Dear Valentine 因為我的情人不會說中文

我們有一位學生的情人是美國人，因為對方來台灣當交換學生而相識、相戀，可想而知，那位學生勢必多了很多練習英文的機會，但她卻不因此而滿足，反而更努力學習英文，旁人問她為什麼已經有這麼多練習的機會了，還要特地花錢、花時間去上課？她說：「因為我的情人不會說中文，今年情人節，我想要寫一封英文情書給他。」情書，是世界上最簡單，也是最困難的文體，它沒有對與不對，只有美與不美，寫情書不只是傳意，還要傳情。中英文書信都可以美得動人，只是不太相容，同音字極多的中文，美在「凝煉之美」；強調結構的英文，需要動詞才得以開展氣勢、創造「動態之美」。教學實驗室收錄了11封從經典穿越現代的英文情書，你一句句唸著，直到發出一聲感嘆：「啊！這句寫得真美！」

 

開始閱讀前，先回答這個問題：

What's your RELATIONSHIP STATUS?

[ ] SINGLE

[ ] TAKEN

[ ] WHO CARES? I'M AWESOME. 

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 這個部分總共有4封穿越時空的情書，先來看第一封信，是墨西哥畫家芙烈達寫給丈夫迪亞哥的夫妻間的情書，講的是不羈的愛。

關鍵愛語：

"I'd like to paint you, but there are no colors, because there are so many, in my confusion, the tangible form of my great love."

From: Frida Kahlo
To: Diego Rivera

Diego:

Truth is, so great, that I wouldn't like to speak, or sleep, or listen, or love. To feel myself trapped, with no fear of blood, outside time and magic, within your own fear, and your great anguish, and within the very beating of your heart. All this madness, if I asked it of you, I know, in your silence, there would be only confusion. I ask you for violence, in the nonsense, and you, you give me grace, your light and your warmth. I'd like to paint you, but there are no colors, because there are so many, in my confusion, the tangible form of my great love.

F.

 

幫你解讀：

這封信的重點，在於『不羈的愛』

The Stream of Consciousness - The letter is written in long sentences that keep pausing,like a rush of feelings flowing into one another, to express the almost automatic butnatural way that love takes over our minds, a feeling that is both confusing andpleasurable.

這封信的每一句話都很長，讀起來又停停走走，就像洩洪的感情正在四竄，象徵愛在人的心中存在著歡愉，卻又帶著困惑的心理狀態。

 

下一封信：英國詩人薇塔·薩克維爾-韋斯特寫給情人維吉尼亞·伍爾芙的信，說到她為了愁思夜不成寐...

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文/Christopher Owen、王妍筑

企劃/英語島教學實驗室

收錄於英語島 2018年2月號
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