初恋约妮成了我好朋友的新娘(Joni don't cry)

万湖小舟 (万维博客)

西人浪漫。这首爱情歌曲"Jonni don't cry" (约妮莫哭)直白，诙谐和风趣。歌词采用双行押韵即aabb的形式。如果直译成中文就失去了它的风味。就像把中文的律诗译成英语没有味道一样。不同的语言各有千秋和特色。翻译只能了解大概，大多失去了原汁原味。加上翻译歌词在音节数上可能也有一定的要求，翻译不容易。只是今天是西人的情人节，凑个趣，尝试一下，看能不能保持英语双行的原韵。时间仓促，没来得及仔细推敲。祝大家情人节快乐。

Joni was the girl who lived next door      约妮是住在邻居家的花朵 
I've known her I guess 10 years or more     认识她大约已有10年之多 
Joni wrote me a note one day            约妮一天给了我张便贴 
And this is what she had to say          她心里住着一只小蝴蝶 
 

Jimmy please say you'll wait for me       吉米请等我在时间的长堤 
I'll grow up someday you'll see          某天我会长大让你着迷
Savin' all my kisses just for you         为你我保存了所有的初吻爱慕 
Signed with love forever true           步入清澈爱河的长途 

Slowly I read her note once more          细读着她的便条感慨良多 
Then I went over to the house next door     决定去邻居家伶惜花朵 
Her teardrops fell like rain that day       她的泪像那天的雨倾泻 
When I told Joni what I had to say         当我说约妮不能和你相约 

Joni, Joni, please don't cry             约妮，约妮莫哭呆 
You'll forget me by and by              你忘掉我会很快 
You're just fifteen I'm twenty two         我二十二，你才十五 
Joni I just can't wait for you           约妮我若等你会很苦 

Soon I left our little home town          很快我离开了小城家乡 
Got me a job and tried to settle down       得到工作充满定居的希望 
But her words kept haunting my memory       可她的话一直在我心中传递 
The words that Joni said to me           约妮的言语是那样的甜蜜 

Jimmy please say you'll wait for me        吉米请等我在时间的长堤 
I'll grow up someday you'll see           某天我会长大让你着迷 
Savin' all my kisses just for you          为你我保存了所有的初吻爱慕
Signed with love forever true             步入清澈爱河的长途 

I packed my clothes and I caught a plane    打好背包飞机上我兴奋难掩 
I had to see Joni, I had to explain        去看约妮要当面和她畅谈 
How my heart was filled with her memory     告诉她我心里不能没有你 
And ask my Joni if she'd marry me         向约妮求婚说出我的秘密 

I ran all the way to the house next door    我一路奔跑入邻居家落座 
But things weren't like they were before    然而时过境迁让我好难过 
My teardrops fell like rain that day       我的泪像那天的雨倾泻 
When I heard what Joni had to say         当约妮说不能和我相约 

Jimmy Jimmy please don't cry             吉米，吉米莫哭呆， 
You'll forget me by and by              你忘掉我会很快 
It's been five years since you've been gone   过去的五年是多么漫长
Jimmy I married your best friend John.      我已是你好朋友约翰的新娘