正文
城鎮 - I want to take you to the Island
印象最深的就是愛爾蘭城鎮那些五顏六色的低矮房屋，及每家每戶塗的色彩鮮明的大門。在灰頭土臉的鋼筋混泥土城市裏長大的我開始還很不習慣，覺得那些顏色很土氣，不明白為什麽要花那麽大的力氣去裝飾外牆，而且每兩三年還要重新粉刷一次。時間長了才覺得那些顏色很美，尤其是在陰雨連綿的日子裏開車，看著那些五顏六色房子和門在雨點裏不停的閃動，不由自主地感受到了愛爾蘭人一股對生活的熱愛。
愛爾蘭的老房子都隻有幾個很小的窗子，那是17世紀末英國為了在愛爾蘭和在歐洲大陸上的戰爭而向英國和愛爾蘭征討的窗戶稅（Window Tax),按照窗戶的大小多少征稅，所以當時的人民支付不起寬大明亮的窗戶，以至舊時的房屋都是那麽低矮和陰暗。“苛政猛於虎”，這也是愛爾蘭人對英國耿耿於懷的另一個原因之一。
在愛爾蘭的四年裏，我們一直住在科克。科克被評為2005年度歐洲文化之都（European Cultural Capital ）。它位於愛爾蘭的最南端，所以不象其他地方那麽多雨，甚至還有少見的陽光。雖然號稱是愛爾蘭共和國的第二大城市，其實隻有40多萬的人口。因為與都柏林首都南北對峙，加上口音，文化背景相差甚遠，當地人喜歡自稱為一個獨立的共和國--P.R.C.(People's Republic of Cork)。
科克有一條小河River Lee橫穿城市，我們就住在李河的邊上，頭一兩年上學的日子裏，我總是沿著李河邊的一條小路Lee Road,穿過一座小橋去科克大學上學，時間久了，對李河邊的一草一木自然產生了眷戀。這裏是三文魚每年回遊產卵的地方，經常看見人們在橋下釣魚，每到夏天，許多孩子都光著身子從橋上跳到李河遊泳。勞工下班後，隻要天氣好，我們都會沿著李河上遊散半個小時的步，看人們在河裏劃Canoe，看一對天鵝在茂密的河岸邊教小天鵝遊水，看對岸的一隻Crane中立於水上。。。那一路看不完的風景。
李河一路東流就到了科克郡的最東部小鎮Cobh(同cove).這個小鎮據說是還是世界上第二大的天然海港，僅次於Sydney Harbour。海輪可以沿著harbour開進很深的地方停靠，當年的泰坦尼克號就是最後從這裏出發的。從這裏出海謀生的人很少能再返回故裏，幾個月的海上飄零，能活著到達彼岸的淘金城市已是寥寥無幾，所以人們又稱小鎮Cobh為Goast Town.
科克附近還有一個小鎮Blarney，最有名的是Blarney城堡頂端的一塊石頭，據說親吻了這塊石頭的人會變得口齒伶俐，巧舌如簧，如果你碰到一個特會說話諂媚的人，你可以這麽說：you must kiss the Blarney stone,或者用英女王伊麗莎白的話來說：no more Blarney talk.這塊石都並不是那麽好Kiss的，城堡頂端專門有一人幫助排長隊的遊客，他麵對麵地抱住你的腿或腰，然後你要用後弓翻的姿勢伸到城牆外去親吻那塊。我當然是親過這塊石頭，不止一次，效果當然好，不再那麽笨嘴笨舌的了。
我這裏都是歪史，你要去愛爾蘭當然還是要看都柏林和高威Galway這兩個城市的。
老公聽說我在寫Ireland,就介紹了這首Paul Brady的Island,愛爾蘭也是一個飽經滄桑戰亂的國家，這首平靜卻充滿激情的歌曲下蘊含著愛爾蘭人民對生活的熱愛，對和平的渴望。
Written 20 years ago, the lyrics of Paul Brady's "The Island" ring even more true today. In this song with additional commentary, Brady expresses the devastation and emotions that engulfed the people of Ireland in the early eighties. However, the wars, bombing, and fighting that are happening around us today, remind us of the mindset Brady was addressing. "If you are not with us, you are against us. Turning your back on your own." In this powerful piece, Brady truly does pierce through the emotional flak from an ordinary man's perspective, to touch the heart of the human soul
They say the skies of lebanon are burning
those mighty cedars bleeding in the heat
they're showing pictures on the television
women and children dying in the streets
and we're still at it in our own place
still trying to reach the future through the past
still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone
but hey don't listen to me
this wasn't meant to be no sad song
i've sang to much of that before
right now i only want to be here with you
till the morning due comes falling
i want to take you to the island
and trace your footprints in the sand
and in the evening when there's no one around
we'll make love to the sound of the ocean
they're raising banners over by the markets
white-washing slogans on the shipyard walls
witch doctors praying for a mighty showdown
the way a holy flag is gonna fall
up here we sacrifice our children
to feed the worn out dreams of yesterday
and teach them dying will lead us into glory
but hey don't listen to me
cos this wasn't meant to be no sad song
we've had too much of that before
right now i only want to be here with you
till the morning dew comes falling
i want to take you to the island
and trace your footprints in the sand
and in the evening when the sun goes down
we'll make love to the sound of the ocean
now i know us plain folk don't see the bigger picture
and all this peace and love's just copping out
and the young boys dying in the ditches
is just what being free is all about
and how this twisted wreckage down on main street
will bring us all together in the end
as we go marching down the road to freedom,freedom
文字版權歸小西瓜子所有，未經許可不得轉載
