My Sister: She Means Home to Me.

"My Sister"

-- by JC

(Age 10, Grade 5 student, written in 2013)

-- Transcribed by Frank C Yue

 

I am writing about my sister because she means home to me.

 

Her name is C and she is seven.

 

With my sister, I learn about love, patience and encourageement. I learn about love because one time, I had a really bad stomachahe and she wrote me a "get well soon" card. I felt very happy and loved when I needed it most. I learn to love her by taking care of her, especially when she was small. (79)

 

I learn about patience because when I was three and she was only a few months old, she saw me playing with a toy. All of a sudden she ran up, grabbed it, and ran away. After a while, she came to grab another toy from me. I learned to be patient because I understood that she was still really small. (140)

 

I learned about encouragement when she told me not to be nervous for my (154) first piano exam. She told me I would be all right and do pretty good, and I did! Her words warmed my heart and I got good marks in my first piano exam! 

 

I also really wanted a brother or sister because before she was born, I had no one to play with. That is why I love my sister and she means home to me. 

   

                                     *******          *******          *******

note by grandpa typist:

one late afternoon this week, i was delighted to find a photocopy of three pages of a stapled manuscript, written in pencil, of the above short essay lying on my 14-year old grandson's desk -- as my "cook" and i went to his house, bearing delicious, steaming home-made dishes for their family dinner. this copy was obviously meant for the eyes of the parents. (as there was no one in the house at that hour yet, i smuggled the piece back home and did some typing on my laptop. the manuscript will be returned to its original abode on our next visit.)( -- pardon? as always of course, i'm the designated long-time, faithful, kungfu-trained "chauffeur-and-body guard" for the VIP cook.)

 

to be truthful, the original article was just one long continuous paragraph. and the figures shown within brackets above are presumably word counts. (for school work, a minimum length of the essay is mandatory.)  

【詩經】式微，式微！胡不歸？ E'ening comes around, it's e'ening!

【詩經】《國風 • 邶風 • 式微》

 

  式微，式微！胡不歸？

  

  微君之故，胡爲乎中露！ 

  式微，式微！胡不歸？

  微君之躬，胡爲乎泥中！

 

"The Classic of Poems: National Verses: 

Northern Songs: E'ening Comes Around, It's E'ening" 

-- Translated by Frank C Yue

 

E'ening comes around, it's e'ening!

But you ain't returning home, why?

For the sake of our king,

Till it's dark we'll wait by the way-side.

 

E'ening comes around, it's e'ening!

But you ain't returning home, why?

For the sake of our king,

By toiling in the mud we abide.

 

the following culled from the net:

《國風·邶風·式微》是一首先秦時代的詩歌。 採用反問、隱語、互文等多種修辭方式，情感表達宛轉而有情致。 重章換字，押韻和諧。 兼有長短的句式，節奏感強，韻律和諧優美，用詞異常精巧。 式微也成為後世詩歌中常用的意象，對後世古典詩歌有著深遠的影響。

 

周代由文、武奠基，成、康繁盛，史稱刑措不用者四十年，這時可稱為周代的黃金時期。 昭、穆以後，國勢漸衰。 後來，厲王被逐，幽王被殺，平王東遷，進入春秋時期。 春秋時期王室衰微，諸侯兼併，夷狄交侵，社會處於動盪不安之中。 相傳中國周代設有采詩之官，每年春天，搖著木鐸深入民間收集民間歌謠，把能夠反映人民歡樂疾苦的作品，整理後交給太師 （負責音樂之官）譜曲，演唱給天子聽，作為施政的參考。 反映周初至春秋中葉社會生活面貌的《詩經》，就整體而言，正是這五百年間中國社會生活面貌的形象反映，其中有先祖創業的頌歌，祭祀神鬼的樂章；也有貴族之間的宴飲交往，勞逸不均的怨憤；更有反映勞動、打獵以及大量戀愛、婚姻、社會習俗方面的動人篇章。 [《先秦詩鑑賞辭典》: 上海辭書出版社，1998年12月版]   這首《式微》即是深刻的反應了社會現實的詩歌。

 

原文鑑賞

全詩只有短短二章，都以“式微，式微，胡不歸”起調：天黑了，天黑了，為什麼還不回家？ 詩人緊接著便交待了原因：“微君之故，胡為乎中露”；“微君之躬，胡為乎泥”。 意思是說，為了君主的事情，為了養活他們的貴體，才不得不終年累月、晝夜不輟地在露水和泥漿中奔波勞作。 然而，《式微》詩上下二章只變換了兩處文字， 但就在這巧妙的變換中， 體現出了作者用詞的獨具匠心。

"短短二章，寥寥幾句，受奴役者的非人處境以及他們對統治者的滿腔憤懣，給讀者留下極其深刻的印象。" 

 

