【英文诗歌】Tomb-Sweeping Day

Loon

Tomb-Sweeping Day

So much I've missed
the incense

the joss paper
for burning

the incessant rain
sad like tears

the deep pools of your eyes -
impossible to see through

the oblation - the rice wine
sprinkled before the grave

the thick smell
of the swirling smoke

the praying words -
spring after spring

my polluted heart is
cleansed, then

rejuvenated
again.


(minor edit)

Rhapsodia

I wonder nowadays how many people could really experience the tomb-sweeping the way you described here. It reminds me of my childhood tomb-sweeping in a spring when my grandma took me to her ancestral graveyard.

Loon

Rhapsodia 发表于 2011-4-4 04:24
I wonder nowadays how many people could really experience the tomb-sweeping the way you described he ...

Thanks for the read and response. That's why it is said "So much I've missed...", but I believe there are still quite a number of people doing it. And of course, the feel is quite different than that of many years ago. That's more important.

自娱自乐

A very nice one indeed!

I wonder if both of you would really have had any opportunity to experience such a thing when you were young. Well, let's say you are in your 40s (hypothetically speaking), 30 years ago, did China have a full-scale resurrection of the old traditions?   

海外逸士

does "tomb-sweeping" mean to sweep a tomb as with a broom?  if not, use another name for 清明節.  清明節不能譯作掃墓節。on that day, people just go to pay respect to their ancestral graves, not to sweep the tomb.

海外逸士

does "tomb-sweeping" mean to sweep a tomb as with a broom?  if not, use another name for 清明節.  清明節不能譯作掃墓節。on that day, people just go to pay respect to their ancestral graves, not to sweep the tomb.

Loon

谢谢海外先生来访及质疑。我承认我是用了一个现成的表达，经您这一问， 又去查了一下，结果如下：

The holiday is known by a number of names in the English language:
•        All Souls Day (not to be confused with the Roman Catholic holiday, All Souls Day, of the same name)
•        Clear Bright Festival
•        Ancestors Day
•        Festival for Tending Graves
•        Grave Sweeping Day
•        Chinese Memorial Day
•        Tomb Sweeping Day
•        Spring Remembrance
Tomb Sweeping Day and Clear Bright Festival are the most common English translations of Qingming Festival. Tomb Sweeping Day is used in several English language newspapers published in Taiwan.

扫墓可分修整墓园、祭祖及压纸三个步骤。 修整墓园的工作主要是清扫墓地，铲除杂草树根，修复损坏的部份，或重新描写墓碑的字迹， 使其焕然一新。（用扫把扫去坟墓周围的残枝树叶也是有的，我想。）

~~
扫墓是清明节活动之一，当然还包括很多其它活动如：踏青赏春，放风筝、荡秋千、插柳等一系列风俗体育活动。如要包括的广一些，那么Qingming Festival也是可取的。只是对老外来说，不能一眼就看出是什么样的节日。

Loon

回复 自娱自乐 的帖子

谢谢自娱来读并留言。
哦， 我是在电视电影中看来的。hehehe, just kidding.
不过，小时扫墓时内心总是有些害怕的感觉。
农村对扫墓更盛行，是吧。
我想我是想念亲人了， 想家了。唉。

海外逸士

這些都是中國人翻譯的﹐充滿中國味道。其中有些是可取的。中國人說清明去掃墓。
這個說法沒錯﹐但古代沒有掃墓節這個專門名稱。能否在古籍裡找到“掃墓節”這
個名稱﹖現代人的東西不作數。現代人是亂來的﹐不繼承傳統說法。

Loon

現代人是亂來的﹐不繼承傳統說法。

海老直言。
您一定不赞成推广简体字。但我不反对繁体字。