PUFF, THE MAGIC DRAGON - 2/1 : Peter, Paul & Mary

"Puff, The Magic Dragon" 
｢神奇的巨龍和小男孩 Jackie Paper 在海邊嬉戲, 乘船出海傲遊, 過著無拘無束, 快樂的日子....｣

"The Tale of Custard the Dragon"
美國詩人 Ogden Nash (1902-1971) 1936年的童畫詩作, 當中的少女 Belinda, 家中的寵物都喜歡吹噓自己勇敢, 卻時常嘲笑外表威猛而膽怯柔弱如 "Custard 奶油" 的小龍。一天, 被海盜闖入屋裡, 牠們全都跑掉, 衹留下小龍 "Custard" 應對, 牠把海盗全吞噬之後各動物才回來, 但仍繼續自吹自擂一番。

一九五九年, Peter Yarrow (1938-2025) 大學即將畢業; 一天, 他的學弟 Leonard Lipton 獨自留在宿舍, 閱讀 "The Tale of Custard the Dragon" 這本童畫詩作, 被書中的一首短詩吸引着, 隨即把自己的靈感寫成詩句, 用 Peter 的打字機記錄下來, 之後就離開上課去; Peter 回到宿舍, 看過留在打字機上的詩句之後, 很快已把它忘記了。

"P U F F"
一九六一年, Peter Yarrow, Paul Stookey 與 Mary Travers 組成了民歌組合 "Peter, Paul & Mary", 在樂壇開始被注目。1962年底, Peter Yarrow 在構思新歌曲期間, 在一本他的藏書當中, 找到 Leonard Lipton 多年前留在打字機上這張沒有名字的幾行詩句, 細看之後而觸發靈感, 完成一首以簡單名字 "PUFF" 的歌曲, 由他們的三人組合錄製唱片, 1963年一月面世, 至三月三十日登上 "Billboard Hot 100" 榜第四十位, 最終登上第二位。 

"Puff, The Magic Dragon"
歌曲面世之後, 同年六月 "The Andrews Sister" 以歌曲名字 "Puff" (The Magic Dragon) 錄製唱片, 繼而的歌手亦用上同一歌曲名字, 至1965年, "Star Folk with Barry McGuire" 的演繹則取名 "Puff, The Magic Dragon", 自此, 其他歌手的版本大多數以相同的名字陸續面世, 有記錄的翻唱版本有六十三首, 十三種語言的二十一個版本共有三十七首, 還有十七首純音樂的演繹, 以不同曲風或格調在各國流行樂壇亮聲。

 

Peter Yarrow (1938-2025)                                                    Leonard Lipton (1940-2022)
"Puff, the Magic Dragon" 這一曲的創作靈感是來自 Leonard Lipton 的無名詩篇, 歌曲面世之後大受歡迎, Peter Yarrow 得學弟 Leonard 同意成為這歌曲的撰詞人之一, 共享歌曲的版權收益。Leonard Lipton 這位多才多藝的作家與作詞人2022年去世; Peter Yarrow 於2025年去世, 留下一首令人有不同感受與回憶的作品, 在動蕩的七十年代為聽者帶來一點點慰藉, 但是, 流行樂壇卻有不同的闡釋, 在美國政壇亦引起不少輿論....

在歌詞中描繪這流氓巨龍 "Puff", 在一個充滿活力名叫 Honah Lee 的地方, 認識了人類的小孩 Jackie Paper 之後, 一同嬉戲和乘船出海傲遊, 王帝, 王子至海盗亦要向 "Puff" 巨龍行禮如儀。隨著時光流逝, 這個小孩已經長大, 並放棄了這個兒時的玩伴。一個灰濛濛的晚上, 巨龍 "Puff" 在等候 Jackie 到來; 一夜過後, 他再沒有出現, 自視勇猛的 "Puff" 失去了生命中的好友, 感到悲傷和失落, 變得懦弱無助, 唯有躱進牠的洞穴裡....


"P U F F" - Peter, Paul & Mary, 1963
Music : Peter Yarrow
Lyrics : Leonard Lipton, Peter Yarrow

Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honah Lee
Little Jackie Paper loved that rascal Puff
And brought him strings, and sealing wax, and other fancy stuff

 

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

 

Together they would travel on a boat with billowed sail
Jackie kept a lookout perched on Puff's gigantic tail
Noble kings and princes would bow whenever they came
Pirate ships would lower their flags when Puff roared out his name

 

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

 

A dragon lives forever, but not so little boys
Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar

 

His head was bent in sorrow, green scales fell like rain
Puff no longer went to play along the cherry lane
Without his lifelong friend, Puff could not be brave
So Puff, that mighty dragon, sadly slipped into his cave

 

Oh, Puff, the magic dragon lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee
Puff, the magic dragon, lived by the sea
And frolicked in the autumn mist, in a land called Honah Lee

其 他 語 言
CATALAN  -  Puff, el drac magic - Ramon Casajoana i John Boix   1967
CZECH  -  Drak od oblé skály - Palvci  1980
DUTCH  -  Poef! - Conny van den Bos en René Frank  1964
ENGLISH  -  Fluff (The Velvet Dragon) - The Cherryhill Trio  1963
                 Puff, the Kosher Dragon - Ruach  1976
                 Barack the Magic Negro - Paul Shanklin   2007

Fluff (The Velvet Dragon) - The Cherryhill Trio  1963
Fluff the velvet dragon play beneath the fall
Till one day in early May, she left her ocean home
She was so sad and lonely, wonder day and night
Searching for someone to care, to be her heart's delight

She crossed the Gumdrop Mountains and all the Peppermint Plains
Marched through marshmallow meadows and into cherry lake
She searched the sandy seashore and threw rock candy veils
Gathering and sealing wax with surfing with the waves

Now Puff the magic dragon from his lonely cave
Despite his pink and velvet dream a smile he shiny gave
Her heart it fluttered gayly, he fluffed her pearly scales
Coily blinked her violet eyes, tied ribbons on her tail

Then puff, and rascal Jackie has need of me no more
Come with me to Honah Lee beside the moon and shore
We'll see enchanted islands with pirates fierce and bold
Sail along the Milky Way in a galleon ship of gold

Now Fluff and Puff together, we'll never be alone
Through the gentle autumn mist forever they will roar
If you shouldn't ever wonder through the land of Honah Lee
And meet those magic dragons, won't you say hello for me?

FINNISH  -  Lohikäärme Puff - Brita Koivunen - Four Cats - Jaakko Salon yhtye  1964
FRENCH  -  Puff, dragon magique - Burt Blanca  1964
                 Puff - Claire Lepage  1969
                 Le dragon magique - Claude François  1970
GERMAN  -  Paff, der Zauberdrachen - Marlene Dietrich  1963
                 Paps - Die SWE-Stars  1963
                 Dümmer als du denkst - Gebrüder Blattschuss  1977
                 Drees de Wunnerdrake - Fiede Kay  1976


HEBREW  -  פאף דרקון הפלא (Puf drakon hapeleh) גילה אדרי (Gila Adari) 1965

ICELANDIC  -  Breki galdradreki - Fiðrildi  1970


JAPANESE  -  Puff, The Magic Dragon - Pink Martini & Saori Yuki  2011

NORWEGIAN  -  Puff the magic dragon - Rune Larsen  2016
                       Doff, den gode draken - Vestlandsduoen - Kari og Ivar Medaas  1969
SPANISH  -  Puff - Karina  1963
SWEDISH  -  Puff, en pappersdrake - Snopporna  1963

NEXT.... 2/2 : PUFF, THE MAGIC DRAGON - 背 後 故 事