a fan-made song on Xiao Jingyan. I have always been a Mei Changsu over XJY person, but this song from his pov really worked for me and let me see the weightedness of XJY's crown, so I wanted to share it with more.
song link in comment below. (bilibili . com / video / av10441457/)
长剑出鞘冷锋芒 十三载意难忘
缓歌曼舞九重宫 朔风黄沙麾旗扬
手足血脉埋青冢 挚友良弓唯锈藏
岂能折腰屈膝没忠良
the long sword unsheathes from the scabbard, its cool blade revealed. thirteen years, and hard it is to forget.
leisured, soothing melodies with graceful dances at the ninefold palace; north wind and yellow sand with the billowing ensign in the desert. *[1]
brothers-in-arms and brothers in blood in tombs buried, graves long covered in grass; dear friends and cherished bow stored away, now left only to rust —
how is one to bend and kneel, and bury the names of the honourable and the good?
挑灯不眠千军帐 逐千里护家邦
玉壶冰心铁骨铮 扬眉冷看覆风浪
当时少年且横枪 凝尽碧血守四方
守国土河山定国安邦
light a lamp through the unrested nights at the commander’s tent; repel foes a thousand miles, and shield the kingdom.
nobility and aspirations stayed true to, bones of steel resounding. head high, brows lifted, he coolly looks to the tempestuous, overturning storms. *[2]
the youth of the past still danced their spears: blood of the honourable, thoroughly consecrated, defends the four corners of their homeland,
guarding rivers and hills to secure peace of the kingdom’s earth.
V/O — I do not expect you to understand a soldier’s honour or the smoke signals on the battlefield. But there are some people you cannot hurt, some things you cannot manipulate. If you cannot even respect the soldiers dying at the battlefront, I, Xiao Jingyan, will never work with you. Do you understand?
铁马金戈谈笑并辔封疆 几回魂梦
凤阙深深夜雨潇潇数闻铃
鸿儒谈笑对面不知相逢 唯知君臣纲
音容早已远谁知苍凉
armoured horses and metal spears, riding in parallel in friendly chatters at the borderlands — how many times has the soul dreamt thus?
depths of the palace, whistling of the nightly rain, a few stray rings of the bells. *[3]
an erudite scholar, now sat opposite in small smiles converse, yet know not to reunite. what leaves is the etiquette of lords and lieges. *[4]
voice and countenance long since distanced — who is to know the desolation and vicissitudes concealed?
谈笑自若朝堂对气轩昂 霁月风光
风云激荡历艰辛终执牙璋
漫漫更鼓朱笔落夜未央 提笔写兴亡
四顾怅惘余音且绕梁
composed in dialogue and pleasantries, assured and imposing at court. he is noble and virtuous as the bright moon and warm breeze.
wading through the unpredictable winds and turmoils, zhang sceptre of jade at last in hand.
drums signifying the night hours sound, red comments from the emperor’s brush move through the boundless night yet to end. a lift of the brush, and prosperities and declines are writ. *[5]
pensive and lost he looks to four sides. remnants of past sounds remain, resonating through the beams of the palace.
(verse 2)
潜龙在渊敛锋芒 风雷动引龙翔
风云际会参参商 瞰天下世道无常
掌中龙渊凛如霜 立丹陛守盛世长
祭酒未凉叹谁人共觞
like a submerged dragon in the abyss, he enshrouds his splendour. wind and thunder call his wings to flight. *[6]
in the winds and clouds, he engages in the tumult of the Shen and Shang constellations. from above he looks down at the fickleness of the world.
in his hands, the abyss of the dragon is cold as frost; he stands at the red stairway before the imperial palace, and overlooks an everlasting prosperity.
the wine offering to the dead is yet to cool — I sigh, who is to drink with me?
