聼歌的四月

如斯 (2026-04-21 07:42:00) 评论 (6)

旬末,晴。落在周末,好天。

安安靜靜的日子,一早下山,先領牧羊犬到狗公園社交,后去Home Depot買土。裝土的袋子堆成了墻,等著居家好男人們替太太載回家去。有個墨西哥男人雙手插在口袋裏站在道旁等工,豬見說,他膽子真大。買了土買苗, 除了草本的花,今年還買了三棵香草苗。“Parsley sage rosemary and thyme....” 我買的Oregano rosemary and thyme。厨娘要烤魚,就不Parsley了。十字街頭一小群人在舉著牌子抗議ICE,全是白人。

山下的玉蘭花不如山上的靜,山上的紫玉蘭像是工筆花鳥。后籬墻之隔的伊朗人家,老人前來探親。當下和伊朗人談戰爭會挺尷尬的,好在山上沒有人談這個。中午煮了烏骨鷄湯,兩個人半隻鷄就夠了。煮乾絲,煮青菜心,都用煮的。豬想進館子,可想不出來哪個館子值得再去,只好躺在那裏滑手機等飯。前些天他讓厨娘看一個視頻,《F35戰機爲什麽不容易被擊落》。和他說不感興趣。看一看,看一看,他説。拗不過就看了一遍,沒懂,兩遍。厨娘關心烏骨鷄,不關心F35。可也暗自承認,腦子不像從前那樣靈清,捉不住要點了,看兩遍也歸納不出所以然來。

看F35的緣故,一些美國空軍的短視頻跑了出來。地勤人員像跳舞一樣指揮戰機起飛,伴隨著一首歌。各種造型的飛機、登機的飛行員,酷得無以復加。不知道是不是空軍的徵兵廣告。怪不得刷視頻會上癮,連厨娘都要上癮,愛上美國的空軍。

漸漸地注意到了那首歌,它的歌詞。是一段歌詞:

And in the naked light, I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more People talking without speaking People hearing without listening People writing songs that voices never shared And no one dared Disturb the sound of silence ---

這不是在唱地勤的手勢嗎,the sound of silence。徵兵的人可真是會寫。因爲很難寫呀。去網上找完整的歌詞,發現是一首六十年代的老歌,寫在肯尼迪被刺殺前后。沒人説得清歌者的表達,但是其中的這一段,和地勤的手勢堪稱絕配。從成千上萬的老歌中挑出這一小段,那個挑的人雖非作者也是奇才。

要感謝豬讓我看F35,讓這個安靜的春天有了Simon & Garfunkel。他們是六十年代美國最受歡迎的二人組,來自紐約。那個時候他們多麽年輕,歌聲溫柔。

下午豬去游泳,我種園子。狗臥在樹下曬太陽,陪我。聼Simon & Garfunkel,《Bridge over Troubled Water 》,《The sound of silence》,《Scarborough Fair》。這幾天過濾了他們的唱片集,選出來三首。

種下我的Oregano,rosemary and thyme,遺憾沒有買到Sage。山下小城有家意大利館子,就叫Sage,它家的黃油鼠尾草通心粉很好吃。Simon和Garfunkel翻唱的《Scarborough Fair》對位了一條反戰的敘事綫,像有個人在歌裏面喃喃低語。讓人想哭的歌,木吉他的撥弦有些飄,聽著聽著心就沉了下去。聽見一籬之隔有動靜,是低聲的對話,波斯老人大概正坐在兒子搭建的涼亭裏。開往波斯灣的兵艦,有一隊是從我們這裏的峽灣出發的。

遠方的,我們這裏的,四月。

/====  Scarborough Fair / Canticle 的分隔綫 ==================/

Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt (On the side of a hill, in the deep forest green)  《==括號内的是他倆的 counterpoint Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Tracing of sparrow on snow-crested ground) Without no seams nor needle work (Blankets and bedclothes the child of the mountain) Then she'll be a true love of mine (Sleeps unaware of the clarion call)
Tell her to find me an acre of land (On the side of a hill, a sprinkling of leaves) Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme (Washes the grave with silvery tears) Between the salt water and the sea strands (A soldier cleans and polishes a gun) Then she'll be a true love of mine
Tell her to reap it with a sickle of leather (War bellows blazing in scarlet battalions) Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme (Generals order their soldiers to kill) And gather it all in a bunch of heather (And to fight for a cause they've long ago forgotten) Then she'll be a true love of mine
Are you going to Scarborough Fair? Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme Remember me to one who lives there She once was a true love of mine