主题：ABBA的歌儿 （1） -- 恒光明

几周前得知地处Sandton的Le Canard (“鸭子”法国餐厅)要搞一个“Mama Mia!”的大餐,尽管知道这是纯粹的商业噱头,但还是立马预定了,毕竟是Le Canard的老顾客了,他们以前搞的一些活动都挺别致的(诸如 “泰坦尼克”号的最后晚宴等等),最重要的是我们可以在享用希腊美酒,美食和地中海风情的同时,重温“Mama Mia!”!

被告知当晚的着装是 “半正式 or 七零年代”,可我们翻箱倒柜也找不出几件象样的70年代的行头来(奇怪了,我的牛仔喇叭裤呢?),只好退而求其次,换上我的西装.妻也只好套上一条花一点的裙子,匆忙上路, Mama Mia,here we go again!

等我们八点钟达到Le Canard,餐厅的花园里一排排的长桌椅上已是快坐满了人. 花园以白帆作顶,桌椅则铺上了白色餐布,尽量营造希腊小岛的氛围.我们两人在四周清一色的老年白人中,非常地扎眼,礼貌地和“邻居们”寒暄后,可以看的出他们眼中的不解:年纪轻轻的中国人也懂得欣赏ABBA?

不得不提的是,当晚的Godfather葡萄酒真是不错,我不知不觉喝下了三四杯,居然也没有醉意.杯光酒影中,主持人出场.原来,并没有演员,仅有一支小型乐队.每人得到一本歌词后,才意识到搞了半天,是要我们唱啊!你可以想象这支高龄合唱队的效果,五音不全也罢了,还有因为字太小,干脆在念的,唱到一半,主持人大吼:“翻页!”,我隔壁的老太太看着我愣了几秒才幡然醒悟:“Oh, my dear!” 赶快翻页…

接下来上头盘,几样精致的希腊冷菜.再唱的时候,大家的乐感明显好多了.等到主菜下肚,酒过三巡,那合唱的水准真和专业的有一拼了!!!吃罢甜品,也就快到尾声了.这一场热闹的晚宴,在彩灯和星光交相辉映下,在“Thank you for the music”的曼妙歌声中,渐渐在我们身后消失…

So I say 所以我说

Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing 感谢这音乐,这歌儿

Thanks for the joy they’re bringing 带给我的欢乐

Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty 真的,没有这一切

What would life be? 生命该是多么地失落

Without a song or a dance 没有歌舞的生活

What are we? 我们又是什么?

So I say, thank you for the music 所以,感谢音乐

For giving it me 把快乐交给了我

感谢音乐.

I must have left my house at eight

because I always do

my train, I’m certain

left the station just when it was due

I must have read the morning paper

going into town

and having gotten through the editorial

no doubt I must have frowned

I must have made my desk

around a quarter after nine

with letters to be read

and heaps of papers waiting to be signed

I must have gone to lunch

at half past twelve or so

the usual place, the usual bunch

and still on top of this

I’m pretty sure it must have rained

the day before you came

I must have lit my seventh

cigarette at half past two

and at the time I never

even noticed I was blue

I must have kept on dragging

through the business of the day

without really knowing anything

I hid a part of me away

at five I must have left

there’s no exception to the rule

a matter of routine

I’ve done it ever since I finished school

the train back home again

undoubtedly I must have

read the evening paper then

oh yes, I’m sure my life was

well within its usual frame

the day before you came

I must have opened my front door

at eight o’clock or so

and stopped along the way

to buy some Chinese food to go

I’m sure I had my dinner

watching something on TV

there’s not, I think, a single

episode of Dallas that I didn’t see

I must have gone to bed

around a quarter after ten

I need a lot of sleep and so

I like to be in bed by then

I must have read a while

the latest one by Marilyn French

or something in that style

it’s funny, but I had no sense

of living without aim

the day before you came

And turning out the light

I must have yawned and

cuddled up for yet another night

and rattling on the roof

I must have heard the sound of rain

the day before you came