The California Serenade

The California Serenade (Hotel del Coronado, California, November 2007) In Immitation of Rupert Brooke Just now you are flying to my homeland On a magic carpet, or its kind; There is the river, you left behind, Running through my veins, and on my mind; And here I set to plow, Digging a 坑, or a hole? Oh, no! But good soil that promises to grow: In the flower-beds, I like, Smile the carnation and the pink; And down the borders, well I know, The poppy and the pansy will blow . . . Oh! the golden tulips the Flandish pride, Shy, fresh as a May bride; And the California palms stand tall, As King's soldiers on sentinel; The pepper trees, yes, hang beads, Green as emerals and red as rubys, Cute, shinning, and smell teas;. ---Oh, damn! I know it! and I know How there the autumn foliages dance in show, All in a child's kaleidoscope, And that little hermit rests to doze, On the green, yellowish, and the lazy slope. But these are things I find rare, For in California the Nature is decreed bare; And so I sow richly in my flower-beds A thousand Spring colors that we shall share. ...Would I were, In Philadelphia, in Philadelphia, Gladly gracing the garden are the camillia, And in jubilant bloom the azalea; The dogwood shoots pink and white, And the laurel puts on a violet guise; The wetlands, the butterfly weeds, But the butterflies are a four-string tease; And the walnuts hide the quiet lanes, A young girl is playing pick-a-boo games; In Philadelphia, in Philadelphia ... The rivers criss-cross in the spider web, As the broken hearts silently wept; And the cloud drifts as quickly as the mind turns, And love dies though still burns; For Philadelphian the city dwellers care no romance, They live for gold and silver every ounce; Yet they tout the family the Franklin's; And the best hot-pot called the Chongqing's; And oddly the footaball team wears green caps, That Chinese men would never have; And hairy are the Amish who grow long beard, Speak English as never heard; And the groomed men pretend to be learned and well taught, In three-piece suits, they walk in thought. Alas if I may ... I have something better to pray, May the Almighty lends me the way: God! Let me pack, and take a plane, And jet me to the Orient once again! For Middle Kingdom is the one land I know, Where men with Splendid Hearts may go; And of all China I prefer, That nostalgic region they call Wu Yue; There fairies make for home, And the great poets once roam; The elder scholar was drunk on the Lake, And the young poet wondered on osmanthus' trait; Burried at Huqiu is a sword's tale, And the Immortal Beauty left a fragrant trail; Did the moon lit one bridge or twenty-four? Where maidens rejoiced the flute at nightfall; And in that lovely town of stone brick, With whom shall I watch years hurrying quick? These are dreamlands I want you to be, Where I say, at the rhythm of your heartbeat: "Deep the hue of your danggling rope, Deeper the longing of my reminiscing heart; Only for you, my dearest lass, I recite time and time again this ancient part: `Nibbling on the duckweed, Loo, loo, calls the galloping deer; And only for you, my dear, I play string and reed to cheer'." But that is not to say we shall spare, The metropolis the Bund and the thoroughfare; And the Oriental Pearl, some may, the Dido's spell, Even the Trojan hero could not repel? Good Great! Here am I, down, defeated, and totally spent, And lost on the wild web to no end; The Marriage Forum is a mad house, Still, several commies stand out; The Earthy Doll knows how to dig a pit, And the Rubber Ball looked ever so fit; The panic Iron Head finds nowhere to hide, Hunted, beef dumplings were his plight; And the Horse, the greatest spy, QQH ever so powerful is the envy of FBI; The Short Circuit, nothing electric, But why are Morning Dreams so majestic? Photos sharp, the place like a pub, Paints on screen cannot be rubbed; And the Cat, the professor? A Russian babushika his dream partner? And the neighbors, the surfers, The odd balls, the brazen perverts; The Romance Forum the breeding ground, Lunies they are so profound; Is the Mid-Age for men and ladies? Mom and papa are like babies; The Poetry Chamber, full of pages, But the poets live in the Middle Ages; The Tea House, the empty house, I see no men but mouse; Yet BBstar is infested by lost souls, To fake a winner as the only goals; These are men and women knowledgeable, Esteemed tastes, oh yeah, they have it all! But in the offshore Utopia called the Green Court, The Muse muses on harpsichord; The administer plays a hidden nymph, Eyes rolling in mischief; And the Red Snow, gently falls, The Dreams of the Red Chamber are never lulls. Ah the beloved! Just as the night is old and the tide receding, And the reed beckons the tender wind; Just as the shoreline sleeps as a gentle giant, And the day rests in the silver sand; Just as the scent invites from the citrus grove, How sweet a mystique! Could it be, a sweet secret on the wings of dove? And just as the moon weeps sadly above, And the lone Evenstar watches upon from infinitely afar, ...Would I were, The sane Van Gogh the painter, Would I stroke, the heavenly stars in dazzling blur? And the saddened Kundera the writer, Would I know, the life be light and unbeared? And the burdened Dostoyevsky the thinker, Would I have, the answer to What To Do unanswered? Or the eccentric Lennon the voice of soul, Would I sob, why peace eludes like Heaven's ode? And the flamboyant the poet Shakespeare, To be or not to be, do you dare? And if I were, the lonely Hawkin the God's messenger, Would my own prayer ever be heard? That you would, that I were ... To gently hold and prove your hands, As delicate as Chinese fans; And to hold you tight and unrelent, anytime, all times Together, to hear celestial rhymes; Until the dawn breaks the dark curse, And gone is the Satanic verse; And the morning brings the jubilee glow, Hereafter and hereto, no more secrets are untold; The lies, and truth, the love and pain, The twilight shatters the wicked chain, Alas! Alas! Not in vain, not in vain ... 背景說明： 1。妹妹十一月海龜上海了。在酒店看到海上明月，感慨，作此詩紀念； 2。仿照布魯克體裁，感恩節前夜，寫完了； 3。三易音樂。這是用夏威夷特有樂器，也即夏威夷四弦吉他，ukalele，演奏的。我以為這個簡單的曲子，蘊含無限之追思與懷念之情，每次我聽，都油然感之，心為之動。 3。說明一下中國地名： And of all China I prefer, That nostalgic region called Wu Yue; ----吳越 There fairies make for home, ---- 劉阮天台等等 And the great poets once roam; The elder scholar was drunk on the Lake, ----東坡與西湖 And the young poet wondered on osmanthus' trait; ----白居易，山寺月中尋桂子 Burried at Huqiu is a sword's tale, ----蘇州，虎丘，劍池 And the Immortal Beauty left a fragrant trail; ----蘇州，靈岩山，西施 Did the moon lit one bridge or twenty-four? Where maidens rejoiced the flute at nightfall; 這兩句：二十四橋明月在，玉人何處叫吹簫 And in that lovely town of stone brick, ----烏鎮，似水流年 With whom shall I watch years hurrying quick? These are dreamlands I want you to be, Where I say, at the rhythm of your heartbeat: "Deep the hue of your danggling rope, ----青青子衿 Deeper the longing of my reminiscing heart; ----悠悠我心。。。 Only for you, my dearest lass, ----但為君故 I recite time and time again this ancient part: ----沉吟至今 `Nibbling on the duckweed, Loo, loo, calls the galloping deer; And only for you, my dear, I play string and reed to cheer'." ----鼓瑟吹笙 But that is not to say we shall spare, The metropolis the Bund and the throughfare; ----上海，外灘什麽的 And the Oriental Pearl, some may, the Dido's spell, Even the Trojan hero could not repel? ----迦太基女王迪多與特絡伊王子Aeneid的故事

