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[Li Nan/Audio Monster & Xiao W] 音频怪物 & �w - 相�局 | A chess game of yearning


renn

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Li Nan/Audio Monster (音频怪物) & Xiao W (å°w) -

| A chess game of yearning
 

 

NB: This is a case of setting new lyrics to the music of an existing song. All mentions of "chess" in the translation refers to weiqi, perhaps better known in English by its Japanese name go.

 

 

Original song: "

" / Blue and white porcelain (composed and performed by Jay Chou)
Lyrics: 顾盼ä¾ç„¶, 五å­

 

Lyrics translation by renn at www.onehallyu.com

credits.png

 



NB: [AM] = Li Nan/Audio Monster; [XW] = Xiao W/Litle W; [T] = together


[AM]
é›¨æ‰“å±‹æªæ•²çŸ³æ æ£‹ç›˜ä¸ºè°å±•?
黑白交错的颜色è°ç‚¹ä¸€ç¬”染。
æ¯å…‰é…’é†‰å¾®é†ºæ—¶è½»è½»æ‘‡ç€æ‰‡ï¼Œ
低眉间åŸç€ä¸€é¦–声声慢。

yÇ” dÇŽ wÅ« yán qiÄo shí lán qí pán wèi shéi zhÇŽn
hÄ“i bái jiÄo cuò de yán sè shéi diÇŽn yÄ« bÇ rÇŽn
bÄ“i guÄng jiÇ” zuì wéi xÅ«n shí qÄ«ng qÄ«ng yáo zhe shàn
dÄ« méi jiÄn yín zhe yÄ« shÇ’u shÄ“ng shÄ“ng màn

Rain strikes the eaves and taps upon the stone railing. The chessboard is laid out for whom?
Colors of interwoven black and white, [as if] someone dabbed it with a brush.
When [i'm] drunk on wine and tipsy, lightly wave [my] fan,
Singing a slow drawn out song with lowered eyes.


[XW]
æ³›é»„çš„å›žå¿†é‡Œæ˜¯è°æ‰§èµ·çš„æ£‹ï¼Ÿ
那棋å­ä¸Šçš„æ¸©åº¦æ¨¡ç³Šåˆæ¸…晰。
一步一步走æˆå±€ï¼Œ
终究还是解ä¸å¼€çš„谜。

fàn huáng de huí yì lÇ shì shéi zhí qÇ de qí
nà qí zÇ shàng de wÄ“n dù mó hú yòu qÄ«ng xÄ«
yī bù yībù zǒu chéng jú
zhÅng jiù hái shì jiÄ› bù kÄi de mí

In the yellowing memory, it is a chess stone held by whom?
The temperature of that stone is vague and yet clear.
Move by move, the chess game is composed,
[but] ultimately it is still an unsolvable riddle.


[AM]
一生里åªä¸ºä½ æŽ¨å¼€é‚£æ‰‡é—¨ï¼Œ
一代的时光里åˆä¸ºè°ä¼¤ç¥žã€‚
黑与白的æ€å¿–牵绊ä½ä¸€åŒäººï¼Œ
从此å†ä¸é—®å²æœˆæµ®æ²‰ã€‚

yÄ« shÄ“ng lÇ zhÇ wèi nÇ tuÄ« kÄi nà shàn mén
yÄ« dài de shí guÄng lÇ yòu wèi shéi shÄng shén
hÄ“i yÇ” bái de sÄ« cÇ”n qiÄn bàn zhù yÄ« shuÄng rén
cóng cÇ zài bù wèn suì yuè fú chén

In one lifetime, [i'll] only push open that door for you,
But in one generation's time, for whom do overtax my nerves?
The pondering of black and white binds together a pair of people,
[such that] from now on [they] no longer care about the ups and downs of life.


