#chinese tag
[Chinese poetry tag] 你是人间四月天 You are the April of this world - 林徽因 Lin Huiyin
Today we will be exploring a poem by one of my favourite historical figures and role models, 林徽因 Lin Huiyin. Born in 1904, Lin Huiyin was a renowned architect, historian, poet and intellectual who played a huge part in the restoration of Chinese cultural heritage sites and the design of the national emblem of the P.R.C.
I know many poems by her off by heart - she’s one of the few people who has successfully managed to fuse together the structures and tempo of English poetry and prose, with the ambiguous and emotive vocabulary of the Chinese language.
This is exactly what her close friends loved about her – Wilma and John K Fairbanks admired her for living on a “kind of double cultural frontier,” and facing the problem of “the necessity to winnow the past and discriminate among things foreign, what to preserve and what to borrow.”
She is probably best known for this poem below, called “You are the April of this world”, written in 1934. It is widely interpreted that the poem was written to either commemorate the death of 徐志摩 Xu Zhimo, another Chinese poet whom she had a whirlwind romance with in the UK, or the birth of her son (latter more likely from my perspective).
你是人间四月天
我说 你是人间的四月天；
笑响点亮了四面风；
轻灵在春的光艳中交舞着变。
你是四月早天里的云烟，
黄昏吹着风的软，星子在
无意中闪，细雨点洒在花前。
那轻，那娉婷，你是，
鲜妍百花的冠冕你戴着，
你是天真，庄严，
你是夜夜的月圆。
雪化后那片鹅黄，你像；
新鲜初放芽的绿，你是；
柔嫩喜悦，水光浮动着你梦期待中白莲。
你是一树一树的花开，
是燕在梁间呢喃，
——你是爱，是暖，
是希望，
你是人间的四月天！
Translations (by me)
You are the April of this world
I say, you are the April of this world;
Your laughter ignites the winds hither and thither;
Tinkling and dancing to the brilliant lights of spring.
You are the soft haze of April mornings,
Dusk blows the mellowness of the breeze,
The stars glittering subconsciously, fine rain drops sprinkle like wine amid the flowers.
That gentleness, gracefulness, is you,
It is you wearing a radiant crown of a hundred flowers,
You are innocence, dignity,
You are the full moon night after night.
Ivory swathes after melted snow, is like you;
New shoots of verdant green, is you;
Tender joy, the sparkling ripples carry long awaited white lotuses of your dreams.
You are the trees that bloom,
The swallows that chitter between the roof beams,
—— you are love, warmth,
Hope,
You are the April of this world!
[Chinese tag] 青山百里月无眠 - 魏一宁 translated English lyrics
This song had such beautifully written poetic lyrics that have taken inspiration from countless works of classical poetry, so I had to translate it!
To me this is the perfect song for Qing Qing and Xue Qian Xun in the drama
Lyrics translation (by me):
＊青山百里月无眠 遮颜
A hundred miles of verdant mountains, the sleepless moon covers its face
流水黄昏察无色 心猿
Running streams and sun sets are colourless, my heart is restless
孑孑无妄 霎作相逢 殊途难现
Living as a lone dissenter, I met you suddenly by accident. But we are travelling on different paths, it is hard to find you
觊觎三世 人无怨
I coveted for three lifetimes without complaint
落英撩撩 却人间情难饶
Fallen petals tease but do not spare the human heart
缤纷绕绕 隔相思望不到
My feelings entangle profusely, pining for but cannot see you
如幻如梦 辗转几多烟雨愁
Like an illusion, like a dream, how many more times will woeful sleeplessness and unease rain on me?
还未央
It is endless
＊＊微弱的光 闪烁慌张
A faint light flashes anxiously
我是否曾 牵动你心跳
Have I ever pulled on your heartstrings?
耳畔风鸣 瑟瑟飘荡
The wind whistles by my ears, a sound drifts softly
我能听到 你回应的讯号
I can hear the signal of your reply
＊Repeat
＊＊Repeat
[Chinese tag] 遇萤 (Fireflies) - 霍尊 (Huo Zun)
I’m completely sold on the OST track list for 遇龙 (Miss my Dragon) The show has yet to win me over but it’s like the songs have been composed for my tastes Props to my talented girl 执素兮 Zhi Su Xi for composing this particular song years back!
I love the traditional Chinese instruments overlay, not to mention Henry Huo Zun’s otherworldly vocals – it really is a great remake which gives the song a more ethereal vibe without compromising the good elements of the original. The lyrics are also beautifully poetic with Buddhist references (highlighted in red in the first verse), which could not be more apt for a story about four reincarnations.
Lyrics translation (by me):
若千年的光阴轮回里
As if a thousand years of reincarnation
是否只为寻觅着你
Is only for the sake of searching for you
恍若所有月明
As if all the moon’s luminescence
圆缺或是阴晴 都只为了你
Wax and wane or rain and shine are only for you
尘缘似一场花雨
Worldly bonds are like soft rain
眉目缱绻中枯寂
Our eyes deeply locked then becoming dull
指间的瞬息
Ephemerally my fingertips
拾得你一颗泪滴
Collect a drop of your tears
若忘川的涟漪 随我心
As if the gentle ripples on the River of Forgetfulness (Lethe) follow my heart
是否只为不忘记你
And are only for not forgetting you
恍若所有思绪
As if all my thoughts and emotions
怜惜或是悲戚 都只为了你
Pity or sorrow are only for you
尘缘似一场烟影
Worldly bonds are like a cloud of smoke
眉目缱绻中飘零
Our eyes deeply locked then wandering
心之所寄
Just as I express my heart
劫数应声而起
Calamity befalls us
**前生今生来生
In my past, present and future lives
与你相遇 在每一个梦里
I’ll meet you in every dream
拂袖唤漫天流萤
Waving a sleeve to summon a sky full of fireflies
掌心微光谁眼中倒映
The faint glow in our palms reflecting in our eyes
回眸不舍离去
Looking back and leaving reluctantly
此情为你 在心上停栖
This love lingers on my heart for you
下一世 再与你永不分离
Next life, I’ll never be separated from you again
若忘川的涟漪 随我心
As if the gentle ripples on the River of Forgetfulness (Lethe) follow my heart
是否只为不忘记你
And are only for not forgetting you
恍若所有思绪
As if all my thoughts and emotions
怜惜或是悲戚 都只为了你
Pity or sorrow are only for you
尘缘似一场流萤
Worldly bonds are like a stream of fireflies
眉目缱绻中宁静
Our eye deeply locked then becoming peaceful
照谁前行
Illuminating our paths
灿若彻夜繁星
Sparkling like a star-studded sky through the night
** x2
这一世 愿与你共存天地
In this life, I wish to live in harmony with you
