今年初，偶然在 YouTube 的隨機播放清單聽到《白馬入蘆花》，立刻愛上了這首歌充滿畫面感的歌詞。或許是因為我一向對歷史典故情有獨鍾，又或許是因為去年底在臺灣一口氣看了太多馬伯庸以長安為背景的小說，《白馬入蘆花》的旋律在我的腦海中譜出了一段鮮活的故事，我聽見了大唐盛世的繁華榮光、看見了鮮衣怒馬的少年昂揚。（特別喜愛「任星芒潑黛瓦忽飛沙」一句，彷彿自己就是那位醉臥歌臺的少俠，醉眼迷濛間都是流瀉在屋瓦上的星光。）
我想起了我 2021年錄的阿卡貝拉版《Everytime We Touch》，也想為《白馬入蘆花》製作類似的作品。可惜網路上找不到譜，我又不會編曲，只好參考了幾個不同的版本，自己胡亂編了個雙人版，再加上吉他試圖掩蓋編曲的缺陷和演唱的瑕疵，花了幾個禮拜做成了這隻影片。雖然過程有些倉促，但我卻樂在其中。我發現雖然我在美國已經住了快十五年了，中華文化和歷史依然總能直擊心靈。雖然我已經不在合唱團了，唱歌依舊帶給我莫大的喜悅和滿足。去年十月轉崗之後，工作日益繁忙，有這個機會花大把時間在自己喜愛的事物上，也算十分奢侈幸福了！
（背景照片是2022年在蒼茫荒野拍的。雖然沒有白馬沒有蘆花，也沒有長安的樓闕和明殿，但是有荒野、有星芒、有白月，也算是稍微貼合歌曲的意境了。）
Earlier this year, “White Horse Among Reed Flowers” came up in my YouTube recommended playlist, and I immediately fell in love with its picturesque lyrics. Perhaps it’s because I have always loved historical allusions, or because I read too many Ma Boyong’s novels set in Chang’An while I was in Taiwan last year, the melody of “White Horse Among Reed Flowers” painted a vivid story. I could hear the glory and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and I could see the high-spirited youths in their bright clothes and swift horses. (“Let the starlight splash on the black roof tiles, as a sudden wind stirs up the sand” is my favorite line. I feel as if I were the drunken youth on the roof, and my eyes are filled with brilliant starlight spread across the tiles. Disclaimer: Due to my limited language skills, my English translation doesn’t capture the artistic concept of the original lyrics. This is indeed a very beautiful line in Chinese.)
I thought of the a capella version of “Everytime We Touch” I made back in 2021, and I wanted to do something similar for “White Horse Among Reed Flowers.” However, I couldn’t find sheet music online, and I don’t know how to arrange music myself. Therefore, I referenced a few different versions on YouTube and came up with my own duet. I also added a guitar track, trying to cover up the flaws in my arrangement and singing. It took me a few weeks to put this video together. Although the process was a bit rushed, I still enjoyed it a lot. I realized that even though I have lived in the U.S. for almost 15 years, Chinese culture and history still always get straight to my soul. In addition, even though I am no longer in any choir, singing still brings me lots of joy and satisfaction. Since I switched roles at Visa last October, I have been getting busier and busier at work. Being able to spend a lot of time on things I enjoy like this is truly a luxury and a blessing. (I don’t know when I can do something similar again…)
(The background photo was taken in Desolation Wilderness in 2022. Although there is no white horse, reed flowers, or magnificent palaces in Chang’An, it has the wilderness, white moon, and starlight, so I think it still captures some spirit of this song.)