Natalie Merchant sings old poems to life

譯者: Siyi Shao 審譯者: Adrienne Lin

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ My age is three hundred ♫

我已經

♫ and seventy-two ♫

三百七十二歲，

♫ I think with the deepest regret ♫

懷著深深的悔恨，我想起我的往事：

♫ How I used to pick up

我曾經如何揀選

and voraciously chew ♫

并貪婪的咀嚼

♫ the dear little boys

我遇見的那些

that I met ♫

可愛小男孩

♫ I've eaten them raw

他們身著節日盛裝

in their holiday suits, ♫

就被我生吞活剝

♫ Eaten them

我吃掉他們

curried with rice, ♫

以咖哩料理並配上米飯

♫ I've eaten them baked

我把他們烤熟

in their jackets and boots, ♫

連同身上的夾克與皮靴

♫ And found them exceedingly nice. ♫

真真美味，他們的味道

♫ But now that my jaws

但是現在我的牙口

are too weak for such fare, ♫

已然衰老，再不能勝任此事

♫ I think it's increasingly rude ♫

我認為這樣的事

♫ To do such a thing

實在是可恥

when I'm quite well aware ♫

因我明明知曉

♫ Little boys do not like

小男孩兒並不喜歡

being chewed. ♫

被生吞活剝

♫ Little boys do not like

小男孩兒並不喜歡

being chewed. ♫

被生吞活剝

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ So now I contentedly live upon eels, ♫

故而現在我心甘情願以鰻魚為生

♫ And try to do nothing amiss ♫

也儘量不做錯事

♫ And pass all the time

長久以來

I can spare from my meals ♫

我可禁食禁水

♫ In innocent slumber like this, ♫

就在如這般純淨的沉睡中

♫ Innocent slumber

就在如這般

like this. ♫

純淨的沉睡中

(Applause)

掌聲

I suppose I owe you an explanation.

我想我應該給你們一個解釋

I've been working on a project for the last six years

六年以來我一直從事一個計劃

adapting children's poetry to music.

就是把兒童詩歌改變成音樂

And that's a poem by Charles Edward Carryl,

以上的就是一首Charles Edward Carryl的詩歌

who was a stockbroker in New York City

他本人在紐約從事股票經紀人執業

for 45 years,

45年

but in the evenings, he wrote nonsense for his children.

在晚上，他為自己的小孩們寫荒誕詩歌

And this book was one of the most famous books in America

這本書在美國暢銷35年

for about 35 years.

一直都很著名

"The Sleepy Giant," which is the song that I just sang,

我剛才唱的“沉睡的巨人”

is one of his poems.

就是其中一首詩

Now, we're going to do

現在我們將要

other poems for you,

為你們演唱其他的詩歌

and here's a preview of some of the poets.

先介紹一下一些詩人

This is Rachel Field,

這是Rachel Field

Robert Graves --

Robert Graves

a very young Robert Graves --

一個非常年輕的Roberet Graves

Christina Rossetti.

Christina Rossetti

Ghosts, right?

沒錯，逝去的靈魂

Have nothing to say to us,

對我們無話可說

obsolete,

過時了

gone --

逝去了

not so.

但其實並非如此

What I really enjoyed about this project

我之所以如此沉迷這個計劃

is reviving these people's words.

是因為我想讓這些言語復活

Taking them off the dead, flat pages.

讓它們離開僵死的書頁

Bringing them to life,

讓它們重獲新生

bringing them to light.

讓它們重見光明

So, what we're going to do next

接下來我們要演繹的

is a poem that was written by Nathalia Crane.

就是一首Nathalia Crane的詩歌

Nathalia Crane was a little girl from Brooklyn.

她是一個來自布魯克林的小女孩

When she was 10 years old in 1927,

1927年，她10歲，

she published her first book of poems

她出版了自己的第一部詩集

called "The Janitor's Boy."

題為“看門人的男孩”

Here she is.

這就是她

And here's her poem.

