月亮隨筆 Some Thoughts About The Moon

"Moon Cross" Illustrated by Andrew Lin

        自古至今，人類從未間斷對月亮的想像與探索。首位登陸月球的美國太空人阿姆斯壯，他踏上月球表面所說的名言：「這是我的一小步，卻是人類的一大步」，到現今仍被人津津樂道。他從月球上觀看地球，看見地球就像一顆美麗的藍色星球、一顆璀璨的藍色水鑽，高掛在黑絲絨般的宇宙星空中。這種美的震撼，也出現在地球上的人們抬頭凝視皎潔月亮的當下。地球和月亮遙遙相望，相互欣賞彼此的美麗。

Since ancient times, humans have never stopped their imaginations and exploration of the moon. The first person on the moon, the American astronaut Neil Armstrong, spoke these words when he set foot on the moon's surface "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind", which to this day are still relished by people. When he viewed Earth from the surface of the moon, he saw that the Earth looked like a beautiful blue orb, a bright blue jewel, hanging on the black velvet sky of the universe. The shock of this beauty also occurs on planet Earth whenever people lift their heads and gaze at the luminous moon. The Earth and moon face each other at a distance and mutually appreciate each other's beauty.

賞月的樂趣，不限於中秋佳節。在一個平常的夜晚，我和母親飯後隨性自在地走走繞繞，我們走到住家對面的學校觀景台，遠眺台北市夜景。然而，出乎我們意料之外，當晚的月亮竟然比夜景更令人著迷，基本上，那顆月亮實在太大、太亮、太圓了！它似乎爬得不太高，離我們特別近，讓我和媽咪甚至不禁懷疑起這月亮是真是假，這是真的月亮嗎？當晚的月色，就像舞台劇的布幕背景一般，美得像假的一樣。

The joys of looking at the moon are not limited to the Mid-Autumn Festival. After a meal on an ordinary evening, my mother and I were casually wandering about. We strolled down toward the school's observation deck across from home, which overlooks Taipei’s nighttime cityscape. However, to our surprise, the moon that evening was unexpectedly more fascinating than the skyline. Basically, the moon was simply too big, too bright, too round! It seemed like it hadn't climbed that high, and it being especially close to us, my mother and I could not help but begin to suspect: is this moon real or fake, could this be the true moon? The moonlight that night looked like the backdrop of a stage play, just as beautiful as it was unreal.

月亮是充滿詩意的。它的光芒是溫柔、慈愛的。難怪以月亮入詩、入歌的例子，不勝枚舉。我耳邊響起那首兒時童謠：「母親像月亮一樣，照亮我家門窗，聖潔多麼慈祥，發出愛的光芒……。」 是啊！多麼感謝神賜給我們母親。

The moon is richly poetic. Its light is gentle and loving. No wonder why instances of the moon in poetry and song are endless. My ears could hear that childhood nursery rhyme: "Mother is like the moon, illuminating the doors and windows of my home, holy and so kind, shining the light of love" Yes! We're so grateful to God for giving us mothers.

我的媽媽是一位溫柔、慈愛、活潑又樂觀的母親。她看起來總是比實際年齡年輕十歲以上。那是因為她的座右銘就是「活到老，學到老」，讓她保有一顆年輕的心。她熱愛欣賞美麗的事物，愛豐富多彩的大自然，愛朗誦「詩中有畫」的唐詩宋詞。母親生命中的美好特質，幫助我培養美的眼光，學習保持對事物高度的好奇心，和享受學習的樂趣。從小到大，我的媽媽從不吝嗇給我稱讚和鼓勵，無形中讓我建立良好的自我形像，也讓我更懂得真誠地欣賞、讚美和鼓舞他人。除此之外，在日常生活中，只要有任何好吃的東西，媽媽總會想要和我分享，共同享用。她喜歡靜靜地坐在我對面，微笑地看著我吃東西，問我好不好吃，她看見我吃東西滿足的神情，看見我開心，她就好開心！母親的慈愛與恩情，怎麼說也說不完……

