紐約不完全攻略手冊

美國的音樂劇作大師Stephen Sondheim（史蒂芬桑岱姆）最近應該因為Tim Burton(提姆波頓)和Johnny Depp(強尼戴普)合作的電影Sweeney Todd(瘋狂理髮師)而知名度大增。這位出生於紐約市土生土長的紐約客，曾經寫過一齣叫作Company「夥伴們」的音樂劇。這齣背景設於紐約市的作品一舉奪得了六項當年東尼獎，直接肯定了 Stephen Sondheim的音樂劇詞曲功力，算是他的創作生涯中很重要的一個里程碑。

這齣音樂劇以男主角Robert為中心，將他和五對朋友(四對夫妻，一對即將結婚的男女朋友)和他的三個女朋友以十一個小故事聯結起來成為一個完整的故事，主要是在在探討婚姻還有男女之間的關係。

其中有一首曲子是由Robert的女朋友之一Marta唱的"Another Hundred People"，唱著關於紐約市每天都有幾千幾萬的人來來去去。有的人將要離開，有個剛剛來到，紐約是個充滿著陌生人的城市。就在此時此刻，又有幾百個人剛剛下了火車。這齣音樂劇表現的手法也非常地特別，就是當事人演出時，歌曲卻同時由另外一個角色來唱。當Marta唱這首曲子的時候，Robert 分別和April和Kathy都有著對話。其中Kathy在告訴Robert她將要離開紐約回Cape Cod結婚時，有句超經典的台詞:"I think there's a time to come to New York, and a time to leave."「我想，一個人有來紐約的時候，也有離開紐約的時候。」

雖然這部作品在1970年搬上百老匯，可是Stephen Sondheim將近四十年前獨到的眼光和犀利的詞曲功力讓這首曲子到現在還極為適用並且寫到人們的心坎裡去了，完完全全地將紐約這個巨大擁擠卻又疏離的都市景況表現得淋漓盡致。

我試著將歌詞翻譯在下面，看看住過紐約的人是不是也會心有戚戚焉。

"Another hundred people"
Another hundred people just got off of the train
And came up through the ground,
While another hundred people just got off of the bus
And are looking around
At another hundred people who got off of the plane
And are looking at us
Who got off of the train
And the plane and the bus
Maybe yesterday.
當幾百個人剛剛下了火車, 從地面上來到這裡時,
又有幾百個人剛剛下了巴士, 正在四處環顧時,
又有幾百個人剛下飛機,
正在看著我們這些也許是在昨天才從火車或飛機或巴士上下來的人

It's a city of strangers,
Some come to work, some to play.
A city of strangers,
Some come to stare, some to stay.
這是個充滿陌生人的城市啊
有的人來工作, 有的來玩
這是個充滿陌生人的城市啊
有的人來看人, 有的留下來

And every day
The ones who stay
Can find each other in the crowded streets and the guarded parks,
By the rusty fountains and the dusty trees with the battered barks,
And they walk together past upholstered walls with the the crude remarks.
And they meet at parties through the friends of friends who they never know.
然後每一天, 那些留下來的人們
他們會在擁擠的街道和有圍牆的公園
生鏽的噴泉和沾滿灰塵有著破舊樹皮的樹旁找到彼此
他們一同走過有著粗糙塗鴉經過佈置的牆
然後他們在連自己也不認識朋友的朋友的聚會中相遇

"Do I pick you up or do I meet you there or shall we let it go?"
"Did you get my message? 'Cause I looked in vain."
"Can we see each other Tuesday if it doesn't rain?"
"Look, I'll call you in the morning or my service will explain."
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
"要我去接你還是我們直接在那裡碰面或是算了?"
"你有接到我的訊息嗎?"
"如果沒有下雨的話, 我們可以星期二見面嗎?"
"聽著, 我早上會打電話給你"
然後又有數百個人剛剛下了火車

It's a city of strangers,
Some come to work, some to play.
A city of strangers,
Some come to stare, some to stay.
這是個充滿陌生人的城市啊
有的人來工作, 有的來玩
這是個充滿陌生人的城市啊
有的人來看人, 有的留下來

And every day
Some go away
Or they find each other in the crowded streets and the guarded parks,
By the rusty fountains and the dusty trees with the battered barks,
And they walk together past upholstered walls with the crude remarks.
And they meet at parties through the friends of friends who they never
know.
然後每一天, 那些留下來的人們
他們會在擁擠的街道和有圍牆的公園
生鏽的噴泉和沾滿灰塵有著破舊樹皮的樹旁找到彼此
他們一同走過有著粗糙塗鴉經過佈置的牆
然後他們在連自己也不認識朋友的朋友的聚會中相遇

"Do I pick you up or do I meet you there or shall we let it go?"
"Did you get my message? 'Cause I looked in vain."
"Can we see each other Tuesday if it doesn't rain?"
"Look, I'll call you in the morning or my service will explain."
"要我去接你還是我們直接在那裡碰面或是算了?"
"你有接到我的訊息嗎?"
"如果沒有下雨的話, 我們可以星期二見面嗎?"
"聽著, 我早上會打電話給你"

And another hundred people just got off of the train.
然後又有數百個人剛剛下了火車
And another hundred people just got off of the train,
然後又有數百個人剛剛下了火車
And another hundred people just got off of the train,
然後又有數百個人剛剛下了火車
And another hundred people just got off of the train.
然後又有數百個人剛剛下了火車
Another hundred people just got off of the train.
又有數百個人剛剛下了火車