姐妹篇 Sister of Hibiscus

蘇軾 只恐夜深花睡去...

海 棠

東風裊裊泛崇光，

香霧空蒙月轉廊。

只恐夜深花睡去，

故燒高燭照紅妝。

姐妹間容易發生嫉妒, 當審美觀也不同時. 有一些月曆女郎美麗動人, 大嘴巴也塗的滿滿的, 幼時外婆告訴我, 你的櫻桃小嘴最好看, 不用羨慕別人的意思, 姐姐悻倖然, 不悅, 不服氣.

少女時在香港, 看選美會, 一個菲律賓女孩子, 五官非常對稱, 外婆說, 咦, 很像你, 可是, 姐姐又說, 你哪有那麼美.

聖誕節姐收到我的卡片, 附上有我在中國旅遊的照片, 電話中她感嘆, '老了. 以前的你眼睛又圓又大..眼下也起了眼袋..'

我說, 對呀. 三舅母說我的眼睛像龍眼, 又圓又黑亮, 姐糾正我的台語發音. 龍艮

我不在意, 姐姐對我的感情關注很深, 這是一種感嘆, 可惜年華不饒人.

當年東海大學的校花是我的中文導師, 有班上的美人去她家探望產後的玫瑰皇后, 她們問老師, 老師認為誰最美? 居然, 此美女校花說是本人, 我說, 不可能.

其實我想, 不無道理, 本人當年不食人間煙火的模樣, 可能被別人當成氣質崇高.

在美國自由自在慣了, 已經早忘了煙雨朦朧的美麗眼眸.

蘇軾 只恐夜深花睡去...

傾 聽 花 開 的 聲 音

Hibiscus

East wind curl upward willowy sublime light Fragrant mist in the moonlight round the veranda Fear for the night is deep and flowers go to sleep I burn the tall candle to shine on the red her Written by Soong Dynasty poet Su Dongpo Sisters It is easy to have jealousy among sisters, especially when having different esthetic views. In our childhood, some calendar girls very attractive, with a full sensual mouth. Leaning next to grandmother, she said, “Your cherry lips are the best. No need to be envious of others.” My sister felt not so on her ugly duckling sister’s look.

In our maiden time in Hong Kong for summer vacation, in a beauty contest, a Philippine girl looking quite western contours, and sensually attractive, my grandmother said, “Look. She looks quite like you.” But my sister later said, “You inflated your own self.”

This Christmas my sister received my card with attachment photo of my traveling in China. She sighed in the phone: “getting old. You used to have such large and eyes so round like longan. Also, you have some pockets under the eyes.” I replied: that is right. Third uncle’s wife said my eyes look like Taiwan round and dark lustre longan.

I didn’t mind. My sister is very attentive and cares for me. This is only an aging process. We used to have the Eastern Sea University class flower beauty queen as our Chinese instructor. Some classmates went to visit her after she delivered her baby. They asked the teacher, who is the most beautiful girl in her class? They told me later that this beauty queen instructor thought that I was the most beautiful girl. I didn’t think that was real comment.

But now, I think she must truly have meant it, because I was quite different then, and very uninterested in the mundane worldly affairs. Now with the free style of living in the U.S., I have long forgotten the misty rain beauty vision of my own look. Shu Dongpo’s poem: Only afraid that night is deepened and the flowers go to sleep. Listen attentively to the sound of flowers opening.