珂拉琪英译版：为谁而作？| English translation of Collage lyrics: Target audience
如果你想向不懂台语或中文的朋友推荐珂拉琪，却苦于没有完整高质量英文译版，就请读下去吧！
If you love Collage’s music, but couldn’t find English lyrics subtitles for the whole suite, this article is for you!
视频同步双语字幕 | Video with subtitle (closed captions)
歌词双语对照 | Translation
（或跳过歌词文本，一键直达译后记）
(Or skip forward to Translator’s Note)
這該死的拘執佮愛 | This damned stubbornness and love
你的心 親像花
無人應 隨蔫去
你愛的人 誠固執
予伊的夢 伊提袂起
你的心 就像花
無人回應 任由枯萎
你愛的人 實在固執
給他的夢 他拿不起
Your heart
held dear like a flower
Without care
is left behind to wilt
The one you love
is truly stubborn
Dreams handed to them
are too heavy for them to take
你是一个 如此溫柔的人
你應該 愛你值得愛的人
但是 頭前有我欲行的路
毋知你敢會了解
你是一個 如此溫柔的人
你應該 愛你值得愛的人 但是
前面有我 要走的路
不知你能否了解
So gentle is your nature
you deserve to love someone worthy, yet
this path ahead I must take
I wonder if you can understand
是按怎拆開你的 心肝內底
會看著 暗淡的愛流成水
當我越頭離開時
心內亂雨紛飛
因為你 的眼神
戇戇咧望 真毋願
為什麼 撕開你的心裡面
會看到 黯淡的愛流成水
當我轉身離開時
心裡亂雨紛飛
因為你 的眼神
痴痴地盼 真不情願
Inside your broken heart, why do I see
dimmed love flowing like water
when I turn around to leave
with swirling rain in my heart
Because your eyes, the look in your eyes
shine with such foolish hope
unwilling to let go
若是你 會當看著 佇咧彼搭
咱就會使 做伙搝彼陣落水的人
伊寫的彼條歌 是拆破生死的紙
敢講你 真正攏無感覺
攏無感覺
若是你 能夠 看到他們在的彼方
我們就可以 一起拉那群落水的人
他寫的那首歌 是撕破 生死的紙
難道你 真的都沒感覺
都沒感覺
If you could see the other side, their side
We would reach out together
to help those who fell into the water
The song they wrote
tore through the veil between life and death
Do you really
feel nothing at all
nothing at all
是按怎拆開你的 心肝內底
會看著 暗淡的愛流成血
當我無閣咧注神
磕袂著就想著你
但是你 的眼神
無彩工 準拄煞
為什麼 撕開你的心裡面
會看到 黯淡的愛流成血
當我心神不寧時
動不動就想到你
但是你 的眼神
白費力氣 算了吧
Inside your broken heart, why do I see
dimmed love flowing like blood
My heart, restless
thinks of you every other moment
Yet the look in your eyes…
What’s the point, it’s futile.
