Teochew Literature (3) - Teochew Songbooks 潮州歌冊
Teochew songbooks Die-ziu go-cêh 潮州歌冊 contain songs that were recited out loud as a form of entertainment in Teochew communities, usually among women. This tradition is no longer widely practised by younger generations, but many songbooks have been handed down to the present day.
Although we translate the word go 歌 as “song”, they are not pieces with fixed melodies but were recited or chanted in a rhythmic way without musical instruments. Other regions have similar traditions, like the Cantonese “wooden fish songs” 木魚歌, and Hokkien “kua-a-cheh” 歌仔冊.
Printed songbooks that exist today mostly date from the late Qing and early Republic period, but it is likely that many of them recorded songs that were already circulating in the community for a long time. Printing allowed popular songs to be distributed much faster and much further than word of mouth, even to overseas Teochew communities living outside of China. They are a rare example of vernacular Teochew language in written or printed form.
The songs often adapted popular stories from Teochew opera or classic tales, but some were also original works.
Teochew songbook verses typically have the following structure:
- Each line is seven syllables long, grouped into verses of four lines each.
- The poem is recited with a regular beat. All syllables have the same length, except the last syllable in each line which lasts for two beats.
- The first, second, and fourth lines of each verse end with rhyming syllables that belong to the “level” pêng 平 tone category (tone 1 陰平 or tone 5 陽平).
- Whereas the third line ends with a zêh 仄 syllable (any tone except 1 and 5).
In this post, we have transcribed part of a song recited by an old woman from a Youtube video. The transcription into Chinese characters was originally made by YouTube user “bi chia” in a comment on the video. We have added the phonetic transcription and a rough translation (where unsure about the translation, we have marked it as […]).
The example below has typical seven-syllable lines, four-line verses, and AABA rhyme structure. For example, the rhyming syllables of the first verse (lines 1, 2, 4) are zai1 知, kai1 開, and lai5 來 (all pêng tones), while the third line ends in se7 事 which is a zêh tone.
Further information:
- 漫话《潮州歌册》, Documentary on Teochew songbooks (in Mandarin), from the TV program 潮州好地方
- 王順隆 (Ong Sun-liong) (2002) 〈潮汕方言俗曲唱本『潮州歌冊』考〉《古今論衡》7: 103-119.
- Recitations of selected songbooks from Hong Kong Teochew Culture Club
- More videos of song recitations: https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNzk3MjQ5NDU2.html
- Chinese plant names can be searched on the online Flora of China
「啊嬤 說百花」 ‘a7mah4 suêh4 bêh4huê1’
Granny tells of the hundred flowers
明此呾乞阿嫂知
mêng5 ce2 / dan3 keg4 / a1 so2 zai1
Tell this clearly for Auntie to hear
是時花木時時開
si6 si5 / huê1 bhag8 / si5 si5 kai1
It is time for the flowers to take their turns blooming
儂今勿呾家中事
nang5 gim1 / mai3 dan3 gê1 dang1 se7
Today, let’s not talk about matters at home
請將花木揭出來
cian2 ziang1 / huê1 bhag8 / giah4 cug4 lai5
Please do tell of the flowers and their kind
春開桃花夏開蓮
cung1 kui1 / to5 huê1 / hê7 kai1 noi5
In Spring blooms the peach, and in Summer the lotus
秋有金菊在頭前
