Perhaps I was going through Meteor Garden translation withdrawal last night, I decided to translate its beautiful OST Love, Exists since the only translation I can find online does not do the lyrics justice. The process certainly reminds me how difficult it is to achieve the perfect balance between the literal and the poetic, especially when the original text itself perhaps at times is compromised within the framework of a pre-composed melody.

Huge thanks to @natzillagorilla, @dokutokunaneko, @zetteceniza, and @sicarius for your help during such a fun brainstorming session!

Translation in REPLY.

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    ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ Love, Exists
    Meteor Garden 2018 OST
    Text written by ๅณๆ˜“็ทฏ
    Song written by ่”กๆ˜Žไป
    Translated by Kimbap Noona
    Edited by Natzillagorilla, Dokutokunaneko, Zette, and Sicarius

    ้›จๅญฃ็ธฝๆœƒๅฟ˜ไบ†้›ข้–‹
    Yว”jรฌ zว’ng huรฌ wร ngle lรญkฤi
    The rainy season that always forgets to depart

    ๆ‰“่ฝ่–”่–‡ๆฏๆฌก็››้–‹
    dวŽ luรฒ qiรกngwฤ“i mฤ›i cรฌ shรจngkฤi
    Pummels the roses that bloom each time

    ๆˆ‘ๅ€‘ๆฟ€ๅ‹•็ˆญๅต็›ธๆ“ ็›ธๆ„›
    wว’men jฤซdรฒng zhฤ“ngchวŽo xiฤng yลng xiฤng’ร i
    We react, argue, support, and love each other

    ๆƒณๅฟตๆฏไธ€ๆฌก่ฝๅ–ฎ ไฝ ็š„ๆบซๆŸ”่ฎ“ๅฟƒ่ทณ ๅด‡ๆ‹œ
    xiวŽngniร n mฤ›i yฤซcรฌ luรฒ dฤn nว de wฤ“nrรณu rร ng xฤซntiร o chรณngbร i
    Every time when alone
    I miss your gentle warmth that makes my heart beat with adoration

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    ๆˆ‘่ฆ็š„ๆ„› ๅชๅœจไฝ ่บซไธŠๅญ˜ๅœจ
    wว’ yร o de ร i zhว zร i nว shฤ“nshang cรบnzร i
    The love I want only exists within you

    ่ฆไธๆ˜ฏไฝ  ไธๆœƒๅ“ญๅพ—็ฌ‘ๅพ—ๅ‚ปๅพ— ๅƒๅฐๅญฉ
    yร o bรนshรฌ nว bรน huรฌ kลซ dรฉ xiร o dรฉ shวŽ dรฉ xiร ng xiวŽohรกi
    If it is not for you
    I wonโ€™t cry and laugh like a silly child

    ๅœจไธ€่ตท ไธ็ฐกๅ–ฎ ๅˆฅ่ผ•ๆ˜“ ่ชชๅˆ†้–‹
    zร i yฤซqว bรน jiวŽndฤn biรฉ qฤซngyรฌ shuล fฤ“nkฤi
    Being together is not a simple feat
    Donโ€™t lightly say that you want to part

    ไฝ ็ตฆ็š„ๆ„› ้ƒฝ่ฎŠๆˆๆˆ‘็š„ไพ่ณด
    nว gฤ›i de ร i dลu biร nchรฉng wว’ de yฤซlร i
    The love that youโ€™ve given has become my reliance

    ไพ่ณด่‘—ไฝ ็š„ๆˆ‘ ๅฏไปฅ็›กๆƒ…ไธๅ‹‡ๆ•ข
    yฤซlร izhe nว de wว’ kฤ›yว jรฌnqรญng bรน yว’nggวŽn
    Relying on you enables me to be timid with wild abandon

    ๅ› ็‚บไฝ  ๆˆ‘็›ธไฟก ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ
    yฤซnwรจi nว wว’ xiฤngxรฌn ร i cรบnzร i
    Because of you, I believe love exists

    In your eyes, in your eyes, in my life

    ๆˆ‘ๆ˜Ž็™ฝ ๆˆ‘ๆœŸๅพ… ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ
    wว’ mรญngbรกi wว’ qรญdร i ร i cรบnzร i
    I understand and aspire to the love that exists

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    ๅฆ‚ๆžœๆ„›ๆ˜ฏๅ ดๆœ€่ฝŸ็ƒˆ็š„ๅ†’้šช
    rรบguว’ ร i shรฌ chวŽng zuรฌ hลng liรจ de mร oxiวŽn
    If love is a fierce adventure

