2016-08-27

【Aiden in English】

        Youth Field Day is a great way to get people outside. With a great sponsor in Montgomery County of PA, the day features an amazing range of fun activities for children aged between 9 and 15 years old. It allows children to walk away from their computers and do something productive.

        First things first, I apologize for being such a hypocrite. If you haven’t noticed, I am pr

2016-07-19

【Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? • Sonnet 18】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

         Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

         Thou art more lovely and more temperate:

         Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,

         And summer's lease hath all to short a date:

         Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shi

2016-07-19

【As to behold desert a beggar born • Sonnet 66】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

         Tired with all these, for restful death I cry,

         As to behold desert a beggar born,

         And needy nothing trimm'd in jollity,

         And purest faith unhappily forsworn,

         And gilded honour shamefully misplac'd,

      &nb

2016-07-19

【My Mistress’ Eyes Are Nothing like the Sun • Sonnet 130】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

             My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun；

          Coral is far more red than her lips’ red：

             If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun；

             If hai

2016-07-19

【Hamlet • My Love】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

             Doubt thou the stars are fire；

             Doubt that the sun doth move；

             Doubt truth to be a liar；

             But never doubt I love．

—— ̶

2016-07-19

【Tell Me Where Is Fancy Bred】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

            Tell Me, Where Is Fancy Bred,

            Or in the heart, or in the head?

            How begot, how nourished?

            Reply, reply．

      &nbs

2016-07-19

【Aiden in English】

        Time always flows forward. 

        I must say, it's quite a coincidence that we visited Stonehenge on the last day of our 27-day-long journey. As I have said in many instances, time makes everything have an ending, such as my European summer vacation. Many describe it as cruel to be so uncompassionate, so unforgiving. But for the Neolithic Stonehenge, time is the only th

2016-07-18

【Bestiary: the Parade of Orpheus • The Serpent】

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)

            You set yourself against beauty.

            And how many women have been

            victims of your cruelty!

            Eve, Eurydice, Cleop

2016-07-18

【Bestiary: the Parade of Orpheus • The Octopus】

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)

                 Hurling his ink at skies above,

                 Sucking the blood of what he loves

                 And finding it delicious,

                 Is myself the monster, vicious.

—— • —— ̶

2016-07-18

【Le Pont Mirabeau】

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)

         Under the Mirabeau bridge flows the Seine

         And our loves

         Must I remember them

         Joy always followed pain

        &nb

2016-07-18

【Au lac de tes yeux】

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)

                 Au lac de tes yeux très profond

                 Mon pauvre cœur se noie et fond

                 Là le défont

                 Dans l’eau d’amour et de folie

                 Souvenir et Mél

2016-07-18

【Rhineland Night】

Guillaume Apollinaire (1880—1918)

      My glass is full of wine, trembling like a flame

      Listen to the slow song of the boatman

     Who tells of seeing seven women under the light of the moon

      Twisting their long green hair to their feet

      Standing, you sing louder and dance around

&

2016-07-18

【Aiden in English】

        Finally, we're going into a brand new country. Not to offend any Englishmen, but you're getting old. Therefore, out with the old and in with the new. 

        Paris is the face of modern Europe. Although the UK literally runs every atom of the continent, France still has its symbol hammered into each century of the Common Era. Sure, the English has the popular idea of

2016-07-17

【Aiden in English／红霞译文】

With a beginning comes the end. 时有终始。

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【Tomorrow】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Where art thou, beloved To-morrow?

            When young and old, and strong and weak,

2016-07-16

【Mistress Mine】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

            O, mistress! Where are you roaming?

            O! Stay and hear; your true love is coming

                That can sing both high and low.

            Trip no further, pret

2016-07-16

【Astrophil and Stella 31 • With How Sad Steps, O Moon】

Philip Sidney (1554—1586)

         With how sad steps, O moon, thou climb’st the skies!

         How silently, and with how wan a face!

         What! may it be that even in a heavenly place

         That busy archer his sharp arrow tries?

