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The Sound of the Bunun 布农族天籁

課文朗讀

課文中英文講解

繁體中文譯本

Imagine walking through a tropical forest, with nature’s symphony of sounds surrounding you. The wind whistles a melody through the trees. Cicadas and crickets chirp out a steady beat. Suddenly, and quite unexpectedly, the sound of harmonious human voices floats by on the wind.

想象你正穿越一座热带森林，自然的交响乐在你耳边环绕。风吹过林间奏出优美的曲调，蝉和蟋蟀发出规律节奏的唧唧声。突然而且非常出乎意料地，一阵由人类所发出的悦耳声音在风中飘过。

The singers are Bunun, which is the name for one of the aboriginal tribes in Taiwan. The Bunun have been called the “true mountain people.” They were masters at growing millet on the steep hillsides of Taiwan and making clothing from the skins of the animals they hunted. No other tribe was so well adapted to living at high altitudes.

这些唱歌的人是布农族人，布农族是台湾的一支原住民族，他们被称为「真正的高山民族」。布农人擅长在陡峭的山坡上种植小米，以及用猎得动物的毛皮来制衣，没有其它部落比他们更能适应高海拔生活。

With their livelihood dependent on farming and hunting, the Bunun’s cultural traditions often involve the important skills and elements of these two activities. One ceremony called the Ear Shooting Ritual, for example, involves shooting a deer’s ear with an arrow. When the ear is hit, the Bunun can then ask the spirits for a successful harvest and hunt.

因为农耕和打猎是布农族赖以为生的方法，所以他们的文化传统通常包含了这两种活动的重要技巧和元素。举例来说，「射耳祭」就是一个有关用箭射鹿的仪式。一旦射中鹿耳，布农族人便能向神明祈求农作物丰收和守猎能满载而归。

Nowadays, many Bunun people have left the mountains for life in the city. But it’s not an easy move. Bunun singers trying to make a living, for example, often must mix traditional musical elements with more popular Western and Asian pop themes. In this way, though they lead modern, urban lives, they can still remember and respect their old traditions.

现今，许多布农族人已经离开山区而至城市定居，但这对他们来说可不简单。例如，设法在城市里讨生活的布农族歌手经常必须结合传统音乐元素与较受欢迎的西方或亚洲流行歌曲旋律。这么一来，虽然他们过的是现代都会生活，但仍然可以牢记并遵守古老的传统。

Vocabulary

symphony [ˋsɪmfənɪ] n. 交响乐

harmonious [hɑrˋmonɪəs] adj. 调和的；和谐的

aboriginal [͵æbəˋrɪdʒən!] adj. 土著的; 土生的

altitude [ˋæltə͵tjud] n. 高度；海拔

More Information

cicada [sɪˋkɑdə] n. 蝉，知了

cricket [ˋkrɪkɪt] n. 蟋蟀

chirp [tʃɝp] v.（昆虫）发唧唧声

float by 飘浮过

millet [ˋmɪlɪt] n. 小米

hillside [ˋhɪl͵saɪd] n. 山腰，山坡

adapted [əˋdæptɪd] adj. 适应的

livelihood [ˋlaɪvlɪ͵hʊd] n. 生活；生计

be dependent on 依靠

Ear Shooting Ritual  射耳祭

lead [lid] v. 过（活）；

課文中英文講解

Long ago, according to tradition, a hunting party of tattooed tribesmen heard a loud humming sound coming from a hollow log. They were so enchanted by the sound (created by bees inside) that they searched for a way to imitate the sound with their voices.

根据传说，在很久以前，一队身上有着刺青的原住民猎人听到了一个中空圆木里发出很大的嗡嗡声。他们对圆木里头蜜蜂所发出的声音是如此着迷，以至于他们寻找用他们的声音模仿的方法。

This search led to the mystical music of the pasibutbut, one of the sacred songs of Bunun tribe. The singing of the pasibutbut expresses hope for a bountiful harvest. It is usually part of a ceremony that takes place after the soil has been prepared for planting led by a priest, six to ten males take the lead roles in a chorus. They stand in a circle around a cluster of millet and clasp hands behind each other’s backs. When they sing, the dreamlike sounds of their eight-part harmony call out to the gods, both praising them and asking for blessing.

