A touching poem for Remembrance Day

04/11/2012


The following poem is an excerpt from the sermon by Rev. Simon Chin on Remembrance Day of 2006.

Apparently the poem was scribbled on a tattered piece of paper sandwiched inside a pocket sized Bible. It was retrieved by a staff of the Army Medical Corps from the body of a soldier KIA in the North Africa theatre during WW2.

I think this is a befitting poem for the spirit of Remembrance Day.

以下一首詩是節錄自陳仲文牧師的講章 (2006年和平紀念主日)。

據悉在第二次世界大戰期間, 一個陸軍醫療部職員從一個北非戰區內陣亡的士兵身上找到一本袖珍版聖經, 當中夾著一張殘破不全的紙, 上面草草寫有這一首詩。

我認為這一首詩很能襯托出和平紀念日的精神。

 
Look God, I have never spoken to you, 主啊, 我從來沒有和您ｌ對話

And now I want to say, ”How do you do?” 現在我要講句, “您好嗎?”

You see, God, they told me you didn’t exist 主啊, 您的存在他們當是虛假

And I, like a fool, believe all this. 我信以為真, 其實我是個大傻瓜。



Last night, from a shell hole, I saw your sky, 昨夜炮彈坑中我仰望您的穹蒼

And I figured then they had told me a lie. 終於明白他們在說謊。

I wonder, God, if you’d take my poor hand? 主啊, 您肯牽我的手? 我愧不敢當,

Somehow I feel you would understand. 我總覺得您深明我的景況。



Strange I had to come to this hellish place, 可笑我身陷人間地獄中,

Before I had time to see your face. 方能得見您的慈ｌ容。

Well, I guess there isn’t much more to say, 唇邊說話, 盡在不言中,

But I’m glad, God, that I met you today. 但心中慶幸今日能興您相逢。



The zero hour will soon be here 零時倒數, 連天戰火豈能休

But I’m not afraid, because you are near. 但我不再徬徨, 因有您在左右。

The signal has come, I shall soon have to go, 軍情告急,我馬上要走,

I like you lots, this I want you to know. 對您的一份親切, 望主您能接受。



I am sure this will be a horrible fight, 大戰一觸即發, 殘酷, 可怕,

Who knows? I may come home to your House tonight. 可能今晚我會魂返天家。

Though I wasn’t friendly to you before, 從前我對您態度奇差,

I wonder, God, if you’d wait at your door? 主啊, 您仍會在天堂大門等我嗎?



Look, I’m shedding tears, me, shedding tears? 我眼眶盡濕, 流下男兒淚?

Oh! How I wish I’d known you those long, long years. 深悔識您太遲, 歲月難追。

Well, I have to go now, dear God, goodbye. 開拔在即, 親愛的主, 我臨別唏噓,

But now that I met you, I’m not scared to die. 能與您相逢, 我雖死無懼。



May peace be with us all!

願平安在我們當中!

Raymond Li