端午情思（雙語）

　　端午來源
The Dragon Boat Festival, the 5th day of the 5th lunar month, has had a history of morethan 2,000 years. It is usually in June in the Gregorian calendar.

　　端午節(jié)是古老的傳統(tǒng)節(jié)日，始于中國的春秋戰(zhàn)國時期，至今已有2000多年歷史。

　　

There are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is incommemoration of Qu Yuan (340-278 BC). Qu Yuan was minister of the State of Chu and oneof China's earliest poets. In face of great pressure from the powerful Qin State, he advocatedenriching the country and strengthening its military forces so as to fight against the Qin.However, he was opposed by aristocrats headed by Zi Lan, and later deposed and exiled byKing Huai.

　　據《史記》“屈原賈生列傳”記載，屈原，是春秋時期楚懷王的大臣。他倡導舉賢授能，富國強兵，力主聯齊抗秦，遭到貴族子蘭等人的強烈反對，屈原遭饞去職，被趕出都城，流放到沅、湘流域。

　　In his exiled days, he still cared much for his country and people and composed immortalpoems including Li Sao (The Lament), Tian Wen (Heavenly Questions) and Jiu Ge (Nine Songs),which had far-reaching influences. In 278 BC, he heard the news that Qin troops had finallyconquered Chu's capital, so he finished his last piece Huai Sha (Embracing Sand) and plungedhimself into the Miluo River, clasping his arms to a large stone. The day happened to be the 5thof the 5th month in the Chinese lunar calendar.

　　他在流放中，寫下了憂國憂民的《離騷》、《天問》、《九歌》等不朽詩篇，獨具風貌，影響深遠(因而，端午節(jié)也稱詩人節(jié))。公元前278年，秦軍攻破楚國京都。屈原眼看自己的祖國被侵略，心如刀割，但是始終不忍舍棄自己的祖國，于五月五日，在寫下了絕筆作《懷沙》之后，抱石投汨羅江身死，以自己的生命譜寫了一曲壯麗的愛國主義樂章。

　　After his death, the people of Chu crowded to the bank of the river to pay their respects tohim. The fishermen sailed their boats up and down the river to look for his body. People threwinto the water zongzi (pyramid-shaped glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in reed or bambooleaves) and eggs to divert possible fish or shrimp from attacking his body. An old doctorpoured a jug of reaglar wine (Chinese liquor seasoned with realgar) into the water, hoping toturn all aquatic beasts drunk. That's why people later followed the customs such as dragonboat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine on that day.

　　傳說屈原死后，楚國百姓哀痛異常，紛紛涌到汨羅江邊去憑吊屈原。漁夫們劃起船只，在江上來回打撈他的真身。有位漁夫拿出為屈原準備的飯團、雞蛋等食物，“撲通、撲通”地丟進江里，說是讓魚龍蝦蟹吃飽了，就不會去咬屈大夫的身體了。人們見后紛紛仿效。一位老醫(yī)師則拿來一壇雄黃酒倒進江里，說是要藥暈蛟龍水獸，以免傷害屈大夫。后來為怕飯團為蛟龍所食，人們想出用楝樹葉包飯，外纏彩絲，發(fā)展成棕子。

　　一 端午習俗之賽龍舟

　　Dragon boat racing is an indispensable part of the festival, held all over the country. Asthe gun is fired, people will see racers in dragon-shaped canoes pulling the oars harmoniouslyand hurriedly, accompanied by rapid drums, speeding toward their destination. Folk tales saythe game originates from the activities of seeking Qu Yuan's body, but experts, afterpainstaking and meticulous research, conclude that dragon boat racing is a semi-religious,semi-entertaining program from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). In the followingthousands of years, the game spread to Japan, Vietnam and Britain as well as China's Taiwanand Hong Kong. Now dragon boat racing has developed into an aquatic sports item whichfeatures both Chinese tradition and modern sporting spirit. In 1980, it was listed into the statesports competition programs and has since been held every year. The award is called "Qu YuanCup."

　　賽龍舟，是端午節(jié)的主要習俗。相傳起源于古時楚國人因舍不得賢臣屈原投江死去，許多人劃船追趕拯救。他們爭先恐后，追至洞庭湖時不見蹤跡。之后每年五月五日劃龍舟以紀念之。借劃龍舟驅散江中之魚，以免魚吃掉屈原的身體。競渡之習，盛行于吳、越、楚。其實 ，“龍舟競渡”早在戰(zhàn)國時代就有了。在急鼓聲中劃刻成龍形的獨木舟，做競渡游戲，以娛神與樂人，是祭儀中半宗教性、半娛樂性的節(jié)目。后來，賽龍舟除紀念屈原之外，在各地人們還付予了不同的寓意。此外，劃龍舟也先后傳入鄰國日本、越南等及英國。1980年，賽龍舟被列入中國國家體育比賽項目，并每年舉行“屈原杯”龍舟賽。

　　二 端午習俗之吃粽子

　　Zongzi is an essential food of the Dragon Boat Festival. It is said that people ate them inthe Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC). In early times, it was only glutinous ricedumplings wrapped in reed or other plant leaves and tied with colored thread, but now thefillings are more diversified, including jujube and bean paste, fresh meat, and ham and egg yolk.If time permits, people will soak glutinous rice, wash reed leaves and wrap up zongzithemselves.