    ็ต‚้ปžๆ˜ฏๆš–ๆ‰‹็š„ๅฃ่ข‹
    zhลngdiวŽn shรฌ nuวŽn shว’u de kว’udร i
    The final destination is the pocket that warms my hand

    ๆ˜Ÿๆ˜Ÿๅญคๅ–ฎๅ–ฎๅขœ่ฝๅœจ ้‚ฃ็‰‡ๆตท
    xฤซngxฤซng gลซdฤn dฤn zhuรฌluรฒ zร i nร  piร n hวŽi
    These stars which have desolately plunged into the sea

    ๆ˜ฏไฝ ๆ‰“ๆ’ˆ่ตทๆˆ‘ๅ€‘ ๆŠŠๆฏๆปดๅฃž็š„็œผๆทš ๆ“ฆไนพ
    shรฌ nว dวŽlฤo qว wว’men bวŽ mฤ›i dฤซ huร i de yวŽnlรจi cฤ gฤn
    It is you who have salvaged us and
    Wiped away every drop of dreadful tears

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    ๆˆ‘่ฆ็š„ๆ„› ๅชๅœจไฝ ่บซไธŠๅญ˜ๅœจ
    wว’ yร o de ร i zhว zร i nว shฤ“nshang cรบnzร i
    The love I want only exists within you

    ่ฆไธๆ˜ฏไฝ  ไธๆœƒๅ“ญๅพ—็ฌ‘ๅพ—ๅ‚ปๅพ— ๅƒๅฐๅญฉ
    yร o bรนshรฌ nว bรน huรฌ kลซ dรฉ xiร o dรฉ shวŽ dรฉ xiร ng xiวŽohรกi
    If it is not for you, I wonโ€™t cry and laugh like a silly child

    ๅœจไธ€่ตท ไธ็ฐกๅ–ฎ ๅˆฅ่ผ•ๆ˜“ ่ชชๅˆ†้–‹
    zร i yฤซqว bรน jiวŽndฤn biรฉ qฤซngyรฌ shuล fฤ“nkฤi
    Being together is not a simple feat
    Donโ€™t lightly say that you want to part

    ไฝ ็ตฆ็š„ๆ„› ้ƒฝ่ฎŠๆˆๆˆ‘็š„ไพ่ณด
    nว gฤ›i de ร i dลu biร nchรฉng wว’ de yฤซlร i
    The love that youโ€™ve given has become my reliance

    ไพ่ณด่‘—ไฝ ็š„ๆˆ‘ ๅฏไปฅ็›กๆƒ…ไธๅ‹‡ๆ•ข
    yฤซlร izhe nว de wว’ kฤ›yว jรฌnqรญng bรน yว’nggวŽn
    Relying on you enables me to be timid with wild abandon

    ๅ› ็‚บไฝ  ๆˆ‘็›ธไฟก ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ
    yฤซnwรจi nว wว’ xiฤngxรฌn ร i cรบnzร i
    Because of you, I believe love exists

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    ๅฐฑ็ฎ—่ƒฝๅˆช้™ค่จ˜ๆ†ถ
    jiรนsuร n nรฉng shฤnchรบ jรฌyรฌ
    Even if I can delete memories

    ๅฐฑ็ฎ—่ƒฝ่ค‡ๅˆถๆƒ…ๆ„Ÿ
    jiรนsuร n nรฉng fรนzhรฌ qรญnggวŽn
    Even if I can duplicate emotions

    ่ชฐ้ƒฝ็„กๆณ•ๆŽงๅˆถๆ„›
    shuรญ dลu wรบfวŽ kรฒngzhรฌ ร i
    No one can control love

    ไธ€ๆ—ฆๆฑบๅฎšๆ„›ไฝ  ๆˆ‘ไธ็ฎก ๆˆ‘ไธๆ›
    yฤซdร n juรฉdรฌng ร i nว wว’ bรนguวŽn wว’ bรน huร n
    Once Iโ€™ve decided to love you
    I wonโ€™t hold back. I wonโ€™t change

    ไฝ ๅฐฑๆ˜ฏ ไปป่ชฐ้ƒฝ ็„กๆณ• ๆ›ฟไปฃ
    nว jiรนshรฌ rรจn shuรญ dลu wรบfวŽ tรฌdร i
    No one in any way would be able to replace you

