"年華漸老"

"年華漸老"  (YouTube video)


From Google Image (by Chen Mimi)


 The other day, Wei, my NTUMC1968 classmate, forwarded to me a
“PPS”, ( PowerPoint Show) with the title “林語堂 / 年華漸老”.

It was said that 林語堂 (1895 – 1976), a Chinese literature scholar, or
better known as “幽默大師”, wrote this essay “年華漸老”  when he was
in his early 70s.

In the writing, he said:

” 我只能盡量保養，讓自己至少再活十年。生命，這個寶貴的生命太美
了，我們恨不得長生不老。但是，生命就像風中的殘燭，隨時可以熄滅。”

He lived life to the fullest. He passed away at age of 81, which was
considered to be a good number for his generation.

His “Old Age Philosophy”  is:

“個人的生命，都會達到一個早秋精神瀰漫的時期。翠綠夾著黃褐，悲哀
夾著歡樂，希望夾著追憶。到了生命的某一個時期，春日的純真已成回
憶，夏日的繁茂餘音嫋嫋，我們瞻望生命，問題已不在於如何成長，而
在於如何真誠度日，不在於拼命奮鬥，而在於享受僅餘的寶貴光陰，不
在於如何花費精力，而在於如何貯藏，等待眼前的冬天。自覺已到達某
一境地，安下心來，找到自己追求的目標。也自覺有了某一種成就，比
起往日的燦爛顯得微不足道，但值得珍惜。宛如一座失去夏日光彩的秋
林，能保持經久的風貌。”


向晚意不適，驅車登古原。夕陽無限好，只是近黃昏。

The ancient Chinese poet 李商隱 (唐) might have been too sentimental.

There are roads to a healthy old age and we need to learn to live through
it happily and peacefully.

王維, another ancient poet, seemed to know well how to live his old age:

晚年惟好靜，萬事不關心。自顧無長策，空知返舊林。
松風吹解帶，山月照彈琴。君問窮通理，漁歌入浦深。

中歲頗好道，晚家南山陲。興來每獨往，勝事空自知。
行到水窮處，坐看雲起時。偶然值林叟，談笑無還期。


A few years ago, I received a traditional greeting cards from an old
friend. In that card, he reminded me that we had entered the “老年之林”
and all the past had already been “雲淡風輕”.

What we need is a healthy old age and to adapt a positive "Old Age
Attitude", such as:

晚年惟好靜，萬事不關心。行到水窮處，坐看雲起時。


In his “年華漸老”, 林語堂 said it all and well. (as shown in the video)


Yeh Tze