Weather Foretold 
My Sandy River
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Reasons and Justice
Oriole Songs by Kong Shiu Loon
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Author Archives: acyho
China Meets Herself (2)– Buddhist Rites at Jing An Temple__Kong Shiu Loon
Tradition and Passage 
Could a Buddhist temple, established at the time of the Tree Kingdoms (247 AD), be standing and thriving in the center of Shanghai today?
To seek the answer one needs to pass through West Nanjing Road, the old British Concession, to see the gold pillars and tilting roof corners in the midst of a forest of the glass-front sky scrapers. The Temple Jing An 靜安, meaning serene comfort, has a name that tells its lasting and respected presence in China’s most flamboyant metropolis, nick-named, once upon a time, ‘The Paradise of Daring Explorers’.
長青藤大學見聞__Don Chen 陳柏齡
我們一家四人，開車到達了 New Hampshire 州，一個名叫 Hanover 的小鎮，參觀長青藤名校Dartmouth。
午飯時候，媽媽和孩子們繼續 school tour 行程，我覺得既然已經聽了 infos session。對學校有所了解，我不需再步行深入認識了。
我單獨一人在學校的 “downtown” 大街漫無目的遊蕩。 在這盛夏時節，突然之間，有幾聲旱天雷，跟著風雲變，下起了暴雨。我匆忙中走進一間 Diner，避雨兼醫肚。
Diner 內燈火通明，顧客如雲。Diner 外天昏地暗，雷電交加。
我排隊等待有十五分鐘，坐下在角落的小餐桌。有一白婦侍應，年齡六十來歲，上前招呼，她手腳利落，一看就知道是那種做了幾十年 waitress 的人。
“What do you want to have? Honey.”
送蓬仙兄返裡有感 (1916) 周恩來(1898-1976)
相逢萍水亦前緣 負笈津門豈偶然
捫虱傾談驚四座 持螯下酒話當年
險夷不變應嘗膽 道義爭擔敢息肩
待得歸農功滿日 他年預卜買鄰錢
[《送蓬仙兄返裡有感》三首詩，作於一九一六年初，以“飛飛”的筆名發表於《敬業》第四期上。詩題中的“蓬仙兄”，是周恩來的同學好友張蓬仙，東北吉林人。 他在一九一三年秋和周恩來同時考進天津南開學校，是“敬業樂群會”的三個發起人之一，並任會長。 週任副會長兼《敬業》主編。 他由東北老家去日本後一年，周恩來也去了日本，常有交往。 “九·一八”前後，張蓬仙貧病交加，死於北京。]
Seeing Peng Hsien Homebound (1916) Three Poems 江紹倫譯
初見紅楓__余晃英
初見紅楓 (2012年9月22日)
涼風颯颯夏疾收
歲月無聲偷換秋
楓葉早沾濃洌味
半樹泛紅醉方休
[ Dear Mr Tam,
Saw some new red maple leaves this morning. Such picturesque scenery might remind you of your stay in Toronto. From Vancouver I send you get-well wishes with this verbal picture and hope it brings a sense of beauty and calmness with it.
