林莊生、陳虛谷、甘迺迪/Robert Frost “On Poetry and National Power,”

....虛谷先生有〈哭懶雲兄〉七首，其最後一首是：

談心已覺少同群。知己何堪生死分。
他日定君山上路，月明時節最思君。 

.....詩美，情美，人更美。

甘迺迪引Frost 的話說：「當權力使人傲慢自大的時候，詩使人反省其界限；當權力使人忽視對人之關懷的時候，詩啟示生命的豐饒與多樣性；權力使人墮落，詩使其淨化。」.....他的遺作「春來人歡樂，春去人寂寞，來去無人知，但見花開落」，正像一陣從山谷吹來的清風，使人清醒，使人爽朗。



蘇錦坤 他日定君山上路，應作「他日定軍山上路」。
「定軍山」是「八卦山」本名。
虛谷是「陳虛谷」，曾設立「彰化中學和美分校(初中部)」，可謂熱心鄉里教育，出錢出力，令人敬佩。
曾問過幾位和我年紀不相上下的和美出身的大學生，沒人知道虛谷或「陳虛谷」是誰。歷史衰頹如此。

On October 26, 1963, Kennedy gave a compelling address at Amherst College called “On Poetry and National Power,” in which he laid out a vision of American life ...

Robert Frost coupled poetry and power, for he saw poetry as the means of saving power from itself. When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of his existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses. For art establishes the basic human truth which must serve as the touchstone of our judgment.

“When power leads man towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses, for art establishes the basic human truths which must serve as a touchstone for our judgment. . . . I look forward to a great future for America – a future in which our country will match its military strength with our moral strength, its wealth with our wisdom, its power with our purpose. I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty. . . . And I look forward to an America which commands respect throughout the world not only for its strength but for its civilization as well.”