the man with the beautiful eyes

這是英國動畫導演Jonathan Hodgson根據Charles Bukowski的詩作”the man with the beautiful eyes”而做的動畫。

很少對英文詩有感覺，不過今天被這首詩感動到。另外得了不少獎項、屬上乘之作的動畫，再加上口白緩慢、憂鬱的語調，讓我輕易地陷入詩中意境。


我在想…..

我是否還像那群小孩是用自己的感受去評價這世界，而不是從別人的眼光？

如果那房子代表小時候天真而從未走進的夢想，它現在是否也被燒毀？

那些金魚如果是過去所擁有的美好事物，我還擁有？或已在不知不覺中失去？

如果詩裡面的每樣東西都意指生命中的某些事物，我能認得出他們？

我是那個有著美麗眼睛的男人？我有像他的自然與力量？

或我想成為他嗎？

或我已經不再是那個小孩而成為告誡小孩”never go near that”的父母？



底下是詩的全文，land yourself in it.

when we were kids
there was a strange
house
all the shades were
always
drawn
and we never heard
voices
in there
and the yard was full of
bamboo
and we liked to play in
the bamboo
pretend we were
Tarzan
(although there was no
Jane).
and there was a
fish pond
a large one
full of the
fattest goldfish
you ever saw
and they were
tame.
they came to the
surface of the water
and took pieces of
bread
from our hands.


our parents had
told us:
“never go near that
house.”
so, of course,
we went.


we wondered if anybody
lived there.
weeks went by and we
never saw
anybody.


then one day
we heard
a voice
from the house
“YOU GOD DAMNED
WHORE!”


it was a man’s
voice.
then the screen
door
of the house was
flung open
and the man
walked
out.


he was holding a
fifth of whiskey
in his right
hand.
he was about
30.
he had a cigar
in his
mouth,
needed a
shave.
his hair was
wild and
uncombed
and he was
barefoot
in undershirt
and pants.
but his eyes
were
bright.
they blazed
with brightness
and he said,
“hey little
gentlemen,
having a good
time, I
hope?”


then he gave a
little laugh
and walked
back into the
house.


we left,
went back to my
parent’s yard
and thought
about it.


our parents,
we decided
had wanted us
to stay away
from there
because they
never wanted us
to see a man
like
that,
a strong natural
man
with


beautiful
eyes.


our parents
were ashamed
that they were
not
like that
man,
that’s why they
wanted us
to stay
away.


but
we went back
to that house
and the bamboo
and the tame
goldfish.
we went back
many times
for many
weeks
but we never
saw
or heard
the man
again.


the shades were
down
as always
and it was
quiet.


then one day
as we came back from
school


we saw the
house.
it had burned
down,
there was nothing
left,
just a smoldering
twisted black
foundation
and we went to
the fish pond
and there was
no water
in it
and the fat
orange goldfish
were dead
there,
drying out.


we went back to
my parents’ yard
and talked about
it
and decided that
our parents had
burned their
house down,
had killed
them
had killed the
goldfish
because it was
all too
beautiful,
even the bamboo
forest had
burned.


they had been
afraid of
the man with the
beautiful
eyes.
and
we were afraid
then
that
all through our lives
things like that
would
happen,
that nobody
wanted
anybody
to be
strong and
beautiful
like that,
that
others would never
allow it,
and that
many people
would have to
die.

感