2012年7月25日星期三

古德明: 只有獃子才闖進來



問:英文歌"Only Fools Rush In"Some things are meant to be一語,意思是什麼?

答:解釋之前,也許應談談歌曲名稱。英文有一句成語:Fools rush in where angels fear to tread,出自十八世紀名詩人波普(Alexander Pope)的Essay on Criticism,意思是「天使不敢踏足之地,獃子毫不猶豫闖進去」,現在常用來說「智者不為的事,愚人卻搶着做」。那首英文歌以此為題,歌者當然有「自甘愚魯入情場」的自嘲意味。

讀者不明白的那一段說:Like a river flows surely to the sea / Darling so it goes, Some things are meant to be / Take my hand, take my whole life too / For I can't help falling in love with youSo it goes是成語,有「沒奈何,事情就是這樣」的意思,例如:My department has been dissolved, and I have lost my job. So it goes(我那個部門解散了,我也失業了,沒辦法。)整段歌詞是說:「情人啊,沒奈何,有些事是注定如此的,像河水流入大海一樣。請握着我的手,連我的性命也拿去吧,因為我忍不住愛上了你。」

Some things are meant to be為什麼譯做「有些事是注定如此的」?按mean可解作「意欲」,例如:I meant to go, but I fell ill(我本來打算去,但病倒了)。Be meant to就是「要如此」或「必須如此」,例如:You are meant to look after him when I am away(我不在時,你須照顧他)。「我忍不住愛上了你」是天意,是必須如此的,所以譯做「注定」。