"Green lifes also have ardour. I discovered it just after the frost."
This is a line of a famous Chinese poem. I just translated it woodenly. I really like this line which shows the perceptual thought of the poet. Once he walked in sugarbush, he picked up a maple leaf. The fresh red color moved him and awoke a pleasant sensation. So he wrote such a line.
Maybe you wonder why I mentioned it. Several days ago, when I was waiting for my school bus, I noticed a kind of plant by accident. The leaves of this unknown plant really surprised me. They were in the shape of ellipse and became pointed at the bottom of both two sides. On the surface, they were no more special than other green leaves. But when I turned one of them over, I found that the other side was red! It was incredible that two of the extreme colors existed in such one small issue of nature. Then the line of the poem occurred to me. That moment I was moved just like the poet.
Maybe it is common for Singaporeans to see such plant. But it is totally different to me, a girl brought up in northern China, who used to see red maple leaves in autumn. They always bring me hope and make me more optimistic. I was happy because I would never say goodbye to lovely red leaves even in Singapore, where almost every leaf is green.
Moreover, it also woke up some of my precious memory about my hometown. Suddenly I wanted to pick up one. Perhaps I should post it to my friend who I missed much. But I stopped myself. Arranged by fate or decided by myself, I am already in Singapore, where I’ll spend at least 10 years. Whether I see the leaves or not, I will still miss the person I miss and also be the perceptual person what I used to be. After all, people shouldn’t always live in the shade of the past. When environment changes, mood should be changed. It is me who lead my own life.
Quietly, I breathe, feeling the ardour represented by the red leaves flowing into my body.
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Wow,can you tell me the poem in Chinese? Yes, it is really surprising that two extreme colors exit in the same leaf. Maybe all things have two sides. human beings are also without exception. So which side would you like to show to the public?
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ReplyDeletewow~perceptual！I also like to observe different leaves, different flowers, just like different heart presented to the world. Red leaves convey a missing meaning,especially when falling. which is beautiful but gloomy. It is absolutely right that we should not live in the shade of the past. Face the new world with a fresh mood.
ReplyDeletei must say that you are so observant!
ReplyDeleteA nice penmanship!After reading your and Wang Jun's blogs,I feel that I am still a little child in mind while you have already possessed mature and deep thoughts.To grow or not to grow,that's a question.^^
ReplyDeleteMaybe we are the same.The scenes I spent with my best friends frequently come to my mind.But I think Life is a journey,no beginning,no destination...Someone came into you sight,then came out.You have to enjoy new scenery and meet new friends.Because you have to travel...
ReplyDeletebeautiful vision and secret mind!You have a quality suggestive of poetry and painting!Good job!
ReplyDeleteHi Elain, it's wonderful how some very simple things of nature like a fallen leaf can effect such an ardour. That's the beauty of life - beauty is ALL around us, only if we care to notice. Beauty makes us reflect on ourself, our relationships, just as you did; beauty makes us love life, it makes us happy. Look around more at the flowers, the shape of the blades of grass, notice the ants, the squirrel... Well done.
ReplyDeleteYes,sometimes when i see the natural things, i can also think of the past. I like your saying " people shouldn’t always live in the shade of the past" We are living a different life now, and will keep being like this for nearly 10 years. quite a long time. So overcome homesick is important. I quite agree with you.
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