This love song was composed by Okinawan rock musician 喜纳昌吉 Kina Shōkichi, arranged by Filipino-Chinese musician 鲍比达 Chris Babida, with lyrics by Taiwanese songwriter 厉曼婷 Manting Li. Originally sung by Hong Kong/Taiwanese singer and actor 周华健 Emil Wakin Chau.
It released in 1993, and won the 1996 Top Ten Overseas Golden Songs of the Decade.
Teresa Teng performed this song in Japanese in 1991, but the lyrics are different. There is also a seemingly-official English version, which has much more simplistic lyrics. I've translated only the Chinese version.
A flower’s heart, hidden in its stamen, foregoes the blooming season in vain
Your heart, having forgotten the seasons, has never allowed for easy understanding
Why don’t you take my hand, and together listen to the sun and moon sing?
Black night and white day, black night and white day, how many joys are there to life?
Spring goes and comes, flowers fade and bloom again
As long as you’re willing, as long as you’re willing, let this dream row to the sea of your heart
Petals’ tears float down the wind, forlorn and yet serene
Your tears gleam crystal clear, so your heart must still have dreams
Why don’t you take my hand, and together watch the sea and sky become one?
The tides rise and fall, the tides rise and fall, sending off the world’s many sorrows
Spring goes and comes, flowers fade and bloom again
As long as you’re willing, as long as you’re willing, let this dream row to the sea of your heart
我 (i) - english translation (mandarin & cantonese)
Composed and sung by Leslie Cheung 张国荣, lyrics by Lin Xi 林夕 (who worked closely with Leslie on the lyrics), arranged by Zhao Zengxi 赵增熹. This song has both a Cantonese and Mandarin version, and was released as part of Leslie Cheung's solo album "Greatest Hits" 《大热》 in July 2000. That same year, it received the 我至爱的中文金曲 (My Favorite Chinese Golden Hits) award from the Hong Kong Lyricists and Composers Association.
Leslie was openly bisexual and androgynous. This is very much his queer anthem.
The lyrics are different between the Cantonese and Mandarin versions. To me they almost seem like a call and response. I've translated both below.
What a blessing, that this earth has more than one kind of footprint
Of God’s creations, each kind and color has his justice
I’m so blessed to stand upon the rooftops as I am
To take my heart, and show the world what courage is
What am I? Among ten, I’m only one
Within the vineyard, rings out the hymns of naiads
What am I? One grain of sand along eternity
Among all these greater stones, I‘ll still like this kind of me
I’m so blessed to live boldly among all living things
With sincerity, I’ll show the world what courage is
Happiness is… there’s more than just one path to reach it
The honor is that each of us honors the creator
There’s no need to hide, to live the kind of life I love
No need to mask, I’ll stand bold within the spotlight
I am myself, a firework of a different color
In these boundless skies and seas, I’ll be the most steadfast bubble
I like myself—may this rose bear a kind of fruit
As in the desert of solitude, laid bare and unadorned
Such happiness, living joyously in a prismatic house
To the world I say: behold my radiance and sincerity
This song was released in 2005, with lyrics by 吉尔格楞 Gilgeleng, composition by 乌兰托嘎 Ulan Toga, and first sung by 布仁巴雅尔 Buren Bayaer.
I don't think I've romanized 吉尔格楞's name accurately—the Mandarin reading is "ji er ge leng" and various machine translators romanized it as Gilgeleng, Gilgallen, or Jirgeleng. I couldn't find any information on him that would indicate its Mongolian pronunciation. I did find a short biography on him here, though. He's primarily an oil painter, and (as of information from 2019) a fellow of the Inner Mongolia Grassland Oil Painting Institute.
The first video above is Buren Bayaer's performance, and the second is a cover by 傲日其愣 Aori Qileng with a verse in Mongolian.
