記得 20 年前還是大一新鮮人的時候，全班同學到淡海沙崙烤肉
結果在沙灘上撿到一個被海水沖回來的玻璃咖啡罐
打開一看，長長一捲紙，用大大的工程字天真地寫著 :
「 告訴全世界 : 爪爪愛了了，了了愛爪爪...... 」
當時這個「 瓶中信 」班上的女同學都覺得浪漫極了 !
今天看了 1999 年的電影《Message in a Bottle 》
台灣及大陸譯名《瓶中信》
香港譯名《一樽濃情》
幾封信的內容，才真的是串成一個既浪漫又感傷的愛情故事
作者 Nicholas Sparks 是紐約時報排行榜的暢銷作家
現與妻子居住於北卡羅那州，也是 瓶中信 劇中故事發生的地點。
這部電影的大致內容 :
任職於芝加哥論壇報的專欄作家 theresa 離婚的單親媽媽。
無意中在海邊發現了一個埋在白沙中的玻璃瓶，
瓶內裝著一封屬名Ｇ的信，且被信中 Ｇ 的熱情及真愛所打動了，
並積極地尋找，為自己的感情再冒一次險。
帆船設計師 garrett 與過世的妻子 catherine 感情甚篤，
一直無法走出悲傷陰影
直到 theresa 闖進 garrett 的生活，有新生的感覺....
其實，深情的 garrett 一直後悔在妻子生前，沒能付出更多的愛與關懷
妻子過世以後，將滿腔的愛意與悔恨寫成瓶中信，以為心靈的救贖
她的妻子 catherine 又何嘗不是？
生前也沒有親口向丈夫表達感恩惜福的愛意，
只是寫成一封瓶中信，交給茫茫的蒼天與大海........
除了滄桑淒美的遺憾以外，時間已逝，於愛無補！
以下 4 封《瓶中信》的原文 :
dear catherine,
i'm sorry i haven't talked to you in so long.
i feel i've been lost. no bearings,
no compass. i kept crashing into things,
a little crazy i guess. i've never been lost before.
you were my true north.
i could always steer for home when you were home.
forgive me for being so angry when you left.
i still think some mistake's been made and
i'm waiting for god to take it back.
but i'm doing better now. the work helps me.
most of all, you help me.
you came into my dream last night with that
smile of yours that always held me like a lover,
rocked me like a child. all i remember from the dream
is a feeling of peace. i woke up with that
feeling and tried to keep it alive as along as i could.
i'm writing to tell you that i'm on a journey toward that peace.
and to tell you i'm sorry about so many things.
i'm sorry i didn't take better care of you so that
you never spent one minute being cold or scared or sick.
i'm sorry i didn't try harder to find the words to tell you
what i was feeling.
i'm sorry i never fixed the screen door. i fixed it now.
i'm sorry i ever fought with you.
i'm sorry i didn't apologize more. i was too proud.
i'm sorry i didn't bring you more compliments on everything you wore
and every way you fixed your hair.
i'm sorry i didn't hold on to you with so much strength
that even god couldn't pull you away.
all my love,
g
親愛的 凱薩琳
抱歉，好久都沒有跟妳說說話了，
我好像沒有指南針一樣迷失了方向，我猜我已經有些瘋狂了，
以前妳還在的時候，我從來沒有這樣的迷失過，
因為妳總是能讓我穩舵航行回家的正北方
而今你離去後，請原諒我只會於事無補的鬧情緒，
我總在奢想老天會給我機會，讓我補救以前所犯過的種種錯誤，
那些補救的工作幫了我，終究也還是妳幫了我，讓我現在比前一陣子好多了
昨夜，妳帶著往常的微笑走入我的夢中，
像情人般擁抱著我、當作是個孩子般地搖哄著我
我隨著唯一能記住的那種平靜的感覺從夢中醒來，
我想儘可能活生生地、牢牢記住這種美好的感覺
想寫信告訴妳，我現在過得很平靜，
同時也想告訴妳，對於過去的一些往事，我深感悔恨
我後悔沒有全心全意的照顧妳，讓妳沒有絲毫的著涼、驚嚇、生病
我感到遺憾從來沒有試著好好地溝通，讓妳了解我的感受
抱歉！我從來沒去動過妳一再交代要修理的破紗門，現在我修好了
對不起！我甚至還跟妳吵架。
真的對不起！我也沒跟妳好好地道歉，我太驕傲了
我要道歉的還有，妳為我在穿著、髮型上的刻意打扮，我居然吝於一點點的讚美
我最感到悔恨的是沒將妳緊緊抱住，而讓妳被上帝拉走了
我的摯愛
Ｇ
ps：這段書信裡，連續 6 個「I am sorry！」寫得深情流露，非常感人。
夫妻之間過往生活的細節，丈夫後來細細地回想，與真誠的反省
雖然已經對 garrett 而言是「事過」但是「境未遷」，
他拒絕接受妻子過世的事實
「午夜夢迴」這種感人纏綿的情節，古今中外都有，
讓我聯想到蘇東坡悼亡妻的詞「江城子」
十年生死兩茫茫，不思量，自難忘。
千里孤墳，無處話淒涼。
縱使相逢應不識，塵滿面，鬢如霜。
夜來幽夢忽還鄉，小軒窗，正梳妝。
相顧無言，惟有淚千行。
料得年年腸斷處，明月夜，短松岡。
蘇東坡一夢醒來，悲傷之餘，還能面對現實，
但是 Nicholas Sparks 寫來就非常的苦
他讓 garrett 經常會幻想亡妻回來，
甚至活在過去，逃避現實，真的很苦！
dear catherine,
there isn't an hour of my life without you in it.
