Charles Aznavour's "Hier Encore" (查理士‧愛斯拿胡 重返昨日)

Amongst the singers of French songs, there's another one who has already become a legend: Charles Aznavour. Born as  Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian in 1924 Paris as the son of Armenian cook, he's a singer, songwriter, actor, activist and diplomat all rolled into one.

Aznavour has written more than a thousand songs including some 150 in English, some 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish and 50 in German and in addition can sing in Russian, Armenian, Portuguese, Neapolitan. One of his most famous multi-lingual song is Que C'est Triste Venise (French) , Com'è Triste Venezia ( in Italian)
Venecia Sin Ti (in Spanish), How Sad Venice Can Be (in English) and Venedig in Grau (in German). He is the Armenian ambassador to Switzerland and its permanent delegate to the UNESCO in Geneva and has appeared in more 60 movies and is reported to have sold more than 100 million records and CDs and has been called the French Frank Sinatra.

He quit school at 9 and began singing in restaurants, bars, etc and got a break in 1946 when he was spotted by Edith Piaf who brought him with her on her tour to America. In 1974, his song "She" hit No. 1 in the UK charts.  He has also performed with many other famous singers including the famous Norwegian singer Sissel Kyrkjebø in Vienna and collaborated with Édith Piaf, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra, Andrea Bocelli, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Elvis Costello ("She") Dalida, Serge Gainsbourg, Jack Jones ("Write Me A Love Song, Charlie"), Josh Groban, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, Chucho Valdés (Colore ma mie) José Carreras, Plácido Domingo ("Les bateaux sont partis" ), Pavarotti ("Ave Maria), Laura Pausini, Nana Mouskouri ( "Le temps des cerises") and Julio Iglesias and fellow French pop legend Mireille Mathieu.

2008 saw the release of his latest duo album where he sang with Céline Dion, Sting, Laura Pausini, Josh Groban, Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo, and many others. He sings all types of song classical, pop and jazz and at times almost conversational but can sing very high notes too. In August 2011 Aznavour released a new album, Aznavour Toujours, featuring 11 new songs, and "Elle", a French re-working of his greatest international hit "She" He is also active in helping Armenia after its tragic earthquake in 1988, writing a song ."Pour toi Arménie" which topped the French charts for some 18 weeks. He has also written a song about the Armenian Genocide, titled "Ils sont tombés" (known in English as "They fell"). Now 89, he's still in excellent health but a little hard of hearing. He is thrice-married and has 6 children. He now lives in Geneva.

Among the many songs that he has sung, one of my favourites is "Hier Encore" which has also been rewritten and sung in English as "Yesterday When I was young" . The contents of the English song are not quite the same as the original French version which seems much richer and more complex. I like the way he mounts the scale as the lines of stanzas proceeds with the home note of each phrase with one tone interval, descending by two and then one , then two and then rising by one... etc. a pattern which he repeats in each stanza giving it a kind of very pleasing unity. I also like the way he half sings and half talks, a style very close to jazz singing.

Hier encore Hier encore J'avais vingt ans Je caressais le temps Et jouais de la vie Comme on joue de l'amour Et je vivais la nuit Sans compter sur mes jours Qui fuyaient dans le temps J'ai fait tant de projets Qui sont restés en l'air J'ai fondé tant d'espoirs Qui se sont envolés Que je reste perdu Ne sachant où aller Les yeux cherchant le ciel Mais le coeur mis en terre Hier encore J'avais vingt ans Je gaspillais le temps En croyant l'arrêter Et pour le retenir Même le devancer Je n'ai fait que courir Et me suis essoufflé Ignorant le passé Conjuguant au futur Je précédais de moi Toute conversation Et donnais mon avis Que je voulais le bon Pour critiquer le monde Avec désinvolture Hier encore J'avais vingt ans Mais j'ai perdu mon temps A faire des folies Qui ne me laissent au fond Rien de vraiment précis Que quelques rides au front Et la peur de l'ennui Car mes amours sont mortes Avant que d'exister Mes amis sont partis Et ne reviendront pas Par ma faute j'ai fait Le vide autour de moi Et j'ai gâché ma vie Et mes jeunes années Du meilleur et du pire En jetant le meilleur J'ai figé mes sourires Et j'ai glacé mes pleurs Où sont-ils à présent A présent mes vingt ans? Charles Aznavour

重返昨日 重返昨日 那時我廾歲 我撫摸著時間 享受著生命 猶現今人享受愛情一樣 我活在黑夜 毫沒數過我多少白天 已在時間中溜走 我作了那麼多的計劃 它們只成為空中樓閣 我建造了多麼多的希望 它們都飛掉了 剩下一個迷失的我 不知何去何從 眼睛在天空搜索 但心卻放在地上 重返昨日 那時我廾歲 我已亂花時間 以為可停止它 為了保留著它 甚至使它後退 我只懂奔跑 和喘氣 不認識過去 生活在未來式中 我讓各種說話 跑在我自已之前 表達我的意見 我對美好的願望 為了漫不經意地 批判整個世界 重返昨日 那時我廾歲 但我已損失了自己的時間 用作做傻事 使我沒有留下 任何確切的基業 只有額上的皺紋 和對無聊的懼怕 所以我的愛情 未發生已死掉 我的朋友都離去 不再回頭 因我的錯誤 使我被空虛籠罩 我已荒廢了自己的生命 和我青春的歲月 最好和最壞 我拋棄了最好的 我的笑容已僵硬 我的眼淚已結冰 現今他們在那兒 現今我的廾歲? 查理士‧愛斯拿胡  愛梭羅(El Zorro) 譯….