印象最深的就是愛爾蘭城鎮那些五顏六色的低矮房屋，及每家每戶塗的色彩鮮明的大門。在灰頭土臉的鋼筋混泥土城市裏長大的我開始還很不習慣，覺得那些顏色很土氣，不明白為什麽要花那麽大的力氣去裝飾外牆，而且每兩三年還要重新粉刷一次。時間長了才覺得那些顏色很美，尤其是在陰雨連綿的日子裏開車，看著那些五顏六色房子和門在雨點裏不停的閃動，不由自主地感受到了愛爾蘭人一股對生活的熱愛。
愛爾蘭的老房子都隻有幾個很小的窗子，那是17世紀末英國為了在愛爾蘭和在歐洲大陸上的戰爭而向英國和愛爾蘭征討的窗戶稅（Window Tax),按照窗戶的大小多少征稅，所以當時的人民支付不起寬大明亮的窗戶，以至舊時的房屋都是那麽低矮和陰暗。“苛政猛於虎”，這也是愛爾蘭人對英國耿耿於懷的另一個原因之一。
在愛爾蘭的四年裏，我們一直住在科克。科克被評為2005年度歐洲文化之都（European Cultural Capital ）。它位於愛爾蘭的最南端，所以不象其他地方那麽多雨，甚至還有少見的陽光。雖然號稱是愛爾蘭共和國的第二大城市，其實隻有40多萬的人口。因為與都柏林首都南北對峙，加上口音，文化背景相差甚遠，當地人喜歡自稱為一個獨立的共和國--P.R.C.(People's Republic of Cork)。
科克有一條小河River Lee橫穿城市，我們就住在李河的邊上，頭一兩年上學的日子裏，我總是沿著李河邊的一條小路Lee Road,穿過一座小橋去科克大學上學，時間久了，對李河邊的一草一木自然產生了眷戀。這裏是三文魚每年回遊產卵的地方，經常看見人們在橋下釣魚，每到夏天，許多孩子都光著身子從橋上跳到李河遊泳。勞工下班後，隻要天氣好，我們都會沿著李河上遊散半個小時的步，看人們在河裏劃Canoe，看一對天鵝在茂密的河岸邊教小天鵝遊水，看對岸的一隻Crane中立於水上。。。那一路看不完的風景。
李河一路東流就到了科克郡的最東部小鎮Cobh(同cove).這個小鎮據說是還是世界上第二大的天然海港，僅次於Sydney Harbour。海輪可以沿著harbour開進很深的地方停靠，當年的泰坦尼克號就是最後從這裏出發的。從這裏出海謀生的人很少能再返回故裏，幾個月的海上飄零，能活著到達彼岸的淘金城市已是寥寥無幾，所以人們又稱小鎮Cobh為Goast Town.
科克附近還有一個小鎮Blarney，最有名的是Blarney城堡頂端的一塊石頭，據說親吻了這塊石頭的人會變得口齒伶俐，巧舌如簧，如果你碰到一個特會說話諂媚的人，你可以這麽說：you must kiss the Blarney stone,或者用英女王伊麗莎白的話來說：no more Blarney talk.這塊石都並不是那麽好Kiss的，城堡頂端專門有一人幫助排長隊的遊客，他麵對麵地抱住你的腿或腰，然後你要用後弓翻的姿勢伸到城牆外去親吻那塊。我當然是親過這塊石頭，不止一次，效果當然好，不再那麽笨嘴笨舌的了。
我這裏都是歪史，你要去愛爾蘭當然還是要看都柏林和高威Galway這兩個城市的。
老公聽說我在寫Ireland,就介紹了這首Paul Brady的Island,愛爾蘭也是一個飽經滄桑戰亂的國家，這首平靜卻充滿激情的歌曲下蘊含著愛爾蘭人民對生活的熱愛，對和平的渴望。
Written 20 years ago, the lyrics of Paul Brady's "The Island" ring even more true today. In this song with additional commentary, Brady expresses the devastation and emotions that engulfed the people of Ireland in the early eighties. However, the wars, bombing, and fighting that are happening around us today, remind us of the mindset Brady was addressing. "If you are not with us, you are against us. Turning your back on your own." In this powerful piece, Brady truly does pierce through the emotional flak from an ordinary man's perspective, to touch the heart of the human soul
They say the skies of lebanon are burning
those mighty cedars bleeding in the heat
they're showing pictures on the television
women and children dying in the streets
and we're still at it in our own place
still trying to reach the future through the past
still trying to carve tomorrow from a tombstone
but hey don't listen to me
this wasn't meant to be no sad song
i've sang to much of that before
right now i only want to be here with you
till the morning due comes falling
i want to take you to the island
and trace your footprints in the sand
and in the evening when there's no one around
we'll make love to the sound of the ocean
they're raising banners over by the markets
white-washing slogans on the shipyard walls
witch doctors praying for a mighty showdown
the way a holy flag is gonna fall
up here we sacrifice our children
to feed the worn out dreams of yesterday
and teach them dying will lead us into glory
but hey don't listen to me
cos this wasn't meant to be no sad song
we've had too much of that before
right now i only want to be here with you
till the morning dew comes falling
i want to take you to the island
and trace your footprints in the sand
and in the evening when the sun goes down
we'll make love to the sound of the ocean
now i know us plain folk don't see the bigger picture
and all this peace and love's just copping out
and the young boys dying in the ditches
is just what being free is all about
and how this twisted wreckage down on main street
will bring us all together in the end
as we go marching down the road to freedom,freedom
文字版權歸小西瓜子所有，未經許可不得轉載
評論
安娜晴天
2008-06-20 15:08:19
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悄悄話
Thanks for sharing. like the picture so much!!
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