Respectfully,
Yu Fong Ying (61 grad) ]
《次皞如夫子傷時事原韻》 (1916) 周恩來 (1898-1976)
茫茫大陸起風雲 舉國昏沉豈足雲
最是傷心秋又到 蟲聲唧唧不堪聞
[ 張皞如《傷時事原韻》原詩:
太平希望付煙雲，誤國人才何足雲；
孤客天涯空涕淚，傷心最怕讀新聞。
《次皞如夫子傷時事原韻》，是周恩來為反對張勛復辟而寫的重要作品。 一九一六年，袁世凱死後，張勛為了打擊孫中山先生領導的民主革命，處心積慮，勾結各地軍閥，在徐州訂立臭名昭著的北洋七省軍事攻守同盟，妄圖復辟封建帝制。 “皞如夫子”，即張皞如先生。 他當時是天津市南開學校的教師，有愛國民主思想，支持學生的進步活動，曾應“敬業樂群會”的邀請，欣然加入該會的詩團。 當他從報紙上看到軍閥徐州會盟的消息時，十分氣憤，疾書《傷時事》一詩。 周恩來讀後，當即步韻奉和一首，一同發表在《敬業》第五期上。
周恩來和詩，從軍閥重開戰的風雲突變寫起，明確地指出，由反動軍閥所造成的“舉國昏沉”的黑暗局面，是不足道的，表現出敢於蔑視強暴和立志變革現實的革命精神。 後兩句，以草木搖落的秋天和淒切哀婉的蟲鳴作為像徵，暗示了封建軍閥張勛之輩復辟倒退的喧囂，正如秋蟲一樣，不過是死前的悲鳴而已。
－－引自周秉德《周恩來詩聯集箋注》序 ]
Reply to Master Kao Yu
Grieving Over Current Events (1916) 江紹倫譯
Winds and clouds whirl over our motherland violent
Need it be said that our countrymen are dozy and indolent
The biggest torment is that autumn is again here
Whence noisy insects their chirrs pierce the ear
China Meets Herself (1)–A Funeral in Shanghai__Kong Shiu Loon
Introduction
I wrote China Meets the World, a series of eight articles on the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of China’s opening policy. They had documented the historic and individual events surrounding the change from a closed China to her wish to connect with the world. The first article indicated the immense difficulty of educating the change pioneers to adjust to a world of diverse possibilities, when they were trained to believe that everything must be measured by a dichotomized scale of rights and wrongs.
I am writing this series of China Meets Herself now, three years later, to mark out some of the behaviors and questions that have emerged among the different generations of people of urban China today. They reflect their response to the huge change that is taking place, as China attempts to live with herself, and to play a pivotal role in the one-world reality.
11 years ago__Rose Ho
Eleven years ago, I was scheduled on a UA flight back from Hong Kong to Toronto (via Chicago) for my annual vacation on September 11. That was the day when the WTC and the Pentagon were attacked and the former fell. As of this day, I still feel I was very lucky and blessed to have escaped this disaster.
If I hadn’t had earlier availability in the work schedule….if I hadn’t kept chasing UA for a change to an earlier flight….if I hadn’t been put on the flight of September 8, 2001…. ….I would then be ….at best stuck in the air or in some boonie land, and at worst, vanished from this world.
Eleven years had gone by, I still felt grateful….not only for that trip, but for every safe trip I made.
Teacher by SL Kong
Teacher by Kong Shiu Loon
Those were years of social transition
When teaching was still an admired profession
Young men and women saw it as a lifelong career
Helping children grow and thrive was a challenging frontier
I watched Ms Ho handling a pupil sent to her for disciplining
He had wronged a classmate with swearing and spitting
Ms Ho asked and patiently listened to the pupil his story
He showed defiance and elegance telling her not to worry
It was a long counseling session lasting for half an hour
In the end the pupil recognized his wrongs with tears and a deep bow
Ms Ho was in charge of disciplining pupils other teachers could not handle
Soft-spoken and sincere she approached them to win their hearts almost in total
Teaching to impart knowledge is one easy job
To help children see themselves and to be free and good is another job
Children of the computer age require not information from books
They must learn to know self and others to develop perspective outlooks
I remember Ms Ho handling eight or nine difficult pupils every week
There were times when she and pupil came to terms together weeped
I asked once why she had accepted such nervy tasks so willingly
She said giving herself to teaching came only naturally
[Before the 1997, Teachers’ Day 教師節 was on September 28. After the handover to the People’s Republic of China, the day was changed to September 10, which is when the PRC celebrates the holiday — Wikipedia]
Cool Wind and Moon Bright__Kong Shiu Loon
Bright Moon and Buddha
My mother told me when I was nine
Life is fair and fine within Buddha’s sight
You must be diligent and you must try
You are your own Buddha in life
The moon is the Buddha I learned at night
She always shines to keep the dark world bright
To give those who seek wisdom and peace of mind
A renewing respite after continuing strive
Quietly she guides
To give all followers directions and delight
She is always right
Because in you she resides
My mother is now gone
But the wisdom she had left behind
Is forever in me shone my guide
She is my Buddha and moon lifelong