By Ling-Ling Lisa Shih
From Ling-LingChinese.com
Yu Guangzhong (余光中),a Contemporary poet
余光中
乡愁 by 余光中
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnB7sIal_LQ
原文
小时侯 乡愁是一枚小小的邮票
我在这头 母亲在那头
长大后 乡愁是一张窄窄的船票
我在这头 新娘在那头
后来啊乡愁是一方矮矮的坟墓
我在外头 母亲在里头
而现在 乡愁是一湾浅浅的海峡
我在这头 大陆在那头
Nostalgia
by Yu Guangzhong
When I was a child,
Nostalgia seemed a small stamp:
“Here am I
And there ……my mother.”
Then I was a grown-up,
Nostalgia became a traveling ticket:
“Here am I
And there……my bride.”
During the later years,
Nostalgia turned to be a graveyard:
“Here am I
And yonder……my mother.”
And now at present,
Nostalgia looms large to be a channel:
“Here am I
And yonder……my Continent!”
Lyric in PDF: Xiang Chou_Pinyin and Chinese character
xiāng chóu | yú guāng | zhōng | xiǎo shí | hou4 | xiāng chóu | shì | yī | méi | xiǎo xiǎo | |
乡愁 | by | 余光 | 中 | 小时 | 候◆ | 乡愁 | 是 | 一 | 枚 | 小小 |
de | yóu piào | wǒ | zài | zhè | tóu | mǔ qīn | zài | nà | tóu | zhǎng dà | hòu | xiāng chóu |
的 | 邮票 | 我 | 在 | 这 | 头 | 母亲 | 在 | 那 | 头 | 长大 | 后 | 乡愁 |
shì | yī | zhāng zhǎi zhǎi | de | chuán piào | wǒ | zài | zhè | tóu | xīn niáng |
是 | 一 | 张窄窄 | 的 | 船票 | 我 | 在 | 这 | 头 | 新娘 |
zài | nà | tóu | hòu lái | ā | xiāng chóu | shì | yī fāng | ǎi | ǎi | de | fén mù |
在 | 那 | 头 | 后来 | 啊 | 乡愁 | 是 | 一方 | 矮 | 矮 | 的 | 坟墓 |
wǒ | zài wài | tóu | mǔ qīn | zài | lǐ tou | ér | xiàn zài | xiāng chóu | shì | yī |
我 | 在外 | 头 | 母亲 | 在 | 里头 | 而 | 现在 | 乡愁 | 是 | 一 |
wān | qiǎn | qiǎn | de | hǎi xiá | wǒ | zài | zhè | tóu | dà lù | zài | nà | tóu |
湾 | 浅 | 浅 | 的 | 海峡 | 我 | 在 | 这 | 头 | 大陆 | 在 | 那 | 头 |
See the following for different translation versions of this poem:
blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_4e276d2c0102dydc.html)
Nostalgia
translation: 杨钟琰
When I was a child,
Nostalgia seemed a small stamp:
“Here am I
and there my mother.”
Then I was a grown-up,
Nostalgia became a traveling ticket:
“Here am I
And there my bride.”
During the later years
Nostalgia turned to be a graveyard:
“Here am I
And yonder my mother.”
And now at present
Nostalgia looms large to be a channel:
“Here am I
and yonder my Continent!”
