原曲:Dvořák (德弗札克)(1893)
填詞:李抱忱 (1907-1979)
念故鄉,念故鄉,故鄉真可愛,天甚清,風甚涼,鄉愁陣陣來。
故鄉人,今如何,常念念不忘,在他鄉,一孤客,寂寞又淒涼。
我願意,回故鄉,重返舊家園,眾親友,聚一堂,同享從前樂。
《念故鄉》是美國黑人靈歌《Going Home》的中譯,不過我認為原文中的 Home,指的不是每天回去吃飯睡覺的家,而是別有所指的「老家」,是上帝在那裡等候你歸來的家(天國)。
音樂課本上翻譯的《念故鄉》是由李抱忱填詞,很平易近人,但是已經感覺不到原來「回天國」的內涵了。20 世紀三四十年代,韋瀚章曾經替它填了詞《老大徒傷悲》,因過於典雅,不利於推廣。
這首《念故鄉》的旋律是來自捷克音樂家德弗乍克(Antonín Leopold Dvořák, 1841 –1904)的《第九交響曲》第二樂章緩板(又名《新世界交響曲》)。
這是德弗乍克在 1893 年完成的作品,當時他由歐洲應邀到美國出任紐約國立音樂學院院長。
1969 年,人類首度登上月球時,宇航員阿姆斯壯(Neil Armstrong),帶上去的就是《新世界交響曲》的錄音。
有人說《新世界交響曲》有擷取黑人靈歌《Going Home》的章節,不過也有人說是德弗乍克在紐約時,擔任助手的黑人作曲家波雷(Harry Burleigh, 1866-1949)負責把《新世界交響曲》的手稿轉成各種不同樂器的樂譜時,譜出了《Going Home》的旋律,再由德弗乍克的學生費希爾(William Arms Fisher,1861-1948)填入歌詞,也就是我們課本所教唱的《念故鄉》。
《Going home》(From The New World)
Going home, going home, I'm just going home .
Quiet like, slip away- I'll be going home .
It's not far, just close by; Jesus is the Door ;
Work all done, laid aside, Fear and grief no more .
Going home going home, I am going home .
Quiet like, some still day, I am going home .
It's not far, just close by, through an open door .
Work all done, care laid by never fear no more .
Mother's there expecting me, Father's waiting too .
Lots of faces gathered there, All the friends I knew .
Friends are there, waiting now .
He is waiting , too .
See His smile ! See His hand !
He will lead me through .
Morning Star lights the way ;
Restless dream all done ;
Shadows gone, break of day ,
Life has just begun .
Every tear wiped away ,
Pain and sickness gone ;
Wide awake there with Him !
Peace goes on and on !
Going home, going home ,
I'll be going home .
See the Light! See the Sun !
I'm just going home .
http://cc.shu.edu.tw/~wang/orchid/music/music_x_going_home.htm