Performed on 2024/02/15, Taipei, Taiwan
Conductor: Fang-Pei Tracy Lien 連芳貝
Pianist: Hsin-Jung Hsieh 謝欣容
Soli: 胡昇旻 邱康綸 傅平 江惇硯 黄程祥 蘇茂庭 翁人華 許景皓 梁少芃
Violin: 陳怡安
Viola: 蘇怡菱
Composer: Marta Keen Thompson
Arrangement: Jay Althouse
String arrangement: Wei-Chi Huang 黃威齊
Audio recording engineer: Chao-Hui Wang 王昭惠

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本曲旋律柔和，文字樸實而情深，描述人們因使命驅使離鄉，及對重返家園的承諾。作曲者自述這首歌是獻給即將踏上人生新旅程的人們，盼出行者找到真正的使命，而故鄉親人會帶著祝福等待他們有朝一日歸來。因歌詞涵義，曾在向美國軍隊致敬的影片中作為背景音樂，也成為許多將士寄託鄉思的頌歌。

「莫以牧場牽絆我，勿以耕犁束縛我」二句是全曲高潮，語句中透露出行的使命感。儘管如此，當冒險的意義也不復存在，終將啟程踏上歸途。全曲溫暖而真誠，道出了離鄉在外作戰的軍士們賦歸的殷切企盼。

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In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing
And the sky is clear and red.

When the summer's ceased its gleaming,
When the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning,
I'll be homeward bound in time.

Bind me not to the pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow.

If you find it's me you're missing,
If you're hoping I'll return,
To your thoughts I'll soon be list'ning,
In the road I'll stop and turn.

Then the wind will set me racing
As my journey nears its end,
And the path I'll be retracing
When I'm homeward bound again.

Bind me not to the pasture;
Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling
And I'll return to you somehow.

In the quiet misty morning
When the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing,
I'll be homeward bound again.

在靜謐迷濛的清晨
月已入夢
雀已噤聲
天空澄澈 晨光熹微

當夏日光華漸褪
當穗稼已過豐期
當冒險失卻使命與大義
我將即刻踏上歸途

莫以牧場牽絆我
勿以耕犁束縛我
就讓我去尋覓天命
未來自有歸期至

若察覺對我的思念
若你企盼我歸來
我將靜聽你心聲
止住腳步並轉身

清風引我疾馳
旅程漸近尾聲
我踏上歸途
重返家園

莫以牧場牽絆我
勿以耕犁束縛我
就讓我去尋覓天命
未來自有歸期至

在靜謐迷濛的清晨
月已入夢
雀已噤聲
我將重返家園

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National Taiwan University Chorus 台大合唱團
Email：[email protected]
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