I've been reading this monograph called Chinese Dreams by Eric Hayot which is my favourite thing rn, and it talks a lot about different approaches of translating classical Chinese poetry and the philosophies behind them. In one chapter, the book gave three completely different translations of the same poem by three professional writers/translators. I want to share them here and I'm curious to hear which version people find to be the best/feels the most authentic:
1.
Green grows the grass upon the bank,
The willow-shoots are long and lank.
A lady in a glistening gown
Opens the casement and looks down.
The roses on her cheek blush bright,
Her rounded arm is dazzling white;
A singing girl in early life
And now a careless roué's wife …
Ah, if he does not mind his own,
He'll find someday the bird has flown!
2.
Blue, blue is the grass about the river
And the willows have overfilled the close garden.
And within, the mistress, in the midmost of her youth,
White, white of face, hesitates, passing the door.
Slender, she puts forth a slender hand
And she was a courtezan in the old days,
And she has married a sot,
Who now goes drunkenly out
And leaves her too much alone
3.
Green, green,
The grass by the river-bank.
Thick, thick,
The willow trees in the garden.
Sad, sad,
The lady in the tower.
White, white,
Sitting at the casement window.
Fair, fair,
Her red-powdered face.
Small, small,
She puts out her pale hand.
Once she was a dancing-house girl,
Now she is a wandering man's wife.
The wandering man went, but did not return.
It is hard alone to keep an empty bed.
So I said at first that option number one reads best to me offhand, but on second thoughts I wanted to know what the original poem was like and then look at these renditions again. So here's the version I would share with someone who has watched a Chinese period costume drama at least ONCE in their lives.
青青河畔草 - green, green is the grass by the riverbank
by Unknown (202 BCE - 220 CE), second of the Nineteen Old Poems
青青河畔草 鬱鬱園中柳
qīng qīng hé pàn cǎo yù yù yuán zhōng liǔ
Verdant is the grass by the riverbank, luxuriant, the willows in the garden.
盈盈樓上女 皎皎當窗牖
yíng yíng lóu shàng nǚ jiǎo jiǎo dāng chuāng yǒu
Graceful is the lady there on the upper floor, luminous before the window -
娥娥紅粉妝 纖纖出素手
é é hóng fěn zhuāng xiān xiān chū sù shǒu
lovely in her rouge and powder, delicate fingers on her fair hand extended.
昔為倡家女 今為蕩子婦
xī wèi chàng jiā nǚ jīn wéi dàng zǐ fù
Once the daughter of a performing House, now the wife of a wayfarer -
蕩子行不歸 空床難獨守
dàng zǐ xíng bù guī kōng chuáng nán dú shǒu
a wayfarer who has not returned, with an empty bed hard to mind alone.
Side note: Wondering what a house which allows one to stand at the window to both be seen by the passers by outside and observe the garden would look like, I looked for Han dynasty tomb rubbings and grave good miniatures as examples. Here is one excavated in Henan!
(Source)
The first translation with its vaguely medieval - or at the very least trying for amorphously historical imagery through words like glistening gown, casement, roué - seems to be adapted for readers who have never watched a cdrama in their lives and cannot imagine what a Han dynasty setting might look like. The translator probably swapped out the context for a more localized feel to their own culture’s historical settings... Making every sentence’s middle and end rhyme was a little silly and creates this funny sing-song effect when read aloud, but then so is the unserious tone of the original and the doubled words in its first three lines has a similar effect. Anyway, I’m not a fan of the localisation, but it was interesting to see the scene transplanted thus.
It was amusing to see 盈盈, which elsewhere in the Nineteen Poems is indeed used as a descriptor for the silver river (aka the milky way), envisioned by the translator as ‘glistening’ here. They also might have understood it in the brimming/overflowing sense and associated it with her figure as they pictured her ‘rounded arm’. There’s no other logical explanation and place to derive it. 纖纖 can only mean slender! I also don’t believe ‘careless roué’ is the description for a 荡子 in this context, but can understand the choice.
Overall I appreciated ‘Ah, if he does not mind his own, / He'll find someday the bird has flown’ the most because it shows his own understanding of the poem (It’s a Han Dynasty suggestive pop song and he knows it!). And locking in is always a fun choice to make when translating!
The second one is a piece of work…🤣 I’m not sure it can be called a translation because it has remixed nearly every line, but not quite in a manner creative enough to be considered derivative? They’re writing an AU where ‘the mistress’ is a lonely little nightingale in a cage with a drunken owner by funhouse mirror style paraphrasing. Unlike the first one, I can’t tell what they’re going for at all here? It’s like someone gave them one of those word by word lists of definitions of each sentence for beginners, and they cherry picked what they liked to construct a story. Taken as a translation, what a mess! LOL. Downvote! Downvote!
Special callout to the most choices of choices, ‘Blue, blue is the grass…’, ‘courtezan’ spelled with a z (it’s giving 1700s) and ‘a sot’.
The only quarter point for effort I’ll give is for the bending over backwards to nod at the original’s structure xD 青青 blue, blue / 鬱鬱 willows, overfilled (????) / 盈盈 mistress, midmost / 皎皎 white, white (really????) / (娥娥 line was skipped entirely -0.25pts) / 纖纖 slender, slender hand.
What to say about the third one.
I mentioned the word-for-word for learners earlier, this is like that, except certain ‘definitions’ seem completely pulled from thin air, with no corresponding words in the original. ‘Sad, sad’ is an invention. ‘Casement’ is an invention.
It’s not trying to be a creative work, but it’s also not being entirely faithful.
[Game] Guess the poet! Guess the poem! Guess the context!
No prizes, just the pleasure of enjoying this poem and the satisfaction of being right. Try not to google the answer xD
Just give it your best guess. We've heard this poet's voice before!
林花谢了春红太匆匆
lín huā xiè le chūn hóng tài cōng cōng
The flowering trees in the forests shed their crimson spring glory all too suddenly,
无奈朝来寒雨晚来风
wú nài cháo lái hán yǔ wǎn lái fēng
helpless against dawn's rain in the piercing cold, and the night's squalls.
胭脂泪相留醉几时重
yānzhī lèi xiāng liú zuì jǐshí chóng
Rouge tinges tears, steeping in loath to part - for when shall we meet again?
自是人生长恨水长东
zì shì rén shēng chǎng hèn shuǐ chǎng dōng
Naturally the answer is: The nature of man's life is lasting regret, as rivers turn, always, to the sea.
I'm so glad to see AO3 making it absolutely clear that none of these things are allowed to even be HINTED at.
Here's some of the language from the new post about AO3's police on commercial promotion:
-
There is a wide variety of things that are not allowed under AO3's non-commercialization rules.
Any other language which one might interpret as requesting or having requested financial contributions, whether for yourself or others. This covers indirect references, euphemisms, or other language intended to get around the TOS. Some examples of this include:
Thanks for the coffee!
My ☕ username is the same as my username here
This chapter is brought to you by my patrons
You know where to find me if you want early or bonus chapters
Check out my Twitter to learn how you can donate to me since I'm not allowed to discuss it here
If you want to hear more about my ideas, talk about fandom, or find more of my stuff for a coin, visit my Tumblr
Solicitation is not allowed, whether it's for yourself or on behalf of someone else.
#as writers we CANNOT make any money off of our fic#we could endanger our entire ecosystem of authors#does no one remember the Anne Rice stuff#we do our work out of passion and for free. if you want to make money off of your writing DONT WRITE FANFICTION <- prev
Alas, I'm fairly sure a lot of the people whining about not being able to force capitalism into their hobby probably weren't born yet when Anne Rice was sending lawyers after and doxxing fanwriters for violating her copyright. *takes a heavy drink of water like it's bourbon* I feel old.
You ARE in fact allowed* to write fanfic for money. You are NOT allowed to so much as discuss the concept of writing fanfic for money ON ARCHIVE OF OUR OWN.
*Last I checked, it isn’t officially illegal to write for-profit fanfiction. It isn’t officially legal, either. It’s a grey area that hasn’t had a lot of litigation or legal precedent yet. Fanfic in general is still largely in the grey areas. Most of the time when authors have sent lawyers after fic writers, it’s resulted in the fic writers caving without it ever properly going in front of a judge (because fic writers do not tend to have the kind of money to afford a legal battle against the likes of Anne Rice). Which isn’t a great situation for the fic writers and has absolutely ruined lives, but again, hasn’t established much in the way of precedent. Which leaves us still stuck in the grey.
The Organization for Transformative Works (which runs AO3) has a lot more resources than the average individual fic writer, and is ready and willing to properly go in front of a judge to defend the concept of fanfic. For various cultural, practical, and lawyery reasons, they have decided that their line in the sand is not-for-profit fanworks. This is what they have chosen to prioritize. This does not mean that for-profit fanworks are necessarily illegal. It does mean that the OTW is not prepared to defend their right to exist in court the way it is prepared to defend not-for-profit fanworks. And therefore—you’re not allowed to acknowledge writing fics for profit on AO3, because if the OTW do go to court and they haven’t taken an incredibly firm stance on not hosting for-profit fics on their site, that hugely jeopardizes their entire argument. Which jeopardizes their odds of winning. Which is bad news for the OTW, for whichever individual fic author they were defending, and for all of us if precedent is set against us.
