Goodbye Again, Cambridge
再別康橋, 2014for Tenor Voice, SATB Chorus, Erhu, Violoncello, Guitar, Handbells and Piano
performed by The Greeners’ Sound and Pun U Association Wah Yan Primary School Handbell Team
performed by The Greeners’ Sound and Double Mallet Ringers
Goodbye Again, Cambridge
Xu Zhimo (1897-1931)
Very quietly I take my leave
As quietly as I came here;
Quietly I wave good-bye
To the rosy clouds in the western sky.
The golden willows by the riverside
Are young brides in the setting sun;
Their reflections on the shimmering waves
Always linger in the depth of my heart.
The floatingheart growing in the sludge
Sways leisurely under the water;
In the gentle waves of Cambridge
I would be a water plant!
That pool under the shade of elm trees
Holds not water but the rainbow from the sky;
Shattered to pieces among the duckweeds
Is the sediment of a rainbow-like dream?
To seek a dream? Just to pole a boat upstream
To where the green grass is more verdant;
Or to have the boat fully loaded with starlight
And sing aloud in the splendour of starlight.
But I cannot sing aloud
Quietness is my farewell music;
Even summer insects heep silence for me
Silent is Cambridge tonight!
Very quietly I take my leave
As quietly as I came here;
Gently I flick my sleeves
Not even a wisp of cloud will I bring away.
To part is bitter, solely because of people’s inflexibility and persistence.To meet is fate, but no one is ever certain about fate. When we no longer persist on the non-achievable, and stay at ease, life will be a lot more unrestrained.
Zhimo Xu’s emotions toward parting in Goodbye Again, Cambridge is properly shaped. There is no excessive sadness but light helplessness and disconsolation. Xu chose to depict the complex feelings toward parting lightly with silence. Musically, plain, melodic vocal parts support the whole piece, and different musical instruments play the sparse phrases, creating a vast and tranquil musical space, echoing Xu’s emotions toward parting.
《再別康橋》
徐自摩 (1897-1931)
輕輕的我走了，正如我輕輕的來；
我輕輕的招手，作別西天的雲彩。
那河畔的金柳，是夕陽中的新娘
波光裡的豔影，在我的心頭蕩漾。
軟泥上的青荇，油油的在水底招搖；
在康河的柔波裡，我甘心做一條水草。
那樹蔭下的一潭，不是清泉，是天上虹；
揉碎在浮藻間，沉澱著彩虹似的夢。
尋夢？撐一支長篙，向青草更青處漫溯，
滿載一船星輝，在星輝斑斕裡放歌。
但我不能放歌，悄悄是別離的笙簫；
夏蟲也為我沉默，沉默是今晚的康橋！
悄悄的我走了，正如我悄悄的來；
我揮一揮衣袖，不帶走一片雲彩。
離別是苦，在於人的執著心；相遇是緣，而緣起無常，放下執著，隨緣自在。
詩人徐自摩在《再別康橋》抒發的離別之情濃淡得宜，沒有令人格外悲傷，無奈與惆悵大概最能代表他的感受，而詩人最終以沉默帶過眾多的離愁別緒。在音樂上，平淡而欠缺旋律性的人聲部份默默支撐著整首樂曲；不同樂器奏出疏落的樂句，創造出遼闊和寧靜的音樂空間，回應詩人面對離別時的情愫。
//[Score preview]