過客別墅 – Bilingual Lyrics Chinese/English

• By: 張敬軒

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the beauty of Cantonese storytelling through '過客別墅'. This song offers a unique opportunity to learn a language by exploring deep emotions tied to a specific place. Its rich, descriptive lyrics about memory, loss, and the love for a home provide a moving context to understand nuanced vocabulary and expressions, making the language learning journey both meaningful and memorable.

[English]

At the foot of the wall, some parts have collapsed

It was the previous tenant who discovered it

The door handle has a faint green rust

Spinning old dreams like an old song

As if it's greeting me

The setting sun outside the curtain looks like it’s watching

Old wooden floors, footsteps from days gone by

The familiar smell slowly feels like home

Now I say goodbye, hope you remember me

A lifetime of moving around, so many travelers, hard to keep track

Only here have I seen countless comings and goings

Tenants, like luggage, come and go through here

Living just a day, but remember, life is about parting and gathering

Taking the furniture, but not the home, filling with memories of the past

Who will be the next resident to write the history of this place

How did the old house turn into this dwelling

Old home, new home, both can be places to settle, just to sleep peacefully

Sending time away, shadows that cannot be moved, aging gracefully

If the walls have memories, don’t fear the passing changes, fading colors, worn powder

People grow weary of old, crave new, so they escape

Sorry, I have no choice but to move

Leaving behind too much sweat and tears

A century of change, perhaps in a past life we also gathered here

Living just a day, remember, life is about parting and gathering

Taking the furniture, but not the home, filling with memories of the past

Who will the next tenant be, and will they cherish this place more

This place remembers all the rise and fall

Old home, new home, both can be places to settle, just to sleep peacefully

Sending time away, shadows that cannot be moved, aging gracefully

If the walls hold memory, if they have consciousness, don’t fear fade or wear

History’s essence cannot be washed away

Tenants settle, all just want to sleep in peace

But why do you call it a villa

...

[Chinese]

牆腳有數段陷落

是上任住戶撞破

門柄有淡綠鐵鏽

旋轉著舊夢像老歌

似在招呼我

簾外落日像望過

舊木地舊日踏過

味道漸漸熟習我

現在道別願你可 記得我

一生遷徙太多 過客也記不清楚

唯獨這裏見盡人來人往過

租客也像行李從這裡穿梭

寄居一天記得一生就是活在散聚

帶走傢俬帶不走的家居鋪滿過去

誰是下個住客將這裏的歷史寫下去

往日新屋怎麼變成舊居

故居新居也可安居就是為著安睡

送走光陰拆不走的光影優雅老去

牆若有知別怕經過變遷色衰粉褪

人會厭舊貪新所以 逃出去

對不起 逼不得已要遷居

離開的 留下太多汗與淚

滄桑百年 上輩子也共你在暢聚 也許

寄居一天記得一生就是活在散聚

帶走傢俬帶不走的家居鋪滿過去

誰是下個住客可會更加珍惜這裏

這地方記得起所有 興衰

故居新居也可安居就是為著安睡

送走光陰拆不走的光影優雅老去

牆若有記憶牆若有意識你別怕色衰粉褪

歷史感是沖洗不去

寄居者安居也都只想 安睡去

而你卻 為何叫別墅

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
牆 /t͡ɕʰi̯ɑŋ/ A1	noun - wall
夢 /məŋ/ A1	noun - dream
老 /lɑʊ/ A1	adjective - old
新 /ɕin/ A1	adjective - new
舊 /t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯/ A2	adjective - old, used
記得 /t͡ɕi˥ kɤ/ A2	verb - to remember
光陰 /kwɑŋ˥ ɪn/ B1	noun - time; days; years
歷史 /liː ʃɪ/ B1	noun - history
過客 /ku̯ɔ kʰɤ/ B2	noun - passerby, transient
安居 /an ʒy/ B2	verb - to live in peace and stability
別墅 /pi̯e ʃɨ/ B2	noun - villa
滄桑 /tsʰɑŋ sɑŋ/ C1	noun - great changes; vicissitudes
遷徙 /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn ʃi/ C1	verb - to migrate, to move
興衰 /ɕiŋ ʂu̯eɪ̯/ C1	noun - rise and fall; prosperity and decline
優雅 /joʊ̯ ɡɑ/ C1	adjective - elegant; graceful
厭舊貪新 /jɛn t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯ tʰɑn ɕin/ C2	idiom - to abandon the old for the new (idiom); to be fickle

Key Grammar Structures

• 是上任住戶撞破

  ➔ Use of the '是...撞破' pattern to indicate an event happening by accident.

  ➔ This pattern emphasizes that the event was unintentional or accidental.

• 願你可 記得我

  ➔ Use of the modal '可' to express possibility or permission ('may', 'can').

  ➔ '可' is a modal particle indicating that the action of '記得我' (remember me) is possible or desired.

• 一生遷徙太多 過客也記不清楚

  ➔ Use of '太多' (too many) with '遷徙' (migrating) to emphasize excess, and '也' to include 'passersby' as others who may not remember clearly.

  ➔ '太多' indicates an excessive amount of migration, emphasizing the frequent changes. '也' is used to include others like passersby.

• 帶走傢俬帶不走的家居鋪滿過去

  ➔ Use of '帶走...帶不走' to contrast what can and cannot be taken away, emphasizing the immutability of memories or the past.

  ➔ '帶走' indicates what can be taken away, while '帶不走' signifies what cannot be removed, symbolizing memories or history that remain.