    Yeah

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    ๆˆ‘็š„ๆœ€ๆ„› ๅชๅœจไฝ ่บซไธŠๅญ˜ๅœจ
    wว’ de zuรฌ’ร i zhว zร i nว shฤ“nshang cรบnzร i
    My utmost love only exists within you

    ๅชๆœ‰ไฝ ๅœจ ๆฅตๅ…‰ๆ‰ๆœ‰ๅŠ›้‡่ฎŠๅพ—ๆ›ด็ตข็ˆ›
    zhวyว’u nว zร i jรญguฤng cรกi yว’u lรฌliร ng biร n dรฉ gรจng xuร nlร n
    Only your existence can empower and bedazzle the Aurora

    ๅชๆœ‰ไฝ  ่ƒฝๅนธ็ฆ ๆˆ‘ๅ›žๆ†ถ ๅˆฐๆœชไพ†
    zhวyว’u nว nรฉng xรฌngfรบ wว’ huรญyรฌ dร o wรจilรกi
    In the future when I reminisce
    Only you could give me this bliss

    ไฝ ็ตฆ็š„ๆ„› ้ƒฝ่ฎŠๆˆๆˆ‘็š„ไพ่ณด
    nว gฤ›i de ร i dลu biร nchรฉng wว’ de yฤซlร i
    The love that youโ€™ve given has become my reliance

    ไพ่ณด่‘—ไฝ ็š„ๆˆ‘ ๅฏไปฅ็›กๆƒ…ไธๅ‹‡ๆ•ข
    yฤซlร izhe nว de wว’ kฤ›yว jรฌnqรญng bรน yว’nggวŽn
    Relying on you enables me to be timid with wild abandon

    ๅ› ็‚บไฝ  ๆˆ‘็›ธไฟก ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ
    yฤซnwรจi nว wว’ xiฤngxรฌn ร i cรบnzร i
    Because of you, I believe love exists

    In your eyes, in your eyes, in my life

    ๆˆ‘ๆ˜Ž็™ฝ ๆˆ‘ๆœŸๅพ… ๆ„›ๅญ˜ๅœจ
    wว’ mรญngbรกi wว’ qรญdร i ร i cรบnzร i
    I understand and aspire to the love that exists

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      Relying on you enables me to be timid with wild abandon

      Fantastic line

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        Thanks for pointing this line out. I have to agree. The person who wrote this line really hit the mark.

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          It shouldn’t make sense, but yet it does. Especially if you consider the personalities of both DMS and SC.

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            Hehehe well…I’m not talking about the drama. I only watched the one episode that I watched with you folks yesterday. ^^; I meant IRL.

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            You guys picked out the line that we agonized over the most!! It was difficult to choose the right word that would be as close to the literal meaning but still sounds sensical in English. But @egads you are absolutely right! The line reads beautifully given the context of the story.

            The song at times feels like it is Ah-si’ love letter to SC, and some lines from SC to DMS.

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            @kimbapnoona I really like how this one line sums up DMS’s embracing the vulnerability of being in love. A vulnerability that he was unable to reveal in the rest of his life. On the flip side, SC finds a new strength and power from their relationship and is moved to action when even when most scared (even if we want to shake some sense into her for being uber-hesistant sometimes).

            And maybe I’m over analyzing, but you all nailed it.

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            (If I may just add – I interpreted them to mean that “I’m able to rely on you, and sit back. I don’t need to do the fighting always, sometimes I can be timid/mild and you’ll do it for me.” OR “It’s okay if I’m timid/not alert and defensive/offensive for once, because you’ve got my back.” Hehe – it’s a different interpretation that REALLY appeals to me, but I haven’t seen the drama, so that’s all I’ll say. End of para.)

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            @egads I don’t think you’re over analysing at all. I really love what you got from that line. 🖤

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      Well done! It reads so poetically as well. Now I wish someone would go back and retranslate the entire show. Netflix has the worst translators my goodness.

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    Awesome!

    Translation is not simply knowing both languages, it takes much more. Plus this is a song so it’s doubly, triply hard. So kudos to all of you!

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    Thank you for giving the lyrics the justice it deserves! And the lyrics that you all analyzed is one of my favorite lines in the song along with this one: ๆˆ‘่ฆ็š„ๆ„› ๅชๅœจไฝ ่บซไธŠๅญ˜ๅœจ (and not because the characters are easy enough for me to read, LOL). You are right, the song at times feels like it’s from DMS to SC and vice versa.

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    We did nothing lol
    Thank you, noona! <3
    These lyrics are so gorgeous! I'm currently trying to write the characters down (not all of them, I'm not crazy) ^^

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