若是你 會當看著 佇咧彼搭
咱就會使 做伙搝彼陣落水的人
伊寫的彼條歌 是拆破生死的紙
敢講你 真正攏無感覺
攏無感覺
若是你 能夠 看到他們在的彼方
我們就可以 一起拉那群落水的人
他寫的那首歌 是撕破 生死的紙
難道你 真的都沒感覺
都沒感覺
If you could see the other side, their side
We would reach out together
to help those who fell into the water
The song they wrote
tore through the veil between life and death
Do you really
feel nothing at all
nothing at all
猛獸亂使 侵門踏戶
厝邊頭尾 寸草無生
猛獸作亂 傾門踏戶
家家戶戶 寸草不生
Beast tramples down our homes
Each and every household devastated
葬予規路火烌猶在 | Funerals throughout the road, yet embers remain
揣我的身軀 行入你的夢中
用我的雙跤 去寫你的溫柔無限
你暗淡的心 是咱兩人未解的結
我就欲離開 你嘛是無可奈何
找我的身體 走入你的夢中
用我的雙腳 去寫你的無限溫柔
你黯淡的心 是我們倆 未解的結
我就要離開 你也是無可奈何
Looking for my body, wandering into your dream
With my steps, I scribe your infinite gentleness
Your dimmed heart lies unresolved between us
Soon I will leave you behind, helpless to make me stay
時代猛獸內底 揣袂著有名有姓的人
我想起 彼个時陣 (亻因)無聲無說
提銃踏入 咱的所在
規城眾生絕望
時代猛獸裡面 找不到有名有姓的人
我想起那個時候 他們無消無息
拿槍踏進我們的地方
滿城眾生絕望
Inside the beast of our era
everyone is stripped of their name
I remember when they soundlessly
armed with guns, invaded our homes
the whole city despaired
檢采我有千年 千百種人生
也無法度阻擋 人造的惡意
我看著這條路 沃澹的塗跤
行佇你的頭前 是我的生死
如果我有千年 千百種人生
也沒辦法阻擋 人造的惡意
我看著這條路 淋濕的地面
走在你的前面 是我的生死
Even if I live a thousand years, thousands of lifetimes
Still I can’t shield against man-made malice
I look at this path, the ground wet with rain
Walking ahead of you - is my life and death
你恬恬仔看我 倒佇咧水底
你恬恬仔咧聽 遙遠的風聲
你恬恬仔愛我 愛我一世人
你講 你會恬恬仔等我
轉來你身邊 身軀邊
你安靜地看我 倒在水裡面
你安靜地聽著 遙遠的風聲
你安靜地愛我 愛我一輩子
你說 你會安靜地等我
回來你身邊 身軀邊
Silently you looked at me
lying in the water
Silently you listened to
sound of distant wind
Silently you loved me
loved me for all your lifetime
You said you’ll silently wait for me
to come back to you
back to your body
鬼使火神 徛佇咧路邊
伊的目睭 閣擘袂金
過路陰司 毋是你的跡
心安 就免驚惶
鬼使火神 正站在路旁
祂的眼睛 還睜不開
路過陰府 不是你的地方
心安就不害怕
Acalanātha standing by the road
his eyes have yet to open
Passing through the underworld, where you don’t belong
Be at peace, fear not
毋知影你的冤屈
看袂著頭前的路
你跤步愛踏予好
連鞭過橋就好
（眾神衛旁）
不知道你的冤屈
看不到眼前的路
你腳步要好好踩穩
等下過橋就好
（眾神衛旁）
I know not what injustice you have suffered
I cannot see the path ahead
May your steps be firm and steady
Everything will be alright once you cross the bridge
(May gods stand guard over you)
攏予你 全部攏予你
是按怎講袂清 時代的怨嘆
有耳無喙 佇這个世界
美麗的你 好好讀冊
伊講的話 佇風中咧飛
咧吹我的頭毛
都給你 全部都給你
是為什麼講不清 時代的怨嘆
「有耳無嘴 在這個世界
美麗的你 好好讀書」
他講的話 在風中飛著
吹著我的頭髮
I give it to you, I give it all to you
Why is the grief of each era ever unspeakable, lost in time?
“In this world, keep your ears open, lips tight.
My beautiful child, mind your own studies.”
Their words are still drifting in the wind
the wind that blows through my hair
心也茫茫 無清醒的夢
逐家家財萬貫 我的
心也茫茫 無清醒的夢
逐家一生平安 轉來
心也茫茫 不清醒的夢
大家家財萬貫 我的
心也茫茫 不清醒的夢
大家一生平安
回來
My heart is lost in misty dreams
Wish you all fortune. My
heart is lost in misty dreams
Wish you all a life safe and sound
Come back
萬千花蕊慈母悲哀 | Thousands of flowers, merciful mother’s grief
＊『多羅大悲者，一切之慈母。』
＊ “The great compassionate Tārā Bodhisattva, merciful and loving mother of all.”