①式：作語助詞。 微：（日光）衰微，黃昏或天黑。

胡不歸：胡是為甚麼，整句問為何不歸家。

②微君：非君，要不是君主。

③中露：露中。 倒文以協韻。... “露”為“路”的假借字。 

《爾雅·釋名》： “路，露也。言人所踐蹈而露見也。” 方玉潤 《詩經原始》： “'泥中'猶言泥塗也。”按： “中露”也即今俗語所謂心裡沉沉的， 像被什麼東西堵得慌； “泥中”猶今所謂陷入泥中而不能自拔。 因此“中露”、“泥中”是虛寫而非實寫， 上下章可互相補充理解。

龔廷賢 惜氣存精更養神 Treasure Qi and Essence

《攝養詩》明。龔廷賢

    惜氣存精更養神，

    

    少思寡欲勿勞心。

    食惟半飽無兼味，

    酒止三分莫過頻。

    每把戲言多取笑，

    

    常含樂意莫生嗔。

    

    炎涼變詐都休問，

    

    任我逍遙過百春。

 

"Health Cultivation and Maintenance Poem"

-- by Gong Tingxian （1522～1619）

-- Translated by Frank C Yue

 

Treasure Qi and Essence, cultivate Positive Attitude,

Curb deep thoughts, burning desires, and burden your mind less still.

When eating you should only fill up your stomach half-way,

Over you, never let exotic flavours hold sway.

Seventy-percent sober you should remain -- drink mindfully,

Never drink too much and only drink occasionally.

 

Ne'er too seriously take e'erything,

For jokes let hearty laughter take wing.

Go with Joy and Pleasure always,

Don't let Anger ruin your days.

Let Frown'd Brows, Cold Shoulders pass by,

For the Changes and Frauds, don't ask why.

 

I'll continue -- to myself true --

O'er a hundred Springs, treading through.

 

this is practical and sound advice. Gong tingxian lived until he was 97, probably more than double than the average life expectancy of his contemporaries!

from the net:

龔廷賢（明代 1522～1619），字子才，號雲林山人，又號悟真子，江西金溪人。父龔信，字西園，一說字瑞芝，任職太醫院，撰有《古今醫鑒》8卷。廷賢幼攻舉業，後隨父學醫。他承家學，又訪賢求師，醫名日隆。曾任太醫院吏目。1593年，治癒魯王張妃臌脹，被贊為「天下醫之魁首」，並贈以「醫林狀元」扁額。

龔廷賢著有：《種杏仙方》4卷（1577）、《萬病回春》8卷（1587）、《復明眼方外科神驗全書》6卷（1591）、《云林神彀》（1591）、《魯府禁方》4卷（1594）、《壽世保元》10卷（1615）、《小兒推拿方脈全書》3卷（1604）。尚有《醫學準繩》4卷、《經世全書》8卷，《痘疹辨疑全幼錄》3卷，《本草炮製藥性賦定衡》13卷等。亦托名為龔氏所撰。 

 

'《內經》：“恬淡虛無，真氣從之，精神內守，病安從來。”意思是放平心態，做事從容不迫，也別總是勞心勞神，就不容易生病。 唐代醫學家孫思邈活了101歲，他在《千金要方·養性序》中也說：“道德日全，不祈壽而有福，不求壽而自延，此養生之大旨也。”'

雲駛月運舟行岸移 Flanked by clouds passing, The Moon

【雲駛月運舟行岸移】

  ~ 宋‧永明禪師 ~  

    雲駛月運舟行岸移，

    境實不遷唯心妄動。

 

"Flanked by clouds passing, The Moon"

-- by Monk Yong Ming (Song Dynasty)

-- Translated by Frank ＣYue

 

Flanked by clouds passing,

The Moon seems to move unceasing.

From a boat sailing,

The coast appears to be rambling.

 

In their truthful state,

The objects do not move at all --

But then more and more,

Our mind is leading us astray.

 

following copied from http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_7e5ae8d90101c48a.html:

"各種事物的存在，無非是由各式不同的因緣、條件所組合，其生滅的歷程也是這些因緣條件的增減異動使然。這種情形就好像我們欣賞卡通影片，看似活靈活現的卡通人物躍然於螢幕裡，事實上只是由一格格的圖像所組成，其中人物的動靜有致，無非假象。又譬如夜空雲影飄移，看起來猶如皎月自身在運行般。卡通人物的栩栩如生、夜空皎月的隱然運行，一部份是來自我們的錯覺；實則，世間看似堅實、不變的物質乃至種種事物，也無非是各式因緣條件的緣起，但由於這些因緣組合的速率及方式超越了一般人所能認知的範圍，讓它們看起來彷彿是固定不變的存有。佛說『緣起性空』，就在破除迷執，把我們從虛幻的花花世界拉回來，安住並體現心性的清淨、無所著。