袖手天下为帝王 垂衣且驭八荒
气宇舒金殿垂拱 揽尽山河只手倾
长歌挽弓射天狼 潜龙一朝御风翔
乾坤日月昭天下清朗
hands folded in sleeves, he gazes at the kingdom before him. as emperor he rules from his attire and directs even the most distant lands. *[7]
with poised air he commands the court, hands held together; the entirety of the kingdom shifts with a tilt of his hand. *[7]
sing high and long; draw your bow to the invading Sirius. the submerged dragon one morn rises to ride the winds. *[8]
heaven and earth, and sun and moon clears, and the world before brightens.
铁马金戈谈笑并辔封疆 几回魂梦
凤阙深深夜雨潇潇数闻铃
鸿儒谈笑对面不知相逢 唯知君臣纲
音容已故徒一身沧桑
armoured horses and metal spears, riding in parallel in friendly chatters at the borderlands — how many times has the soul dreamt thus?
depths of the palace, whistling of the nightly rain, a few stray rings of the bells. *[3]
an erudite scholar, now sat opposite in small smiles converse, yet know not to reunite. what leaves is the etiquette of lords and lieges. *[4]
voice and countenance already bygone, all but a body of desolation remains.
谈笑自若朝堂对气轩昂 霁月风光
风云激荡历艰辛终执牙璋
漫漫更鼓朱笔落夜未央 提笔写兴亡
从此立龙城孤守八方
composed in dialogue and pleasantries, assured and imposing at court. he is noble and virtuous as the bright moon and warm breeze.
having waded through the unpredictable winds and turmoils, zhang sceptre of jade at last in hand.
drums signifying the night hours sound, red comments from the emperor’s brush move through the boundless night yet to end. a lift of the brush, and prosperities and declines are writ. *[5]
from forth he establishes himself in the imperial city of dragons. alone, he awatches the eight corners of his realm. *[9]
Extra notes
for those keen on classical chinese and literature allusions
I’ve cited some allusions and references I was reminded of as I listened to the song. These are subjective, my knowledge of classical texts is very limited, take everything with a grain of salt and please do comment if you’d like to supplement any information.
[1] 缓歌曼舞九重宫 朔风黄沙麾旗扬 — 《长恨歌》 白居易 The Song of Everlasting Regret, by Bai Juyi
缓歌曼舞: from “缓歌慢舞凝丝竹”. This is at the start of the romance tale, where the palace is in carefree bliss and prosperity.
slow and graceful songs / slow dances / slowly the music of the strings and the bamboo reverberate in step with the dances.
朔风黄沙麾旗扬: might be a stretch; I was reminded of “黄埃散漫风萧索”. This is from the same poem as above, we are one fourth in here, and it talks of a war.
yellow dust, scattered, drifts through the air. the bleak wind howls.
[2] 玉壶冰心铁骨铮 — 《芙蓉楼送辛渐》 王昌龄 Bidding Xin Jian farewell at Furong Tower by Wang Changling
玉壶冰心: from “洛阳亲友如相问,一片冰心在玉壶”
if the relatives and friends from Luoyang ask, tell them that my noble intentions are unchanged; a heart of ice in the vase of jade.
[3] 凤阙深深夜雨潇潇数闻铃 — 《长恨歌》 白居易 The Song of Everlasting Regret, by Bai Juyi
夜雨潇潇数闻铃: again could be a stretch; I was reminded of “夜雨闻铃肠断声” from the same poem as [1]. (don’t ask me why, this entire song is infused with this piece it feels). This talks of the same romance tale, in which the emperor mourns the death of his beloved.
in the nightly rain, the sound of the bells could be heard. it sounds as sorrowful and agonising as the breaking of intestines.
[4] 鸿儒谈笑对面不知相逢 唯知君臣纲 — 《陋室铭》 刘禹锡 An Inscription of the Humble Abode by Liu Yuxi; 《江城子》 苏轼 Jiang Cheng Zi, by Su Shi
鸿儒谈笑: from "谈笑有鸿儒,往来无白丁" credits to @fwoopersongs because my brain happily omitted it!
well-learnt scholars congregate in joyous talk, traversing there is no uncouth and unread.
