This is the front of my favorite T-shirt. I bought it after I ran the Disney 1/2 Marathon. Nine months prior to this race I was a total couch potato. I thought sweating was icky. But Peter had decided that he was going to run the Disney Marathon and convinced me that I should try the 1/2 marathon. ("What else are you going to do while I'm running?" he said.) I love this T-shirt because shows that I am capable of doing something that is very hard for me to do. I also love the T-shirt because of what it says on the back. (Note: Donald Duck is the race mascot.)
Thanks Agnes!
Remember the Chinese scroll in my house? I sent a photo of it to Agnes, and she gave me a translation and lots of info about it. So cool!
This is a very famous poem ... almost everyone who has studied Chinese
literature would have known it. However, I am afraid my translation would not be
too accurate ... so I searched on the web and found an English translation. It
is an honest translation,which would give you an idea of the literal meaning of
the poem:
http://www.chinapage.com/poet-e/zhangji2e.html
Then, the following link will take you to pictures of the actual location in the poem: http://pws.prserv.net/hiroyuki/b5_code/hanshi2_b5.html
Then, I'd like to give you some simple background information so that you
can better understand the poem. The poet was thousand miles away from home, in the capital of the country to take part in a national examination (which was
very important to academia because that was the way for them to be able to get a
job in the government). However, he failed in the examination. On his way home
on a boat, he arrived at this town (Suzhou). The poem described what he saw,
what he heard, and how he felt during that night ...when he suffered from
insomnia (due to his failure? maybe). The poet is not a very prominent figure in
Chinese literature ... however, this poem won him a place there. I hope what I
gave you here helps. Enjoy.
7 comments:
Great shirt - one to be proud of for sure!
And what a pretty poem - I love the internet, always someone there who knows what you need to know!
Wow, Agnes came through quickly! I sent the photo to my dad, and he was going to start doing some research. This must have been on my mind when I went into the guest room to take some shots of an FO today--I stood in front of my own Chinese scroll! See my blog for the shots :)
That's an interesting background. I'm so glad that you were able to find a translation so quickly! Yay, Agnes!
Let's hear it for blog friends! What a beautiful poem.
You should be proud of your accomplishment, and your shirt.
You're very welcome.
The marathon t-shirt is so cute! Maybe I should pick my behind from the coach too ... hahaha!
I'm going with Agnes -- maybe I should stop being a couch potato.
Wait: who am I kidding!?
Thanks for sharing the poem!
I think that's a great shirt! Did you used to live in Orlando? I went to college there.
I think it's wonderful that you got a translation for your scroll! I bet that will make it all the more valuable to you. :)
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