溫哥華讚
曹小莉
藍寶石的山崗，
頂戴著冰雪皇冠，
起伏連綿，
橫桓在你的北方。
戴著花環的民居，
披著雲霧的大廈，
森林吐出氧氣和清芳，
環抱著碧玉般的海灣。
你不是巴黎，
那俯視世界驕傲的公主，
吸引著萬千絡繹不絕的朝聖客。
你不是倫敦，
那風華絕代世襲的皇婦，
讓世人追憶大英帝國的過往榮光。
你不是紐約，
金融財富，聲名權力的集中地，
人群追逐著各自的地獄和天堂。
你不是北京，
摩天大樓崛起在宮牆之外，
空氣中回響著二十世紀末的雜音。
你就是你，
豆蔻年華，嫵媚清新，
來自世外桃源的仙女，
當世界十年前發見你驚人的美麗，
求婚者把多少珍寶奉獻在你的眼底。
隻有在夜幕降臨後，
你才戴上那稀世的鑽石珠串，
讓水晶般的璀燦高懸山上，
為路人指明朝北的方向。
在藍色的惆悵中，
有人抱怨你多雨的季節；
在綠色的和聲中，
我卻謳歌你的細雨和風。
南加州標榜陽光燦爛，
你可曾捧過那五年不雨的焦土，
在不毛的火焰山中穿行，
看烈日燒焦了碧綠群山。
我感謝碧詩省多情的雨水，
它永遠讓溫哥華雲遮霧繞，
沒有醉人的淅淅雨夜，
哪來花重溫城的壯觀。
我在空氣中捕捉，
銀鈴般的聲響，
玉蘭高擎著巨大的酒杯，
遙遙向我作春天的禮讓。
我在花樹上收集，
雲霞般的色彩，
櫻花帶著羞澀的淚花，
紛紛撲向大地的胸懷。
我在心中搜尋，
珠璣般的文字，
可是在那水洗過的藍天上，
映照著我無法形容的向往。
我站在城市高地極目遠望，
溫哥華，
在你起伏的丘陵上，
鬱鬱蔥蔥是百年老樹，
星星點點是紅瓦白牆，
滔滔滾滾是湧入的金錢，
沸沸揚揚是沉默的聲浪。
願財富不要洗去你的純真，
願紛爭不要侵擾平靜，
願差異不要造成隔閡，
願這一切不要奪去你的親和力，
讓凡人可望而不可即。
讓每一個人，
無論他是世代居住，
還是剛來的新移民，
都獻上一片愛心，
為我們自己，為後代子孫，
留下一片和平的淨土之地。
一九九三年
Ode to Vancouver
Shirley Sue -A-Quan
Sapphire mountains
Crowned with ice and snow
Gently undulating
Spanning the northern horizon
Houses wearing garlands of flowers
Buildings enveloped in cloud and mist
Forests releasing oxygen and fragrance
Embrace a jade-colored ocean bay
How different from Paris -
A beautiful though arrogant princess
Gazing down upon the world
Attracting tens of thousands of worshiping tourists
How different from London -
A royal lady with a rich heritage
Full of elegance and beauty
Recalling the past glory of the British Empire.
How different from New York –
A massive center of fortune, fame and power
With crowds of people
Pursuing their paths to Heaven or Hell.
How different from Beijing –
Where skyscrapers stick out among the ancient palaces.
Noises of the changing millennium
Echo through the air.
You are your own self
Flowers budding in early Spring
Pure and fresh
Like fairies coming from the land of Peach Blossoms
When the world suddenly discovered your abundant beauty
So many precious gifts were presented by courtiers.
When the curtain of night descends
You display a rare diamond necklace of light
Crystals glittering high on the hill
Guiding the way for passers-by
When in a melancholy mood
Some have complained of excessive downpours
But from the verdant harmony created
I sing the praises of your gentle breezes and frequent drizzles
Southern California boasts of the sunshine
But have you touched the parched soil
Or traveled through the semi-desert
With mountains baked brown from the scorching sun?
Because of the abundant rain
Vancouver is forever green.
After the evening showers
We see the garden city blooming with flowers
I try to capture in the air
The echo of the silver bells.
Magnolias hold up huge wine cups
Saluting me in a Spring toast.
I try to imagine in the trees
The rosy clouds
Cherry petals with tears of joy
Return to the embrace of the soil
I search my vocabulary
For words like pearls and gems
In the blue water-washed sky
To express my indescribable praise
From a high spot in the city I look at the horizon.
On Vancouver’s hills that rise and fall
I see hundred-year-old trees like a sea of green
With new white houses topped with red roofs
Reflecting a growing flood of money
Coming wave after wave.
I hear silent voices murmuring here and there
Sometimes a trace of gray clouds
Appears in the clear sky
Causing my heart to beat faster for you
I wish that wealth would not displace innocence
Disputes would not disturb the peace
Differences should not cause estrangement
I wish that in a harmonious environment
All people can express themselves in a beautiful chorus
Everyone, whether long resident or newcomer
Should devote tenderness and love
To create for ourselves and future generations
A peaceful and prosperous land
