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Lonely Ghosts Are on the Loose Again 农历七月，鬼影幢幢

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

Set the tables, light the lanterns, and say your prayers – there are hungry, wandering souls to appease. In just a few days, Ghost Month will be in full swing. This festival, a mix of ancient Taoist and Buddhist beliefs with a touch of Confucian ancestor worship, is like a giant charity event for homeless spirits.

摆好供桌、点起灯笼并开始祝祷—饥肠辘辘的游魂们正等着我们抚慰呢。再过几天，鬼月的庆祝活动就要进行到高潮了。这项融合古老的道教及佛教信仰并带有一点儒教祭祖色彩的节庆，就好比是一场盛大的游魂慈善大会。

In the Taoist tradition, the first day of the seventh lunar month marks the opening of the gates of the underworld. For one month, the souls of the departed that cannot be reincarnated or move on to heaven are allowed to wander the earth looking for pleasure and comfort. In the Buddhist tradition, Ghost Month is a time to celebrate Mulien, a bodhisattva who rescued his mother from her hunger and suffering in the underworld.

在道教传统中，农历七月的第一天代表鬼门开。整整一个月，无法投胎转世或是无法前往极乐世界的亡灵，得以在人间找乐子及寻求慰藉。而在佛教传统中，鬼月则是颂扬菩萨目莲的时候，他曾到地狱去拯救他母亲使其免于挨饿及受苦。

Both the Taoist and Buddhist traditions have the similar goal of giving solace to lost souls, not only as an act of kindness and brotherly love, but also as a safeguard. Wandering ghosts can be dangerous: they’re hungry, lonely, jealous, and often looking for a body to possess. To be on the safe side, the living avoid swimming, whistling, and will not schedule important events such as wedding and store openings during the entire month.

道教和佛教的传统都有安抚这些亡魂的类似目的，这不仅是慈悲为怀的一种表现还能保平安。这种孤魂野鬼可能会带来危险:他们饥饿、寂寞、善嫉，而且往往想找人附身。为了保险起见，活着的人会避免游泳、吹口哨，而且在这一整个月当中也不会安排像结婚或新店开幕之类的重要仪式。

However, it’s the rites that comfort the released ghosts, not the superstitions, which are the essence of Ghost Month. Called Pu Du, or universal deliverance, these rites involve inviting the ghosts to temples, offering them food, praying for them, and then finally driving them back to the underworld at the end of the month.

然而，鬼月的精神所在是能安慰这些亡魂的祭拜仪式而不是迷信行为。这些仪式称为普渡，意思是解救众生，其中包含了邀请亡魂入庙、请他们享用祭品、为他们祈祷，最后在鬼月结束时赶他们回阴间。

Vocabulary

appease [əˋpiz] v. 抚慰

safeguard [ˋsef͵gɑrd] n. 保护；防卫；预防措施

rite [raɪt] n. 仪式；惯例

superstition [͵supɚˋstɪʃən] n. 迷信；迷信行为

essence [ˋɛsns] n. 本质，实质

deliverance [dɪˋlɪvərəns] n. 释放；解救

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in full swing: 正在活跃进行 moving quickly forward

Taoist [ˋtaʊɪst] adj. 道教的

touch [tʌtʃ] n. 格调，风格；特点

mark the opening of  表示....的开始

underworld [ˋʌndɚ͵wɝld] n. 阴间，地狱

departed [dɪˋpɑrtɪd] adj.【婉】死去的

reincarnate [͵riɪnˋkɑr͵net] v. 再生; 转世

move on 继续前进

bodhisattva [͵bodɪˋsʌtvə] n.（佛教用语）菩萨

rescue [ˋrɛskju] v. 援救；营救

solace [ˋsɑlɪs] n. 安慰，慰藉

brotherly [ˋbrʌðɚlɪ] adj. 兄弟般的；友爱的，亲切的

be on the safe side  为了安全起见

課文中英文講解

In the seventh month of the lunar calendar, there’s no escaping the supernatural in Taiwan. Temples everywhere organize ceremonies in honor of the dead. Lanterns are set up, not to repel ghosts, but to attract them. The wealthy pay for charitable feasts for the deceased, and prayers are chanted to transform the offered food into something spirits can digest.

