一個令人嘆息的香港故事

剛收到一封電郵, 讀後不禁唏噓! 香港這個笑貧不笑娼社會, 對那些為非物質理想而奮搏的人始終最為殘酷; 政府可以用數百億去建像西九文化區之類的大白象, 但文化界老弱病者卻欠缺人道照顧, 是否一大諷刺?


電郵轉載:-


"前《兒童樂園》社長， 我們敬愛的張浚華女士，最近因骨傷入院，急需援手，

現懇請各方友好解囊，以濟燃眉!

張大姐1957年畢業於培道女子中學，1961年畢業於新亞書院哲學系。甫畢 業，她便進入友聯出版社工作，初任《中國學生週報》「快活谷」版編輯，63年轉任《兒童樂園》執行 編輯，職至社長。張大姐最為人津津樂道的是譯介《叮噹》並將之首刊於《兒童樂園》，及譯寫當代優秀 外國繪本等，她一心一意為兒童提供優秀的精神食糧，為一代又一代的兒童帶來歡樂、想像及創意。張大 姐為理想奉獻了人生最美好的歲月，那年代也是一個為理想拼搏、安貧樂道、薪酬微薄的年代。
1994年，《兒童樂園》停刊，張大姐亦退休了，夫婿李國鈞先生比妻子年 長，更早已退休；夫婦倆沒有退休金，膝下猶虛，只能憑積蓄過活。千禧年時，李先生在街上跌倒入院，社工 才得知夫婦倆的經濟狀況，於是為他們申領政府的各項援助，以解決生活困局。

張大姐與夫婿，相依相 扶，無怨無求，簞食瓢飲，未以為苦。惜兩月前，年近90的李先 生骨患復發；張大姐因扶起丈夫而雙雙跌倒，後引致脊椎骨塌陷。兩人因此先後入院。目前李先生在療養 院療養；張大姐雖住院兩月多，惟迄今仍需卧床，距自理之途仍遠。

香港公立醫院床位一直 短缺， 醫生囑張大姐及李先生日內出院。兩老入住公屋多年，上周我們首次往訪，發現全屋天花大片大片剝落，牆壁因兩人入院多時，苦熱及暴雨的天氣令四壁長滿霉菌， 嚴重影響健康；部份家具發霉，亦需從速更換。目前雖有社工協助他們申請安老服務，但輪候需時，短期內難 以解決居住和生活的問題。

有見及此困窘，孫述宇率先發起支援，並由韋惠英、 黃潔貞及胡惟忠，協商成立「兒童樂園之友」籌募善款，首階段的籌款目標是三十萬，先行解決大姐夫婦的居 住困局，及未來兩年的護理費用。

一生甘為孺子牛的張大 姐，雖年逾70，去年仍為在《兒童樂園》並肩作戰多年的羅冠樵 先生，出版復刻版《西遊記》及《小圓圓》，讓優秀的香港兒童漫畫，得以再度流傳。她勤奮一生，重情 念舊，只問耕耘， 不問收穫，貫徹「愛誠貞毅」的培道校訓，實踐「手空空， 無一物，艱險，我奮進，困乏，我多情，千斤擔子兩肩挑」的新亞精神，堪稱我輩典範。張大姐功在兒童教育，如今病倒在床，理應得到社會 加倍的愛護照顧，可是現實令人神傷。我們現懇切呼籲各位尊賢敬老，及時送暖。

捐款方法如下(見附註一)：

1. 恆生銀行代收

帳戶名稱：Wai Wai Ying Wong Kit Ching

帳號：368-397733-882

2. 郵寄支票

支票抬頭：Wai Wai Ying Wong Kit Ching

郵寄地址：香港九龍青山道696號時采中心1樓1室青田教育中心轉「兒童樂園之友 韋惠英」收

我們歡迎捐款者提供姓 名及聯絡資料，請填寫下附表格(見附註二)，連同支票寄上址； 又或是將表格連同銀行入數紙以電郵寄CPfriends2013@gmail.com存案。為減省人力，如果各位沒有提出要求，將不另 發收據。惟每年十月底，我們會將該年度的財務報告，由會計師核實後，上載於面書(Facebook)「兒童樂園」群組https://www.facebook.com/groups/21529462359/) 供捐款者省覽。

是類籌款因不能申請為 香港政府註冊公共性質的信託團體，故捐款未能向政府申請免稅，請捐款者見諒。我們感謝何 俊仁律師慨允擔任義務法律顧問，黃志明會計師仗義協助財務會計事務。如有垂詢，請以電郵和我們聯絡。敬謝垂注及支持!

「兒童樂 園之友」發起人 孫述宇(香港中文大學退休教授)

韋惠英(青田教育中心創辦人)

黃潔貞(香港教育學院講師)

胡惟忠(香港科技大學講師)

敬啟"

An Adapted French Song by FH

The sun, the sea, the beach and a disenchanted lover’s reminiscence are woven together to create “Soleil” (“The Sun”), another ethereal gem performed by Francoise Hardy, which was adapted from the original English song “Sunshine” composed by Sandy Alpert (lyrics by Tash Howard). 

The French version lyrics were adapted from the English by Hardy herself and have a sad, realist, almost fatalistic ring with a romantic hue, while the original English lyrics are more like a dreamer’s plain prose. Probably unfair to the original title composer and lyrics writer, the French song seems to have an unmistaken “Francoise Hardy” signature to it.

