wáng guó wéi de rén jiān cí huà yǒu yī jù huà

王国维的《人间词话》有一句话

“There’s one sentence in Renjian Cihua by Wang Guowei”

tiān yǐ bǎi xiōng chéng jiù yī cí rén

「天以百凶成就一词人」

‘Destiny makes a poet by putting him/her in a good deal of hardship’

yǒu de shí hòu nǐ yào jiǎng zhè gè shī cí

有的时候你要讲这个诗词

“Sometimes if you want to lecture in poems”

zhēn shì nǐ yào shēn jīng guò yōu huàn

真是你要身经过忧患

“You must really have gone through adversity”

nǐ cái huì duì zhè gè cí

你才会对这个词

“Before you can understand it”

yǒu hěn shēn de lǐ jiě

有很深的理解

“Really well”

yè xiān shēng shì zhōng guó de zuì hòu de yī gè shī cí dà jiā

叶先生是中国的最后的一个诗词大家

Ms. Yeh is the last great scholar of poetry in China

wǒ jiù xī wàng zhè bù diàn yǐng

我就希望这部电影

The film was not intended

bù shì pāi yī gè yǎng zhī mí gāo de

不是拍一个仰之弥高的

To depict a well-respected

bù shí rén jiān yān huǒ de nà zhǒng zhuàng tài

不食人间烟火的那种状态

And otherworldly master

wǒ men xiàn zài kàn dào de shì yī gè

我们现在看到的是一个

What we see now

hěn zhēn shí de shēng mìng

很真实的生命

Is a real life

zhōng guó de shī cí jǐ qiān nián lái

中国的诗词几千年来

Over the past thousand years

dà bù fēn dōu hái shì yǐ nán xìng wèi zhǔ

大部分都还是以男性为主

Chinese poetry is a predominantly male world

zuò wèi yī gè nǚ xìng cí rén

作为一个女性词人

As a female writer of ci

yè xiān shēng kě yǐ shuō shì yī gè

叶先生可以说是一个

Ms. Yeh represents a turning point

hěn zhòng yào de gé mìng xìng de zhuǎn liè diǎn

很重要的革命性的转捩点

Which is significant and revolutionary

jū shuǐ yuè zài shǒu jiù shì pāi shè yè xiān shēng

《掬水月在手》就是拍摄叶先生

Like the Dyer’s Hand tells the stories of Ms. Yeh

zuò wèi shī de nǚ shén

作为诗的女神

As the Goddess of Poems

zhè yàng de yī gè chuán qí

这样的一个传奇

She has a legendary life

gēn zhōng guó shī cí de hěn jǐn mì de guān xì

跟中国诗词的很紧密的关系

Which is closely related to Chinese poetry

wǒ shì nián chū shēng de

我是1924年出生的

I was born in 1924

chū zhōng èr nián jí de shí hòu

初中二年级的时候

When I was a second year grader in my junior high school

běi jīng lún xiàn le

北京沦陷了

Beijing was occupied by the enemy

tā dāng chū zài běi jīng de jiù jū

她当初在北京的旧居

Now her old home in Beijing is not there anymore

xiàn zài yǐ jīng bù zài le bèi chāi le

现在已经不在了，被拆了

It’s already been pulled down

jī běn shàng shì yùn yù le

基本上是孕育了

But it’s basically the container

yè xiān shēng jì yì de zhǒng zi zài nà lǐ

叶先生记忆的种子在那里

Of Ms. Yeh’s early memories

cóng xiǎo chū shēng dào shǎo nǚ chéng zhǎng hé liàn ài

从小出生，到少女成长和恋爱

She was born there, grew into a young woman and fell in love

lí kāi běi jīng le jié hūn le

离开北京了，结婚了

Later she left Beijing and got married

rán hòu jiù kāi shǐ huā guǒ piāo líng

然后就开始花果飘零

And began her journey around the world

wǒ shì nián jié de hūn

我是1948年结的婚

I got married in 1948

yè xiān shēng fēi cháng dà fāng de

叶先生非常大方的

Ms. Yeh offered us all the materials we wanted

tí gōng le suǒ yǒu wǒ men xiǎng zhī dào de zhè xiē zī liào

提供了所有我们想知道的这些资料

Which was really generous of her

tā de hūn yīn

她的婚姻

She talked about her marriage

yǐ jí tán dào tā zì jǐ zài tái wān zāo shòu de bái sè kǒng bù

以及谈到她自己在台湾遭受的白色恐怖

And her sufferings in Taiwan