My mom is a gentle, loving, lively and optimistic mother. She always looks like she's ten years younger than her real age. That's because her motto is "Live till you're old, learn till you're old", so she's still young at heart. She loves to enjoy beautiful things, she loves the rich colors of nature, she loves reciting the "painting in poetry" style poems from the Tang and Song dynasties. The great qualities in my mother's life help me cultivate beautiful insights, learn to maintain a high level of curiosity toward things, and enjoy the pleasure of learning. From when I was young, all the way until after I had grown up, my mother was never stingy in giving me praise and encouragement, which inadvertently allowed me to establish a good self-image, and also let me better understand how to sincerely appreciate, praise and inspire others. Additionally, in everyday life, if there is anything good to eat, mom will always want to share with me, to enjoy together. She likes quietly sitting across from me, watching me with a smile while I eat, asking me if it’s delicious. She'll see my content expression while eating, and seeing me happy, makes her happy too! A mother's love and kindness is hard to put into words, and yet can be spoken about endlessly...

尤其當我也成為一位母親之後，更能深深體會愛的力量。愛孩子，就是帶孩子一起禱告，領受天上的祝福。有一天晚上，當我帶著孩子做完睡前晚禱之後，孩子突然興奮地將手指向窗外，對我說：「媽咪妳看，月亮十字架！」我立即望向窗外皎潔的月亮，真的親眼看見那顆月亮四周竟散發著十字架的光芒，多麼聖潔又美麗，覺得好不可思議啊！它向我們彰顯十字架放射出救主慈愛的光輝，藉此，我和孩子一起經歷了天父的愛，那來自神——愛的奇蹟！

Especially after I became a mother, I was more able to deeply appreciate the power of love. To love children, is to take children to pray and receive the blessings of heaven. One night, after taking my child to finish his evening prayers before bed, my child suddenly and excitedly pointed his finger out the window, saying to me "mommy look, moon cross!" I immediately looked out the window at the bright moon, and actually saw the moon's light on four sides emitting a cross, so holy and beautiful, it was unbelievable! To us, the shining light displayed the crucifix, radiating our Savior's loving glory, bringing my child and me together to experience the love of the Heavenly Father, and that which comes from God—the miracle of love!

作者:譚亞菁 May.08, 2013

Translated by Parker Gadbois

海中漫步的心靈之旅 A Spiritual Journey Roaming Under the Sea

     

        記得多年前，有一句關於米製品的經典廣告詞——「有點黏又不會太黏」，這句話似乎也可以應用在婚姻關係中。如果夫妻雙方各以一個圓圈作代表，理想的婚姻關係應該是兩者有彼此重疊交集的部份，但又保有各自的圓圈。假如兩者完全重疊，就喪失了自我；兩者完全分開，形成兩個分開獨立的圓，那麼這樣和單身狀態有何不同？ 一位奧地利詩人理爾克（Rainer Maria Rilke）所說的一句話，確實讓人眼睛為之一亮：「當我們接受『甚至最親密的人之間仍有無限的距離』這現實，我們便能奇妙地結伴共處。」這句話蘊藏了夫妻雙方、兩個獨立個體之間相互包容、體諒和成全夢想！

        I remember many years ago, there was a classic ad slogan about rice products - "a little sticky, yet not too sticky". It's as if this phrase could also be used in a marital relationship. If both husband and wife were each represented by a circle, the ideal marital relationship should have two parts that overlap and intersect each other, but still retain their own respective circles. Suppose both completely overlap, then there's a loss of self; and if both are completely separate, forming two separate independent circles, then how would that be any different from being single? The phrase of an Austrian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, will truly put a twinkle in our eyes, "Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow." This quote encompasses both husband and wife, sharing mutual tolerance, understanding, and the fulfillment of dreams between two independent individuals!