At the edge of heaven is a set of twin stars
They are the eyes within my dreams
Along the mountains is a stretch of morning mist
They are your tenderness from last night
I want to scale, scale the mountain peaks
To seek the figure in the mists
I want to mount, mount my fine steed
To chase the distant stars, stars
At the edge of heaven is a grand tree
That is the verdant shade within my heart
In the faraway distance is a great mountain
That is the vastness of your aspirations
I want to pick flowers below, below that tree
To weave visions of beauty
I want to graze my flock beneath, beneath that mountain
To trace your footprints, footprints
I’d like to spur my horse along with you
Galloping across the depths of the grassland
I’d like to spread my wings and fly with you
Roaming the blue sky’s lofts and valleys, valleys
t/n:
天 means both sky and heaven (or day, depending on context) and 边 can mean edge, border, boundary, etc. 天边 can be translated to "the horizon", "on the horizon", "the sky's edge", etc, but here I decided to go with "the edge of heaven".
A stretch of mist swims the path of wind
A brilliant moon walks the empty sky
A thousand li of silent grassland
A yurt stands in lonesome sorrow
Hey, how beautiful the night colors
A maiden there awaits
Hoofsteps wake the slumbering road
A song soars past cascading valleys
A kindled bonfire dyes the yurt red
Lovers of the heart come to meet again
Hey, how beautiful the night colors
Beneath the moonlight, I take your hand
A stretch of mist swims the path of wind
A brilliant moon walks the empty sky
A kindled bonfire dyes the yurt red
Lovers of the heart come to meet again
Hey, how beautiful the night colors
Beneath the moonlight, I take your hand
Beneath the moonlight, I take your hand
t/n:
里 (li) is a unit of distance traditionally meant to represent the length of one village, and until around the 1940s did not have a fixed measure. today it is standardized to half of 1 kilometer or 500 meters
夜色 is a literary phrase that translates directly to night color, and can refer to shades of night or evening scenery (not just visual)
月圆花好 (the moon is full, the flowers bloom) - english translation
Composed by 严华 Yan Hua, lyrics by 范烟桥 Fan Yanqiao, originally released in 1940 and sung by 周璇 Zhou Xuan. This is a very classic song that has been covered, adapted, remixed, etc by countless artists through the years.
I'm including Zhou Xuan's version, plus a few covers I like. 霍尊 Huo Zun's is a personal favorite.
Floating clouds scatter, a bright moon lights our way
Today, reunion’s bliss is unmatched
A clear, shallow pond; mandarin ducks frolic
Red garments, jade caps, twin lotuses unfurled as one
In pairs, in sets, in perfect love
This soft wind blows towards flowers in bloom
This world brims with honeyed tenderness
--
t/n:
花好月圆’s literal meaning is “the flowers are blooming and the moon is full”. It is both a metaphor for beauty and perfection as well as an idiom representing conjugal bliss. It is often used to congratulate people on their wedding. It first appeared in a Song dynasty poem by 张先 Zhang Xian, 《木兰花·人意共怜花月满》magnolia blossom: peoples’ hearts pity the flowers and the moonlight (figuratively: everyone has sympathy for one another)
This song is full of marital metaphors from classic literature: mandarin ducks symbolize eternal love; 红裳 (“red garments”) often refer to a beautiful woman; 并蒂莲开 (“twin lotuses unfurled as one”) refers to when two lotuses bloom on a single stalk, but in classic literature represents the harmony or love between a married couple. Red and jade blue or green are also traditional wedding colors—there is another figure of speech, 红男绿女 (“men in red, women in green”) that references this, although who between the bride and groom wore red or jade has swapped throughout history.
Composed by 陈金明 Chen Jinming, with lyrics by 张宗荣 Zhang Zongrong. This was originally sung by 杨小萍 Yang Xiaoping (who passed very recently, in May of 2023), and popularized by Teresa Teng's cover, which released with her 1986 album 《我只在乎你》 (i only care about you).
I’m drunk
Because I’m lonely
I’m lonely
Who will come comfort me?
