By Ling-Ling Lisa Shih
From Ling-LingChinese.com
Yu Guangzhong (余光中),a Contemporary poet
乡愁 余光中余光中
乡愁 by 余光中
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 |
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:
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
