又中又英 | Lingering memories | 褚简宁

　　Most memories are short-lived in today's busy world. If something is short-lived, it means it only lasts for a short time. It is normal for people to forget what they did a few days or a few weeks ago. But people often have lingering memories of past events that deeply affected their lives. About six years have passed since the Covid pandemic, which killed millions globally. Many Hongkongers still have lingering memories of shutdowns. The word "lingering" means lasting for a long time. Lingering memories are memories that people don't easily forget.

　　The tragic Wang Fuk Court fire, which killed at least 160 people, was Hong Kong’s worst fire in more than seven decades. It traumatized not only those affected but the whole of Hong Kong. If people are traumatized, it means they are severely shocked in a way that causes lasting emotional pain. Memories of this traumatic tragedy will not be short-lived. They will linger in our collective memory for a very long time. It will be almost impossible for those whose family members died in the fire to erase this tragedy from their memories.

　　It is normal for people to be emotionally affected when a close family member, such as a parent, dies. There is a saying that time heals. It is human nature for people to deal with the death and get on with their lives as time passes. That will be much harder for those who have lost family members in the Wang Fuk Court fire because of the tragic and unnatural way they died. All we can hope as Hongkongers is for them to eventually find closure. To find closure means eventually finding a sense of peace that allows people to finally accept something and move forward.

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　　在今天忙碌的世界中，大部分的记忆都是short-lived－－若某事物是short-lived，意即它只存在很短的时间。人们会忘掉几日前或几个星期前的事情是很正常的。然而，人们对于一些影响自己人生至深的往事，则常有挥之不去的记忆（lingering memories）。自新冠肺炎世纪大疫症首次爆发，夺去全球数以百万人的生命，至今已过了差不多6年。许多香港人对于封关的记忆仍然萦绕不去（lingering memories）。Lingering解作持续很长一段时间，lingering memories则是指人们不会轻易忘掉那些记忆。

　　悲惨的宏福苑大火，导致至少160人丧生，是香港超过70年来最严重的大火。它不单traumatized受影响的人，更是整个香港。若人们是 traumatized，意即他们极为震惊，以至带来长久的精神损伤。这种痛苦（traumatic）惨剧的记忆，并不是短暂的（short-lived），它们会在我们集体记忆中留存（linger）。而那些有家人在大火中丧生的，要从记忆中抹除这次惨剧，更是几近不可能的。

　　当有一个至亲的家人如父母逝世，人们受情绪影响是很正常的。有俗语说，时间会治愈一切。当时间流逝，人们能应对死亡，继续生活，这是人性使然。但这对于那些在宏福苑大火中失去家人的就难很多，这是因为他们悲惨和非自然的死亡方式。我们身为香港人对他们所能期盼的，是他们最终能find closure－－to find closure是指最终能找得平静之感，让人最后得以安然接受某事情，继续向前走。

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Michael Chugani褚简宁
中译：七刻