和她的詩歌

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ Oh, I'm in love

噢，我愛上了

with the janitor's boy, ♫

看門人的男孩

♫ And the janitor's boy

看門人的男孩

is in love with me. ♫

也愛上了我

♫ Oh, I'm in love

噢，我愛上了

with the janitor's boy, ♫

看門人的男孩

♫ And the janitor's boy

看門人的男孩

is in love with me. ♫

也愛上了我

♫ He's going to hunt for a desert isle ♫

他在我們的地圖上

♫ In our geography. ♫

將要去找尋無人的小島

♫ A desert isle

一個無人的小島

with spicy trees ♫

遍地芳樹

♫ Somewhere in Sheepshead Bay; ♫

就在羊頭灣那兒

♫ A right nice place,

一個好地方

just fit for two ♫

剛好適合我們倆

♫ Where we can live always. ♫

在那兒我們天長地久

♫ Oh, I'm in love

噢，我愛上了

with the janitor's boy, ♫

看門人的男孩

♫ And the janitor's boy, ♫

看門人的男孩

he's busy as can be; ♫

正忙得不亦樂乎

♫ Down in the cellar he's making a raft ♫

他在地下室裏正做著木筏

♫ Out of an old settee. ♫

用那老舊的長沙發

♫ He'll carry me off,

他會成就我的

I know that he will, ♫

我知道他會的

♫ For his hair is exceedingly red; ♫

他滿頭紅髮

♫ And the only thing

我唯一

that occurs to me ♫

知曉的

♫ Is to dutifully shiver in bed. ♫

便是在床上顫抖，一如他所願

♫ And on the day that we sail,

在我們始航的那天

I will leave a little note ♫

我會給我的父母

♫ For my parents I hate to annoy: ♫

留下便條

♫ "I have flown to an island

我已然

in the bay ♫

與我那看門人的男孩

♫ With my janitor's

一齊飛向

red haired-boy." ♫

一個小島

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ I'm going to sail away ♫

我將要駛向

♫ Gone to Sheepshead Bay ♫

羊頭灣

♫ With my janitor's red-haired boy. ♫

與我那看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ On an old settee ♫

我們乘坐那老舊沙發

♫ My red-haired boy and me ♫

我與我那看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy. ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

♫ The janitor's red-haired boy ♫

看門人的紅髮男孩

(Applause)

(掌聲)

The next poem is by E.E. Cummings,

下一首詩歌是

"Maggie and Milly and Molly and May."

E.E.Cummings的“麥琪與米莉與莫麗與玫”

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ Maggie and Milly,

麥琪與米莉

Molly and May ♫

莫麗與玫

♫ They went down to the beach

一天她們

one day to play ♫

去海灘玩耍

♫ And Maggie discovered

麥琪發現了

a shell that sang ♫

會唱歌的貝殼

♫ So sweetly she couldn't remember

唱得如此甜蜜

her troubles ♫

以致她遺忘了自己的煩惱

♫ Maggie and Milly,

麥琪與米莉

Molly and May ♫

莫麗與玫

♫ Maggie and Milly,

麥琪與米莉

Molly and May ♫

莫麗與玫

♫ Milly befriended

米莉與一隻

a stranded star ♫

擱淺的星星成為好友

♫ Whose rays,

那星星的

whose rays ♫

光芒

♫ Five languid fingers

是五只

were ♫

懶懶的手指

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ Maggie and Milly,

麥琪與米莉

Molly and May ♫

莫麗與玫

♫ Maggie and Milly,

麥琪與米莉

Molly and May ♫

莫麗與玫

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ Molly was chased

莫麗被

by a horrible thing ♫

可怕的東西追趕

♫ Which raced

它在她邊上狂飆

sideways blowing ♫

狂飆

♫ Blowing ♫

狂飆

♫ Blowing ♫

狂飆

♫ May came home

玫回到家裡

with a smooth, round stone ♫

帶回了圓滾滾、滑溜溜的石頭

♫ Small as a world

就像世界

and as large as alone ♫

一般嬌小，一般巨大，一般寂寞

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ For whatever we lose

不管我們丟失了什麽

like a you or a me ♫

比如丟失的是一個你或一個我

♫ Always ourselves

我們總是丟失自己

that we find

在大海中

at the sea ♫

我們都能尋回

(Applause)

(掌聲)

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)

The next poem is "If No One Ever Marries Me."

下一首詩歌是“如果沒人娶我”

It was written by Laurence Alma-Tadema.

作者是Laurence Alma-Tadema

She was the daughter of a very, very famous Dutch painter

她父親是一個極其著名的荷蘭畫家

who had made his fame in England.

他在英國成名

He went there after the death

在他妻子因天花去世后

of his wife of smallpox

他與兩個女兒

and brought his two young children.

搬到英國

One was his daughter, Laurence.

其中一個就是Laurence

She wrote this poem when she was

寫這首詩歌時，

18 years old in 1888,

她年方18，時年1888

and I look at it as kind of a

我覺得這就像是

very sweet feminist manifesto

一個甜蜜的女性主義宣言

tinged with a little bit of defiance

混雜著一點點反抗

and a little bit of resignation and regret.