不知相逢: there are many poems on this topic, one of the most notable ones would be “纵使相逢应不识,尘满面,鬓如霜。”
even if we met (Su Shi and his deceased wife), you should not be able to recognise me. dust covers my face, and the hair of my temples is white as frost.
[5] 漫漫更鼓朱笔落夜未央 — 《长恨歌》 白居易 The Song of Everlasting Regret, by Bai Juyi (added in edit)
漫漫更鼓: Okay, "迟迟钟鼓初长夜" immediately came to mind when I saw this phrase, but I went like here's too many footnotes already and thought it was too much of a stretch to put in (there's only one word in common!). Then I looked into the original poem, in which the timely bi-hour rings of the drum felt lengthened because of the emperor's agony over losing his loved one -- and so I went like, okay, this is relevant, I actually need to add this in.
the drums reporting the hour of the night come late, and it is early in the long night.
漫漫 meaning endless, without an end in sight. This echoes the sentiments of the emperor in Bai Juyi's poem in feeling that the night is everlasting and without end.
[6] 潜龙在渊敛锋芒 — 《易经》 Yi Jing, the Book of Changes
潜龙: There’s an awful lot of “submerged dragon” metaphors in this stanza. Technically it's a figurative "talents hidden dragon" rather than literally, under the waters. This is from Yi Jing essentially, a super old book on divination that does have some wisdom of old sayings in it. The submerged dragon talks of how the dragon, currently veiled, is a powerful being simply not revealed to worldly eyes yet, and is waiting for opportunity to strike (more like, soar, in this context). These lyrics parallel Xiao Jingyan with the allusion to talk about how he stayed silent for thirteen years before his time of brilliance.
Okie this is super complicated and involves a Taoism context, some history from the beginning emperors of the Han dynasty, and a very enthusiastic Emperor Taizong of Tang; I don’t really know how to go about this.
袖手, 垂衣驭八荒, 垂拱, these all lead to the same concept, and the middle chunk in particular is from a poem written by Emperor Taizong of Tang. Theory suggested by Laozi and Zhuangzi of Taoism, overall it talks of inaction, which is action the emperors at the start of the Han dynasty employed. They demanded less of their citizens and let the economy recover naturally (agriculture and such), and since these policies worked, the starting few Han emperors were regarded highly with this kind of purposeful and benevolent “inaction”.
In short, this song here uses these descriptions to talk of Jingyan as a competent and masterful leader.
[8] 长歌挽弓射天狼 — 《江城子·密州出猎》 苏轼 Hunting outside Mizhou (yet another Jiang Cheng Zi), by Su Shi
挽弓射天狼: from “会挽雕弓如满月,西北望,射天狼。”
I shall draw my carved bow like the full-moon, point towards the northwest, and shoot in the direction of the intruders.
天狼 means Sirius star. In chinese astronomy/astrology it was somewhat related to evilness, hence the use of Sirius to denote intruders.
[9] 从此立龙城孤守八方
I just added this this is not a reference it just really reminds me of this fanfiction oneshot 此生一诺 (this life, a pledge)! It talks about XJY at the end of everything, he draws a circle about the ground and entraps himself with the promise he made to see the world a better place under his reign (from the chinese idiom 画地为牢). I recced the oneshot here if you wish to check it out.
arghhh the entire course of me writing the tl was me going oh goodness why is there yet another footnote but I’m glad to be done for now.
Like, goodness. There is not one “he” or “him” reference in the lyrics. I would love to do the same, but you can see me getting more and more resigned towards the end of the translation.
I am sooo inclined to passive voice and invert subjects for every sentence when it comes to translations, I realise, and I apologise for the almost-signature abundance of semicolons and em dashes in the translation (I blame it on the difference in punctuation nuances. — I subconsciously use semicolons for semi-parallel sentence structures, so you can spot out imperfect couplets that way.) Massive respect to all those who translate, because easy is it to hatch out a crude translation in five minutes, it is not treading about the delicate balance between literal and metaphorical, and in all honesty I feel that it is just way easier for me to write literal once, then go off the rails and do super-figurative for the other.
