Annual Ring (年輪) - Lyrics Translation from Journey of Flower OST
Title: 年輪 (Annual Ring)
Drama: 花千骨 (The Journey of Flower)
Singer: 張碧晨 (Zhang Bi Chen/Diamond Chen)
Song/Lyrics: 汪蘇瀧 (Wang Su Long/Silence Wong)
Song style: Ancient Chinese style, medium tempo ballad
Theme: Missing someone after separation
Diamond Chen Version (Journey of Flower OST)
I didn't actually watch Hua Qian Gu aka The Journey of Flower, but one of the themes is called Annual Ring by Zhang Bi Chen. It's a very pretty song with a slight Chinese flair of flute sounds. I think it's pretty catchy because there is a lot of cyclical ups and downs in the melody, which is compatible with the song's name, rings.
Annual Ring is actually written and sung by another male artist called Silence Wong, but Zhang Bi Chen sang the drama version. She competed in the The Voice of China 2014 and had previously trained in Korea for a year.
You may wonder what an annual ring is, it's basically the growth rings found in trees, also known as tree rings and annual rings. Each ring means one year. So if you count the rings found in the trunk of the tree after it's cut down, you can tell how old the tree is. So the metphor of the tree rings is probably the passage of time.
LYRICS
|
Chinese Lyrics |
Pin Yin |
Literal Translation |
| 圓圈勾勒成指紋 印在我的唇 | yuánquān gōulè chéng zhǐwén yìn zài wǒ de zuǐchún | Rings contouring into fingerprints are imprinted upon my lips |
| 回憶苦澀的痕 是樹根 | huíyì kǔsè de wěnhén shì shùgēn | But the one recalling the bitter kiss marks are tree roots |
| 春去秋來的茂盛 卻遮住了黃昏 | chūnqùqiūlái de màoshèng què zhēzhùle huánghūn | The flourish of passing spring and coming autumn has hidden away dusk |
| 寒夜剩我一個人 等清晨 | hányè shèng wǒ yígè rén děng qīngchén | Leaving me alone in the cold night waiting for morning |
| 世間最毒的仇恨 是有緣卻無分 | shìjiān zuìdú de chóuhèn shì yǒuyuán què wúfèn | In this world, the most venomous hate is being destined to meet but not fated to be together |
| 可惜你從未心疼 我的笨 | kěxī nǐ cóngwèi xīnténg wǒ de bèn | Regrettably you never dote on my foolishness |
| 荒草叢生的青春 倒也過得安穩 | huāngcǎo cóngshēng de qīngchūn dào yě guòde ānwěn | Even weeds overgrown with youthfulness still live on steadily |
| 代替你陪著我的 是年輪 | dàitì nǐ péizhe wǒ de shì niánlún | Annual rings accompany me as your substitute |
| (數著)一圈圈年輪我認真將心事都封存 | (shǔzhe) yìquānquān niánlún wǒ rènzhēn jiāng xīnshì dōu fēngcún | (Counting) each ring, I earnestly seal away the turmoils in my heart for safekeeping |
| 密密麻麻是我的自尊 | mìmimámá shì wǒ de zìzūn | I take pride in having them densely-packed |
| 修改一次次離分我承認曾幻想過永恆 | xiūgǎi yícìcì lífēn wǒ chéngrèn céng huànxiǎng guò yǒnghéng | Altering the separation again and again, I acknowledge I once dreamt of forever |
| 可惜從沒人陪我演這劇本 | kěxī cóng méi rén péiwǒ yǎn zhè jùběn | Regrettably there has never been anyone to act out this script with me |
INTERPRETATION
Summary
The song talks about one perspective of one of separated star-crossed lovers, who had once dreamt about beating fate and being together forever, but now lived on treasuring all the memories of love, which are signified by the annual tree rings. She strives on steadily with these memories sealed away even if time has stopped in her heart, where morning light doesn't come even as seasons change. And she reminicses about these memories because she tries to alter the ending even if it is not realistic.
Detailed
I think the first line is from person A who still remembers imprints of kisses as contouring rings like a fingerprint (and also annual rings). But person B (personified by the tree root just because annual rings are found on trees which are associated with person B) only recalls the bitterness of past kisses that left a mark. The contrast being one treasures these unique memories as they happened whereas the other only thinks of the bitterness that came with those kisses. And if I think about the fingerprint being similar to a tree trunk, then she's treasuring all the kisses as metaphor of the happy love memories when A and B are together.
Seasons change where autumn usually means a harvest and spring signifies the start of a harvest, so I think that part implies time passes year by year and a new beginning and end come with each year but in person A's world, there is no such cycle because it is always dark and lonely (like a cold night) because she is waiting for the morning light (dusk is hidden away is interpreted as morning didn't come as dusk usually means morning has come, set and then turned to night but that process has been omitted).
Star-crossed destiny, being able to meet but not end up together, is the most vicious hate like the world is against person A. The word, Ben, can mean stupidity, but I think foolishness might be a better fit. The foolishness being person A still thinks of the being together against fate, but regrettably person B does not think the same as A. This is kinda parallel to the first verse; A is immersed with being together where as B is focused on the destined end. The weeds describes person A's current mind set, even if weeds are unwanted but they still grow in thickets displaying a kind of youthfulness striving on with a steady and peaceful mindset, so that describes bravely facing the separation but still continuing on steadily because she has tree rings to substitute not having person B beside her. Again annual rings signify the cumulative love memories with Person B.
Beause each tree ring is a precious past memory, they are sealed away together with A's love emotions for safekeeping. And Person A takes pride in the fact that there are so many such rings and memories that they are densely packed away, describing the depth of the love. Although Person A's mindset is to love on with those memories sealed away, there is acknowledgement that she did once fantacize about eternity (her admitted foolishness) as she tried to alter their separation again and again. But these alterations (like a script) is never played out because Person B is no longer there.
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