前世有約(Promise from the Past) - Lyrics Translation from 尋找前世之旅 (The Journey) OST
Title: 前世有約(Promise from the Past)
Drama:尋找前世之旅 (Journey to Search the Past Life / The Journey)
Singer: A2A
Song: 麥振鴻 (Chun Hung Mak)
Lyrics: 李揚 (Yang Li)
Song style: soft, ballad
Theme: Falling for somone
I decided to translate this song because:
1. Firstly, I did watch the drama The Journey. As everyone likely agreed, the ending was disappointing but I did enjoy reading the novel story. The adaptation in the beginning was not that bad but the ending was definitely not so acceptable for me.
2. I did know of A2A from a "survival girl group" show so I remember them.
3. This is a very pretty song and I really enjoy it even though the music video quality could be improved. Like the outfits can be so much better than that.
4. Lastly, I saw a request for it (though not directed at me) and I thought, why not?
LYRICS
|
Chinese Lyrics |
Pin Yin |
Literal Translation |
Interpretative Translation |
| 總是反反覆覆 回憶若有若無 | zǒng shì fǎn fǎn fù fù huí yì ruò yǒu ruò wú | Always repeating; seems like there are memories and seems like there are not | Always stuck in a loop, as if my memories are barely there |
| 曾經有的幸福 已經到了絕路 | céng jīng yǒu de xìng fú yǐ jīng dào le jué lù | Happiness that existed before has already come to an end | The happiness I once had has already reached a dead end |
| 你的愛太模糊 我要的太無助 | nǐ de ài tài mó hú wǒ yào de tài wú zhù | Your love is too blurry What i want is too helpless | Your love is too unclear, I'm helpless with what I want |
| 到最後是孤獨 | dào zuì hòu shì gū dú | Until the end is loneliness | At the end, there's only lonliness |
| 總是反反覆覆 為何朝朝暮暮 | zǒng shì fǎn fǎn fù fù wèi hé zhāo zhāo mù mù | Always repeating; why day and night | Always stuck in a loop... |
| 也會一步一步 走到形同陌路 | yě huì yī bù yī bù zǒu dào xíng tóng mò lù | Still step by step, walk toward identical stranger (latter 4 words are an idiom for from lovers to strangers) | Why each day and night, we are step by step walking towards becoming strangers |
| 愛情是個包袱 太沉重的投入 不在乎 | ài qíng shì gè bāo fú tài chén zhòng de tóu rù bù zài hū | Love is a burden; too heavy involvement don't care | Love is a burden, but I don't mind that it's too heavy an investment |
| 告別了前世來赴今生的約 | gào bié le qián shì lái fù jīn shēng de yuē | Bid goodbye to my past life to make this life's appointment | I bid goodbye to my past live to make our appointment in this life time |
| 別輕易割捨記得當初承 | bié qīng yì gē shě jì dé dàng chū chéng nuò | Do not eaily cut off , remember the initial promise | Do not give up easily and remember our original promise |
| 多想找到你填滿心中殘缺 | duō xiǎng zhǎo dào nǐ tián mǎn xīn zhōng cán quē | Really want to find you, to fill the void in my heart | I really want to find you, to fill up the void in my heart |
| 可我們一再錯過 | kě wǒ men yī zài cuò guò | But we miss each other again | But we pass each other by again |
| 告別了前世和你命運交錯 | gào bié le qián shì hé nǐ mìng yùn jiāo cuò | Bid goodbye to my past life and your fate intertwined | I bid goodbye to my past live... |
| 留下的執著每分每秒折磨 | liú xià de zhí zhuó měi fēn měi miǎo zhé mó | Left behind persistence each minute each second torture | ...and my persistence that remains from our intertwining fate tortures me every second |
| 無情的相隔轉身擦肩而過 | wú qíng de xiāng gé zhuǎn shēn cā jiān ér guò | heartless separation turn body touch shoulder and pass | The heartless separations just pass me by |
| 用幾生只為相遇的一刻 | yòng jǐ shēng zhǐ wèi xiāng yù de yī kè | use several lifetimes just to meet for a moment | I would wait several lifetimes just so we can meet for a moment |
| 總是反反覆覆 為何朝朝暮暮 | zǒng shì fǎn fǎn fù fù wèi hé zhāo zhāo mù mù | Always repeating; why day and night | Always stuck in a loop... |
| 也會一步一步 走到形同陌路 | yě huì yī bù yī bù zǒu dào xíng tóng mò lù | Still step by step, walk toward identical stranger (latter 4 words are an idiom for from lovers to strangers) | Why each day and night, we are step by step walking towards becoming strangers |
| 愛情是個包袱 太沉重的投入 不在乎 | ài qíng shì gè bāo fú tài chén zhòng de tóu rù bù zài hū | Love is a burden; too heavy involvement don't care | Love is a burden, but I don't mind that it's too heavy an investment |
| 告別了前世來赴今生的約 | gào bié le qián shì lái fù jīn shēng de yuē | Bid goodbye to my past life to make this life's appointment | I bid goodbye to my past live to make our appointment in this life time |
| 別輕易割捨記得當初承 | bié qīng yì gē shě jì dé dàng chū chéng nuò | Do not eaily cut off , remember the initial promise | Do not give up easily and remember our original promise |
