家鄉素描-escription of My Hometown

Wherever I am, I find it hard to resist the tempting call of my hometown. Situated at the north-western tip of Xin-zhu County, bordering Tao-yuan County with a small winding stream is my old hometown, the humble and bleak fishing and farming village. The residents there used to make their living by fishing in their boats on the nearest waters of the Taiwan Strait. Later, those boats were heavily outrun by modern ships. Since then, life has never been easy for the villagers, as they have to live off the tiny pieces of land. I often feel that they are peasants rather than farmers. The village is famed for its windy weather, bad for farming but good for the strengthening of character. I can still recall how those salty winds howled all the way through my childhood. But as I now look back upon those tough days and drab rural lives, I feel blessed; I seem to have gone through the ordeal and am capable of facing any hardships. As I am growing older, in my heart, my hometown has become the symbol of the deepest nostalgia and stood for an everlasting affection. I, in turn, can always seek solace through visualizing my lovely hometown.
無論我身在何處，總覺得很難抗拒故鄉誘人的呼喚。樸實而顯荒涼的故鄉，位於新竹縣西北隅，僅以一蜿蜒小溪與桃園縣接壤，是一農漁兼具的村莊。居民過去在台灣海峽近海水域，以小船捕魚維生，稍後，小船遠不敵現代化船舶。從此，大多數村民的生活，就不曾安逸，因為他們必須依賴小小農地過活。我常覺得他們是小農，而非一般的農夫。村子以多風聞名，刮風的天氣，對農耕不利，卻有益於強化性格，我仍舊清晰地記得，童年時期鹹鹹的風總是吹個不停。可是當我現在回顧那段艱苦的日子和沈悶的鄉野生活，反倒覺得很有福氣；似乎覺得已經通過了嚴厲的試煉，而現在任何苦難都能面對。年紀漸長，心裡覺得故鄉已經象徵最深沈的鄉愁，也代表永恒的依戀，而我只能藉著慕想故鄉的影像以尋求慰藉。