For-profit fanworks are not explicitly breaking any laws. But there’s a damn good reason they’re against AO3’s terms of service.
相濡以沫
lit. to moisten each other with spittle
This was derived from Chapter 6 of Zhuangzi, The Grand Master, 'When the spring dried up, the fish found themselves dwelling on land together. They wetted each other with their breath, and moistened each other with their spit. It had been better times when they were unfamiliar strangers in the rivers and lakes.'
This idiom has come to metaphorically describe people who help each other with whatever little they have while in difficult circumstances themselves.
Legend: Fei Du, Luo Wenzhou, Both (yellow in the video)
In my heart, there is a thicket of flowers growing outstretched toward the blazing sun, more fragrant than all the finest wines. Their searing fragrance once flooded the chest of a man made of straw; and from then on, that straw man’s conviction would endure beyond time.
The turning days of yesteryear still vivid: In your eyes, the moth is aflame. [1]
Why do you choose silence? [2]
Many years have passed… who is that now softly reading?
Life and death, love and hate - divided. [3]
The gates of hell are wide open; my sight blurs more and more. [4]
Reciting memorized names from the list of devils, that’s me, barely breathing.
Vanishing suddenly, the shooting star is a flash across the sky filled with reluctance; [5]
with the cigarette snuffed out, your silhouette is outlined by the darkness.
I am adrift alone, the molten lava’s searing flow rising past my chest;
the fragrant blossoms in my heart reach toward the blazing sun. [6a]
You go to that faraway place where there is no sunrise, no first light… [7]
but likewise - no regrets; you walk into the abyss, and I with you. [8]
A single song plays on loop; in me, the past is deeply branded.
Time is being squandered, discerning good from evil, where they begin and end. [9]
These twinkling lights of a million homes… are they worth mooring for?
Lost within the fog, that brilliance quietly fades. [10]
I am adrift alone, the molten lava’s searing flow rising past my chest;
the fragrant blossoms in my heart reach toward the blazing sun.
You go to that faraway place where there is no sunrise, no first light…
but likewise - no regrets; you walk into the abyss, and I with you.
The ship docks in the harbor, a ray of light shining through the window.
I am by your side; my heart and my hurts healed.
The waves shatter and rise again—cyclical, they bear witness to the past,
and with time, become boundless and everlasting. [6b]
Ten thousand years later, you and I,
we’ve transformed into two clouds of foam. [11]
Reunited, two gasping fish upon the rocks each spitting foam on the other, [12] refusing to part.
A moment of your tenderness, and the vast indifferent sea of Others shattered, [13]
the chronic affliction self-healed, the crimson blood dimmed.
‘Without your permission’ I’ve left the sand dunes and the wastelands far behind,
all for that one instant of starlight. [14]
A lone boat sails the misty waves - to save me. [15]
NOTES
My goodness. It’s been quite a while since my last song closely linked with a novel. This one has all the distinct vibes of a fansong xD I don’t know if it was because it’s written for audiodrama or if it was already an existing one before this, but either way I have missed this flavour of song! It was such a nostalgic experience to listen to it on a loop and play around with guessing references, even if this isn’t my fandom.
As usual, I have not (fully) read the novel it was based on, and as such this is a semi context-free take. Y’all really have @decrescendo to thank for this, because the translation is brought to you by yj’s last braincell that grabbed on to -
- and REFUSED to let go.
BTW, that’s a screencap of her (previously) work in progress fanvid for Justice in the Dark, the 默读 drama adaptation that finally after sooooooooo much difficulty and fridging, finally got broadcast. And she finished it too - COME WATCH IT HERE!
Are any of them worth anchoring for? And then the answer was SO GOOD. If you’re a Mo Du or JITD fan, I’ll leave you to experience the full song in my post and then see what A did in her fanvid.
Anyway, full disclosure: I’ve read about ⅕ of the priest’s 默读 on jjwxc (plus all the Fei Du major injury scenes *cough*) and about nine or ten episodes of Justice in the Dark - still need to get back to it someday - and have osmosed the barest gist of the story. It may have been enough to make fairly educated guesses at what some parts of the song were about. BUT!!!! For a context based translation, Chaikat has a very in-depth writeup here. Also check it out in general because this is a SINGABLE version in English (omg). I’ve tried it. It works!!!! So many kudos for this labour of love.
Onwards to annotations for the song!
[1] 朝夕如昨 你眼中飞蛾扑火
The turning days of yesteryear still vivid: In your eyes, the moth is aflame.
What this reads like to me is, ‘In all the times we spent together that are playing back in my mind now, it’s clear you were going to do something not recommended by EHS - it was written in your eyes.’
The first four words are literally [dawn and dusk] [like yesterday]. The common usages of 朝夕are things like indicating the passage of time, a cycle of day and night i.e. short period of time, or doing something/something happening day and night and so on. It threw me for a loop for a while because I hadn’t made the latter connection xD And then separately, like its english counterpart, ‘like moth to a flame’, in 飞蛾扑火 there is a layer of inevitability and self destructiveness inherent in that image. Also it’s so dramatic that my brain automatically provides an image of the moth already burning up in the fire it threw itself on.
[2] 为何选择 沉默
Why do you choose silence?
This was a delightfully ambiguous line because there is no subject in the sentence. Is this a question for Fei Du - why didn’t you say anything about your past and your plans? Or is this a question for himself, Luo Wenzhou - you observed all the signs and said nothing about them!
I like that a lot. It’s nice to chew on!
[3] 生死 同爱恨 分隔
Life and death, love and hate - divided.
The literal translation of this is, ‘life and death have been separated from love and hate’. My context-free understanding of this is that it’s natural for life, death, love and hate to be intertwined, and so for there to be a separation, something unnatural must have happened. Of course, the line could be a neutral statement about how feelings for a person exist no matter their state of being. However, from the preceding line 多年又过 是谁轻声诵读着 | Many years have passed… who is that now softly reading? it already sounds very tied to plot shenanigans unbeknownst to me.
In song context, I would guess that the character’s will to live, fear of death and human emotions have become, hmmm… not so accessible. And that has something to do with the person reading the literary work (classic literature) aloud. 诵读 is doing that - usually specifically with a literary work - with emotions, bringing it to life.
(Also I couldn’t figure out if 诵读 is a closed book i.e. reciting or an open book exercise, so if someone knows please enlighten me! It was interesting to read this detailed description of schooling requirements for reading aloud from The Education University of Hong Kong LOL)
[4] 地狱之门大开着 眼前愈发浑浊
The gates of hell are wide open; my sight blurs more and more.
Both figurative statements I think. In song context (influenced by my vague impression of novel context) the crimes keep happening and mastermind (?) behind them has muddied the waters. The moth flying toward the flames in the song (Fei Du) is also not sharing everything he knows. And so for the other character (Luo Wenzhou) from whom things are hidden, it’s increasingly hard to see the truth as plot things go on.
[5] 猝然消逝的流星 一闪划过 / 明明不舍
Vanishing suddenly, the shooting star is a flash across the sky filled with reluctance;
I think this is just imagery representation for vanishingly small moments of joy? But also to set the path for the lights and stars that come later. The parts about the shooting star were sung by Fei Du, but the ‘obviously reluctant’ line was by Fei Du and Luo Wenzhou together. They timed it so well that it is a full sentence.
Song logic: Something wondrous that makes you feel fortunate to see it flashes by, and you feel reluctance to see it go. I gave the emotions to the shooting star because it was more Romantic, but you know they were felt by the observer(s) too. A pause to live in the moment. But then it's time to do something hard in the shadows.
[6a] 我一人漂浪 岩浆滚烫漫过胸膛 心底的芬芳 向烈日生长 / [6b] …同时光 万寿 无疆
I am adrift alone, the molten lava’s searing flow rising past my chest; the fragrant blossoms in my heart reach toward the blazing sun. / …and with time, become boundless and everlasting.
Preserving an alternate version of 6a here: I am adrift alone, the searing molten lava overflowing from my chest.
These are references to the ‘reflection letter’ Fei Du wrote, that though disguised as a prank to irk Luo Wenzhou with its mushiness, was actually a confession. I don't know at what point this was written canonically, but with the way Fei Du was coughing, I'd guess it's after something not great for general health and safety (likely that final thingy where he did the thing xD I have only vague memories of it).
In my heart, there is a thicket of flowers growing outstretched toward the blazing sun, more fragrant than all the finest wines. Their searing fragrance once flooded the chest of a man made of straw; and from then on, that straw man’s conviction would endure beyond time.
