A Place in Time
莫宇一方2

The Waving Girl Statue, located on the bluff overlooking the Savannah River at the south end of downtown Savannah’s riverfront area, is a bronze statue of Florence Martus (1869-1943), known as “Savannah’s Waving Girl” because of her practice of waving to ships entering and leaving Savannah’s harbor between 1887 to 1931. This symbolic sign, which portrays a welcoming young girl waving a cloth with a loyal dog at her side, is most frequently used due to the perfect match for Savannah’s femininity and hospitality. Like a warm and smiling face, the Waving Girl Statue conveys a “greetings” message, while the story behind it is quite unique and moving to all visitors.

揮帕女孩像(The Waving Girl Statue)，沙凡那(Savannah)市的古老象徵標誌之一，座落在河岸公園的最外緣，向著每一艘進出沙凡那港的大小船隻，揮舞著她的手帕，給人溫馨的，送往迎來的感覺。這座銅雕，是為了紀念Florence Martus這位小姐的數十年義舉。她1887到1931年時，和她擔任Tybee Island燈塔巡守員的哥哥居住在沙凡那河出海口附近的一座小島上，每當船隻經過，她就會走到房門外，對著這些船隻揮舞手帕。據說她在這期間沒有錯失過任何一艘船，直到1931年她「退休」下來，和哥哥一起搬進Savannah城裡住，當時還有英國的報紙予以報導，可見這位老婆婆真是聲名遠播呢。而由於這座雕像富有這麼溫馨的故事背景，雕像本身的揮舞手帕形象也和Savannah近來主推的觀光業不謀而合，因此，她成為最佳觀光代言「人」，幾乎所有該市的觀光文宣、旅遊手冊、紀念品等等都看得到她的蹤影，由她揮舞的手臂所傳達的歡迎意念來強化。