寶島、海峽、還有我 The Island, the Straits and I

星熒（邵維廉）

寶島、海峽、還有我 The Island, the Straits and I

星熒（邵維廉）

記得，年少時，
親人帶我來這裡。

I remember that, when I was just a teen boy,
my parents brought me here.

烽火遍野的時代靠命運，有幸
登上這塊安身的復興地；

At the time when the flames of war were raging across the land everywhere
in China, people could depend on nothing but God for their destiny. We were
among the fortunate ones to settle on this secured land of national revival.

我們都是同命的陌生人，有緣
在寶島相聚相知更相惜。

Having similar fate, we -- the strangers, landed on this island and
gathered together with integrity and mutual understandings.

這裡，充滿著生機與活力！

Here, people on the island then, were full of vigor and vitality.

那時，寶島，妳好像純樸的小村姑，
是那麼安靜端莊而秀麗；

At that time, Formosa -- Taiwan, you seemed like a little village girl,
always quiet, dignified and simply pretty;

如今，寶島，妳宛如亮麗的美少女，
是這般現代繁華而進取！

Today, Formosa --Taiwan, you are just bright, shining, like such
A beautiful young lady, so modern, busy but aggressive!

這裡，依舊，充滿著生機與活力！
現在，寶島，已變成民主自由的天地，
但是，希望，能避免民粹汎濫的危機。

Here, people on the island, are still full of vigor and vitality.
Now, the Island has turned into a land of democracy with freedom to all;
However, I hope, …. to avoid the potential crisis of the extreme ideology
dictatorship of certain ethnic groups.

請不要讓我失望，我曾將
人生最美麗的時光獻給了妳，

Please do not let me down, I had
the most beautiful time of my life dedicated to you.

也沒有後悔，我曾用
最青春的生命保護過妳，
同時也拯救了我自己，和
這塊風雨飄搖的土地。

I have no regret that once I had
exhausted my youthful years to protect you,
also, at the same time together, to save myself and
this piece of land swaying in the mist of the raging storm.

深夜裡，乘風破浪，
我在海峽巡弋，
從未驚醒在平安中沉睡的妳！

Steering through the high sea in late at night,
I was patrolling the straits, while you were in deep sleep
on the secured safe-land. Had I ever woken you up?

彈雨中，出生入死，
運補捍衛外島前方的兄弟，妳
何曾聞過戰場硝煙的氣息！

Going through enemy’s shelling rains at the risk of our lives;
we were sending supplies to our comrades defending the off-shore islands.
Had you ever smelled the smoke of the gun powder from the battlefields?

初來時，寶島，妳是那麼陌生，
而現在，陌生，已換成對岸故鄉的城鎮。
大陸上，盡是，全新的事物，舊的多已抛棄。

In the beginning when I came, Formosa -- Taiwan, you were strange to me.
But now to me, “strange” will be replaced by those cities and townships on the land
across the straits, since there are new things everywhere on the mainland and
most of the old things have been abolished without a trace.

那兒原來熟悉的，如今已成永遠的追憶，
一切都隨已故的親人遠離我們而去！

Those originally familiar things have gone forever with our loved ones
and, also those distant memories.

記憶是那麼遙遠，而記得的又總是
那些消逝的東西，和分離的情緒！

Memories are such far – far away from us. Events remembered
are always those disappeared things and the emotions of the separations.

我的家鄉在哪裡？為何還是不回去！

Where is my homeland? Why wouldn’t I return?

兒時，是親人帶我來這裡。過了一代又一代，
代代，都未等到，宣示和平的日子，和解難有期！
無奈，只好相信，那些熟悉的戰事，似乎已遠去。

My parents brought me here when I was just a teen boy. Through generation
by generation, people have waited for the peace declaration. We’ve tried
to believe that those familiar wars were supposedly a little far away from us.

如今，白髮蒼蒼年邁的我，
祈願，守護親人安息地，
回去，還是兩分離！

Now, being an old man myself with all grey hairs, I wish
to stay with the land where the final resting place of my loved ones is.
Any “Return . . . . .” would be another separation again!

星熒（邵維廉）寫於2014 年6 月 15 日，數日後完成其英譯文于美國加州La Jolla.
William Y. Shaw (星熒（邵維廉）) wrote this poem in Chinese, in La Jolla, California USA on June 15, 2014 and literally translated it into English a few days later.