| 多想找到你填滿心中殘缺 | duō xiǎng zhǎo dào nǐ tián mǎn xīn zhōng cán quē | Really want to find you, to fill the void in my heart | I really want to find you, to fill up the void in my heart |
| 可我們一再錯過 | kě wǒ men yī zài cuò guò | But we miss each other again | But we pass each other by again |
| 告別了前世和你命運交錯 | gào bié le qián shì hé nǐ mìng yùn jiāo cuò | Bid goodbye to my past life and your fate intertwined | I bid goodbye to my past live... |
| 留下的執著每分每秒折磨 | liú xià de zhí zhuó měi fēn měi miǎo zhé mó | Left behind persistence each minute each second torture | ...and my persistence that remains from our intertwining fate tortures me every second |
| 無情的相隔轉身擦肩而過 | wú qíng de xiāng gé zhuǎn shēn cā jiān ér guò | heartless separation turn body touch shoulder and pass | The heartless separations just pass me by |
| 用幾生只為相遇的一刻 | yòng jǐ shēng zhǐ wèi xiāng yù de yī kè | use several lifetimes just to meet for a moment | I would wait several lifetimes just so we can meet for a moment |
| 告別了前世來赴今生的約 | gào bié le qián shì lái fù jīn shēng de yuē | Bid goodbye to my past life to make this life's appointment | I bid goodbye to my past live to make our appointment in this life time |
| 別輕易割捨記得當初承 | bié qīng yì gē shě jì dé dàng chū chéng nuò | Do not eaily cut off , remember the initial promise | Do not give up easily and remember our original promise |
| 多想找到你填滿心中殘缺 | duō xiǎng zhǎo dào nǐ tián mǎn xīn zhōng cán quē | Really want to find you, to fill the void in my heart | I really want to find you, to fill up the void in my heart |
| 可我們一再錯過 | kě wǒ men yī zài cuò guò | But we miss each other again | But we pass each other by again |
| 擁抱的雙手 | yǒng bào de shuāng shǒu | My arms in an embrace | My embracing arms |
| 快要失去知覺 | Yǒng bào de kuài yào shī qù zhī jué | are soon losing feeling | are loosing their sense of touch |
| 剩下一個人 | shèng xià yī gè rén | leaving me behind | Leaving only me behind |
| 在時間的角落 | zài shí jiān de jiǎo luò | in a corner of time | At a corner of time |
| 盼著你出現就算重新來過 | pàn zhe nǐ chū xiàn jiù suàn chóng xīn lái guò | hoping you appear, even if we restart | Hoping for you to reappear, even if we need to start over again |
| 願來世你會記得 | yuàn lái shì nǐ huì jì dé | wishing in the next life you will remember | Wishing that in the next life time, you will remember |
| 說愛我 | shuō ài wǒ | to say love me | to say you love me |
INTERPRETATION
Summary
This is a song about star-crossed lovers where the singer's fate has intertwined with a lover with a promise to meet at a future life time, but they do not meet in the current life and she keeps being persistent about hoping to fulfil that meeting for the next life time.
Detailed
Disclaimer: this is my interpretation, which this time, I actually have put in the table above and incorporated into the translation. And the literal translation is very raw such that I end up using very similar words as the google translator haha.
If you have read the comic, I think this song is written for the first story. The first story about the first client who went through 3 lives without being together so the male decided to not reincarnate because he looses his memories of his past life everytime and only regain them when he passed on. He became a spirit to watch over his lover but his lover is conflicted because he wants to "take" her which meant she passes on in this lifetime but she doesn't want to hurt him, which is why she went to the teahouse to right their past live.
The only reason why I mention the comic rather than the drama is because I haven't watched the drama for a while now so I don't remember how the story got adapted. I feel like I watched it maybe 2 years ago. And I have read the novel but I don't remember the details either.
Here the song refers to cycles a lot like going through several lifestimes just for one meeting even if for a moment. The reincarnation likely has been going on for a while due to memories being there and not there, about love starting to become unclear and feeling helpless about this and also about gradually becoming strangers. At the same time, there is persistence about trying to fulfil the promise of a meeting from a past life and not giving up so easily and not minding about investing too much in this love or even having to start the relatonship from scratch. It's clear this song is not a happy song, since it says I say good bye to my last life so I can move into the next life to meet you, but we miss each other again. So that meant, even in the present life time, the promise to meet cannot be fulfilled. The last line ends with I hope to see you again and that you'll remember our promise and love me too. It's a very bitter sweet song, about waiting for love.
Comments