         Sure, if that long-with-love-acquainted eyes

  &nb

2016-07-16

【Leave Me, O Love】

Philip Sidney (1554—1586)

         Leave me, O Love, which reachest but to dust；

         And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things；

         Grow rich in that which never taketh rust．

         Whatever fades, but fading pleasure brings．

         Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might

         To that sweet yoke wh

2016-07-14

【Ode to the West Wind • II】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

         Thou on whose stream, mid the steep sky's commotion,

         Loose clouds like the earth's decaying leaves are shed,

         Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,

         Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread

         On the blue surface of thine a{:e}ry surge

2016-07-14

【Ode to the West Wind • I】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

           O wild West Wind, thou breathe of Autumn's being,

           Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead

           Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

           Yellow, and black, and pale, and hect

2016-07-14

【Love's Philosophy】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            The fountains mingle with the river,

            And the rivers with the ocean;

            The winds of heaven mix forever,

            With a sweet emotion;

    &n

2016-07-14

【Aiden in English】

        In the UK, there are thousands of stone circles. Not to crush any dreams, but unfortunately, Stonehenge near London is not a one-of-a-kind weird stone structure built in a circle in England. In fact, it is quite common in the countryside for a farmer to uncover or settle next to mysterious pieces of rocks. Some say they are alien, or even supernatural, which gets many people to scratch their heads. We are going to see Stonehenge later on,

2016-07-13

【Rise Like Lions】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Rise like lions after slumber

            In unvanquishable number——

            Shake your chains to earth like dew

            Which in sleep had fallen on you——

    &nb

2016-07-13

【Aiden in English】

         The ocean is life; 

         You stare at your mirror self on the waters, 

         Being disorientated by waves through time. 

         So you change with the flow... 

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【红霞译文】

2016-07-12

【A Widow Bird】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

             A widow bird sate mourning for her love

             Upon a wintry bough;

             The frozen wind crept on above,

             The freezing stream below.

             There was no l

2016-07-12

【To — • II】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            I fear thy mien, thy tones, thy motion,

            Thou needest not fear mine;

            Innocent is the heart's devotion

            With which I worship thine.

—— • —— R

2016-07-12

【To — • I】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            I fear thy kisses, gentle maiden,

            Thou needest not fear mine;I

            My spirit is too deeply laden

            Ever to burthen thine.

—— • —— • —— R

2016-07-12

【On Fanny Godwin】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Her voice did quiver as we parted,

            Yet knew I not that heart was broken

            From which it came, and I departed

            Heeding not the words then spoken.

  &

2016-07-12

【The Past】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

        Wilt thou forget the happy hours

        Which we buried in love's sweet bowers,

        Heaping over their corpses cold

        Blossoms and leaves, instead of mould?

        Blossoms which were the joys that fell,

2016-07-12

【Aiden in English】

        Do the people of Scotland drink whisky, without an "e"? Well, they do, and it is probably the most popular drink. With a requirement to be fermented for three years, it is a powerful, alcoholic beverage that every Scottish man enjoys. For every second, two percent of an atom evaporates, and whisky aged over forty years has a price that nearly might as well be priceless. Perhaps to be the Scottish, you must be

2016-07-11

【A Dirge】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

                 Rough wind,that moanest loud

                 Grief too sad for song;

                 Wild wind,when sullen cloud

                 Knells all the night long;

2016-07-11

【The Moon】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

             And, like a dying lady lean and pale,

             Who totters forth, wrapp'd in a gauzy veil,

             Out of her chamber, led by the insane

             And feeble wanderings of her fading brain,

             The mood arose up in the murky east,

2016-07-11

【A Hate-Song】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

          A hater he came and sat by a ditch,

          And he took an old cracked lute;

        And he sang a song which was more of a screech

          'Gainst a woman that was a brute.

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【《恨歌》】

穿越山谷者•昏暗•雪莱(1

2016-07-11

【The Indian Serenade】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

               I arise from dreams of thee

               In the first sweet sleep of night,

               When the winds are breathing low,  

               And the stars are shining bright:  

               I arise f

2016-07-11

【Stanzas For Music】

George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)

There's not a joy the world can give like that it takes away

When the glow of early thought declines in feeling's dull decay;

'Tis not on youth's smooth cheek the blush alone, which fades so fast,

But the tender bloom of heart is gone, ere youth itself be past.

