玫瑰玫瑰, 我怎麼愛你?

(標題借用王德威)

1940年代陳歌辛(註)為電影《天涯歌女》所作的插曲〈玫瑰玫瑰我愛你〉是，由姚莉主唱。隨後被美國歌手Frankie Laine翻唱，改編成爵士樂版本的Rose, Rose, I Love You，為首支被翻唱並一舉登上美國告示排行榜的中文歌曲。


1984年，王禎和借用歌名為自己的小說命名；1998年再由Howard Goldblatt翻成將王禎和的豐富多汁的小說語言譯成英文版本。


以下是Frankie Laine的版本，那詞，那聲mei gui，那些細身、杏眼、熱帶芳香的描寫，東方想像真是無處不在啊……





Rose, Rose I love you
曲﹕陳歌辛
詞﹕Wilfrid Thomas

Rose, Rose I love you with an aching heart
What is your future? Now we have to part
Standing on the jetty as the steamer moves away
Flower of Malaya, I cannot stay

Mei Gui, Mei Gui, oh, make way for my Eastern Rose
Men crowd in dozens everywhere she goes
In her rickshaw on the street or in a cabaret
"Please make way for Rose" you can hear them say

All my life I shall remember
Oriental music and you in my arms
Perfumed flowers in your tresses
Lotus-scented breezes and swaying palms

Rose, Rose I love you with your almond eyes
Fragrant and slender 'neath tropical skies
I must cross the seas again and never see you more
'way back to my home on a distant shore

(All my life I shall remember)
(Oriental music and you in my arms)
(Perfumed flowers in your tresses)
(Lotus-scented breezes and swaying palms)

Rose, Rose I leave you, my ship is in the bay
Kiss me farewell now, there's nothin' to say
East is East and West is West, our worlds are far apart
I must leave you now but I leave my heart

Rose, Rose I love you with an aching heart
What is your future? Now we have to part
Standing on the jetty as the steamer moves away
Flower of Malaya, I cannot stay

(Rose, Rose I love you, I cannot stay)




(註: 我覺得陳歌辛最聞名的作品應該非〈恭喜恭喜〉莫屬了吧.....都過了幾十年了,一到新年還是要被疲勞轟炸....)