Peach桃子

张宁

Both in China and Japan the peach is related toimmortality1 and a long life. Peaches being a symbol oflongevity2 are often used when decorating3 birthday cakes andon birthday cards.

In China， the peach and the rod made from peach wood is also the symbol ofShou. Shou is one of the Three Star Gods. He is the god of longevity.

In Ancient Greece the peach was the sacred4 fruit of the god of marriage5，Hymen. It was a symbol of a happy marriage.

In the United States， Georgia is often called “The Peach State”. The peach isthe official state fruit of Georgia. Delaware has the peach blossom as its state flower.

在中国和日本，桃子都与长生不老和长寿有关。作为长寿象征的桃子常被用于装饰生日蛋糕和生日贺卡。

在中国，桃子和桃木制成的桃杖也是“寿星”的象征。“寿星”是三吉星之一。

他是长寿之神。

在古希腊，桃子是婚姻之神许门的圣果，是幸福婚姻的象征。

在美国，乔治亚州通常被称为“桃子之州”。桃子是乔治亚州的官方水果。特拉华州的州花是桃花。

Momotaro The Peach Boy

Stories about Momotaro are very popular in Japan.

An elderly couple lived their quiet lives just getting by. They were childless.

One day the old woman was down by the riverbanks washing clothes when shesaw a huge peach floating6 in the water. She became quite excited because such ahuge peach would provide enough food to last for several days. She managed to carrythe fruit back home.

Just as the couple were about to cut into this giant fruit it cracked open. Insidethe peach was a baby boy. The couple were shocked at first， but quickly calmeddown. They felt really happy. They finally had a son and named him Momotaro.

When Momotaro was around 15 years of age， he announced to his parents that itwas time for him to go out and do some good for the people. On his way to theisland， Momotaro made friends with a talking dog， a talking monkey and a talking pheasant7. With the help of the three animals， Momotaro defeated8 the demons9.

Momotaro and his animal friends returned to his parents with the treasures theyhad found. They lived happily ever after.

桃太郎

關于桃太郎的故事在日本非常流行。

一对老夫妇过着勉强过得去的平静生活。他们没有孩子。

一天，这位老奶奶在河边洗衣服时，看到水里飘着一个大桃子。她非常兴奋，因为这样一个巨大的桃子足够吃好几天了。她设法把果子带回了家。

就在夫妇俩准备切开这个巨大的果子时，它裂开了。桃子里面有一个男婴。这对夫妇一开始感到震惊，但很快就平静下来了。他们真的很开心。他们终于有了一个儿子，并给他取名为桃太郎。

在桃太郎大约15 岁的时候，他向父母宣布，他是时候出去为人们做点好事了。在去岛上的途中，桃太郎结识了一只说话的狗、会说话的猴子和会说话的野鸡。在三只动物的帮助下，桃太郎战胜了恶魔。

桃太郎和他的动物朋友们带着找到的财宝回到了他父母身边。他们从此过上了幸福的生活。

Queen Mother of the West in Chinese mythology10

中国神话中的西王母

TheQueenMotheroftheWest（XiWangmu）was the Jade Emperors wife. Her palace is atMount Kunlun. Close to her courts on MountKunlun there was a peach tree which wouldblossom11 every 3000 years. It was the fruit ofthis tree she fed to the gods which ensured12 them immortality. The Feast13of the Peaches held by the Queen Mother of the West would take place onthe third day of the third lunar month.

西王母是玉皇大帝的妻子。她的宫殿在昆仑山中。在昆仑山上她的宫殿附近有一棵桃树，每3000 年才会开花一次。她给众神吃了这棵树的果实，确保了众神的永生。西王母会在农历三月初三举行蟠桃会。

Notes

1. immortality 不朽

2. longevity  长寿

3. decorate  装饰；装点

4. sacred  神的；神圣的

5. marriage 结婚；婚姻

6. float 使……漂浮

7. pheasant 野鸡

8. defeat 击败；战胜

9. demon 魔鬼；恶魔

10. mythology 神话；神话故事

11. blossom 开花

12. ensure  确保；保证

13. feast  宴会；筵席；盛会