2014-11-23

【Aiden in English】

            Moonlight reflects off the front of my bed.

            Could it be frost on the ground instead?

            I look up to view the bright moon ahead.

            Thoughts of hometown bring down my head.

                - Tang Dynasty Poet LI Bai (701-762 AD): In the Quiet Night

        Even though I am Chinese, I have little knowledge about Chinese classic poetry. I just haven't really seen it in my life either. This part of the Chinese culture has eluded me until today when the first poetry contest took place at Guanghua Chinese School in PA, which was organized by Principle Heng You and her team. Mom volunteered to take pictures for the events as usual. I, on the other hand, was going to spectate while she hopped around with her busy camera.

        Yet, what I didn't expect to see that more than 30 people of all ages participated the 100-poem competition, including parents and relatives. Some kids like Enya Su and Clare Chen looked as young as 5 years old from the kindergarten class and could barely read Chinese. However, Enya was fluently reciting the poems of Tang dynasty and the verses of Song dynasty with no hesitation.

【红霞译文】

                床前明月光，

                疑是地上霜。

                举头望明月，

                低头思故乡。

                —唐代诗人李白(公元701-762)﹕《静夜思》

        身为中国人，其实我对琅琅上口的中国古典诗词一点都不了解，中国古典诗词从未走进自己的生活中来，是个地地道道的门外汉，直到今天亲眼目睹由宾州光华中文学校游恒校长及其团队组织举行的首届“光华好诗词竞赛”，我才恍然大悟。妈妈依然拎着她那闲半勤的相机，随时捕捉各种动人场面，而我则远坐一旁静观赛事经纬。

        没想到来自全校各年级包括父母亲友在内的卅多人竞相参加了这次100首唐诗宋词吟诵活动，年龄最小的苏恩雅和陈昕然仅有五岁，方块汉字认不了多少，但背诵起经典诗词，一点看不出是今年秋季刚入学前班的新生，尤其恩雅对唐诗宋词毫不含糊。