The story of this song only feels complete with this piece, which is why I wanted to keep them together xD
[7] 没有黎明不见曙光
You go to that faraway place where there is no sunrise, no first light…
黎明 is a [time] i.e. dawn, when the sky is about to turn light or has just started to turn light.
曙光 is that light itself. But also refers to the light of hope for a bright future.
[8] 也无悔 深渊 同往
but likewise - no regrets; you walk into the abyss, and I with you.
I just wanted to yell about @decrescendo’s *YEETING* here: ‘No regrets, then - the abyss can have me too’. THAT WAS SO GOOD. I love it. It’s so creative and gets the vibe perfectly while being economical with wordcount xD
[9] 光阴在无度挥霍 分清善恶始末
Time is being squandered, discerning good from evil, where they begin and end.
I absolutely imagined this as a :/ and Luo Wenzhou figuratively tapping his disapproving fingers on Fei Du’s previous sentence.
[10] 这人间万家灯火 值不值得 靠岸停泊 迷雾中湮没 光影 悄悄褪色
These twinkling lights of a million homes… are they worth mooring for? Lost within the fog, that brilliance quietly fades.
Literally what the text says here xD but I just want to sigh at the meandering journey he took to find a worthwhile *home* out of the ‘abyss’ in song logic.
[11] 两朵泡沫
two clouds of foam
朵 is literally the collective noun for cloud in Chinese xD I couldn't help it :P
[12] …礁石上相濡以沫...
…two gasping fish upon the rocks spitting foam on each other…
Yup it’s that idiom! I moved the translation originally here right to the start xD There was also the full TL of a passage from Zhuangzi xD but it was pretty depressing and unrelated, and so was taken out. Maybe it can be its own thing sometime when I get around to reading the full text xD.
[13] 你温柔那刻 茫茫人海化作粉末...
A moment of your tenderness, the vast indifferent sea of Others shattered…
From A hahahahh
YES
I also really like callback to the earlier 万家灯火 | twinkling lights of a million homes with 茫茫人海 | the crowd of people like a sea. That feeling of alienation (wanting and not having a light left on for you to come home to, being alone in the clamor of a crowd) can be crushingly lonely. And the moment of tenderness that shatters that and heals your pain!!! Just as worldview shaking as the blossoming flowers that flood the chest of the straw man :)
[14] 我未经允诺 告别沙丘远离荒漠 只为那 一瞬 星火
‘Without your permission’ I’ve left the sand dunes and the wastelands far behind, all for that one instant of starlight.
Making ‘without your permission’ a quote was a liberty I took after listening to this song on loop for a ridiculous number of times. The exceedingly formal 我未经允诺 - casually ‘without your permission’ but it’s actually on a more formal register than that, and I just don’t know how to render it lol - just really stood out as there was nothing about a promise to inform Luo Wenzhou or anything of the sort throughout the song. Fei Du has also never given any indication he was aware of anyone else in this duet until that verse that they sung together (because of surviving the yeet into the abyss with Luo Wenzhou?).
[15] 孤舟随烟波 渡我
A lone boat sails the misty waves - to save me.
And this is the basis for their names isn’t it? The boat and the person to be delivered from suffering.
紅藕香殘玉簟秋。
Pink lotus withered, but its fragrance lingers;
I slumber, on a jade-smooth woven mat in autumn.
輕解羅裳，獨上蘭舟。
Lightly I part my skirts, boarding a lily boat alone.
雲中誰寄錦書來？
Who’d send me embroidered words amid the clouds?
雁字回時，月滿西樓。
By the time your letter returns with the geese flying south,
moonlight has filled the western chambers.
花自飄零水自流。
Alone, flowers fall and wither; alone, water flows.
一種相思，兩處閒愁。
A single kind of yearning;
makes a coupled kind of melancholy.
此情無計可消除，
This sentiment no means could erase,
才下眉頭，卻上心頭。
it’d just fallen from my brow,
yet it’s risen in my heart.
Michael V - “Gusto Ko Nang Bumigay”
English: “I Want to Give In (Come Out)”
A song about being forced to conform to traditional gender expressions all your life and wanting to give in to the desire to be yourself. The narrator is in his 50s and married.
This song number was created for a mainstream Filipino comedy show, as a sort of parody of the breakup song “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw (I Want to Let Go)” by Morissette. The lyrics were (re)written by Michael V who is also the performer.
CW: The 2nd verse contains lyrics about surviving physical and verbal abuse from family and society
—
Translation notes:
Any discrepancies in the chorus lyrics are caused by me being too lazy to copy/paste the chorus translation. It’s all the same chorus.
“the harder it is to keep in”: The word used is gigil, which means to be so overwhelmed with strong emotion (usually either anger or cuteness overload) that you can’t help but grit your teeth, clench your fists, and shake, as the singer demonstrates. There’s no direct translation for it.
If you like stories about gender expressions and pageantry, I highly recommend the movie Die Beautiful, a Filipino LGBT movie that has been released with (I think) English subs on Netflix (selected countries).
《忘了我》 song demo by 江皓南 Jiang Haonan from 音乐缘计划 | Melody Journey Episode 6.
This is Zhou Shen's take on the song! He actually only added the last line of lyrics, but you'll find that many of the lines are different because it's translated based on the vibes I'm receiving from their singing rather than any difference in the words xD
There are so many people in this world, but is there one who truly knows me?
Curled up in some obscure corner, will anyone want to come close?
All of yesterday from sunrise to sunset, I was feeling low;
still unused to regrets and how they’re supposedly normal.
When the world forgets me and time leaves me behind,
by then, would I have started a brand new life?
When I’m no longer in this world, but suddenly come to mind,
in such moments, let this song keep you company as you go about your life.
I really look forward to having someone gift me a little warmth;
even if they end up just passing by, at the very least together, we’d have once felt joy!
Perhaps life is simply like this with its ups and downs.
So, try to come to terms with final partings without goodbyes.
When the world forgets me and time leaves me behind,
by then, would I have started a brand new life?
When I’m no longer in this world, but suddenly come to mind,
in such moments, let this song keep you company as you go about your life.
When the world forgets me and time leaves me behind,
by then, would it mean that I can finally be free and completely unburdened?
When I’m no longer in this world, and when you’ve gotten used to my absence,
when that time comes, let this song be the proof that I once was here, alive.
This song managed to link three idle thoughts I've once had at different points of my life that I've NEVER realised could be linked together. I'm still !!!!!!!! a little on the inside from it.
YJ losing her marbles
Look, I know what this might sound like, but it's actually a happy song!!!! Jiang Haonan, I feel you and your crazy eyes when you try and convince people of it xD But GUYS it's actually really comforting and positive.
The little voice that desires to be alone / hurt alone but also to be seen. (Aren't feelings just so conflicting and annoying!) Chances you've missed, people you've missed in one way or another, all these regrets and sadness that make you feel bad are like a barrier that separates. But the way he sings 昨天从日出直到日落都失落 / 还是无法习惯常态的错过 (All of yesterday from sunrise to sunset, I was feeling low; still unused to regrets and how they’re supposedly normal) with strength, and how he paints the scene with his voice, that vibe resonates, but with the way he expressed it, I feel so uplifted TAT
That was a surprising twist after 当世界忘了我 / 时间抛弃我 (when the world forgets me / and time leaves me behind)... anticipation of a new life that are also words of comfort to the listener with the thought of a new life for the one who is gone. Does it feel like the world has forgotten me? Does it feel like time is marching on while they're left further and further behind? Maybe somewhere, somewhen, they've already begun their new life.
If someone misses me when I'm no longer here, isn't it so gentle for both them and I to have something I poured myself into to keep them company? Don't be sad. My love is still here.
(Yeah oh man the way all the singers went crazy skafskjjfskj HE'S SO GOOD)
The silver lining to farewells 即便最后也路过 至少有过快乐 (even if they end up just passing by, at the very least together, we’d have once felt joy). And then the 还是无法习惯常态的错过 (still unused to regrets and how they’re supposedly normal) to now 试着接受未曾告别的错过 (try to come to terms with final partings without goodbyes)
You see how the emotions are progressing from the opening lines?????
And if the first 那个时候我 是不是有了崭新的生活 (by then, would I have started a brand new life?) was gentle and bright, the second is simply so so so ???? it rises up like OOF.
It's lucky they put clips of everyone being like genuinely soooooooo T_T so we can laugh and nod at their reactions instead >.< Well timed, editors!!!!!
.
you don't need to remember me when I've left / but I hope I've brought you joy and I hope that that positivity is what remains when I'm gone / wouldn't it be nice to leave a little handprint to say 'I've been here' in this world?
This is a song written and composed by 江皓南 Jiang Haonan, and presented in Episode 6 of 音乐缘计划 | Melody Journey. As part of the programme, Jiang Haonan presented a demo of this song as how he envisioned it originally, and it was subsequently rearranged and adapted for stage performances by Zhou Shen and Liu Duanduan.
@kayatoastkkat Thank you so much for introducing me to this!!!
