Hi everyone! September has arrived. With students returning back to school, that signals the end of the summer, and life has returned back to normal for everyone. For the Chinese, September has a special meaning as it’s August in the lunar calendar. And in August we have one of the most important festival that originates from the moon. From as far back as five thousand years ago, the moon has had a special place in the Chinese life and culture, and represent the time for family reunion.
Over the years , there have been many stories, folklore and poems about the moon. Last week, we introduced The night on 15th August (part 1) by DU Fu. Today, let us introduce (part 2) !
各位好，九月到了！九月意味著炎熱的暑期完結，學生重拾學業，一切回歸正軌。而對華人來說，九月更是特別的月份，因為在九月，同時是農曆的八月，我們擁有一個讓一家團圓的節日，一個來自月亮的節日。月亮，在華人心中一直有特別的意思，擁有最重要的文化意義，早在五千年前，中國人已開始祭祀月亮。月亮在華人心中代表團圓，與家人、宗族的團圓。故同時在我們離鄉時，月亮就代表著思念，思念家人。
在這樣的情況下，月亮在中國古代造就了很多故事、神話、同時也有無數以月亮為主題的詩歌。上星期我們介紹了杜甫的八月十五夜月（其一），今天就介紹（其二）吧！
The night on 15th August (part 2) by DU Fu 八月十五夜月（其二）- 杜甫
The meaning of the poem 作品大意
稍下巫山峽，猶銜白帝城。 Shāo xià wū shān xiá ， yóu xián bái dì chéng 。
氣沈全浦暗，輪仄半樓明。 Qì shěn quán pǔ àn ， lún zè bàn lóu míng 。
刁斗皆催曉，蟾蜍且自傾。 Diāo dǒu jiē cuī xiǎo ， chán chú qiě zì qīng 。
張弓倚殘魄，不獨漢家營。 Zhāng gōng yǐ cán pò ， bù dú hàn jiā yíng 。
The moon gradually lowers by the Wushan Gorge, as if it is hanging over Baidi City
月亮漸漸落下巫山峽，猶如被白帝城銜掛著。
The mist shrouds above the water and the river is so dark, the oblique moon is shining on half of the building
水上霧氣沉沉、江浦昏暗，如傾斜著的車輪般的月亮照亮了半座樓。
The sound of diāo dǒu urges the arrival of the new day, the moon has gradually moved aside
刁斗聲都在催促著天明，蟾蜍（明月）也自然傾斜。
The bows are fully extended under the moon, it is not only shining above the Han Family army.
張滿的弓倚著將落的月亮，不只是照著漢家的軍營。
Trivia fact 趣味小知識
Do you what a “diāo dǒu” is? It’s an apparatus made of cooper and used by the army in the old days. It has a handle and holds one “dǒu”, a unit of measurement in ancient China. One “dǒu” is about 10 litres or 7kg. The diāo dǒu is used as an cooking utensil during the day, and at night time its is carried around on patrol and struck every now and then.
大家知道詩中的「刁斗」是什麼嗎？原來，它是古代軍隊中使用的一種器具。它用銅製成，帶柄，容量為一斗。白天可以作為炊具，晚上可以用來敲擊巡更。
Highlights of the poem 精選詩句
氣沈全浦暗，輪仄半樓明 Qì shěn quán pǔ àn ， lún zè bàn lóu míng：
At the time of writing, DU Fu was away from home, avoid the conflicts and violence. It was the mid autumn festival, how can he not be sorrow? The river was shrouded with fog under the bright moon, normally this should be quite a romantic scene. Yet all he could see was the thick fog and the dark river. The bright moon shone on half of the building, and the other half was hiding behind the shadows, creating an evenmore sombre scene.
作者當時為避亂遠離家鄉，時逢中秋，內心又怎能不充滿哀怨呢？在月圓之夜江上霧氣瀰漫，本應是浪漫的場景。可此時作者的眼中只有霧沉沉、黑朦朦的江面。這時，蒼涼的月光照亮了半座樓，剩下的半座留在陰影中，更顯悲涼。作者情景交融，為本詩添上了淒清的色彩。
張弓倚殘魄，不獨漢家營 Zhāng gōng yǐ cán pò ， bù dú hàn jiā yíng ：
On the mid autumn night, the poet’s thought was with the soldiers from the Han Family Army. War is a brutal event, and on this particular night, would the soldiers miss their family more than usual? Once the moon sets, a new day begins, will there be another war? The poet could only think about the soldiers locked in battle, and the citizens caught up in all this. He was worried about his country and the nation.
在中秋之夜，作者想到了漢家營地中的士兵。戰爭本來就是殘酷的，在中秋這個普天同慶的日子裏，士兵們定會更加想念遠方的親人。月亮將落，新的一天還會有新的戰役嗎？作者心繫在戰火中掙扎的士兵與百姓，憂國憂民，實在偉大。
Next Monday will be our Mid Autumn Festival. Wish you all happy Mid Autumn!
下星期就是中秋節了，預祝各位中秋節快樂！
Posted from my blog with SteemPress :http://ccp-hk.vornix.blog/2018/09/20/ccp17/