Dragon Festival 端午节随想：想到了《屈原》, 想到了《桔颂》

端午节随想：想到了《屈原》, 想到了《桔颂》

 

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:

橘颂

 
屈原

 
后皇嘉树，橘徕服兮。受命不迁，生南国兮。 
深固难徙，更壹志兮。绿叶素荣，纷其可喜兮。 
曾枝剡棘，圜果抟兮。青黄杂糅，文章烂兮。 
精色内白，类任道兮。纷缊宜脩，姱而不丑兮。 
嗟尔幼志，有以异兮。独立不迁，岂不可喜兮？ 
深固难徙，廓其无求兮。苏世独立，横而不流兮。 
闭心自慎，终不失过兮。秉德无私，参天地兮。 
愿岁并谢，与长友兮。淑离不淫，梗其有理兮。 
年岁虽少，可师长兮。行比伯夷，置以为像兮。

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:

端午节寄语 (本文作者加注）
 

胡智明

岁月的海，潮起潮又落。端午，不仅仅只是乘载着思念与悲伤。也许，给人一个轻松的节日气氛，才算是真正令人愉悦的‘’过节之道‘’。

书一笔清远，盈一抹暖阳，一指苍茫处，淡淡流年香。日子是用于流淌的，节日是用于思念的，在此，祝大家端午节安康！