        有一天，我和老公彼此分享最近的小小夢想，他說他想一個人隱居到山中露營幾天，而我則想搭飛機出國旅遊，因為似乎有小孩之後，就好久沒出國走走了！我把這個小小願望放在禱告中。真奇妙，才過幾週，我就中了信用卡的壽星禮——泰國五日遊！我深知這是神為我預備的旅程。當然，也要感謝我先生的幫助，照顧家中兩個幼童，讓我能輕鬆享受這難得的豐盛之旅！

        One day, my husband and I both shared our most recent little dreams. He said he'd like to go to the mountains by himself and camp a few days in seclusion, while I wanted to take a plane and travel abroad, because it just seems like after having kids, that I haven't gone abroad for a stroll in a long time! I took this little wish and put it in a prayer. How marvelous, that only after a few weeks, I won a birthday gift from my credit card--a five day tour in Thailand!  I knew this was a journey prepared for me by God. Of course, I would also like to thank my husband's help, taking care of two young children at home, allowing me to relax and enjoy this rare and bountiful tour!

        我搭乘泰航，飛越南中國海，來到泰國曼谷。飛機降落那一刻，格外開心，因為我踏上這世界另一片土地，這個對我來說充滿新奇的國度。出了機場，首先映入眼簾的就是各式各樣、五彩繽紛的計程車，這裡必定是一個熱愛色彩的熱情國家。接下來幾天，我突破過往的生活經驗，嘗試了不少新事物，並展開上天下海的新體驗。譬如騎大象、看大象畫畫和踢足球，享受泰式按摩，參訪桂河大橋、水上人家，以及體驗飛上高天的拖曳傘，和潛入深水的海底漫步。旅遊最迷人之處，就是拓展你的視野，帶你進入與平日截然不同的另一個世界。

        I boarded Thai Airways, and flew over the South China Sea to Bangkok, Thailand. The moment the plane landed, I was all the more happy, because I had set foot on another piece of land in this world. This to me was a country full of wonder. Leaving the airport, I was greeted by colorful taxis of all shapes and sizes. Here was definitely a passionate country with a deep affection for color. For the next few days, I broke through common life experiences and tried quite a few new things, and even had new experiences unfold flying in the sky and diving in the sea. For example, I rode an elephant, saw elephants paint and play soccer, enjoyed a Thai massage, visited the The Bridge on the River Kwai, and Boat Dwellers. I experienced flying sky high while parasailing, along with diving down into the sea depths to roam about. The most fascinating thing about traveling has to be broadening your horizons, taking you into another world that is completely out of the ordinary.

        在所有活動中，最令我難以忘懷的就是海底漫步，我非常好奇深水中的世界是什麼樣的風景。我們一組七人，外加三名教練，搭船來到較深的海域。然後每個人要戴上一個好大好重的太空氧氣罩，輪流從船上下入深海。我第一次下去這麼深的水中，我感到緊張又有些怕水，我突然覺得呼吸好困難，水壓好沉重，在水中我向教練比了往上的手勢，決定放棄。我獨自一人上到船上等候大家，可是我全身濕透，一人在船上，海風吹來，寒風刺骨，也很不好受。

        Of all the activities, the most unforgettable had to be marching on the seabottom, for I was very curious as to what kind of landscape awaited in the deep sea-world. A group of seven people, with an extra three instructors, took a boat to some fairly deep waters. Then every person had to wear a great big heavy astro-oxygen mask, taking turns diving from the ship down into the deep sea. It was my first time to dive in such deep water. I felt nervous and a little scared, and it suddenly felt like breathing became so difficult, the water pressure so heavy, while submerged, I made a gesture toward the instructor that meant to ascend and decided to give up. I was the only person by myself up on the boat waiting for everyone, but I was drenched, alone in the boat, the ocean winds blowing a bone-chilling breeze, and all was not entirely well.

