Thursday, January 18, 2018

[English translation] 眉間雪 - Snow Between Brows



[Music video]

原曲/ Original music:吳雨霏《生命樹》(Kary Ng “Sheng Ming Shu / Tree of Life”) 
填詞/ Lyrics:陸菱紗 (Lu Ling Sha)
原唱/ Original vocal:晴愔 (Qing Yin)
翻唱/ Cover:HITA
後期/ Post production:Mr.魚 (Mr Fish / Mr Yu)

文案:
彼时年少不知事 牵着师父的袖子 就天不怕地不怕
后来鲜衣怒马少年意气 不懂她可有可无的陪伴有何意义
然而江湖如潮
终于携手同去 策马独归

恍然想起那一年她在窗前仰头任雪花落满眉目
等着他抬袖去拂

所谓的江湖路
不过是她撑着伞 走向年幼的他
道一句 初心莫负

Story: 
As a child, he knew little of the world. So long as he held on to his master’s sleeve, he was utterly fearless. 
Later, he blossomed into a handsome young man, full of youthful pride. Failing to understand the significance of her company, he thought it more or less expendable. 
The world comes and goes like the tides. 
Alas, they set off hand-in-hand, yet he returned on his horse alone. 

A recollection struck, of her lifting her head by the windows, letting snow sprinkle over her brows, waiting for him to sweep them away with his sleeve. 

So called the worldly path, is nothing but her holding up an umbrella, walking towards the little boy, with only one simple line. “Don’t lose your heart.” 


师父:俯首作辑谢师恩,呐,我喝了你的茶,就是你师父了。江湖险恶,咱们师徒一心,同去同归。
徒弟:嗯。
师父:我先去给你买包包和糖葫芦,你等着我!怎么了?一个人害怕?
徒弟:才没有!
师父:那你为何拽着我的衣角?
徒弟:我…… 
师父:不怕,师父跟着你。

“Pay obeisance as a gesture of thanks. Alrighty! Now that I’ve accepted your tea offering, I’ve become your master. The world’s full of perils, so we master and disciple have to be as one. We set off together, and return together!” 

“En.” 

“I’ll first buy you a bag and sugared hawsticks, you wait for me! Why now? Are you scared being alone?” 

“N-No.” 

“Then why are you tugging my sleeve?” 

“I...…” 

“Don’t be scared now, master will follow you.” 


是不是 每種感情都不容沉溺放肆 
交心淡如君子 
只道是 那些無關風花雪月的相思 
說來幾人能知

Is it true, for every sort of relationship, there’s no room for indulgence and recklessness 
Keep them calm and reserved, that’s the gentleman's way 
I’ll only say, it’s got nothing to do with trivial longings 
How many can truly understand 


徒弟:都跟你说别跟着我了,你怎么还跟着!
师父:…… 
徒弟:干嘛不说话!
师父:你不是嫌我吵么?
徒弟:我……不是那个意思。
师父:马上就要出师了,我给你准备了新衣裳, 你试试?
徒弟:你做的衣服太丑了,穿着这么丑的衣服我怎么名扬天下?
师父:【直接把糖葫芦塞他嘴里】
徒弟:唔……呸,都跟你说了我不吃糖葫芦 

“I told you not to follow me, why are you still following?” 

“......” 

“Why don’t you speak!” 

“Thought you said I was noisy.” 

“I… That’s not what I meant.” 

“You’re almost graduating. I made you new clothes, want to try it out?” 

“The outfits you make are too ugly, how am I supposed to make a name for myself wearing such an ugly outfit?” 

She stuffed a sugared hawstick in his mouth. He spat it out. 

“I told you I don’t eat sugared hawsticks!” 