Ever since you left me
That loneliness has followed me
Without you, how will I go on?
Old bygone dreams, they’re like your dimples
And within them, you and I
A drunken tango
A drunken tango
Tell him, don’t forget about me
Ah, a drunken tango
I weep
Because I’m lonely
I’m lonely
Who will come comfort me?
Ever since you discarded me
Those tears have followed me
Without you, how will I go on?
Old bygone dreams, they’re like your dimples
And within them, you and I
A drunken tango
A drunken tango
Tell him, don’t forget about me
Ah, a drunken tango
A drunken tango
A drunken tango
Tell him, don’t forget about me
Ah, a drunken tango
t/n:
the lyrics are simple but clever—酒醉 (drunken) and 酒窝 (dimple) both share 酒 (wine), and the other word in dimple 窝 on its own means nest or shelter. the 旧 (worn/aged) in 旧梦 (old dreams) is homophonous with 酒 (wine)
with that context, 往日的旧梦 好像你的酒窝 // 酒窝里有你也有我 (Old bygone dreams, they’re like your dimples // And within them, you and I) is a fun play on words that also sounds good/rhymes well.
月亮代表我的心 (the moon represents my heart) - english translation
Composed by 翁清溪 Weng Ching-Hsi, lyrics by 孙仪 Sun Yi, arranged by 卢东尼 Tony Arevalo Jr, originally sung by 卢东尼 Chen Fenlan and released in her 1973 album 《梦乡》 (dreamland). This song's melody came first, composed by Weng Ching-Hsi on a park lawn while studying in Boston, to express homesickness/loneliness as a foreigner abroad. Initially, he disliked the composition and considered discarding it—Sun Yi found it in a pile of his other works that were meant to be thrown out, and insisted on writing lyrics to complete the song.
Teresa Teng's cover for her 1977 album 《島國之情歌第四集：香港之戀》 (Love Songs of Island, Vol. 4: Love in Hong Kong) helped to popularize this song across the Chinese-speaking world. Today it is considered one of the most beloved Chinese-language songs of all time.
In some Chinese-speaking countries this song is considered a queer anthem of sorts, because Leslie Cheung publicly dedicated his performance of it to his boyfriend.
Above I've embedded Chen Fenlan's original version and Teresa Teng's 1977 cover. Below are lyrics, and a few other covers I like, including Leslie Cheung's.
你问我爱你有多深
我爱你有几分
我的情也真 我的爱也真
月亮代表我的心
你问我爱你有多深
我爱你有几分
我的情不移 我的爱不变
月亮代表我的心
轻轻的一个吻
已经打动我的心
深深的一段情
叫我思念到如今
你问我爱你有多深
我爱你有几分
你去想一想 你去看一看
月亮代表我的心
You ask how deep my love is for you,
How much do I love you?
My affection is true, my love true, too
The moon represents my heart
You ask how deep my love is for you,
How much do I love you?
My affection is steadfast, my love unchanging
The moon represents my heart
Your soft, gentle kiss
Has already stricken my heart
This deep, close affection
Has made me yearn for you ever since
You ask how deep my love is for you,
How much do I love you?
Go have a ponder, go have a look
The moon represents my heart
你怎么说 (what do you have to say?) - english translation
Lyrics by 上官月 Shangguan Yue, composed by 司马亮 Sima Liang, and sung by 邓丽君 Teresa Teng, released in 1980 on Teresa Teng's album 《在水一方》 (on the waterfront)
我没忘记 你忘记我
连名字你都说错
证明你一切都是在骗我
看今天你怎么说
你说过两天来看我
一等就是一年多
三百六十五个日子不好过
你心里根本没有我
把我的爱情还给我
I haven’t forgotten how you’ve forgotten me
You can’t even say my name right
It’s proof you’ve been playing me all this time
Let’s see what you have to say today
You said you’d come see me in two days
I’ve already waited over a year
Three hundred sixty five days and none to spend with me—
You simply never had me in your heart
So return my love to me
t/n:
三百六十五个日子不好过 can be translated a few different ways. The syntax doesn't transfer well into English. From the singer's POV it can mean "I've spent 365 hard days waiting for you", but I interpreted it as her mockingly quoting the spurning lover "in 365 days I couldn't find a single one I wanted to spend with you."