There’s so many people in this world, but who truly understands me—
curled up in some corner, will anyone come close?
All of yesterday, from sunrise to sunset, I was feeling down,
still unable to get used to these constant losses.
When the world has forgotten me and the clock has abandoned me,
when that time comes, will I be living a brand new life?
When I’m no longer here, but you suddenly think of me,
when that time comes, let this song keep you company as you go about your days.
I’m so excited for someone to come along and give me some warmth,
even if we end up only passing by, at the very least we were happy once!
Maybe life will always be this way with its ups and downs,
so try to accept such partings without proper goodbyes.
When the world has forgotten me and the clock has abandoned me,
when that time comes, will I be living a brand new life?
When I’m no longer here, but you suddenly think of me,
when that time comes, let this song keep you company as you go about your days.
When the world has forgotten me and the clock has abandoned me,
when that time comes, will I finally be completely free to be who I want?
When I’m no longer here, when you’ve gotten used to being without me,
when that time arrives, this song will be proof—hello world, I’ve once been by.
May you still have this song to keep you company as you live your life.
Note: Turn on the closed captions by clicking in the rectangle [cc]! You can drag and drop to put them wherever you like.
These are words both about the song and expressing her support for Zhou Shen by the lyricist, 苟璘 Gou Lin, on her Weibo:
This is a song of praise dedicated to tiny lives amidst the vast sweep of history. In the face of the grandeur of the Forbidden City’s six hundred years, there are far too many individual lives that can feel so very insignificant. However, the most crushing kind of smallness doesn’t come just from time or space, it comes from that deep and helpless frustration we’ve all felt at some point when the world overlooks or scorns us.
And yet, even throughout all of time and the infinite vastness of the universe, even if our utmost effort only amounted to a brief spark in the end—here for a moment, then gone without a trace, what matters is that in that moment, we saw our own passion. We heard the voice in our heart. Maybe this is what it truly means to have lived?
You are an angel sent to this world with the power to heal. So, keep blissfully singing. Keep shining with your purity and warmth. Keep lighting the way for those who need your light @Kabu_Zhou Shen.
Tonight, the Forbidden City shines for you.
/I love this song so so so much. Ahhhhhhhhh. Started translating this on the 29th of January 2022 (I know bc all my translation project file titles start with the initiation date xD) and even TLed Su Shi’s poem, 定风波·莫听穿林打叶声 to prepare! But in the end, I had to put it on indefinite hiatus partially because I couldn’t decide what ‘光亮你自己’ vibed like to me, but also because I wanted to watch the show it was made for. Posting now because I finally did get around to watching it, and also because inspiration struck*! \o/
*Cough. Technically halfway through one night in 2023 if memory serves… Yes, it took me two years to write it down…
Background
This is one of twelve theme songs for 紫禁城 Forbidden City, the 12 episode 2021 documentary jointly produced by Beijing Radio & Television Station (BRTV) and The Palace Museum, which, as its name suggests, is centered on the history of and history that unfolded around the Forbidden Palace in Beijing, built in the Ming Dynasty and that still stands today.
Every episode had its own ending song. Zhou Shen’s 光亮 / Silver Linings was the ending song for Episode 6 余晖 | Afterglow.
(Rockster929 has subtitled a short interview with the director of this documentary from China Documentary Festival here where he talks a bit about the background of the song, and some words from Zhou Shen about it and what he wants to convey with it.)
The ‘afterglow’ here refers to the meteorological phenomenon in which an arc of light can still be seen on the horizon after sunset or twilight. It’s the perfect word for this episode, which mainly covers the late Ming Dynasty in broad strokes, from the reign period of the Wanli Emperor, Emperor Shenzhong of Ming, to the fall of the dynasty with its last Emperor Chongzhen. If that sounds cliched to you, I thought so too… and boy was I happy to be wrong!
紫禁城 Forbidden City, Episode 6 余晖 | Afterglow and its theme, 光亮 Silver Linings
Some rambles about it (and a link to the show) for you all because I couldn’t find an English subbed version. If you can understand Chinese though, I highly recommend watching it because the MV version feels SO different when you have that context, and it’s no longer just a collection of pretty backgrounds, antiques and strangers that don’t mean anything to you.
In this episode, late Ming history is presented as one of fading grandeur and deepening shadow, with moments of inspiring resilience and tragic but admirable brilliance.
It opens with an ominous rare winter thunderstorm in 1610, on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, marking the birth of Zhu Youjian, the future Emperor Chongzhen. With hindsight from what we know now, it seems almost symbolic (or so the documentary narration went xD). His life, like the dynasty he would one day inherit and then lose, would be similarly marked by turbulence and tragedy.
Use this: Handy list of Ming Dynasty Emperors.
We then jumped back a little ways in time (there was a lot of jumping back and forth… I had to consult the wikipedia timeline of Ming emperors) to the reign of the Longqing Emperor, Zhu Zaiji (1537 to 1572), who, upon ascending the throne in 1567, lifted a longstanding maritime ban and reopened Ming’s doors to overseas trade. This short lived yet forward-looking policy that later became known as the Longqing Opening was what brought new vitality into a flagging economy and rule. It also laid the economic foundation for the comprehensive reforms of the ‘light in the darkness’, Zhang Juzheng (1525 to 1582), initially Grand Secretary and basically prime minister under Emperor Wanli (1563 to 1620)—which turned things for the better in terms of both economy and efficient governance.
(If you love political cdramas PLEASE come check out Zhang Juzheng’s wiki page. He also wrote child!Emperor Wanli the illustrated book, 帝鉴图说 Illustrated Study of Emperors, which was featured in the documentary.)
Possibly due in part to the way his hand was forced over the investiture of a less favoured son as Crown Prince, in the later part of his rule, Emperor Wanli withdrew from court life citing illness, and state machinery began to grind down. Beneath the appearance of upheld rituals and grandeur, Ming had begun to hollow out. Factional infighting, court intrigue, and rigid, inefficient bureaucracy weakened the dynasty from within, even as natural disasters (and bad management of them), rebellions, and global shifts pressed in from without.
There was more about Emperor Taichang, Zhu Changluo (1582 to 1620) and Emperor Tainqi, Zhu Youjiao (1605 to 1627) before circling back to Emperor Chongzhen whom we started off with, and their ultimately futile attempts to turn back the tide (of the gradual decline of Ming). But beyond emperors, ministers and the suffering people, what stood out and became clear as I watched this episode was how very human they all were. The quiet heroism and tragic flaws of those who tried in their own ways to hold the center together. Sometimes the same ones who accelerated its end. The nobility and the failures, the integrity and short-sightedness, the earnest reformers and bitter rivals—sometimes all in one messy tangled ball. History, shaped by people in all their fragility and complexity, against forces they could not control.
Ah, I may have made it all sound very bleak! But really the heart of 余晖 is not a story of collapse and things falling apart, but of endurance and resilience. Of little matches keeping a glimmer of light in the darkness.
Which then leads us seamlessly to the next section ~
This Song and How I See it
(But in the meantime, lemme plug a couple of the versions I’ve enjoyed as well. Here (Illumination) from tumblr user six-sticks with awesome word effects that add to the vibe, and this 2023 CCTV New Year’s Gala version (The Light), which is not as literal and probably had to conform to some sort of word count guideline, but still the interpretation is so clear!)
Upon the sea, a gust of wind begins to blow,
white clouds roll toward the land [1].
the monsoon carrying away grains of sand.
Four seasons: Cycles of cold and warmth.
Look, it’s the effervescence of life,
and here again, traces of decay [2].
Be it the sudden wind and rain in your face as you race,
or the illuminating light of a single burning match against the darkness [3],
perhaps you will never guess where ineffable fate leads you [4]
like the shooting stars that fly without knowing where they go [5].
But ah, and yet I… I am willing believe
in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you.
Reaching out with all your strength and all you have [6].
No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope [7].
Be your own light [8a].
Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves;
straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain [9].
At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage [10];
a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream [11].
But oh, and yet I…I am willing to believe
in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you.
Reaching out with all your strength and all you have.
No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope.
Let your light shine [8b].
Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves.
Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain.
At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage;
a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream.
Unwavering despite the outcome [12a].
Being your bravest self.
Undeterred by fate [12b].
The bravest you can be.
Notes
[1] 一阵风吹起 / 白云涌向陆地 / 季风带走沙粒
a gust of wind begins to blow / white clouds roll toward the land / the monsoon carrying away grains of sand.
Honestly, translating this line was like all my secondary school physical geography nonsense coming back to haunt my soul. Monsoon winds are regional wind patterns that reverse direction seasonally due to the Coriolis Effect produced by the rotation of the earth etc. etc. xD It's a very lively and lovely way to set the scene for this song because it calls ocean and sunlight dappled beach imagery to mind immediately, tying in to the natural cycles of nature, the storm and the sea that are mentioned later on in the song.
