"GREENSLEEVES"《綠 袖 子》
一首悠來已久的傳統英格蘭民謠, 樂曲結構清簡, 以西班牙宮庭傳統舞蹈的節奏寫成, 歌詞內容, 相傳是十六世紀英皇亨利八世 Henry VIII 的愛情史之一; 亦是他自1509年登基之後, 六位入宮皇后當中, 一位貴族出生的 Anne Boleyn 與他的愛情逸聞軼事。
King of England 亨利八世 Henry VIII (1491-1547)
自幼受音樂薰陶, 造詣甚高, 這是人所共知, 他縱於情慾, 在坊間亦有所聞, 在追求 Anne Boleyn 的期間, 亦甘於降貴紆尊、饋贈以衣粧、珠寶飾物、禮品佳餚, 甚至相伴同遊, 但仍無法取悦她的歡心, 這由於她心心不忿, 不欲步姐姐 Mary 後塵; 姐姐曾是國皇亨利八世的情婦, 更為他生下一男一女, 卻不被封為皇子公主, 甚至不認親兒。
亨利八世追求 Anne Boleyn 不遂致苦戀, 為此將首任皇后 Catherine of Aragon 癈除, 藉口是她不能為皇室傳宗接代, 繼承皇位, 繼而把二十多年的婚約解除, 不惜脫離羅馬天主教; 同年, 改信奉英國國教, 在允許重婚的教條之下, 結果令 Anne Boleyn 願意走入宮幃, 成為亨利八世的第二任皇后。英國歴史有記載, 亨利八世由1509年登基, 同年大婚納后, 至往後的四十年, 每個被納寵為皇后的女子, 均以悲劇收埸。
皇 后: Catherine of Aragon - 1509年亨利八世登基、大婚, 1533年后位被癈除
第二位: Anne Boleyn - 1533年納寵, 1536年被處决於斷頭台上
第三位: Jane Seymour - 1536年納寵, 翌年產後並發症去世
第四位: Anne of Cleves - 1540年納寵, 同年癈婚
第五位: Catherine Howard - 1540年納寵, 兩年後被處决可
第六位: Catherine Parr - 1543年納寵, 至1547年享利八世駕崩
"Greensleeves"
這民謠的曲詞第二句: "cast me off discourteously" 可解作 "拒受寵幸", 與及副歌中的詞彙 "Greensleeves" 是放蕩少女的隱喻, 從這些字句, 可理解因求愛不遂, 失意之時, 在字裡行間以一洩心中的苦澀。綜合了以上的皇庭逸事, 更使大多數人在日後仍誤以為這是亨利八世 Henry VIII 的作品。但是, 這民謠卻是由亨利八世駕崩, 其皇朝告終之後四十年, 才開始在英格蘭出現並廣傳起來。至今, 仍沒有文字手稿可引證這是亨利八世的作品。
英國倫敦 London Stationers' Hall 的作家版權登記册, 一篇1580年九月登記的詩作 "A Newe Northen Dittye of ye Ladye Greene Sleeves", 作者是 Richard Jones; 同月份, 另一篇 "Ye Ladie Greene Sleeves answere to Donkyn hir frende" 登記, 作者是 Edward White; 繼而同年期間, 共有幾篇名字和詩句略有不同的作品, 同在登記册上出現, 這引起各人的爭議, 有一位亦是詩篇登記的作者聲稱: "綠袖子已經失敗了, 黃色袖子讓我失望, 儘管如此, 我仍然穿著黑色袖子, 而我最喜愛的, 卻是白色袖子"。
"A Handful of Pleasant Delites"
1584年出版的詩集, 當中一篇注上年份1580年, 但沒有作者名字的詩篇 "A new Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green sleeves 綠袖子女士新宮廷十四行詩", 全詩共有十八節。這是最後出現和有記載關於 "Greensleeves" 的文本。
1584年出版的詩集, 當中一篇注上年份1580年, 但沒有作者名字的詩篇 "A new Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green sleeves 綠袖子女士新宮廷十四行詩", 全詩共有十八節。這是最後出現和有記載關於 "Greensleeves" 的文本。
"The Merry Wives of Windsor"
一齣 1602年上演 William Shakespeare 莎士比亞的舞台劇, 台詞中出現的 "Green Sleeves" 是取自這首1850年的詩篇 "A new Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green sleeves"。
第二幕: Mistress Alice Ford: "that I would have sworn his disposition would have gone to the truth of his words; but they do no more adhere and keep place together than the Hundredth Psalm to the tune of 'Green Sleeves."
第五幕: Sir John Falstaff: "Let the sky rain potatoes; let it thunder to the tune of Green Sleeves."