[XW]
一生里åªä¸ºä½ è°±ä¸‹ç›¸æ€å±€ï¼Œ
一生里走ä¸å‡ºä¸€åœºç”Ÿæ­»å±€ã€‚
今æœå†™ä¸å®Œè¿™æ®µç›¸ä¼´ç›¸æ€æ›²ï¼Œ
æ¥ä¸–å†ç›¸é‡ã€‚

yÄ« shÄ“ng lÇ zhÇ wèi nÇ pÇ” xià xiÄng sÄ« jú,
yÄ« shÄ“ng lÇ zÇ’u bù chÅ« yÄ« chÇŽng shÄ“ng sÇ jú.
jÄ«n zhÄo xiÄ› bù wán zhè duàn xiÄng bàn xiÄng sÄ« qÅ«,
lái shì zài xiÄng yù.

In one lifetime, [i'll] only lay down a chess game of mutual yearning for you.
In one lifetime, [we] cannot get out of a game of life and death.
[We] cannot finish writing this song of mutual accompaniment and yearning today,
[so let's] meet one another again in the next life.


[T]
相æ€äººï¼Œç›¸æ€æ£‹ï¼Œ
构一篇,相æ€å±€ã€‚
黑与白沉寂,
相æ€å·²è¿‡ä¸‡è¯­ã€‚

xiÄng sÄ« rén / xiÄng sÄ« qí
gòu yÄ« piÄn / xiÄng sÄ« jú
hēi yǔ bái chén jì
xiÄng sÄ« yÇ guò wàn yÇ”

People of longing [and] stones of longing
[Together] construct a chess game of mutual yearning.
Black and white [fall into] a still silence;
The yearning has already exceeded ten thousand words.


[AM]
é’æ¢…绕床竹马æ¥ä½•日剪西窗?
离别言未尽已是山岳两茫茫。
朦胧间è°çš„呢喃在耳畔轻å“?
细说ç€å¹´å°‘相知å›èŽ«å¿˜ã€‚

qÄ«ng méi rào chuáng zhú mÇŽ lái hé rì jiÇŽn xÄ« chuÄng
lí bié yán wèi jìn yÇ shì shÄn yuè liÇŽng máng máng
méng lóng jiÄn shéi de ní nán zài Ä›r pàn qÄ«ng xiÇŽng
xì shuÅ zhe nián shào xiÄng zhÄ« jÅ«n mò wàng

[We] were friends since [our] childhood days[1]. When will [we] once again meet and talk all night[2]?
[upon our] separation, [i had] not yet said all that wanted to say, but [we're] already divided by mountains, distant from one another and indistinct[3].
In the haziness, whose murmur sounds lightly by [my] ear?
[it] says in detail that [we] came to know of each other in [our] younger years, don't you forget.


[XW]
宣纸墨色晕散去诗è¯ä¸æˆè¡Œï¼Œ
心头血红å–ä¸€ç æ»´åœ¨å—国上。
一步一棋一å­ï¼Œ
ç»‡æˆæ˜Ÿç½—中黑白色的网。

xuÄn zhÇ mò sè yùn sàn qù shÄ«cí bù chéng háng
xīn tóu xiě hóng qǔ yī zhū dī zài nán guó shàng
yÄ« bù yÄ« qí yÄ« zÇ
zhÄ« chéng xÄ«ng luó zhÅng hÄ“i bái sè de wÇŽng

[On] xuan paper, the ink blurs, unable to form complete lines of poetry.
take out a drop of the blood red of [my] heart and drip it upon the southern land.
One move, one piece, one stone,
[They] weave out the black and white web of scattered stars[4].


[AM]
梦中è°åˆæ‰§æ£‹ï¼Ÿé»‘与白相é‡ã€‚
招招步步熟虑一目åƒä¸‡é‡Œã€‚
走险峰破çç‘åªæ„¿ä¸Žä½ å¯¹å¼ˆï¼Œ
春å¤ç§‹å†¬ç›¸æ€å·²æˆå±€ã€‚

mèng zhÅng shéi yòu zhí qí / hÄ“i yÇ” bái xiÄng yù
zhÄo zhÄo bù bù shú lÇœ yÄ«mù qiÄn wàn lÇ
zÇ’u xiÇŽn fÄ“ng pò zhÄ“n lóng zhÇ yuàn yÇ” nÇ duì yì
chÅ«n xià qiÅ« dÅng xiÄng sÄ« yÇ chéng jú

In the dream, who is it holding the chess stone? Black and white meet.
Every maneuver and every move comes after careful consideration; one look extends unimaginably far.
Taking risks and solving an ingeniously laid out game of chess, only wish to play against you.
[Through] the four seasons, yearning for each other has already become an established situation.