农历七月，你在台湾无法避免会遇到祭拜鬼神的活动。各地的庙宇会举行悼念亡灵的仪式，悬挂灯笼不是为了要驱赶亡魂，而是为了要引领他们前来。有钱人家行善布施办席招待亡灵，并且念经将祭品转换成为亡魂可以吃的东西。

Other festival activities, such as opening the gates of the underworld, are held across Taiwan, but in Keelung, they are particularly extravagant. Perhaps the most sublime event there is the releasing of flaming water lanterns which beckon souls lost at sea to return to land.

其他像是开鬼门等活动在全台各地都有举行，不过要属基隆所举办的最为盛大。其中最庄严的活动可能要算是将海上罹难者的亡魂招回陆上来所举行的燃放水灯仪式了。

One old Ghost Month activity that has found renewed popularity recently is the Chiang Ku, most famously held in Toucheng, Ilan County. In this event, teams compete to scale greased poles over fourteen stories high to grab the flags at the top. The flags are said to bring special protection from the gods and are often given to fishermen to display on their boats.

最近又开始流行的一项古老的鬼月活动就是抢孤，是以宜兰县头城所举办的最为有名。在这项活动中，一队队人马比赛谁先爬上超过十四层高、涂上油脂的竿子，并抢下竿顶上的旗子。据说这面旗子能带来神明的保佑，而且通常都会给渔民挂在船上。

As the Chiang Ku is held in the last hours of Ghost Month, some consider it a farewell party for the ghosts. Others say the noisy event is meant to drive the ghosts back to the underworld where they belong. Although some think all of this is just superstition, others believe that remembering these lost souls is important. After all, no one wants to be forgotten about, and lonely ghosts are no exception.

由于抢孤进行的时间是在鬼月结束前的最后几个小时，一些人将它视为亡魂的欢送会，有些人则认为这种喧嚣的活动是为了将亡魂赶回他们所属的阴间去。虽然有人认为这一切只不过是怪力乱神罢了，不过也有人认为纪念这些游魂是很重要的。毕竟没有人想被遗忘，就连孤魂野鬼也不例外。

－By Adam Moser & Robert Kelly

Vocabulary

repel [rɪˋpɛl] v. 击退；驱除

charitable [ˋtʃærətəb!] adj. 慈善的

chant [tʃænt] v. 咏唱，吟诵

extravagant [ɪkˋstrævəgənt] adj. 奢侈的；浪费的

beckon [ˋbɛkn] v. 向……示意；召唤

grease [gris] v. 涂油脂于

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supernatural [͵supɚˋnætʃərəl] adj. 神的；鬼怪的 n. 鬼神的事件

in honor of 纪念, 向...表敬意

set up 摆放或竖起某物

deceased [dɪˋsist] n.【正式】死者﹐已故之人〔尤指最近刚去世的人〕

sublime [səˋblaɪm] adj. 庄严的

renewed [rɪˋnjud] adj. 重新的，再度的；复兴的

is meant to  用意是....; 意味着

are noexception  没有例外

Reading Questions 

1. How do the authors of this article feel about ghosts?

A. They are deeply afraid of them.

B. They feel a little pity for them.

C. They are jealous of them.

D. They have no respect for them.

2. What does the phrase “giving solace” in the third paragraph of the first day’s article mean?

A. Being compassionate.

B. Giving out punishments.

C. Providing something exists.

D. Making someone angry.

3. According to the article, what can we assume about the food offered to spirits during Ghost Month?

A. There are specific kinds of foods that ghosts love to eat.

B. Ghosts can’t eat food until people pray over it to change it.

C. The food must be cooked in a special way before it is offered.

D. Humans cannot consume the food after it has been offered to ghosts.

4. What is the purpose of Chiang Ku?

A. It is a way to say goodbye to the ghosts, and it’s a way to make them go home.

B. It is a way for ghosts to get protection from the gods as they return home.

C. It helps souls that drowned in water find their way to land.

D. It helps lost and lonely ghosts peacefully leave the underwater for a month.

宜兰头城抢孤

Answer