děng děng de zhè zhǒng dǎ jī

等等的这种打击

And other blows

zài xué xiào jiào shū

在学校教书

She was unfairly treated

zāo shòu dào yī xiē bù gōng píng de dài yù

遭受到一些不公平的待遇

While she was teaching

zhè zhǒng kǔ tòu guò zhè gè shī cí

这种苦，透过这个诗词

Her pain has been changed

yǐ jīng bèi zhuǎn huà chéng yī zhǒng

已经被转化成一种

Through poems

wǔ cǎi bān lán de

五彩斑斓的

It’s colorful

hěn xiàng jǐn duàn yī yàng de

很像锦缎一样的

Like brocade

fēi cháng nǚ xìng de yī zhǒng měi

非常女性的一种美

It has become a feminine beauty

suǒ yǒu de fǎng tán míng dān

所有的访谈名单

Among all the interviewees

dōu shì yè xiān shēng tí gōng de

90%都是叶先生提供的

90% of them were suggested by Ms. Yeh

měi gè rén dōu hěn xīng fèn

每个人都很兴奋

And everyone was excited

yè xiān shēng zhōu wéi de zhè xiē xué shēng péng yǒu

叶先生周围的这些学生朋友

The students and friends around Ms. Yeh

hěn duō rén dōu shì kě yǐ gēn yè xiān shēng chàng hé

很多人都是可以跟叶先生唱和

Lots of them could sing along with her

kě yǐ xiě shī cí de

可以写诗词的

And they could write poems

tán dào yè xiān shēng de shí hòu

谈到叶先生的时候

Speaking of Ms. Yeh

nà zhǒng yǎn zhōng shǎn shuò de huǒ huā

那种眼中闪烁的火花

Their eyes were sparkling

qí shí xiàn zài xiǎng qǐ lái

其实现在想起来

In fact

yǒu xiē gǎn shāng

有些感伤

It’s quite sad to think of them

yǒu jǐ wèi cǎi fǎng duì xiàng

有几位采访对象

Because some of the interviewees

dāng shí qí shí yǐ jīng zài ái zhèng de mò qī

当时其实已经在癌症的末期

They were already late staged cancer patients

zài zhè gè yǐng piàn jiǎn jiē guò chéng zhōng

在这个影片剪接过程中

And they passed away successively

dōu lù xù dì lí shì

都陆续地离世

While the film was being edit

zhěng gè pāi shè kōng jìng tóu

整个拍摄（空镜头）

The camera was focused

huán rào zhù hé luò dì qū

环绕著河洛地区

On the Heluo Area

zhè xiē dōu shì zhōng guó shī cí de qǐ yuán dì

这些都是中国诗词的起源地

These places were origins of Chinese poems

tòu guò nà shí hòu de qì wù

透过那时候的器物

Through the old objects

jǐng wù jiàn zhù

景物、建筑

Landscapes and architecture

qù huí sù nà shí hòu shī cí chǎn shēng de kōng jiān

去回溯那时候诗词产生的空间

We looked back upon the years when the poems were written

pāi le fú guāng sì

拍了佛光寺

We filmed Foguang Temple

dòu gǒng de fēi cháng yán mì de jié gòu

斗拱的非常严密的结构

Which boasted a well-structured system of brackets

jiè zhè gè dōng xī lái yǐn yù

借这个东西来隐喻

There was a metaphor

lǜ shī jué jù děng děng nà zhǒng jié gòu

律诗、绝句等等那种结构

Between it and the structure of lvshi and jueju

ràng guān kàn diàn yǐng de rén duō yī xiē

让观看电影的人多一些

So that the audience can use their own imagination

tā zì jǐ kě néng de yī xiē tóu shè xiǎng xiàng

他自己可能的一些投射想像

And picture in their mind

jǐn yè kuáng fēng hàn dà chéng

「尽夜狂风撼大城」

“At the last night of the year, a strong wind was shaking the big city”

yuè zuì lěng de shí hòu

12月最冷的时候

It was the coldest days in December

bǎ yè xiān shēng tuō dào běi jīng de yī gè diàn yǐng de lù yīn jiān

把叶先生拖到北京的一个电影的录音间

We took Ms. Yeh to a film studio in Beijing

zhuān mén wèi zhè gè diàn yǐng

专门为这个电影

We specially selected some poems for Ms. Yeh to read

tiāo le yī xiē yín sòng de shī cí

挑了一些吟诵的诗词

In the film

yí yīn cāng hǎi rú néng huì

「遗音沧海如能会」

“When the ancient poems are read”