　　Otherwise, they will go to shops to buy whatever stuff they want. The custom of eating zongziis now popular in North and South Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

　　端午節(jié)吃粽子，這是中國人民的又一傳統(tǒng)習俗。粽子，又叫“角黍”、“筒粽”。其由來已久，花樣繁多。據記載，早在春秋時期，用菰葉(茭白葉)包黍米成牛角狀，稱“角黍”;用竹筒裝米密封烤熟，稱“筒粽”。一直到今天，每年五月初，中國百姓家家都要浸糯米、洗粽葉、包粽子，其花色品種更為繁多。從餡料看，北方多包小棗的北京棗粽;南方則有豆沙、鮮肉、火腿、蛋黃等多種餡料，其中以浙江嘉興粽子為代表。吃粽子的風俗，千百年來，在中國盛行不衰，而且流傳到朝鮮、日本及東南亞諸國。

　　三 端午習俗之佩香囊

　　On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a perfumepouch. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes orherbal medicines, and finally string them with silk threads. The perfume pouch will be hungaround the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able toward off evil.

　　端午節(jié)小孩佩香囊，傳說有避邪驅瘟之意，實際是用于襟頭點綴裝飾。香囊內有朱砂、雄黃、香藥，外包以絲布，清香四溢，再以五色絲線弦扣成索，作各種不同形狀，結成一串，形形色色，玲瓏可愛。

　　端午傳說

　　1.Qu Yuan jumped off river

　　屈原投江

　　In order to commemorate patriotic poet Qu Yuan who jumped into the Miluo river, and avoid his body to be eaten by fish and shrimp, so people cast many of bamboo rice (rice dumplings) in the river, and compete to row (acetate ship) hoping to find the body of Qu yuan.

　　為了紀念愛國詩人屈原，居民為了不讓跳下汨羅江的屈原尸體被魚蝦吃掉，所以在江里投下許多用竹葉包裹的米食(粽子)，并且競相劃船(賽龍船)希望找到屈原的尸體。

　　2.Cao E looked for her father’s corpse

　　曹娥尋父尸

　　Cao E, dutiful girl of the eastern Han dynasty, whose father drowned in the river when she was 14-year old. She cried along the river, still didn’t see his father’s corpse after 17 days, and she jumped into the river on May 1st as well, after five days the two corpses folded together and float. That was a moving story, so people in the township worship her.

　　東漢孝女曹娥，因曹父溺江而亡，年僅十四歲的她沿江豪哭，經十七日仍不見曹父尸首，乃在五月一日投江，五日后兩尸合抱而浮起的感人事跡，鄉(xiāng)人群而祭之。

　　3.Madam White Snake

　　白蛇傳

　　The legend of white snake Bai Suzhen, in order to repay Xu Xian , fell in love with him and finally got married. On the day of the Dragon Boat Festival white snake drink realgar wine, almost reveal herself snakelike, and among the white snake, Fa Hai and water logging Jinshan temple , are popular folk opera repertoire.

　　傳說白蛇白素貞，為了報答許仙的恩惠，與許仙結為夫妻的凄美的愛情故事。端午節(jié)當天白蛇喝了雄黃酒，差點現出蛇形，加上法海白蛇及水淹金山寺的情節(jié)，都是膾炙人口的民間戲曲的曲目。

　　4.Wu Zixu's death anniversary

　　伍子胥的忌日

　　It’s a legend that after He Lu ,the king of Wu died , the prince Fuchai ascended the throne, send armed forces to suppress Yue and won. Goujian ,the king of Yue please reconciliation , Fuchai didn’t listen but agreed treacherous official and judged Wu Zixu commit suicide. And jumped his body into river on May 5, since then people commemorated him on Dragon Boat Festival.

　　傳說伍子胥助吳伐楚后，吳王闔閭逝世，皇子夫差繼位，伐越大勝，越王勾踐請和，伍子胥主張和，夫差不聽，卻聽信奸臣言，賜伍子胥自殺，并于于五月五日將尸體投入江中，此后人們于端午節(jié)祭祀伍子胥。