I had great fun choosing a word for 涌 because it’s like a rising, surging sort of motion right? But the vibes are a smidge gentler in this sentence because of the descriptions that sandwich it. Since rolling clouds are a stunning thing and since these seem to herald a storm, that’s what I went with!
[2] 多鲜活的生命 / 又枯萎的痕迹
Look, it’s the effervescence of life / and here again, traces of decay
The 多 in this sentence is of ‘多么’ (duō me) | how, frequently shortened to just 多 alone. And then ‘effervescence’ was the first word that popped into my head at 鲜活 - vivid and vibrant and bursting with vitality, and I am fond enough to keep it so, even if a closer match to the sentence might have been ‘how effervescent life is!’ xD I think one of the versions I recced earlier uses 'a vivid life with marks from withering', which is also super valid.
With 枯萎’s association with plant life, perfectly tying in to the previous line about the interchanging of seasons, perhaps wither might have been a more suitable choice than decay? But I couldn’t figure out a sentence that sounded right with ‘wither’ in it, so… oh well!
[3] 是奔跑中突然袭来的风雨 / 是黑暗中一根火柴燃烧的光明
Be it the sudden wind and rain in your face as you race / or the illuminating light of a single burning match against the darkness
This structure of ‘Be it the / or the’ comes from my perceiving the lines as ‘是 / (还)是’ and these two with the next two lines conveying this: Whether it’s the storm that hits you unexpectedly, or being the fragile strength-giving light in the darkness, maybe you can’t tell what your purpose is or if your effort will even make a difference at the end of it all…
Like, omg I really love the sudden rain in your face here, because this is what sets up for the opening of the opera singing later on! Will explain in [9].
[4] 也许你猜不透未知的宿命
perhaps you will never guess where ineffable fate leads you
Predestined is the typical translation of 宿命, which is also literally [movement of the constellations] [determined by command]. Meanwhile, typically, we hear ‘fate written in the stars’ in english. So… fate it is!
[5] 像流星飞翔着它却不知目的
like the shooting stars that fly without knowing where they go
‘Where they go’ is because 目的 can also be direction as well as purpose. When we add a 地 at the end, it becomes 目的地 (mù dì dì) destination. I went with a slightly anthropomorphic rendition here to reflect the tone that’s implied about the shooting stars* that don’t 不知 *know* their purpose.
The way it is phrased in the Chinese, the pronoun 它 is for non-human beings and objects similar to ‘it’. However when pronounced, 它 (tā) is indistinguishable from what you use for a human, 他 (tā). Combining that with the image in the MV that has the magnificent time-exposure shot of the trajectory of stars above 太和殿 (tài hé diàn) | Hall of Supreme Harmony, I used ‘shooting stars’—plural and ‘they’ for this line.
If I were prepping for a lyric video without the context of the MV, I’d probably change it to something along the lines of ‘like a shooting star that flies without knowing where to go’.
[6] 用尽了全力 努力地回应
Reaching out with all your strength and all you have
Hmmmmmm I let go of 回应’s responding / replying shade of meaning in favour of reaching because I couldn’t tease out the unwieldy sentence if all remained. xD
[7] 总有一线生机
always, there’s a sliver of hope
But another aspect of that creative decision (other than laziness) is that I wanted to capture that grasping for the ‘一线生机 single thread of chance at survival’ image.
[8] 光亮你自己
(a) Be your own light / (b) Let your light shine
This line was what had me conflicted and idly racking my brains for literal months xD
Where conventionally 光亮 is shining, bright or light, none of that really fitted in with 你自己. Light yourself, as in illuminate yourself? Make yourself shine? It’s not the same as ‘setting yourself alight’ in the sense of the burning match from the earlier line, but a sort of illuminating quality. The image here is that *you* are giving off the light.
(Also no I didn't see any of the interviews/pre-performance words where he talked about it, or I wouldn't have been stuck for so long!)
And what you see is my conclusion! The first one comes after the verse that is encouragement for ones feeling adrift, out of their depth or purposeless and lost. So the call to ‘be your own light’ feels like something I would say.
The light comes from within yourself.
The second one comes after the opera style verse… well… so maybe let’s leap right into that first!
[9] 莫听穿林打叶声 / 一蓑烟雨任平生
Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves / straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain
This sentence is actually made up of two separate lines from the same poem by Su Shi (better known as Su Dongpo - btw it’s not his name but Su of the Eastern Slope xD I’ve explained about how he got it here). The poem is 定风波·莫听穿林打叶声 | To the tune of ‘Still the Wind and Waves’ • (first line) heed not the sound of rain in the forest.
A prominent Song dynasty poet and official, Su Shi wrote this poem during his relegation to Huangzhou around 1080. He had been falsely accused of criticizing government policies in his poetry and was imprisoned before being demoted to a minor post in farway and destitute land. It was a major MAJOR fall, and I don’t have the words to describe what he (and others) went through, but there is an ENTIRE wikipedia page for the whole case. So if interested, here you go: Crow Terrace Poetry Trial. The link is to the conclusion of the case and his sentencing because that’s what directly led to the circumstances under which he wrote the poem we’re interested in, but feel free to scroll up and read from the top.
Su Shi's fall from political favor and relegation deeply impacted him (keep in mind that he was 43 when this happened, remained in Huangzhou for 4 years and passed about 16 years later in 1101), but rather than grow bitter or defeated, his writings from this period show a shift toward embracing reclusion, simplicity, and freedom from official burdens. One day, returning and getting caught in the rain, Su Shi found himself walking calmly while others were flustered. This real-life episode inspired the poem, where the last line reveals his secret to remaining at ease in spite of his circumstances. That same theme is reflected in 光亮’s ending lines.
Something cute (Zhou Shen related) that I came across recently: Since the line was derived from two different parts of this poem which also happens to be a classroom and exam staple, in his concerts, Zhou Shen has tested fans on singing the song 光亮 vs. reciting the poem 顶风波. Here’s one from 811 Nanjing in 2024 (I adore that outfit!!!!!)
Anyway! Can’t say all that without showing you what we’ve been talking about, so here it is:
三月七日，沙湖道中遇雨。雨具先去，同行皆狼狈，余独不觉，已而遂晴，故作此词。
On the seventh day of the third month, midway on Sandylake Road, we met with rain. Those bearing rain gear went on ahead. My traveling companions were all miserable and disheveled, only I did not feel discomfited; shortly after, the skies cleared when the rain ended. This is why I pen these words.
莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行。竹杖芒鞋轻胜马，谁怕？一蓑烟雨任平生。
Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves. Why not keep singing along as you tread? On bamboo staff and wicker sandals light and swift, better suited than a steed. Who’s afraid? Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain.
料峭春风吹酒醒，微冷，山头斜照却相迎。回首向来萧瑟处，归去，也无风雨也无晴。
A sharp Spring breeze dissipates my drunken haze. It is a little chilly. Yet, welcoming me on the mountaintop are the setting sun’s slanting rays. I look toward the way we came, where leaves rustled in the cold. Toward a return where there is neither storm nor clear skies.
Is he really talking about just the rain in that first line, or does it also apply to the storms in life too? Keep walking forward, unafraid, just as you had before and sing in its face!!!! The secret to being at ease is in finding the silver lining in every dark day and appreciating it. And whether you’re met with storms or clear skies, take them with equanimity and a neutral heart.
[10] 畅音阁里终一叙
At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage
The phrase ‘历史的舞台 history’s stage’ was used a couple of times throughout the documentary which I took inspiration from for the reading of the line. To support this interpretation, I also took 叙 xù in 终一叙 as that of 叙述 which is to record or to narrate.
Hearing this song for the first time (and every time before actually looking it up xD) though, I did wonder about 畅音阁 (chàng yīn gé), which sounds like a building, a place of music, and why are we recounting stories there. Now, I think it’s sort of meta to use opera style singing to cue a place where opera is performed, while practically saying ‘all the world's a stage‘ xD
For the song, 畅音阁 | Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds is translated as Changyin Hall, transliterating its name as Changyin and the type of building, a ge, as ‘Hall’ for the sake of catchiness. (Hey we call it Langya HALL not Langya Pavillion xD) But for the sake of clarity in the notes because the official name for a 殿 is Hall, let’s call this place Changyin Pavilion.
In Episode 10 of 紫禁城 Forbidden City, in a small segment depicting Empress Cixi’s 60th birthday amidst a tumultus time for Qing, we learn that Changyin Hall is located near to her 宁寿宫 | Ningshou Palace / Palace of Tranquil Longevity, and that it hosts the largest performance stage in all of the Forbidden Palace.
Here is a map where you can try hunting for it!
I went to look up the page for Changyin Pavilion in The Palace Museum’s website and here it is. You can even go in and click the 360 view to explore it.
Here’s a translation of the short writeup about it on the page.
(Post Translation Draft Edit: 😵 SUPER regret setting out to do this LMAO *coughs blood*. Please take all of it with a pinch of salt!!!!! I’ll leave the Chinese text alongside for people who can read themselves.)
