Has Anyone Ever Told You that I Love You?
In many people’s opinions, the Chinese are quite restrained in the expression of emotions. They are not used to say the word “love” often, except young lovers. Between parents and children, elder couples, and brothers and sisters, they seldom say “I love you” no matter how much they do love each other. The Chinese believe that one’s love is expressed through action rather than words.
However, a song entitled “Has anyone ever told you that I love you?” has become very popular since last year. The song is composed (lyrics and music) and sung by Chen Cushing, the winner of Super Boy (the Chinese counterpart of American Idol).
Part of the lyrics (translated by me):
Has anyone ever told you that I love you?
Has anyone ever wept in your diary?
Has anyone ever told you that I do care about,
About the distance in this city?
……
The song quickly got on various pop charts. Many people use it as the ring of their mobile phones. “Has anyone ever told you…” has even become a catch phrase. The Chinese are used to “silent love”, loving someone without telling him/her, but this song make people realize that they also need the beloved ones to know the love.Another famous quote that is extremely popular among Chinese internet users conveys a similar message:
The farthest distance in the world
Is not that between life and death,
But is that I stand right in front of you,
Yet you don’t know
That I love you.
The poem is said to be written by Tagore, the great Indian poet, but according to some research, it is actually composed by a Zhang Xiaoxian, a writer from Hong Kong, and several Taiwanese students. I used the translation provided there and twisted it a little.
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