THOSE YEARS 那些年
李白: 君不見黃河之水天上來, 奔流到海不復回。君不見高堂明鏡悲白髮, 朝如青絲暮成雪。
人生得意須盡歡, 莫使金樽空對月；天生我才必有用, 千金散盡還復來。
Time flies as swiftly as an arrow. 光陰似箭, 日月如梭。青山依舊在，幾度夕陽紅。物換星移幾度秋。 I will be an octogenarian in several years. At our old age, it becomes easy to drown in nostalgia. We often reminisce about those years we cannot go back to. 那些回不去的歲月。世態人情經歷多，閒將往事思量過。午夜夢回。
Childhood. For most people, the happiest and most carefree time in life is childhood. Each day is filled with innocence, naïveté and laughter. 童年的純真。When we are children, we seldom think of the future. This innocence leaves us free to enjoy ourselves. 兒童散學歸來早，忙趁東風放紙鳶。兒童急走追黃蝶，飛入菜花無處尋。
Teenage. It is also the happy time in life. Generally, we experience neither great worries nor sadness. 少年不識愁滋味。We are filled with simplicity and carefreeness. Teenagers are, at times, intemperate. 少年的狂妄。We have to acquire a good education that will lead to our future success. Jade must be carved and polished before it becomes an ornament. Man must be educated before he can accomplish great achievement. 玉不琢不成器，人不學不成才。幼而學者，如日出之光。少時不經勤學苦，老來方悔讀書遲。勸君惜取少年時！少壯不努力，老大徒傷悲。
Age twenty to forty. We progressively metamorphose into a youthful, robust and mature in body and mind. We are embarking on the journey of life with passion, full of hope and ambition. We have courage and energy, unreservedly pursing our ideal and following our dreams. 童年萌芽，少年展葉，青年開花。花開堪折直須折，莫待無花空折枝。 Robert Herrick: “Gather ye rose-buds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying; And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying.” For instance, we, the immigrants, coming to America for employment or education worked extremely hard to attain the status we aspired to achieve, fulfilling our American dreams. 青年的奮發。 Along the way, we would encounter hardship and impediments that we have to overcome with our perseverance and resilience. Even when we come across failures, we should regard them as life experiences and character building, learning from those mistakes. 孟子: 天將降大任於斯人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所以動心忍性，增益其所不能。
We begin to learn about romance 青年的浪漫 and relationship as well as sacrifice, gratification and fulfillment of love. 窈窕淑女，君子好逑。身無彩鳳雙飛翼，心有靈犀一點通。On the other hand, we would experience the heartache of rejection and abandonment. 人面不知何處去，桃花依舊笑春風。此情可待成追憶, 只是當時已惘然。曾經滄海難為水, 除卻巫山不是雲。 Nonetheless, we wholeheartedly indulge in love. Eventually, we find our true love. We tie the knot. 結髮為夫妻，恩愛兩不疑。 願得一心人，白頭不相離。 <www.arteducation.com.tw/mingju/juv_833b978f2ea4.html> 執子之手，與子偕老。在天願作比翼鳥，在地願爲連理枝。
Middle age covers the period from age forty to sixty-five. 漠漠秦雲淡淡天，新年景象入中年。At this age, our feelings are generally calm. We think and act more maturely. 中年的成熟, 沉穩。 Perhaps we are less intemperate and romantic. But we have gained maturity, mellowness and stability as well as responsibility. We arrive at a season of bounteous harvest of the fruits of our hard labor. We have fulfilled our dreams and achieved our success. By this time, we would have children. And they would have been growing up and making a career of their own. 去日兒童皆長大。We would have grandchildren as well. We enjoy the happiness and gratification of our harvest.
All of a sudden, we arrive at old age, the sunset years. Vera Nazarian: “Sunrise paints the sky with pinks and the sunset with peaches. Cool to warm. So is the progression from childhood to old age.” It seems just yesterday that we were young, wondering where all those years went. Metaphorically, life is like a drop of morning dew on a leaf. 少年易過不重來, 老去光陰速可驚。年年歲歲花相似，歲歲年年人不同。人生天地之間，若白駒之過隙，忽然而已。人生如朝露。人生如逆旅，我亦是行人。 Nevertheless, we have experienced challenges, vicissitudes and stabilities in our lives, gaining wisdom, perceptiveness and insightfulness. 曾登高山, 知天之高也; 曾臨深溪, 知地之厚也。 We have a much deeper appreciation for the little things in life that make us very happy. Now we enjoy the felicity and serenity of old age. 老年的智慧,安詳。
The setting sun is spectacular, but twilight is impending. 夕陽無限好, 只是近黄昏。 While we are appreciating the fabulous sunset, we should not be disconsolate about the approaching dusk. 但得夕陽無限好,何須惆悵近黄昏。William Wordsworth: “Though nothing can bring back the hour of splendour in the grass, of glory in the flower; we will grieve not, rather find strength in what remains behind.” If we let our spirits be free, we can be youthful in our hearts. And a heart that loves is always young.
Rabindranath Tagore: “Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add color to my sunset sky.” 莫道桑榆晚，為霞尚滿天。
About the author:
Dr. Patrick Lau was born in Hong Kong and immigrated to the U.S. after high school. He retired from the VA Northern Indiana Heath Care System where he served as Chief Radiologist and moved to Florida with his wife in 2011. He was an active member & contributor of IACA and ICMA while in Indiana. Dr. Lau is also a scholar of art and literature and a prolific writer, he has been a dedicated columnist for Indy Asian American Times since 2010.