There are far more annotations and word definitions I’d like to add (I could literally do a classical text/poetry meta for every word lmao), but evidently, time constraints, and truthfully it would take forever to complete, so on a “ask me and I’ll try to elaborate” basis again.
The V/O — I’d love to make it more archaic, but the dialogue from the drama in this part was so modern apologies I’m sort of disappointed with the translation over here.
Re: song title. Yes, it sounds a little weird, excuse that.
I considered other translations for the song title, but none of them really gave the impression I really wanted. Words like “eternal” and “everlasting” were too permanent, I wanted to express the idea of the darkness being lengthened, yet with Jingyan’s reign it would come to an end, hence my hesitance. “Continual” is one I fiddled with: it did not give the same curt, direct feeling as “long” however, so in the end I just ended up with the simplest title.
"The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang. " "SHL Episode 9 - Qu Yuan's Cu Ci Nine Song九歌 Series Lady Xiang 湘夫人"
I deliberated for a long time as to whether I’d translate this poem. But this likely where Gu Xiang got her name from so I just had to do it. I thought this would be a simple poem but it took me more than a month to do it lol. XD
When native cn speakers come across a lady with the name Xiang 湘, it immediately brings to mind the two Xiang River Goddesses. They were said to be the concubine of the legendary Emperor Shun. “Lady Xiang 湘夫人” is a Pre Qin poem that’s written as part of Qu Yuan's Chu Ci Jiu Ge/Nine Song series, and it’s also known as the sister poem to “Xiang Jun 湘君”.
There are many interpretations as to who the focus of the story is. But for the sake of this translation, I’ll be working on the assumption that the poem is about Lady Xiang missing her husband (Emperor Shun). The poem’s really long and only the last part’s quoted in SHL, so feel free to skip to the end of the translation.
This poem's known its vibrant descriptions and there's a bunch of reference to specific plants which I've linked. If you ever intend to write a fic in the Chu dynasty, or a fic centered around the 700-200BC, you could use this as a visual reference. (yas my nerdy friends, historical accuracy is sexy)
帝子降兮北渚,目眇眇兮愁予。
Lady Xiang has arrived at the Northern Island, my gaze is filled with sadness and worry.
北渚: This was likely referring to 君山岛 Junshan Island. There's a lot of historical sites if you ever want to go there!
袅袅兮秋风,洞庭波兮木叶下。
The autumn wind blows gently endlessly; the Dongting lake ripples, the leaves fall.
登白薠兮骋望,与佳期兮夕张。
Standing amidst the reeds as I gaze into the distance, anticipating the date with the lover tonight.
鸟何萃兮蘋中,罾何为兮木上?
Why do the birds gather amongst the reeds? Why are the fishnets on the tops of the trees?
This line implies that the birds should be in the trees, and the fishnets among the aquatic reeds. But yet the situation’s the reverse. (Ie. what should have happened has t happened.). It describes the author’s uneasy feelings.
T/N: Just in case anyone’s as nerdy as me, this is likely a mirror of the line “采薜荔兮水中,搴芙蓉兮木末 I want to pick the scallops in the water, and to pluck the lotus from the trees” in sister poem in the same series, 湘君 Xiang Jun.
And look, more pictures of plants! (yes it's a different reed xD)
沅有芷兮澧有兰,思公子兮未敢言。
Th flower from the ginseng plant in the River Yuan, and orchids in the Lishui River. I can’t describe how much I miss you, Young Master (Gongzi).
T/N: Interestingly, 公子 Gongzi (aka Young Master) could be used on both male and female in the past. This is a very interesting point because there’s actually a huge debate as to who’s the poem is referring to. Baidu has interpreted this to mean Miss Xiang (ie. the goddess), but on the contrary, one physical book (yes I take this seriously lmao) I’ve bought thinks this is referring to Xiang Jun (the subject in her sister poem, and possibly her husband), and another physical book refrains from nailing the subject down. So who knows LOL.
