憶幼時 蜀中就學歌 The Song of Childhood Schooling 1

憶幼時 蜀中就學歌  The Song of Childhood Schooling 1

星熒

晨起就學 Preparing for school in the morning

晨雞齊鳴 天破曉
就讀起身早
As roosters start crowing at dawn, it is daybreak.
We get up early to be ready for school.
披衣起 推窗瞧
朦朧機場 幽靜周遭
Putting clothes on, pushing and opening the window,
I see the dim and hazy airfield in these peaceful and secluded surroundings.
木橋過客猶少
小鳥覓食樹梢
Only a few people are crossing the wooden bridge.
Little birds are seeking food at the top of the trees.
媽媽催促早餐飽，別遲到！
籬畔送兒上學了，總是笑，
叮嚀讀罷歸來早，莫逍遙！
Mother urges us to eat enough breakfast and to get ready for going to school.
She sees us off at the yard doorstep, always smiling and
Advising us repeatedly to come back home early, not to wander around after school!

途中 On our way to school

旭日方升 驕陽麗
薄霧初揭去
The morning sun is shining beautifully.
A light fog has just lifted.
繞田徑 緩緩行
朝露盡粘衣
Walking slowly on the dirt road through the paddy fields,
we are on our way to school.
The morning dew adheres to our shoes and clothes.
伸糧高臥猶未起
佃農已在田中犁
The landlords are still sleeping in their beds, while
The tenant peasants are already tilling the fields.
入城過小丘
集市人煙稠
We go over a hillock and enter the small town.
The crowd is just starting to prepare for the town fair.
街巷間 遇學友
疾聲招呼 齊揚手
Here, on the road and in the alley, we come across our schoolmates,
Waving our hands and greeting each other loudly.
行近太廟 見城溝
但聞聲悠悠
啊！是眾稚子的歌喉
As we walk near the temple of Confucius, we see the ditch surrounding the town.<br/. Now we can hear a peacefully innocent sound.
Oh, that must be the schoolchildren singing a song.

放學歸家 Returning home after school

橙黃餘暉 耀映面頰
炊煙處處 繚繞人家
The golden light of the setting sun is shining on our faces.
Smoke from cooking stoves covers houses everywhere.
牧童高吟牛下
眼前掠過歸鴉
The little buffalo boy is singing loudly beside his water buffalo, and
Homing crows are flying before my eyes.
田埂村道曲又狹
晚風揚泥沙
The farm road, the field ridge way, is narrow and curvy.
An evening breeze blows up some sandy dirt.
手舞書包 輕盈步伐
歌聲盈耳 笑語哈哈
Swaying the school bags, we are light on our feet.
The sound of singing fills our ears.
There is merry talk and lighthearted laughter as we come near home.
是誰家的孩子 黃昏始歸家
Whose children are returning home at dusk, at this hour?
啊！那院門佇候的
不正是他們的媽媽
準備好晚餐 在等候孩子們回家
Oh! Is that not their mother standing by the door?
She is waiting for her children to come home,
Just in time for the supper she has prepared.

邵維廉 (星熒) 1952 年于台灣左營。

William Y. Shaw 邵維廉 (星熒) wrote this poem, “The Song of Childhood Schooling 憶幼時蜀中就學歌,” in Chinese in 1952 in Tsoying, Taiwan. This is the literal translation of the poem by the author on November 11, 2007 in La Jolla, California, USA.

1. Our family was living in the countryside in Sichuan, China, when I was a little boy. My brother, sister and I were all attending the elementary school in a small town. We had to walk about one hour to go to school that is in a park where there are also a junior high school and a Confucius Temple. The town is in Shuangliu County雙流縣, which is the suburb of Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan Province 四川省. I still remember that our home is by a small military airfield, which has turned into the current commercial airport of Chengdu.