Chinese Song Translation 《在那遥远的地方》

[思考题]

Over the past 6 months I've taken an avid interest in Chinese language songs as a productive means of studying and supplementing my Mandarin.

With friends' encouragement, I have undertaken the posting of English translations of both widespread classics and some of my personal favorites.

My interest does not lie in literal, word for word translation. Certain words and phrases, though poignant in their native Mandarin context,

sound ambiguous or halting in English. Rather I aim to express the feeling of each song -- as if the lyrics were as natural to sing in translated

English as they were in the original Chinese. I am not avoiding literal interpretation, so much not allowing it to interfere with the tone or

underlying concepts of each song.

While I encourage any questions, 'quires and qualms, my hope is that rather than simple criticism, we instead make constructive suggestions with specific examples.

My initial words are not the end all, but rather the instigation of further creation.

=====================================================================================================================================================

Chinese Song Translation 《在那遥远的地方》 - Off in the distance.

For an online recording of the song click &cat=0&gate=1&ct=134217728&tn=baidumt,%D4%DA%C4%C7%D2%A3%D4%B6%B5%C4%B5%D8%B7%BD++&si=%D4%DA%C4%C7%D2%A3%D4%B6%B5%C4%B5%D8%B7%BD;;%CD%F5%C2%E5%B1%F6;;72708;;72708&lm=-1&mtid=1&d=8&size=7969177&attr=0,0&titlekey=3672419883,4047280210&mtype=1"]HERE

A very popular folk song, also covered by 王力宏。

在那遥远的地方。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Off in the distance,

有位好姑娘。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Is a beautiful woman,

人们走过她的帐房。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。All who visit her abode,

都要回头留恋地张望。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Cannot bear to leave,

她那粉红的笑脸。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。The blush of her face,

好像红太阳。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Is brighter than the sun,

她那活泼动人的眼睛。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Her eyes are entrancing,

好像晚上明媚的月亮。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Gleaming brighter than the moon

我愿抛弃了财产。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。I would throw away my wealth,

跟她去牧羊。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。And endure pain and hardship,

每天看着那粉红的笑脸。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Just to see her face every day,

和那美丽金边的衣裳。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。And admire the way she dresses,

我愿做一只小羊。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。I would follow her like a lamb,

跟在她身旁。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。To the ends of the earth,

我愿她拿着细细的皮鞭。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。To fall under your whip and crack.

不断轻轻打在我身上。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Would be an honour bestowed.

This is a romantic and somewhat tragic love song of a besotted male.

So enamored by her beauty he is willing to transcend physical distance, wealth and position in search of love.

[内森]

在那遥远的地方。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。IN A DISTANT LAND,

有位好姑娘。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。THERE LIVES A MILD MAID,

人们走过她的帐房。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。NONE WHO PASS HER BY,

都要回头留恋地张望。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Can BUT STEAL A LONGING GLANCE,

她那粉红的笑脸。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。The blush of her CHEEKS,

好像红太阳。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。RIVALS THE SETTING SUN

她那活泼动人的眼睛。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。Her LIVELY EYES,

好像晚上明媚的月亮。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。ARE AS STIRRING AS PALE MOONLIGHT

我愿抛弃了财产。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。I would RENOUNCE THE WORLD I KNOW

跟她去牧羊。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。LIVE LOWLY LIKE A SHEPARD,

每天看着那粉红的笑脸。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。To WAKE UP TO THAT ROSY FACE,

和那美丽金边的衣裳。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。HER GOLDEN CLOTHES ARE WEALTH ENOUGH,

我愿做一只小羊。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。I would follow her like a lamb,

跟在她身旁。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。WHEREVER SHE WOULD LEAD

我愿她拿着细细的皮鞭。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。OR WILLINGLY ACCEPT ALL FORTUNE’S BLOWS.

不断轻轻打在我身上。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。IF ONLY BY HER HAND

I was much more focused upon the second stanza than the first. Beauty, it seems, can be described in a myriad of ways. What really intrigued me about this song, however, was singer's unusual love: the love of something we think we know, even when in reality we have no experience with it. We rarely yearn for something we completely or even partially understand, only for that which is utterly beyond our grasp.

I don't trust the singer, or the promises of increasingly more marginalizing surrenders -- it's easy to make promises when you never have the opportunity to make good on them ... but that doesn't mean I don't empathize with the emotion.