Changyin Pavilion sits in the area behind Ningshou Palace at the Southmost end of the East road. North facing with its back to the south, it served as an opera performance stage in the palace during the Qing Dynasty. Construction began in the 37th year of Emperor Qianlong's reign (1772) and was completed in his 41st year (1776). It once had to be maintained and repaired in the 7th year of Emperor Jiaqing’s reign (1802), and in the 22nd year (1817), an annex with a curved-roof, a juanpeng ding, was added to the south of the pavilion as a dressing area. Another round of maintenance took place in the 17th year of Emperor Guangxu's reign (1891). The architecture that remains today reflects the style and modifications made during the Jiaqing period.
Changyin Pavilion has three-tiered eaves with an overall height of 20.71 meters. Its roof features a combination of xieshan (hip-and-gable) and curved eaves, covered with green glazed tiles edged with yellow glazed tiles. The first and second levels are roofed entirely with yellow glazed tiles. Three jians wide and three jians deep (sorry, but I can’t figure out what they mean by ‘jian’, so uhhhhh here’s an entire article for you about it xD), and it connects to the five jian annex dressing area to the south, forming a T-shaped layout.
Under the eaves of the uppermost level hangs a plaque that reads ‘畅音阁 Changyin Pavilion’, the one on the middle level reads ‘导和怡泰 Guided Harmony and Pleasant Peace’, and the lowest level has ‘壶天宣豫 Spreading Heavenly Joy’ (Chinese blog post explaining the names). Within the building, there are three vertically stacked stages. The upper stage is called 福台 Fortune Stage, the middle one is called 禄台 Prosperity Stage, and the lower one Longevity Stage. The 寿台 Longevity Stage, with an area of 210 square meters is designed without interior columns, using corner-braced beams (video explaining this architectural building technique in Chinese) instead.
At the rear of the stage, there are four staircases leading to a platform that provides access to the Prosperity Stage above. Installed upon the upper part of two front pillars of the open jeans (in this case probably meaning open air area) on the north, east, and west sides of the Longevity Stage are ornately painted wooden plaques with ghostly masks and curly grass patterns. A couplet is hung on the Northern face:
动静叶清音 知水仁山随所会
春秋富佳日 凤歌鸾舞适其机
In motion or stillness, pure melodies resonate; the wise are drawn to flowing waters, the virtuous to steadfast mountains — each finds joy in their own way.
Spring and autumn brim with gentle, golden days; the phoenix sings, the luan bird dances, each in harmony with the moment.
A trapdoor above a well in the ground is set in the center of the stage floor, with a cover that can be opened or closed. Each corner beneath the stage has a drainage point, with a freshwater well located at the center of the south side, providing a source of water for stage effects such as spraying fountains of water during performances.
The northernmost side of both the Prosperity and Fortune stages are used as the downstage, allowing the audience to look upward and enjoy the show. A vertical airwell runs through all three levels, and the Fortune and Prosperity Stage have a winch system installed at the edge of this airwell, with the bottom reaching to the Longevity stage. This setup allowed actors, props, and set pieces to be raised or lowered as needed for dramatic effects. However, few operas required use of all three stages and most performances took place solely on the Longevity Stage.
畅音阁建筑宏丽，京西颐和园内德和园大戏楼即仿畅音阁规制建造。Changyin Pavilion is known for its grand and splendid architecture. The 德和园 dé hé yuán | Garden of Virtue and Harmony at the Summer Palace in western Beijing was modeled after Changyin Pavilion.
[11] 六百年一粟 沧海一梦
a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream
This line is a… I guess you could say, a crossover of two sayings? They’ve used it to great effect too!
One is an idiom, 沧海一粟 (cāng hǎi yī sù) | a grain of sand in the vast ocean, that originates from another piece of writing by Su Shi, called 《赤壁赋》 On the Red Cliff (maybe this is why they kept his name in as a lyricist too? This whole song has been very thematically resonant with his poem LOL), where 赋 (fù) is a type of poetic exposition, often translated as ‘rhapsody’.
The other is 浮生一梦 (fú shēng yī mèng) | life, full of its vicissitudes, is like a (brief) dream. And instead of keeping it in as it is exactly, they swapped 浮生 [floating life] for 六百年 [six hundred years], because this song is written for a documentary about the Forbidden City and its six hundred years of history.
(Do you remember the wind that blew over the sea? The monsoon that carried away grains of sand?)
I feel like swapping them over has this amazing effect of enhancing how they feel.
Also! Because I'm just like this about rabbit holes (tragically), I went to read Su Shi's Red Cliff essay, and you know what? It's also very relevant to the topics in this song. Have casually translated it below with randomly interspersed commentary.
On the Red Cliff by Su Shi
In the autumn of the year Renxu, on the sixteenth day of the seventh lunar month, Master (as in Mr… also he’s self referencing in third person to my modern Chinese reading self, so I shall continue in this vein) Su and his companion set out by boat to tour the area at the foot of Red Cliff.
A gentle breeze stirred, and the river lay still and calm. He raised his cup to his companion, reciting poems of the bright moon, singing the verse ‘Moonrise’ from the Book of Songs. Not long after, the moon rose above the mountain to the East and lingered between the constellations of the Dipper and the Ox. White fog rolled across the river, and the light across the water seemed one with the sky. Their tiny reed boat floated wherever the current wished, carried across the boundless mist. It felt as though they were riding the wind through the void, not knowing where they might stop—light and free, as if they had shed the world behind them, transformed and ascending into the Immortal Realm.
And so at the height of his delight at the wine and the night’s beauty, he struck the edge of the boat and began to sing. “Oars of osmanthus wood, paddles of orchid, cutting through rippling light, chasing the glitter of the flowing river. My thoughts adrift toward the one I long for, I look beyond heaven’s edge where the beauty lies.” His companion played their hollowed flute in harmony. The sound was soft and haunting, like bitterness, like longing, like quiet weeping or a lament. And the ending notes were sorrowful, moving and lingering, like strands of a thread that would not break. It could have stirred a jiaolong from its hidden ravine into a dance, or moved the widows drifting alone in their boats into tears.
Master Su sobered and sat up straight at once, asking his companion seriously, “Why is there such sorrow in your music?”
He answered, “‘The moon rises amongst scattered stars and magpies fly south.’ Isn’t that the song of Cao Mengde? Looking westward from here toward Xiakou, eastward toward Wuchang, the rivers and mountains entwined are verdant. Was it not here that Cao Mengde was trapped by Zhou Yu? He who once conquered Jingzhou, took Jiangling, and sailed with the current downriver. His warships stretched for a thousand miles, his banners covered the sky. He poured wine on the river banks, held his spear across his lap and composed poetry, truly a hero in his time. But… what remains of him and his now?
“And you and me, fishing and gathering wood on the river’s edge. With the fish and shrimp keeping us company, the deer and elk our friends, riding in our leaf of a boat, toasting each other with liquor in our cups. We are like mayflies in the vastness of the universe, a grain of sand in sea’s depths. I mourn the fleeting nature of our lives, and I envy the endless flow of the Long River.
“Ah, to fly with the immortals, to hold the moon and never part—though I know such things cannot be attained, so all I can do is to entrust this lingering tune to the sorrowful wind.”
(Oh it’s a mid-life crisis from being in a historic location. RELATABLE my dude.)
Master Su replied, “Do you know of the nature of water and the moon? The river flows on and on, yet it never truly leaves us. The moon waxes and wanes, but it never truly changes or grows lesser. From these, we can observe a pattern—one perspective on this is how easily things change, even Heaven and Earth do not remain unchanged for a single moment. But if we look for what *does not* change, then all things, ourselves included, are endless. What, then, is there to envy?
“Between heaven and earth, all things have their own place. We ought not to desire even a speck that is not ours. And yet, the clear breeze over the river, the bright moon between the mountains—our ears hear them as sound, our eyes see them as light and colour. Nothing forbids us from taking them in, and they are limitless and inexhaustible. These are the boundless treasures of nature, and they belong to both you and me.”
His companion smiled then. They rinsed the cups and filled them again. The dishes were emptied and stood in an awfully messy state. Together they lay side by side in the boat, not realizing that dawn was already breaking in the east.
So, once again from the top! :D
莫听穿林打叶声
一蓑烟雨任平生
畅音阁里终一叙
六百年一粟 沧海一梦
Heed not the sound cutting through the forest, battering leaves.
Straw-draped, weathering a lifetime's storms unchecked by fog or rain.
At Changyin Hall in the end, we are all just stories taking the stage;
a grain of sand to six hundred years, and all that once was, a dream.
How do you feel about these lines now?
(NGL, hearing '畅音阁里终一叙' makes me cry every time.)
