Although “siab” is literally the liver and “plawv” is the heart, both have grown to mean “heart” in English. Now moving onto the second part of both sentences. But when reading it in the context of the growing months, the phrase suggests the repeated cycle of the sun rising and setting as the speaker awaits the return of his loved one. For the sunset, literally “hnub tig rov qab” means “the sun going backward”. However, put in the context of the next line “hnub tig rov qab”, it made most sense to translate “hnub ci iab” as the pinkish gleam of the rising sun because both lines put together would make a full day. I chose to translate “hnub ci iab” as “rising sun gleams” because each person had a different perspective in what it might actually be, either the lighted sky during sunrise or just a shining sun. Breaking down some of the words, if we look at “ci iab”, “iab” functions as the adverb of “ci” (shine). This verse was actually the hardest to translate. So in using both words, the speaker remembers the time they spent together and misses his beloved along with their love. In a not-so-similar but similar case, a person can “miss” someone or something and remember nothing about them (such situations would be when a person feels lonely or empty and start to fantasize about things they may or may not have done together with the person they miss). A person can “remember” and not have any special feelings towards that memory. One should also take notice of the significance behind each word and the emotions it mounts. We thought it was more appropriate to use both “remember” and “miss” not only to make it less redundant, but also to convey the speaker’s yearning for his beloved. These two lines could be translated as either just miss, remember or both. But, in Hmong “nco” is a homonym for both “to miss” and “to remember”. Here, it is important to note that the last two words in the first line and the first two words in the second line are the same. Spring has subsided, you haven’t returned When the rising sun gleams, my heart sinksīecause you’ve been gone for so many months I still remember the time we spent together Song Title: Koj Nyob Qhov Twg (aka Ntuj No Tuaj Lawm)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |