2006-04-15 13:59:34兔子先生

聽我唸書

讀英文系的都是怪胎。這句話我可以證實也可以保證。

其實,英文系的教授才是怪胎,他們是怪胎中的怪胎;尤其是教文學的那些,簡直是一個比一個怪。他們怪的方式很詭異,永遠不會讓他們的學生失望,甚至怪到讓學生們覺得自己的怪行徑還真是正常。

我有個教授說過,他唸大學的時候,曾帶著女朋友在紐約坐了三小時的車去拜訪梅爾維爾(Herman Melville【白鯨記】作者)的墓地。因為在紐約,很少人開車,尤其是窮大學生根本不可能有錢開車,所以他們坐了地鐵,換了三班公車,才終於到達目的地。去那邊做什麼呢?

還在唸大三的教授拿出一本梅爾維爾所寫的小說,席地而坐後開始大聲讀了起來。而女朋友則無聊地坐在一旁聽到睡著。最離譜的是,教授一直都不知道女朋友睡著,一直唸到天快黑了,沒有陽光繼續唸下去,他才把書本放下來,搖醒女友後,再坐三小時的車回家。

我一直覺得奇怪的是,女朋友怎麼會聽人家大聲朗誦小說而睡著呢?難道是小時候爸媽每晚唸故事書給她聽,所以長大後每當有人開始唸書,她就開始想睡覺?再說,二十歲不到的女孩子膽子再大,也不敢在墓園裡睡著吧?這個人神經未免太大條了一點。

我並不知道別人都覺得奇怪的人是我教授,而不是他女朋友。哪個人會瘋狂到約會地點選在某作家的墓園,然後去那邊唸書給女朋友聽?我反而覺得我教授很正常勒。(這點也許同時證實了唸英文系的人真的都是怪胎)。

我買了Damien Rice的唱片,然後一邊聽一邊讀書。跟同學說好的書單上,除了海明威(Hemingway)的幾篇短故事,【太陽從這裡升起】(The Sun Also Rises),【戰地春夢】(A Farewell to Arms),我還有亨利.詹姆斯(Henry James)的【碧廬冤孽】(The Turn of Screw)等著我。(這些書在本文登出的日子之前就已經唸完了!!)說好的書單已經排到今年暑假了。這是種很奇怪的感覺,因為我是真的想去唸那些書,而且如果少花時間看電視跟在網上聊天,我一定可以做到。

突然有點了解我為什麼很喜歡Damien Rice的Older Chests那首歌。他唱著:『And we always seem to need the help /Of someone else/To mend that shelf/Too many books/Read me your favorite line』。(我們總是看起來需要別人的幫助,去補救那個架子;太多本書,唸給我聽你最愛的那句。

真的,Too many books,read me your favorite line。我絲毫不介意坐在某名作家的墓碑旁聽你唸書。

*圖片 from : [ Damien Rice ] @ http://www.nrk.no/musikk/3573153.html*

Older Chests by Damien Rice

Older chests reveal themselves
Like a crack in a wall
Starting small, and grow in time
And we always seem to need the help
Of someone else
To mend that shelf
Too many books
Read me your favourite line

Papa went to other lands
And he found someone who understands
The ticking, and the western man’s need to cry
He came back the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
And some things
They stay the same

Like time, there’s always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I’ll be fine
Just give me time

Older gents sit on the fence
With their cap in hand
Looking grand
They watch their city change
Children scream, or so it seems,
Louder than before
Out of doors, into stores with bigger names
Mama tried to wash their faces
But these kids they lost their graces
And daddy lost at the races too many times

She broke down the other day, yeah you know
Some things in life may change
But some things they stay the same

Like time, time, there’s always time
On my mind
So pass me by, I’ll be fine
Just give me time,
Time, there’s always time
On my mind
Pass me by, I’ll be fine
Just give me time