Two
Valentine poems
Dr. Yuk-Ching Hon
過一天便是情人節，送給老夫老妻們兩首感人的情詩。
1.“我儂詞”
元，管道升
你儂我儂，忒煞情多，
情多處，熱如火。
把一塊泥，捻一個你，塑一個我。
將咱兩個，一齊打破，用水調和。
再捻一個你，再塑一個我。
我泥中有你，你泥中有我。
與你生同一個衾，死同一個楟。
管道升，江蘇青浦人，是元朝出名的書法家、畫家及詞人。廿十八歲下嫁書畫家趙孟頫。婚後琴瑟和諧，百般恩愛。可惜在她四十歲時，五十歲的丈夫嫌她年老色衰，又當時名士立妾成風，他有意娶兩個年輕姬妾，因不好意思直說，便作了一首詞試探。
“我學士，爾夫人。豈不聞陶學士有桃葉、桃根，蘇學士有朝雲、暮雲。我便娶幾個吳姬、越女，也無過分，你年紀已過四旬，只管佔住王堂春。”
管道升看後，不著一聲便作了“我儂詞”作回應。趙孟頫看後深受感動，便打斷納妾的念頭。
故事是否是屬實，無從考校，不過言語樸實，表現出夫妻間情深意篤，親密無間的感情，是一絕作。
2. Scaffolding by Seamus
Heaney
Masons, when they start upon a building,
Are careful to test out the scaffolding.
Make sure that planks won’t slip at busy points,
Secure all ladders, tighten bolted joints.
And yet all this comes down when the job’s done
Showing off walls of sure and solid stone.
So, if, my dear, there sometimes seem to be
Old bridges breaking between you and me
Never fear. We may let the scaffoldings fall
Confident that we have built our wall.
Seamus Heaney is a famous Northern Irish poet and playwright, the
recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature.
Scaffolding is a simple but dense love poem. Heaney uses metaphor to suggest
relationships do not exist naturally but built over a period of time. Once a relationship materializes, forms
its shape, it can endure many hardship and reaches eternity. He suggests that when two people meet
because of common interests, forming a friendship, there might be uneasiness of
getting to know each other due to human being’s cautious nature. During the relationship when problems
arise, the couple would join together to overcome the difficulties, making sure
their relationship won’t fall apart. As time goes by, there is growth of trust
and faith in each other. Towards
the end, he uses the last two couplets to say we need to be brave, although the
scaffolding may come down, the wall/love is strong. It’s built upon a strong foundation. Don’t be afraid, we will get through
whatever it is.
It’s one of the finest contemporary love poems and most read at
weddings.