Then the few whose spirits float above the wreck of happiness

Are driven o'er the shoals of guilt, or ocean of ex

2016-07-11

【Aiden in English】

        Notice how I'm calling it "Northern" Ireland. It technically is a different country, since it uses a separate government and leadership, but is still considered a part of the UK. Ireland was divided when the nation declared independence from Great Britain, with a fourth of the people saying they were against farmers being the dominating power. So Northern Ireland was formed. There isn't much differenc

2016-07-10

【Leda and the Swan】

William Butler Yeats (1865—1939)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for Wintering Out in 1923〗

          A sudden blow: the great wings beating still

          Above the staggering girl, her thighs caressed

          By the dark webs, her nape caught in his bill,

          He holds her helpless breast upon his breast.

          How can those terrified va

2016-07-10

【When You Are Old】

William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for "Leda and the Swan" in 1923〗

        When you are old and gray and full of sleep,

          And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

          And slowly read, and dream of the soft look

          Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;

    &n

2016-07-10

【Travel】 

Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for Wintering Out Poetry in 1995〗

             Oxen supporting their heads

             into the afternoon sun,

             melons studding the hill like brass:

             who reads into distances reads

             beyond us, our sleeping childre

2016-07-10

【Oracle】 

Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for Wintering Out Poetry in 1995〗

                Hide in the hollow trunk

                of the willow tree,

                its listening familiar,

     &nb

2016-07-10

【Aiden in English】

        The Irish are a much-labeled type of people, with stereotypes haunting every aspect of their culture. Oh, well, some may say they like the color green, but it actually is quite unlucky for their culture. Leprechauns are real people. They just were mistaken as mythical beings by the locals. Then again, I'm not sure what you would call people randomly popping out of hillsides. Relatively, the version of the 600 B.C.E

2016-07-09

【Broagh】 

Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for Wintering Out Poetry in 1995〗

                Riverbank, the long rigs

                ending in broad docken

                and a canopied pad

2016-07-09

【Anahorish】 

Seamus Heaney (1939-2013)

〖Nobel Prize in Literature for Wintering Out Poetry in 1995〗

                My ‘place of clear water’,

                the first hill in the world

                where springs washed into

2016-07-09

【Wedding Day】

Seamus Heaney (1939—2013)

〖Nobel Prize for Literature of Wintering Out Poetry in 1995〗

                      I am afraid.

                Sound has stopped in the day

                And the images reel over

                And over. Why

2016-07-09

【Aiden in English】

        I'm not a very superstitious type of person. Not that I don't say a favored team of mine is going to win because I wear my lucky socks since they are considered lucky. The supernatural, fictional idea of having an outside force changing an outcome for the unfavored is not only for the weak but also an unreliable source. This is why your parents don't want you to gamble because you will always lose money. I

2016-07-08

【I picked this flower for you on the hilltop…】

Victor Hugo (1802—1885)

      I picked this flower for you on the hilltop.

      In the steep scarp that overhangs the tide,

      Which only eagles know and only they can reach,

      Calmly she grew on the rock's creviced side.

     Darkness was bathing all the slopes of the bleak promontory.

      In the place wher

2016-07-08

【Lamentation of Damaris】

George Métivier (1790—1881)

          Old Fountain Street’s all in a flutter,

          Its dwellers are all in a stew,

          There is growling from garret to gutter,

          That the old must give place to the new!

          Damaris harangueth her neighbours,

          And bitterly

2016-07-08

【Aiden in English】

        The first stop of our English Isles cruise is at the small island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands, the sunshine island. The natives are "stubborn as a mule, with a kick like a horse!" Being a part of the Crown dependencies, it is considered the last remnants of the medieval Duchy of Normandy, although not the UK. In other words, Guernsey people take great pride that they are allied with Britain, but not co

2016-07-07

【She Walks in Beauty】

George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)

            She walks in Beauty, like the night

            Of cloudless climes and starry skies;

            And all that's best of dark and bright

            Meet in her aspect and her eyes:

&n

2016-07-07

【Aiden in English】

        Today starts the final stretch of our journey. The cruise on the Regal Princess is over, but no worries. Our trip will continue to go across English Islets with Kirkwall on the Caribbean Princess. I've mentioned before that this ship was made in 2006, which, seemingly new, is quite old. While mom usually is the planning and organized person, the transformation from one boat to the next is very different. 

2016-07-06

【A Life】

Henrik Nordbrandt (1945—)

   You struck a match and its flame blinded you

   so you couldn’t find what you were looking for in the darkness

   before the match burned out between your fingers

   and pain made you forget what you were looking for.

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【《一种生活》】

统帅•诺德布兰德(1945生—)