大鱼 is the theme song created for the 2016 animated movie 《大鱼海棠》 (big fish & begonia). Lyrics by 尹约 Yin Yue, composed by 钱雷 Qian Lei, sung by 周深 Zhou Shen/Charlie.
海浪无声将夜幕深深淹没
漫过天空尽头的角落
大鱼在梦境的缝隙里游过
凝望你沉睡的轮廓
看海天一色 听风起雨落
执子手吹散苍茫茫烟波
大鱼的翅膀 已经太辽阔
我松开时间的绳索
怕你飞远去 怕你离我而去
更怕你永远停留在这里
每一滴泪水 都向你流淌去
倒流进天空的海底
海浪无声将夜幕深深淹没
漫过天空尽头的角落
大鱼在梦境的缝隙里游过
凝望你沉睡的轮廓
看海天一色 听风起雨落
执子手吹散苍茫茫烟波
大鱼的翅膀 已经太辽阔
我松开时间的绳索
看你飞远去 看你离我而去
原来你生来就属于天际
每一滴泪水 都向你流淌去
倒流回最初的相遇
Silent waves submerge the curtain of night
Soaking through the alcoves of the sky
A great fish swims through dreamscape’s seams
Gazing at the contours of your slumber
See the one hue of both sea and sky, hear the wind call forth rain
Raise a hand, disperse the boundless mists
The great fish’s wings are already far too vast
I loosen the rope of time
I fear you’ll fly far away, fear you’ll leave my side
Even more, I fear you’ll always stay right here
Every tear I shed flows out toward you
Until it reaches the heavens’ seafloor
Silent waves submerge the curtain of night
Soaking through the alcoves of the sky
A great fish swims through dreamscape’s seams
Gazing at the contours of your slumber
See the one hue of both sea and sky, hear the wind call forth rain
Raise a hand, disperse the boundless mists
The great fish’s wings are already far too vast
I loosen the rope of time
I watch you fly far away, watch you leave my side
So—you were born to be with the horizons!
Every tear I shed flows out toward you
Until it reaches back to our first meeting
t/n:
this song was explicitly written to fit with the movie's plot (which is kind of scattered and hard to follow imo), but without that context these lyrics really seems to be about the grief of parenthood/loss of a child…???
the embedded video includes another english translation in the captions. it's interesting to see where our translations had similarities and differences.
This is a folk song from the ᠤᠷᠠᠳ Urad tribe in Inner Mongolia. There are a few different versions as far as lyrics go, but this version was written by 吕燕卫 Lv Yanwei. This performance is by Mongolian singer 呼斯楞 Husileng.
Green fields, verdant hillsides, how vast the azure open skies!
The times I miss you, I sing a shepherd’s song, up to heaven's clouds
Roaming winds twist ‘round the clouds without a care in the world—how joyous!
Oh, to be one of heaven’s clouds, drifting together with you
How I wish to be one of heaven’s clouds, drifting together with you
Silver moonbeams, verdant rivers, how pure the sacred lakewaters!
The nights I miss you, just like this, I gaze fervently to the waters’ clouds
Roaming clouds, in love with the lakes, in love with the enchanting moonlight!
Oh, to be of the water’s clouds, moored within your lakewaters
How I wish to be of the water’s clouds, moored within your lakewaters
Moored within your lakewaters
t/n:
i'm starting to put more faith in myself as both a translator and a writer/poet, by trying to transform chinese poetry into english poetry, rather than stopping at simply an accurate copy. we'll see where this leads.