ciu1 u6 gim1 gêg4 / do6 tao5 zoin5
In Autumn the golden chrysanthemum comes to the fore
勿呾冬天無花芯
mai3 dan3 dang1 tin1 bho5 huê1 (lu2)
Don’t say that nothing blooms in the Winter
臘梅開在百花前
lah8 bhuê5 / kui1 do6 bêh4 huê1 zoin5
The wintersweet blooms before all the others
海棠開花架架紅
hai2 tang5 / kui1 huê1 / gê3 gê3 ang5
When the Hai-tang blooms, it is racked with red
Hai-tang - name for various species in several genera, including Begonia and Malus
美人開花引眾人
mui2 ring5 / kui1 huê1 / ing2 zong nang5
When the Mui-ring blooms, it attracts everybody
Mui-ring - lit. beautiful person
芙蓉開花九月半
hu5 iong5 / kui1 huê1 / gao2 ghuêh8 buan3
The hibiscus blooms in the middle of the ninth month
六月開花素心紅
lag8 ghuêh8 / kui1 huê1 / su3 sim1 ang5
In the sixth month blooms the redness of the bauhinia
水仙開花在假山
zui2 siêng1 / kui1 huê1 / do6 gê2 suan1
The narcissus blooms amid the rockery
繡球開花長簍簍
siu3 giu5 / kui1 huê1 / deng5 [lua5 lua5]
Hydrangeas bloom long and showy
賊頭開花半含笑
cag8 tao5 / kui1 huê1 / buan3 ham5 ciê3
The Cak-tao blooms half hiding its laughter
紫荊開花長拖拖
zi2 gêng1 / kui1 huê1 / [bhuê3] tua1 tua1
The blossoms of the redbud trail along
蘆荻開花尾糾糾
lou5 dêg8 / kui1 huê1 / bhuê2 [diu1 diu1]
The blossoms of the elephant grass are […]
刺仔開花成大球
ci3 gian2 / kui1 huê1 / sêng5 dua7 giu5
The bougainvillea blooms into big balls
楊梅開花無人識
iên5 bhuê5 / kui1 huê1 / bho5 nang5 [bag4]
No one recognises the blossoms of the bayberry
石榴開花嘴含須
ziêh8 liu5 / kui1 huê1 / cui3 ham5 su1
When the pomegranate blooms its mouth holds whiskers
山中？開花心中黃
suan1 dang1 (?) / kui1 huê1 / sim1 dang1 ng5
The blooms of the Suan-dang have a yellow heart
臘李？開花在滿園
lah8 li2 (?) / kui1 huê1 / do6 mua2 hng5
The Lah-li blooms all over the garden
雞冠開花 圓武擺？
goi1 guêng3 / kui1 huê1 / [bhu2] bhu2 bai2 (?)
When the cockscomb blooms, […]
五指依門？五色光
ngou6 zoin2 / i1 mung5 ? / ngou6 sêg4 gng1
When the five fingers […], they gleam with five colors
龍眼開花成大拋？
lêng5 ngang2 / kui1 huê1 / sêng5 dua7 pao1 (?)
The longan flowers become […]
楊桃開花在樹梢
iên5 to5 / kui1 huê1 / do6 ciu7 [dao1]
The carambola flowers are at the tips of the tree
五月蘭花先風起
ngou6 ghuêh8 / lang5 huê1 / soin1 hong1 ki2
In the fifth month, the blooms are preceded by wind
弓蕉開花嘴勾勾
gêng1 zie1 / kui1 huê1 / cui3 gao1 gao1
The blossoms of the banana are hooked at the mouth
龍船開花含含紅
lêng5 zung5 / kui1 huê1 / ham5 ham5 ang5
The scarlet glorybower is red as can be
蓮角開花在池中
noi5 gag4 / kui1 huê1 / do6 di5 dang1
The water caltrop flowers in the pond
芍藥開花白雪雪
ziag4 iag8 / kui1 huê1 / bêh8 soh4 soh4
The peony flowers are white as snow
夜合開花夜來蜂(香）
mê5 hah8 / kui1 huê1 / mê3 lai5 pang1
The Me-hah brings fragrance in the night when it blossoms
Me-hah - Magnolia coco
金錢開花頭上光
gim1 zin5 / kui1 huê1 / tao5 ziên6 gng1
The Gim-zin blooms with brightness on top
金鳳開花喜心長
gim1 hong6 / kui1 huê1 / hi2 sim1 deng5
When the Gim-hong blooms, it cheers the heart
Gim-hong - Impatiens cyathiflora
黃菊開花峇紋笑
ng5 gêg4 / kui1 huê1 / [bha1 bhung1] ciê3
When the yellow Chrysanthemum blooms, […] laughs
山茶開花滿地黃
suan1 dê5 / kui1 huê1 / mua2 di7 ng5
The blooming of the camellia makes the whole ground yellow
目尼開花在粉牆
mag8 ni6 / kui1 huê1 / do6 hung2 ciên5
Mag-ni blossoms against the whitewashed walls
乜個開花四嫁洋
mih4 gai7 / kui1 huê1 / si3 gê3 iên5
Everything flowers […]
Posted on 2021-09-30 00:00:00 +0000