Lights on the New Trail (新路之燈)

#2020-0507

There are eye-catching lampposts along the new footpath (i.e. 望月峰步道) that winds up the Moon-Watching Peak, which is near to my house. I like those lamps very much, not only because they automatically shed lights for "hill-climbers" when it's getting dark, but also because they would always remind me of the following words from The Book of Psalms (詩篇).

Psalm 119:105-106

"Your word is a lantern to my feet *
     and a light upon my path.
 I have sworn and am determined *
     to keep your righteous judgments."
     ---- The Book of Common Prayer

"Your word is a lamp for my feet,
     a light on my path.
 I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
     that I will follow your righteous laws."
     ---- New International Version

"Your word is a lamp to my feet
  And a light to my path.
  I have sworn and I will confirm it,
  That I will keep Your righteous ordinances."
     ---- New American Standard Bible

"Your word is a lamp to guide me
     and a light for my path.
 I will keep my solemn promise
     to obey your just instructions."
     ---- Good News Translation

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
     and a light unto my path.
  I have sworn, and I will perform it,
     that I will keep thy righteous judgments."
     ---- King James Version

"Your word is a lamp before my feet
     and a light for my journey.
  I have sworn, and I fully mean it:
     I will keep your righteous rules."
     ---- Common English Version

"Your word is a lamp that gives light wherever I walk.
  Your laws are fair,
     and I have given my word to respect them all."
     ---- Contemporary English Version

緣木求魚（續篇）

#2020-0506

Just now I checked the meaning of Yuanmuqiuyu (緣木求魚) on the Internet, and I found this Chinese idiom (Yuan mu qiu yu) could be explained in several ways in English. For example:

• climb trees to catch [look for] fish -- cannot get blood from a stone;    [While the first part shows the original meaning, the second part is a good figure of speech.]
• catch fish in a tree -- a useless search;
• milk the bull;    [I like this very much!]
• seek roses in December;    [I like this, too.]
• try to do the impossible; to attempt the impossible;
• wring [get] water from a flint;    [I also like this very much.]
• look (for something) in the wrong place -- toil with no gain;    [This explanation is good; it's easy to understand!]
• conduct [carry out] something in the wrong way (or by taking the wrong approach);
• ...

Well, it's been a true story of mine that I failed to see the bird (see photos) actually swallow the fish on the tree last Wednesday. I just knew it had caught a fish from the pool and took it up there on the top of a tree; however, I was not sure if it could swallow up such a big fish.

One week later, I came back to the same park this afternoon and saw the same bird standing on (or should I say in?) another tree by the pond. I was still wondering whether it had actually swallowed the fish or not. -- See also: Yuan mu qiu yu (posted on April 29)

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相關文章 (See also)： 緣木求魚

日和月 -- The Sun and the Moon

#2020-0505

On our way up the hill, Jean and I enjoyed seeing the SETTING sun (in the west) AND the RISING moon (in the east) almost at the same time! (我們沿著山路緩緩向上，走到某處，向西眺望，看見落日餘暉，把西天染得紅咚咚的；轉頭向東，哇！天空一輪皎潔明月，心想又快到農曆的「月半十五」了！..............)

日西沉，月東升

月東升，日西沉

日西沉，月東升

月東升，日西沉

ＯＯＯ，ＯＯＯ

Morning Glory (牽牛花)

#2020-0504

This morning I see lots of morning glory:

Morning glory sitting quietly on the ground, 

morning glory climbing up the trees, 

morning glory swaying in the breeze!

Morning glory in the sun,

and morning glory in the shade;

O dear, morning glory near where I live!

Just as I love morning and I admire glory so much, I am REALLY fond of you, Morning-glory. But ... well, you know, in my country I'd call you Qian-niu hua (牽牛花) instead. You have a different name here, and from your first name for me to know -- Qian-niu (牽牛), I seem to have learned a very different story. It's another story to tell, indeed.

男孩牽牛去喝水 = The little boy led a cow to a creak or stream;

男孩牽牛去吃草 = The little boy led the cows into the pasture.

A story of mine is started with these words: "I started grazing cattle when I was twelve or younger. In those days I was still an elementary school student. I went to a small-sized school not too far from my house every morning. But when school was over in the afternoon, I returned home and naturally turned to be a 'cowboy.'" 

(See The Seagull and Me for the whole story.)

Video Chat (視頻聊天)

#2020-0503

週日晚間，與兒孫再來一次「視訊」。James 說他今天考過了（跆拳道的）藍帶，John 則忙著展示他的（好看實用的）新相機。....... 拜科技之賜，遠距離的生活現實不再是一種隔閡；而透過連線的影音介面，彼此不但能分享近況，還可盡情地說說笑笑，真是棒極了。

此時此刻 哪是 "咫尺天涯"？

堪稱「天涯咫尺」也！