当爱已成往事 When Love became the Past

当爱已成往事 dāng ài yǐ chéng wǎngshì [When Love became the Past] is the theme song of movie 霸王別姬 bàwángbiéjī [Farewell My Concubine]. It’s also one of my favorite Chinese songs that is written by 李宗盛 lǐ zōng chéng.

There are two versions of the song. The one that is sung by the main actor 张国荣 Zhāng Guóróng is very touching because it was said that he was too deep into the movie that when the movie finished shooting he couldn’t come out of it. That’s the youtube one. The role that 张国荣 Zhāng Guóróng took in the movie is the male Beijing opera actor that impersonated the concubine. That was a very tragic but also difficult role to play. 张国荣 Zhāng Guóróng totally immersed himself into the role and rendered it almost perfectly. In the movie he was in love with the other male role but had to keep the secret to himself while watching his lover to marry a girl and carry on a normal family life. However, the three of them had to huddle together to survive all dark periods in comtemperary Chinese history, including culture revolution. In the end, he killed himself in front of his lover near the end of a performance, exactly the same ending of the drama that they carried out together for almost a lifetime.

As a matter of fact, though not publicly stated, 张国荣 Zhāng Guóróng did have romantic relationship with another man in real life. And he committed suicide on April 1, 2003 due to depression. He was always remembered as a great actor. Despite his personal life, he had got millions and millions of female fans.

Now let’s listen to the song, just like listen to the voice from the bottom of his heart…

dāng ài yǐ chéng wǎngshì
当爱已成往事
When Love became the Past
 

wǎng shì bú yào zài tí rén shēng yǐ duō fēng yǔ
往 事 不 要 再 提,  人 生 已 多 风 雨
Don’t bring up the past, life is already tough enough

zòng rán jì yì mò bú qù　 ài yǔ hèn dōu hái zài xīn lǐ
纵 然 记 忆 抹 不 去,  爱 与 恨 都 还 在 心 里
Although memories won’t go away, love and hate are kept in heart

zhēn de yào duàn le guò qù　 ràng míng tiān hǎo hao jì xù
真 的 要 断 了 过 去,  让 明 天 好 好 继 续
Cut ourselves from the past, let’s move on to a better tomorrow

nǐ jiù bú yào zài kǔ kǔ zhuī wèn wǒ de xiāo xi
你 就 不 要 再 苦 苦 追 问 我 的 消 息
Please don’t try to search for me anymore

ài qíng tā shì gè nán tí　 ràng rén mù xuàn shén mí
爱 情 它 是 个 难 题,  让 人 目 眩 神 迷
Love is a big puzzle, it makes us lose our directions

wàng le tòng huò xǔ kě yǐ　 wàng le nǐ què tài bù róng yì
忘 了 痛 或 许 可 以,  忘 了 你 却 太 不 容 易
I may can forget about the pain, but I can’t forget about you

nǐ bù céng zhēn de lí qù　 nǐ shǐ zhōng zài wǒ xīn lǐ
你 不 曾 真 的 离 去,  你 始 终 在 我 心 里
You have never left me, you are always in my heart

wǒ duì nǐ réng yǒu ài yì　 wǒ duì zì jǐ wú néng wéi lì
我 对 你 仍 有 爱 意,  我 对 自 己 无 能 为 力
I’m still in love with you, I can’t do nothing about it

yīn wèi wǒ réng yǒu mèng yī rán jiāng nǐ fàng zài wǒ xīn zhōng
因 为 我 仍 有 梦,  依 然 将 你 放 在 我 心 中
Because I still have dreams, I still have you in my heart

 

 

zǒng shì róng yì bèi wǎng shì dǎ dòng zǒng shì wèi le nǐ xīn tòng
总 是 容 易 被 往 事 打 动,  总 是 为 了 你 心 痛
I’m always moved by the past, my heart is always broken for you

bié liú liàn suì yuè zhōng wǒ wú yì de róu qíng wàn zhǒng
别 留 恋 岁 月 中 我 无 意 的 柔 情 万 种
Don’t mind my inadvertent tenderness over the years

bú yào wèn wǒ shì fǒu zài xiāng féng　 bú yào guǎn wǒ shì fǒu yán bù yóu zhōng
不 要 问 我 是 否 再 相 逢,  不 要 管 我 是 否 言 不 由 衷
Don’t ask me whether we will meet again, don’t mind if I’m not telling the truth

wèi hé nǐ bù dǒng　 zhǐ yào yǒu ài jiù yǒu tòng
为 何 你 不 懂,  只 要 有 爱 就 有 痛
Why you just  don’t understand, wher there is love there is pain

yǒu yì tiān nǐ huì zhī dào　 rén shēng méi yǒu wǒ bìng bú huì bù tóng
有 一 天 你 会 知 道,  人 生 没 有 我 并 不 会 不 同
Someday you will realize that life won’t be any different without me

rén shēng yǐ jīng tài cōng cōng　 wǒ hǎo hài pà zǒng shì lèi yǎn méng lóng
人 生 已 经 太 匆 匆,  我 好 害 怕 总 是 泪 眼 朦 胧
Life is too short, I’m so afraid to be tearful all the time

wàng le wǒ jiù méi yǒu tòng　 jiāng wǎng shì liú zài fēng zhōng
忘 了 我 就 没 有 痛,  将 往 事 留 在 风 中
To forget me will forget your pain, let the past to drift in the wind

yīn wèi wǒ réng yǒu mèng yī rán jiāng nǐ fàng zài wǒ xīn zhōng
因 为 我 仍 有 梦,  依 然 将 你 放 在 我 心 中
Because I still have dreams, I still have you in my heart