Artist: Jay Chou (周杰倫 (Chou Chieh-Lun))
Song: 一路向北 [All the Way North] (Yī lù xiàng běi) •Album: November’s Chopin (2005)

一路向北

后视镜里的世界 越来越远的道别
妳转身向背 侧脸还是很美
我用眼光去追 竟听见妳的泪

在车窗外面徘徊 是我错失的机会
你站的方位 跟我中间隔着泪
街景一直在后退
妳的崩溃在窗外零碎

我一路向北 离开有你的季节
你说你好累 已无法再爱上谁
风在山路吹 过往的画面全都是我不对
细数惭愧 我伤妳几回

后视镜里的世界 越来越远的道别
妳转身向背 侧脸还是很美
我用眼光去追 竟听见妳的泪

在车窗外面徘徊 是我错失的机会
妳站的方位 跟我中间隔着泪
街景一直在后退
妳的崩溃在窗外零碎

我一路向北 离开有妳的季节
妳说妳好累 已无法再爱上谁
风在山路吹 过往的画面全都是我不对
细数惭愧 我伤妳几回

我一路向北 离开有妳的季节
方向盘周围 回转着我的后悔
我加速超越 却甩不掉紧紧跟随的伤悲
细数惭愧 我伤妳几回
停止狼狈 就让错纯粹

All The Way North

The world in the rearview mirror
is a goodbye getting further away.
You turn your body back,
your side view still so beautiful.
I use my vision to go and seek out,
only to hear your tears.

Outside the car [windows],
I linger on my lost oppotunity.
Your viewpoint and mine
are separated by tears.
The streetscape continues to retreat,
[And] you shatter, collapsing
outside the window.

I go all the way north, leaving the season with you [in it]
You say you are very tired, with no way to love someone else.
The wind blows on the mountain road and flashes all our memories seems to be my fault
Counting the shamefulness, I hurt you a few times

The world in the rearview mirror
is a goodbye getting further away.
You turn your body back,
your side view still so beautiful.
I use my vision to go and seek out,
only to hear your tears.

Outside the car [windows],
I linger on my lost opportunity.
Your viewpoint and mine
are separated by tears.
The streetscape continues to retreat,
[And] you shatter, collapsing
outside the window.

I go all the way north, leaving the season with you [in it]
You say you are very tired, with no way to love someone else.
The wind blows on the mountain road and flashes all our memories seems to be my fault
Counting the shamefulness, I hurt you a few times

I go all the way north, leaving the season with you [in it],
My feeling of regret
spin around the steering wheel
I accelerate beyond the limit
but I can’t throw away the sorrows closely following me.
Counting the shamefulness, I hurt you a few times
Let’s stop the destruction, and let the mistakes stay pure.

Submitted by Elda Mengisto

Author’s comments:
狼狽 was the hardest character to translate. Various translations include “in a difficult situation”, “in dire straits”, and so forth. While not an accurate translation, I want to hint at the ending of the relationship in a dramatic way.
Joyce Su used the figurative translation of 讓錯純粹– “Let the mistakes stay mistakes”; I chose the literal one.

Heading North

The world in the rearview mirror, it’s a goodbye moving further and further.
You start to turn backwards, but you’re still beautiful from the side.
I chase you with my gaze, yet it is your tears that I hear.

Back and forth beside the car window, it was an opportunity I missed.
I was separated from the place you stood by a wall of tears.
The view of the street keeps retreating,
and outside the window, you collapse—fragments.

And I keep heading north, leaving those seasons with you behind.
You said you were too tired and couldn’t love anyone anymore.
The wind howls along the mountain roads, and I’m always the one to blame in the images from the past.
Counting carefully, I’m ashamed…how many a times I’ve hurt you.

The world in the rearview mirror, it’s a goodbye moving further and further.
You start to turn backwards, but you’re still beautiful from the side.
I chase you with my gaze, yet it is your tears that I hear.

Back and forth beside the car window, it was an opportunity I missed.
I was separated from the place you stood by a wall of tears.
The view of the street keeps retreating,
and outside the window, you collapse—fragments.

And I keep heading north, leaving those seasons with you behind.
You said you were too tired and couldn’t love anyone anymore.
The wind howls along the mountain roads, and I’m always the one to blame in the images from the past.
Counting carefully, I’m ashamed…how many a times I’ve hurt you.

And I keep heading north, leaving those seasons with you behind.
Around that steering wheel, my regret runs in circles.
I try accelerating, but the sorrow follows closely—I can’t get rid of it.
Counting carefully, I’m ashamed…how many a times I’ve hurt you.
Let’s stop this wretchedness, let the mistakes stay mistakes.*

Submitted by ahss010

Author’s comments:
Tried to keep the form of the original lyrics as much as possible so sentence structure has been compromised in a lot of places.

*”Let the mistakes stay mistakes” is an interpretation, the literal translation is to “let the mistakes stay pure”.