Heartache, heartache, heartache… happiness? Nope, helplessness.

Today I bring you a Min song I met in my second year of studying Chinese. A very sad song, to top off this series of heartache songs… oh wait. Next post is basically even sadder :). Anyway, the translation dates to 29/8/2017 evening. The "just" in the last line of the English was originally not there. Here we go then!

给看得懂中文的人的注意 (note to those who read Chinese)：也有这张网页解释这首歌，帮忙了我明白。

三声无奈 一时贪着阿君仔1媠漂亮 痴情目睭眼睛假微微2 为君仔1假爱来食吃亏 害阮3目屎眼泪四喃垂涕泗横流 二更4过了月斜西 想阮3哪怎么会命生命遮这么歹不好 花开啊专望期望阿君仔1採 无疑不料侥心变心不应该 踮站在窗边啊 攑头举头看天星 哎哟心酸悲 害阮3每日 为伊目屎眼泪滴是着 哎哟啊喂 心肝我苦啊 哎哟心肝 哎哟我苦啊喂 三声无奈哭悲哀 月娘月亮敢是否知阮2心内 失恋伤心流目屎眼泪 好花变成相思栽植物

Sann siann bô-nāi Tsi̍t-sî tham-tio̍h a-kun-á suí Tshi-tsîng ba̍k-tsiu ké bui-bui Uī kun-á ké-ài lâi tsia̍h-khui Hāi gún ba̍k-sái sì-làm-suî Lī kinn kuè-liáu gue̍h tshiâ sai Siūnn gún ná ē miā tsiah pháinn Hue khui--ah tsuan-bāng a-kun-á tshái Bô-gî hiau-sim put ing-kai Tiàm tsāi thang pinn--ah Gia̍h-thâu khuànn thinn tshinn Ai-iō sim-sng-pi Hāi gún muí-li̍t Uī i ba̍k-sái tih-sī Ai-iō-ah-uê Sim-kuann guá khóo--ah Ai-iō sim-kuann Ai-iō guá khóo--ah-uê Sann siann bô-nāi khàu pi-ai Gue̍h-niû kám tsai gún sim lāi Sit-luân siong-sim lâu ba̍k-sái Hó hue piàn-sîng siunn-si tsai

¹ 「阿君仔」指歌手的爱人。「阿X仔」闽南语中用来创造亲爱的称谓。
² 「假微微」指示「因为痴迷就眼不全开而看不到爱人的真面目」。
³ 闽语的人称代词 闽语有七个人称代替：「我 | guá」，就是「我」；「你 | lí」，就是「你」；「伊 | i」，就是「他、她、它」；「阮 | guán / gún」，意思是「我们、不包括你」；「咱」，就是「咱们」，意思是「我们、也包括你」；「恁 ｜ lín」，就是「你们」；「亻因 | in」，就是「他们」。在歌曲里常常只有一个我和一个你而没有别人，所以「阮」常常跟「我」一样、「咱」常常跟「你我」一样。
⁴ 古代将一夜分为五更，没更约二小时。

Completely helpless

One moment craving, you’re handsome¹, oh!
I didn’t know you, love made me blind.
Thanks to your false love I have grieved,
You made me cry my eyes out.

It’s near midnight, the moon’s going down,
I think of why my life’s so bad.
I’m blooming now, please come pluck me!
You should not have changed your mind!

By the window I sit,
I look up to the stars,
My whole heart’s grieving, ah!
For him every day
My tears keep falling,
Ay, goodness me!
Darling, I grieve, oh,
My only love,
Ay me, how much I grieve!

Completely helpless in sadness I cry,
Does the moon know what I feel?
I have lost my love, I cry on,
Once a blossom, just pining now.

¹ This is referred to your significant other (or hypothetical s.o. anyway), so change "handsome" to "beautiful" depending on their gender.