下晡 一个人踮厝內
西北雨 沃澹窗外的衫
外口的人 猶未轉來
戇戇咧等 戇戇攑一支雨傘
下午 一個人待家裡
西北雨 淋濕窗外的衣服
在外的人 還沒回來
傻傻地等 傻傻拿一支雨傘
Afternoon, home alone
Rain carried by northwestern wind
soaks the clothes drying at the window
The person out there has yet to return
Still I wait foolishly, holding an umbrella
為你 幾若擺睏袂去
全世界 揣袂著你的形影
凡勢 會當共你放捒
氣身惱命 我哪會攏無要無緊
為你 好幾次無法入睡
全世界 找不到你的蹤跡
也許 能夠將你放棄
真氣死人 我怎麼都不慌不忙
Sleepless nights I spent waiting for you
wherever I look, I cannot find you
Just perhaps, I could give up on you
Yet despair turns to fury against fate. How can I ever let you go?
踮遮規暝 看電火閃爍
我踮遮等待 拍無去的人
聽厝內的聲 聲聲佇咧吼
我踅來踅去 思念火燒房間
待這整晚（看電燈閃爍）
我在這等待（弄不見的人）
聽房子的聲 聲聲都在哭
我踱來踱去 思念火燒房間
Staying up all night (watching the flickering lights)
Here I am, waiting (for a missing person)
Listen to this house, hear its cries
Pacing back and forth, my yearning sets the room aflame
袂開的花 無欲轉來的人
美麗的你啊 想著你彼當時 攑懸你的旗仔
路邊的話 滿街路雨紛飛
時代的變卦 孤單的我一个人 問天也毋捌
不會開的花 沒有要回來的人
美麗的你啊 想起你那時候 舉高你的旗子
路邊的話 滿街路雨紛飛
時代的變卦 孤單的我一個人 問天也不懂
A flower never to bloom, a person never to return
My beautiful one, I remember how you held your flag up high
Rumors on the street, mixed with swirling rain
Times change, leaving me all alone, my heavenward questions unanswered
手內啥物攏無 只賰我欲予你的愛
有血有肉的人 煞下落不明
手上什麼都沒了 只剩我要給你的愛
有血有肉的人 竟下落不明
Nothing left in my hands
but the love I wanted to give you
How can a person of flesh and blood
disappear without a trace?
共你的 記持啊 囥佇我的心內
騎你的 白馬啊 行你欲行的路
風吹來 花落塗 點一欉香祈求
（南無觀世音菩薩）
把你的 記憶啊 放在我的心底
騎你的 白馬啊 走你要走的路
風吹來 花落土 點一柱香祈求
（南無觀世音菩薩）
Memories of you I will cherish deep in my soul
Ride your white horse, walk the path you must take
Wind rising, flowers falling, I light an incense to pray
Namo Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva of Mercy!
若準講你 算著這齣悲劇
你敢會看顧 紲落來伊頭前 彼逝歹行的路
夢中的我 看你沓沓仔行
牽你的亡魂 有一工咱做伙 轉去彼个所在
倘若說祢 算到這齣悲劇
祢是否會看顧 接下來他前面 那條崎嶇的路
夢中的我 看你緩緩地走
牽你的亡魂 有一天我們一起 回去那個地方
If You have foreseen this tragedy
will You watch over them, when they walk the difficult path ahead?