院內冬初 昔年與你栽的桃樹
葉落早做塵土
新雪來時 又將陳酒埋了幾壺
盼你歸來後對酌

At the start of winter, from the peach tree I planted with you in the yard many years ago 
The leaves shed had long turned to dust and dirt 
When fresh snow arrives, how many urns of old brew are buried 
While I hope to toast with you when you return


徒弟:喂,你一直在这,都没去过别处,是不是在等着谁?
师父:我谁也没等。谁也不会来。
徒弟:你一个人这么久,就没想过去别的地方看看?
师父:我…… 

“Hey, you’ve been here all along, never gone to other places. Are you waiting for someone?” 

“I’m waiting for no one. Nobody will come.” 

“You’ve been alone for so long, haven’t you thought of exploring other places?” 

“I……”


穿過落雁修竹 看過月升日暮
你說有一日總會名揚天下實現你抱負
那時低頭替你劍穗纏著新流蘇
心願未聽清楚

We’ve passed through flocks of geese and forests of bamboos, seen the moonrise and sunset
You said, one day you’ll make a name for yourself and realize your ambitions
I had been busy tying a new tassel on your sword hilt then
And hadn’t heard your wish clear enough


還掛著流蘇 是否應該滿足
也為你縫好冬衣寄去書信一兩句叮囑
該慶幸至遠至疏你我還未至陌路
是時光從來殘酷 

The tassel hung still, should I have contented myself there? 
I’ve also delivered winter clothes sewn for you, attaching a letter with an advice or two 
I should be happy that though we’ve drifted apart, we’ve not turned complete strangers 
But time had always been cruel


最害怕 酒肆閑談時候聽見你名字 
語氣七分熟識 
回過神 笑問何方大俠姓名竟不知 
笑容有多諷刺

I fear most, to catch your name during casual conversations over drinks 
Uttered with a tone so familiar 
Snapping back to reality, I asked “why hadn’t I known the name of such a hero?” 
Smiling, with such stinging irony 


徒弟:你又输了。
师父:知道了知道了,徒弟还是长大了啊。
徒弟:这下你不用一直跟在我后面,担心我被人欺负了吧。
师父:你这身新衣服不错呀,看起来像名扬天下那么回事儿。
徒弟:师傅,你的亲友呢?
师父:这是你的小马驹吗?挺帅的嘛!你记得要每天刷洗,这样它长大了毛色会——
徒弟:这些我知道。
师父:对了!我这还有些上好的马草!
徒弟:不用了,我都有。

“You lost again.” 

“I know I know." My disciple’s all grown up.

“Now you don’t have to shadow me all the time, worried that I’d be bullied.” 

“The new outfit’s not bad. You look almost like the real deal, becoming famous and all.” 

“Master, where are your friends and family?” 

“Isn’t this your colt? Looking pretty handsome! Remember to brush him everyday, then when he grows up his fur will-” 

“That I know.” 

“Oh, right! I still have some quality hay over here-” 

“No need, I have them all.” 


斟酒獨酌 細雪紛紛覆上眉目 
清寒已然入骨 
還憶最初 有你扯過衣袖輕拂 
笑說雪融似淚珠

Pouring wine I down myself, light snow crowded upon my brows 
Its chill already seeped into my bones 
I still remember at the very beginning, I swept them off with the sleeve you used to tug 
And said, with a smile, that the melting snow looked like teardrops


曾經相伴相護 說著初心不負 
想起某一日陪你策馬同游鬧市中漫步 
那時正逢揚州三月桃花鋪滿路 
神情難免恍惚

We used to watch over one another, and promised not to lose our heart 
I remembered that day I drove a horse with you, that day we strolled through the bustling market 
It was March in the Province of Yang, where peach blossoms paved our way 
I can’t help falling into a bleary-eyed trance


江湖的盡頭是否只剩孤獨 
都怪我玲瓏心思執念太過以塵網自縛 
前方太遼闊若問此去應去向何處 
把來路當做歸途

Is it true that at the end of the world, the only thing left is loneliness 
Perhaps it’s my own fault for my delicate thoughts, for these obsessions I cocooned myself in 
The path ahead is far too vast, how should I decide where to go 
So I can only take the path I came from 