[XW]
梦中è°åˆæ‰§æ£‹ï¼Ÿé»‘与白相é‡ã€‚
æœ¦æœ¦èƒ§èƒ§æ²‰è¿·å› å›æˆ–为棋?
æœæœæš®æš®æˆ‘与你相伴相æ€å±€ï¼Œ
è½å­æˆé»˜å¥‘。

mèng zhÅng shéi yòu zhí qí / hÄ“i yÇ” bái xiàng yù
méng méng lóng lóng chén mí yīn jūn huò wèi qí
zhÄo zhÄo mù mù wÇ’ yÇ” nÇ xiÄng bàn xiÄng sÄ« jú
luò zÇ chéng mò qì

In the dream, who is it holding the chess stone? Black and white meet.
Hazily falling into addiction—is it because of you or because of chess?
Day and night, you and I keep each other company [in this] game of mutual yearning;
Laying down the stones on the board has become [our] tacit pact.


[T]
当年è½èŠ±æ—¶èŠ‚é‡é€¢ç”»å ‚å‰ï¼Œ
执å­ç›¸å¯¹å局映在当湖边。
水天墨色为è°è°ƒå‡ºæµ“淡深浅,
春秋几度斑驳了画é¢ã€‚

dÄng nián luò huÄ shí jié chóng féng huà táng qián
zhí zÇ xiÄng duì shí jú yìng zài dÄng hú biÄn
shuÇ tiÄn mò sè wèi shéi tiáo chÅ« nóng dàn shÄ“n qiÇŽn
chÅ«n qiÅ« jÇ dù bÄn bó le huà miàn

That year in the season of falling flowers, [we] reunited in front of the ornate hall.
Reflected in the waters of Lake Dang, with stones held [in our fingers], [we] played ten games[5].
The ink colors of the water and the sky are blended into different shades for whom?
Many cycles of spring and autumn [go by], rendering the scene motley.


[T]
局终棋散为你一曲拨断弦,
书å·è½»é˜–掩去一段韶åŽå¹´ã€‚
ä»”ç»†å°†è¿™ç›¸æ€æ‹ˆæˆä¸€ç¼•红线,
染在山水间。

jú zhÅng qí sàn wèi nÇ yÄ« qÇ” bÅ duàn xián
shū juàn qīng hé yǎn qù yī duàn sháo huá nián
zÇ xì jiÄng zhè xiÄng sÄ« niÄn chéng yÄ« lÇš hóng xiàn
rÇŽn zài shÄn shuÇ jiÄn

The game ends and the stones scatter. For you [i play] a song [till I've] snapped a string [on the guqin].
Lightly closing the scroll, hide away a period of beautiful youth.
carefully twist this mutual yearning into a strand of red string[6],
Tinging the mountains and rivers [of this landscape].


[AM]
月出皎兮佼人僚兮映一棋和局,
[XW]
月出皓兮佼人懰兮è°ä¸Žæˆ‘执棋?
[AM]
月出照兮佼人燎兮谱相æ€ä¹‹æ„,
[T]
è½å­æ— æ‚”一棋相æ€å±€

yuè chū jiǎo xī jiǎo rén liáo xī yìng yī qí hé jú
yuè chū hào xī jiǎo rén liú xī shéi yǔ wǒ zhí qí?
yuè chÅ« zhào xÄ« jiÇŽo rén liáo xÄ« pÇ” xiÄng sÄ« zhÄ« yì,
luò zÇ wú huÇ yÄ« qí xiÄng sÄ« jú

The moon emerges, how bright! The beauty's appearance is so pretty.[7] Reflected is a game that ended in a draw.
The moon emerges, luminously white! The beauty's appearance is so lovely.[7] Who plays a game of chess with me?
The moon emerges, illuminating everything. The beauty's appearance is so wonderful.[7] Composed is the feeling of mutual yearning.
There is no retracting a move once the stone has been placed [in this] game of mutual yearning.