In my dream, I see you slowly walking
Let me guide your soul, and one day we will return together to that place
我 蔫去的愛（規路攏是）
佮你 恬去的心（你）
佇這烏暗時代（佇這烏暗時代）
是有緣無份（想欲講出）
我枯萎的愛（整條路都是）
和你沉默的心（你）
在這黑暗時代
是有緣無份（想要說出）
My wilted love (Throughout the road)
And your silenced heart (You)
In this dark era
are destined to meet, yet fated to part (Words unspoken)
寫袂了的批（的）
佮講袂煞的話（奈何）
(亻因) 開袂完的銃（開袂完的銃）
看人去樓空（火烌猶在）
寫不完的信（的）
（奈何）和說不完的話
他們開不完的槍
看人去樓空（灰燼猶在）
The letters left unfinished
The words left unspoken (Helpless)
Their gunfire unending
Loved ones gone, their old place deserted (Embers remain)
雨 微微仔落
天 微微仔光
看你 微微仔笑
後世人再會
雨微微地落下
天微微地亮起
看你微微地笑了
下輩子再見
In the gentle rain
New dawn breaks with gentle light
I see your gentle smile
Til we meet again in afterlife
傷心地獄芳花引魂 | In the sorrowful hell, fragrant flowers guide the soul
＊
『見我參者發菩提心，聞我名者斷惡修善
聞我法者得大智能，知我心者及身成佛。』
＊
Those who witness my body shall bring forth the Bodhi resolve
Those who hear my name shall cast aside the evil and perform the good
Those who heed my dharma shall obtain great wisdom
Those who know my heart shall attain Buddhahood in their present body
求神切斷世間迷戀
降伏千百夜叉惡鬼
孽鏡台前斟酌審判
嚨喉出力講袂出聲
求神切斷世間迷戀
降伏千百夜叉惡鬼
孽鏡台前仔細審判
嚨喉出力講不出聲
I pray to gods to sever all worldly attachments
Subdue thousands of Yakṣa and evil spirits
In front of the mirror of karma, carefully judge and sentence
I struggle to speak but no sound comes out
大鐵圍山無間地獄
火燒獄城十萬八千
越頭看無來時的路
明王指引頭前光明
大鐵圍山無間地獄
火燒獄城十萬八千
回頭不見來時的路
明王指引前方光明
The great iron encircling mountains, unending hell Avīci
Fire burning the city of hell, a hundred and eight thousand miles wide
Looking back, gone is the path whence I came
Vidyārāja guides toward the light ahead
若是講 我看天無望
坦白講 嘛望地無路
一个人 無喙嘛無舌
孤身流轉 佇北陰酆都
若是說 我看天無望
坦白說 也望地無路
一個人 無嘴也無舌
孤身流轉 在北陰酆都
I turn to the heavens, yet there is no hope left
I turn to the earth, yet there is no way out
All alone, without a voice to speak
Wandering on my own through the ghost city Fengdu
陰風中 聽枵鬼咧爬
心驚驚 見十殿閻君
戇戇踅 等烏白無常
向腰牽我 攝我的亡魂
陰風中 聽餓鬼在爬
心慌慌 見十殿閻君
傻傻晃 等黑白無常
彎腰牽我 抓我的亡魂
In the chilling wind, listening to starving ghosts crawling around
With a fearful heart, I stand before the Ten Kings of Hell
Roaming aimlessly, waiting for the Black and White Impermanence
to bend down and guide my soul
「頭犁犁的少年家 你欲越去佗位？」
滿面風霜 拄著 百千萬劫
「敢是予鬼仔煞著？ 櫳仔內面的人」
無名無姓 恬恬 予人擲佇塗跤
「頭低低的少年仔 你要彎去哪裡？」
滿面風霜 遇上 百千萬劫
「該不會被鬼煞到？監牢裡面的人」
無名無姓 沉默 任人丟在地上
“Young one with your head bowed, where are you going?”
A wizened face, weathered by millions of aeons
“Were you harmed by malignant ghosts? Prisoner in a cage.”
Nameless, voiceless, tossed to the ground
凡勢是意外 抑是生來註定
敢若一場夢 規身軀輕鬆
火王爺現身 目睭擘金金
煩惱攏烌去 無白色的水
或許是意外 或是生來註定
彷彿一場夢 全身都輕鬆
火王爺現身 怒目張如炬
煩惱都化去 無白色的水
Perhaps by chance, or perhaps by fate
As if everything were a dream, now finally relieved
Acalanātha appears in the flesh, his eyes wide open
Every pain melts away, no more pale water
複製你的愛 複製你的勇氣
複製你的眼 複製你的靈魂
複製你的淚 幻化阿修羅
代你堪一切 絕望的火
複製你的愛 複製你的勇氣
複製你的眼 複製你的靈魂
複製你的淚 幻化阿修羅
代你受一切 絕望的火
Replicate your love, replicate your courage
Replicate your eyes, replicate your soul
Replicate your tears, morphing into Asura
to bear all the fire of despair in your stead
轉輪聖王起身 守護無命人客
遠遠的聲傳來 伊的祈求
眾神攑燈相送 看顧有情眾生
一生珠淚落塗 路邊紅花清芳
轉輪聖王起身 守護無命客人
遠遠的聲傳來 她的祈求
眾神舉燈相送 照看有情眾生
一生眼淚落土 路邊紅花芬芳
Chakravarti rises to protect the lifeless guest
From far away, echoes the sound of their prayer
Gods send the guest off with lanterns held high
watching over all sentient beings
A life like a teardrop fallen to the earth
By the road, crimson flowers bloom with gentle fragrance
佇隱痀橋終點 是自由的向望
望你會當平平安安
放袂記的人生 有月娘咧照路
祝你行過一世人的傷悲
在圓拱橋終點 是自由的希望
望你能夠平平安安
忘却的人生 有月光在前照路
祝你走過一輩子的傷悲
On the other side of the arch bridge
is the hope for freedom
May you always be safe and sound
With your past lives forgotten
the moon shall light your way