和一點點屈從與遺憾

(Music)

(音樂)

♫ Well, if no one ever marries me ♫

好吧，如果沒人娶我

♫ And I don't see why they should, ♫

其實我也認為他們不該娶我

♫ Nurse says I'm not pretty, ♫

僕人說我不漂亮

♫ And you know I'm seldom good,

你也知道我一無是處

seldom good -- ♫

一無是處

♫ Well, if no one ever marries me ♫

好吧，如果沒人娶我

♫ I shan't mind very much; ♫

我不會太過在意

♫ Buy a squirrel in a cage ♫

我會買只籠子裡的松鼠

♫ And a little rabbit-hutch. ♫

或是小兔

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ I'll have a cottage near a wood ♫

我會在森林邊有座小屋

♫ And a pony all my own ♫

有隻小馬

♫ A little lamb quite clean and tame ♫

有隻乾淨又溫順的小羊

♫ That I can take to town. ♫

當我年老

♫ And when I'm really getting old -- ♫

我會帶它們去鎮子里

♫ And 28 or nine -- ♫

當我二十八九歲的時候

♫ Buy myself a little orphan girl ♫

買一個孤女

♫ And bring her up as mine. ♫

視如己出

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

如果沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

沒人娶我

♫ If no one marries me ♫

沒人娶我

♫ Well, if no one marries me ♫

好吧，如果沒人娶我

♫ Marries me ♫

娶我

♫ Well, if no one marries me ♫

好吧，如果沒人娶我

♫ Marries me ♫

娶我

♫ Well, if no one marries me ♫

好吧，如果沒人娶我

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause) Thank you.

(掌聲)

I became very curious about the poets

我對這些詩人非常好奇

after spending six years with them,

因為已經花了六年時間與他們相伴

and started to research their lives,

於是我開始探究他們的生活

and then decided to write a book about it.

最終決定寫一本書

And the burning question about Alma-Tadema

而對於Alma-Tadema，我最關心的問題是

was: Did she marry?

她是否結婚了？

And the answer was no,

答案是沒有

which I found in the London Times archive.

我在倫敦時報的檔案庫找到了這答案

She died alone in 1940

她死於1940年

in the company of her books and her dear friends.

終生與書籍和朋友們相伴

Gerard Manley Hopkins,

這些朋友中有Gerard Manley Hopkins

a saintly man.

一個聖人般的男人

He became a Jesuit.

他成爲了一個耶穌會會士

He converted from his Anglican faith.

他原先信奉英國國教，後來改宗

He was moved to by the Tractarian Movement,

他被Tractarian運動所觸動

the Oxford Movement, otherwise known as --

也就是所謂的牛津運動

and he became a Jesuit priest.

最終成爲了耶穌會會士

He burned all his poetry at the age of 24

24歲時他燒掉了自己所有的詩歌

and then did not write another poem for at least seven years

在此後的7年裡棄絕詩歌寫作

because he couldn't rectify the life of a poet

因為他無法接受這個雙重身份：

with the life of a priest.

即詩人與牧師

He died typhoid fever

他死於傷寒

at the age of 44, I believe,

我想是44歲

43 or 44.

43或是44歲

At the time, he was teaching classics

當時他正在都柏林的三一學院

at Trinity College in Dublin.

教授古典學

A few years before he died,

在他死前幾年

after he had resumed writing poetry,

他又重新開始詩歌寫作

but in secret,

但是私下的寫

he confessed to a friend in a letter

他在一封給朋友的信中承認的

that I found when I was doing my research:

這封信是我做研究時發現的，他寫道:

"I've written a verse.

"我寫了一首詩"

It is to explain death to a child,

"是爲了向孩子解釋死亡"

and it deserves a piece of plain-song music."

"這詩應該是一首聖歌音樂"

And my blood froze when I read that

讀到這些時我一下愣住了

because I had written the plain-song music

因為我已經寫了一首聖歌音樂

130 years after he'd written the letter.

就在此信後的130年

And the poem is called, "Spring and Fall."

這首時題為“春與秋”

♫ Margaret,

瑪格麗特

are you grieving ♫

你在悲傷嗎

♫ Over Goldengrove

為那片金色的小樹林

unleaving, by and by? ♫

久久不願離去

♫ Leaves, like the things

樹葉，就如同

of man, you ♫

人的其他東西

♫ With your fresh thoughts care for,

你那清新的思想為之憂慮

can you? ♫

是嗎？

♫ But as the heart grows older ♫

但是，隨著心靈老去

♫ It will come to such sights

它會對此情此景

much colder ♫

變得冷漠

♫ By and by,

倏爾

nor spare a sigh ♫

心靈不再為之歎息

♫ Though worlds of

雖然蒼白樹木的花粉

wanwood leafmeal lie; ♫

會說謊

♫ And yet you will weep

然而你還是會啜泣

and you'll know why. ♫

你會明白

♫ No matter child, the name: ♫

無論是小孩，名字

♫ Sorrow's springs are all the same ♫

悲傷地春天都毫無差別

♫ They're all the same. ♫

他們毫無差別

♫ Nor mouth had

沒有口

nor no mind expressed ♫

也沒有心智表達過

♫ What heart heard of,

心靈聽到的

ghost had guessed: ♫

魂靈猜想的

♫ It's the blight

人的最終命運

man was born for, ♫

是枯萎

♫ It is Margaret

你為之哀悼的

that you mourn for ♫

正是瑪格麗特，你自己

Thank you so much.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)