这项探索催生了神秘的祈祷小米丰收歌，这首歌是布农族的神圣歌曲之一。祈祷小米丰收歌表达了对丰收的期望，通常是在土地已经准备好耕种后所举行的仪式中的一部份。六至十名男子由祭司所带领，在合唱中扮演主唱的角色。他们绕着小米串成一个圆圈，双手互相交叉置于彼此的背后。唱歌时，们以梦幻般的八部合音向天神大声呼叫，表达对神的赞美以及祈求祂们的保佑。

The pasibutbut was first introduced to the world in 1953 by a Japanese scholar. Western ethnomusicologists were shocked by what they heard: shocked, but delighted. No one had ever heard such complex music being made by so primitive a people. Music history would literally have to be rewritten.

一位日本学者在1953年时将祈祷小米丰收歌介绍给全世界。西方的民族音乐家震惊于他们耳里所听到的音乐:很欣喜，但也很震惊。没有人曾经听过由这么原始的民族所创造出来如此复杂的音乐。音乐历史或许真的要因此改写了。

These days, many musicians are eager to collaborate with the Bunun on musical projects. To the Bunun, however, the pasibutbut is more a prayer than a performance, more a connection with an ancient past, than a ticket to modern fame.

今日，许多音乐家热切盼望能与布农族合作一些音乐企划案。然而，队布农族来说，与其说祈祷小米丰收是一种表演，倒不如说是一种祈祷仪式；与其说它是要与现代成名的一条路径，倒不如说是和古老过去的连结。

－By Bill Martin & Robert Kelly

Vocabulary

hollow [ˋhɑlo] adj. 中空的

enchant [ɪnˋtʃænt] v. 使陶醉﹐使入迷

sacred [ˋsekrɪd] adj. 神圣的

primitive [ˋprɪmətɪv] adj. 原始的

literally [ˋlɪtərəlɪ] adv. 实在地，不加夸张地

collaborate [kəˋlæbə͵ret] v. 合作

More Information

tattoo [tæˋtu] v. 刺花纹﹐文身

humming [ˋhʌmɪŋ] adj. 发嗡嗡声的

log [lɔg] n. 圆木；原木

mystical [ˋmɪstɪk!] adj. 神秘的

pasibutbut  八部合音; 祈祷小米丰收歌

take place 举行; 发生

priest [prist] n. 祭司

take the lead role 扮演主要角色

chorus [ˋkorəs] n. 合唱队; 合唱曲

clasp [klæsp] v. 扣住，扣紧

call out (to someone): 大声地喊 to speak loudly to get someone's attention

ethnomusicologist [ˋɛθnəmjuzɪˋkɑlədʒɪst] n. 人种音乐学家; 民族音乐学家

eager [ˋigɚ] adj. 渴望的，急切的 [F][（+for）][+to-v][+（that）]

Reading Questions 

1. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A. Bunun rituals often involve hunting and farming skills.

B. The pasibutbut changed music history.

C. Men lead in the singing of the pasibutbut.

D. Bunun people always live in the mountains.

2. Based on the Day 1 article, to say that the Bunun are “the true mountain people of Taiwan” implies ___.

A. they are the only people who migrated to the mountains

B. they can call out to their gods by living in the mountains

C. they are the people who are most used to living in the mountains

D. they are the most traditional of all the tribes who live in the mountains

3. What is the main idea of the Day 2 article?

A. Singing the pasibutbut is an important Bunun tradition.

B. Only Bunun males can sing the sacred songs.

C. The pasibutbut is using in eight-part harmony.

D. The Bunun people imitate bees when they sing.

4. In the Day 1 article, “The wind whistles a melody through the trees” means ____.

A. the trees are magical and have the ability to whistle

B. a spirit hides in the trees and whistles while the wind blows

C. the wind blowing through the tree makes a music-like sound

D. when someone is whistling, it sounds like the wind blowing through the trees.

Reference

臺灣布農Lileh之聲-pasibutbut

Answer