The California Serenade-Augmentation 1

But these are things I find rare,
For in California the Nature is decreed bare;
And so I sow richly in my flower-beds
A thousand Spring colors that we shall share.
...Would I were,
In Philadelphia, in Philadelphia,
Gladly gracing the garden are the camillia,
And in jubilant bloom the azalea;
The dogwood shoots pink and white,
And the laurel puts on a violet guise;
The wetlands, the butterfly weeds,
But the butterflies are a four-string tease;
And the walnuts hide the silent lanes,
A young girl is playing pick-a-boo games;
In Philadelphia, in Philadelphia ...
The rivers criss-cross in the spider web,
As the broken hearts silently wept;
And the cloud drifts as quickly as heart turns,
And love dies though still burns;
For Philadelphian the city dwellers care no romance,
They live for gold and silver every ounce;
Yet they tout the family the Franklin's;
And the best hot-pot called the Chongqin's;
And oddly the footaball team wears green hats,
That Chinese men would never have;
And hairy are the Amish who grow long beard,
Speak English as never heard;
And the groomed men pretend to be learned and taught,
In three-piece suits, they walk in thought.

The California Serenade-Augmentation 2

Alas if I may ...
I have something better to pray,
May the Almighty lends me the way:
God! Let me pack, and take a plane,
And get me to the Orient once again!
For Middle Kingdom is the one land I know,
Where men with Splendid Hearts may go;
And of all China I prefer,
That nostalgic region called Wu Yue;
There fairies make for home,
And the great poets once roam;
The elder scholar was drunk on the Lake,
And the young poet wondered on osmanthus' trait;
Burried at Huqiu is a sword's tale,
And the Immortal Beauty left a fragrant trail;
Did the moon lit one bridge or twenty-four?
Where maidens rejoiced the flute at nightfall;
And in that lovely town of stone brick,
With whom shall I watch years hurrying quick?
These are dreamlands I want you to be,
Where I say, at the rhythm of your heartbeat:
"Deep the hue of your danggling rope,
Deeper the longing of my reminiscing heart;
Only for you, my dearest lass,
I recite time and time again this ancient part:
`Nibbling on the duckweed,
Loo, loo, calls the galloping deer;
And only for you, my dear,
I play string and reed to cheer'."
But that is not to say we shall spare,
The metropolis the Bund and the throughfare;
And the Oriental Pearl, some may, the Dido's spell,
Even the Trojan hero could not repel?

The California Serenade-Augmentation 3

Good Great!
Here am I, down, defeated, and totally spent,
And lost on the wild web to no end;
The Marriage Forum is a mad house,
Still, several commies stand out;
The Earthy Doll knows how to dig a pit,
And the Rubber Ball looked ever so fit;
The panic Iron Head finds nowhere to hide,
Hunted, beef dumplings were his plight;
And the Horse, the greatest spy,
QQH ever so powerful is the envy of FBI;
The Short Circuit, nothing electric,
But why are Morning Dreams so majestic?
Photos sharp, the place like a pub,
Paints on screen cannot be rubbed;
And the Cat, the professor?
A Russian babushika his dream partner?
And the neighbors, the surfers,
The odd balls, the brazen perverts;
The Romance Forum the breeding ground,
Lunies they are so profound;
Is the Mid-Age for men and ladies?
Mom and papa are like babies;
The Poetry Chamber, full of pages,
But the poets live in the Middle Ages;
The Tea House, the empty house,
I see no men but mouse;
Yet BBstar is infested by lost souls,
To fake a winner as the only goals;
These are men and women knowledgeable,
Esteemed tastes, oh yeah, they have all!
But in the offshore Utopia called the Green Court,
The Muse muses on harpsichord;
The administer plays a hidden nymph,
Eyes rolling in mischief;
And the Red Snow, gently falls,
The Dreams of the Red Chamber are never lulls.