细水长流

It's amazing how weighty a website link shared in Facebook can be.  This evening, I clicked on a link shared by my sissy and boy, memories of my teenage years flooded me like crazy.  I played the song and Bart came to sit next to me.  He listened with me, watching the lyrics come and go, recognising a few words that he had learnt from his Chinese class and I could sense he felt good about being able to read those characters.


I told him this was a song I had listened to many times when I was in my teens.  So many times that I could memorise (almost all) the lyrics.  He then asked me for the meaning of the song, and that got me started.  I translated to him line by line, pointing out to those words that he already knew. It was only at that very moment that I realised how deep in meaning this song entailed.  


As I moved further down the lyrics, my voice began to sound a little shaky, I thought I felt my eyes getting moist and warm too.  I paused and looked at Bart, he was trying to hold back his emotions.  


This song contains sadness about recalling those good old days of friendship that had developed when they were young.  Their friendship was genuine and pure.  Happy.  Carefree.  They were both sad they had to go their separate ways eventually.  I guess it was they each had to lead their own lives.  But when the two friends met again several years later, their smiles revealed a tinge of tiredness.  Man!  How true is this?  This is about life, reality, society.  How they could shape and change us.  Forcing us to grow up, forcing us to forget simple joys, forcing us to take life in a stride.


What hit me most, was 问一声我的朋友 何时再为我吹奏 是否依旧 是否依旧. Loosely translated - I asked my friend when he was going to play the tune again, would it be like the good old days again? Would it be like the good old days again?


At this point, I wiped the corners of my eyes.  So did Bart.


细水长流 (written by 梁文福, loosely translated by me to Bart)
年少时候 谁没有梦
Who doesn't have dreams when they were young?
无意之中 你将心愿透露

Unintentionally, you revealed your wish (to me).

就在你的生日的时候 我将小小口琴送
So on your birthday, I gave you a harmonica. 
最难忘记 你的笑容
Your smile was the most unforgettable. 
友情的细水慢慢流 流到了你我的心中
Our friendship blossomed, like the river flows through your heart and mine.
曾在球场边为你欢呼 你跌伤我背伏
I cheered you on at the soccer field, I gave you a piggyback when you fell and injured yourself.
夜里流星飞渡 想像着他日的路途
The shooting star shoots across the night sky, envisioning what the future entails.
晚风听着我们壮志无数
The wind in the night listens to our numerous inspirations.
年少时候 谁没有愁 
Who doesn't have sorrows when they were young?
满腔愤慨 唯有你能听得懂 
Filled with indignation, only you could understand.
就在你失意的时候
Just when you were feeling down
我将那首歌吹奏 
I played you the tune, 
琴声悠悠 解我轻忧
The sound of the harmonica eases away my worries.
岁月的细水慢慢流
As the years passed, like the river flows
流到了别离的时候 轻拍你的肩

It was time to say good bye, I tapped on your shoulder

听我说朋友不要太惆怅
Listen to me, my friend, don't be sad
霓陉纵然再嚣张
No matter how life turns out (??)
我你的步履有方向 
You and I have our own directions
成败不论去 莫将昔日遗忘 
Success or failure, it doesn't really matter. What matters is do not forget the good old days
多年以后 又再重逢
We meet again many years later
我们都有了疲倦的笑容
We both have tired smiles
问一声我的朋友 何时再为我吹奏
I ask my friend, when will you play me the tune again?
是否依旧 是否依旧
Would it be like the good old days? Would it still be like the good old days?
人生的际遇千百种 但有知心长相重
Countless of life encounters, but we have each other to count on
人愿长久 水愿长流 年少时候
Wishing it to last forever, like the river flows, like in the old days