【2024 NTD Int’l Chinese Vocal Competition】🥇Gold Award Winner -Yue Li 🏆 “Lyrics to the melody of a pacified storm”

Lyrics of the Melody of a Pacified Storm, Su Shi (Song Dynasty)

Translation:

On March 7, 1082, I got caught in the rain on the Sand Lake Road, and some people went ahead with their rain gear, and my fellow travellers felt woefully out of sorts, but only I didn't feel the same way. After a while the sky cleared up, so I made this lyrics.

Listen not to the rain pattering on the leaves in the bamboo forest.

Why not sing out laut and walk calmly.

Bamboo cane and straw sandals are better than saddle. Who's scared?

In a straw cloak, still spend my life in mist and rain.

Drunken, I am sobered by whistling of the wind in spring.

slightly chilly.

The sun peeked over the hilltop, greeted us at the right time.

Looking backward at the stormy and depressing place I came from,

go back home, it doesn't matter if it's stormy or sunny.

Interpretation:

This poem was written in the spring three years after Su Shi was deposed in Huangzhou. The author used the act of walking leisurely in the rain to express his feelings in a witty and humorous tone, implying that one should face the ups and downs of life with openness. Riding a horse is supposed to be better and faster than walking on straw shoes, but Su asked, “Who would be afraid of walking on a bamboo stick and wearing straw shoes?” This reflects his optimistic attitude towards life and his open-mindedness.

These lyrics have accompanied the Chinese people through the last thousand years, but it is now still fresh and encouraging. Li Le's melodious voice, like a guqin, makes the audience feel as if they are witnessing the situation. These Song lyrics recreate Su Shi's state of cultivation, in which his heart won’t be moved by disasters and blessings, and in which he forgets both happiness and sadness. One cannot help but think whether we have the same kind of mindset when we are in adversity. NTD International Chinese Vocal Competition, which combines Western Bel Canto singing with the essence of Chinese culture, is driving the trend in the world of vocal music. These songs enrich our souls with hope and joy, and bring the audience a beautiful and unforgettable artistic enjoyment.

The guqin; (Chinese: 古琴) is a plucked seven-string Chinese musical instrument. It has been played since ancient times, and has traditionally been favoured by scholars and literati as an instrument of great subtlety and refinement, as highlighted by the quote “a gentleman does not part with his qin or se without good reason,” as well as being associated with the ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. (from wikipedia)

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