THROWBACK THURSDAYS
Every Thursday we’ll revisit a Taiwanese language classic from anytime between the 1930s - 2015ish... #TBT
| TAIWANESE | ENGLISH |
|---|---|
| To̍k iā bô phuānn siú ting-ē, tshing-hong tùi bīn tshe 獨夜無伴守燈下，清風對面吹； | At night waiting alone under a dim lamp, with the spring breeze blowing on my cheeks, |
| Tsa̍p-tshit-pueh, buē tshut-kè, kìnn-tio̍h siàu-liân-ke 十七八，未出嫁，見著少年家； | I, an unmarried maiden of seventeen going on eighteen, see a young man. |
| Kó-jiân piau-tì bīn-bah pe̍h, sûi ke lâng tsú-tē 果然標致面肉白，誰家人子弟？ | I see he has a handsome face and a pale complexion; I wonder which family he is from? |
| Siūnn-bueh mn̄g i kiann phái-sè, sim-lāi tuānn pî-pê 想欲問伊驚歹勢，心內彈琵琶。 | Wanting to ask him yet fearing embarrassment, my heart flutters as if it were a pipa being strummed. |
| Siūnn-bueh liông-kun tsoh ang-sài, ì-ài tsāi sim-lāi 想欲郎君做翁婿，意愛在心內； | Wishing him to be the groom of mine, with love inside my heart. |
| Thāi hô-sî, kun lâi tshái, tshing-tshun hue tng-khai 待何時，君來採，青春花當開； | Waiting, wondering when my beau might come to gather my blooming flowers of youth. |
| Hut thiann guā-thâu ū lâng lâi, khui-mn̂g kai khuànn-bāi 忽聽外頭有人來，開門(共伊)看覓； | Suddenly I hear someone outside, and I open the door to see, |
| Gua̍t-ló tshiò gún gōng-tuā-tai, hōo hong phiàn m̄-tsai 月老笑阮戇大呆，予風騙毋知。 | The moon laughs at my foolishness, for I did not realize it was just the wind. |
The Backstory
During the 1930s, Taiwan had already been under Japanese rule for over 30 years, and some were concerned that Taiwanese culture was beginning to fade as most people were listening to Japanese popular music. However, the surprise success of a music record used to promote a silent film (and that had been inspired by traditional Taiwanese opera), encouraged Columbia Records to recruit a group of talented singers, composers, and songwriters to produce hits based on traditional Taiwanese music. This would mark the beginning of Taiwan’s first golden era of Taiwanese popular music. Among those in this group of talent were composer Tīng Ú-hiân 鄧雨賢, father of Taiwanese folk music, songwriter Lí Lîm-tshiu 李臨秋, and Taiwan’s first pop star, singer Sûn-sûn 純純. Together they produced the Taiwanese classic, Bāng Chhun-hong 望春風 “Longing for the Spring Breeze” (1933), which continues to be covered by generations of Taiwanese artists.
The life of Sûn-sûn 純純 during this era was recently portrayed in a 20-episode Taiwanese-language drama in 2014 by TTV (Taiwan Television Corporation | 台視)