Tales of a Hakka town (4)

[CHUNG Yoon-Ngan <chungyn@mozart.collective.com.au>]

Tales from a Hakka town (4)

There was a very popular Hakka mountain song in this Hakka town.
It went like this.

Shan Ge Ai4 Chang4 Kou3 Nan2 Kai     Love to sing a mountain song
                                     but hard to open the mouth

Bai2 Mi3 Hao3 Chi Tian2 Nan2 Zhong3  White rice nice to eat 
                                     but it's very hard to plant them 
                                     
Qu3 Ge4 Lao3 Po3 Gao You4 Liang4     Married a tall and beautiful wife

Zhu3 Ge4 Fan4 Lai2 Chou4 Huo3 Yan    The rice she cooked smelt of smoke

Qu3 Ge3 Lao3 Po3 Ai3 Du Du           Married a short and stumpy wife

Zhu3 Ge4 Fan4 Lai2 Xiang Pu Pu       The rice she cooked smelt aroma
                                     

CHUNG Yoon-Ngan