Quanzhou: The Hometown of "Nanyin"

Nanyin music, the classical music of the south, has got a history of about a thousand years or so, and is the oldest and most well-preserved musical form known to the Chinese presently, which still showed musical influences from the Han, Jin, Tang and Song dynasty. Quanzhou is the hometown for this form of music, otherwise known as Nan Guan, and every evening, such musical performances would take place all over the city in the major parks.

This is one of the pieces from a Nanyin ensemble performing next to Quanzhou cultural centre on one of the evenings I was there, titled "Why Did I?" (我为乜). This is a classical piece from the folk story of "Qin Xuemei", whereby unwedded widow Qin Xuemei (and her in-laws, I supposed) were lamenting that Shang Luo, the son of Qin's unwedded husband with another woman, is becoming unfilial and scolding Qin for punishing him when he's not even Qin's biological son.



Lyrics:
我为乜 我为乜只处冷冷清清孤单
玉洁冰清 我受尽艰辛 望你成器
我只门前 我只门前长挂有只旌表个金字
听你说 我今听你说 说出亲疏言语
言语亲疏 阮今情愿 子今情愿卜返去乡里

孙不肖 致惹你娘亲心受气
商家只有一孙儿
日后若有差错
教你公婆今卜顾谁
所靠商郎夫 你似颜回寿 耽误阮双人
你在九泉何忍
我爹爹 公婆娘亲障说
你在九泉心何忍
眼睁睁 眼睁睁 叫都袂应
玉不琢 不成器 不由人 不珠泪
只处暗流目滓
看儿孙行动举止 亲像我儿商琳伊来再出世
今旦日 行无踪 踪无影
日后若再相逢 除非着南柯梦里
苦伤悲 阮泪淋漓
火里莲花 今旦袂得相见
火里个莲花 今旦袂得相见

Rough English translation:
(Qin Xuemei:)
Why did I ended up in such loneliness,
Staying chaste and enduring all hardship just to make sure you grow up to be a useful person?
Because of you I've chosen to remain as an unwed widow,
But hearing you say such hurtful words today makes me feel like giving up all hopes.

(Shang Lin's parents:)
What an unfilial grandson you are, making your mother angry,
Our Shang family has got only an offspring in you,
If you're to meet with any mishap,
Who are we, your grandparents, going to depend on?
(Qin Xuemei:)
Shang Lin my husband, why did you pass away so early and made both of us your widow;
How can you bear to leave us alone in this world?
Jade must be polished to become useful; I have no choice and I'm not allow to cry,
All I can do is to cry behind the backs of other people.
(Shang Lin's parents:)
Look at Shang Luo reminds me of my son Shang Lin,
But alas, he's no longer around.
The only way to see him again is only in my dreams.