Dragon Festival 端午節隨想：想到了《屈原》, 想到了《桔頌》

端午節隨想：想到了《屈原》, 想到了《桔頌》

 

May 29, 2017 was Memorial Day in USA. Coincidentally, it also was Chinese Duan Wu Festival (Chinese lunar calendar May 5). Morning I opened my WeChat and some greetings and touched words (see Attachment I) from my Chinese friends reminded me that Duan Wu Festival was coming.

The day of lunar May 5 is a memorial day to remember Qu, Yuan, a greatest poet in Chinese history. He jumped into a river and drowned himself on that day.  People liked his poetry and felt sad to lose him. They took boats and dropped rice dumplings in rivers to avoid his body to be eaten by fish. Gradually, the day has developed into an annual festival characterized by some joyous events throughout China. People wrap rice dumplings in lotus leaves and game dragon boat races in rivers.  That is why the Festival also calls Rice Dumping Festival.

Uncontrollably, my mind was running back to thirty years ago. A movie named as "Qu Yuan", which told story about Qu, Yuan and his student Chan, Juan.  Luckily, I am still able to sing the beautiful song embedded in the movie, which is named as "Ju Song". The song was written by Qu, Yuan and song by Chan, Juan with passion and enthusiasm. That is:

橘頌

 
屈原

 
後皇嘉樹，橘徠服兮。受命不遷，生南國兮。 
深固難徙，更壹誌兮。綠葉素榮，紛其可喜兮。 
曾枝剡棘，圜果摶兮。青黃雜糅，文章爛兮。 
精色內白，類任道兮。紛縕宜脩，姱而不醜兮。 
嗟爾幼誌，有以異兮。獨立不遷，豈不可喜兮？ 
深固難徙，廓其無求兮。蘇世獨立，橫而不流兮。 
閉心自慎，終不失過兮。秉德無私，參天地兮。 
願歲並謝，與長友兮。淑離不淫，梗其有理兮。 
年歲雖少，可師長兮。行比伯夷，置以為像兮。

I wish everyone remains healthy, keeps happy and stays safe!

 

Attachment I

Here, I attached the beautiful and touched words written by my college classmate, Zhiming Hu, on Duan Wu Festival. They are:

端午節寄語 (本文作者加注）
 

胡智明

歲月的海，潮起潮又落。端午，不僅僅隻是乘載著思念與悲傷。也許，給人一個輕鬆的節日氣氛，才算是真正令人愉悅的‘’過節之道‘’。

書一筆清遠，盈一抹暖陽，一指蒼茫處，淡淡流年香。日子是用於流淌的，節日是用於思念的，在此，祝大家端午節安康！