美国文学选读 诗歌鉴赏

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I Shot an Arrow

I shot an arrow into the air,

我把一支箭射向空中

It fell to earth I knew not where;

不知它落在何方

For so swiftly it flew the sight

飞得那么快

Could not follow it in its flight飞行.

眼睛难以追寻它的方向

I breathed a song into the air,

我对着天空轻轻唱歌

It fell to earth I knew not where;

不知它消逝在何方

For who has the sight so keen and strong

谁的眼光能如此敏锐犀利

That can follow the flight of a song.

能跟上歌声的翅膀

Long, long afterwards in an oak,

很久很久以后，在一棵橡树上

I found the arrow still unbroke完整的;

我找到了那支箭，仍未折断

And the song, from beginning to end,

也发现了那支歌，自始自终

I found again in the heart of a friend.

在朋友的心中欢唱

Analysis:

When he shot an arrow and breathed a song into the air, he did not expect to find them any more.

But many years later, he came across with the arrow and found that his song was always in the heart of his friend.

This suggests that the friendship is everlasting.

This poem is written in a traditional iambic form with the feet “aabbaaccddee”.

In the poem, Longfellow sings the friendship implicitly and skillfully.

The arrow and the song in this poem stand for the friendship.

Structurally, the first and the second stanza develop in a parallel way, yet in the last stanza the poet joins the two independent images logically together to indicate the strength of fantastic conceit in poetry.

A Psalm of Life 人生颂

Tell me not, in mornful numbers

不要在哀伤的诗句里告诉我：

"Life is but an empty dream!"

“人生不过是一场幻梦！”

For the soul is dead that slumbers

因为灵魂睡着了，就等于死了，

And things are not what they seem.

事物的真相与外表不同。

Analysis:

In this opening stanza, Longfellow declares himself to be a believer in life hereafter来世.

Life is real! Life is earnest!

人生是真切的！人生是实在的！

And the grave is not its goal;

它的归宿决不是荒坟；

"Dust thou art, to dust returnest,"

“你本是尘土，必归于尘土”，

Was not spoken of the soul.

这是指躯壳，不是指灵魂。

Analysis:

The second stanza continues with the same belief in afterlife that is present in the first.

Longfellow states this clearly when he writes, "And the grave is not its goal." It means that life doesn't end for people simply because they die; there is always something more to be hopeful and optimistic for.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,

我们命定的目标和道路

Is our destined命中注定的end or way;

不是享乐，也不是受苦；

But to act, that each to-morrow

而是行动，在每个明天

Find us farther than to-day.

都超越今天，跨出新步。

Analysis:

Longfellow begins discussing how humans must live their lives in constant anticipation for the next day under the belief that it will be better than each day before it: "But to act that each to-morrow / Find us farther than to-day."

Art is long, and Time is fleeting,

智艺无穷，时光飞逝；

And our hearts, though stout 顽强的and brave,

这颗心，纵然勇敢坚强，

Still, like muffled捂住drums, are beating

也只如那鼓，闷声敲动着，

Funeral marches葬礼进行曲to the grave.

一下又一下，向坟地送丧。

Analysis:

In this stanza, Longfellow asserts that there is never an infinite amount of time to live, but art that is created during one's life can be preserved indefinitely and live on long after its creator dies.

In the world's broad field of battle,

世界是一片辽阔的战场，

In the bivouac ['bivu?k] 露营of life,

人生是到处扎寨安营；

Be not like dumb, driven cattle!

莫学那听人驱策的哑畜，

Be a hero in the strife!奋斗, 努力

做一个威武善战的英雄！

Analysis:

In this stanza, Longfellow likens living in the world to fighting on a huge field of battle.

He believes that people should lead heroic and courageous lives and not sit idle and remain ineffectual while the world rapidly changes around them: "Be not like dumb, driven cattle! Be a hero in the strife!“

Trust no Future, howe'er pleasant!

别指望将来，不管它多可爱！

Let the dead Past bury its dead!

把已逝的过去永久掩埋！

Act, -- act in the living Present!

行动吧－－趁着活生生的现在！

Heart within, and God o'evhead!

心中有赤心，头上有真宰！

Analysis:

Longfellow then encourages everyone to have faith and trust the lord and not to rely on an unknown future to be stable and supportive.

He advises people to seize the moments they have before them and act while thinking about their present situations.

Lives of great men all remind us

伟人的生平启示我们：

We can make our lives sublime壮丽的；高尚的,

我们能够生活得高尚，

And, departing死亡, leave behind us

而当告别人世的时候，

Footprints on the sand of time;

留下脚印在时间的沙上

Analysis:

Longfellow continues his poem by citing the lives of great and important men who were able to lead incredible lives and leave their marks.

