The Great Race & The Sweetheart Tree

Preface

I was only ten when I first encountered, The Great Race and fell in love with its haunting melody of its theme song, The Sweetheart Tree. Today - no longer a kid, the nostalgia of once upon a time in childhood innocence… Rewatching and remembering a bygone era with different era outlook made the understanding of the deeper meaning of the lyrics of such deep sense and beauty, an inspired translation is a must.

Too soon, I realized that it is impossible - not because of language problem but an insurmountable cultural hurdle. Classical Chinese poetry, unlike Western ones do not deal directly to express love, especially on sensual ones. To do so would be like asking Eartha Kitt to portray Queen Elizabeth I or the unbelievable role of John Wayne once portrayed as Genghis Khan! The audience would simply not believe them even their acting is great.

The lyrics sing of a tree in the forest that when the right sweetheart is kissed - gorgeous blooms in white will be in sight signifying romantic promise. Unfortunately, in East Asian cultures, white is associated with death and funereal settings and not the purity, innocence, bridal beauty seen by the West.

In the end, the result is a different kind of phoenix risen from the same ashes…

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sweetheart_Tree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cC65GEJpJQw

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Great_Race#Cast

1 叢中一樹花開盛 Amidst the thicket is a tree blooming in profusion,

2 火閃漂浮萬㸃輕 Gossamer-winged are countless dots of light glinting away.

3 月暗無風塵世靜 A moonless night, the wind is still and silence upon a mundane world,

4 凡間遍滿九天星 Nonetheless, a mortal realm fully scintillating with stars from the highest heavens.

1 “一” seemed innocuous to mean “one”, “a” etc. In the context of the song lyrics, “one” means a very special unique entity.

In the draft version, 林中 was the first that came into mind. However, when read aloud, it was discarded because it sound exactly like 臨終 (on deathbed). Chinese even today avoid unpropitious sounds like a plague.

2 Originally, 螢火 was used as the clearest, most romantic and time setting term. Unfortunately, it is a flat tone and regulated poetry demands in that position, it must be an oblique term. 火閃 was finally decided because it has the ambiguity of having the interpretations of modern blinking lights or the fire from fireflies of old, thus making the setting timeless.

Even the showiest flowers will fade in darkness - it can only mean that some external light sources hovering on the tree made it looked as if the tree is in bloom.

“Gossamer winged” is not in the original text but has the connotations of floating, airiness/lightness and gentleness all rolled into one. This is more for the enjoyment of English readers rather than accuracy of the translation.

3 月暗 literally means “the moon darkens” or the absence of the moon – a dark moon against a dark background. With a full moon, the lights on the tree would not shine out in splendor.

There is no wind, hence the world is quiet to emphasize that in this moment of magic of loud human activities had ceased. The actual one would be filled with sounds of other sorts like those from nocturnal creatures.

4 Even so, the blinking lights looked like the very stars from the highest levels of heaven. Ancient Chinese believe that there are nine heavenly levels. The Jade Emperor resides on the nineth level. The hidden message of this poem is 知足者貧亦樂 – Those who are satisfied even in abject poverty will find joy.

Friday, September 11, 2026