不学诗, 无以言 (Bù xué shī, wú yǐ yán)

If you do not study poetry, you will have no words to express yourself

Confucius

During Wimbledon Week of Women and Words students of Mandarin Chinese have been learning 乡愁 (xiāng chóu) by 余光中 (Yú Guāngzhōng)

Written in 1972, 乡愁 (xiāng chóu) reflects 余光中 (Yú Guāngzhōng) longing for his homeland. Born in 1928 in Jiangsu, China, he later immigrated to Taiwan in 1949, due to the communist victory in the Chinese civil war. The poem delves into themes of nostalgia, cultural identity, and the search for belonging; vividly capturing the bittersweet essence of homesickness.

Below you will find a careful translation of 乡愁 by Sydney (Y9) along with beautiful readings of the poem by Sydney, Maryam and Beatrice (Y9).

小时候
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