He views these men as role models for people who have yet to live their lives; Longfellow encourages his readers to leave their own "footprints on the sands of time" and become important.

Footprints, that perhaps another,

也许我们有一个兄弟

Sailing o'er life's solemn main 大海,

航行在庄严的人生大海，

A forlorn [f??l?:n] 孤独凄凉的and shipwrecked brother,

遇险沉了船，绝望的时刻，

Seeing, shall take heart again.

会看到这脚印而振作起来。

Analysis:

In this stanza, the second to last in the poem, continues with this same point. It describes how successful people in the past have their lives copied, while those who failed serve as examples of ways of life to avoid.

The final lines of the poem echo the beginning ones and offer perhaps the most important advice in a poem that is chocked full of it. Longfellow encourages all to work and try their hardest to make their lives great and accomplish as much as they can.

Let us, then, be up and doing,

那么，让我们起来干吧，

With a heart for any fate;

对任何命运要敢于担戴；

Still achieving, still pursuing,

不断地进取，不断地追求，

Learn to labor and to wait.

要善于劳动，善于等待。

Analysis:

Longfellow conveys his message the same way he did in the rest of the poem: by speaking directly to the reader and providing his reasoning for believing in something more, in something better.

Longfellow ensures his followers that the rewards for what they achieve will come eventually-if not in this lifetime, then, certainly, in the next.

Edgar allanpoe

Sonnet-to science

Structure:

The

first

quatra

in,condemns

Science

as

a

“true

daughter

of

Old

Time”

and

as

a

“Vulture” that “preyst . . . upon the poet’s heart”

The second quatrain, poses rhetorical questions asking how a poet could like, respect, or join science .

The third quatrain, accuses Science of spoiling some beautiful myths, such as that of Diana and the Hamadryad.

Finally,

the

concluding

couplet

reveals

the

reason

for

the

persona’s

lament;

here,

with the poem’s only first

-person pronoun, the persona focuses attention on himself,

accusing Science of depriving him of his reverie.

Theme:

Poe expresses nontraditional accusations of science. It is spoken

through

the

of a passionate man mourning the slaughter of mythology, fantasy, art by its alleged arch enemy, Science. Science is portrayed as evil and words like "preyst," "Vulture," and "torn" are used to describe science's impact on mankind.

Poe does not see science and scientific development as a good thing , rather he feels that science "alterest all things with thy peering eyes."

He

implores Science as to why “she” must impose her “dull realities” on the hearts of poets like himself, squelching their wandering

minds. He questions the desertion of

imagination by the objective force of science.

He

is

inclined

to

avoid

logic in

his

argument,

although

classic sonnet structure implies his

own attempt to rationalize his

own thoughts.

Perhaps the structure contrasted with such feelings further

insinuates

humanity's

paradoxical

need

for

organization in every field of thought.

To Helen

Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicéan barks of yore, That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, way-worn wanderer bore

To his own native shore.

On desperate seas long wont to roam, Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face, Thy Naiad airs have brought me home To the glory that was Greece

And the grandeur that was Rome.

Lo! In yon brilliant window-niche

How statue-like I see thee stand,

The agate lamp within thy hand! Ah, Psyche, from the regions which

Are Holy-Land!

海伦，你的美貌于我

似远古尼西亚人的帆船，

轻轻飘过芬芳的海面，

让旅途劳顿的游子，

回到他故乡的岸边。

在漂泊已久、波涛汹涌的海上，

你风信子般的头发、古典的脸庞，

和尼厄神殿的风采已带我回家乡，

回到罗马曾经的伟大，

和希腊曾经的荣光。

瞧！彼处辉煌龛盒里

你，恰似雕像，伫立，

玛瑙灯儿手中提！

呵！赛琪，来自

仙土圣地！

Analysis:

Stanza 1:

The poet first mentioned Helen, the most famous beauty in Great mythology. Then Poe compared himself to Odysseus, who wandered for ten years over the sea to get home. As Odysseus, Edgar Allan Poe was persistent in his chasing after fine arts with the sincere belief that art, or beauty and truth, is the ultimate aim, the home, for the wandering poet; while Helen, the embodiment of ancient beauty, is the guider to that dreamland.诗人第一次提到海伦,最著名的风景就像是伟大神话。然后坡把自己比做奥德修斯,就是走迷了十年海里回家。作为奥德修斯、埃德加·爱伦·坡执说捕美真诚的信仰,艺术、美与真,不是最终的目的,;海伦的美,体现古代美,是那梦境的向导。

