《To Daffodils》

Fair daffodils, we weep to see

You haste away so soon;

As yet the early-rising sun

Has not attain'd his noon.

Stay, stay

Until the hasting day has run

But to the evensong,

And, having prayed together, 

We will go with you along.

 

We have short time to stay, as you,

We have as short a spring;

As quick a growth to meet decay,

As you, or anything.

We die, As your hours do,

And dry away like to the summer's rain,

Or as the pearls of morning's dew,

Ne'er to be found again.

 

《The Succession of the Four Sweet Months》  

First, April, she with mellow showers

Opens the way for early flowers,

 

Then after her comes smiling May

In a more rich and sweet array,

 

Next enters June and brings us more

Gems than those two that went before,

 

Then (lastly,) July comes and she

More wealth brings in than all those three;

 

April! May! June! July!

 

《Marsh Flowers》

Here the strong mallow 

strikes her slimy root,

Here the dull night-shade hangs her deadly fruit;

On hills of dust the henbane's faded green,

And pencill'd flower of sickly scent is seen;

Here on its wiry stem, in rigid bloom,

Grows the salt lavender that lacks perfume.

At the wall's base the fiery nettle springs,

With fruit globose and fierce

with poison'd stings;

In every chink delights the fern to grow,

With glossy leaf

and tawny bloom below:

The few dull flowers that o'er the place are spread

Partake the nature of their fenny bed.

These, with our sea-weeds, rolling up and down,

Form the contracted Flora of our town.

 

《The Evening Primrose》

When once the sun sinks in the west,

And dew-drops pearl the evening's breast;

Almost as pale as moonbeams are,

Or its companionable star,

The evening primrose opes anew

 

Its delicate blossoms to the dew

And hermitlike, shunning the light,

Wastes its fair bloom upon the night;

Who, blindfold to its fond caresses,

Knows not the beauty he possesses.

Thus it blooms on while night is by.

When day looks out with open eye,

'Bashed at the gaze it cannot shun,

It faints and withers and is gone

 

《Ballad of Green Broom》

There was an old man lived out in the wood,

And his trade was a-cutting of broom, 

green broom,

He had but one son 

without thought without good

Who lay in his bed till 't was noon,

bright noon.

 

The old man awoke one morning and spoke,

He swore he would fire the room, that room,

If his John would not rise and open his eyes,

And away to the wood to cut broom, 

green broom.

So Johnny arose 

and slipp'd on his clothes

And away to the wood to cut broom, green broom,

He sharpen'd his knives, 

and for once he contrives

To cut a great bundle of broom,

green broom.

 

When Johnny pass'd under a Lady's fine house,

Pass'd under a Lady's fine room, fine room,

She call'd to her maid: "Go fetch me," she said,

"Go fetch me the boy that sells broom, 

green broom!"

 

When Johnny came into the Lady's fine house,    

And stood in the Lady's fine room, fine room,

"Young Johnny" she said, 

"Will you give up your trade

And marry a lady in bloom, full bloom?"

 

Johnny gave his consent, 

and to church they both went,

And he wedded the Lady in bloom, full bloom;

At market and fair, all folks do declare,

There's none like the Boy that sold broom,  

green broom.  

 

《致水仙花》

美麗的水仙花

我們感傷於你的易逝

就像清晨初起的太陽

尚未到達晌午

別走！停留吧

匆匆的一天

又到了晚禱的時刻

一同禱告後

我們將隨你而去

 

我們所擁有的時間

所擁有的春天，和你的一樣短暫

那稍縱即逝的青春

正如你一般

我們死去

向夏雨灑落的易乾

更像清晨如玉的露珠

不復存在

 

《四個接續的甜美月份》

最初，四月以溼潤的陣雨

敲醒了早春之花

 

接著微笑的五月

穿著更甜美高貴的盛裝抵達

 

六月帶給我們更多奇珍異寶

甚於前面兩個月

 

而七月，甜美的四個月之末

給予我們更勝於前三個月的財富

 

四月！五月！六月！七月！

 

《沼澤群花》

強壯的錦葵

向下扎著她充滿黏液的根

陰沉的癲茄懸著她致命的果實

小丘上可見的黑茛著褪了的綠

和發出令人作嘔氣味的花朵

在如金屬的莖上開出僵硬的

缺乏香味的薰衣草花

旺盛的蕁麻從牆底

蔓生出球型的果實

和含毒的刺毛

在每一個裂縫中歡愉地成長

有著光滑的葉

及茶色花朵的羊齒科植物

這些花朵散佈於溼地上

分享這泥沼

這些，再加上我們滾動的水草

形成我們的植物世界

 