桃樹下 那年落雪為你唱一段樂府 
信了人不如故 
只如今 茫茫大雪之中等著誰回顧 
明知無人回顧 
誰能初心不負

Under the peach tree, I sang you a poem while it snowed that year 
I’ve come to believe that people do change 
Only now, in the endless stretch of snow, who am I waiting to look back 
I already know nobody will 
Who can keep their heart still


徒弟的徒弟:师傅,你在等谁?
徒弟:我谁也没等。谁也不会来。
徒弟的徒弟:你一个人,就没想过去别的地方看看?
徒弟:我…… 

徒弟:你一个人这么久,就没想过去别的地方看看?
师傅:我怕我一转身,连你也不见了。

师傅:看,下雪了
徒弟的徒弟:看,下雪了

“Master, who are you waiting for?” 

“I’m waiting for no one. Nobody’s going to come.” 

“You’ve been alone for so long, haven’t you thought of exploring other places?” 

“I…...” 

***

“You’ve been alone for so long, haven’t you thought of exploring other places?” 

“I’m scared that once I turn my back, even you will disappear.” 

***

“Look, it’s starting to snow.”

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

[English translation] 江山雪 - Snow over Rivers and Mountains

作曲/編曲//Composer/arrangement: KIDE
後期//Post production: E
作詞//Lyrics:荀夜羽 (Xun Ye Yu)
原唱//Original vocal:小愛的媽 (Xiao Ai’s mom/Xiao Ai De Ma)
特邀念白//Narrators:阿冊 (A Ce), 柒夜 (Qi Ye)
演唱//Vocal (cover):蚊香 (Wen Xiang)
混音//Mix:Mr曾經 (Mr Ceng Jing)

Other covers:
(And many more available on Youtube)


***


純則粹 陽則剛 天行健 兩儀遵道恆長 故有長久者不自生方長生之講
Pure in essence, stark in strength
Heaven runs diligently, two states in constant obedience of nature’s law Hence there’s the saying, longevity favors those who do no egoistic self-preservation


百丈峰 松如浪
地勢坤 厚德載物之像
故君子不爭炎涼

Pine trees rose like waves upon peaks a hundred meters tall The earthy landscape contains within itself all virtues and matters Like so, a gentleman does not concern himself with trifles


混沌開 分陰陽
輪轉更迭萬物始蒼蒼
觀其微妙於九天之下六合八荒

Primordial chaos split into Yin and Yang
Only through its changes in cycles can all lives flourish
Do observe its intricacies, under the heavens, in this universe


春生 入秋藏
天之道四時更迭有常
若有常為何晨曦比這夜還涼

Birthed in spring, hidden in autumn
Heaven’s law changes with a rhythm of certainty
If there should be certainty, why is dawn colder than this very night?


若無常 為何我總會想
與你 守月滿空山雪照窗

If there naught be certainty, why am I constantly drawn to the thought
Of waiting on the moon with you, snow reflecting light through our windows in the vacuous mountains?


[Narration]
大道無形,生育天地;大道無情,運行日月;大道無名,長養萬物。

Dao is shapeless, birthing heaven and earth; Dao is loveless, moving both sun and moon; Dao is nameless, nurturing all lives.


一念坐忘 趁月光
聽 清風追逐流雲纏綿飛舞的癡狂
交錯的剎那 生怕洩露心頭沉淪的慌
微漾

I thought of meditating while the moon still shines
And listen to winds chase the streaming clouds, entwined in a dancing frenzy
At the moment we intersected, I feared that the panic from my heart’s fall would be revealed
As a subtle ripple


[Narration]

吾不知其名,強名曰道。
夫道者:有清有濁,有動有靜;天清地濁,天動地靜; 降本流末,而生萬物。
清者,濁之源,動者,靜之基;人能常清靜,天地悉皆歸。

Its name I know not, Dao is the name assumed.