莎翁用上歐陸 "Lute 琵琶" 彈奏的音樂, 加上對白: "the tune of Green Sleeves" 這台詞來描繪 Alice Ford 女士對服飾的執着, 因而令致 Sir John Falstaff 對她詛咒。撰譜是專於這樂器的作曲家 John Dowland (1563-1626), 他把樂曲命名為 "Lady Greensleeves", 這亦是最早出現有文字記載和音樂曲譜的版本。
Shakespeare Songs - Deller Consort
"Lady Greensleeves"
是民謠中所指放蕩和任性的男女, 他們不理世俗, 隨便在草地上調情, 纏綿撫摸, 不顧衣服弄至片片綠色的草青漬, 而這樣的女子被視為更甚於妓女所為, 因此 "Lady Greensleeves" 被暗喻淫蕩不羇的青春少女, 是一個貶意的别稱; 及後, "Greensleeves" 這詞彙亦應用於任性的青年男女!
二十一世紀今天, 男女交往, 在公開場合有親暱的肌膚接觸, 甚至兩情相悅的撫摸, 亦視作等閒; 而"綠色"己成為特別象徵的顏色, 在香港一些掌故, 有述當年灣仔區, 某些樓宇的 "綠窗門" 是妓寨招徠的顏色, 而妓女被暗喻為 "綠窗神女", 不知是否出自這首英國民謠 "Greensleeves"?
至今, 在不同音樂平台上, 一首有完整歌詞的 "Greensleeves" 實在少見, 相信在唱片錄音方面, 演繹的時間長度是商業的考慮因素之一; 而且, 副歌之外的十八節歌詞當中, 有不少節是較為適合由男士去演繹, 這視乎各取所需的選擇了。拙筆找到這一段較為傳統, 由男女分别演繹的版本。
Anne Boleyn
GREENSLEEVES《綠 袖 子》 歌詞是撰於文藝复興時期, 跟今天英文拼寫有不同, 最明顯是字母"V"以"U"代之, 這是拙筆截錄自原來的文獻, 是古老的版本, 現以文字和圖解作闡釋。
"A new Courtly Sonnet of the Lady Green sleeves. To the new tune of Greensleeves" Original Renaissance lyrics:
(1) Alas, my loue, ye do me wrong,
To cast me off discourteously; (拒受寵愛)
And I haue loued you so long
Delighting in your companie!
CHORUS:
Greensleeues was all my joy,
Greensleeues was my delight;
Greensleeues was my heart of gold,
And who but Ladie Greensleeues. (放蕩女子)
(2) I have been readie at your hand,
To grant what euer you would craue,
I have both wagèd life and land,
Your loue and good will for to haue.
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(3) I bought thee kerchers to thy head, (handkerchief; scarves 手帕頭巾)
That were wrought fine and gallantly;
I kept thee both at boord and bed,
Which cost my purse well fauouredly.
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(4) I bought thee petticoats of the best,
The cloth so fine as might be:
I gaue thee iewels for thy chest,
And all this cost I spent on thee.
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(5) Thy smock of silk, both faire and white,
With gold embrodered gorgeously;
Thy petticote of Sendall right;
And thus I bought thee gladly.
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(6) Thy smock of the gold so crimson red,
With pearles bedeckèd sumptuously,
The like no other lasses had: (lassies 戀人)
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(7) Thy purse, and eke thy gay gilt kniues,
Thy pincase, gallant to the eie;
No better wore the burgesse wiues: (被寵溺的妻子)
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
PINCASE: 文藝復興時期, 服裝配飾如蕾絲衣領、袖口、圍巾, 甚至外套, 均要求用別針固定, 以示瑞莊; 不使用時, 這些別針放回隨身的盒子裡。
(8) Thy crimson stockings all of silk,
With golde all wrought aboue the knee;
Thy pumps as white as was the milk:
And yet though wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(9) Thy gown was of the grassie green,
Thy sleeues of Satten hanging by;
Which made thee be our haruest Queen:
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(10) Thy garters fringèd with the golde,
And siluer aglets hanging by;
Which made thee blithe for to beholde,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
To ride whereuer likèd thee;
No ladie euer was so braue:
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(12) My men were clothèd all in green,
And they did euer wait on thee;
All this was gallant to be seen:
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(13) They set thee vp, they took thee downe,
They serued thee with humilite,
Thy foote might not once touch the ground,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(14) For euerie morning, when thou rose,
I sent thee dainties, orderly, (delicacies 美饌)
To cheare thy stomack from all woes,
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHROUS
(15) Thou couldst desire no earthly thing,
But stil thou hadst it readily, (always; ever)
Thy musicke still to play and sing:
And yet thou wouldst not loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHROUS
(16) And who did pay for all this geare,
That thou didst spend when pleasèd thee?
Euen I that am reiected here,
And thou disdainst to loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHROUS
(17) Well! I will pray to God on hie,
That thou my constancie mayst see,
And that, yet once before I die,
Thou wilt vouchsafe to loue me! (consent)
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
(18) Greensleeues, now farewell! adue!
God I pray to prosper thee!
For I am stil thy louer true:
Come once again and loue me!
Greensleeues .... CHORUS
NEXT .... GREENSLEEVES《綠 袖 子》- 2 : Remade