Opening song in 三国演义

[fenlan]

I know I always try to walk before I can run, but I have been trying to decipher the opening song in 三 国演义. The online translation seems very unhelpful! Can I comment on this song/poem, and if anyone can help, please do! For each line, first is the Chinese, then the online translation, then my vocabulary and comments. My literal translation is at the bottom. Is it correct?

词曰：

So sung:

词[詞] cí a kind of poetry originating in the Tang dynasty and flourishing during the Song dynasty. I am unsure if 词 means a song or a poem. Or is it a poetic song?

滚滚长江东逝水

O so vast, O so mighty, The Great River rolls to sea,

滚滚[滾滾] gǔngǔn rolling; billowy

逝水 shìshuǐ water flowing out (逝 to pass, go, die)

浪花淘尽英雄。

Flowers do waves thrash, Heroes do sands smash,

浪花 lànghuā spray (from waves); spindrift

淘 táo wash, clean

If 浪花 is a word meaning "spray", the translation is wrong. Also in the translation "heroes" is the subject of the sentence, but should it be the object?

是非成败转头空：

When all the dreams drain, Same are loss and gain.

是非 shì-fēi right and wrong

成败[-敗] chéng-bài success or failure

转头[轉頭] zhuǎntóu change direction

青山依旧在，

Green mountains remain,

依旧[-舊] yījiù as before; still

几度夕阳红。

Under pink sunsets,

几度[幾-] jǐ dù many/several times

夕阳[-陽] xīyáng setting sun

No "pink" in the original.

白发渔樵江渚上，

Hoary fishers and woodcutters, Along the banks, find calm water,

白发[-髮] báifà n. white/gray hair

渔(F漁) yú to fish; 渔民 fisherfolk; 渔业 fishery

樵 qiáo firewood; woodcutter

渚 zhǔ islet, bank

"Find calm water" appears to have been invented by the translator

惯看秋月春风。

In autumn moon or in spring wind,

秋月春风[---風] qiūyuèchūnfēng beauty of nature (according to ABCD)

一壶浊酒喜相逢：

By the wine jars, fill porcelain.

浊酒[濁-] zhuójiǔ n. unstrained wine/liquor (浊 muddy)

相逢 xiāngféng meet (by chance); come across

I don't know where the "fill porcelain" comes from in the translation. Is 喜相 a word or 相逢?

古今多少事，

Discuss talk and tale,

古今 gǔ-jīn ancient and modern

都付笑谈中。

Only laugh and gale...

笑谈[-談] xiàotán funny remark; joke; jest

付 fù hand/turn over to; commit to

I don't know the significance of 付 in this sentence.

Possible translation:

A poem says:

The billowing Yangtze River passes on eastwards,

Spraying clean heroes.

Right and wrong, success and failure, turn to nought:

The green mountains remain as before,

The evening sunset is often red,

White-haired fishermen and woodcutters along the banks

have grown accustomed to the autumn moon and spring wind.

They gaily meet up over a jar of unstrained wine,

Discussing age-old matters (things old and new),

All accompanied by laughter.

[Quest]

My interpretation: 长江水 is a metaphor for time, running east, never ending. Sprays of this long river of time nurtured countless heroes. Their rights or wrongs, successes or failures, in the end it all became nothing. The mountains remain standing, but how many times has the sun set since (another metaphor for the passing of time)? White haired fishermen along the river bank by the firewood, having seen the moon of autumns and the wind of springs (3rd metaphor for the passing of time), "They gaily meet up over a jar of unstrained wine, " tales from ancient times up till now, all immersed in their laughters.

This is a really great song/poem by the way ;)

[fenlan]

Thank you, Quest. Your translation is much better, poetic even, than the online translation, which is a transcription of a well known translation from the 1920s.

[nnt]

浪花淘尽英雄。

Flowers do waves thrash, Heroes do sands smash,

浪花 lànghuā spray (from waves); spindrift

淘 táo wash, clean

If 浪花 is a word meaning "spray", the translation is wrong. Also in the translation "heroes" is the subject of the sentence, but should it be the object?

My interpretation of the sentence is :

Waves carry/wash away (helpless) heroes :

浪花 : S

淘尽 : V

英雄 : O

That is to express the vanity of all the heroic deeds

The translation "Flowers do waves thrash, Heroes do sands smash " seems to me very strange.

"Sprays of this long river of time nurtured countless heroes" seems not to be accurate either.

长江后浪推前浪, The Great River's later waves push away older generations, but in this poem also carry away heroes into oblivion .

[Quest]

Not to be 马后炮，but push away/wash away was what I was going to say at first, then I thought nurture sounded better, and their passing along with the flow of time (pushed away) was sort of implied, but yea pushing away is more accurate.