇用过午餐再说，这里的市街有如马来亚的芙蓉市，我们检了一家比较清静的餐馆落座，菜做得还不错，价钱也还便宜，十二个人仅化费了泰币一百铢 ( 约叻币十五元 )，就将辘辘的饥肠给安顿下来了。

一时半以后，我们就到王城废址去作画，停车在南门外，走进那破旧的大门，但见映入眼簾的全是残垣断礎，衰草荒林。四方八面侭是泰国;历史遗留下来的古迹，渲染上了一片惨澹古朴的色彩，构成了一幅荒凉的大画面。我们面对着这四野静寂的荒芜景象，零乱堆叠的石塊，历尽苍桑的残缺佛像，苍老驳斑的色调，也不禁抚今追昔，撩起了无限兴衰的感慨！

我先在这危垣如林，苍苔处处的荒墟中，左弯右拐的巡览了一番。举步在那坎坷不平的石阶上，随时都有跌落深坈或被压於危墙的不安全感觉。不过处在这些景物之前，我们只要能表现出古旧，危奇，以及一种萧瑟肃穆的气氛。至於构图方面，实在是不必费心思的。只要你肯落笔，到处都可以入画面的优美角度。我们用深褐色或深棕色为主调，就能很完满的表现出这静定的意境里，残存於荒烟蔓草中，满目凄凉的古王城废墟景色了。

在这废墟中，唯一完整的建筑物，就是那一列三座并排的白塔。据一位当地的青年告诉我说 : [ 这是缅甸政府赔偿的纪念塔. ] 我们由中央走出东门，贯通西门, 最后步至北门，几乎每个角度都画过了，至四时半，我们才离开这里去看卧佛，那是一尊光秃秃的，躺卧在露天马路上的佛像。若要我加以形容的话，那么，只有[ 巨大 ] 一词，算是最适合了。

为了时间尚早，我们便顺道去参观大城的故宫博物院。这座博物院位於皇宫范围内，是於一九六一年，把赞加森宫改辟而成的。院址呈一长方形，院里所收藏的一如其他博物馆，不过多属大城的历代古物，计有古经典。佛像、雕刻、陶瓷器、服装、武器和乐器等等。由於大城在两百年前还是泰族乌通王的京都，这皇朝经历了四百一十七年的历史，直到一七六七年才被缅甸军攻陷，纵火焚烧皇宫，和一切建筑物。当时郑王眼见锦绣河山支离破碎，便坚苦奋斗，夙夜匪懈，在三菩提树一役中，大败缅军。匡復失地，统一邦家。然因大城旧都，劫后残破不堪，重建困难，所以建都吞武里府，现皇朝又定都京畿府 – 曼谷。致使大城旧都遭受到历史所遗弃，现在仅能成为游客的憑弔对象，不过数百年来的文物，已足以丰富这博物馆的收藏了。

今天我们很幸运，能得到这故宫博物院的管理人，破例地开放特有的两座宝库，让我们一饱眼福。这是一间二十呎方的密室，空气郁闷，要靠灯光，才能看清玻璃橱里的金珠宝玉。另一室则珍藏着金佛、金塔、舍利子等。据说这些宝物是由大城府勘察古迹委员会，於一九五七年在大城古皇宫的城墙下发掘时，发现了一个大石匣，现在这密室中的宝物就是石匣里的出世古物呢！我们看过了，似乎可以自慰地说：[ 我们已看过最名贵的珍藏古物。] 若有人问我：[ 这些宝物如何？] 那么，[ 珠光宝气，琳琅满目，美不胜收。] 就是最现成的形容词了。若再问我：[ 这些宝物好不好？] 那么我只能回答你说：[名贵就是名贵，好不好干我甚事？]

Leaving the Ghost Tower, the car swiftly headed northwest. Along the way, everyone kept turning back to look at the forest of ancient towers standing tall, feeling regretful about the few sketches captured here.

We arrived at the town of the great city just past 1 o'clock in the afternoon. We had left early in the morning, around 6 o'clock, and by now, our stomachs were growling. So, we decided to have lunch in this town, which resembled the marketplaces in Malaysia. We found a relatively quiet restaurant, the food was quite good, and the prices were reasonable. The twelve of us only spent 100 Thai Baht (about 15 Singapore Dollars), and our hungry stomachs were finally satisfied.

An hour and a half later, we went to paint at the ruins of the Royal Palace. We parked outside the South Gate and entered the dilapidated main gate. All we could see were ruins, overgrown with weeds. In every direction, there were historical relics left by Thailand, adding a somber and ancient atmosphere to the desolate scene, forming a picture of desolation. Facing this silent and desolate scene, with scattered and weathered stone fragments, damaged Buddha statues, and ancient, mottled colors, we couldn't help but reflect on the rise and fall of civilizations.

I wandered through these ancient ruins, over rough and uneven stone steps, feeling the constant danger of falling into deep pits or being crushed by crumbling walls. However, in front of these scenes, all we needed to do was capture the sense of antiquity, peril, and a solemn atmosphere. As for composition, we didn't need to think too hard. As long as you put brush to paper, you could find beautiful angles everywhere. We used deep brown or dark brown as the main color scheme to fully depict the serene atmosphere of these ancient, decaying ruins surrounded by wild grass and weeds.

The only intact buildings in these ruins were the three white pagodas arranged in a row. According to a local young man, these were commemorative pagodas compensated by the Burmese government. We walked from the central area to the east gate, passed through the west gate, and finally reached the north gate. We had painted almost every angle by 4:30 PM when we decided to leave for the Reclining Buddha, a giant Buddha statue lying on the open roadside. If I were to describe it, the only word that fits is "huge."

Since it was still early, we decided to visit the Grand Palace Museum in Ayutthaya. This museum is located within the grounds of the Royal Palace and was converted from the Zangkatsen Palace in 1961. The museum houses a collection of historical artifacts from various periods in Ayutthaya's history, including ancient scriptures, Buddha statues, sculptures, ceramics, clothing, weapons, and musical instruments. Ayutthaya was the capital of the Uthong Kingdom for 417 years until it was conquered and razed by Burmese forces in 1767. The city was later reestablished as the capital of Thailand and named Krung Thep (Bangkok). This historical shift left Ayutthaya abandoned, and now it serves as a place of reflection for visitors. Despite its ruins, the city's artifacts have enriched the museum's collection.

Today, we were fortunate to have special access to two treasure rooms in this museum. These rooms are small, measuring about 20 feet square, and are dimly lit. We had to rely on the lights to see the gold and jewels behind the glass cabinets. The other room houses gold Buddha statues, stupas, and relics. These treasures were reportedly discovered in a large stone box by the Ayutthaya Historical Sites Survey Committee in 1957 beneath the city's ancient palace walls. After seeing them, we could only say, with a sense of self-satisfaction, that we had seen some of the most precious ancient artifacts. If someone were to ask me, "How were these treasures?" I could only answer, "Radiant, dazzling, and incredibly beautiful." If they asked, "Are these treasures good?" I would reply, "They're precious, and whether they're good or not doesn't concern me."