biàn shì qiān qiū gòng cǐ shí

「便是千秋共此时」

“The poets are understood after several thousand years”

yín sòng de fāng shì

吟诵的方式

Through reading

shì ràng shī cí yǒu lìng wài yī zhǒng shēng yīn

是让诗词有另外一种声音

Poems have a different sound

lìng wài yī zhǒng yīn yùn jié zòu

另外一种音韵、节奏

A different rhyme and rhythm

nà wǒ shì bù shì kě yǐ zhǎo dào

那我是不是可以找到

Then is it possible

yīn lè shàng miàn

音乐上面

To go back to Tang songs

yǒu méi yǒu kě néng huí dào táng lè

有没有可能回到唐乐？

In terms of music

nà zuì jiē jìn de jiù shì rì běn de yǎ lè

那最接近的就是日本的雅乐

Japanese Gagaku is the closest type

suǒ yǐ jiù zhǎo dào zuǒ téng cōng míng zuò qū

所以就找到佐藤聪明（作曲）

So we invited Somei Satoh as our composer

yòng dù fǔ de qiū xīng bā shǒu

用杜甫的《秋兴八首》

We used the eight poems of Du Fu’s From Autumn Thoughts

yǎ lè gēn shì nèi lè

雅乐跟室内乐

We combined Gagaku with chamber music

rán hòu yòng yǒng tàn diào nǚ gāo yīn nán zhōng yīn

然后用arias（咏叹调）女高音、男中音

We also used soprano arias and baritone arias

bǐ cǐ zhī jiān de zhè zhǒng duì yīng duì zhào

彼此之间的这种对应对照

To echo with each other

chǎn shēng chū gèng hǎo de shī de shēng yīn de

产生出更好的诗的、声音的

To achieve a better aesthetic effect

měi xué de biǎo xiàn

美学的表现

In terms of poetry and sounds

xiàng wǒ zhè yàng de yī gè mò shēng rén

像我这样的一个陌生人

At the beginning

yè xiān shēng kāi shǐ shì fēi cháng dì kàng jù

叶先生开始是非常地抗拒

A total stranger like me was not welcomed by Ms. Yeh

hòu lái wǒ men niǎn zhuǎn dì

后来我们辗转地

Later in other ways

lù lù xù xù dì

陆陆续续地

We sent our ideas to Ms. Yeh

bǎ wǒ men yào pāi shè zhè xiē gòu xiǎng

把我们要拍摄这些构想

One by one

zhēng qiú yè xiān shēng tóng yì

征求叶先生（同意）

And asked for her permission

suǒ yǐ dāng tā dá yīng de shí hòu

所以当她答应的时候

So when she nodded her head

wǒ men yě shì zhàn zhàn jīng jīng de

我们也是战战兢兢的

We were still jittery

yǒu diǎn nán tīng wǒ men děng yú yā zhà yè xiān shēng

有点难听，我们等于压榨叶先生

That might be a hateful thing to say

cóng zhè gè yǒu xiàn de yī diǎn shí jiān lǐ miàn

从这个有限的一点时间里面

But we were pushing Ms. Yeh to squeeze making the film

qù pāi chū lái

去拍出来

Into her busy schedule

wǒ gěi yè xiān shēng tí gāng

我给叶先生提纲

The outline that I gave to Ms. Yeh

yǒu shí hòu jīng cháng huì dào èr shí jǐ yè

有时候经常会到二十几页

Sometimes it could be as long as over twenty pages

yǒu shí hòu dōu yào tí qián bàn gè yuè gěi yè xiān shēng

有时候都要提前半个月给叶先生

And sometimes I had to send it to her half a month in advance

yīn wèi yè xiān shēng yào pī gǎi

因为叶先生要批改

Because she needed to revise it

jīng cháng shì lái shàng shī cí kè

经常是来上诗词课

We learned a lot about poems from her

yào tán sū dōng pō yào tán xīn qì jí

要谈苏东坡，要谈辛弃疾

There were parts about Su Dongpo and Xin Qiji

yīn wèi wǒ huì chū pī lòu

因为（我）会出纰漏

And sometimes I made mistakes

jiù nào xiào huà

就闹笑话

And made a fool of myself

yè xiān shēng hái shì fēi cháng dà dù de