i mend the boats, test them,
and all the while the memories come in like the tide.
i was thinking today when we were young and
you left our world for a bigger world.
i was a lot more scared than i would admit.
i fought my fear by telling myself
you'd come back someday and trying to think of
the first thing i'd say to you
when i saw you again.
i must have tried out a hundred possibilities.
what did i finally say? not much.
my mouth wouldn't work except to kiss you.
and when you said, "i'm here to stay," that said it all.
well i'm doing it again.
i keep imagining what i'd say to you
if somehow you come back.
親愛的 凱薩琳
我生命中的每一個鐘頭裡都不能沒有妳，我把船修好了、也測試過了
過往的回憶就像浪潮般，一波波洶湧而來。
到今天，我總還在想起當我們年輕時...
妳已到一個更大的 ( 未知的 ) 世界而離開我們的世界，
我不敢承認我對於未知有多麼的恐懼
我總是告訴我自己，有一天妳會回來，藉此讓我不那麼憂懼。
而且幻想著在見面時，第一句話要跟妳說些什麼？
想過了至少一百種可能最終我將會怎麼說？
除了吻妳、而且聽妳說 ” 願意留下來！”
以外，應該無言以對吧！其實那就足夠了。
唉~ 我又再亂想了！還在想如果妳回來，我該說些什麼....
( from catherine )
to all the ships at sea and all the ports of call...
to may family and to all friends and strangers
this is a message and a prayer.
the message is that my travels taught me a great truth.
i already had what everyone is searching for and few ever find.
the person in the world who i was born to love forever.
a person like me, of the outer banks and the blue atlantic mystery.
a person rich in simple treasures, self-made, self-taught,
a harbor where i am forever home. and no wind or trouble or even
a little death can knock down this kind of love and be healed by it.
if my prayer is heard, then there will be an erasing of all guilt
and all regret, and an end to all anger. please, god.
amen.
( 凱薩琳臨終前扔到海裡的瓶中信 )
給所有海上的船、靠岸的港口、給我的家人、朋友們、或撿到信的陌生人：
這封信、也是感恩的祈禱，人生的歷程讓我領悟到，
我已經得到了世上最彌足珍貴的，
每個人都在尋找甚至找不到的東西，就是這個世界上有個人，
我生來注定將終生真愛的那個人
一個像我一樣，住在神祕而湛藍的北大西洋的外灘，
能夠知足且自學成才的男子 ( 我衷心知足！)
他給了我一個永恆的家，就像一個風平浪靜的港口，
給我一個連死亡都無法擊倒，能療傷的真愛
神啊！如果祢傾聽並恩准我的禱告，請幫我消除及救贖那些，
若我的生命中還僅有絲毫的悔恨不平
阿門。
dear catherine,
my life began when i found you.
and i thought it had ended when i failed to save you.
i thought that hanging on to your memory was keeping us both alive.
but i was wrong. a woman named theresa showed me
that if i was brave enough to open my heart, i could love again,
no matter how terrible my grief.
she made me realize i was only half-alive.
it scared me and it hurt.
and i didn't know how much i needed her
until the night i watched her fly away.
when that airplane took off,
i felt something inside of me tear away.
and i knew. i should have stopped her.
i should've followed her home. and now tomorrow,
i'm going to sail to the windy point
and i'm going to say goodbye to you.
then i'm going to go this woman
and see if i can win her heart. if i can,
i know you'll bless me and bless us all.
if i can't, then i'm still blessed
because i've had the privilege of loving twice in my life.
she gave me that.
and if i tell you i love her as much as i loved you,
then you'll know the whole story.
rest in peace, my love.
garrett
親愛的 凱薩琳
我原來認為，我的一生本來就應該是隨妳而生也隨妳而死，
也一直活在妳我共同的回憶裡，但我錯了！
一個名叫泰瑞莎的女子，她教我只要能勇敢的打開心扉，就有能力重新再去愛
她也讓我沉痛地，突然驚醒且真實體會到，
原來我已經頹喪到像個半死不活的人了！
直到昨晚，她要搭機離我而去的那一刻，我才心如刀割地知道.....
原來現在我多麼的需要她、我應該跟她回去、留住她。
明天我將啟航到那個海上的風口向妳告別，
然後去試著盡力挽回那個女子的芳心
如果我作到了，那麼一定是妳給我及我們真摯的祝福，
即使失敗了，其實我也是被祝福的，
只因何其有幸的，我一生擁有了兩次的真愛！
如果我告訴妳，我對她的愛就像愛妳一般，
那麼你肯定就能夠明白了。
平安靜諡，我的摯愛
葛瑞
ps： 寫了最後的這一封向 catherine 告別的瓶中信
報告即將投入另一個女人的懷抱，garrett 航向北大西洋，就不幸罹難了。
（ 大概 catherine 地下有知且深感不爽吧！）
