18
0音乐剧《河口之处》第三部
第四曲
--
《Every Leaf Has a Name（每一片叶子都有名字）》是文献音乐剧《河口之处》第三部的第四首歌曲，也是若昂与恩萨真正相识后的第一首独唱。
17世纪，越来越多欧洲博物学家来到非洲，希望通过采集、分类和命名来认识这片大陆。他们将植物、动物和矿物绘制成图谱，带回欧洲，建立起近代自然科学的知识体系。然而，在当地人的生活中，这些植物早已有名字，也早已融入世代相传的经验之中：哪些可以治病，哪些能够染布，哪些适合编织，哪些可以食用，哪些则必须避开。
歌曲中，若昂兴奋地打开笔记本，为每一种植物记录名字、绘制图样；恩萨却觉得他的举动既认真又有些滑稽，因为森林并不需要一个远方来客来“赋予”名字。她轻松地说出每一种植物的用途，也善意地取笑若昂笨拙的素描。就在这一问一答之间，若昂渐渐发现，真正令自己着迷的，不是那些等待分类的植物，而是眼前这个熟悉森林、聪慧风趣的年轻女子。
"Every Leaf Has a Name" is the fourth song of Part III of the documentary musical River Crossing. It is João's first solo after meeting Ensa and marks the beginning of a quiet affection between them.
During the seventeenth century, European naturalists increasingly traveled to Central Africa to collect, classify, and illustrate plants, animals, and minerals. Their work contributed to the development of modern natural science. Yet for the people who had lived in these forests for generations, this knowledge already existed in another form. Every plant already had a name, a story, and a purpose—whether for healing, dyeing cloth, weaving, food, or ritual.
In the song, João eagerly opens his notebook, carefully sketching and naming every specimen he encounters. Ensa finds his determination both admirable and amusing. With effortless confidence, she identifies each plant and explains its use, while laughing gently at his awkward drawings. As they wander through the forest together, João slowly realizes that what captivates him is no longer the plants he came to study, but the young woman whose knowledge of the forest is as natural as breathing.
--
【歌词】
Every Leaf Has a Name
(João's Song)
Part III · Song 4
Verse 1
I opened my notebook,
I sharpened my pen.
I came here to gather
The wonders of men.
I asked,
"What flower?"
She laughed,
"You ask too fast."
"Learn the river first...
The names will come at last."
Hook
Every leaf has a name.
Every bird the same.
Every root,
Every vine—
She already knows
Before I write the line.
Every leaf has a name.
Every tree the same.
I draw...
She smiles...
Perhaps
She's laughing all the while.
Verse 2
"This heals a fever."
"This stains the cloth."
"That feeds the goats."
"This one—better not."
I sketched every blossom.
She shook her head.
"Your picture looks
Like a frightened chicken instead."
Hook
Every leaf has a name.
Every bird the same.
I write...
She sings...
The whole green forest
Already has its kings.
Every leaf has a name.
Every stone the same.
She points...
I stare...
How can one woman
Know everything that's there?
Bridge
Why must I give
A new word to each tree?
Did they wait
For someone like me?
She smiled,
"The forest remembers
Long before your books."
I almost forgot
To keep my learned looks.
Chorus
Every leaf has a name!
(Every leaf!)
Every leaf has a name!
(Every leaf!)
Not because
I wrote it down—
But because
She speaks it
Without a sound.
Final Chorus
Every leaf has a name.
Every flower the same.
I came
To study trees—
But now
It's her
Who studies me.
Outro (repeat)
Every leaf...
Every leaf...
Every leaf has a name...
Every leaf has a name...
Every leaf has a name...
And now...
So does my heart.
一南 | Yinan
