Brambles Form a Dense Cover

All---

If you follow my Twitter, you'll gather that I dig Mandarin Chinese.  If you like my Facebook page, you'll see how silly I can get over it.  Seems like I should share a bit of my love of language on my blog, too.  Lest you mistake my expertise, I am very much learning.  I have never been, but I have studied and observed and I have known several people from China.  It's a distant knowledge, I admit, but there are a great many things I love about Chinese culture and the language (especially Mandarin) really resonates with me.

One of the ways I both learn and explore is through music.  I especially love Zhao Peng.  He's a Mandarin pop singer with a bass voice and clean, crisp delivery.  It's the kind of voice I like listening too anyway,  but it's also great for learning.  Like anyone, he slurs some things, and sometimes his accent is a little tricky.  He's from Guangzhou, so I assume Cantonese is more natural to him.  Still, it's great stuff.

Here's an example of one of the songs he sings, together with the Pinyin and my own very much in-progress translation.

When Zhao sings this, especially in the chorus, he really brings out the rhythm and tones of spoken Mandarin, without losing the music.

Zài huíshǒu

Zài huíshǒu
Yún zhēduàn guītú
Zài huíshǒu
Jīngjí mìbù
Jīnyè bù huì zài yǒu
Nán shě de jiùmèng
Céngjīng yǔ nǐ gòngyǒu de mèng
Jīnhòu yào xiàng shuí sùshuō

Zài huíshǒu
Bèiyǐng yǐ yuǎn zǒu
Zài huíshǒu
Lèiyǎn ménglóng
Liú xià nǐ de zhùfú
Hán yè wēnnuǎn wǒ
Bùguǎn míngtiān yào miàn duì
Duōshǎo shāng tòng hé míhuò
Céngjīng zài yōuyōu ànàn fǎn fǎnfù fù zhōng zhuīwèn
Cái zhīdào píngpíng dàndàn cóng cóngróng róng cái shì zhēn
Zài huíshǒu huǎngrán rú mèng
Zài huíshǒu wǒ xīn yījiù
Zhǐyǒu nà wújìn de cháng lù bàn zhe wǒ



Zài huíshǒu
Bèiyǐng yǐ yuǎn zǒu
Zài huíshǒu
Lèiyǎn ménglóng
Liú xià nǐ de zhùfú
Hán yè wēnnuǎn wǒ
Bùguǎn míngtiān yào miàn duì
Duōshǎo shāng tòng hé míhuò
Céngjīng zài yōuyōu ànàn fǎn fǎnfù fù zhōng zhuīwèn
Cái zhīdào píngpíng dàndàn cóng cóngróng róng cái shì zhēn
Zài huíshǒu huǎngrán rú mèng
Zài huíshǒu wǒ xīn yījiù
Zhǐyǒu nà wújìn de cháng lù bàn zhe wǒ
Céngjīng zài yōuyōu ànàn fǎn fǎnfù fù zhōng zhuīwèn
Cái zhīdào píngpíng dàndàn cóng cóngróng róng cái shì zhēn
Zài huíshǒu huǎngrán rú mèng
Zài huíshǒu wǒ xīn yījiù
Zhǐyǒu nà wújìn de cháng lù bàn zhe wǒ
Zài huíshǒu huǎngrán rú mèng
Zài huíshǒu wǒ xīn yījiù
Zhǐyǒu nà wújìn de cháng lù bàn zhe wǒ

***


“Looking Back”

Looking back
Clouds cut off the way back
Looking back
Brambles form a dense cover
Tonight they will not be again
It is difficult to give up on old dreams
One, together with you, I shared a dream
Hereafter, who may I turn to tell them to?

Looking back
What is behind, I've already walked far from
Looking back
Tears make my eyes hazy
Your blessings stay behind
I shiver on a warm night
No matter what, I must face tomorrow
How much sorrow and confusion
Once, far far away, I inwardly flipped – was flipped – capsized while looking too closely
Only then did I know it was mediocre and indifferent, all in good time, only then was true
Looking back, suddenly as if a dream
Looking back, my heart is as it was before
Only that endlessly long road, my companion, will show me

Looking back
Back has to flee
Looking back
Misty eyes
Leave your blessings
Warm,cold night I
Regardless of tomorrow to face
How much pain and confusion
Once in the faint secretly asked repeatedly in the
Know nothing exciting is really from the leisurely
Looking back suddenly dream
Looking back my heart is still
Once in the faint secretly asked repeatedly in the
Know nothing exciting is really from the leisurely
Looking back suddenly dream
Looking back my heart is still
Only the long road that accompanied me endless
Only the long road that accompanied me endless
Looking back suddenly dream
Looking back my heart is still
Only the long road that accompanied me endless



***

If you don't care for the music or the language, that's fine, but, hey, this is all part of the tapestry that lies at the background of Nevets. :)

.Nevets.