(Music)

(音樂)

I'd like to thank everybody,

我想感謝所有人

all the scientists, the philosophers,

科學家，哲學家

the architects, the inventors,

藝術家，發明家

the biologists,

生物學家

the botanists, the artists ...

植物學家，藝術家

everyone that blew my mind this week.

這一周以來在座的每位給我靈感的人

Thank you.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)

♫ Oh, a li la li la la la ♫

噢，啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la la la la la la ♫ (Applause)

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La la la li la la la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ You've been so kind and

你們是如此善良

generous ♫

如此慷慨

♫ I don't know how you keep on giving. ♫

我不知道你們如何能一如既往的一直給予

♫ And for your kindness,

爲了你們的善良

I'm in debt to you. ♫

我感激你們

♫ And for your selflessness,

爲了你們的無私

my admiration. ♫

我的敬仰

♫ And for everything you've done,

爲了你們做的一切

you know I'm bound; ♫

你們知道

♫ I'm bound to thank for it ♫

我不得不表達我的感激

♫ La li la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la li la la la ♫ (Clapping)

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la li la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ And you ♫

謝謝

♫ Now you've been so kind and ... ♫

既然你們已經如此善良

Curb the enthusiasm, just a little bit.

控制一下感情，一點點就好

Just bring it down a little. (Laughter)

安靜一下

It's my turn.

輪到我了

I still have two minutes.

我還有兩分鐘

(Laughter)

（笑）

Okay, we're going to start that verse again.

好的，我們馬上唱響這歌謠

♫ Well, you've been so ... ♫

好吧，你們如此

That's innovative, don't you think?

你們不覺得這很創新嗎？

Calming the audience down;

讓觀眾冷靜下來

I'm supposed to be whipping you into a frenzy, and I,

我本應該鼓勵你們瘋狂點的

"That's enough. Sh." (Laughter)

我喜歡這樣，行了，噓~

♫ Now, you've been kind and ... ♫

現在，你們如此善良

I'm going to sing this to Bill Gates. (Laughter)

我把這首歌獻給比爾蓋茲

I have so much admiration for him.

我敬仰他

♫ Now, you've been so kind and

現在，你們如此善良

generous, ♫

如此慷慨

♫ I don't know how you keep on giving. ♫

我不知道你們如何一如既往一直給予

♫ And for your kindness

爲了你們的善良

I'm in debt to you. ♫

我感激你們

♫ And I never could have come

沒有你們

this far without you. ♫

我不可能遠道而來

♫ So for everything you've done,

所以，爲了你們所做的一切

you know I'm bound ♫

你知道我不得不

♫ I'm bound to thank you for it ♫ (Clapping)

表達的我的感激

♫ La li la la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la li la li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ La li la la la ♫

啦啦啦

♫ Oh, I want to thank you for so many gifts ♫

我想感激你們

♫ You gave in love with tenderness ♫

你們善良、溫柔的給予如此多的禮物

♫ Thank you ♫

謝謝

♫ I want to thank you

我想感謝你們

for your generosity ♫

為你們的慷慨

♫ the love and the honesty that you gave me ♫

為你們的愛與誠實

♫ I want to thank you

我想感謝你們

show my gratitude, ♫ My love

表達我的感激，我的愛

and my respect for you ♫

以及我對你們的崇敬之情

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

You know what?

猜

I'll show you how to clap to this song. (Laughter) (Clapping)

我告訴你們如何打節拍

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ Thank you, thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們

It works better, right?

更棒了，對吧

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們，

♫ I want to thank you ♫

謝謝，謝謝

♫ Ooh hoo ♫

哦~~~

♫ Ooh hoo ♫

哦~~~

♫ Ooh hoo ♫

哦哦~~

♫ Ooh hoo ♫

哦哦~~

Let's bring it down.

安靜一些

Decrescendo.

漸弱

Gradually, bringing it down,

漸漸地，減弱

bringing it down.

減弱

♫ I want to thank you, thank you ♫

我想感謝你們

Finger popping,

手指木偶

ain't no stopping.

不停地

Thank you so much.

謝謝

(Applause)

(掌聲)