        我只好又鼓起勇氣，再次下入深海中。第二次下水時，潛水教練特別照顧我，非常柔和地、一步步帶我往下潛，我試著放鬆心情，調整呼吸，等我比出OK手勢後，第一位教練就把我的手牽給另一位教練，繼續帶領我向下探險。我深感在深海之中，我來到一個全然不同的世界，我變得那麼的無助，格外需要扶持和引導。在過程中，我學習把手交出去，學習完全交託和信靠。最後，潛入最深的水中，三名教練都圍繞著我，非常關注我的狀況，我真的有一種被細心關懷、被深深保護，被安全地牽引的感受。接著，我和其他組員順利會合，在海底我們七人手牽著手同行，這樣相互扶持攜手前進非常重要，因為若放開手，一個人就會隨著海流的推力漂走，隨波逐流！之後，我們一起享受海中世界，好多魚群游來游去，我們拿吐司餵魚群，許多魚兒游來吃吐司，魚群還親吻我的手，那種海中餵魚的感覺好奇妙！我們用水中照相機與海中珊瑚礁和眾多魚兒合影，留下海底世界的美麗記憶。

        I had no choice but to gather up the courage to once again brave the ocean depths. The second time under water, the diving instructor really took care of me, very gently, step by step taking me deeper. I tried to relax, to control my breathing. Waiting until I gave the OK gesture, the first instructor took my hand and gave it to another instructor, who then continued leading me deeper to explore. Amidst those deep waters, I was convinced I had traveled to a completely different world, I became so helpless, which made me all the more in need of support and guidance. In that process, I learned to open my arms, I learned to completely let go and trust. Finally, diving into the deepest waters, the three instructors encircled me, and were very concerned about my situation. I really had a certain feeling of receiving care and attention, of being deeply protected, and of being safely pulled along. Then, I successfully joined the other members of the group. In the ocean depths, the seven of us held hands in tandem, the mutual support from moving ahead hand in hand was very important, because if a hand went free, then a person would drift away with the force of the ocean currents, going with the flow! After that, we enjoyed the world of the sea together, with so many schools of fish swimming about. We took toast to feed the fish, many fishies swam up to eat toast, and the fish kissed my hand. That feeling of feeding fish in the ocean was wonderful! We used our water-proof camera to take photos of us with the coral reef and schools of many fishies, preserving beautiful memories of the deep ocean world.

      從海中回到船上，船隻駛向陸地，又帶領我們回到陸上的真實世界。但這次海底漫步的經驗，卻深深烙印在我腦海中，尤其在潛入深水的過程中，那種克服恐懼、學習交託與信靠的體驗，似乎也在對我心靈深處呼喚著：把手伸出去，放心地將你無助的小手，放入神滿有慈愛與能力的大手之中。凡事全然交託給主，祂總是一步步地、溫柔又堅定地引導我們，即使我們正處在人生的驚濤駭浪中，但有神在我們四圍環繞保護，有全能神陪伴我們一同探險，去發掘人生最美的寶藏，我們還何憂何懼呢？無論你處在人生的何種景況，別忘了，神親口對我們說：「你不要害怕，因為我與你同在；不要驚惶，因為我是你的神。我必堅固你，我必幫助你，我必用我公義的右手扶持你」（以賽亞書四十一10）。

        From the sea back to the ship, the vessel that sailed ashore, had also led us back to the land of the real world. But this time experiencing the march on the sea bottom, had been deeply imprinted in my mind, especially during the dive into deep water, that experience of overcoming fear, learning how to let go and trust, seems to also be in the back of my mind calling: give your hands unto God, allow your helpless little hands to be rest assured, put them into the great hands of God which are full of love and ability. Give everything completely to the Lord, He is always leading us step by step, both gentle and constant; even if we are in the stormy seas of life, God still surrounds us with protection, the Almighty still accompanies us on the same adventure to discover life's most beautiful treasures, so why should we feel need to worry or fear? No matter what your situation in life, don't forget, God Himself said to us "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

作者:譚亞菁 Dec.31, 2012
Translated by Parker Gadbois