Sunday, May 3, 2009

Chinese Oldies: 不了情 (Bu Liao Qing) Endless Love

Before I got to know this song, I felt really weird when i saw those uncles and aunties singing it with tears in their eyes. hey after all its just an OLD song right? Wrong la! wrong, and wrong again. When our choir first got this piece, I really did not know what to make of it. Not until our teacher explained the lyrics to us. And then some of us felt like crying when singing this song.

Bu Liao in Chinese means unfinished, Qing means love. Therefore this song, Bu Liao Qing would mean Unfinished Love. However, since this 'Love' is unfinished and therefore endless, it can also be interpreted as Endless Love.

This is the link to the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzROA-wGyZY

Lyrics in Chinese and Pin Yin, together with translation:

忘 不 了, 忘 不 了 (wang bu liao wang bu liao)
how could i forget, how could i ever forget?
忘 不 了 你 的 錯 (wang bu liao ni di cuo)
how could i forget the times when you have gone astray?
忘 不 了 你 的 好 (wang bu liao ni di hao)
and how could i forget your sweet love and tenderness?

忘 不 了 雨 中 的 散 步 (wang bu liao yu zhong di san bu)
how could i ever forget our stroll in the rain?
也 忘 不 了 那 風 裡 的 擁 抱 (ye wang bu liao na feng li di yong bao)
and how could i ever forget our embrace in the wind?

忘 不 了 忘 不 了(wang bu liao, wang bu liao)
how could i forget, how could i ever forget?
忘 不 了 你 的 淚 (wang bu liao ni di lei)
i can never forget your tears,
忘 不 了 你 的 笑 (wang bu liao ni di xiao)
and i can never forget your laughter.

忘 不 了 落 葉 的 惆 悵 (wang bu liao luo ye di chou chang)
i can never forget the melancholy brought on by the autumn breeze,
也 忘 不 了 那 花 開 的 煩 惱 (ye wang bu liao na hua kai di fan nao)
and the sorrow that embraces me during the early days of spring.

寂 寞 的 長 巷 而 今 斜 月 輕 照 (ji mo di chang xiang er jing xie yue qing zhao)
do you remember the long lane where we used to walk? now only touched by the light of the lonely crescent moon,
冷 落 的 鞦 韆 而 今 迎 風 輕 搖 (leng luo di qiu qian er jin ying feng qing yao)
the swing where we used to play? now only sways with the gentle carress of the breeze.

它 重 覆 你 的 叮 嚀 一 聲 聲 忘 了 忘 了 (ta chong fu ni di ding ling i sheng sheng wang liao wang liao)
over and over again they repeat the words you utter: "forget it, let it go"
它 低 訴 我 的 衷 曲 一 聲 聲 難 了 難 了(ta di su wo di zhong qu i sheng sheng nan liao nan liao)
and yet again they whisper my reply: "how could i? How Could I Ever??"

忘 不 了, 忘 不 了 (wang bu liao wang bu liao)
how could i forget, how could i ever forget?
忘 不 了 春 已 盡 (wang bu liao chun yi jin)
how could i forget the end of spring?
忘 不 了 花 已 老 (wang bu liao hua yi lao)
and how could i ever wipe the memory of falling leaves and wilting flowers from my memories?

忘 不 了 離 別 的 滋 味 (wang bu liao li bie di zi wei)
never can i forget the bitter taste of parting,
也 忘 不 了 那 相 思 的 苦 惱 (ye wang bu liao na xiang si di ku nao)
and never can i forget the emotions of pining for you.

--end--

poetic and deep, this song never fails to touch my heart. frankly speaking, my eyes are already moist when i finish typing the translations, ehehehe. now that you understand the lyrics, doesn't it strike a chord deep down inside your heart? I'm sure most of you have had some experience of love-sickness or have been hurt before? what better way to revisit those bittersweet memories than by singing this song? now tell me, do oldies still sound sucky to you now? don't-you-dare-say-yes!

Welcome

Thank you for taking the time to drop by. The purpose i started this blog in the first place is to share music, and good quality music at that with you. yes yes, for those of you who know me, these songs would most of the time be oldies, musicals or arias but hey, with all the other blogs and websites flooding the net with reviews of new songs i don't think writing about them here would help much would it? you guys would probably have heard of them already.

I've met many friends who scoff at oldies, heck some even screw up their faces and plug their ears when they hear Pavarotti sing. That my friend, is the sole purpose of this blog (well not exactly, i might write about other stuff when i feel like it anyway). I will try my best to make you understand and love these timeless pieces. Why do I even listen to oldies, musicals or arias? well because I feel they have more substance, they convey more with their lyrics and they are closer to your heart. Also, the technique required to perform them well is really astounding. Whoever heard of pitch altering software 30 years ago huh? get what i mean?

Anyway do give these songs a chance okay? please? I'm literally begging you now. Listen to them first and then really understand the lyrics. who knows, you might grow to love them, and become an 'UNCLE' like me. :D