C'est si bon

【The Starry Night, 收藏於紐約「現代美術館」(Museum of Modern Art)】

梵谷（Vincent Van Gogh）的「星空夜」（The Starry Night）畫於1889年六月。當時的他為法國普羅旺斯地區，一個名叫「亞耳」（Arles）的小鎮居民所驅逐，卻為一間位於聖雷米（St Remy）（現今距亞耳約一小時車程）的精神病院所收容。這幅現今人們熟知的「星空夜」作品，即是他被關在精神病院做治療時所畫。

跟梵谷其他的作品不同，這幅畫的景象並非其實際所見的情景，也不是從他的病房窗口望出去的景象。這是他想像中的亞耳，那個害怕他、不瞭解他、對他不友善、將他驅離的小鎮。那劃過天際彷彿漩渦扭轉的雲朵、星星與月亮，似乎說的是他自己瀕臨死亡的心靈，極度渴望捲入亞耳小鎮裡獲得一點庇護。而那棵宛如火炬的深色柏樹，卻象徵著他心靈中另一角落仍在燃燒、不放棄生存與作畫的希望火焰。

後世對這幅畫的意象詮釋紛紛種種，有上述的說法，也有一說是具有基督教三位一體(holy trinity)的意涵（梵谷最早的志向跟工作是到貧民窟當傳教牧師）。我比較喜歡前者的說法。後世的藝術學者們用了很多理論跟分析工具，去詮釋這個作品，但我總想，這些精神狀況「正常」、具有現代高知識水平的人們，都說這幅畫是梵谷的自行想像（因為現實中的確沒有這個情景），然他們又怎麼知道，這不是當時為幻聽、幻覺所苦的梵谷，從他為欄杆圍繞的病房鐵窗望出去，眼中實際看到的景象呢？

1971年，美國知名民謠歌手Don McLean在讀了一本關於梵谷的生平傳記後，深受感動寫下了這首至今仍為全世界所傳唱的「梵谷之歌」Vincent (Starry Starry Night)。這首歌在七零年代為位於荷蘭阿姆斯特丹的梵谷博物館（Van Gogh Museum）天天播送，而這首歌的詞譜與梵谷的畫筆，一起被收藏在一個時光寶盒裡，埋在博物館底下。

Music/Lyrics/Sang by Don McLean

Starry starry night, paint your palette blue and grey
Look out on a summer’s day with eyes that know the darkness in my soul
Shadows on the hills, sketch the trees and the daffodils
Catch the breeze and the winter chills, in colors on the snowy linen land

Now I understand what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for you sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen they did not know how, perhaps they’ll listen now

Starry starry night, flaming flowers that brightly blaze
Swirling clouds in violet haze reflect in Vincent’s eyes of china blue
Colors changing hue, morning fields of amber grain
Weathered faces lined in pain are soothed beneath the artist’s loving hand

Chorus:
For they could not love you, but still your love was true
And when no hope was left in sight, on that starry starry night
You took your life as lovers often do,
But I could have told you, Vincent,
This world was never meant for one as beautiful as you

Starry, starry night, portraits hung in empty halls
Frameless heads on nameless walls with eyes that watch the world and can’t forget.
Like the stranger that you’ve met, the ragged man in ragged clothes
The silver thorn of bloody rose, lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow

Now I think I know what you tried to say to me
How you suffered for you sanity
How you tried to set them free
They would not listen they’re not listening still
Perhaps they never will.