I exist, I was.
This is a line from the Spielberg-directed sci-fi movie Artificial Intelligence. The last words spoken by the robot dancer in the movie before he is captured and destroyed by human cleaners. If you ask me what the most moving line in my movie-going history is, this one has to be pretty high on the list.
The final words of this soon-to-be-destroyed robot are neither a fear of the end, nor an exhortation to stay with the old, but an emphasis on self-existence. This short sentence has a strong infectious force, his emphasis on self-existence, the face of the fact that life is short, the attitude of these four ordinary words.
Instead of emphasizing life and death, which no one can change, he focuses on the process, the affirmation of self-existence.
I don't know what year I heard Park Shu's "Born Like a Summer Flower". I remember thinking, "What kind of language is this intro babbling? Later, I heard that this tune is Park's own humming, not a language at all. And again, many years later, I went to college and again listened to the song carefully, read the lyrics word for word.
After listening to it many times, I suddenly remembered that in the movie ? I am. I was. this line, always felt a sense of familiarity.
"So that life is like the splendor of summer flowers, death is like the quiet beauty of autumn leaves", from Rabindranath Tagore's The Collection of Flying Birds. And Park's song seems to do his best to touch the realm expressed in Tagore's verse.
This song seems to be a microcosm of a person's life. Let's look at Park's lyrics sentence by sentence.
In the beginning 'I' did not come.
Then comes the meeting of 'I' with 'you' and 'her'.
The good times are the blooming of life. It is as short and dazzling as fireworks.
I am here, doing my best to live in splendor.
The meeting of destiny, followed by the parting, is beautiful and regrettable.
And then there is the line "I am. I was.", which makes me feel the attitude of "I am. I was." in "Artificial Intelligence", not regretting the unfinished things, but being satisfied with the things that have already been accomplished in this life, and not going through the journey for nothing, but blossoming all the beauty of this life in front of your eyes, like a summer flower.
Finally lament the happiness and difficulties of a lifetime, this beautiful world who can not stay forever.
With this song, I never felt that only Park Shu could sing the emotions. And it's true, very few people can sing the kind of simplicity, madness, passion and stubbornness that Park can blend into one. For example, Zhang Liangying's version is very beautiful from a vocal point of view, but I don't think she ever touched the soul of the song. Park's song is not a literary, elegant and quiet ballad.
I am this dazzling moment. I am not vain, like a summer flower open in front of your eyes.
How confident, this is a release of emotions with pride, fervor, and no regrets.
Park, what a poet.