Tomorrow is Ascension Day, it is also father’s day in Germany. The tradition is fathers are gathering together and have some good old beer. This cheerful picture underlying a serious problem of alcoholism. Not to mention how the domestic violence victims feel on this day. But it is up to you to define the father’s …
In this essay “Shuo Mu Ye” , 林庚 Lin Geng（1910 – 2006）examines the names of the leaf in Chinese classical poetry. “Mu” 木 and “Ye”叶 both mean leaf, but in the poetic realm, the subtle differences between the two are individually and exclusively termed. The earliest works for which the distinction between the two can …
“Must the love that comes in dream necessarily be unreal?” Tang Xianzu (1550 – 1616) asked. He written an opera “Peony Pavilion” to answer this question. The storyline of this opera reminds me of Mozart’s opera “The Magic Flute”. Fell in love with each other before they really meet. A lover occur in a dream …
Anna Beer inspecting the lives of eight exceptional women composers in Western classical music. It starts with Francesca Caccini (1587 – 1641) and ends with Elizabeth Maconchy (1907-1994). Beer’s narrative style is clear and vivid, it was nearly impossible to put down the book once I started to read it. Gender inequality reflected at best …
Ai Qing Selected Poems (EN)Translated by Robert DorsettAi Qing Schnee fällt aus Chinas Erde Gedichte (DE)Aus dem Chinesischen übertragen, kommentiert und mit einem Nachwort versehen von Susanne Hornfeck Ai Qing (1910- 1999)Ai Qing is a Chinese poet that I respect, but his writing style is not necessarily my favourite. There are still some of his …
From tomorrow on, I will be a happy man.Grooming, chopping and traveling all over the world.From tomorrow on, I will care foodstuff and vegetable.Living in a house towards the sea, with spring blossoms. From tomorrow on, write to each of my dear ones.Telling them of my happiness.What the lightening of happiness has told me.I will …
The most painful thing in life is to wake up from a dream and realized there is no way out. He who dreams is happy; if he does not see a way out, it is important not to wake him up.So I think that if we do not find a way out, what we want …
The 1st day of my self-employed, jobless, idleness, whatever, time will tell. A friend suggests that I should talk more about Chinese Classical Literature. But my books about Chinese Classical Literature is in my home in Malaysia, not here. I would like to have my books with me, I only can think about this once …
My spinet was feeling unwell today, as well as 3 persons that very close to me. I can not be with three of them, at least I can visit my bedridden neighbour. A song will be my prayer for tonight, it says: God, please spare us punishmentsAnd let us sleep peacefullyAnd our sick neighbour too …
Hilde Domin’s poem is on my lent calendar for Good Friday. I understood it like this: One still can draw a golden city in the sky with imagination even though been chased away from a doorless wall. The cherry blossoms already dressed up to celebrate Easter.