天意憐幽草，人間重晚晴

Senior Pass (beginning January 1, 2007)*



登樂遊原 李商隱

向晚意不適，驅車登古原。
夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏。

晚晴 李商隱

深居俯夾城，春去夏猶清。
天意憐幽草，人間重晚晴。
並添高閣迥，微注小窗明。
越鳥巢乾後，歸飛體更輕。

In his "登樂遊原", 李商隱 wrote "夕陽無限好", which was rather
positive and optimistic, but he then continued with "只是近黃昏",
which certainly had a negative spirit.

However, in his other poem "晚晴", he reflected a positive thinking,
"人間重晚晴".

I consider “晚晴” to be equivalent to “Golden Age”, which is what
we used to refer to "old age".

A Golden Age usually refers to a time in a specific society, when
cultural advancements and enlightenment were at their highest point.
A Golden Age can also refer to a time when a specific thing (including
human) reaches a high point, before finally encountering a decline.

The U.S. National Parks Service has done a good job to enhance the
meaning of “人間重晚晴”. It presents any U.S. citizens or permanent
residents age 62 or over with a card called “Golden Age Passport”.
After a one-time $10.00 fee, the "Golden Age Passport" provides
them with a lifetime entrance pass to national parks, monuments, and
historic sites.

*The "Golden Age Passport" card has been replaced by "Senior Pass"
since January 1, 2007. I however have continued to keep the
"Golden Age Passport" because I like the name "Golden Age" better than "Senior" .


Yeh Tze