叶先生还是非常大度的

But Ms. Yeh was tolerant

tā jiù shì diǎn nǐ yī xià zi

她就是点你一下子

She would only point it out politely

měi cì pāi shè jī běn shàng dōu mán zhǎng de

（每次拍摄）基本上都蛮长的

Basically every shooting lasted for a long time

yǒu shí hòu pāi yī pāi

有时候拍一拍

Sometimes during the shooting

tā huì liàng xuè yā

她会量血压

She would check her blood pressure

āi ya bù xíng le

唉呀不行了

‘Oh. No.”

wǒ xuè yā gāo le

「我血压高了」

“My blood pressure is increasing”

nà wǒ men jiù huì tí qián lí chǎng

那我们就会提前离场

Then we would withdraw in advance

chén xiān shēng yuán lái hái yǐ wèi wǒ dài de shì jiǎ fā

陈先生原来还以为我戴的是假发

Mr. Chen thought I wore a wig

wǒ shì zhēn fā

我是真发

But this is my real hair

wǒ jìn lái tóu fā hái shǎo le hěn duō

我近来头发还少了很多

And I lost lots of hair recently

gāng kāi shǐ dōu hěn hài pà

刚开始都很害怕

As we just got started

hěn jìng wèi de

很敬畏的

I was nervous and respectful

suí zhù shí jiān hé pāi shè de jìn zhǎn

随著时间和拍摄的进展

As time passed

màn màn dì jiù jiē jìn

慢慢地就接近

We became closer and closer

dāng tā zài tán dào shī cí de shí hòu

当她在谈到诗词的时候

When she talked about poems

yǒu shí hòu fǎn dào huì

有时候反倒会

Sometimes

shǎn shuò yī diǎn xiàng xiǎo nǚ hái zi yī yàng de nà zhǒng

闪烁一点像小女孩子一样的那种

She would act like a girl

yī xiē xiǎo dòng zuò

一些小动作

With those small gestures

hé yī xiē xiào róng

和一些笑容

And smiles

nà zhǒng qīn jìn shì nǐ jué dé

那种亲近是你觉得

And you would feel

jiù xiàng nǐ de yī gè qíng rén yī yàng

就像你的一个情人一样

She was in front of her lover

yǒu nà zhǒng gǎn jué

有那种感觉

I had that kind of feeling

yǐng piàn lǐ miàn yā zhóu de nà wèi liú bǐng sōng nǚ shì

影片里面压轴的那位刘秉松女士

Liu Bingsong is the lady who showed up at the end of the film

wǒ men dào le wēn gē huá

我们到了温哥华

When we arrived in Vancouver

kuài zǒu de qián liǎng tiān

快走的前两天

And we were about to leave in two days

yè xiān shēng tū rán dǎ diàn huà lái shuō

叶先生突然打电话来说

Ms. Yeh called all of a sudden

yī dìng yào qù cǎi fǎng tā

一定要去采访她

And suggested we must interview her

lín mén yī jiǎo

临门一脚

It was a final advice

fǎn dào bǎ diàn yǐng zuì hé xīn de diǎn kāi

反倒把电影最核心的点开

But that part throws light on the core of the film

hěn nán zhè yī shēng

很难这一生

“Through my life”

hěn nán yù jiàn zhè yàng de yī gè rén

很难遇见这样的一个人

“It’s hard to meet someone else like Ms. Yeh”

tā jué dé yè xiān shēng gěi tā de gǎn jué

她觉得叶先生给她的感觉

To her

jiù shì cún zài de gǎn jué

就是「存在」的感觉

Ms. Yeh was like an “existence”

yè xiān shēng gēn shī cí de guān xì

叶先生跟诗词的关系

For Ms. Yeh

yǐ jīng shēn dào shēng mìng lǐ miàn

已经深到生命里面

Poetry has been deeply cut in her life

tā jiù xiàng yī gè shuǐ yuè guān yīn yī yàng

她就像一个水月观音一样

She’s like a Tankasri Avalokitesvara

ràng rén dù guò shī cí de zhè zhǒng dà hé

让人渡过诗词的这种大河

Who leads people to cross the big river of poems

dào hé de bǐ àn

到河的彼岸

And reach the other side