The first opera style read of these lines coming in after the first 光亮你自己 / be your own light / illuminate yourself / you'll light up your life is just OOF. Layering it with the background music to make it sound distant just gives it this timeless effect—like it's both about and addressed to all these people, be it 11th century's Su Shi in the midst of his relegations to ever more rural and perilous lands, others in worse straits whose voices we shall never know, or even that person who lost something vaster and heavier than we can ever imagine (it may not be a comfort, but the nature of humanity and history is such that you are not alone in being in that position). The way it twists my heart is just T_T
And then the next verse cutting in with his voice in focus again !!!!!
可是啊 我却 却愿意去相信
最渺小最微弱最柔软最无畏的你
用尽了全力 努力地去回应
再无边再无尽再无解总有一线生机
But oh, and yet I…I am willing to believe
in the smallest, the weakest, the gentlest and bravest of all, you.
Reaching out with all your strength and all you have.
No matter how fathomless, endless, unsolvable, always, there’s a sliver of hope.
光亮你自己
Let your light shine.
It just hits SO different.
[12] (a) 无论目的 / (b) 不问宿命
(a) Unwavering despite the outcome / (b) Undeterred by fate
Literally 无论目的 (wú lùn mù dì) is [no matter] (the) [destination/purpose/goal]. However, it is also a callback to the earlier line about the shooting star that does not know the way. So I’ve extended the metaphor a little bit. If 目的 is the ‘place you mean to reach’ literally/figuratively, then whether you know it or not and whether you reach it or not is the outcome. And if no matter what happens, you’re unaffected by the outcome, then you’re…? Unwavering!
Same idea for 不问宿命 (bù wèn sù mìng). There was a film a few years back called 无问西东 (wú wèn xī dōng) - I translated a maobuyi song for it and had to check it out xD, and there was a line that went roughly like: May you remember how precious you are and resist malice when you are struck down, may you have faith in your worth when you feel lost; love what you love, do what you want to do. Follow your heart, and don’t be distracted by doubts.
It’s the same idea here. Don’t be pulled back by the thought of what’s ‘fated’.
Let yourself shine, and you'll light up your life.
Subbed: "Niangzi Is Rio!" (I Ship My Rival X Me audiodrama theme song)
With thanks to @fwoopersongs/@llonkrebboj for the translation help <3 Any remaining mistakes and questionable choices are mine!
I was looking for a video with the album art for this song when I came across this live on youtube, and then of course I had to sub it too.
They all say that I am just an empty shell.
Is there cruelty or tenderness behind this face — unknown.
Yet you came from afar bearing gifts of trust,
little by little, filling me to the brim:
With the piggy bank you love,
with the little marbles you won, and
with the very first bouquet of flowers you got.
With the gratification of finally, finally owning your first pair of shoes, and
with the dress you kept peering at through the display, that you one day took for your own.
— you said that all these were called ‘sweetness’.
Also, with your reluctance to let go, head bowed with the weight of living,
with you, always walking alone through the darkest of tunnels,
with greetings that would never be sent, with pain no one would understand.
One by one, all were entrusted to me. So, this is what’s called ‘bitterness’.
I take them all with me as I go.
They are treasures in my eyes.
And only after bidding you farewell,
did I learn that this is what’s called ‘mine’.
The empty shell who now knew taste,
did not understand why so much trust could be given to me.
The empty shell, flesh and blood newly grown,
began to feel emptier than ever before. All because of what you gave!
That piggy bank never fully filled, those marbles all dust-covered,
that first bouquet of flowers which has now withered,
those hands always meant to be let go, and that head, too heavy to lift —
you gave them all to me without reservation. I gladly welcomed them all.
Hands were switched in this moment; one empty, one full.
And you were still asking me, “Is it worthwhile to fill an empty shell?”
But I was only afraid for you, that you were going to lose yourself.
You say that the old you is already so close to falling apart,
that you don’t yet know where to find your new self.
I’ll bring them along.
Perhaps someday when we meet again,
I shall hug you just as gently.
This empty shell is me; it is also you.
It is also you.
Take every snail and make them BIG; pile the bubbles, make them tower.
Flavours are free for mix and matching; get sand and stone to fire into sparks.
No matter your Materials and Methods, no matter how Great -
whisper this in your heart to Activate ~ ha ~
Wala li longla
(Ah)
From the moon, apparate! Scene-switch to Rome.
Xili yo huala
(Ah)
Your heart’s wish shall be decoded, and in the shower of fireworks,
transfigured: an Edward or a Margarita,
sugary sweet or spice with a bite.
Party, beyond the bounds of time and space.
(Ah)
Wala li longla
Go forth and doodle amongst the stars, drop in for a cuppa with a whale,
leap across servers to your destination, bring fantasies home in a single click.
No matter how complex, the pleasure trip can up its extravagance -
whisper this in your heart to Activate ~ drr ~
Wala li longla
(Ah)
From the moon, apparate! Scene-switch to Rome.
Xili yo huala
(Ah)
Your heart’s wish shall be decoded, and in the shower of fireworks,
transfigured: an Edward or a Margarita,
sugary sweet or spice with a bite.
Happiness, unbounded by time and space.
(Ah)
Wala li longla
I’m reading those waves that are more than just waves;
Bread and Comets are equally priceless.
Happiness unbounded by time and space.
Wala li longla
The eternities that I see are all instantaneous,
the virtual and reality are melded and seamless.
Wala li longla.
Happiness above all.
Wala li longla
Wala li longla
(Ah)
Leap from the Cretaceous Period for a caper through Journey to the West.
Xili yo huala
(Ah)
The entire universe is at your fingertips to unlock.
Who cares if it’s eccentric or uninspired,
perverse or tasteful?
Wala li longla
(Ah)
Xili yo huala
Wala li longla
(Ah)
Leap from the Cretaceous Period for a caper through Journey to the West.
Xili yo huala
(Ah)
The entire universe is at your fingertips to unlock.
Who cares if it’s eccentric or uninspired,
perverse or tasteful?
Wala li longla
(Ah)
Xili yo huala
第一天 洶湧的思念 逐吋肆虐腸斷
dai6 jat7 tin1 hung1 tsung1 dik7 si1 nim6 dzuk9 tsyn3 si3 joek9 tsoeng2 tyn5
直到所有對白 像石頭沉澱
dzik9 dou3 so2 jau5 doey3 baak9 dzoeng6 sek6 tau4 tsam4 din6
On the first day, the torrent of yearning followed close, tormenting a shredded heart, until every conversation, like sediments and rocks sank into place.
直到舉世已入眠 原來沒人夢中相見
dzik9 dou3 goey2 sai3 ji5 jap9 min4 jyn4 loi4 mut9 jan4 mung6 dzung1 soeng1 gin3
才能全無負擔 像初生那天
tsoi4 nang4 tsyn4 mou4 fu6 daam1 dzoeng6 tso1 saang1/sang1 naa5 tin1
Not until the whole world fell asleep, did I realise: It is when there’s no one to meet in dreams, that one can be completely without burden, like on the day we were born.
曾是最熱記憶 動人月色 亦留在今夕
tsang4/dzang1 si6 dzoey3 jit9 gei3 jik7 dung6 jan4 jyt9 sik7 jik9 lau4 dzoi6 gam1 dzik9
我為誰愛過 耗盡了畢生氣力
ngo5 wai6/wai4 soey4 oi3 gwo3 hou3 dzoen6 liu5 bat7 sang1 hei3 lik9
Once a most cherished memory, a moving moonlit scene, all left behind on this night; for whom had I once loved so much that it used up all my strength this lifetime?
遺下最後嘆息 傳奇事跡 被時日侵蝕
wai4 haa6 dzoey3 hau6 taan3 sik7 tsyn4 kei4 si6 dzik7 pei5/bei6 si4 jat9 tsam1 sik9
以後誰遠去 也沒有不散落筵席
ji5 hau6 soey4 jyn5 hoey3 jaa5 mut9 jau5 bat7 saan3 lok6 jin4 dzik9
Leaving a last sigh for legendary stories and feats that shall be eroded by time; after, no matter who goes, there won’t be a joyous gathering that does not end.
曾牽手 揮過這衣袖 便再也沒然後
tsang4/dzang1 hin1 sau2 fai1 gwo3 dze5 ji1 dzau6 bin6 dzoi3 jaa5 mut9 jin4 hau6
直到思絮化蝶 飛不過冷秋
dzik9 dou3 si1 soey5 faa3 dip9/dip2 fei1 bat7 gwo3 laang5 tsau1
We once held hands, waved them, and there wasn’t anything after - right up till our longing transformed into butterflies unable to outfly the autumn chill.
直到黑髮已白頭 從前裂痕已經生鏽
dzik9 dou3 hak7 faat8 ji5 baak9 tau4 tsung4 tsin4 lit9 han4 ji5 ging1 saang1 sau3
抬望全無負擔 便高飛遠走
toi4 mong6 tsyn4 mou4 fu6 daam1 bin6 gou1 fei1 jyn5 dzau2
‘Till a head of black had been replaced by white, and the cracks from before rusted over, when one can look up unburdened… then fly elsewhere to freedom!
