悲慘世界Les Miserables是我有生以來聽過最多次、費過最多心思寄熟歌詞、花過最多錢買週邊商品的音樂劇。在我花樣的雙十年華中，我與它在倫敦的皇宮劇院Palace Theatre首次結下了不解之緣。同一趟旅程中，兩度狠心地花下了八十鎊，只為了縱容自己再一次享受那久違的悸動。坐在前十排的觀眾席中，我努力地張大耳朵、睜大眼睛，決不錯過台上的一舉一動。三個小時過後，我帶著感動的喜悅、驕傲的收穫、真誠的淚水、與擤鼻涕擤到破皮的鼻子，不捨地慢慢跺出了劇院。

文學巨著中的劇情內容相當複雜，主角之生離死別、人性之貪嗔妄念、世俗之善惡分明、命運之磨難悲悵，不是讀完就能馬上了解的。但是音樂劇卻有無比的本事讓你在短短地一個晚上有著意想不到透徹領悟。

故事發生在一八二三年的法國海濱城鎮，主角尚萬強Jean Valjean因偷麵包而被捕入獄長達十九年。假釋後再在逃獄期間受到宗教感化自此洗心革面、奮發向上，最後成為工廠老闆，進而當上市長一職。工廠裡可憐的女工芳婷Fantine臨終託孤，請他代為照顧其私生女柯賽特Cosette尚萬強不幸因身分暴露，只好帶著柯賽特逃往巴黎，以避開警官賈維Javert的追捕。柯塞特長大後陷入戀情，尚萬強為了保護她的情人馬里斯Marius，加入了革命軍的行列；與政府對抗時，尚萬強釋放了潛入革命軍而被囚禁的賈維。在革命青年幾乎全數陣亡時，尚萬強成功地救出了馬里斯。雖再度與賈維狹路相逢，但賈維早已被尚萬強的仁慈感動，終於放棄逮捕他入獄的機會；隨後便因未能克盡職責而跳河自盡。返家後尚萬強全盤道出柯塞特的身世之謎，並將其一生托付給馬里斯。不知賈維已死，又擔心自己的過去拖累這對愛侶，尚萬強黯然離開他心愛的家，一個人孤獨終老。臨終之際，柯賽特與馬里歐才趕來病遢之前，道出心中對尚萬強無限的感思。最後尚萬強在英靈的接引之下，了無遺憾地離開了這終其一生的悲慘世界。

悲慘世界唯一出售的CD及VCD紀錄著一九九五年十月八日在英國倫敦皇家亞伯特聽Royal Albert Hall舉辦的慶祝十週年現場演唱會；各個角色皆由知名的音樂劇歌手所演唱。本人較偏好敘述兩性感情世界的曲目，例如為何芳婷會生下柯塞特的悲慘回憶“I dreamed a dream”，艾波寧Eponine細述她單戀馬里歐的孤獨與寂寞“On my own”(最後在戰爭中為馬里歐擋子彈身亡)。請大家一起用心聽音樂、用力看歌詞，一定能了然於心我為何情繫於此。

我會努力上傳這兩首歌，讓大家試著了解為何當時年少輕狂的我會被這些歌曲有如此強烈的執著，至今再聽個千擺回也依然久久不能自己。當然，其他氣勢磅礡的曲目也不容大家一再錯過，祝福大家都有機會好好享受這場不斷為人津津樂道的悲慘世界音樂劇。趁著它未下檔前欣賞一場現場演出;否則會終生遺憾抱憾喔~

I.
I DREAMED A DREAM ---- by Fantine

There was a time when men were kind
When their voices were soft
And their words inviting
There was a time when love was blind
And the world was a song
And the song was exciting
There was a time
It all went wrong

I dreamed a dream in time gone by
When hope was high
And life worth living
I dreamed that love would never die
I dreamed that God would be forgiving

Then I was young and unafraid
And dreams were made, and used
And wasted
There was no ransom to be paid
No song unsung
No wine untasted

But the tigers come at night
With their voices soft as thunder
As they tear your hope apart
As they turn your dream to shame
He slept a summer by my side
He filled my days
With endless wonder
He took my childhood in his stride
But he was gone when autumn came

And still I dream he’ll come to me
That we will live the years together
But there are dreams that cannot be
And there are storms we cannot weather

I had a dream my life would be
So different from this hell I’m living
So different now from what it seemed
Now life has killed
The dream I dreamed

PS. 太慘啦！如果發生在這個年代我一定要送她這首歌: I will survive！可惜她生錯年代，擁有私生女只會受盡欺凌恥笑及冷落不屑。而她的負心漢呢？大概在別處繼續讓其他女人哭著唱同樣一首歌吧~~~

II.
ON MY OWN ---- by Eponine

And now I’m all alone again
Nowhere to go, no one to turn to
I did not want your money, sir
I came out here ‘cos I was told to
And now the night is near. Now I cam make believe he’s here

Something I walk alone at night when everyone else is sleeping
I think of him and then I’m happy with the company I’m keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head

On my own
Pretending he’s beside me
All alone I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me

In the rain the pavement shines like silver
All the lights are misty in the river
In the darkness the trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever

And I know it’s only in my mind
That I’m talking to myself and not to him
And, although I know that he is blind
Still I say there’s a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone, the river’s just a river
Without him the world around me changes
The trees are bare, and everywhere the streets are full of strangers

I love him
But every day I’m learning
All my life I’ve only been pretending
Without me his world will go on turning
The world is full of happiness that I have never know
I love him, I love him, I love him, …. but only on my own

PS. 這是首苦情歌；可憐的艾波寧不但要獨自忍受單戀的煎熬還要強顏歡笑促成一馬里歐與柯賽特這對佳偶，她的感情付諸流水。好朋友終究是好朋友；就算最後為他失去性命，得到的終究只是個充滿感激的吻別罷了。

本文的Miserables的第一個e應是上頭有向左下撇去的法文字,但這裡秀不出來,請大家自動加上去囉~

by: Zorreta, C