Kilkelly Ireland

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Kilkelly这首曲子有个看上去平淡无奇但是满怀辛酸的故事。1845年－1849年是爱尔兰的大饥荒时期，成千上万的人不

 

是死去就是流亡。1855年John Hunt离开爱尔兰的小镇Kilkelly去了美国，之后再也没有回去。120年后，John Hunt的后

 

裔在美国发现了John父亲写给他的10封信件。信件讲述了发生在Kilkelly家中的各种事情，信间洋溢着父母对儿子的思念

 

与爱。然而，随着时间的推移，父亲与儿子的"距离"越来越远，在最后一封信中，John 30年未见的父亲已经死去。John

 

 Hunt的曾孙Peter Jones把这些信件改编成了著名的爱尔兰民谣“Kilkely”。这首感人的歌曲也是19世纪后期，遭受饥荒

 

和贫困的无数爱尔兰家庭的真实写照。

Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and sixty, my dear and lovin' son John
Your good friend the Schoolmaster Pat McNamara, so good as to write these words down.
Your brothers have all gone to find work in England, the house is so empty and sad,
The crop of potatoes is sorely affected, a third to a half of them bad.
And your sister Bridget and Patrick O'Donnell, are goin' to be married in June,
Your mother says not to work on the railroad, and be sure to come on home soon.

Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and seventy, my dear and lovin' son John
Hello to your missus and to your four children, that they may grow healthy and strong
Michael has got in a wee bit of trouble, I suppose he never will learn
Because of the dampness there's no turf to speak of and now we have nothing to burn.
And Bridget is happy you named the child for her, although she's got six of her own
You say you've found work, but you don't say what kind, or when you'll be comin' home.
Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and eighty, dear Michael and John my sons
I'm sorry to give you the very sad news that your dear old mother has gone.
We buried her down at the church in Kilkelly, your brothers and Bridget were there,
You don't have to worry, she died very quickly, remember her in your prayers.
And it's so good to hear that Michael's returning with money he's sure to buy land
For the crop has been poor and the people are selling, for any price that they can.

Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety, my dear and lovin' son John
I suppose that I must be close on eighty, it's thirty years since you've gone
Because of all of the money you sent me, I'm still living' out of my own
Michael has built himself a fine house, and Bridget's daughters have grown
And thank you for sendin' your family picture, they're lovely young women and men
You say you might even come for a visit, what a joy to see you again.

Kilkelly Ireland, eighteen and ninety two, my dear brother John,
I'm sorry I didn't write sooner, to tell you that father has gone.
He was living with Brigid, she said he was cheerful and healthy right down to the end
And you should have seen him play with the grandchildren, of Pat McNamara your friend.
And we buried him alongside of mother, down at Kilkelly churchyard
He was a strong and a feisty old man, considering that life is so hard.
And it's funny the way he kept talkin' about you, he called for you at the end
And why don't you think about comin' to visit, we'd all love to see you again.

爱尔兰 Kilkelly镇。1860年。我亲爱的儿子约翰：
你的好朋友Pat McNamara校长，他好心帮我写了这封信。
你的兄弟都去英格兰找工作了，现在，屋子空荡荡的，让人神伤。
地里的土豆遭受很强的虫害袭击，三分之一甚至一半都坏掉了。
你的妹妹Bridget 将于六月份和Patrick O'Donnell结婚。
你的妈妈说不久就不再去铁路上上班了，她确信这次真的是要待家里了。

爱尔兰 Kilkelly镇。1870年。我亲爱的儿子约翰：
向你的妻子和四个孩子问好，祝愿他们健康，祝愿他们壮实。
Michael（约翰的兄弟）有点小小的麻烦，我想他没有从以前的经验中汲取教训。
因为气候太潮湿的缘故，这里没了干草，现在我们没得可烧的东西了。
Bridget很高兴你给她的孩子取名，尽管她已经有了六个孩子。
你说你刚找到一份工作，但是没说是什么样的工作，也没说你什么时候回家。

爱尔兰 Kilkelly镇。1880年。我亲爱的儿子约翰：
我很抱歉要告诉你一个非常悲伤的消息，你亲爱的妈妈走了。
我们把她葬在了Kilkelly镇的教堂边，你的兄弟们和Bridget那天都在。
你不要太忧虑，她走得很快，你做祷告的时候不要忘记妈妈。
还有一件想必你听了高兴的事，Michael挣了一些钱回来了，而且真的买了一块地。
因为地里的收成实在糟糕，人们都在卖地，只要给点底钱，他们几乎都会卖。

爱尔兰 Kilkelly镇。1890年。我亲爱的儿子约翰：
我马上就要八十岁了，而你已经走了整整三十年。
正是因为你寄来的所有的钱，我才能活到这个年龄，几乎超出了我的命数。
Michael已经给自己盖了所很好的房子，Bridget的小妮子们长得都很喜人。
谢谢吾儿你寄来的你的全家福，他们是些非常可爱的年轻男女。
你说你甚至有可能回来看望我们，能再次见到你，这是多么让人高兴的事。

爱尔兰 Kilkelly镇。1892年。我亲爱的兄弟约翰：
抱歉我没有及时写信给你，告诉你父亲去世的事。
他一直和Brigid生活在一起，她说，父亲愉快而健康，直到寿终正寝。
而且，你真应该看看他和你的朋友Pat McNamara的孙辈们玩耍时的样子。
我们把他葬在了妈妈旁边，就是在咱们Kilkelly镇教堂的墓地里。
他是个很坚强的倔老头，因为生活是如此的艰辛。
他总是提起你，而他提起你的时候总是很有趣，临走的时候还在叫你的名字。
为什么不考虑一下回来看看我们，我们都真心盼着再见到你。

完美的神

爱尔兰, 也是一个值得尊敬的民族. ... 这首歌太伤感了, 短短6分钟时间内, 却寄托了作者整整半生的思念.