T/N:

[1] é’æ¢…绕床竹马æ¥: literally é’æ¢… = green plum; 绕床 = circling around the bed/chair; 竹马 = bamboo horse (a toy consisting of a wooden horse head mounted on a bamboo stick); æ¥ = come. This derives from the second line of famed Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai's 《长干行·其一》.

Original text:
郎骑竹马æ¥ï¼Œç»•åºŠå¼„é’æ¢…。

Roughly:
The little boy comes over riding on a bamboo horse and circles the bed/chair while [the little girl] plays with the [branch of] green plum [that he gave her].

This describes a very close friendship in the innocent days of childhood and is the source of the idiom é’æ¢…竹马 (lit. green plum bamboo horse). It used to refer to only the relationship between a male and a female, but nowadays people use it without such a limitation.


[2] 何日剪西窗: literally 何日 = which day; 剪 = cut with scissors; 西窗 = western window. This derives from the second line of famed late Tang Dynasty poet Li Shangyin's 《夜雨寄北》.

Original text:
何当共剪西窗烛,å´è¯å·´å±±å¤œé›¨æ—¶ã€‚

Roughly:
When can [we sit by] the western window and trim the candle wick together, once again talking about the night rain of the Daba Mountains?

This describes the feelings of a person who is deeply missing a loved one. It was originally written by the poet in the context of missing his wife, but it has since expanded to cover similar feelings for one's friends and family.


[3] 山岳两茫茫: literally 山岳 = mountains; 两 = two/both; 茫茫 = distant and indistinct. This probably comes from the last line in Tang Dynasty poet Du Pu's 《赠å«å…«å¤„士》.

Original text:
明日隔山岳,世事两茫茫。

Roughly:
Tomorrow [we'll be] divided by mountains, the affairs of [our] lives uncertain.

This describes two people who will be parting tomorrow and do not know when they will meet again.


[4] 星罗 in the context of weiqi takes me to the idiom 星罗棋布, which means spread out in a numerous and dotted fashion, similar to the stars in the sky and the stones on a chessboard.


[5] åå±€ (ten games) and 当湖 (Lake Dang; a nickname of Lake Ping in Zhejiang province of China) bring me to 当湖åå±€ (the ten games of Lake Dang), which refers to the thirteen games of weiqi played between grandmasters Fan Xiping and Shi Rangxia in 1739, of which ten games have surviving records. And of those ten games, they each won five.


[6] 红线 can mean a literal red string but is also a famous metaphor for a predestine relationship of the romantic variety.


[7] The entire last verse is based upon the Qin Dynasty poem/folk song 《诗ç»Â·å›½é£ŽÂ·é™ˆé£ŽÂ·æœˆå‡ºã€‹.

Original text:
月出皎兮,佼人僚兮,舒窈纠兮,劳心悄兮ï¼
月出皓兮,佼人懰兮,舒忧å—兮,劳心慅兮ï¼
月出照兮,佼人燎兮,舒夭ç»å…®ï¼ŒåŠ³å¿ƒæƒ¨å…®ï¼

 

It describes a beautiful woman underneath the moonlight and how the admirer's feelings are affected by the sight of her.

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Omg! Thank you so much for translating this song! I was trying to find the English lyrics for this song and i manage to chance upon this website offering to translate Chinese songs :ahmagah: ! Thanks for the awesome translation!!! Really love it! :chu:

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Omg! Thank you so much for translating this song! I was trying to find the English lyrics for this song and i manage to chance upon this website offering to translate Chinese songs :ahmagah: ! Thanks for the awesome translation!!! Really love it! :chu:

 

You're very welcome! This is one of the more challenging requests I've picked up over the years, but it's always interesting when there are layers to the lyrics, hence the long T/N.

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