Lyrics by Cuifu (崔富), composed by Zhao Jinbao (赵金宝), arrangement by Lü Xuedong (吕学东), sung by Qi Feng (齐峰). This song was first released in Qi Feng's 2012 solo album 《多情的蒙古人》 (the sentimental mongolian).
The first embed is Qi Feng's performance. Of course, I've also included a cover by Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ)
远方的朋友，一路辛苦
请你喝一杯下马酒
洗去一路风尘
来看看美丽的草原
远方的朋友，尊贵的客人
献上洁白的哈达
献上一片草原的深情
请你喝一杯下马酒
远方的朋友，一路辛苦
请你喝一杯下马酒
草原就是你的家
来尝尝香甜的美酒
远方的朋友，尊贵的客人
献上洁白的哈达
献上一片草原的深情
请你喝一杯下马酒
献上一片草原的深情
请你喝一杯下马酒
My friend from far away, you who've endured an arduous road
Please come drink a cup of dismount wine
Wash away your journey’s windblown troubles
Come and see the beautiful grassland
My friend from far away, my most cherished, honored guest
I offer to you this pure white khata
I offer a piece of the prairie’s loving soul
Please come drink a cup of dismount wine
My friend from far away, you who've endured an arduous road
Please come drink a cup of dismount wine
The grassland is your home and family
Come have a sweet taste of this fine wine
My friend from far away, my most cherished, honored guest
I offer to you this pure white khata
I offer a piece of the prairie’s loving soul
Please come drink a cup of dismount wine
I offer a piece of the prairie’s loving soul
Please come drink a cup of dismount wine
t/n:
下马酒 (dismount wine) is a Mongolian tradition of welcoming guests with a toast. Usually wine is served in silver cups, and before drinking, used to honor first heaven, then earth, then one's ancestors.
哈达, ཁ་བཏགས།, хадаг, or དར། (romanized as khata, khada, khadag, or hada) is a Mongolian and Tibetan ceremonial silk fabric used to express respect, congratulations, blessings, etc. The Tibetan word means "mouth" and "horse", as in the gift of this sash is equal in value to that of a horse. They are usually solid white, blue, or yellow, but there are also 5-color khata in blue/white/yellow/green/red, with blue representing the sky, white for clouds, green for rivers, red for dharmapala, and yellow for earth. The 5-color khata is considered the garment of bodhisattvas, and is only used in specific situations.
The color white in this cultural context is associated with horses, clouds, sheep/goats, milk, cranes, and mountain snow. It symbolizes purity, beauty, good fortune, and kindness.
等你回家 (waiting for you to come home) - english translation
Lyrics by Bai Liping (白立平), composed by Qiao Jianjun (乔建军). The lyrics were first published in 2004, in Bai Liping's lyric/poetry collection 《深深眷恋的草原》 (the deeply nostalgic grassland). Several musicians composed music for these lyrics; this version was composed by Qiao Jianjun in 2007 and seems to be the most widely circulated version.
I've embedded performances by Dedema (德德玛) and Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ).
The milk tea is brewed, your handsome horse is tended
In front of the yurt you departed from,
I wait for you to come home
The saraana blooms, the child has grown up too
Beside the road you departed by,
I wait for you to come home
Waiting for you to come home, yearning for you to come home
The wild geese that left ahead of you, they've flown back too
Waiting for you to come home, yearning for you to come home
I know that you miss your homeland too
No matter how far you've gone
The grasslands will always be your home
t/n:
Saraana, сараана, 山丹, or Lilium pumilum are a species of lily native to Mongolia, Siberia, the Russian Far East, Korea, and northern China. They have a fiery red color, are resistant to cold, and have become a symbol of beauty/passion/tenacity in grassland folk music.
父亲的草原母亲的河 (my father's grassland, my mother's river) - english translation
Written by painter and poet Xi Murong (席慕容), composed by Ulan Toga (乌兰托嘎), and first performed by singer Dedema (德德玛), in 2000 for the Spring Festival Gala held in Inner Mongolia. All three are Chinese-Mongolian.
