A White Heron (白鷺鷥的聯想)

#2012-0119

"A White Heron" is a short story by Sarah Orne Jewett, first published by Houghton, Mifflin and Company in 1886. It is a story of a young city girl named Sylvia, who came to live with her grandmother in the country. She meets a young ornithologist hunter seeking to find a rare bird he has heard has been spotted in the area. As the story progresses Sylvia is challenged with whether or not she should tell the hunter she saw the bird. She also discovers her passion for country life and her love and values for the animals that inhabit it. [Quoted from The English Wikipedia]

In fact, I taught this story at St. James' Language Institute several years ago, using an "easier-to-understand" version (from All American Stories C) edited by C.G. Draper. Discussing it with my students I was deeply moved by the story myself, and now I still love it as much.

Here around my dwelling place, Wufeng (literally meaning "Foggy Mountains"), there are lots of birds called "Bai-Lusi" (or, probably "Little Egrets" in English) in some particular seasons. This kind of birds, as well as many others kinds, are always attractive to me -- I remember that in 2002 I wrote a short story entitled The Pond and Something and I mentioned an egret and two snow-white geese in the final part:

"How about the geese?" I interrupted.

"The two snow-white geese represent an intimate husband and wife. Look! Those geese are always near each other, whether swimming in the pond or standing on the bank -- By the way, have you seen the white egret (that is, Bai Lusi) flying out recently?"

"Sorry, I haven't. What would you say about the egret?"

"It stands for one's self. In Freudian psychology, there are three parts of the mind: ego, superego, and id. The bird sometimes stands near the pond, sometimes flies high up in the sky, and sometimes hides itself in the woods. Whether it is three-in-one or not, try not to lose your self."

And since I started my blog Mookoo's Home, I have included such bird photos in it: (1) 白鷺鷥、紅蜻蜓 (2) 小傢伙（會玩、會吃、會飛、會唱歌） (3) 溪頭剪影（山猴離去鳥飛來） (4) Baby Birds Being Fed （小鳥餵食記） (5) 返鄉 (A Hometown Visit). Oh! How amazing and wonderful to be a bird? If I could fly as a bird, where would I fly to? . . . Well, would I really enjoy flying as much as I had dreamed of?

The following pictures were taken yesterday in Yu-Lan Gu
(玉蘭谷 / The Valley of Magnolia)
 

遠在天邊、近在眼前的「蒹葭」

#2012-0118

一個月前，四度Ｃ樂團在五福國小演出「夢想起飛--四度Ｃ樂團感恩音樂會」，除了安可曲 (encore) 外，一共演唱了 15 首歌曲，其中第五首叫作《蒹葭》。

主持人〔我〕說：

「聽完《雨中徘徊》，我們來聽另一首道道地地的抒情歌曲。說到抒情歌，最古老的記錄，要算是中國文學史裡頭，第一部偉大的作品《詩經》當中所收錄的歌謠了。. . . . .《詩經》是中國最早的詩歌的總集；裡面收錄了305首詩歌，所以又叫作「詩三百」。另外還有 6 篇是有題目、無內容的，稱為笙詩。. . . . . 我想，有許多人都聽過、或讀過《詩經》中很有名的一篇（周南‧雎鳩），開頭的幾句是『關關雎鳩，在河之洲，窈窕淑女，君子好逑。』還記得嗎？. . . . . 我們通常是用國語（也就是現代華語）來讀的；今天，四度Ｃ的建瑋和月琴卻要用古漢語（古時候的標準漢語發音）來演唱《詩經》當中另外一篇情歌，題目是：蒹葭 kiam-ka。請大家一同來欣賞！」

詩經（秦風）：蒹葭　　　　　作者：佚名


蒹葭蒼蒼，白露為霜。所謂伊人，在水一方。
溯洄從之，道阻且長，溯游從之，宛在水中央。
蒹葭萋萋，白露未晞。所謂伊人，在水之湄。
溯洄從之，道阻且躋，溯游從之，宛在水中坻。
蒹葭采采，白露未已。所謂伊人，在水之涘。
溯洄從之，道阻且右；溯游從之，宛在水中沚。

「謝謝各位熱烈的掌聲！」我又說：「聽完了 kiam-ka，你知道 kiam-ka 是什麼嗎？. . . . . 據我個人考證：kiam-ka 是一種等同或類似「蘆葦」的野草，常常可在河流旁邊、或者河中央的沙洲上看得到；它的長相大概是這個樣子，請看！. . . . .」於是，我當場展示了一束，前一晚我和月琴在家附近的山坡上所採擷的植物標本。


事隔一個月---音樂會日期為 12/18，而今天正是 1/18 ---我竟然在離家門不到 25 公尺的巷子口，看到如此茂盛的 〔我所認定的〕 kiam-ka。

註：下圖則非我所拍攝，乃轉載自 英文版《維基自由百科／English Wikipedia》 之照片。

光合作用：Can Little Bee Be Photosynthesized by Walking in the Sun?

