今生有花香留下嗎? | Does This Life Leave a Floral Scent Behind?

何康隆 | Khang-Loon Ho

中文 | English

今生有花香留下嗎?
Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana

獨木舟緩緩划入
淡橘色的Xugana黃昏
波紋粼粼
浮印着蓮葉片片
色彩紛然
勾勒出神秘的原始圖案

周遭如此寧靜
只有漿聲一起一落
搖晃着遠去的心情
越過疏離的蘆葦
有蓮花孤立
在向晚微風中
沉默無語

” 今生有花香留下嗎 ? “

隨著問話
我把自己
划入
愈來愈濃的暮色

**
Gemini AI 對此詩的解讀：

這首詩以博茨瓦納的奧卡萬戈三角洲獨木舟之旅為背景，描繪了一幅寧靜而富有哲思的黃昏景象。詩歌開篇，詩人乘坐獨木舟緩緩進入「淡橘色的Xugana黃昏」，波光粼粼的湖面上浮現著片片蓮葉，構成一幅「神秘的原始圖案」。這裡的色彩描寫，如淡橘色和蓮葉的「色彩紛然」，營造出一種既和諧又帶有野性的美感，將讀者帶入一個與世隔絕的自然秘境。

周遭的「如此寧靜」被漿聲打破，漿聲「一起一落」不僅是物理上的聲音，更像是搖晃著詩人「遠去的心情」。這暗示著詩人可能帶著某種心事或尋求放鬆的心情來到此處。獨木舟越過「疏離的蘆葦」，看到了「孤立」的蓮花，它在「向晚微風中，沉默無語」。這朵蓮花似乎是詩人內心世界的投射，它孤獨而靜默地存在於廣闊的自然中，引發了詩人深層的思考。

詩歌的高潮點在於那句直擊人心的問話：「今生有花香留下嗎？」這不僅是對眼前蓮花的提問，更是詩人對生命意義和價值的一種追問。在如此寧靜、廣闊而又帶有神秘色彩的自然面前，詩人不禁反思自己的一生，是否留下了美好的印記，如同花香一般，能夠持久地存在。最終，詩人選擇將自己「划入愈來愈濃的暮色」，這不僅是獨木舟物理上的前行，更是一種內心深處的沉潛與接納。在暮色中，詩人或許正在尋找答案，或者只是在靜默中感受生命的流轉，讓這份思考在無邊的夜色中得以沉澱。

**
非洲的Okavango Delta，世界最大的內陸三角洲，是 Okavango River自 Angola從北向南，經Namibia，注入Botswana境內的Kalahari沙漠而成。2014年被列爲 UNESCO第1000個世界自然遺產。時值夏季，水量豐沛，三角洲內河道曲折縱橫，湖泊，沙洲和草原參差交錯。 Xugana 是孤立於三角洲東北角上的小島。日落時分，獨木舟在蘆葦漫生的水面滑行，異國景色和原始氛圍，在倒映的晚霞夕照裡，逐次展開，迷離濃郁。晚風習習，漿影摇曳，暗然浮生 ” 小舟從此去，蒼茫寄餘生 ” 的飄散心情。

**
Links for songs about flowers:

《茉莉花》- Jasmine Flower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ItPX_lJjyPE
《白牡丹》– White Peony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clepXM7tnjU
《魯冰花》– Lupin Flower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUg_kW9da48
《雨夜花》- Flower in the Rainy Night
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9zsuBE4dXU
《夜來香》– Evening Primrose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeewDH2GeKw
《女人花》-《Flowery Woman》
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwidJlTkNoc
《菊花台》- Chrysanthemum Terrace
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27dzVVtVrEA
《雪絨花》- “Edelweiss” from The Sound of Music
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAGA3Xwfl3M
《茶花女》- Libiamo from Verdi Opera “La Traviata”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8U25do_Lu8
《花之華爾兹》- Tchaikovsky-Waltz of the Flowers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp1aDnVySf8

中文 | English

Does This Life Leave a Floral Scent Behind?
Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana

The canoe glides gently
into Xugana’s pale amber dusk.
Ripples shimmer,
floating beneath them—scattered lotus leaves.
Colors unfold,
sketching primitive, mysterious patterns.

All around, a deep stillness.
Only the rise and fall of the paddle
Rocking a distant mood
As it drifts
past estranged reeds.
A lone lotus
stands silent
In the evening breeze.

“Does this life leave a floral scent behind?”

With that question,
I paddle myself
into
a deepening twilight.

**
Poem Interpretation by Gemini AI:

This poem, set against the backdrop of a dugout canoe journey in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, paints a serene yet philosophical picture of a twilight scene. The poem opens with the poet gently paddling into the “pale orange Xugana dusk,” where the shimmering water reflects “numerous lotus leaves,” forming a “mysterious primeval pattern.” The descriptive use of colors, such as the pale orange and the “colorful” lotus leaves, creates a harmonious yet wild aesthetic, drawing the reader into a secluded natural sanctuary.

The “profound tranquility” of the surroundings is broken only by the sound of paddles, which “rise and fall,” seemingly swaying the poet’s “departing mood.” This suggests the poet might be carrying some worries or seeking solace. The dugout passes “isolated reeds,” revealing a “solitary lotus flower” that stands “silent in the evening breeze.” This lotus appears to be a projection of the poet’s inner world, existing alone and quietly in the vastness of nature, prompting a deeper contemplation.

The climax of the poem lies in the poignant question: “Does this life leave a floral scent behind?” This is not merely a question directed at the lotus before him, but a profound inquiry into the meaning and value of one’s own life. Faced with such tranquil, vast, and mysterious nature, the poet is compelled to reflect on their existence, wondering if they have left behind a beautiful mark, like the enduring fragrance of a flower. Ultimately, the poet chooses to paddle “deeper into the deepening twilight,” which is not just a physical progression of the dugout, but a profound internal descent and acceptance. In twilight, the poet may be seeking answers, or perhaps simply absorbing the flow of life in silence, allowing these reflections to settle within the boundless night.

**
The Okavango Delta, the world’s largest inland delta, is formed by the Okavango River as it flows southward from Angola, passing through Namibia before entering the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. In 2014, it was inscribed as UNESCO’s 1000th World Heritage Site. During the summer, waters swell and meander, threading through channels, lagoons, islands, and grasslands. Xugana lies secluded in the northeastern tip of the Delta. At sunset, the canoe drifts across reed-laced waters. Exotic landscapes and primordial silence unfold beneath the mirrored glow of evening light—hazy, lush. The breeze gently stirs, paddles leave trailing shadows, and a feeling rises: as if, from this little boat, one were quietly letting go, entrusting the rest of life to the vast unknown.

The delta waterway lined with thick reeds. ( photo/ Khang-Loon Ho)

Fields of lotus leaves shaded by reeds. ( photo/ Khang-Loon Ho)

Sunset of Xugana. ( photo/ Khang-Loon Ho)

**
Links for songs about flowers:

何康隆 | Khang-Loon Ho

今生有花香留下嗎? Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana

Does This Life Leave a Floral Scent Behind? Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana

今生有花香留下嗎?
Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana

Does This Life Leave a Floral Scent Behind?
Xugana. Okavango Delta. Botswana