Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Swan Geese

Heard this song for the first time in Naire bar in Hohhot... An Inner Mongolian favorite. I translated the lyrics below. For all the people I miss. We'll meet again.

鴻雁,天空上,對對排成行,江水長,秋草黃,草原上琴聲憂傷。
Swan geese, in the sky, lined up in pairs. The river is long, the autumn grass yellow, and on the grassland is a sorrowful tune.

鴻雁,向南方,飛過蘆葦蕩,天滄茫,雁何往,心中是北方家鄉。
Swan geese, heading south, flying over swaying reeds. The sky is endlessly vast, where are they going? In their heart is their homeland in the north.

鴻雁,北歸還,帶上我的思念,歌聲遠,琴聲顫,草原上春意暖。
Swan geese, returning north, please take my yearnings with you. The singing is far away, the music is trembling, and on the grassland is a warm spring.

鴻雁,向蒼天,天空有多搖遠,酒喝干,再斟滿,今夜不醉不還。
Swan geese, towards the heavens, how far away is the sky? I empty my glass, and fill it up again. Tonight, I won't go home until I'm drunk.