May you walk past the sorrows of a lifetime
拔開你手內 彼縛牢的鐵鏈
無傷無痕 袂閣疼矣
放見的身軀 攏揣倒轉來
頭前有人 咧等你
拔開你手裡 那束縛的鐵鏈
無傷無痕 不再痛了
丟失的身軀 通通都找回來
前方有人 正等你
Free your hands from the binding chains
No more scars, no more pain
Your lost body will be found again
There is someone ahead
waiting for you
（不動明王慈救咒）
(Acalanātha’s Mantra of Compassionate Salvation)
译后记 | Translator’s note
Collage won my heart with Thousands of flowers, merciful mother’s grief. In their recent album MEmento MORI, a story about the eternal struggle for freedom emerges from the four Taiwanese Hokkien songs set in the historical background of Taiwan White Terror era (hence the name “Tetralogy of Freedom”). Since the current English lyrics translation on their official Youtube channel is less than satisfactory, I embarked on the journey of developing a better translation version for this music suite that I resonated so deeply with.
This is the largest and most difficult translation project that Pons Linguae has taken on so far. I digged through all sorts of Hokkien-English & Hokkien-Chinese dictionaries, English translation of Buddhist canons and terminology, and even a Buddhist comics in English (Yes, it exists). Taiwanese Hokkien is not my first language, but in the end, I managed to internalize some language intuition of Hokkien. My goal was to deliver as much original meaning from the Hokkien lyrics as possible in a mostly faithful, elegant, and poetic manner, retaining not only the content but also the inherent rhythm of the lyrics.
Another significant portion of my time was spent on researching the history of White Terror and wandering through the garden of forking paths of Buddhism mythology and folklore. Special thanks to Yang[iûⁿ– ê] for their impressively in-depth interpretation and speculation about the lyrics: it is of immense help when I was trying to hint at the hidden clues and interweaved crosstalking between the four songs of the tetralogy.
A few things of note:
-
Accelerando throughout the suite: Tetralogy of Freedom deploys polyphonic writing with multiple POV echoing each other across time and space, weaving a beautiful and complicated manifold of storytelling. However, one simple pattern we might notice is the ever-increasing tempo and emotional intensity all the way from the first to the last song in the suite. Combined with the innate conciseness of Hokkien and the rarely-seen proper nouns from Buddhist folklore (few of which have established translation as far as I know), the accelerando posed a great challenge for me to compress information into shorter sentences to accommodate the tempo of musical phrases. It is likely difficult to read the English lyrics following along In the sorrowful hell, fragrant flowers guide the soul, unless you are very good at skimming.
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Pronoun selection: I elected to translate 「伊」, a Hokkien neutral pronoun, as singular they unless it is extremely clear what gender it refers to (for example, when this pronoun referred to Acalanātha, it was translated as “he”). This is both to preserve the nature of Hokkien grammar, and also to commemorate the numerous women and non-binary people who fought bravely in the struggle for freedom. May their names be remembered.
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Favorite parts: Accompanied by gunshots, the prayer「南無觀世音菩薩 / Namo Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva of Mercy!」reminds me of Arvo Part: Virgencita - how the desperate call out「Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe」for consolation against the unspeakable. In this very moment, the mirage of differences in time, nation, language, or religion dissipates like a dream, transcended by the universal fire.
