Yu Guangzhong's Yearning For M'hometown 鄉愁 余光中 Poem by Frank Yue

Yearning for M'Hometown
- by Yu Guangzhong (1928-2017)
- Translated by Frank C Yue


When I was small
Did I have yearning for m'Hometown at all?
Nostalgia was a small, small stamp -
I was here,
My Mom was there.

As a grown-up (as time went by)
I still had yearning for m'Hometown, and why?
Nostalgia was a slim, slim steamer ticket -
I was here,
My bride was there.

Then later on,
My Hometown-yearning was growing strong:
Nostalgia was a low, low grave-site -
I was out-side,
My Mom was in-side.

And now,
More and more, for what am I yearning?
Nostalgia is a shallow, shallow strait dividing -
I am here,
The Mainland is there.


《鄉愁》余光中 (1928-2017)

小時候
鄉愁是一枚小小的郵票
我在這頭
母親在那頭

長大後
鄉愁是一張窄窄的船票
我在這頭
新娘在那頭

後來啊
鄉愁是一方矮矮的墳墓
我在外頭
母親在裡頭

而現在
鄉愁是一灣淺淺的海峽
我在這頭
大陸在那頭