2024-06-22 National Onion Ring Day

【Areopagitica】

John Milton (1608-1674)

Where there is much desire to learn, there of necessity will be much arguing, much writing, many opinions; for opinion in good men is but knowledge in the making.

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【《论出版自由》】

(英国)约翰·

2024-06-22 World Rainforest Day

【Sesame and Lilies】

John Ruskin (1819-1900)

        For all books are divisible into two classes: the books of the hour, and the books of all time. Mark this distinction - it is not one of quality only. It is not merely the bad book that does not last, and the good one that

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,

&nbs

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,

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：

        &n

2016-07-19

【Hamlet • My Love】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

             Doubt thou the stars are fire；

             Doubt that the sun doth move；

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?

            H

2016-07-19

【Aiden in English】

        Time always flows forward. 

        It's quite a coincidence that we visited Stonehenge on the last day of our 27-day journey. As I have said many times, time inevitably brings everything to an end, such as my European summe

2016-07-17

【Aiden in English／红霞译】

With a beginning comes the end. 时有终始。

—— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • —— • ——

【Tomorrow】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Where art thou, beloved To-morrow?

2016-07-16

【Mistress Mine】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

            O, mistress! Where are you roaming?

            O! Stay and hear; your true love is coming

2016-07-16

【True Love • Sonnet 116】

William Shakespeare (1564—1616)

         Let me not to the marriage of the minds

         Admit impediments. Love is not love

         Which alters when it alteration finds,

         Or bends with the remover to

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

  &nbs

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

2016-07-16

【A Lament】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

             O world! O life! O time!

             On whose last steps I climb,

             Trembling at that where I

2016-07-16

【Aiden in English】

        One would think that the British are strict in regulation. The one area in which this does not come into play is recreation. As much as Americans are stereotypical, the residents in the UK have fun, too. Although we probably would never admit it, their country, in recent years, has been

2016-07-15

【When Soft Voices Die】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Music, when soft voices die

            Vibrates in the memory

            Odors, when sweet v

2016-07-15

【To a Skylark】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

         Hail to thee, blithe Spirit!

         Bird thou never wert,

         That from Heaven, or near it,

         Pourest thy full heart

         In profuse strains of

2016-07-15

【Ozymandias】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

         I met a traveler from an antique land,

         Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

         Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,

         Half sunk a shattered vi

2016-07-15

【Aiden in English】

        I don't believe in monsters that live at the bottom of lakes and have never been seen or detected by modern instruments. I also don't believe in monsters that eat humans. But apparently, most of the world thinks otherwise... 

     &nbs

2016-07-14

【Ode to the West Wind • V】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

             Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:

             What if my leaves are falling like its own!

             The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

  &

2016-07-14

【Ode to the West Wind • IV】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

         If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;

         If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;

         A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share

       &nbs

2016-07-14

【Ode to the West Wind • III】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

       Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams

       The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,

       Lull'd by the coil of his cryst{`a}lline streams,

    &nbs

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,

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,

2016-07-14

【Love's Philosophy】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            The fountains mingle with the river,

            And the rivers with the ocean;

            T

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. It is standard in the countryside for a farmer to uncover or settle next to mysterious pieces of rock

2016-07-13

【Rise Like Lions】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            Rise like lions after slumber

            In unvanquishable number——

            Shake your chains

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. 

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 freezi

2016-07-12

【To — • II】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            I fear thy mien, thy tones, thy motion,

            Thou needest not fear mine;

            Innocen

2016-07-12

【To — • I】

Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792—1822)

            I fear thy kisses, gentle maiden,

            Thou needest not fear mine;I

            My spiri

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

            Fro

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

       &nbs

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 potent, alcoholic beverage that every Scottish man enjoys. For every second, two percent

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

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

        &nb

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

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,  

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.

  &n

2016-07-11

【Aiden in English】

        Notice how I'm referring to it as "Northern" Ireland. It is technically a different country, as it operates under a separate government and leadership, but it is still considered part of the UK. Ireland was divided when the nation declared independence from

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;

           &nbs

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 across the English Isles with Kirkwall on the Caribbean Princess. I've mentioned before that this ship was built in 2006, appears to be new,

2016-06-24

【When We Two Parted】

George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)

                When we two parted

                In silence and tears,

         &n

2016-06-24

【Aiden in English】

        The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has a monarchy. Although Her Majesty isn't in that much power anymore, the country has unique attributes derived from its government's history. One such tradition is the changing of the guard. 

 &nb

2016-06-23

【Don Juan • Excerpt】

George Gordon Byron (1788—1824)

         I want a hero: an uncommon want,

         When every year and month sends forth a new one,

         Till, after cloying the gazettes with cant,

         The age discovers he i

2016-06-23

【Aiden in English】

        London is a miserable city. Not that it feels anything much more than the constant renovations of busy ants building their homes, but it simply has a depressing vibe. One would say it is because of us, the wars, the rants of nonsense, or the crazy Shakespeare plays. Never