《Rose》美麗/托斯卡尼豔陽下/帶回家

《Tuscan》美麗/托斯卡尼豔陽下/帶回家

最初的印象是覺得《托斯卡尼豔陽下》跟Peter Mayle《山居歲月》很像，可說是女性版的《山居歲月》，不過一個在義大利托斯卡納；一個在法國普羅旺斯，但兩作者都以整修房屋，作為書裡的首要大綱，而且同樣很愛一直出版作品。早些年我嫌Frances Mayes寫得不夠幽默，沒有Peter Mayle的妙趣生動，有時候覺得作者細節寫太多，又沒有插圖。因為只是自己喜歡圖文並茂，有圖不一有真相，至少會加分；而細節描寫得太詳細具體，並非不好只是讀起來累人，例如當作者寫了「一朵美麗的紅花」：讀者可隨意想像各種紅色的花朵，但當作者描寫「一朵花瓣鑲著粉紅色的摺邊，很像芭蕾舞短裙，而且會散發出令人驚豔的檸檬香味的”保羅.內朗”玫瑰花」時，你就得想像成他描述的”保羅.內朗”玫瑰花。如果沒看過”保羅.內朗”玫瑰花長成怎樣! 亦不能隨便想像成別種花朵。《托斯卡尼豔陽下》、《美麗托斯卡尼》內容厚實不適宜作為床邊讀物，但它的缺點其實也是優點，因為作者本來就是當成托斯卡尼雜記在寫，又很有誠意地出了第三本圖文並茂的《把托斯卡尼帶回家》。三本書的內容都很豐富細膩，時間斷續相連十幾年，按內容分類整理附圖。

《I've Seen It All》視之視而不見

I've Seen It All

I've seen it all, I have seen the trees,
I've seen the willow leaves dancing in the breeze
I've seen a friend killed by a friend,
And lives that were over before they were spent.
I've seen what I was - I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You haven't seen elephants, kings or Peru!
I'm happy to say I had better to do
What about China? Have you seen the Great Wall?
All walls are great, if the roof doesn't fall!

And the man you will marry?
The home you will share?
To be honest, I really don't care...

You've never been to Niagara Falls?
I have seen water, its water, that's all...
The Eiffel Tower, the Empire State?
My pulse was as high on my very first date!
Your grandson's hand as he plays with your hair?
To be honest, I really don't care...

I've seen it all, I've seen the dark
I've seen the brightness in one little spark.
I've seen what I chose and I've seen what I need,
And that is enough, to want more would be greed.
I've seen what I was and I know what I'll be
I've seen it all - there is no more to see!

You've seen it all and all you have seen
You can always review on your own little screen
The light and the dark, the big and the small
Just keep in mind - you need no more at all
You've seen what you were and know what you'll be
You've seen it all - there is no more to see

這部拉斯.馮.提爾Lars Von Trier的電影《在黑暗中漫舞 Dancer in the Dark(200)》，當年還有印象只是沒興趣，因為題材滿悲哀，MV是電影片段：歌舞片的形式，印象裡歌舞片應該是超級歡樂的電影類型，所以這部算是黑暗歌舞劇?Thom Yorke也是有眼病的缺陷(左眼)，所以跟女主角碧玉Bjork，兩個神人的合作《I've Seen It All》，一聽之後驚覺曲調哀妙又顫慄不已，已經不知再該如何述說Thom Yorke的歌聲，多說亦枉然。

其實想發發牢騷，最近視力變差了，已很久沒增加度數了，因為還有很多計畫未完成，但用眼過度的下場，就是自已造成的惡果。另外以前看過瓊瑤「六個夢」，有三姊妹的故事，每個下場都很慘，有個念書狂讀到頭腦發燒，從此不能再看書，否則會失明什麼的，這段故事讓我非常害怕，每次看書頭昏目眩就會擔憂，深怕視力有一天會離去。