数日前，无意中看到旧时同事、青年翻译家陈萱出题的一个翻译比赛，也私底下抖胆一试，用宋词的风格翻译这首西方歌剧名段。这次的比赛题目是一首音乐剧歌词，选自韦伯音乐剧《真爱永恒》（Love never dies），它是《歌剧魅影》的续篇，讲了音乐鬼才魅影与歌剧名伶克里斯汀的重逢。克里斯汀与年轻英俊的子爵劳尔结婚，十年后劳尔嗜赌成性，家道中落，克里斯汀为了还债而重返歌坛，遇到了依然深爱着她的魅影。
自知浅陋，没有敢去投稿，翻译水很深，尚未窥到门径，聊博朋友们一笑而已。
晨曦甫至，夕烟又起
时光漫流
月色悄移，阑干影卧东窗底
踽踽长夜，那堪独眠
只盼萧娘歌一曲
The day starts, the day ends
Time crawls by
Night steals in, pacing the floor
The moments creep,
Yet I can’t bear to sleep
Till I hear you sing
倏倏旬逝，匆匆月过
等闲花落不见君
风入朱门几度春
黯然心伤，寂数残日
销魂神曲，今生能有几回闻
And weeks pass, and months pass
Seasons fly
Still you don’t walk through the door
And in a haze
I count the silent days
Till I hear you sing once more
三夜频入梦，
明我长相思
三更起，唯枕席，烟霞散
流年似水，似水流年
逝者如斯江河竭
忆君迢迢锥心肝
魂飞冥冥，生无恋，凭谁唤
一阙长歌，神回君前
And sometimes at night time
I dream that you are there
But wake holding nothing but the empty air
And years come, and years go
Time runs dry
Still I ache down to the core
My broken soul
Can’t be alive and whole
Till I hear you sing once more
袅袅仿佛，伊人唱吟
徘徊如缕，萦耳为乐
周郎顾，待细听
丽影安在？音尘无着
愿可绝兮梦复断
匪有伊人，焉所为兮
匪有知音，焉所乐兮
浮生半世常不足
此曲可堪又重闻？
And music, your music
It teases at my ear
I turn and it fades away and you’re not here
Let hopes pass, let dreams pass
Let them die
Without you, what are they for?
I’ll always feel
No more than halfway real
Till I hear you sing once more
