Words of the song:

歌词：

Have
you ever heard that a girl had been to the stream that you are crossing?

走过那条小河，你可曾听说，

有一位女孩，她曾经来过；Have you known that a girl
had left a song to the reed slope that you are passing by?走过那片芦苇坡，你可曾听说，

有一位女孩，她留下一首歌。Why are the clouds weeping
quietly?

为何片片白云悄悄落泪?Why are the gentle breezes
whispering?

为何阵阵风儿轻声诉说?And why are a flock of red-crowned
cranes flying over lightly?

还有一群丹顶鹤，轻轻地轻轻地飞过。Just because the girl
never shows up again.

有一位女孩，她再也没来过Only the clouds shed tears
for her;只有片片白云为她落泪，only
breezes whisper about her;只有阵阵风儿为她诉说，in
addition there is a flock of red-crowned
cranes flying over softly. 还有一群丹顶鹤，

轻轻地轻轻地飞过。

Began the annual further education on the
net for us teachers. Toothache has been gone and now
constipation has taken its turn as a result of my inactivity on holiday. It got
worse this morning. No matter how I made efforts, I couldn’t defecate as
before. Then I decided to use the glycerini enema left by late wife. But it didn’t
work either. Finally I solved the problem with the aid of external force. I couldn’t
help admitting that I have been aging both on features and organs. The gastrointestinal
peristaltic function has greatly weakened. My chewing also turns fragile. I must
take measures to avoid the occurrence of constipation by eating more vegetables
and taking more excerise.

Martyrs to the National Defence

國殤

Armed with weapons from the Wu state and coats of
rhinoceros skin, the warriors were engaged in a hand-to-hand combat
on the chariots side by side.

操吴戈兮披犀甲，車錯轂兮短兵接。The flags blocked the sunlight and the enemy
troops were just like masses of clouds. Although showers of arrows came down to
each of the warring sides, the fighters strove to charge at the enemy.

旌蔽日兮敵若雲，矢交墜兮士争先。Our positions were under attack. The outside
horse on the left drawing the chariot was killed and the external one on the right was knifed.

凌余陣兮躐余行，左驂殪兮右刃傷。

As the saying goes, man struggles upwards
and water flows downwards. Nowadays more and more young and middle‐aged villagers rush to the
large cities seeking employment and wealth and leaving their old and young
behind at their rural homes. Some of these migrating workers are so successful
that they have become permanent city‐dwellers with their own apartments and cars. The longer they live
there, the clearer they see what a high price they pay for the settlement. Because
their old can’t tear themselves away from their villages, elders of empty nests
have grown. They lack necessary care. The new town dwellers find themselves second‐class citizens and their kids
rejected by one school after another except for paying more tuition fees than
the old inhabitants.

We’re inclined to prize what we haven’t but ignore that we have. We’re justified to be proud of our
continuous civilization about five thousand years. Our ancient Confucianism,
medicine and architecture are still playing important roles in the modern life.
Adhering to the instructions of Confucianism, we can behave properly for
establishing harmonious families and a civilized society. However, a lot of our
nationals have turned followers of Buddhism and Christianity from abroad. Moreover,
huge sums of money have been spent building many magnificent Buddhist temples
across the country. Such way of acting at present seems to be a reversal of
host and guest. As for our ancient medicine and architecture, they are the
treasures passed down from our ancestors and we must carry out our duties of
cultural inheritance because they are unique in the world.

According to the weather forecast, temperatures will drop sharply in the next few days across the northern part of our country from northwest to northeast. The biggest drop is about 10 degrees centigrade in some areas. Some places in Xinjiang and Heilongjiang will even expect snow. The hard time of the year is to come. At first we’ll feel somewhat uncomfortable with the change but soon we shall adapt to the severe weather. In fact winter benefits our health because we can sleep longer and work less than in other seasons. Compared with the southerners, the northerners have good health and a long life. The cold weather is really advantageous.

First a sage should be a virtuous person among the common people. He is not ashamed of his low status and never complains about it. He has no desire to distinguish himself. He prefers to do all things according to his conscience rather than please anyone only. Mr Hale was such a gentleman. He gave up the position of a clergyman, which had ever brought him a comfortable income, because he had grave doubts about the faith he had followed. He couldn’t reaffirm his former faith in Christianity as the bishop demanded. He would have felt guilty to preach the sermons to the congregation.

The second day I obey the call of duty as a sanitation worker. I daren’t neglect my duty. I did cleaning outdoors as long as possible. I worked mainly beside the pathway from the gate to the office buildings within view. I want to give our principal a good impression at the beginning. So for the time being, I have almost suspended practicing calligraphy and reading at school for which I can make up later. Although my job seems disgraceful, I think it fits me. I’m glad not to contact with the students again. It’s beyond my ability to keep discipline in my classroom.

Tomorrow is the Beginning of Autumn. It marks the end of the heatwave and the start of the cool weather. It’s time to put the fan away.
I’ll go to the cemetery in Changchun visiting my late wife whose cinerary casket is deposited there. This time I am to pay for leaving the casket at the place for the coming three years. The last lease expires this month. For the past eight years I have gone there with son towards the anniversary of her death annually. Tomorrow I’ll go alone for son had turned down my proposal to get there before his departure for school.

I still remember, long long ago, in my poor
native village in central Hebei, mother would paste sheets of some special paper
over our lattice window by the end of autumn.

遥想冀中窮巷，秋盡毛帋糊窻。In the middle of the lower part of the
window was inlaid with a piece of glass for looking out. Then the whole room felt
warm and bright.

下嵌玻璃瞭望，滿室温馨清光。