The first video is Dedema's performance. The second video is a cover by Tengger (ᠲᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢ, 腾格尔) and third is a cover by Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ).
My father once described the clear fragrance of the grasslands
A memory he could never lose, even a world away
My mother always loved to trace the vast and mighty rivers
Rushing through the Mongolian highlands, my faraway home
Now I can finally see this vast earth
Standing on this fragrant grassland, my tears fall like rain
The rivers sing my ancestors' blessings
Bless and protect the wandering children, seeking the road home
Ah, my father's grasslands
Ah, my mother's rivers
Even though
I already can't use, can't use my mother tongue to express it,
Please accept my grief, my joy
I too, am a child of the highlands
My heart holds one song
Within that song is my father's grassland, my mother's river
t/n:
This is one of my favorite songs. Here are some extra thoughts.
"天涯海角" I translated as "a world away" but is most commonly translated as "the end of the earth". Literally: 天涯 "the borders of the sky/heaven", 海角 "the corners of the ocean". The full phrase is used to describe an extremely remote location, or two things/locations that are extremely far apart from each other. It's also the name of a real beach in Hainan.
"漂泊" is translated as "wandering", but also has connotations of drifting, floating.
In Tengger's cover, towards the end he changes "my heart holds one song" to "my heart holds this song"
Lyrics by Malaqinfu (玛拉沁夫) and Hai Mo (海默), composed by Tong Fu (通福), and originally sung by Wang Shuli (王树理) and Wu Xiuyun (吴秀云), for the 1953 film 草原上的人们 (People On The Prairie).
Embedded above are the original performance/clip from the film, plus a 2016 cover by Buren Bayaer (布仁巴雅尔) and Wurina (乌日娜), which includes a Mongolian version of the same lyrics. Buren Bayaer, who has since passed away, and Wurina were married and co-directors of the Hulunbeier Children's Choir.
Embedded below, after the lyrics, is a cover by Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ), as well as some contextual notes on ovoos.
十五的月亮升上了天空哟
为什么旁边没有云彩
我等待着美丽的姑娘呀
你为什么还不到来哟嗬
如果没有天上的雨水呀
海棠花儿不会自己开
只要哥哥你耐心地等待哟
你心上的人儿就会跑过来哟嗬
The fifteenth moon climbs into the sky, oh
Why are there no clouds beside me?
I'm awaiting a beautiful girl, oh
Why have you not yet come to me?
If there is no rainwater from the skies, oh
The crabapple flowers won't bloom on their own
As long as ge-ge, you wait patiently, oh
The person in your heart will come running to you
t/n:
Ge-ge 哥哥 literally means older brother but is also used as a term of endearment for a boyfriend.
"Aobao" (Mandarin reading of 敖包) is a phonetic translation of the Mongolian ᠥᠪᠥᠭᠭᠠ—also written as ovoo, obo, ebo—referring to a Mongolian ritual altar, made of heaped stones. This originated from Shamanist tradition and has been absorbed into the Gelug or "yellow sect" of Tibetan Buddhism.
The Mongolian steppe is a flatland, with vast stretches having no easy natural landmarks like hills/rivers/woods. The initial purpose of ovoos was to prevent herders from getting lost on their way home. Later, they were used as road markers or boundary markers. Finally, they evolved into a gathering place for local rituals, prayer/worship, and important folk events. There are ovoos dedicated to heavenly gods, gods of nature, village gods, and ancestral gods.
There are four divisions of ovoo sacrifice: blood, referring to the sacrifice of livestock; wine, referring to the scattering of milk/cream/milk wine/white wine over the alter; fire, in which offerings are burned; and jade offerings, which was only used by princes/nobility and no longer practiced. Prayers would be offered in hopes for wind, rain, happiness, and peace.
Originally written and performed by Nima Zeren·Yadong (尼玛泽仁·亚东) for his 2007 album 故乡·卓玛 (homeland · dolma).
