The first time I encountered the term “波希米亚” (Bo He Me Are) was in middle school, in the Chinese translation of a German poem. All I knew then was that 波希米亚 was a region in Europe, and that it could also refer to a free‑spirited way of life. Later, I met a musician from China and asked him whether “波希米亚” was the Chinese transliteration of “Bosnia.” He said no—波希米亚 was actually a region of the Czech Republic, and that in the past, the German name for the Czech lands was also “波希米亚”. Then he spent more than ten minutes explaining what 波希米亚 culture was. Before he even finished, I interrupted him:
“Is it basically a kind of hippie culture without the drugs? "
“You could put it that way,” he laughed, though he was a little annoyed that I jumped to conclusions too quickly.
In June 1986, Pavarotti led the Genoa Opera House of Italy to perform in Beijing. Later, their documentary Pavarotti in China was broadcast on television several times. My favorite part was the opera he performed at Beijing’s Tianqiao Theatre, though I couldn’t figure out the name of the opera. Only later did a friend tell me that it was Puccini’s La Bohème. I went online to look up the Chinese translation, and to my astonishment, the opera I had admired for so long was “波希米亚人” - The Bohemians !
La Bohème is a four‑act opera, also translated as The Life of an Artist in Chinese. It premiered in 1896 in Turin, Italy. It tells the love story of a poor poet and a seamstress.
Here, based on Wikipedia, is a summary of the first act:
On a winter night, in a shabby attic apartment in Paris’s Latin Quarter, the poet Rodolfo (tenor) and his painter friend are shivering with cold. To keep warm, they decide to burn Rodolfo’s latest manuscript. At that moment, the philosopher Colline (bass) pushes the door open—he had tried to sell his books for a bit of money but failed to sell anything. As the three of them huddle around the weak fire, joking about their miserable situation, the musician Schaunard (baritone) returns with food and firewood, having found a temporary job. Just as they are about to go out and celebrate their unexpected good fortune, the landlord Benoît (bass) arrives to collect rent. The four friends find a way to get rid of him.
Before heading to Café Momus, Rodolfo says he needs to finish writing a poem, so the others go ahead. Someone knocks on the door—it is their neighbor Mimì (soprano), holding a candle and asking for a light. But the frail and sickly Mimì faints in Rodolfo’s arms after climbing the stairs too quickly. Rodolfo gives her a small glass of wine to revive her and lights her candle. As she gets up to leave, she realizes she has lost her key. While the two of them search for it, a gust of wind blows out their candles.
In the darkness, Rodolfo accidentally touches Mimì’s hand. He holds her hand and says the room is too dark, that they can wait for the moonlight to look for the key, and asks her to let him warm her hands. Then he begins to speak about his life (aria: Che gelida manina — “Your tiny hand is frozen”).
At Rodolfo’s request, Mimì tells him about her own life—her loneliness, her work as an embroiderer, and her longing for spring to arrive (aria: Sì, mi chiamano Mimì — “Yes, they call me Mimì”).
At that moment, their friends downstairs call for Rodolfo to join them. Rodolfo opens the window to answer, then turns back and sees Mimì’s pale face in the moonlight. Her dreamlike, fragile beauty moves him deeply, and he cannot help but speak words of affection. Hand in hand, the two of them head to Café Momus.
Aria (Che gelida manina):
How cold your little hand is
Let me warm it for you
What's the use of looking?
We won't find it in the dark
But luckily
It's a moonlit night
And the moon
Is near us here
Wait, mademoiselle
I will tell you in two words
Who I am, what I od
And how I live. May I?
Who am I? I am a poet
What do I do? I write
And how do I live? I live
In my carefree poverty
I squander rhymes
And love songs like a lord
When it comes to dreams and visions
And castles in the air
I've the soul of a millionaire
From time to time two thieves
Steal all the jewels
Out of my safe, two pretty eyes
They came in with you just now
And my customary dreams
My lovely dreams
Melted at once into thin air!
But the theft doesn't anger me
For their place has been
Taken by hope!
Now that you know all about me
Speak, tell me who you are
Please do!
Soprano Freni sings the aria: Si, Mi chiamano Mimi (English subtitles available here). When she sings, "When the thaw comes, the first sunshine is mine. April’s first kiss is mine," I cannot help but be moved by her voice and expression.
This part was performed by another two singers:
In Act IV, the impoverished and sick Mimi dies in Rudolf's arms.