曾是最熱記憶 動人月色 亦留在今夕
tsang4/dzang1 si6 dzoey3 jit9 gei3 jik7 dung6 jan4 jyt9 sik7 jik9 lau4 dzoi6 gam1 dzik9
我為誰愛過 耗盡了畢生氣力
ngo5 wai4 soey4 oi3 gwo3 hou3 dzoen6 liu5 bat7 sang1 hei3 lik9
Once a most cherished memory, a moving moonlit scene, all left behind on this night; for whom had I once loved so much that it used up all my strength this lifetime?
遺下最後嘆息 傳奇事跡 被時日侵蝕
wai4 haa6 dzoey3 hau6 taan3 sik7 tsyn4 kei4 si6 dzik7 bei6 si4 jat9 tsam1 sik9
以後誰遠去 也沒有不散落筵席
ji5 hau6 soey4 jyn5 hoey3 jaa5 mut9 jau5 bat7 saan3 lok6 jin4 dzik9
Leaving a last sigh for legendary stories and feats that shall be eroded by time; after, no matter who goes, there won’t be a joyous gathering that does not end.
曾是最毒記憶 害人絕色 百年長孤寂
tsang4 si6 dzoey3 duk9 gei3 jik7 hoi6 jan4 dzyt9 sik7 baak8 nin4 dzoeng2 gu1 dzik9
你是誰擦過 滲入我身體血液
nei5 si6 soey4 tsaat8 gwo3 sam3 jap9 ngo5 san1 tai2 hyt8 jik9
Once a most poisonous memory, it wounded her with a century-long loneliness; who are you who once brushed past, seeping into my very blood and marrow.
遺下最後嘆息 漫無目的 願忘掉朝夕
wai4 haa6 dzoey3 hau6 taan3 sik7 maan6 mou4 muk9 dik7 jyn6 mong4 diu6 dziu1 dzik9
記住忘記我 再沒有不散落筵席
gei3 dzy6 mong4 gei3 ngo5 dzoi3 mut9 jau5 bat7 saan3 lok6 jin4 dzik9
Leaving behind a last sigh, directionless, wishing to forget those days of the past.
Remember to forget me. There will never be a joyous gathering that does not come to an end.
“All water is forgettable when you’ve seen the vast blue sea
No clouds so wondrous as those at Mt. wushan
Idly, I pass by some flowers without looking back
Partly to study Tao, partly to think of you”.
The poem “离思五首 (The Five Songs of Mourning)” was written by 元稹 (Yuan Zhen) after the death of his wife, describing his longing for her. Mourning is a recurring theme in ancient Han poetry. This is part four of five.
Yuan Zhen describes in every word the devotion he felt for his wife, the love he felt for her that would never be forgotten.
The sea water and clouds of Wushan are used as metaphors for the depth and breadth of love. After seeing the sea of Wushan, it is difficult to appreciate the water and clouds of other places. In other words, except for the woman whom the poet misses and loves, there is no other woman who can catch his attention.
曾 经 沧 海 难 为 水, (if you have experienced the rough sea, you will not be attracted to water anywhere else).
This first sentence is also quoted in "孟子·尽心上 (Mèngzǐ: jìnxīn shàng — Mencius: Chapter 1 of “Dedicate Your Heart”, free translation)", which talks about Confucian thought and encourages people to work hard and make a difference. It is one of the important classic works of Confucianism*.
It is interesting to talk about “高唐赋 (Gāo Táng Fù)” from 宋玉 (Song Yu) as well, which tells the story of a king who dreamed of meeting the goddess 瑶姬 (Yao Ji) of wushan:
“In the sun of wushan, blocked by high hills, clouds appear in the morning and rain falls in the evening (姜在巫山之阳，高丘之阻、旦为朝云、暮为行雨。) (Jiāng zài wushan zhī yáng, gāoqiū zhī zǔ, dàn wèi cháo yún, mù wèi xíng yǔ)”.
Nowadays, these two verses have come to refer to loyalty to love, indicating that love belongs to none other than the goddess Yao Ji, and this love is not for others.
The verses in these three poems express one's devotion to another, the dream of finding one's love in wushan, because the clouds and rough sea there are no match for those of others.
除却巫山不是云, (No clouds are as wonderful as those on Mount Wushan).
巫山 (wushan) is both a real place and a metaphor in Chinese poetry that refers to the encounter between men and women. In Yuan Zhen's poem “Li Si,” wushan expresses the loneliness, apathy, and love that the author feels after the loss of his wife.
取次花丛懒回顾, 半缘修道半缘君 (Idly, I pass by some flowers without looking back, partly to study Taoism, partly to think of you).
花 (hua) means flower. The flower here is not referring to nature, but rather to a place with many beautiful women, an allusion to brothels.
Taoism, also called Daoism, is a philosophical and religious tradition that is based on “Tao”, a word that means path or principle, and its goal is to find the path or tao to achieve liberation of the soul.
Taoism has two main branches:
Philosophical Taoism: Focuses on meditation and the study of the Tao to achieve wisdom and inner peace.
Religious Taoism: Involves rituals, worship and the veneration of deities.
The author, by saying that he passed by flowers without caring about them, obviously expresses that no other woman, no matter how beautiful, can compare to his beloved, because only his beloved is his wushan, the goddess Yao Ji. Experiencing grief, his attention has been to practice Taoism, perhaps as a way to find peace, after all Taoism is about the liberation of the soul, or even about continuing to worship, devotedly, his wife, and thinking about his beloved.
This is the favorite poem of Hua Cheng, who spent 800 years searching for his beloved, Xie Lian, being deeply devoted to him in both life and death. Unshakable and firm as a mountain, over the centuries his stubbornness only grew and strengthened him, leading him to commit acts of revenge, adoration, and romance, dreaming of finding him both to protect him and to love him romantically.
With Xie Lian being a god and Hua Cheng his last devotee, it can be said that Xie Lian is Hua Cheng's goddess Yao Ji, the one who ruined him for anyone else, because once you know something divine, nothing else compares.
Hua Cheng's name, 花城, means "city of flowers". Xie Lian's characteristic element is a flower: his first divine title was "Flower Crown Martial God, 花冠武神", his temples were decorated with many branches of flowers, and most of his statues and paintings depict him holding a flower in one hand and a sword in the other. Hua Cheng's name is about Xie Lian and a declaration of love for him.
“Xie Lian’s hand brushed against the red sand plate, leaving a few red traces on the paper as he struggled. On the paper, the words ‘wushan’ in the sentence ‘If you are enchanted by the wind and clouds of wushan, you will not be attracted by the clouds of other scenery’ were stained with small red marks, almost seductively… Xie Lian uttered, “San…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Hua Cheng pressed his shoulders down and kissed him.
“San” is from “San Lang,” which is what Xie Lian calls Hua Cheng at Hua Cheng’s request. “Lang” is used by wives to refer to their husbands in Chinese culture. When they first met, Hua Cheng introduced himself as San Lang, and after his identity was revealed, he confessed that he preferred Xie Lian to keep calling him by that name.
The funny thing is that other characters knew Hua Cheng as San Lang before his identity was revealed, but no one dared to say his name other than Xie Lian.
The sedan scene was Hua Cheng finding his beloved wife after 800 years of searching, loneliness, and mourning, but he remained mostly quiet, as if he didn’t want to scare away the god he had dreamed of meeting, and as if he wasn’t yet ready to be anything more than a humble devotee. At that moment, Xie Lian was still a divine figure to be worshipped from afar. The carriage scene was his first courtship, and with a different appearance, Hua Cheng felt more comfortable acting ignorant and also paving the way for romantic love with Xie Lian.
*儒家 (rú jiā), one of the hundreds of schools of thought of the pre-Qin period, and grew out of the ritual and musical tradition of the Zhou Dynasty. Let people not be rigid or conservative, let them not be paranoid or extremist, let them advance with the times and not be complacent.
Yuan Zhen describes the beauty and shy vanity of a woman who woke up in the early hours of the day. His writing is thoughtful, as if it were a moment he had just experienced, on the morning of the day he wrote the poem.
The landscape is described from far to near, and one can imagine that the colors start out dark and gradually become clear and vivid. Yuan Zhen reads a Taoist work, but neither this nor anything around him stops him from watching his wife getting ready for a new day.
As mentioned earlier, here, the fourth part tells of the poet's devoted love for his wife. Nothing will ever be as splendid as his beloved is to him. Yuan Zhen was intoxicated by the rough sea and beautiful clouds of Wushan, whose beauty was unprecedented.
With the last part, we can conclude that throughout the poem there are dark details amidst the beauty, the apathy of someone who doesn't seem to see anything special anywhere. The land is neglected, the trees are withering. It was the end of spring and a widower was mourning.
jbbartram-illu
gummygunk
snowghoul
janainaart
izzy806
pixelskylines
kianamaiart
blakekathryn