"Dolma" is a Tibetan female name, derived from the Tibetan word for the Buddhist figure Tara (སྒྲོལ་མ, dölma), who is classified as a deity, bodhisattva, or Buddha depending on the sect. She is especially prominent in Tibetan Buddhism, specifically.
Embedded above is Yadong's performance. Below the cut and under the lyrics, I've embedded two covers that I like by Guo Tao (郭涛) and Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ).
The grassland's wind, the grassland's rain, the grassland's sheep flocks
The grassland's flowers, the grassland's waters, the grassland's daughter
Ahh… Dolma, ahh… Dolma
Daughter of the grassland, Dolma
You have the name of a flower, beautiful girl Dolma
You have the smile of a flower, oh beautiful girl Dolma
You're like a free little bird, singing across the grasslands
You're like a dancing spring butterfly, flickering among the flowers
Ahh… Dolma
Galsang flower of the grassland
You offer your song to the snowy mountains, the snowy mountains that raised you
You offer your beauty to the grasslands, the grasslands that raised you
Ahh… Dolma, ahh… Dolma
Daughter of the grassland, Dolma
You have the name of a flower, beautiful girl Dolma
You have the smile of a flower, oh beautiful girl Dolma
You're like a cup of fine sweet wine, the sun and moon are drunk on you
You're like a melodious shepherd's song, bringing beauty to the mountains and grasslands
Ahh… Dolma
Galsang flower of the grassland
You offer your song to the snowy mountains, the snowy mountains that raised you
You offer your beauty to the grasslands, the grasslands that raised you
You offer your song to the snowy mountains, the snowy mountains that raised you
You offer your beauty to the grasslands, the grasslands that raised you
Ahh… Dolma, ahh… Dolma
Daughter of the grassland, Dolma
Ahh… Dolma
Daughter of the grassland, Dolma
t/n:
Galsang flowers make another appearance! Now that I've learned their significance, I recognize them frequently in Tibetan folk songs. Here's the translation note copy/pasted from 姑娘我爱你/girl, i love you:
Galsang flowers refer to a variety of wildflowers found on the Tibetan plateau, including but not limited to Cosmos bipinnatus (cosmos), Callistephus chinensis (asters), and Potentilla fruticosa (cinquefoils). “Galsang” is Tibetan for “good times/happiness”. They are beautiful but resilient, so they’ve come to symbolize strong women. They’re the city flower of Lhasa.
This song uses 姑娘 throughout, which I translated into English separately as both "daughter" and "girl".
This blog is basically, unofficially, a Jamyang Dolma fanpage, so I'm tagging her cover album that this song appears in, 金色的呼唤 (golden calling), so that they can be collected when I translate more songs from the album.
Written, composed, and performed by Tengger (ᠲᠡᠩᠭᠡᠷᠢ, 腾格尔), whose name has also been romanized as Tenger, Tengri, and Tenggeer. I'll be tagging as "Tengger". This song was first released in 1997 in his album 出走 (Running Away). He recorded a remake in his 2010 album 云中的月亮 (The Moon in the Clouds).
This song is mostly in Mandarin but there is a Mongolian line at the end, which I could not find the Mongolian text for anywhere, only approximations of its transcription and translation. Corrections are very welcome.
Embedded above are two performances by Tengger himself, first is what I believe to be the original 1997 version, and second is a live performance from 2018's season of the Hunan TV singing competition show, 歌手 (Singer).
Embedded below the cut is a cover from Jamyang Dolma that I really like. There are also a couple extra translation/context notes.
