我們上大學的時候，每次到野外郊遊，一夥人喜歡一起唱歌，把熟悉的歌一支接一支地唱。聽了小帥哥貼的 Today John_Denver，讓我想起另外幾支我們常唱的有關昨天的歌，像披頭四的 Yesterday  和 The Carpenters 兄妹的 Yesterday Once More.還有的就是這一支Yesterday When I Was Young。這三首有關昨天的歌支支不同、各有韻味。

Yesterday When I Was Young 的原作曲作詞人是法國的Charles Asnavour，由Herbert Kretzmer 翻譯成英文，1965年由鄉村歌手 Roy Clark 灌唱。當時Roy Clark 正好換唱片公司，轉戰 pop 市場，這支Yesterday When I Was Young 果然沒讓他失望， 在1969年名列全美排行榜第九名，替他創下輝煌戰績。

這支歌除了旋律優美之外，歌詞語意深長，叫人回味不止。中譯歌詞出自香港雅虎部落格翻譯仔的手中，譯詞也很優美，不愧叫做翻譯仔。我只把小部份我們在台灣少用的字眼更改了。他的網址是：http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/jw!OlhYfrCZEQCPjmbFwJw.XbB_/article?mid=1271

Yesterday When I Was Young, words & music by Charles Asnavour, English translation by Herbert Kretzmer. Recorded by Roy Clark, 1965

Yesterday when I was young,
昨天當我還年輕，
The taste of life was sweet as rain upon my tongue,
人生的滋味，如雨水落在舌頭上一樣甘甜，
I teased at life as if it were a foolish game,
我嘲弄人生，當作無聊的玩笑， 
The way the evening breeze may tease a candle flame;
就如晚風輕拂，戲弄蠟燭的火焰；
The thousand dreams I dreamed,
我有千百美夢，無數大計，
The splendid things I planned I always built, alas,
一切我都建築在，唉，
on weak and shifting sand;
無力的流沙上，
I lived by night and shunned the naked light of day
我活在黑夜   避開白晝 
And only now I see how the years ran away.
現在才發覺歲月催人。

Yesterday When I was young,
昨天當我還年輕，
So many drinking songs were waiting to be sung,
還有很多宴飲歌待我去唱， 
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
很多任性歡娛待我去嘗
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see,
我目眩五色   無視苦痛萬般，
I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out,
奔放不羈，把光陰和青春耗盡，
I never stopped to think what life was all about
從不懂得停下來，思考人生意義
And every conversation I can now recall concerned itself with me,
回想我往日的談話，無一不是關乎我自己， 
and nothing else at all.
他人他事了不關心。

Yesterday the moon was blue,
昨天月亮泛藍， 
and every crazy day brought something new to do,
而每一天都瘋瘋癲癲，總有些新鮮的事情要做 。
I used my magic age as if it were a wand,
我把美好的年華，當做魔術杖般使用，
and never saw the waste and emptiness beyond;
完全看不見其中的浪費、空虛。
The game of love I played with arrogance and pride
我滿腔傲慢地玩著愛情遊戲， 
and every flame I lit too quickly, quickly died;
愛火很快點燃，也很快熄滅；
The friends I made all seemed somehow to drift away
我結交的朋友，似乎都已隨風而去， 
And only I am left on stage to end the play.
只剩下我在舞台上來結束這齣戲。

Yesterday When I was young,
昨天當我還年輕，
There were so many songs were waiting to be sung,
有很多歌待我去唱， 
So many wayward pleasures lay in store for me
很多任性歡娛待我去嘗 
And so much pain my dazzled eyes refused to see,
我目眩五色   無視苦痛萬般， 
There are so many songs in me that won't be sung,
我心中有很多首歌，但不會唱出來了，
I feel the bitter taste of tears upon my tongue,
苦澀的淚落在我舌頭上，
The time has come for me to pay
現在都要我付出代價
for Yesterday When I was Young.
償還昨天我年輕時的所作所為。 

〈伴我一生的音樂之三〉