第1970期：姑苏城外

江南六月，梅雨凄惨。接连半月淅淅沥沥，没奈何处。今早侥幸，不落雨。天明即起，开窗通风，下楼散步，阅新闻数则，垂手无语。由一则维基词条引出万千感慨，遂做小诗一首并英译。

【诗】姑苏城外

观前街南

废宫残垣

朱重八 张九四

城头只把大王旗

变幻

年年七月三十夜

香烛燃遍

藏王 张王 祭奠

九四 久思 默念

姑苏城外

寒山

【完】

A Poem: Outside Soochow

To the south of Guanqian Street

where the locals dub “royal ruin”

Zhang Shicheng’s palace resided once

Double eight – nine four

secret codes

bloodbath

for the castle

A clandestine custom

On the eve of lunar July 30th

Fragrant candles would lit across the town

burning “Jiu Si incense”

in reflection of the short-lived magistrate 

For once ruling with lenient hands

the cold mountain

Outside Soochow it stands

– THE END –

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附：

蘇州市中心觀前街南不遠處，有一條叫王府基的小巷，本地人稱作「皇廢基」，這裡曾是張士誠王宮所在地。蘇州至今保留着一個奇怪的風俗，每年農曆七月三十晚，古城的大街小巷裡就會有星星點點的香燭插在地上，俗稱「燒久思香」，據說那天是地藏王菩薩生日，張士誠起兵時自稱是地藏王轉世，而「久思」正是其小名「九四」的諧音，這香便是蘇州百姓在祭拜他，明祭「藏王」，暗祭「張王」（本地的「張王」)。——維基百科

Not far south of Guanqian Street in the center of Suzhou, there is an alley called Wangfuji, which is called “Huang Feiji” by locals. This was once the location of Zhang Shicheng’s royal palace. Suzhou still retains a strange custom. Every year on the evening of July 30th of the lunar calendar, there are scattered candles on the ground in the streets and alleys of the ancient city, commonly known as “burning Jiusixiang”. It is said that that day is the birthday of the Bodhisattva of the King of Earth. When Zhang Shicheng rose up, he claimed to be the reincarnation of the King of the Earth, and “Jiu Si” is his nickname “Nine” The homonym of “Four”, this incense is that the people of Suzhou are worshipping him, “King of Tibet” in the Ming Dynasty, and “King Zhang” (the local “King Zhang” in the dark). – Wikipedia (Apple translation, not revised)