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For more of my photos, or to buy my book, please visit www.nickkembel.com 親愛的漁人 漁人漁人
我從來沒有時間
漁人漁人
請擲我的錶進海裡
許我跟隨您的步調
在我那裡, 大 樓 戳天
食物來自 箱子與瓶 罐
屋簷阻擋了豔陽和雨露
漁人漁人
颱風將近
漁人漁人
當大海咆哮著您的名字時
您將聽媽祖的 明燈指引您?
當今晚的波浪 敲您的門,
當您的船隻在港口跳舞
您會夢見她嗎?
Dear Fisherman Fisherman, fisherman
I never have any time
Fisherman, fisherman
Won’t you toss my watch into the sea
Allow me to follow your pace
Where I come from, buildings pierce the sky
Food comes in boxes and cans
And eaves protect me from strong sun and rain
Fisherman, fisherman
A typhoon is fast approaching
Fisherman, fisherman
When the rough seas roar your name
Will you let Mazu’s lantern guide you?
When the waves knock on your door tonight
And your boat dances in the harbor
Will you dream of her?
Qīn ài de yú rén (pinyin transliteration)
Yú rén, yú rén
Wǒ cóng lái méi yǒu shí jiān
Yú rén, yú rén
Qǐng zhì wǒ de biǎo jìn hǎi lǐ
Xǔ wǒ gēn súi nín de bù diào
Zài wǒ nà li, dà lóu chuō tiān
Shí wù lái zì xiāng zǐ yǔ ping guàn
Wū yán
神明 (the Goddess)
People believe Mazu, the Goddess of Fisherman and the Sea, to be an incarnation of Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Compassion and Mercy zǔ dǎng le yàn yang hé yǔ lù
Yú rén, yú rén
Tái fēng jiāng jìn
Yú rén, yú rén
Dāng dà hǎi páo xiāo zhe nín de míng zi shí
Nǐn jiāng tìng mā zǔ de míng dēng zhǐ yǐn nǐn?
Dāng jīn wǎn de bō làng qiāo nǐn de mén
Dāng nǐn de chuán zhī zài gǎng kǒu tiào wǔ
Nǐn huì mèng jiàn tā ma?
The story of Mazu Just over 1000 years ago, a girl named Lin Mo was born on Meizhou Island, Fujian province, Southern China. Lin Mo was interested in spirituality at a very young age, and was thought to be a devotee of Guan Yin, the female Bodhisattva of Compassion. Lin Mo possessed a fixation with ships and the sea, and it is thought that she would frequently stand at the harbor entrance wearing bright red robes or carrying a lantern at night, so that lost ships could see her and find their way to shore safely. It also appears that she was a shaman of sorts, going into trances in which she would foresee upcoming storms or even communicate with fisherman and guide them to safety. In
the most well known story, Lin Mo went into a deep trance and was guiding her own father and brother to shore during a fierce storm, but her mother woke her and subsequently her father died at sea.
Lin Mo died at a young age, and following her passing, fisherman began to report seeing her in visions and her saving them from storms. She became increasingly popular throughout North-East Asia, and over the passing centuries she was elevated to the status of goddess, canonized ‘Mazu’ (also known as Matsu, A-Ma, or Tien Hou), and some even believed her to be an incarnation of Guan Yin. She remains immensely popular today, and is easily one of the most worshipped goddesses in the world. Mazu is incredibly popular in Taiwan. There are over 500 temples across the island dedicated to her, a small offshore island bears her name, and every year there is an enormous pilgrimage on her birthday.
Mere weeks before my departure from this country, I invoke Mazu’s name in this poem as an ode to Taiwan, and an aspect of this culture that I believe to be representative of the underlying way of life that forms the
basis of this otherwise ultra modern and industrialized nation: the environment oriented lifestyle of the fisherman, and his dependence on the cycles of nature and the sea. The first Chinese settlers to Taiwan were all fisherman, and they brought with them statues of this goddess and stories of her miraculous guidance.
I always feel a sense of peace and solitude when I observe fishermen across this country, chewing betel nut to stay awake as they hide from the sun under the protection of their cone shaped hats. I live in Taipei, a posh international city where East meets West, and Starbucks, Mcdonalds and Chilis compete with stinky tofu (a mildly offensive traditional dish) bubble tea, and fried taro root stalls. Superstitions and traditions that have died out in China still pervade Taiwanese society, despite the modern façade. I was reminded of this one weekend when an enormous celebration took place in my neighborhood. For nearly two days fireworks and firecrackers were erupting almost constantly, and parades of dragons, men carrying huge statues as they drank cans of beer, and traditional instruments in the back of trucks passed through the old narrow lanes and alleyways outside my house. They were
celebrating the birthday of Mazu, goddess of fisherman and the sea, revered so deeply in this island nation that even in the center of Taipei, a urban metropolis of 10 million, masses will gather in the streets and party all day in her honor.
thanks to Kaylin, my tutor and friend, for helping me with this For more of my photos, or to buy my book, please visit www.nickkembel.com
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Writing a book
This thread may interest you. :) http://www.travelblog.org/Forum/Threads/22300-1.html