And just how gorgeous is the ginseng flower!
荒忽兮远望,观流水兮潺湲。
My emotions are unsettled, I gaze towards the distance with uncertainty. However, the River Yuan and Lishui flows slowly.
麋何食兮庭中?蛟何为兮水裔?
Why does the deer seek food in the courtyard? Why do the dragon (jiaolong) trapped on the river bank?
T/N: 麋: This term actually refers to the deer, but it has been described as “antlers like a deer, tail of a donkey, hooves of a cow, face of a horse” in ancient times, so it’s sometimes regarded as the mythological creature 四不像 (Si Buxiang/Four not alike). It has made an appearance in some anime, and in one particular danmei fandom’s discourse. LOL
The mythological version is supposed to look like this. XD
蛟: Jialong refers to the “scaled dragon” in chinese mythology. If you’ve been watching Till the End of the Moon, Mingye was a jialong whom cultivated and became an immortal.
朝驰余马兮江皋,夕济兮西澨。
When morning comes, I ride my horse and race down the river bank. I cross over to the western bank at night.
闻佳人兮召予,将腾驾兮偕逝。
I hear my lover summons me. So I speed towards hastily and we head off together.
筑室兮水中,葺之兮荷盖。
We build our house in the water, and cover our roof with lotus leaves.
荪壁兮紫坛,播芳椒兮成堂。
The walls are decorated with moss, and purple shells pave the floor. The fragrant pepper and dirt we mould form the family’s prayer hall.
T/N: 芳椒 - This was a specific type of fragrant pepper. This was mixed with mud and painted on the walls, as the ancient people enjoyed its aroma. The moss refers to this specifically!
桂栋兮兰橑,辛夷楣兮药房。
The wood of the Gui tree form the beams, the Magnolia forms the rafters. The crossbeams of the door are made from wood of the Xinyi tree, the white ginseng flowers decorates the medicinal room.
T/N: 辛夷 - The Xinyi tree is also part of the magnolia family. There's clearly a theme going on!
The Gui tree's so pretty! And the white magnolias!
And the Xinyi tree
罔薜荔兮为帷,擗蕙櫋兮既张。
The climbing fig is woven into a curtains, and the partitions made of flowers have been drawn.
T/N: 薜荔: Baidu says it’s the climbing fig, but my physical book thinks it’s the another magnolia plant. And the 蕙 flower was known for its fragrance.
Baidu's interpretation!
And my book's interpretation XD
And look, the pretty 蕙 flower!
白玉兮为镇,疏石兰兮为芳。
The weights are made of snowy white jade, the fragrance of orchards permeates the air.
T/N: The 镇 Weights were similar to paper weights, and were used to keep mats/clothes in their place. It originated from the Qin and Han Dynasty, whereby people used to keep the mat in place (to prevent it from moving around when they got up). Sometimes, it'll be in the shape of an animal, like a lion for example.
芳: Another interesting point; Baidu interprets this as fragrance, but the physical book thinks it means to block off the wind from the head of the bed. 芳 is sometimes interpreted as 防 (to block in some ancient text)
芷葺兮荷屋,缭之兮杜衡。
The lotus form the house, and the ginseng flowers form the roof. It’s scent intermingles with that of the wild ginger
And this is how wild ginger looks like!
合百草兮实庭,建芳馨兮庑门。
We gather various kinds of flowers and plants to fill the courtyard, and we’ve build a fragrant porch.
九嶷缤兮并迎,灵之来兮如云。 (The line that's in SHL)
The numerous gods of the Mount Jiuyi have arrived, they arrive as plentiful as the clouds as they greet Lady Xiang.
T/N: 九嶷: Jiuyi mountain was the legendary burial place of the legendary Emperor Shun. It’s a mountain range in Hunan Province, located at the south of the river Xiang 湘水南.
捐余袂兮江中,遗余褋兮澧浦。
I throw my outer garment into the river. And I throw my inner undergarment into the Lishui.
