在莎士比亚悲喜剧《仲夏之梦》中，女主人公有一句悲叹台词：“噢，那令人刻骨铭心的帕杜瓦！”帕杜瓦大学是意大利一所著名学府，创立于11世纪的帕杜瓦大学城生活着32万人，其中有5万大学生在校就读。
　　去年仲夏，我们慕名前往帕杜瓦大学城，虽未赶上声势浩大“帕杜瓦大学创办千年庆典”，但该校“独一无二”的毕业典礼也令我们惊叹不已。
　　
　　广场满是辩论圈
　　
　　帕杜瓦介于米兰与威尼斯之间，千年之前这里仅是意大利加尔达湖边的一个小渔村。因为这里有着迷人的湖光山色、充沛的阳光和宁静的田园，因而它成了意大利大学的创办地。
　　我们从加尔达湖畔一路行来，只见各种肤色和穿着各类服饰的游人熙熙攘攘地穿行于花团锦簇的奇卉异木之间，充满了异国的浪漫情调。但一进帕杜瓦大学城，氛围突然为之一变！只见整座大学城安静而洁净，来来去去的男女穿着整齐正统：男士西装领带，女士裙装，显得雅致而端庄，很难看到露脐短衣、迷你裙或穿孔挖洞的牛仔裤。学生们大都抱着书或肩挎书包，挺有绅士、淑女风度。
　　到了中心广场入口处，忽听见一阵阵演讲声、辩论声和鼓掌声，浪潮般的喝彩声此起彼伏。于是我们急忙进入广场，只见万头攒动，竟然形成几十个演讲圈同时在演讲，各讲各的，互不干扰。每个演讲圈内的主讲者或站场中或立凳上和桌子上，有的舞动双手，有的举着挂图，每当演讲到精彩时，圈内便爆出一阵又一阵掌声，好一派百家争鸣的求知景象！
　　在广场周边的街巷两旁，贴着几千幅传单与图文，一眼看去，只见许多人捧着笔记本在抄录，有的干脆拿起相机将它拍下。陪同的华侨小叶告诉我：帕杜瓦大学鼓励师生切磋成果，交流信息。所以每天晚上尤其是周六周日，两个广场皆人山人海，这时便是师生发表创见或学术成果的机会。通过这种形式的发布和辩论，成果在支持中得到壮大，瑕疵在辩论中得到修补，错误在求证中得到改正，这就是帕杜瓦大学千年不衰吸引各国学子的原因。
　　当晚，笔者也明白了莎翁提到的帕杜瓦的谜底：原来他那高才多情的妻子凯瑟琳娜，就是在帕杜瓦大学获得欧洲首个女博士学位的，五年的帕杜瓦求学岁月，让凯瑟琳娜一直魂牵梦绕，这求学情结也让莎士比亚深为感动，于是在他的笔下，自然会情不自禁地提及帕杜瓦。
　　
　　毕业典礼充满“虐待”
　　
　　曾经在帕杜瓦大学执教讲学的伽俐略与但丁，当年就强调青年学子应甘于吃苦，认识世途坎坷。由此，帕杜瓦大学生的毕业典礼便出现了千姿百态的“吃苦”仪式，若不是亲眼所见，恐怕难以置信。
　　当我们穿过但丁故居，进入这里的罗马大街时，正巧赶上一场毕业庆典仪式：只见一位英俊的小伙子，披头散发地被逼站在小小的高脚凳上，但他站立不稳摔倒在地，却又被其同学和亲友狠狠地推了上去；接着有人撕破他的衬衫，他只好光着上身了；又有人朝他泼水、泼啤酒，他只得湿漉漉的笑着尖叫；还有人给他头颈套上大花圈，后来有人给他套上类似中国古代刑具似的木枷，结果他又“砰”的一声摔了下来，大家哄笑着又推他上去，拍掌，尖叫，大笑，拍照，摄像，一直这样折磨他……
　　
　　不一会儿，左边又来了一支闹哄哄的队伍，男女老少拥在一起。走在前头的是一个背负巨大十字架的男青年，他穿着浅黄色T恤衫，扣子被扯掉两颗，下身只穿短裤，长裤则被人搭在右肩上。只见他双肩、脖子及手臂上挂满背包、书包、雨伞、相机皮套、旧皮鞋等等，虽行走艰难却面含微笑，一点也不气恼。后边的人时不时敲打他，推搡他，戳他的头与脊背，仿佛在驱赶牛羊。被“虐待”的青年和“虐待”他的人，全都兴高采烈，而围观的人也春风满面。陪游的卡罗向我们解释说：这青年刚从帕杜瓦大学毕业，其父母亲友及同学们用这种庆贺方式提醒他：你走出校门面对人生之路充满风浪，你要自立自强，战胜坎坷。听说在意大利只有帕杜瓦地区坚持这种毕业庆贺方式，这方式虽有点“虐待”味儿，却是政府特批的，它属于几百年的历史非物质遗产呢！
