Lark　-百靈鳥 (附週年紀念翻譯)-

今天介紹的歌手 Cara Dillon，和 Méav 一樣來自愛爾蘭－－
這首叫 The Lark in the Clean Air（純淨天空裡的雲雀）：



Dear thoughts are in my mind
And my soul soars enchanted
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day.
For a tender beaming smile
To my hope has been granted
And tomorrow she shall hear
All my fond heart would say.

I shall tell her all my love
And my soul's adoration
And I think she will hear me
And will not say nay.
It is this that gives my soul
All its joyous elation
As I hear the sweet lark sing
In the clear air of the day.

這首的旋律令我印象深刻。

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Cara Dillon 唱起歡快的一首傳統民謠，
P stands for Paddy：



As I went out one May morning to take a pleasant walk
Well, I sat m'self down by an old faill wall just to hear two lovers talk
To hear two lovers talk, my dear, to hear what they might say
That I might know a little more about love before I went away

　P stands for Paddy, I suppose, J for my love, John
　W stands for false Willie, oh but Johnny is the fairest man
　Johnny is the fairest man, my dear, aye, Johnny's the fairest man
　I don't care what anybody says, Johnny is the fairest man

Won't you come and sit beside me, beside me on the green
It's a long three quarters of a year or more since together we have been
Together we have been, my dear, together we have been
It's a long three quarters of a year or more since together we have been

No, I'll not sit beside you, not now nor at any other time
For I hear you have another little girl, and your heart's no longer mine
Your heart's no longer mine, my dear, your heart's no longer mine
For I hear you have another little girl, and your heart's no longer mine

So I'll go climb the tall, tall tree, I'll rob the wild bird's nest
When I come down, I'll go straight home to the girl that I love best
To the girl that I love best, my dear, the girl that I love best
When I come down, I'll go straight home to the girl that I love best

從 00:40 開始，那種疑似是愛爾蘭風笛的樂器，很有民族特色，
讓我聯想到大河之舞(Riverdance)的 Reel Around the Sun。

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最後是比較低沈醇厚、帶點憂傷的一首，
由 Cara Dillon 重新演繹的
The Snows They Melt The Soonest：



O, the snow it melts the soonest when the winds begin to sing;
And the corn it ripens fastest when the frosts are setting in;
And when a woman tells me that my face she'll soon forget,
Before we part, I wad a crown, she's fain to follow't yet.

The snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing;
And the swallow skims without a thought as long as it is spring;
But when spring goes, and winter blows, my lass, an ye'll be fain,
For all your pride, to follow me, were't cross the stormy main.

O, the snow it melts the soonest when the wind begins to sing;
The bee that flew when summer shined, in winter cannot sting;-
I've seen a woman's anger melt between the night and morn,
And it's surely not a harder thing to tame a woman's scorn.

O, never say me farewell here -no farewell I'll receive,
For you shall set me to the stile, and kiss and take your leave;
But I'll stay here till the woodcock comes, and the martlet takes his wing,
Since the snow aye melts the soonest, lass, when the wind begins to sing.

這首的歷史可以追溯到 1821 年的一位街頭藝人，
難怪有種滄桑感。
　　
　　
　　
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翻譯'工作'－－

英文原文：


中文：

「週年紀念日」是為了以前同月同日發生的重要事情而辦的慶祝活動，通常每年會辦一次。我們可能慶祝一位知名作家、藝人或是偉大領袖的生辰，也可能會慶祝一個人的去世，雖然當提及死亡紀念日的時候應該改「慶祝」這個字眼為「紀念」。

我們不會視活人的生辰為紀念日，而只視之為生日。我們通常會稱活人的結婚或是訂婚日子為紀念日，也會把一個人在人生中很重要的日子為紀念日，比如他在商場上或公眾社交場合躍升高位那天。

對大多數成年人來說，最重要的紀念日莫過於結婚紀念日，其中又以50週年的『金婚』為最關鍵，我們用一種「物質」（多半是金屬或是「寶石」）去指稱每個里程碑，比如銀代表25週年、水晶代表15週年、錫代表10週年、木代表5週年而紙則代表1週年紀念。最「珍貴」的週年紀念（在絕大部份家庭裡都很罕見）就是60週年的鑽石婚了。

「習俗上」，西方國家的夫婦會記住結婚週年紀念日，以互贈禮物、互送特別祝賀卡還有兩人、或跟全家人一起吃一頓特別晚餐去慶祝。忘了結婚週年紀念日的丈夫，很可能會遭太太板起一張黑撲克臉相待喔！至於50週年紀念日，則通常會關係到整個家族，包括叔伯舅舅、姑嬸阿姨、姪子姨甥、姪女甥女等，一起聚餐慶祝。很多人遇到自己投入一份新工作的第一年或是獻身於同一份工作的第25年這些「場合」，也喜歡慶祝一番，也許這只是一個辦派對的藉口呢！

另一個辦派對的好藉口，就是慶祝自己「最喜愛的」作家、演員、領袖或是藝人的誕辰了。優質參考書和網路都能提供所有相關資訊，比如有個網頁列出了數以千計在世或已歿的作家的誕生日期，甚至連數學家的生日也有。這些網頁的「存在」，證明許多人對那些他們所關注或是敬重的人物的生日，都很感興趣。

然而，對多數人來說，要記住的紀念日只有幾個。七月四日（美國「獨立」日），對每個美國人來說都相當重要。這是美國1776年給英國政府發出殖民地反叛信的日子。而在英國，許多老一輩的人仍然會慶祝11月11日的休戰紀念日，以紀念第一次世界大戰在1918年同月同日結束。英國人還會藉著11月5日的營火節，慶祝1605年試圖「炸掉」英國國會的〔天主教教徒〕 Guy Fawkes「被處刑」，英國人慶祝這個紀念日的方式，是放「煙火」和點營火。有趣的是，多數英國人都不知道自己到底是為了 Guy Fawkes 被處刑而慶祝，還是為他試圖炸掉政府而慶祝！

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