搴汀洲兮杜若,将以遗兮远者。
Arriving at the island’s river bank, I pluck the flowers as I eagerly await for my lover.
时不可兮骤得,聊逍遥兮容与。
Good times won’t return once it has passed. I’ll travel leisurely as I wander freely.
Translating the Narrated Poem of the Story Teaser: “The Boy and the Whirlwind”
It’s an interesting thing, knowing that Venti’s poetry is not meant to be Chinese stylistically (usually traditional Chinese poetry has a specific syllable count per line depending on the style and is very condensed in imagery), but rather it’s in Chinese only in language. It carries a certain form and meter that makes it hard to recognize what it’s trying to mimic… But I’ll take a look at this lost ballad waiting to be found anyways.
This is the story teaser known in English as “The Boy and the Whirlwind”.
This is also the story teaser known in Chinese as “微风与少年”, or in other words—
“The Breeze and the Boy”.
——
.
Original Chinese Title: 微风与少年
Original Chinese Transcript
.
我要说的故事
开始于旧蒙德。
.
在那暴君统治的国度,
我认识一位少年。
.
少年懂得弹琴,
寻着自己的诗篇。
.
但他生在风墙之内,
从来不���见过蓝天。
.
��我想看见飞鸟翱翔的模样。」
少年眼神倔强,瞳中有光。
.
但他的声音被呼啸风声盖过,
因为龙卷只会收取颂歌,不再留下其他声响。
.
真正的天空,囚笼外的诗与歌,
难道不是值得为之而战的愿望?
.
所以少年对我发出邀请:
「与我同去吧——碾碎暴君,撕开风墙。」
.
少年接起反叛之旗,
我亦投身追求「自由」的战争。
.
冲破囚笼之人一路得胜。
令神位崩毁,千风卷乱,诸国动震。
.
在硝烟中,我们见证暴君之末。
在灰烬中,我们见证高塔崩落。
.
如事,「新蒙德」之造史。
至此,无人再登王座。
------
My Translated English Title: The Breeze and the Boy
My English Translation (Prose)
The story I’m about to tell
Starts in Old Mondstadt.
.
In that kingdom ruled by a tyrant,
I met a young boy.
.
The boy knew how to play the lyre,
Searching for lyrics of his own.
.
But he lived within the storm-walls,
Having never seen the blue sky.
.
“I wish to see the birds soaring freely.”
The boy’s unyielding eyes had hope in them.
.
But his voice was lost in the howling wind,
For the whirlwind only accepted hymns, and left no other sound.
.
The true sky, the poems and songs beyond the cage,
Are they not wishes worth fighting for?
.
So the boy extended his invitation to me:
“Come with me. Let us pulverize the tyrant, and rip through the storm-walls.”
.
The young boy raised the flag of revolt,
And I threw myself into the fight for “Freedom”.
.
Victory followed those who broke through the cage,
Making the god’s seat crumble, the thousand winds whip, and nations shake violently.
.
In the parting smoke, we witnessed the end of the tyrant.
In the flying ashes, we witnessed the crumbling of the spire.
.
Thus, the epic of “New Mondstadt”.
So far, none has again taken its throne.
.
-----
Official English Title: The Boy and the Whirlwind
Official English Transcript
In Old Mondstadt transpired the story to be told,
.
Where a tyrant ruled,
I met a boy, not that old.
.
The lyre he played,
and for a song he sought,
.
But storm-walls blocked blue sky —
he was sincerely distraught.
.
“I do so wish to see the birds in flight,”
Said he, his strong eyes filling with light.
.
But his voice was lost in the howling wind’s churn.
For the whirlwind takes, and gives naught in return.
.
The true sky, and songs that cageless soar…
Were they not wishes worth fighting for?
.
So the boy turned, extending his hand:
“Let us cast down the tyrant and his walls from this land.”
And we watched as his great tower fell none too soon.
.
Mondstadt began anew, the story passed down—
And since then never has another worn its crown.
.
----------
.