　　这真是教育界的一大奇观，我们多年习惯于庆贺毕业的饮酒高歌与高弹“前程锦绣”，而帕杜瓦这种庆贺多么富含人生哲理啊！
　　
　　为真理殉难的维萨里
　　
　　但丁故居旁，有一间维萨里纪念馆。读过医学的医护人员都知道维萨里是“现代医学解剖学之父”，不过不一定知道他为追求真理而遇难身亡，更鲜为人知的是维萨里就是在帕杜瓦大学教书之时，写出了奠定科学解剖基础《人体机构》的！
　　16世纪初法国掀起文艺复兴浪潮，但巴黎大学的医学教育仍未摆脱中世纪的精神桎梏。出生于比利时的维萨里慕名进入巴黎大学读医科，却发现教授们讲的还是盖伦陈旧的《解剖学》，不少解剖实验是请刽子手担任的，学生极少有动手机会，当时解剖材料也大多为狗和猴子等动物尸体，与人体相距甚远。一些教材错误百出，教授们讲课经常不能自圆其说。维萨里对此很不满意，于是他相约几位好同窗悄悄动手做实验。他们冬夜到郊外无主坟盗取残骨，“秋决”时又利用黑夜摸到绞刑架下盗运罪犯的遗尸，在烛光下进行解剖、观察、整理、记录和分析，逐步搞清了人体的详细结构。不料这种唯物求真的艰难治学方法引起守旧派的仇恨和攻击，毕业前夕校方不但不授予学位，反而开除他的学籍，罪名是“盗人尸骨，丧心病狂”。
　　就在年轻维萨里走投无路之时，帕杜瓦大学伸出援手，破格聘请他当讲师，并于1537年冬获得博士学位。在帕杜瓦自由求真的浓浓校风中，维萨里利用业余时间研究和写作，于1543年出版了对人体骨骼、肌腱、神经、血管等几大系统进行精确描述的科学巨著《人体机构》，奠定了现代医学解剖学的坚实基础，顿时欧洲为之轰动。
　　然而教会还是不放过他。巨著出版的第二年，宗教裁判所以“解剖尸体、亵渎人伦”为罪名判他死刑，幸好开明的国王出面干预，改判他去耶路撒冷朝圣忏悔，免他一死。然而“朝圣忏悔”实际是劳动教养式的洗脑教育，白白耗费了维萨里宝贵的科研青春。此事经过帕杜瓦大学师生长达20年的呼吁和请求，维萨里才于1565年遇赦返国，不想归航途中帆船遭遇暴风雨倾翻，维萨里不幸溺海身亡，可惜这位伟大的生物学家、近代人体解剖学的创始人只活了50岁！帕杜瓦维萨里纪念馆的结束词，引用了维萨里自己总结的一句警语：“帕杜瓦追求科学真理的学风让我懂得，只要自己不屈不挠练就一对坚强的翅膀，即使被魔鬼重重地打下地面，总有一天我们还会飞向蓝天！”
　　
　　The Unforgettable Padua
　　By Zhang Gui
　　
　　
　　Padua University is a famed Italian education institution. Founded in the 12th century, the university today boasts 50,000 students, part of the 320,000-people population of the city.
　　With the long-cherished reverence for the university town, we visited Padua in the summer of 2006. Though we were not in time to see the grandeur of the ceremony held in the celebration of the 1,000 years of the university, we saw the amazing commencement ceremonies at the university.