蓝蓝的天空
清清的湖水 哎耶
绿绿的草原
这是我的家 哎耶
奔驰的骏马
洁白的羊群 哎耶
还有你姑娘
这是我的家 哎耶
我爱你 我的家
我的家 我的天堂
我爱你 我的家
我的家 我的天堂
蓝蓝的天空
清清的湖水 哎耶
绿绿的草原
这是我的家 哎耶
我爱你 我的家
我的家 我的天堂
我爱你 我的家
我的家 我的天堂
Ay-a-bar ni bail ügei de
Azure blue skies
Clear calm lakewaters, oh
Verdant green prairies
This is my home, oh
Spirited galloping horses
Pure white sheep flocks, oh
And you, my girl
This is my home, oh
I love you, my home
My home, my heaven
I love you, my home
My home, my heaven
Azure blue skies
Clear calm lakewaters, oh
Verdant green prairies
This is my home, oh
I love you, my home
My home, my heaven
I love you, my home
My home, my heaven
May nature take its course, may all be as it was
a few t/ns:
First: again, I looked but couldn't find the original Mongolian text for that last line. Here are a few different ways I saw it romanized by Mandarin speakers:
Ay-a-bar ni bail ügei de
Ene yaagad bayargui doo
Ayaaraan bailguiduu
Please take my English translation of this line in particular with a grain of salt. If anyone has more leads, please reach out.
Second: 还有你姑娘 can be interpreted "and you, my girl" or "and you girls". Tengger went on hiatus from 2007-2010 due to his daughter's diagnosis of a terminal illness. She passed away in 2010, which is the same year he returned to music and remade this song for re-release. I translated this line as "and you, my girl" because I believe his remake is a tribute/love song to his deceased daughter.
Written and composed by Terence Choi (蔡国权) and originally performed by Paula Tsui (蔡国权) in 1985. The music begins around 0:22 in the above video.
This song is in Cantonese, which I have VERY little knowledge in, so corrections are welcomed.
Below the cut and under the lyrics are two more video embeds of covers of this song that I personally like, by Faye Wong (王菲) and Jamyang Dolma (འཇམ་དབྱངས་སྒྲོལ་མ), who sings it in Mandarin.
不知道在那天边可会有尽头
只知道逝去光阴不会再回头
每一串泪水 伴每一个梦想
不知不觉全溜走
不经意在这圈中转到这年头
只感到在这圈中经过顺逆流
每颗冷酷眼光 共每声友善笑声
默然一一尝透
几多艰苦当天我默默接受
几多辛酸也未放手
故意挑剔今天我不在乎
只跟心中意愿去走
不相信未作牺牲竟先可拥有
只相信是靠双手找到我欲求
每一串汗水 换每一个成就
从来得失我睇透
不经意在这圈中转到这年头
只感到在这圈中经过顺逆流
每颗冷酷眼光 共每声友善笑声
默然一一尝透
几多艰苦当天我默默接受
几多辛酸也未放手
故意挑剔今天我不在乎
只跟心中意愿去走
不相信未作牺牲竟先可拥有
只相信是靠双手找到我欲求
每一串汗水 换每一个成就
从来得失我睇透
I don't know if there's an end to the horizon
I only know the time that's lost will not return
Every string of tears accompanies every dream
Unwittingly, it's all slipped away
I didn't realize I'd been in this circle for this long
I only feel I've been flowing downstream and upstream
Every cold-eyed look and every friendly laugh
I've tasted each one in silence
How many hard days have I silently endured?
How much bitterness? And yet I haven't given up
From now on I'll pay no heed to deliberate fussiness
I'll only follow the will of my heart
I don't believe in gain without sacrifice
I only believe in finding my desire with my own hands
Every string of sweat is exchanged for every achievement
Successes and failures, I'll see them all through
I didn't realize I'd been in this circle for this long
I only feel I've been flowing downstream and upstream
Every cold-eyed look and every friendly laugh
I've tasted each one in silence
How many hard days have I silently endured?
How much bitterness? And yet I haven't given up
From now on I'll pay no heed to deliberate fussiness
I'll only follow the will of my heart
I don't believe in gain without sacrifice
I only believe in finding my desire with my own hands
Every string of sweat is exchanged for every achievement
Successes and failures, I'll see them all through