《月見草花》

當夕陽西沉

露珠如珍珠般滴落夜的懷裡

如月光般的皎白

或像陪伴的星光

月見草花

 

重新展開了她精緻的花朵迎接露水

如隱士一般，她躲避光亮

在夜裡虛擲了她的美

夜看不見她的引人愛憐

也不知道自身擁有的美麗

因此在夜裡她逐漸地盛開

而當白晝睜開眼

被那無法躲避的日光一擊

月見草花昏迷，凋謝而香消玉殞

 

《綠色的金雀花》

曾經有位老人住在樹林裡

他的工作是採金雀花

綠色的金雀花

他只有一個兒子

腦袋空空，行為不佳

鎮日賴在床上

直到正午

 

老人一日醒來

發誓他會燒毀這間房

假如他的約翰不肯起床睜開眼

到林間採金雀花

綠色的金雀花

 

於是小約翰起身

迅速的穿上他的衣服

到林中採金雀花

他磨利了他的刀

設法僅只一次的使用

來採一大把金雀花

綠色的金雀花

 

當小約翰經過一位女士的漂亮屋子下

經過她漂亮的房間下

她吩咐她的女僕：「帶他來

那賣金雀花

綠色金雀花的男孩。」

 

當小約翰進入了女士的漂亮屋子

到了她的漂亮房間

「年輕的小約翰」她說

「你可願意放棄你的工作

娶一個如花似玉的女人？」

 

小約翰同意了

他倆一同往教堂去

他娶了那如花似玉的女士

在市集市場，所有人都認為

再也沒有人能像那賣金雀花的男孩

綠色的金雀花

 

 

 

布列頓（Benjamin Britten, 1913-1976）是二十世紀英國現代樂派最具代表性的作曲家之一，其作品風格非常多元，音樂表現形式從簡單、抒情的曲調，到複雜、戲劇性的樂曲皆有。布列頓在1950年創作了本組無伴奏混聲四部合唱曲《五首花之歌》，是為了祝福一對熱愛植物學的夫婦（Leonard and Dorothy Elmhirst）25週年銀婚紀念所作。

第一首「致水仙花」（To Daffodils）可分為兩個段落，以象徵水仙花的三連音型銜接全曲。布列頓將第一段的合唱聲部分為兩組，從不同的時間開始起唱並相互模仿追逐；在速度較快的第二段中，合唱聲部重組為兩組不同的型態，上方三聲部以主音織度的方式演唱曲調，男低音聲部則擔任伴奏的角色。透過兩種音樂情感的表現，來感嘆青春就像美麗的水仙花一般，稍縱即逝。

第二首「四個接續的甜美月份」（The Succession of the Four Sweet Months）布列頓採用複音對位的手法，讓四個聲部分別代表四、五、六、七等月份，每個曲調線條皆表達出不同月份的大自然特性。抒情的樂聲中，徐緩道出每個月更比前一個月美麗，而七月則是一年之中最美妙的時節。

第三首「沼澤群花」（Marsh Flowers）可分為兩個段落；布列頓將第一段的合唱聲部分為高音與低音兩組，利用齊唱、延音唱，與模仿等多樣方式，描繪沼澤的環境生態；第二段則先後採用主音與複音的技法，詼諧的呈現出花兒們努力在沼澤中成長的情形，以及沼澤中各式植物歡愉共生的情景。

第四首「月見草花」（The Evening Primrose）可分為兩個段落；布列頓在這些段落中，交替的運用主音與複音手法，讓音樂緊密的銜接並具有豐富的情感對比。藉由色彩豐富的聲響，描繪出只在夜晚綻放的月見草花，伴隨著靜謐的星空，盡情地展現風采，但當白晝來臨時她卻立刻凋謝，香消玉殞了。

第五首「綠色的金雀花」（Ballad of Green Broom）敘述金雀花採集商與他懶惰兒子的詼諧故事，故事的結局是兒子繼承了父業，並與富有的高貴女士結為夫妻。布列頓利用和弦式人聲伴奏的手法，為輪流演唱主要曲調的聲部進行伴奏；隨著故事劇情的發展，音樂的速度逐漸加快，最後在歡樂愉悅的主音樂段中，以眾人高聲呼喊的聲勢情境結束了全曲。