38.Pear Trees

(Sung by Men)

As soon as a flower blooms,it falls.

But my hope is set upon such a flower,

And yet I dare not hope to become your husband.

Do not look back at me!

I must not let myself think about you!

I’m lovesick from thinking of you,

But my destiny is like that of the pear tree.

Without a wife,how pitiful I am!

You’ve given yourself over to two different men,

Like an animal pulled in two directions by two ropes,

Your heart cannot choose a side.

Your desire for your husband is as heavy as gold,

Your desire for me is as light as a scarf.

Your heart is as pure as silver,

As calm as the water in a well,

As straight as a stream of liquor poured into a pot.

You are as hard to catch as a fish upon the shore,

Have you changed your mind and forgotten me now?

A wild taro vine can grow in a bamboo tube;

A wild taro vine can even grow on a roof.

Vegetables can sprout even when already harvested.

So if these can manage to sprout leaves,

With time,we too can change!

Vegetables and bamboo shoots sour with time.

When vegetables sour,we can still eat some of them;

When bamboo shoots change flavor,we still stomach a bite or two.

But if your heart has changed toward me and if our love is lost,

All that remains is my anxious heart.