The Moon Represents My Heart

Have you heard a song you can barely understand but loved it completely you can’t seem to shake it off your head?

Last weekend, while shopping at our usual haunt, I kept hearing this beautiful song over the PA system.
The mall was having an early start of the Chinese New Year and was playing on repeat a medley of Chinese songs. In between choosing dresses, I heard this very beautiful song that I literally stopped shuffling through the various racks of clothes and just stood there listening.

Unfortunately, I cannot understand Chinese and is not familiar with its music. But the music, with its simple melody was so good and the voice singing it was too beautiful for words that I can’t help asking my sister if she knew the song. (My sister studied Mandarin and is more familiar with Cantopop than I). Sadly, the song is obviously a classic and not from the generation that she is more familiar with.

It’s Monday night already and I can’t seem to shake the song in my head, except that I am just humming it due to me not knowing how to sing it. Fed up, I tried searching the net, with keywords ranging from “beautiful Chinese songs” and “classical Chinese songs”. As if on a hunch, I thought about adding “Teresa Teng” on the keywords. After trawling various Asian entertainment sites, I kinda know that Ms. Teng was a legendary singer and considered one of the best during her time. I figured that a song that beautiful must be attributed to her. And you know what, I was right.

“The Moon Represents My Heart” is a song that was made famous by the late Teresa Teng during the 1970s, and is now considered a classic sung and covered by many famous singers. According to Wikipedia, this song was so famous you can expect to hear it in any thriving Chinese communities anywhere in the world.

This song is indeed a beauty — a big factor for that would be Ms. Teng’s whose voice conveyed simplicity and sincerity. It’s a pity that she passed away too soon following a fatal asthma attack in 1995. In spite her short stay in this world, Ms. Teng left a legacy that will forever remain a timeless classic.

Here’s a rough translation of the lyrics, according to this site.

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…
My affection is real.
My love is real.
The moon represents my heart.

You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you…
My affection does not waver,
My love will not change.
The moon represents my heart.

* Just one soft kiss
is enough to move my heart.
A period of time when our affection was deep,
Has made me miss you until now.

* You ask me how deep my love for you is,
How much I really love you.

* ** Go think about it.
Go and have a look [at the moon],
The moon represents my heart.