Lyrics for “Soleil” (“The Sun”) (Adapted by Francoise Hardy):-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkhlD10gddY&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg

Et c'était lui le soleil
Qui faisait nos réveils
Chaque matin
Et la mer était belle
Et nous courrions vers elle
Main dans la main

Et puis nous marchions sur la plage
Tu cherchais des coquillages
Comme un enfant
Les mettant à ton oreille
Pour entendre je me rappelle
L'océan dedans

(Refrain):
Soleil je t'aime
Et pour toujours
Tu es fidèle
Mais l'amour
N'est pas souvent comme toi
Pourquoi?

Tu avais toujours si faim
Les fruits mûrs et le vin

Etaient pour toi

Tu me grondais quelques fois
Lorsque je ne mangeais pas

Ce n'était rien

Et l'eau s'allongeait sur le sable
Nos rêves étaient semblables
Je me souviens
Nous parlions de la maison
Des enfants que nous aurions
Et nous étions bien

(Refrain)

Et c'est toujours lui le soleil
Qui fera mes réveils
Chaque matin
Soleil d'hiver ou d'été
Il voit les amours passer
Et les chagrins

Combien faudra-t-il de plage
Combien d'autres visages
Pour comme toi
Oublier la maison

Et l'enfant aux cheveux blonds
Que nous n'avons pas

(Refrain)

(Refrain)

My English Translation of the Lyrics:-

And it was the sun

That used to wake us up

Every morning;

And the sea was beautiful,

And we would run towards her

Hand in Hand.

And then we would stroll on the beach;

You would look around for seashells,

Like a child,

Putting them to your ears, I recall,

To listen to the ocean inside.

(Refrain):-

I love you, my sun,

And for always,

You are faithful.

But love, it’s often not like you,

Why?

And you were always so hungry;                        

The ripe fruit and the wine,

These were brought for you.

You would sometimes groan

When I was not eating;

It didn’t matter.

And the sea washed over the sand,

Our dreams used to be the same,

As I remember it.

We would talk about the house,

The babies that we would have;

And we were happy.

(Refrain)

And it’s still always the sun

That will wake me

Every morning.

The sun in winter or in summer,

It watches lovers go by,

And the sorrows too.

How many more beaches,

How many other faces must I see,

Before I can, like you,

Forget about the house

And the blond-haired babies

That we won’t be having.

(Refrain)

(Refrain)

 

The Poet in Francoise Hardy

Among Francoise Hardy’s older songs, “A Quoi Ca Sert” (1968) is one of my favorites because of its cool, elegant yet distantly melancholic qualities. She composed both the music and the lyrics, from which one can readily see her flair in blending sweet melody with simple French words. The bittersweet lyrics, added to the casual innocence in her delicate voice, make the song irresistibly engaging.

“A Quoi Ca Sert” is one of the four Francoise Hardy songs chosen to depict four seasons in Francois Ozon’s new movie “Jeune et Jolie” (“Young and Beautiful”), which was nominated for the Palme d’Or award at the May 2013 Cannes Film Festival and will be released in France this August. Marine Vacth, French model-turned-actress who plays the leading role of seventeen-year-old Isabelle, shot to fame as the film premiered at the Festival. The story follows Isabelle in a one-year span, who leads a double life as a student and a high-class prostitute.

The song title of the official English adaption is “Why Even Try”.

“A Quoi Ca Sert” (“How Would It Help”):-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZPriwkS7K4&list=FLlMBDFYTe8MGL_Z6TJc6LOg&index=1

Comme toi j'ai un cœur
Qui ne peut rien promettre
A qui l'amour fait peur
Mais qui t'aime peut-être
A quoi ça sert de le cacher?
A quoi ça sert d'y échapper?

Je n'ai rien à t'offrir
Que ce que mes yeux voient
Tu ne veux pas souffrir
Mais qui ne souffre pas?
A quoi ça sert de l'éviter?
A quoi ça sert de t'en aller?

A rester dans ta tour d'ivoire
En broyant du rose ou du noir
Tout seul - tout seul

Comme on n'est pas très malheureux
On oublie qu'on n'est pas heureux
Tout seul, tout seul

Je n'ai que les étoiles
Et rien d'autre pour toi
Si l'on doit se faire mal
C'est la vie qui veut ça
A quoi ça sert de rester seul?
A quoi ça sert de vivre seul?

Je n'ai que les étoiles
Et rien d'autre pour toi
Si l'on doit se faire mal
C'est la vie qui veut ça
A quoi ça sert de rester seul?
A quoi ça sert de vivre seul tout seul?

My English Rendition of the Lyrics:-

Like you I have a heart,

That can promise nothing,

That is frightened by love,

But that loves you perhaps.

How would it help, hiding from it?

How would it help, slipping away?

I have nothing to offer you,

Except what my eyes can see.

You don’t want to get hurt,

But who doesn’t get hurt?

How would it help, avoiding it?

How would it help, walking away?

Staying in your ivory tower,

Grinding to red or to black.

All alone, all alone.

When you’re not very unhappy,

You forget that you are not happy.

All alone, all alone.

I have nothing but the stars,

And nothing else to share.

If we must cause us pain,

It is life that wants that.

How would it help, staying alone?

How would it help, living alone?

I have nothing but the stars,

And nothing else to share.

If we must cause us pain,

It is life that wants that.

How would it help, staying alone?

How would it help, living alone, all alone?