話說今年五月六日，Don MacLean（唐麥克林）來台開演唱會，可惜沒能親身前往現場聆聽。還好網路無遠弗屆，今天就在這裡回味他的一首經典老歌- 『VIncent（梵谷之歌）』，這首膾炙人口的歌曲是他獻給偉大的畫家Vincent van Gogh（梵谷）之作，也被荷蘭銀行拿來當作主題歌。

先來聽歌吧！下面是我在youtube找到的影片，邊聽著這首『梵谷之歌』，邊欣賞梵谷的大作，不僅僅是聽覺饗宴，也有視覺上的享受，可惜創作這些美麗圖畫的梵谷，最後卻是用自殺結束自己的生命，大師的隕落讓人真的很感嘆懷才不遇的無奈和苦楚。

歌詞如下：

Vincent

Starry, starry night

Paint your palette blue and grey

Look out on a summer's day

With eyes that know the darkness in my soul

Shadows on the hills

Sketch the trees and the daffodils

Catch the breeze and the winter chills

In colors on the snowy linen land

 

Chorus:

Now I understand

What you tried to say to me

How you suffered for your sanity

How you tried to set them free

They would not listen they did not know how

Perhaps they'll listen now

 

Starry, starry night

Flaming flowers that brightly blaze

Swirling clouds in violent haze

Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue

Colors changing hue

Morning fields of amber grain

Weathered face lined in pain

Are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand

 

Chorus:

For they could not love you

But still your love was true

And when no hope was left inside

On that starry, starry night

You took your life as lovers often do

But I could have told you Vincent

This world was not meant for one as beautiful as you

 

Starry, starry night

Portraits hung in empty halls

Frameless heads on nameless walls

With eyes that watch the world and can't forget

Like the strangers that you've met

The ragged men in ragged clothes

The silver thorn of bloody rose

Lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now I think I know

What you tried to say to me

How you suffered for your sanity

How you tried to set them free

They would not listen they're not listening still

Perhaps they never will

 

至於歌詞的中文翻譯，請參閱我在網路上找到的這篇「Vincent」。

沒想到Don MacLean今年已經62歲了，他還有好幾首歌曲也都算是不朽之歌，像是『And I Love You So』、『American Pie』等等，都值得讓人一聽再聽、再三回味。希望這位歌壇老將巨擘可以一直繼續演唱這些動人的歌曲。

※《延伸閱讀》：

★唐麥克林官網 - 『Don MacLean Online 』

★梵谷簡介 - 『梵谷 Gogh, Vincent van』