他朝君體也相同 You Will be the Same

「今夕吾軀歸故土，他朝君體也相同」是跑馬地天主教墳場冷酷的對聯。往日坐車初經此處，看著這片墓地，心裡諗著對聯，震撼異常，彷彿有逝者兀地從墳地站起，冷眼直指，喃喃自語：

今夕吾軀歸故土，他朝君體也相同。

現在，每天上班都經過這裡，日子久了，偶爾想起對聯，已不再有異樣的感覺。

是太熟悉了吧。

還是：麻木了？

巴士穿梭而過的那一剎那，或許，就是人生；或許，那是你與我擦身而過的相遇；或許是，生與死既近又遠的距離。

這種一剎那的相遇和距離，或許就如我和父母，兄弟，朋友、同學之間的關係；同理，功名利祿亦然。

人生，從來冷酷；天地，本來不仁。

後記：當選一周年的晚上，不知為何竟情緒低落，湧起這些想法。功名、利祿、名譽、地位、嬌妻、兒女，人生若夢幻泡影，這些究竟是理想呢還是痴望? 雖是老生常談的感概，但我相信，感概背後的失落與痛苦真確而實然。當晚，還想起紅樓夢的好了歌和前些日子讀到的英文詩，見後)。

There is a profound sadness of 'duilian'(對聯,a Chinese form of a pair lines in a poem) at the front gate of the graveyard at Happy Valley, I tried to translate the lines into English like this: Today I'm buried underground like going hometown, you will be the same tomorrow.

I was shocked when I read these lines first time, the feeling was like one of the dead sanding up suddenly from his graveyard and said to me :

Today I'm buried underground like going hometown, you will be the same tomorrow.

As time goes by, I don't have specially feeling now. It's because the lines become familiar with me or I become insensitive to the lines?

Life may is like the moment while the bus passes by this graveyard, or that's the moment you and I encounter with each other, or the distance of life and death.

That moment and distance, may be the relationship between me and my parents, brother and sisters, friends, as well as success and fame.

I feel the profound sadness in the lines. It's almost a cliche to say that 'Life is but an empty dream', but I believe there IS such profound sadness in life indeed.

PS: It's strange that I had the above feeling at night of the first anniversary year of being elected. And it reminded me of a poem in the Story of the Stone and a traditional nursery rhyme I read from a book some days ago, see below.

好了歌   

世人都曉神仙好, 只有功名忘不了﹗
古今將相在何方? 荒塚一堆草沒了﹗
世人都曉神仙好, 只有金銀忘不了﹗
終朝只恨聚無多, 及到多時眼閉了﹗
世人都曉神仙好, 只有嬌妻忘不了﹗
君生日日說恩情, 君死又隨人去了﹗
世人都曉神仙好, 只有兒孫忘不了﹗
痴心父母古來多, 孝順兒孫誰見了﹖

 
Death and Death and Death Indeed
 
There was a man of double deed
Sowed his garden full of seed.
And when that seed began to grow
'Twas like a garden full of snow.
When the snow began to melt
'Twas like a ship without a belt.
When the ship began to sail
'Twas like a bird without a tail.
When the bird began to fly
'Twas like an eagle in the sky.
When the sky began to roar
'Twas like a lion at the door.
When the door began to crack
'Twas like a stick across my back.
When my back began to smart
'Twas like a penknife in my heart.
When my heart began to bleed
'Twas death and death and death indeed.

- TRADITIONAL NURSERY RHYME

http://www.abandonedamerica.org/hospitals/fuller/fssg1/deathindeed.html