生前碌碌，死后扬名：凡高结束自己生命之前可曾预料到？百年之后，空荡荡的大厅里的画展，一个与他同样热爱生命、同样热爱艺术的歌手站在他的作品前，告诉他，“文森特，如今我才明白，你想对我说些什么”，“可我无法告诉你，这个世界从来不如你那样美好”。——雪白的亚麻布上，蓝与灰的幻化、树林或是水仙、铺天盖地的卷曲的云，都是画家倾注心血的创作。为了更明亮些，为了更自由地表达。——凡高所传达的信息，多少人真的懂了？“They would not listen, they're not listening still. Perhaps they never will.”
Vincent
Don Mclean
Starry, starry night, paint your palette blue and gray
Look out on a summer's day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills in colors on the snowy linen land
Now I understand what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free
They would not listen they did not know how, prhaps they'll listen now
Starry, starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze
Reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue, colors changing hue
Morning fields of amber grain, weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
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
They would not listen they did not know how, prhaps they'll listen now
For they could not love you, but still your love was true
And when no hope was left inside on that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
But I couldn’t have told you Vincent
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you
Starry, starry night, portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls
With eyes that watch the world and can't forget
Like the strangers that you've met, the ragged men in ragged clothes
A silver thorn of bloody rose lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
Now I think I know, what you tried to say to me
And how you suffered for your sanity, and how you tried to set them free
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will
重点讲解
Vincent Van Gogh 文森特凡高，继伦伯朗之后荷兰最伟大的具有世界性影响的画家。他的作品色彩多明亮、鲜艳，传达的是“能吞没一切的热情”。
daffodil n. 水仙化 patette n. 调色板
chill n. 寒意，寒颤 sketch v. 绘草图，素描
linin a. 亚麻布制成的 sanity n. 心智健全
flaming a. 色彩鲜明的 swirl v. 使成旋涡
violet a. 紫罗兰色的 haze n. 薄雾，阴霾
blaze v. 燃烧，照耀 hue n. 色调，颜色
amber a. 琥珀色的 weathered a. 风干的，风化的
sooth v. 真实再现 frameless a. 没有加框的
thorn n. 荆棘 line v. 使有线条，使起皱纹
portrait n. 肖像 ragged a. 粗糙的，褴褛的
Morning fields of amber grain, weathered faces lined in pain
are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand
清晨田野里琥珀一样的稻穗和远处那些被风雨剥蚀的脸孔
在艺术家灵性的手上得到真实的再现
when no hope was left inside on that starry, starry night
You took your life as lovers often do
星夜下，当心中再没有一丝希望
你也象恋人们常做的那样，结束了自己的生命
Portraits hung in empty halls, frameless heads on nameless walls
那曾是无名的自画像就悬在空荡荡的大厅里一面无名的墙上
A silver thorn of bloody rose lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow
血色的玫瑰茎上银白的利刺折断了,在初雪的大地上被碾成尘埃
They would not listen, they're not listening still
Perhaps they never will
这些他们不想听，他们没有在听，或许他们永远也不会听
在我的音乐典藏里只有三类歌：第一类歌是以优美的旋律刺激我的神经；第二类歌是以深刻蕴意拨动我的心弦；第三类歌当然是以至高境界——词曲的完美结合来征服我的灵魂。
《Vincent》这首歌虽然只是属于第二类，但是它却是我的挚爱。不知道为什么，每次听到这首歌时，总有一种莫名的心痛挥之不去。一半当然是因为 Vincent·Van·Gogh，另一半是因为这首歌的创作者——Don·Mclean。《Vincent》是Mclean欣赏了凡高的作品《星空》之后激情创作的。这首歌的曲风同其它乡村民谣相比，并
无异质，还是那种散发着淡淡的幽香的小品文风格。它的过人之处在于它那发人深省的歌词上。Mclean 用他那诗人般的手笔向我们展示了一幅又一幅的优美画卷，同时也以他那天才般的敏锐洞悉出凡高内心的苦楚，表达了对这位天才画家的深深的理解与敬意。歌中 Mclean 用极尽绚烂的词藻来描绘凡高的画，旨在表现凡高那灿若向日葵般的生命。当凡高躺在弟弟提奥德怀里静静的离开这个世界上时，他才37岁。天才的生命总是异常的短暂，但却绚烂若夏花。凡高以如火的热情畅游于艺术的海洋，虽然周遭充满了鄙夷与曲解，虽然他时常被饥饿与寒冷折磨，但是他那永不枯竭的创作灵感从来没有被不公的命运所扼杀。他以惊人的创作力为世界艺术宝库留下了以笔巨大的财富。然而，天才不是神人。他同凡人一样，他也会彷徨，也有脆弱的时候。所以， Mclean又以朴实无华的语言来倾诉凡高内心的痛苦，以象“when there is no hope left inside on that starry starry night,you took your life as lovers often do.”这样凄婉的语句来暗示凡高的自杀。
从这首歌中，我们不难体会到一种英雄惜英雄的情感。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。但我想说的是，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。让我们向凡高和Mclean这两位天才致敬吧。
http://thelastndr.org/musicMP3/vincent.mp3
