Ken's Visit & the Strait Talk Symposium

This morning, Ken (王慶剛), a former student who now is a senior at National Chengchi University double-majoring in journalism and English, paid me a visit. He told me he had three pieces of big news to share. The first one is he has been selected as one of the five delegates of Taiwan to participate in the Strait Talk Symposium, which will be held at Berkeley University from April 2 to 10. To be selected, he had to answer some questions on the application form and be interviewed by someone at Berkeley through Skype. Good for him! During the symposium, the five delegates from Taiwan will talk face-to-face with the five delegates from mainland China and five from the USA.

I've never heard about this symposium. Click the link and you can find more information about it. http://straittalk.org/?page_id=57

The second thing he shared was that he finished reading The Catcher in the Rye during the winter vacation. A good book, he said. Like me, when reading the first few pages of the book, he couldn't see the point of the book, but when he reached the middle part, the protagonist's viewpoint gradually hit home.

Then he shared with me two of his favorite poems. One is Emily Dickinson's "because I could not stop for Death," and the other is William Wordsworth's "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud." Hearing Ken recite the two poems, I was immersed in the beauty of the sound and sense of poetry. Staring at Ken when he was reciting, I saw myself at the age of around 20, madly in love with and deeply touched by literature, especailly poetry. That moment almost made me cry.

Thank you, Ken, for sharing with me your delights. Bon voyage!

P.S. The following are the two poems:

Because I could not stop for Death
by Emily Dickinson
Because I could not stop for Death – He kindly stopped for me – The Carriage held but just Ourselves – And Immortality. We slowly drove – He knew no haste And I had put away My labor and my leisure too, For His Civility – We passed the School, where Children strove At Recess – in the Ring – We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain – We passed the Setting Sun – Or rather – He passed us – The Dews drew quivering and chill – For only Gossamer, my Gown – My Tippet – only Tulle – We paused before a House that seemed A Swelling of the Ground – The Roof was scarcely visible – The Cornice – in the Ground – Since then – 'tis Centuries – and yet Feels shorter than the Day I first surmised the Horses' Heads Were toward Eternity –

I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud

--William Wordsworth (1807)

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee;
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company;
I gazed -- and gazed -- but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.