Dreaming of Home and Mother

Dreaming of Home and Mother is a 1868 song by American medical doctor and composer John P. Ordway. It is most popular in Japan and China, as its words were translated into Japanese as Ryoshū and into Chinese as Songbie, respectively.

History

The song is a nineteenth century work Dreaming of Home and Mother by John P. Ordway. On March 11, 1916, tenor Evan Williams recorded the English version for Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, NJ. The English lyrics of "Dreaming of Home and Mother" had only one stanza, and so it was in early recordings. The 1935 recording published by EMI, with singer Evan Williams included the second stanza, which may have been added by an unknown person. There is also a version that includes the third stanza.

Lyrics

The lyrics of all three stanzas are shown below:

Dreaming of home, dear old home.
Home of childhood and mother-
Oft when I wake 'tis sweet to find
I've been dreaming of home and mother.
Home, dear home, childhood's happy home!
When I played with sister and with brother
'Twas the sweetest joy when we did roam
Over hill and through dale with mother.
Chorus.
Dreaming of home, dear old home,
Home of my childhood and mother-
Oft When I wake 'tis sweet to find
I've been dreaming of home and mother.

Sleep, balmy sleep, close mine eyes,
Keep me still thinking of mother-
Hark! It's her voice I seem to hear-
Yes, I'm dreaming of home and mother.
Angels come soothing me to rest,
I can feel their presence as none other,
For they sweetly say I shall be blest
With bright visions of home and mother.
Chorus.

Childhood has come, come again,
Sleeping, I see my dear mother ---
See her loved form beside me kneel
While I'm dreaming of home and mother.
Mother dear, whisper to me now,
Tell me of my sister and brother, ---
Now I feel thy hand upon my brow ---
Yes, I'm dreaming of home and mother.
Chorus.

Ryoshū in Japanese

Main article: ja:旅愁 (唱歌)

The Japanese lyrics of Dreaming of Home and Mother were written as Ryoshū (旅愁, meaning "Yearning (for home) in travelling") by school music teacher and lyricist Kyūkei Indō (犬童球渓), who also wrote the Japanese lyrics of William Shakespeare Hays's "My Dear Old Sunny Home" as Kokyō no Haika (故郷の廃家).

Included in the Shōka in 1907 for the first time, Ryoshū has since been very popular in Japan. It was selected as one of the 100 Best Known Japanese Songs in 2007.

Songbie in Chinese

The lyrics of Songbie (Chinese 送别, "Farewell Song"), were written by Chinese artist Hong Yi (Li Shutong) to the melody of the mid-19th century song "Dreaming of Home and Mother" by American composer John P. Ordway. Li was introduced to this song while studying in Japan, in the form of a Japanese song that was also set to this tune.

Chinese lyrics

The lyrics in Chinese of Songbie are as follow:

長亭外，古道邊，芳草碧連天，
Chángtíng wài, gǔdào biān, fāngcǎo bì lián tiān.
Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient route, fragrant green grass joins the sky,

晚風拂柳笛聲殘，夕陽山外山。
Wǎnfēng fú liǔ díshēng cán, xìyáng shān wài shān.
The evening wind caressing willow trees, the sound of the flute piercing the heart, sunset over mountains beyond mountains.

天之涯，地之角，知交半零落，
Tiān zhī yá, dì zhī jiǎo, zhījiāo bàn língluò.
At the brink of the sky, at the corners of the earth, my familiar friends wander in loneliness and far from home,

一瓢濁酒盡餘歡，今宵别夢寒。
Yī piáo zhuójiǔ jìn yú huān, jīn xiāo bié mèng hán.
One more ladle of wine to conclude the little happiness that remains; tonight my dreams of parting leave me cold.

長亭外，古道邊，芳草碧連天，
Outside the long pavilion, along the ancient route, fragrant green grass joins the sky,

問君此去幾時來？來時莫徘徊。
Wèn jūn cǐ qù jǐ shí lái? Lái shí mò páihuái.
I ask of you, as you go this time, when are you to return? When it's time to come please don't hesitate.

天之涯，地之角，知交半零落，
At the brink of the sky, at the corners of the earth, familiar friends wander in loneliness and far from home,

人生難得是歡聚，唯有别離多。
Rénshēng nán dé shì huānjù, wéi yǒu biélí duō.
In life it is happy reunions that are rare; most often we bid farewell.

天之涯，地之角，知交半零落，
At the brink of the sky, at the corners of the earth, familiar friends wander in loneliness and far from home,

人生難得是歡聚，唯有别離多。
In life it is happy reunions that are rare; most often we bid farewell.

In popular culture

In July 2018, SNH48 Group issued a covered version of "Songbie", which was entitled "砥砺前行". The lyrics were re-written by SNH48 ex-member Wu Yanwen, despite her announcement of departure in January 2018.

The melody of the Songbie song was played at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics' closing ceremony as a farewell song.