Dao, defined as such: it encompasses the clear and the murky, the moving and the still; heaven is clear while the earth murky, heaven moves while the earth is still; it descends from its source and flows to its end, thus birthing lives in tens of thousands.

The clear is the source of the murky; the moving, foundation of the still; should one stays oft in clarity and stillness, heaven and earth shall be his to own.


未曾忘 蒙昧時授我出世方(君卻重入塵浪)
如何渡暖意 才能化盡你眼底 千山月下霜(將眷戀深藏)
揮劍 斬痴念萬丈(已決意相忘)
卻 輸給回眸一望

I’ve never forgotten, in my ignorant days, who taught me the way out of mortal’s entanglements (yet you returned to its tumbling dust)
How shall this warmth be delivered, to melt away mountain frost under the moon, beneath your eyes (hiding all your longings deep within)
I raised my sword, and severed my overwhelming lengths of obsession (already decided to forget one another)
Yet my defeat was spelled, when you cast a glance back at me


曲中全 直藏枉
盛世於斯須間興亡
有誰能與天數相抗
逆轉世態炎涼

Wholesomeness within the crooked, vanity concealed in the righteous
The glorious world rises and falls in passing moments
Who can oppose heaven’s will
And reverse the state of this world?


都說
心欲靜 更難放
何時起光陰 與心意
放縱如 白駒
肯收韁

It’s been said
The heart yearning stillness finds it harder to let go
Since when, time itself, together with my heart
Bolted like a white colt
Still I refuse to draw its reins


[Narration]
情不敢至深 恐大夢一場
卦不敢算盡 畏天道無常

Love I dare not let run deep, fearing it should be merely an elaborate dream
Entirety of my fortunes I dare not predict, fearing heaven’s uncertainty


時有序 世滄桑
天地將傾時誰保 誰無恙
指上訣 念念入心藏

There is order in time, and vicissitudes in the world
When heaven and earth topple, who can promise whose safety
Incantations upon my fingers, I chanted till it’s kept by heart


君為刃 吾便以此身 為盾防
仗劍鎮山河護 你無恙

If you shall be a blade, then this body of mine I’ll make the shield
Wielding a sword to surmount the land, so that I may protect you, safe and well


***

Translator’s comment:

I did this because I happen to enjoy dropping boulders directly above my feet.

Also, I’m in my pop culture Taoism phase. And I can’t say I don’t enjoy a bit of a challenge.

This is really not an easy one to work with. Lots of references to Taoist literature, so I try to go back to the sources and translate to the best of my ability. Some philosophical concepts are difficult to convey in full. E.g. For “the earthy landscape” (地勢坤), the word “坤” is a somewhat nebulous concept. It’s one of the symbols of the Ba Gua (Eight Diagrams) from the earliest surviving Chinese literature, the I Ching. It can mean the earth (as oppose to the heavens), or the feminine (as opposed to the masculine), or the southwest direction.

Downside number two: I’m not very well-read in Taoist literature and doctrine, so I only know some of the more superficial aspects of it.

This song contains a mix of pop culture Taoism. It was originally composed as an homage to a Chinese MMORPG (劍俠情緣叁 or 剑网三). One of the sects, the Chun Yang Sect (纯阳), takes inspiration from Taoism, and the characters are modeled after Taoist priests and priestesses. (The song “A Taoist Nun Friend of Mine” is also inspired by events in the same game, by the way.) So the first line “纯则粹 阳则刚” probably serves more as a reference to the game than providing much actual meaning.

I especially like these lines from the original sources:

天行健,君子以自强不息。
地势坤,君子以厚德载物。
——《周易》

"Like the diligence of heaven, a gentleman should be relentless in improving one self.
Like the nurturing earth, a gentleman should cultivate good virtues and be accepting of all matters."
- I Ching