Remembrance Day and Flanders poppies Nov.11,2011

November 11 is Rememberance Day in Canada. People wear red poppies on their chests to remember the Dead who died in the wars, who died for the country,people and the peace,who died in young or old.

Today I read the newspaper,then I realized the Flanders poppy flowers that we wear on this day, that we see everywhere in the spring time in Chinese is called "Yu Ji's flower"("虞美人").A flower that has history root, a flower that can touch every Chinese's heart-it is "霸王别姬"之虞姬化成之"虞美人"啊!

 

三军散尽旌旗倒,玉帐佳人坐中老,香魂夜逐剑光飞,轻血化为原上草.

当年,西楚霸王困于垓下,兵孤粮尽,四面楚歌.虞姬拔剑自杀,鲜血落地,化为鲜艳的虞美人.

 

All the soldiers died with all the flags fallen down,

The hero-Ba Wang's beautiful mistress-Yu Ji was left in the tent,lonely,helpless

In the deep of the night,she took off the sword,took her won life in despair

With the royalism to her Ba Wang

The red blood flows into the grass,then the beautiful poppies grow...

 

A touching story that was told generations after generations, that in every Chinese's heart, that blood, still flows in every Chinese's heart...

 

Now, this beautiful,sad story twined ,we call "YU Ji's flower" is the field poppy, also called "Flanders poppy", that we wear every year in November.

 

Another sad story about the same beautiful flower.

 

There is a poem that is very famous by John McCrae (1872-1918)-In Flanders Fields will be recited on Nov.11 the Rememberance Day, that is also the root of the tradition of wearing the red poppies on our chests on that day.

 

                        In  Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses,row on row

That mark our peace,and in the sky

The larks,still bravely singing,fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

 

We are the Dead,short days ago

We lived,felt dawn,saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved,and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch;be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep,though poppies grow

In Flanders Fields.

 

                 在法兰德斯田野上

 

在法兰德斯田野上,罂粟花在风中飘扬

飘扬在成排成行的十字架中,一片一片的

标志着我们的和平,天空中

那云雀,还在密集的枪声中勇敢地歌唱,飞舞

偶尔飘入战士的耳中

 

我们死了,而几天前

我们还活着,迎接朝阳,看着鲜红落日落下...

我们爱着,也被爱着,现在我们死了

在法兰德斯田野上

接过我们对敌人的仇恨

从我们失败的双手

你接过那熊熊的火炬,举得高高的

如果你失去对我们战死的战士的信心

我们将死不瞑目,虽然罂粟花依然长

在法兰德斯田野上