Yearnings Of The Past

 

I had been playing some video games on the phone throughout the night till 6am of the next morning before going to bed. In that 4 hour period of sleep, I did not sleep well as my mind was plagued by dreams which I forget upon waking up. 

However, the first two lines came easily during that state of semi-consciousness in which a dream makes it so logical to start a poem. After my jog, I was able to complete it with refinements.

1 烟雨矇矓船舟岸 The misty drizzle obscuring boats by the banks,
2 銀光隱約照水寒 And silvery light wafting in and out makes the waters look so cold.
3 萬里歲月千杯夢 Time spent on long journeys are with dreams made from a thousand cups,
4 念家舊陳童年看 With thoughts of the family, old furnishings seen with eyes of childhood.

3 Literally, “ten thousand”. All these numbers are just figures of speech. To retain some of the local flavor of the language, I went with direct translation.

4 家 means family, house or home. “ancestral home” is not in original text but is implied culturally.

In ancient times, members of the immediate family were expected to live in a common abode even if they have their own family. Modernity due to job opportunities had changed this.

Monday, March 13, 2023

Was able to compose this one on the second round of my jog.  It was a good day for my mental exercises.

1 雙親撫養無限階 Parents place no limit place on rearing their children,
2 莫惜雨打風吹曬 Sacrificing under the beatings of the rain, wind and sweltering heat.
3 羽毛豐滿處遠飛 And yet when their plumage is full, everywhere that is far they’ll fly,
4一日旋還孽子債 One day that karma returns in the form of your own children.

Monday, March 13, 2023