of fish and fridays

today has caught me unawares. for some reason, it was only last night i realised that it was thursday which meant that today is yay, the end of the week. for someone who is perennially looking forward to it, friday managed to crept up on me while i wasn't expecting it. it was a pleasant surprise tho'. :)

it's been a good few weeks since i last work on translating a song. i think i've again reached a point of saturation with lee hom's songs. but the thing is, i can't stop listening to them. hehehe.. but i do try to sample new songs whenever i could pry myself away from playing lh's songs. like today.

today's song is from a new singer (new to my list, but she has been around). her name is Cheer Chen. yes, Cheer. i have to admit that it was her name which i find to be somewhat.. erm.. unusual, that made me never checking her songs out, despite having seen her name around when i read news on lee hom and mayday. and of all people, it was chongy who suggested that i listen to it. i like how unexpected that was :D back to Cheer, she's been said to be a prolific singer-songwriter by none other than ashin, so i'm going to take his word, and the word of chongy's friend who introduced this song to her, for it. :) this translation is dedicated to you, chongy.. :)

okay, the title of this song is called 魚, lit. Fish. I don't know why. maybe it's a metaphor, because there is no other meaning for that word other than that: fish. it doesn't appear in the song either, but if you google for it, it sometimes comes with an English title, i.e. The Edge, which makes more sense, as it was referred in the lyrics. maybe she's just messing with our minds.

overall, this song makes for a good first impression, to me at least! :)


我坐在椅子上，看日出復活
我坐在夕陽裡，看城市的衰弱
我摘下一片葉子，讓它代替我
觀察離開後的變化
sitting on a chair, i look out at the day resurrecting (sunrise)
sitting in the sunset, i observe the feeble city
i pluck a leaf, and let it substitute me
examining the changes of what's left after it's gone

曾經狂奔，舞蹈，貪婪的說話
隨著冷的濕的心腐化
words that were once a mad rush, a dance, avaricious,
along with the cold, wet heart, are decaying

帶不走的丟不掉的，讓大雨侵蝕吧!
讓它推向我在邊界，奮不顧身掙扎。
如果有一個懷抱，勇敢不計代價，
別讓我飛，將我溫柔豢養。
what you can't bring along and what you can't discard
just let them be eroded by the heavy rain
let them push towards me at the border
while i struggle selflessly with all my might
if there's an embrace, i will courageously disregard its price
don't let me fly away, but gently keep me docile

我坐在椅子上，看日出復活。
我坐在夕陽裡，看城市的衰弱。
我摘下一片葉子，讓它代替我，觀察離開後的變化。
曾經狂奔，舞蹈，貪婪的說話，
隨著冷的濕的心腐化。
[refer paras 1&2]

帶不走的留不下的，我全都交付它，
讓它捧著我在手掌，自由自在揮灑。
如果有一個世界混濁的不像話。
原諒我飛，曾經眷戀太陽。
[我會瘋狂的愛上]
what i can't bring along and what i can't leave behind
i give them over completely
let them cup me in their palm, let me be free
if there is a world that's outrageously turbid
forgive me for flying, as I once held sentiment for the sun
[i will love unrestrainedly]

list of new words/phrases:
摘下 zhāixià - tear off, pluck
觀察 guānchá - examine, observe
舞蹈 wǔdǎo - dance
貪婪 tānlán - avaricious / greedy / rapacious / insatiable / avid
濕/湿 shī - wet / moist
腐化 fǔhuà - to rot / to decay / to become corrupt
侵蝕 qīnshí - to erode / to corrode
奮不顧身 fènbùgùshēn - to dash on bravely with no thought of personal safety (idiom); undaunted by dangers / regardless of perils
掙扎 zhēngzhá - to struggle
豢養 huànyǎng - to keep (an animal) / to look after the needs of (a person or an animal) / (fig.) to keep (a spy, lackey etc) in one's pay
揮灑 huīsǎ - to sprinkle / to shed (tears, blood etc) / fig. free, unconstrained / to write in a free style
混濁 hùnzhuó - turbid / muddy / dirty
不像話 - unreasonable / shocking / outrageous
眷戀 juànliàn - to miss / to long for / to remember with longing / yearning



陳綺貞
魚

我坐在椅子上，看日出復活
我坐在夕陽裡，看城市的衰弱
我摘下一片葉子，讓它代替我
觀察離開後的變化

曾經狂奔，舞蹈，貪婪的說話，
隨著冷的濕的心腐化

帶不走的丟不掉的，讓大雨侵蝕吧!
讓它推向我在邊界，奮不顧身掙扎

如果有一個懷抱，勇敢不計代價
別讓我飛，將我溫柔豢養

我坐在椅子上，看日出復活
我坐在夕陽裡，看城市的衰弱
我摘下一片葉子，讓它代替我，觀察離開後的變化

曾經狂奔，舞蹈，貪婪的說話
隨著冷的濕的心腐化

帶不走的留不下的，我全都交付它
讓它捧著我在手掌，自由自在揮灑

如果有一個世界混濁的不像話
原諒我飛，曾經眷戀太陽

帶不走的丟不掉的，讓大雨侵蝕吧!
讓它推向我在邊界，奮不顧身掙扎

如果有一個世界混濁的不像話
我會瘋狂的愛上

帶不走的留不下的，我全都交付它
讓它捧著我在手掌，自由自在揮灑

如果有一個懷抱，勇敢不計代價，
別讓我飛，將我溫柔豢養
原諒我飛，曾經眷戀太陽