村上春树短篇《开往中国的慢船》,开头引用了一段歌词,翻译成中文大概是这样:
很想让你坐上
去中国的小船,
只坐你我两人,
船儿永远不还
而Luke Thompson的《On A Slow Boat To China》在虾米上面的翻译则气势恢宏,大气横生,写出了另外一种感觉,“长桅如雾,帆声如鼓,乘风破浪奔赴新世界。”其实听这首歌的曲调,倒更像是一种过尽千帆的开阔与坦然。悠扬的曲调,Luke Thompson淡然的声线讲诉着一个美丽的故事。
歌词:
I was young when I set out
I can hardly remember
Oh the tales that I could tell you
If I only could remember
And the fog it is drumming
And the new world is coming
Oh this song I will be humming
When the words wont come out
On a slow boat to China
I will be, I will be
In the sea, when we get there
We will see what will be
On a slow boat to China
I will be, I will be
We will see when we get there
What will be
Now I’m old I am weathered
my beard is long and white
I have seen many crawling winters
on this sleepy ark
still we go for our fathers
and we go for the lost
still we go ever on
into the common dark