Vocabulary for Xiang Chou (Nostalgia)
ID | Chinese | Trad. | Pinyin | English Definition |
---|---|---|---|---|
ID | Chinese | Trad. | Pinyin | English Definition |
1 | 乡愁 ![]() |
鄉愁 | xiāngchóu | homesickness; nostalgia |
2 | 余光中 ![]() ![]() |
yúguāng | The poet’s name | |
3 | 中 ![]() |
zhōng | China; Chinese; surname Zhong; within; among; in; middle; center; while (doing sth); during; (dialect) OK; all right | |
4 | 小时候 ![]() |
小時候 | xiǎo shíhou | in one’s childhood |
5 | 是 ![]() |
昰 | shì | is; are; am; yes; to be; variant of 是 ; (used in given names) |
6 | 一 ![]() |
yī | one; 1; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; “one” radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. for greater clarity when spelling out numbers digit by digit | |
7 | 枚 ![]() |
méi | surname Mei; classifier for coins, rings, badges, pearls, sporting medals, rockets, satellites etc; tree trunk; whip; wooden peg, used as a gag for marching soldiers (old) | |
8 | 小小 ![]() |
xiǎoxiǎo | very small; very few; very minor | |
9 | 的 ![]() |
de | of; ~’s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute); (used to form a nominal expression); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis) | |
10 | 邮票 ![]() |
郵票 | yóu piào | (postage) stamp; Classifiers: 枚 |
11 | 我 ![]() |
wǒ | I; me; my | |
12 | 在 ![]() |
zài | (located) at; (to be) in; to exist; in the middle of doing sth; (indicating an action in progress) | |
13 | 这 ![]() |
這 | zhè | this; these; (commonly pr. before a classifier, esp. in Beijing) |
14 | 头 ![]() |
頭 | tóu | head; hair style; the top; end; beginning or end; a stub; remnant; chief; boss; side; aspect; first; leading; classifier for pigs or livestock; Classifiers:个 |
15 | 母亲 ![]() |
母親 | mǔ qīn | mother; also pr. |
16 | 那 ![]() |
nà | that; those; then (in that case); commonly pr. before a classifier, esp. in Beijing | |
17 | 长大 ![]() |
長大 | zhǎngdà | to grow up |
18 | 后 ![]() |
後 | hòu | surname Hou; empress; queen; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later |
19 | 张 ![]() |
張 | zhāng | surname Zhang; to open up; to spread; sheet of paper; classifier for flat objects, sheet; classifier for votes |
20 | 窄 ![]() |
zhǎi | narrow; narrow-minded; badly off | |
21 | 船票 ![]() |
chuánpiào | ship ticket | |
22 | 新娘 ![]() |
xīnniáng | bride | |
23 | 后来 ![]() |
後來 | hòu lái | afterwards; later |
24 | 啊 ![]() |
ā | interjection of surprise; Ah!; Oh! | |
25 | 一方 ![]() |
yī fāng | a party (in a contract or legal case); one side; area; region | |
26 | 矮 ![]() |
ǎi | low; short (in length) | |
27 | 坟墓 ![]() |
墳墓 | fén mù | sepulcher; tomb |
28 | 在外 ![]() |
zài wài | outer | |
29 | 里头 ![]() |
裡頭 | lǐ tou | inside; interior |
30 | 而 ![]() |
ér | and; as well as; and so; but (not); yet (not); (indicates causal relation); (indicates change of state); (indicates contrast) | |
31 | 现在 ![]() |
現在 | xiàn zài | now; at present; at the moment; modern; current; nowadays |
32 | 湾 ![]() |
灣 | wān | bay; gulf; to cast anchor; to moor (a boat) |
33 | 浅 ![]() |
淺 | qiǎn | shallow; light (color) |
34 | 海峡 ![]() |
海峽 | hǎi xiá | channel; strait |
35 | 大陆 ![]() |
大陸 | dà lù | mainland China (reference to the PRC); continent; mainland; Classifiers: 个 |
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnB7sIal_LQ
Downloadable Worksheets
Xiang Chou_Pinyin and Chinese character
Xiang Chou_Vocabulary Worksheets
Vocabulary Quiz Worksheet for Nostalgia
Questions for Class Discussion:
- How many stanzas can the poem be divided into? Can you find different time periods in the poem?
- What are the four key nouns/objects the poet uses to symbolize “homesickness?”
- What are the measure words used with these four objects/nouns?
Vocabulary Quiz Worksheet for Nostalgia (乡愁)
By Ling-Ling Shih
Select an appropriate time phrase, location vocabulary, or a measure word to fill in the following blanks.
后来 现在 长大后 小时候
这头 里头 那头
湾 张 方 枚
__________
乡愁是一_____小小的邮票
我在这头 母亲在_________
__________
乡愁是一______窄窄的船票
我在这头 新娘在那头
__________啊
乡愁是一______矮矮的坟墓
我在外头 母亲在________
而__________
乡愁是一______浅浅的海峡
我在________ 大陆在那头
Listen the clip of the following video between 14:30 to 15:45 to hear the poem and see the poet in the video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJOX9eeseF8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syENYgRagyg
For Teacher only: Lesson_Plan for YuGuangZhong_Poem-Nostalgia or go to the following link: Lesson Plan for Yu Guang Zhong’s Xiang Chou
By Ling-Ling Lisa Shih
From Ling-LingChinese.com