听歌学英语:繁星点点的夜晚 Don Mclean - Starry Starry Night

"Starry¹ Starry Night"（《繁星点点的夜晚》）来自于Don Mclean。这首歌正是他欣赏了凡高的作品《星夜》之后激情创作的，相信很多朋友也在微博上有欣赏过这幅画。Mclean是一位才华横溢的民谣歌手，但是他的星途却充满坎坷，他总是被美国的主流音乐排斥在外。他曾经沦落到街头唱歌的地步，这不失为一种悲哀。其实整首歌也是Mclean在向世人诉说自己的苦痛，他以极为柔和的歌调折射出满腔的哀怨。因为天才总是被世俗所曲解，所以能洞悉天才内心的人本身就是天才。

Starry starry night
繁星点点的夜晚
paint your palette blue and grey
把颜料调成灰白和淡蓝
look out on a summer's day
往窗外看那个夏日的时光
with eyes that know the darkness in my soul
你的眼，将我灵魂里的阴郁看穿
Shadows on the hills
山峦上的影子
sketch² the trees and the daffodils
勾勒树丛和水仙花
catch the breeze and the winter chills
捕捉微风和冬日冰寒
in colors on the snowy linen³ land.
在覆盖亚麻地的雪色上呈现
And now I understand
现在我才明白
what you tried to say to me
你想告诉我什么话语
and how you suffered for your sanity⁴
你为无人相知倍受摧残
and how you tried to set them free.
你曾多么想让他们释放
They would not listen they did not know how
没人愿意聆听，没人能够懂得
perhaps they'll listen now.
也许只有到了今天…
Starry starry night
繁星点点的夜晚
flaming flowers that brightly blaze
殷红的鲜花，恍若明亮的焰火
swirling⁵ clouds in violet haze⁶
漩涡形的云彩，笼罩紫色的轻烟
reflect in Vincent's eyes of China blue.
映照在凡高湛蓝的瞳孔
Colors changing hue⁷
色调随着颜色演变
morning fields of amber⁸ grain
黎明的原野，琥珀色的稻田
weathered faces lined in pain
风化的大地痉挛般褶皱 　
Are smoothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
钟情的画笔，将它抚摸平滑
And now I understand
现在我才明白
what you tried to say to me
你想告诉我什么话语
and how you suffered for your sanity
你为无人相知倍受摧残
and how you tried to set them free.
你曾多么想让他们释放
They would not listen they did not know how
没人愿意聆听，没人能够懂得
perhaps they'll listen now.
也许只有到了今天…
For they could not love you
没有人曾爱戴于你
but still your love was true
但你的柔情始终切切
and when no hope was left in sight on that
看不到了希望，在那个
starry starry night.
繁星点点的夜晚
You took your life as lovers often do,
你结束自己的生命，失去爱的怨侣
But I could have told you Vincent
假如我在，凡高，我要对你说
this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.
完美如你，这个世界从未懂得挽留
Starry starry night
繁星点点的夜晚
portraits hung in empty halls
空虚的展厅悬挂起肖像
frameless heads on nameless walls
无框的头像，摆在不起眼的墙头
with eyes that watch the world and can't forget. 　　
眼睁睁看这世间，难以抑止的留恋
Like the stranger that you've met
和那些看你的陌生人没什么不同
the ragged⁹ men in ragged clothes
贫乏的面孔褴褛的衣裳
the silver thorn of bloody¹⁰ rose
血红的玫瑰，带着银辉的花刺
lie crushed and broken on the virgin¹¹ snow.
弯折、压碎，覆盖上无暇的雪
And now I think I know
现在我才明白
what you tried to say to me
你想告诉我什么话语
and how you suffered for your sanity
你为无人相知倍受摧残
and how you tried to set them free.
你曾多么想将他们释放
They would not listen they're not listening still
没人愿意聆听，直到现在 　　perhaps they never will.
也许永远没人懂得

歌词：Starry starry night　paint your palette blue and grey.
繁星点点的夜晚把颜料调成淡蓝和灰白。
1. 大家知道star表示星星，词尾加上-ry成为形容词，表示“.星光照耀的；闪亮的”。比如：
On a starry night, lots of stars twinkle in the sky.
在一个繁星点点的夜晚，许多星星在天空中眨眼。
2. Palette ['p?l?t]: n. 调色板；颜料。调色板经常会和画笔brushes一同来使用。来听例句：
Probably he would lay down his brushes and palette after a while.
过一会儿也许他会放下画笔和调色板。
歌词：Shadows on the hills sketch the trees and the daffodils.
山峦上的影子勾勒出树丛和水仙花。
Sketch这个词既可以做动词，也可以做名词，主要有两个意思。
1. 先说基本的，表示“绘制”，指用铅笔、蜡笔、粉笔等画线、画图等，强调“素描”“画草图”，动词和名词我们分别举一例：
The little boy can sketch out a horse quickly.
这小男孩子能迅速成地色画出一匹马。
He did a sketch of the ballet dancers.
他为这些芭蕾舞者画了一张素描。
2. Sketch引申可以指“概述”“简述”等。比如说：
I'll give you a sketch of what has happened.
我给你把发生的情况简单描述一下。
Let me sketch in a little more of our plans.
让我把我们的计划再稍加补充。
3. Daffodil['d?f?d?l]: 读起来挺好听的，而这个词的意思也很美好，指象征纯洁、吉祥的水仙花。
歌词：Now I understand what you tried to say to me, and how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free.
你想告诉我什么话语，你的精神倍受摧残，你曾多么想将他们释放。
1. Sanity是名词，表示“神智健全；头脑清楚”。当你要表达神志不清的时候，可以搭配动词lost，比如：
She lost her sanity when she heard of that news.
当她听到这个消息时,便发狂了。
2. Set free: 释放；使获得自由。比如：
The prisoner had hopes that he might be set free.
这个囚犯希望能获得释放。
I'll never forget the day when we were set free.
我永远不会忘记我们获得自由的那一天。

1 starry   

adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的

参考例句：

• He looked at the starry heavens.他瞧着布满星星的天空。
• I like the starry winter sky.我喜欢这满天星斗的冬夜。

2 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

3 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

4 sanity   

n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确

参考例句：

• I doubt the sanity of such a plan.我怀疑这个计划是否明智。
• She managed to keep her sanity throughout the ordeal.在那场磨难中她始终保持神志正常。

5 swirling   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Snowflakes were swirling in the air. 天空飘洒着雪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• She smiled, swirling the wine in her glass. 她微笑着，旋动着杯子里的葡萄酒。 来自辞典例句

6 haze   

n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊

参考例句：

• I couldn't see her through the haze of smoke.在烟雾弥漫中，我看不见她。
• He often lives in a haze of whisky.他常常是在威士忌的懵懂醉意中度过的。

7 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

8 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。

9 ragged   

adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的

参考例句：

• A ragged shout went up from the small crowd.这一小群人发出了刺耳的喊叫。
• Ragged clothing infers poverty.破衣烂衫意味着贫穷。

10 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

11 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。