Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Sa Dingding - Shen Xiang (Holy Incense, Chinese Version)

This song is all about Tibet, so I'll just go through it at the top here instead of as footnotes:
Lingkor is the name of the major pilgrimage route in Tibetan Buddhism. Lake Manasarovar on Wikipedia. Mount Kailash on Wikipedia.
I have no idea what hong ma ni bei bei hong means. The Chinese characters are onomatopoeia. It's a good guess that it's representing Tibetan sounds or possibly Sanskrit.

This was a request. I'm always willing to fulfill requests if I can.

林廓的人啊人山人海the people on the route of Lingkor, ah, a multitude
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
可我的人儿啊怎么不见了but how is it my person, ah, is now unseen
怎么不见了how now unseen
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
玛旁雍错啊波光粼粼Lake Manasarovar, ah, light shining through its clear waves
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
是不是那丢失的人is that the person who was lost
为我点起的圣灯lighting a incense lamp for me?
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
  
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
(repeated)(repeated)
  
林廓的人啊人来人往the people on the route of Lingkor, ah, arriving and leaving
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
可我的人儿啊怎么不见了but how is it that my person, ah, is now unseen
怎么不见了how now unseen
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
冈仁波齐啊云雾茫茫Mount Kailash, ah, surrounded by boundless clouds and mists
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
是不是那丢失的人is that the person who was lost
为我燃起的神香lighting holy incense for me?
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
  
弘嘛呢呗呗弘hong ma ni bei bei hong
(repeat)(repeat)

2 comments:

  1. Hi Joye, you're right - "hong ma ni bei bei hong" is Om Mani Padme Hum, a Buddhist mantra, in Sanskrit. And great work on the translation of Sa Dingding songs :)

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  2. Thank you for translating Sa Ding Ding songs :D

    May i request a translation of mama tian na?

    I used your translation to make a subbed video of ha ha li li. It would be great to make one for mama tian na too :)

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