【双语阅读】中国最后一位“穿裙子的士”，叶嘉莹的百年人生

Respected scholar of Chinese classical literature Florence Chia-ying Yeh, also known as Ye Jiaying, passed away on Sunday in Tianjin at the age of 100, according to the city's Nankai University, where she worked for a large part of her life.

受人尊敬的中国古典文学学者叶嘉莹，周日在天津去世，享年 100 岁，据南开大学称，她一生大部分的时间都在这里工作。

Yeh was engaged in creating, researching and teaching Chinese poetry both in China and abroad, which she called her sole mission in life.

叶女士在国内外致力于中国诗歌的创作、研究和教学，她称这是她一生中唯一的使命。

She insisted on teaching even in her 90s, and videos of her lectures went viral on Chinese social media platforms.

即使在90多岁的时候，,她仍然坚持教学。她的授课视频在中国社交媒体平台上广为流传。

The poetry doyenne once lectured in overseas institutions including Harvard University in the United States and the University of British Columbia in Canada.

这位诗歌界的泰斗曾在美国哈佛大学、加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚大学等海外院校授课。

Renowned writers Chen Yingzhen, Kenneth Hsien-yung Pai and Hsi Mu-jung were among her students.

著名作家陈映真、白先勇、席慕蓉等均是她的学生。

In 1991, Yeh was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada.

1991年，叶获选为加拿大皇家学会会员。

"In my view, the value of studying classical Chinese poetry lies in its ability to arouse in people an immortal spirit that is adept at feeling, rich in imagination and even richer in foresight," she once said.

她曾经说过，“在我看来，研究中国古典诗歌的价值在于它能够唤起人们善于感受的不朽精神，拥有丰富的想象力，更有远见。“

In 2018 and 2019, Yeh donated all her savings and proceeds from her property sales, which totaled 35.68 million yuan ($4.92 million),to Nankai University.

2018 年和 2019 年，叶将她所有的积蓄和房产出售所得，总额 3568 万元人民币（492 万美元），捐献给了到南开大学。

She was given the "Touching China" award in 2020.

她获得了2020年"感动中国"奖。

Kang Zhen, vice-president of Beijing Normal University and an expert on classical Chinese literature, said that Yeh possessed a profound foundation in classical Chinese literature and Western poetics theories.

北京师范大学副校长、中国古典文学专家康震表示，叶女士具有深厚的中国古典文学和西方诗学理论功底。

"She seamlessly integrated her rich and deep life experiences with the appreciation and interpretation of Chinese classical poetry, forming a distinctive poetics system characterized by her own personality," he said.

“她将自己丰富深厚的人生经历与对中国古典诗歌的欣赏和解读完美地融合在一起，形成了自己独特的个性诗学体系。“

Kang added that throughout her life, Yeh was dedicated to the inheritance and promotion of classical poetry and traditional Chinese culture, making an enormous contribution to bringing them to a wider audience and the world.

康震还说，在她的一生中，叶女士致力于古典诗歌和中国传统文化的传承与弘扬，为将它们带给更广泛的观众和世界做出了巨大贡献。

Yeh was born to a family of intellectuals in Beijing in 1924 and was exposed to classical poetry and the English language from a young age.

叶1924年出生于北京的一个知识分子家庭，自小就接触古典诗歌和英语。

In college, she studied poetry from the Tang and Song dynasties with renowned master of Chinese literature Gu Sui, who greatly influenced her understanding of poetry and life, as well as her teaching style.

大学期间，她跟随中国文学大师顾随学习唐宋诗歌，极大地影响了她对诗歌和生活的理解，以及她的教学风格。

In the 1950s and 1960s, Yeh taught at several universities in China's Taiwan, and then moved to Vancouver, Canada, in 1969.

20 世纪 50 至 60 年代，叶曾在中国台湾多所大学任教。随后在1969年搬到了加拿大温哥华。

In 1979, she started giving free lectures on the Chinese mainland during the holidays, traveling at her own expense.

1979 年，她开始在假期期间在中国大陆免费进行讲座，自费旅行。

She lived and worked at Nankai University during her final decades.

她在生命的最后几十年里生活并工作在南开大学。

Yeh's life was fraught with personal tragedies.

叶的一生充满了个人悲剧。

She lost her mother when she was only 17 years old, and her eldest daughter died when Yeh reached middle age.

她失去母亲时，年仅17岁。到中年时，大女儿也去世了。

"The study of poetry is not a goal that I pursue, but a strength that supports me through difficulties," she wrote at age 87.

“研究诗歌不是我追求的目标，而是支撑我度过困难的力量，“她在87岁时写道。

At 92, she curated 218 ancient poems for children and recorded videos of interpretation and recitation the following year.

92 岁时，她为儿童策划了 218 首古诗，并于次年录制了口译和朗诵视频。

In 2020, Yeh, then 96, gave a lecture from a wheelchair to freshmen at Nankai University, her voice confident and her sense of humor intact, as she joked about how her hair was becoming darker with age, the China Youth Daily reported.

2020 年，时年 96 岁的她坐在轮椅上给南开大学新生上课，她的声音充满自信，幽默感十足，她开玩笑说她的头发随着年龄的增长变得越来越黑，中国青年报报道。

Those who have listened to Yeh's lectures have said she always lowered the threshold for appreciating poetry and guided the students, step by step.

听过叶嘉莹讲座的人都说，她总是降低欣赏诗歌的门槛，一步一步引导学生。

Dai Jinhua, a professor of Chinese literature at Peking University, recalled that in her college years, it was Yeh who made her see the wisdom of a teacher and inspired her to become one.

北京大学中文系教授戴锦华回忆起大学时代，是叶让她看到了老师的智慧，并激励她成为一名老师。

Yeh interpreted poetry with her own life experiences, such as her witnessing the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

叶以自己的人生经历诠释诗歌，比如她目睹了抗日战争。

She once expressed her appreciation for Southern Song Dynasty poet and military official Xin Qiji, because he never lost his ambition to reclaim his homeland despite turbulent times.

她曾表达过对南宋诗人、军事家辛弃疾的欣赏，尽管时局动荡，他从未放弃光复祖国的雄心。

Expressing her concern for society, she once said: "I want to engage with the world.

她曾表达对社会的关怀：“我想与世界互动。

I want to do something for humankind.

我想为人类做点事。

… I can do it without seeking fame, but my inner clarity shall not be disturbed."

…我可以不追求名利，但我的内心的清明不会被打扰。”