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The human condition: 「在圓拱橋終點 是自由的希望 / On the other side of the arch bridge, is the hope for freedom」echoes the lines from another poem: 「那些輪回所映照的，自由的歌聲 / Illuminated by the Wheel of Saṃsāra, is the song of freedom」, written in memory of Liu Xiaobo, which I have translated before. Though divided by distance and history, kindred spirits still stand united in the way that matters the most.
Here I present to you a translation work born of love. All suggestions and discussions are welcome, in the hope that my translation may one day do the original lyrics justice.
珂拉琪以一首《萬千花蕊慈母悲哀》令我心折，其后发布的专辑《MEmento MORI》更是构成了两个彼此交织的完整故事，其中由《拘執三部曲》及其终章《傷心地獄芳花引魂》合成的组曲（我冒昧地将它称为《自由四部曲》）引发了我最深的共鸣。私以为目前珂拉琪官方 Youtube 频道中的英译版并不完整，且似乎丢失了一些原文的诗意，因此发愿将珂拉琪的歌曲译成更加信达雅的英文版，推介给更广大的听众。
这是 Pons Linguae 迄今为止难度和篇幅最为可观的为爱发电项目。翻译期间，查遍各种台英、台中词典、佛经英译版，甚至还参考了佛教典籍的漫画版（震惊地发现竟存在这种东西）；初步找到了一点台语的语感，尽可能忠于原意，精炼词句，留存台语歌词的诗性。同时也途经许多历史、佛教、民俗传说考据的交叉小径，包括台湾白色恐怖时期以及本土化佛教神话；尤其要感谢 Yang[iûⁿ– ê] 深度的解读和推测帖文，拜读之后我得以在整个组曲之内统一措辞，力求跨语言传达草蛇灰线，向英译版听众暗示四部曲歌词之间错综复杂的关联。
分享一下翻译过程中让我印象深刻的几点：
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节奏递进和语义压缩：《自由四部曲》使用多视角时空交织的复调叙事手法，但其激烈程度与信息密度是逐层递进的：从《拘執》到《引魂》的节奏明显渐快，在台语之高度凝练和（鲜有默认英译的）神话专有名词的两面夹击之下，译版压缩语句的难度也大大上升，到《引魂》时英文版已经很难依照原曲速度跟读。
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代词选择：译版保留了一些台语的特性，如「伊」作为中性代词被译作 singular they. 同时也有纪念历代女性革命者的考虑：毕竟，为自由献出生命的人、勇于继承牺牲者遗志的人，均包含了数不清的女性，祂们留下的形象应是千面英杰。
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最喜欢的乐句：是伴着处决枪声的祈祷「南無觀世音菩薩 / Namo Avalokiteśvara, Bodhisattva of Mercy!」，让我想起 Arvo Part: Virgencita 那一句绝望而美丽的呼求「Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe!」。这一刻，种种虚幻分别被无可置疑的超越性抹去，万火归一。
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关于共通的人性：「在圓拱橋終點 是自由的希望 / On the other side of the arch bridge, is the hope for freedom」充满既视感，仿佛「那些輪回所映照的，自由的歌聲 / Illuminated by the Wheel of Saṃsāra, is the song of freedom」，为自由抗争的同路人虽时空相隔，仍然站在一起。
数月的翻译、校对、反馈与修订之后，终于可以将定稿发布出来，分享给可能存在的听众朋友们。希望这用爱发电的译版没有辜负珂拉琪动人心弦的作品，也欢迎提出建议、意见和指正！
参考资料 | References
Image source: Photo by Dallas Reedy on Unsplash
台湾闽南语常用字字典
教育部臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典
找台語
爱台语
Wiktionary
词作者讲拘执三部曲的创作
词作者对《傷心地獄芳花引魂》歌词分析的认可，及与《地藏菩薩本願經》的关联
A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms
Vow of Acalanātha: “One who sees me will generate bodhicitta; one who hears my name will stop doing evil and begin doing good; one who listens to my teachings will obtain great wisdom; one who knows my mind will attain Buddhahood in the present body.”
地藏菩萨本愿经英文漫画版 | The Original Vows of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Sutra, English Comics Version
地藏菩萨本愿经英文版 | Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Fundamental Vow Sutra, English Version