　　
　　Situated between Milan and Venice, Padua was previously a fishing village on Lake Garda in northern Italia. Partly because of its picturesque landscape, ample sunshine and tranquil arable land, it became home to one of the earliest and best universities in Italy.
　　On our way to the campus, we traveled along the lake, seeing groups of tourists and outlandish trees and flowers. But as soon as we entered the university, the surroundings were different. The campus was quiet. Male students wore suits and female students wore skirts. It was hard to see trendy apparel such as blue jeans on the campus. Students behaved like gentlemen and ladies, carrying books and bags gracefully.
　　As soon as we reached the city’s central square, we heard noises from afar. We rushed over and saw dozens of people making speeches, each surrounded by a crowd. Speakers stood on a chair or a table, some waving their arms, some explaining a chart in his hands. Applauses could be heard here and there. The scene reminded us of a Chinese phrase that typically describes the scholastic prosperity more than 2,000 years ago in China: contention of a hundred schools of thought.
　　Lanes and streets by the square were a big spectacle of thousands of leaflets and charts. We saw people taking notes from the sea of words and graphs. Some took photos of academic discussions in the hanging papers. Our guide told us that Padua encourages students and teachers to air their views on issues that interest them. These leaflets and charts appear around the two city squares every evening, especially weekend evenings. Study results are publicized here. Debates are held. Defects and mistakes are pointed out and corrected. This is partly why Padua has been a great attraction to students from all over the world.
　　Dante and Galileo taught at Padua. They emphasized, among other things, the ability to endure hardships. Probably it is this philosophy that initiated so many graduate torturing activities.
　　After a visit to the Dante’s residence, we were walking through the Roman street when we ran into an individual graduate torture in full swing. A handsome young man stood on a tall small stool, his hair distressed. He fell from the stool, but his friends and family members pushed him onto the stool again. Someone tore off his shirt and he became topless. Someone splashed water and beer to him and he stood smiling and screaming. A large wreath was placed around his neck and a heavy wooden thing that looked like a cangue was put around his neck. The young lost his balance and crashed. He was put back on the stool. The rowdy crowd kept pushing him, laughing, screaming, taking photographs, clapping hands.
　　Shortly after this, we ran into another procession of torturers, led by a young man carrying a huge crucifix on his back and followed by people of all ages. It was another young graduate. He wore an orange t-shirt, with two buttons missing. He wore only shorts, his long pants were hanging on his shoulder. He was carrying bags, umbrellas, camera bags, and old leather shoes. He wobbled under the heavy load, but he was smiling. The people behind him kept pushing him, stabbing him with their hands as if he were cattle being driven somewhere. The young man and his torturers were all happy and the spectators were also in high spirits. We learned that the young man had just graduated from Padua University. Celebrating the graduation this way, the young man’s family and friends were reminding him of possible difficulties and dangers he might encounter later in life. We learned further that only Padua has maintained this torturing tradition with the governmental approval. It is said to be an intangible cultural heritage there.
　　
　　Beside the Dante’s former residence stands a museum in memory of Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564), the father of modern anatomy. Doctors and nurses know of him, but not many people know that it was in Padua that Vesalius authored the epoch-making Fabrica (Seven Books on the Structure of the Human Body).
　　Vesalius was a lecturer of surgery at the University of Paris.Textbooks used there during that time were outmoded and the researches based on animal bodies led to inaccurate observations. To seek truth, Vesalius stool bodies from graves and conducted anatomy. His pursuit of the medical truth was fiercely attacked. He was expelled from the university. Padua opened its arms to Vesalius. The young scholar acquired the doctorate degree in 1537 at Padua. In 1543, he published Fabrica, which shocked Europe and laid a solid foundation for modern anatomy.
　　Church persecuted him for his discovery of human body’s secrets. In 1544, one year after the publication of the book, he was sentenced to death by the Inquisition. But the king changed the decision and exiled Vesalius to Jerusalem to repent. The 20-year exile ended in 1565 on the repeated appeal from students and teachers at Padua. However, Vesalius did not live to see the end of his journey back to Padua. The ship sank in a storm and he died.
　　(Translated by David)