“I wish you a flight to the vast and bright sky.” - Missing You in The Wind, Hu Xia (Flight to You OST)
I know some of you might furrow your brows while thinking, “seriously she hasn’t moved on from ‘Flight to You’ yet?”. Hihihi. Please don’t judge me, bear with me, and don’t give up on me yet *I can hear you say: sis, you asked for too much :) *can you hear my dumb giggle? hihi. Recently, I found out the translation of the song I mentioned at the beginning of this post and realized that my heart felt warm when I figured out the track’s last lyrics, which are quoted above. I held my breath when the lyrics said, “I want to ask you whether your dream is within your reach now” but what made me lose it was the subsequent words, “I wish you a flight to the vast and bright sky”. I meant the level of subtlety it has got me thinking that any direct love confession for an aviation person couldn’t top this one.
Let me get you the background story. The “you” in this song is a
passionate ‘flying-is-my-life’ female pilot he trained. Therefore, ‘I wish you
a flight to the vast and bright sky’, both literally and figuratively, had the
depth of the Pacific Ocean. He wished her ease in doing the thing she likes (for
a pilot, flying to a bright sky indicates an easy-breezy supposed-to-be-safer trip) and also
signified his hope about her sunshiny future (as a bright sky connotates peacefulness and happiness).
That brought me
to a revelation: subtle expressions, both in words and acts, hold a dear place
in my heart.
I know it sounds unconventional as straightforward expressions
are considered more effective in communication. However, for me, finding an expression’s
hidden meaning, sometimes wandering around extensive interpretation, is alluring.
In several instances, I like when emotions, thoughts, and ideas are conveyed in
a nuanced way even when denotative speaking is more understandable. Now when I think
about it, my inclination toward subtlety might stem from 2 circumstances: my
cultural background and my special liking for literature.
I grew up in a culture where people likely deliver their purpose
in a vague way, closely accompanied by a grandfather who was enthusiastic about
vague expressions in literature. At an early age, I learned wayang (puppet theatre play) and many classical
Javanese dramas. In my teenage days, I meandered classical Indonesian
literature pieces and continued with modern ones as I grew older. I was enchanted
with the beauty of indirect expressions, both spoken and acted, approved by my
cultural upbringing.
On the topic of the influence of culture on someone’s way of communication,
I couldn’t help mentioning renowned Natsume Soseki’s poetic phrase “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”. Based
on the explanation I found several years ago (read it here), at that time Soseki
as an English teacher overheard his student translating “I love you” literally, which he believed rejected Japanese sensibility and was unfit for Japanese cultural context. Therefore, he pointed out that the expression should
be translated to a more subtle, nuanced wording,
月が綺麗ですね (“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”).
For years, I couldn’t forget that phrase after uncovering its
hidden meaning. Sometimes when I looked above and see the full moon (like tonight when I write this post), I nodded
in agreement on why confirming whether the moon is beautiful implies that your
heart belongs to someone you share the moon-viewing experience with. Not
only that it is a more beautiful lexicon but also it allows deeper, more
diverse, and more layered interpretations. Therefore, it offers the readers
their own connections to and conclusions about the text. This
creates a more immersive emotional experience, as the one hearing the expression
more actively engages and participates in the process of understanding it.
The phrase above, for example, could be interpreted as, "actually the moon isn't that beautiful, you are,", “the moon
is even prettier because a beautiful soul is by my side looking at the same sky
object,”, “What I meant is you’re beautiful”, “What a pleasing night to be in
love with someone,”, and so on. The readers can personally interpret it which enriches the meaning. The late Sapardi Djoko Damono, my favorite
Indonesian poet, touched on this topic in his ASEAN Literary Festival 2016 interview:
“Poetry is alive because there
are various interpretations. If there is only one (interpretation), one-time
reading then it's over,” (Sapardi Djoko Damono)
Based on my observation, I agreed with Sapardi’s argument that roundabout expression in poetry makes it more memorable and impactful. The reader needs to
pay closer attention to every word and nuance, and is encouraged to have further thoughts and
discussions, which lead to a long-lasting impact. After days of
understanding the lyrics “I wish you a
flight to the vast and bright sky”, the words lingered on my mind and
probably will stay there for a long time just like “The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”. Both made me hold my breath as
my heart fluttered. I mean, you can sincerely pray for someone, you can generously praise the
moon--but that person needs to figure out that what you mean is “I love you with all my
heart”. That kind of expression is beautiful, isn't it?
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*I must applaud the people behind "Flight to You" OSTs as they crafted the lyrics to suit the character's personality. The indirect ways Gu Nanting shows his adoration for Cheng Xiao are even captured in the lyrics. He is definitely the kind of man who stares at you with deep endearment, saying "I wish you a safe flight" and "Your perfect flight is my biggest comfort" while hiding his feelings.
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image source: canva.com
