On April 23rd, the 29th World Book Day will be celebrated under the theme "Reading for the Future". Among the myriad ways to embrace spring, reading stands as a cherished pastime. Reading in the glow of spring illuminates one of the many facets of the spring's beauty, allowing us to carry its essence forward into the future.
In this edition, we will delve into the descriptions of spring by authors in both Chinese and foreign literature. Additionally, we will recommend some books perfect for springtime reading.
·Chinese Literature
"We can't blossom, we can't produce leaves, and we don't have a new song. But spring floods us, our breath sinks into the sea of spring, and it is as if we become dust in the sun."
-Qin Liyan, "Early Spring"
"Or maybe so-called spring is just a light, brittle specimen, a bookmark that was once a daffodil or a butterfly."
-Yu Guangzhong, "Or So-Called Spring"
"Tie a red scarf on a spring day and go out into the field to bask in the quiet of the green grass and listen to the sound of ants walking on the gravel."
-Bi Shumin, "Prescription for the Heart"
"If I send you a book, I don't send you poetry. I would send you a book about plants and crops to tell you the difference between rice and tares and the spring when a tare raises its head."
-Yu Xiuhua, "I Love You"
"Like the March winds pouncing on the bright haystacks, Spring counts her blossoms each night."
-Gu Cheng, "I'll Breathe Like Grass"
·Foreign Literature
"If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?"
-Shelley, "Ode to the West Wind"
"April is the cruelest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain."
-T.S.Eliot, "The Waste Land" (Translated by Mr. Li Weikang)
"April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."
-William Shakespeare, "Sonnet 98" (Translated by Mr. Lin Yutang)
"Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil."
-Jebb Stuart Turrill's, "The Key to Spring"
"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
-Charles Dickens, "Great Expectations" (Translated by Mr. Lin Yutang)
·Spring Healing Book List
"Goat Trails"
Author: Li Juan
The author follows the family of Kazakh Zakbay's mother through the cold and hot days of nomadic, transhumance, and migratory life in the rugged, pallid Altai mountains in the far north of Xinjiang.
"The Grass is Funny"
Author: Yin Ruojin
This book of aesthetics of life introduces grass, trees, scenery, and seasonal food in an outline of festive seasons. Starting from the natural scenery, the book explores related folklore tales, captures artisanal folk arts and seasonal delights, shares the true way of life, and writes about the wisdom and beauty of the cultural inheritance of festivals and seasons.
"Silent Spring"
Author: Rachel Carson
In this book, Carson writes vividly and seriously, pointing out that mankind's use of poisons of its own making to increase agricultural yields is tantamount to quenching its thirst, and that mankind should go "the other way".
"Spring"
Author: Ali Smith
Allie Smith cries out, "Severance and connection are two sides of the same coin, and it is precisely here that the greatest hope should be born, as in the slow awakening of spring from a barren and cold winter, this spring - the great connection - revives."
Chinese