Stanza2:

All the art and literature originated from one thing---beauty. Having taken Helen as the embodiment of beauty, the poet was confident that once he saw Helen, he was sure to be led by Helen to the home of beauty---fine and pure literature. Poe insisted that Greece and Rome are the homes of beauty, the treasure houses of fine art and literature.所有的艺术和文学的起源从一件事---美。海伦作为美的化身，诗人有信心，有一次他看到海伦，他相信由海伦导致美家---及纯文学。坡坚持认为，希腊和罗马是最美丽的家园，美术和文学宝库。

Stanza3:

The speaker sees Helen standing in the bright niche and holding in her hand an agate lamp. She is quite similar to goddess Psyche from Greek Myth. Through his description of his passion to Helen, Poe expressed his pursuit and sincere devotion to beauty.

In the poem, three beauties in ancient Greek mythology—Helen, Naiad and Psyche---are mentioned just to show that beauty is something that existed; it is very holy but it is hard to reach.看到海伦站在明亮的利基，及举起了她的手中玛瑙灯。她和希腊神话女神颇为相似。通过他的描述，表示表明他对美的追求和真诚奉献。

在这首诗中，提到了三个美女在古希腊神话中的海伦，稚虫和普赛克---只是表明美是存在的，它是非常神圣的，但它是很难达到的。

Ezra Pound

In a station of the metro

The apparition of these faces in the crowd;

Petals on a wet,black bough.

《地铁站上》

人群中，这些面孔的鬼影；

潮湿的黑树枝上的花瓣。（余光中）

《在一个地铁车站》

人群中这些面孔幽灵般显现；

湿漉漉的黑枝条上朵朵花瓣（杜运燮）

This poem just has 14 words in the whole poem. However, the images in this poem give us the interior meaning. The images are apparition, faces, petals and bough.

What does the apparition mean? One is “suddenly appear” and the other is “something like the ghost”. This word nicely captures the immediate impression left on the poet’s mind and the powerful emotional impact he felt in that situation.We can easily touch that the faces in the subway are depressed.

At this time, Pound saw a child’s lovely face,The lovely faces mixed with the depressed faces. And the poet arouses a complex of joy and fear which is hard to tell from each other.

Of course, in this poem, petals indicate faces. When we mention petals, we also think about smiling or some beautiful thing.

The subway is just like the bough, although it is wet, dark and black, we still should use love and smiling to face them.

WallaceStevens

Anecdote of the jar

Analysis:

On one hand, we can see that the "jar" was the symbol of art and imagination while Tennessee's

wildness stood for nature. Because of the jar, the wild nature presented in form and order. Thus,

the

poet

made

people

recognize

the

jar's

infinite

charm.

It

not

only

gives

the

mass

nature

a

regulation but also a true meaning of lives to copious amount of common people in the world. Art

has

made

an

indelible

contribution

to

the

legal

system

promote

human's

progress

and

social

process.

On the other hand, the jar, as the work of art, is so different from nature. It "Like nothing else

in

Tennessee" and "It did not give of bird or bush".

It relies on the existence of the world around there, by nature of the constraints and restrictions. By Doing so, the poet tells of the relationship between art and nature: art than life, but cannot be separated from the living.

William Carlos Williams

The red wheelbarrow

1.The opening lines set the tone for the rest of the poem. Since the poem is composed of one sentence broken up at various intervals, it is truthful to say that "so much depends upon" each line of the poem. This is so because the form of the poem is also its meaning. And there is no subject in the first two lines, everything is rely on imagination.

2.Red,white and glazed rain water are the most visually compelling words .The colors stand out because of their contrast with each other: the white chickens contrast with the red wheelbarrow; the static contrast with the dynamic; living thing contrasts with object without life; natural object contrasts with man-made object.

3.So much depends upon a red wheelbarrow. It’s like how so many things in life depend on such seemingly insignificant entities. Everything depends on such small things in this world. The only

difference is we can't see it.

Spring and all

With the coming of spring, the sky turns blue but the mottled clouds are driven by cold wind, the ground is still brown with dried weeds. Through the visual images, a scene of the severe fight between winter and spring can be easily caught. In the first three stanzas, the power of winter predominates and the pace of spring appears slow and hard. However, the quickened pace of spring in the third stanza brings quicker rhythm to the poem. The change is profound; the leafless leaves all begin to awake and grip down in the earth. The revival of life comes slowly but surely. There is nothing in the world able to stop the pace of it.