Liu Yuning covers “Dreams of the butterflies in love”
This song is considered a classic Chinese song for its traditionally inspired melody and its poetic lyrics, which borrows from several ancient, classic Chinese poems.
“Yesterday flowed like a water droplet rolling eastward
Further and further away beyond my grasp
Today infinite melancholy entangles my heart
A sword unsheathed, slashing across the water
cannot stop its rushing flow
A glass of wine raised, to drown this sorrow
but it only grows.
A cold wind at dawn blows.
Isn’t it the laughter of one’s current flame’s
that has always been ringing in his ears?
Who would heed the sound of
a person from yesterday choking with tears?
The word “love” comes with bitterness
Should I ask this question before the wise?
Or is feigning ignorance fine?
Either understanding little, or knowing a lot
Still doesn’t mean knowing enough.
Just like that pair of dancing butterflies,
In those days of hardship
Who can escape mortal misery?
O dancing butterflies in a world of blooms and fragrance
Survival in the mortal realm is in itself a miracle
Why even dreams of soaring to the heavens?
Isn’t it better to just immerse in this gentle dream?”
Music and lyrics by Huang An
English translation by me.