Noteworthy Terms and Phrases
少年 (Shàonián / shao4nian2)
(modern term) young boy, around the age of ten to eighteen years old. The nameless bard should be around this age, but it’s hard to pinpoint due to the general artstyle. (literary term) youth.
Literally “The young boy’s eyes [were] unyielding, there’s light in [his] pupils.” 倔强 could mean stubborn but in this context it’s closer to unyielding. 光 means light but here it means something more metaphorical like “his eyes filled with hope”.
I have also considered “with a glint in his eye” but it sounds too mischievous (like he’s about to pull a trick) so for the more righteous bard I went for the first interpretation.
Thus, “The boy’s unyielding eyes had hope in them.”
More literally it’s “Those who broke through the cage achieved victory throughout the entire path” but in English it’s better to say “victory followed those who broke through the cage.”
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神位 vs 王座 (shénweì / shen2wei4; wángzuò / wang2zuo4)
Literally speaking, the first means seat of god and the second means throne. However—
神位, also known as 排位, means spirit tablet (or memorial tablet, or ancestral tablet). It’s part of East Asian culture, though it originated from traditional Chinese culture. Simply put, it’s a sort of wooden tablet with the name of a spirit, ancestor, or deceased person on it, along with some auspicious sayings, placed on an altar for sacrifices and offerings.
(Here’s a Wikipedia link)
Why such a word is used in a poem about Mondstadt, which is based on German culture with some Greek mythology influences, is beyond me.
Though, it seems multiple tablets (thus, for multiple spirits, deities, ancestors, etc.) can be placed on the altar at once, and the word does appear in the poem when the Thousand Winds break free (令神位崩毁,千风卷乱). One could argue that the 神位 in question was for the thousand winds (be it the group the wind spirit Venti once belonged to or the thousand winds of time Istaroth), along with Decarabian, the God of Storms himself. After all, the Thousand Winds Temple exists in Mondstadt, and both Barbatos and Istaroth were worshipped around Decarabian’s time (according to the Sacrificial Fragments weapon lore).
But taking the context of the rest of the poem, I’d say 神位 should still mean something like seat of god or the position of god here, and 王座 would be throne.
It's pretty formal to say this. Directly, it’s “These events, the creation Epic of ‘New Mondstadt’.” 造史 itself isn’t an actual word but the first character means creation (as in 创造) and the second character could either mean history (历史) or epic poetry (史诗) here. I figured that this is meant to be a poem about a hero, so I’ve chosen the epic sense.
So it’s rendered as “Thus, the epic of ‘New Mondstadt’.”
XA / XA / XB / XB / CC / DD / EE / FF / GG / HH / II / JJ
.
Okay, so the rhyming scheme between the two versions is similar in this section:
少年懂得弹琴,(qín)
寻着自己的诗篇。(piān)
但他生在风墙之内,(neì)
从来不曾见过蓝天。(tiàn)
「我想看见飞鸟翱翔的模样。」(yàng)
少年眼神倔强,瞳中有光。(huāng)
or
The lyre he played,
and for a song he sought,
But storm-walls blocked blue sky —
he was sincerely distraught.
“I do so wish to see the birds in flight,”
Said he, his strong eyes filling with light.
.
The last two lines of both are couplets, and the three pairs are the only instance where the two versions rhymed at the same place. It’s the XB / XB / CC part of the above rhyming scheme.
The official English stylization primarily uses rhyming couplets, but as to why the length of the couplets became shorter after “‘I do so wish to see the birds in flight,’ / Said he, his strong eyes filling with light” is… unknown, unless it’s to show turning point, and thus emphasis on the couplets make you pay more attention to the events that followed? The rhyming scheme is not as noticable in Chinese… But the syllable count isn’t particularly noticeable in Chinese either, so it’s probably closer to a modern Chinese poetic style.
But then, without a strong rhyming scheme nor meter, the structure of the poem is a little weak in Chinese, and it didn’t seem like it was freestyle, since they were clearly trying something with the rhyming. (With that said however, Chinese isn’t a very rhythmic language compared to English, so it’s okay.)
