Plaque: A tribute to mum

Sunday, March 27, 2011

A plaque for Mom's grave during Qing Ming visit








I visited mum's grave today with family to observe Qing Ming. For this visit, I came with a plaque that I DIY from material that hopefully can survive the elements of hot sun and rains. I also took along some fertilizer to spread on the two potted plants; one plant is thriving while the other one does not seem to be able to survive for long. Hopefully, this sick plant can recover eventually. I was pleasantly surprised to see how good a fit the plaque goes into the narrow space at the bottom left hand area as I had made the plaque without knowing for sure where it can find a good resting place. Anyway, there is a melancholy yet pleasant mandarin song which I would like to share with visitors. The words of this poem by the poet Christina Rosetti (The poem followed the youtube video) was translated into mandarin by a famous Chinese poet who studied at Cambridge during the early part of the 20th century and this was in turn used to make into a song by a gifted Taiwanese song writer. This song's name is simply "Song" graced a Taiwanese movie from the 1970s and it was sung by the then young actress-Slyvia Chang who not only acted and sang in a long career but later went on to an illustrious period as a versatile and highly successful film maker.




When I am dead
Christina Rossetti

When I am dead, my dearest,
Sing no sad songs for me:
Plant thou no roses at my head,
Nor shady cypress tree:
Be the green grass above me
With showers and dewdrops wet;
And if thou wilt, remember,
And if thou wilt, forget.

I shall not see the shadows,
I shall not feel the rain;
I shall not hear the nightingale
Sing on, as if in pain;
And dreaming through the twilight
That doth not rise nor set,
Haply I may remember,
And haply may forget.

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