#2012-0108

Photosynthesis is the way that green plants make their food using sunlight. Does any bee need this kind of thing as most plants do?

Some of our friends and neighbors tell us that our Little Bee needs more sunlight. (Look at his light-colored complexion, and you'll see why they give us the advice/suggestion.) Yes, it's good and necessary for our grandson to have more outdoor activities. But it's equally important to protect his fair skin from the sun -- "too much" sunlight can cause a problem as "too little" of it.

And my real question is this: Can a Bee be photosynthesized by walking in the sun? . . . Whether the answer is Yes or No, you can be assured that our Little Bee just enjoys walking outdoors very, very much.

--- Photos below were taken yesterday morning, Jan. 7 ---

--- For more pictures, please click here: 請點這裡，看另一篇「光合作用」 ---

Little Bee Playing the Drum

#2012-0107

It's fun to learn how to play the drum. And I'm teaching my grandson Little Bee how to do that, using the bed instead.

尾牙宴 (The Weiya Party)

#2012-0105

I don't really know how to translate the Chinese phrase "weiya" into English. Anyway, it means a particular dinner party held by [the owner of] a company at/near the end of a Chinese [lunar] year for showing appreciation and encouragement to all the employees having worked hard together for the company. Now, my wife's brother Anzhen is having a Weiya party, and I'm very pleased to have been invited to this happy, cheerful scene of eating, drinking, chatting, and singing!

返鄉 (A Hometown Visit)

#2012-0103

Meici hui Guoxing de lao jia, neixin zong yao podong yifan (內心總要波動一番); haoxiang kanle yichang kanguo xuduo-bian de dianying, yibu huoshengshengde, jilu wo jiazu lishi de xieshipian, jiao wo zen ngeng bu gandong moming, xinqing jiujiu wufa pingfu?

[English paraphrase] Every time I return to my hometown, Guoxing, where my parents have been living, my heart would be like a lake rippling in the wind. My mind would become somewhat uneasy, or disturbed, as if I had just seen a documentary (film) that vividly shows all important events in the family history of mine. How can I keep myself calm and undisturbed after a hometown visit?

Zongshi, shuangqin nianji dou lao le -- suowei "Shu da fen zhi", women xiongdi jiemei weile gongzuo de yuangu, zao yi zai taxiang-yixian "luodi-shenggen", budan pingshi wufa chenhundingxing (平時無法晨昏定省), pei zai tamen laorenjia shenbian, jiu lian fengnian-guojie ye nande quanjia daxiao qiju yitang, chenghuan-xixia (連逢年過節也難得全家大小齊聚一堂，承歡膝下). Dang wo fanxiang shi, kanjian laomaide fumuqin, sixu bian qingbuzijinde duole yixie shanggan. Qi shi yige "luan" zi liaode?

[English paraphrase] The real situation is: Both of my parents are getting very old, and yet my siblings and I have been living far away in different places, for the sake of our own jobs (occupations). It is actually impossible for us to keep our parents company by living together with them; even on such important occasions as the Dragon Boat Festival and the Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival, it is rather difficult for us children to make a hometown visit together, to stay with our parents for a couple of days! Oh, seeing my parents getting older and older, I do feel uneasy, or anxious!

Xiamian de zhaopian shi zai jiaxiang paishe de. Bangwan shifen, jizhi gezi qixi zai tong yike shu-shang, huamian man mei de a!

[English paraphrase] Now, a better scene to see! The photos below were taken yesterday afternoon in my hometown. Sitting in the tree, those doves (or pigeons) look quite comfortable, don't they?

新年新希望 (New Year's Resolutions)

#2012-0101B

These were my New Year's resolutions for 2011:

(1) I'll regularly read the Bible and pray to the Lord, so as to be inspired or guided by the Holy Spirit.
(2) I'll spend more time accompanying my family [caring for my parents, my mother-in-law, and Little Bee in particular] and visit my good friends more often.
(3) I'll take outdoor exercises regularly [if possible, hiking together with Jean every week].
(4) I'll live a "meaningful" life, doing creative writing and taking interesting photos.

How much have I fulfilled? . . . Now that the year 2012 has started, what shall I say about my new plans for the future? After careful consideration, I'd like to proclaim: My New Year's resolutions for this year are exactly the same as those for last year!

A Vigil Service at the End of 2011

#2012-0101A

We had a Vigil Service at St. James' yesterday evening, starting at 7:30 p.m. I would describe ourselves as a "small and beautiful" group -- only a tiny part of the English-speaking congregation of St. James' attending the service, in addition to a couple of visitors coming from other cities, or even from different countries! And yet the service was "pretty romantic," as I would like to describe it. Something that is romantic is beautiful in a way that strongly affects your feelings!

Now, the photos below, though showing us in the dim light, could be a nice reminder that helps me recall the wonderful night at the church -- at the very end of the year 2011. (Thanks to Jean for taking these pictures!)

Oh! Much more thanks be to God, and to all my dear brothers and sisters in Christ! And you who have already celebrated the end of 2011 together with me! Let me openly tell you this: I love you all!