I want to see if I can write it into an English poem that follows the rhyme scheme and meaning of the Chinese poem.
okay so the Cecilia which has three main petals is shown in reverse on the flag of rebellion so it would make sense to use a trimeter
Old Mondstadt was used by Decarabian, one ruler, so the first syllable should be stressed, with three syllables per meter
In other words, dactylic trimeter (which is not as common as iambs and is therefore hard to write with!! Start with an unstressed syllable to make it easier!)
In other words, catalectic amphibrachic tetrameter
And iambs have a better flow so it could be used for the parts representing freedom (and good for rhyming couplets too)
Let’s say for the free parts to use iambic tetrameter (four winds)
And also a nonspecific tetrameter for Those Particular Parts where the Chinese cut it up into phrases of four characters (and thus syllables)
(^ω^)the music we got for Spring/Summer 2023 audiodrama season has been amazing
相思续续入梦来/"Thoughts and memories entering my dreams" by 远皓ZIL
[三嫁咸鱼/Thrice Married to Salted Fish , Season 1]
The music and lyrics of this song perfectly balances the blend of humor and heart in this story. The verse starts off kind of cheeky, but the emotions mount as we build towards the chorus. That line about Lin Qingyu donning his wedding robes again -- a scene that made me weep while reading the novel -- is like a punch to the gut. Thankfully the song and the story ends on a happy note.
山月随舟/"The world that follows" by 大C
[残疾战神嫁我为妾后/After the Disabled God of War Became My Concubine]
This is supposed to be about a maimed war hero biding his time to take revenge on the unscrupulous enemy prince he is forced to marry, but thankfully the real story is better represented by this sweet ballad. Despite the trials and chaos of the main characters' circumstances, they find a kindred spirit in each other and a promise to build a peaceful life together after the war is over.
真情错给/ "True love given in error" by 匀子, 漆柚
[泾渭无间/Clear and Muddy Loss of Love, Season 1]
This heartbreaking duet is attempting the impossible: to capture the emotional devastation of this epic novel in just a few minutes. "Love/ falls into a drop of tear, there is no one to blame, but me who has given my true love in error." A heartfelt love has crumbled into the cruelest betrayal, but instead of anger, there is just sadness, longing, and helplessness.
随月/"Follow the moon" by 海疼er
[游龙随月/You Long Sui Yue (both seasons) ]
I love this song so much that every time I hear it I instantly forgive the parts of the audiodrama that I enjoyed less. The lyrics tell a story of meeting and getting to know someone with whom you can share the rest of your journeys and your life. It sounds like a theme song for a wuxia drama, the song that should be playing while they ride off onto their next adventure together.
直到黎明/"Until Dawn" by 文森
[诟病/Morbid Attachment]
I'm still torn between feeling like this song is a bit too raw and under-produced, or breathtakingly intimate with its focus on the main vocals. It's written for a lost lover whose name is hidden in the lyrics and melody, a lover who doesn't know or believe in this, even though a part of him desperately wants to. This song is filled with the regret and yearning that comes out of such a relationship, vulnerable but hopeful.
心眼 (主役版) /"Eye of the mind" (cast version) by 陈张太康, 文森
[心眼/Eye of the Mind, Season 2]
This duet featuring two of my favorite voice actors is basically fulfilling one of my CV fandom dreams. Their voices work so well together! The calm, modern sound of the song perfectly sets the mood for the journeys of (relatively) ordinary people who manage to have some incredible drama.
In case there's any vocabulary/grammar mistakes , please bear with it as this is my first time doing this and as my mother language are chinese . This are my very first translation practice and there will be more to go hehe any if anythings about the lyrics translation you want to discuss with me or feedback you can drop a comment or dm :D
And PLEASE DO NOT COPY OR POST IT ON ANY OTHER SITES AS THE TRANSLATION ARE MY OWN WORK !
NOT THE OFFICIAL TRANSLATION.
I just need to do this often to improve my language proficiency :"}