日本音樂大師坂本龍一 : 我認為藝術家本來並不肩負什麼「應該完成的使命」

日本音樂家坂本龍一在2023年3月28日因癌症離世，享年71歲。在中文訃告上，寫著「藝術千秋，人生朝露」（「Ars longa，vita brevis」）是坂本龍一先生生前最喜歡的一句話。

「一旦記憶淡去消逝，可能就此淹沒在歷史的洪流中，徹底消失無蹤，但是只要以譜寫成歌曲，就可能成為民族或世代的共有記憶，不斷流傳下去，將事物從個人體驗中抽離而出，實際留存在音樂世界中，就能藉此跨越時空的限制，逐漸與他人共有；音樂正具備這樣的力量。」

"Once memories fade and disappear, they might be lost forever in the torrent of history. But if they are written into a song, they can become a shared memory of a people or a generation, continuously passed down. By extracting events from personal experiences and embedding them in the world of music, they transcend the limits of time and space, gradually becoming collective. Music possesses this very power."

「喜歡在大都市裡自己默默無聞的感覺，正因為誰都不認識我，某種程度上自己很自由。當然這也是一種孤獨，但孤獨有時也是自由的代名詞。」

"I enjoy the feeling of being unnoticed in a big city. Precisely because no one knows me, I feel a certain sense of freedom. Of course, it is also a kind of loneliness, but loneliness can sometimes be synonymous with freedom."

「對於我來說，會做的且能做好的，只有音樂了。從小我就只是一個人在彈琴罷了。音樂人就是這樣，如果音樂人是為了治癒什麼的才做音樂，可就沒有比這更丟臉的事情了。」

"For me, the only thing I can do and do well is music. Since childhood, I've simply been playing the piano alone. That's what being a musician is. If a musician creates music for the purpose of 'healing' something, there’s nothing more disgraceful than that."

「我心裡的某個部分深信，只要跨越過某些難關，就能到達不同的境界。一直以來，似乎在關鍵的時刻，我大概都是選擇困難的道路。」

"A part of me firmly believes that once you overcome certain challenges, you can reach a different realm. Throughout my life, it seems that at critical moments, I’ve always chosen the more difficult path."

「我這個人既不是革命家，也未曾改變世界，又沒有留下任何可以改寫音樂史的作品，簡單來說，就是一個微不足道的人。」

"I am neither a revolutionary nor someone who has changed the world. I haven’t left behind any work that could rewrite the history of music. Simply put, I am an insignificant person."

「不對自己說謊，做真實的音樂，真實地活下去，不忘記看每天的月亮。」

"Do not lie to yourself. Create genuine music, live authentically, and never forget to look at the moon each day."

資料參考 : Vogue、《坂本龍一：終章》