To a Daughter Leaving Home, by Linda Pastan

阿叡今天赴英國University of Kent at Canterbury 商學院就讀,主修International Economy and Financial management; 梁家阿彬同行到倫敦北方大學商學院研讀Marketing Management. 想起他們小時候在一起游嬉情景恍如昨日, 也想起Linda Pastan 寫的一首詩 To a Daughter Leaving Home:

To a Daughter Leaving Home, by Linda Pastan
When I taught you
at eight to ride
a bicycle、loping along
beside you
as you wobbled away
on two round wheels,
my own mouth rounding
in surprise when you pulled
ahead down the curved
path of the park,
I kept waiting
for the thud
of your crash as I
sprinted to catch up,
while you grew
smaller、more breakable
with distance,
pumping、pumping
for your life、screaming
with laughter,
the hair flapping
behind you like a
handkerchief waving
goodbye.

by Linda Pastan

後語
這首詩的前二行引起我的注意，就一口氣讀完，發現原來只有一句。
猶記得大女兒八歲的時候，開車載著她們，大老遠的來到台灣大學，在椰林大道上教孩子騎腳踏車，當時的場景猶如此詩所描繪。
瑪莉的二個女兒都上大學了。這首詩特別引起我的回憶，也領悟到兒女註定要走出一條屬於自己的路。父母的陪伴成長不也是為此在預備？！教孩子騎腳踏車的回憶也提醒著天下的父母這個事實。
這首詩用字簡明、生動、寫實的描繪富涵象徵意義。詩中毫無感傷的字眼，輕描淡寫的意境卻撼動為人母內心的覺悟。或許天下多半的女兒遲早都要熱情揚溢、甩動長髮地，頭也不回走出自己曲折艱辛而得意的生命之路。

翻譯你八歲那年 我教你騎腳踏車，邁著大步 傍著你，你搖搖擺擺 坐兩個圓輪而去，我自己圓著嘴 驚見你使勁 前行，順著彎曲的公園小徑，那時 我一直等待 那砰然一聲 你摔下來，便 衝著追上去，而你漸騎 漸遠，漸小，漸易破損，拼了命 踩上，踩下，尖聲 大笑，頭髮甩動 在背後，像一方 手帕揮舞著 再見。爾雅中英對照：彭鏡禧．夏燕生譯注《給要離家的女兒》

http://w3.kghs.kh.edu.tw/~tea601/modules/myalbum/photo.php?lid=411
Linda Pastan (1932- )描述：
To a Daughter Leaving Home
To a Daughter Leaving HomeWhen I taught youat eight to ridea bicycle, loping alongbeside youas you wobbled awayon two round wheels,my own mouth roundingin surprise when you pulledahead down the curvedpath of the park,I kept waitingfor the thudof your crash as Isprinted to catch up,while you grewsmaller, more breakablewith distance,pumping, pumpingfor your life, screamingwith laughter,the hair flappingbehind you like ahandkerchief wavinggoodbye.


Analysis and comments on To A Daughter Leaving Home by Linda Pastan
Comment 2 of 3, added on May 16th, 2005 at 4:23 PM. To a Daughter Leaving Home is about parents having to let go. They teach their kids to be independent and when they finally are, parents want to be needed. They wait for their kids to crash and run back to them. Virginia from United States
Comment 1 of 3, added on April 16th, 2005 at 10:47 AM. Simple,precise little poem comparing a daughter learning to ride a bike to leaving home and the mother`s feelings towards it. It portrays the mother`s feeling of trepidation watching her daughter go through life`s process. rodger from Canada