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StephenBurt_2013G-_为何人们需要诗_
I read poetry all the time and write about it frequently and take poems apart to see how they work because I'm a word person. 我时常阅读诗, 也常撰写诗评 有时我会抽丝剥茧, 以观察诗词如何产生涵义 因为我对文字特别敏锐,
poetry:n.诗;诗意,诗情;诗歌艺术; frequently:adv.频繁地,经常地;时常,屡次;
I understand the world best, most fully, in words rather than, say, pictures or numbers, and when I have a new experience or a new feeling, 比起图片或数字, 我反而最能透过文字,深刻的理解这个世界 且当我有了新的体验或感受,
I'm a little frustrated until I can try to put it into words. 我常会先感到有点沮丧, 直到我能尝试将它们化为文字为止。
frustrated:adj.失意的,挫败的;泄气的;v.挫败;阻挠;(frustrate的过去式和过去分词)
I think I've always been that way. 我想我一直都是这样
I devoured science fiction as a child. I still do. 小时侯,我总是贪婪的阅读科幻小说,现在依旧如此
devoured:v.狼吞虎咽地吃光;津津有味地看;吞没;毁灭;(devour的过去分词和过去式) science fiction:科幻小说;
And I found poems by Andrew Marvell and Matthew Arnold and Emily Dickinson and William Butler Yeats because they were quoted in science fiction, and I loved their sounds and I went on to read about ottava rima and medial caesuras and enjambment and all that other technical stuff 而我会在里面发现一些诗,像是安德鲁?马维尔、 马修?阿诺、艾蜜莉?狄金森、 以及叶慈的诗作, 因为这些科幻小说引用了他们的诗 我超爱这些诗的音韵, 于是我开始研究何谓八行诗体、 韵脚停顿、诗句的跨行衔接 以及其他种种技法,
quoted:v.引用;引述;举例说明;开价;(quote的过去分词和过去式) medial:adj.中间的;平均的;普通的;n.[语]中间字母; technical:adj.工艺的,科技的;技术上的;专门的; stuff:n.东西:物品:基本特征:v.填满:装满:标本:
that you care about if you already care about poems, because poems already made me happier and sadder and more alive. 也就是那些如果你已经很爱好诗,就会去在乎的东西, 因为诗已经让我更快乐 也更悲伤,同时更有生命力
sadder:adj.更难过的(sad的比较级);
And I became a poetry critic because I wanted to know how and why. 后来我成为一个诗评家, 因为我想知道诗如何产生及诗词背后的起因。
critic:n.评论家;反对者;批评者;
Now, poetry isn't one thing that serves one purpose any more than music or computer programming serve one purpose. 诗并不是为了单一目的而存在的产物, 它不像音乐和电脑程式, 只为单一目的而存在。
The greek word poem, it just means "a made thing," 诗 的希腊文,仅代表 一个成品 ,
and poetry is a set of techniques , ways of making patterns that put emotions into words. 而诗是一套技法、 一种架构组织的方法, 它能够将情绪转为文字。
techniques:n.技巧;技艺;工艺;技术;(technique的复数) emotions:n.强烈的感情;激情;情感;(emotion的复数)
The more techniques you know, the more things you can make, and the more patterns you can recognize in things you might already like or love. 你懂愈多技巧, 就能创造出愈多东西, 且对于某些你已喜欢或深爱的事物, 诗能让你理会出其中更多奥妙。
recognize:v.认识;认出;辨别出;承认;意识到;
That said, poetry does seem to be especially good at certain things. 这样说来, 诗似乎在某些方面显得特别有用。
especially:adv.尤其;特别;格外;十分;
For example, we are all going to die. 例如说,我们终将不免一死。
Poetry can help us live with that. 但诗,能幫助我们与这念头和平共生。
Poems are made of words, nothing but words. 诗是由文字组成,就只是字而已。
The particulars in poems are like the particularities, the personalities , that distinguish people from one another. 但诗的不同特质, 就像是人们之间互异的个性, 区别着彼此的不同。
personalities:n.性格;个性;人格;气质;名人;(personality的复数) distinguish:vt.区分;辨别;使杰出,使表现突出;vi.区别,区分;辨别;
Poems are easy to share, easy to pass on, and when you read a poem, you can imagine someone's speaking to you or for you, maybe even someone far away or someone made up or someone deceased . 诗文容易被分享、被传承, 而当你读一篇诗, 你能够想像有人正在传达讯息给你、为你发声 甚至是为一个与你相隔遥远的人、 或为一个虚构的人、已故的人发声。
deceased:adj.死去了的;已死的;n.死者;
That's why we can go to poems when we want to remember something or someone, to celebrate or to look beyond death or to say goodbye, and that's one reason poems can seem important, even to people who aren't me, who don't so much live in a world of words. 这就是为什么 每当我们想铭记某人某事、 想庆祝、想超脱生死、 或是道别时,都会藉由诗来抒发情感。 这也是为什么从古至今,诗文总是占有一席之地 就算一般人跟我不太一样 他们没有沉迷于文字的世界里,诗也一样受欢迎。
The poet Frank O'Hara said, "If you don't need poetry, bully for you," 诗人法兰克?奥哈拉说, 如果你不需要诗,那算你行!
Frank:adj.坦白的,直率的;老实的;n.免费邮寄特权;v.免费邮寄; bully:vt.恐吓;伤害;胁迫;n.仗势欺人者;adj.快活的;盛气凌人的;
but he also said when he didn't want to be alive anymore, the thought that he wouldn't write any more poems had stopped him. 但他也曾说,当他失去了活下去的动力时, 他如果想到 这样就无法再创作任何诗了 , 这念头就会阻止他去寻短。
Poetry helps me want to be alive, and I want to show you why by showing you how, how a couple of poems react to the fact that we're alive in one place at one time in one culture, and in another we won't be alive at all. 诗,是让我生存的动力, 我要藉由展示来告诉你们为什么, 为何有些诗可以反映出: 我们只存活于一个地方、一个时空、一个文化, 而超越了那个时空,我们根本称不上活着。
react:v.起反应;回应;(对食物等)有不良反应,过敏;起化学反应; at one time:曾经,一度;同时;
So here's one of the first poems I memorized . 下面这是我最早背起的诗之一,
memorized:v.记忆;记住(memorize的过去分词和过去式)
It could address a child or an adult. 讲述的对象可以是小孩或大人:
'"From far, from eve and morning 从远方,从日暮,从晨晓,
From yon twelve-winded sky, 从那有着十二个方位的天空,
The stuff of life to knit me 织造出我的那些生命本质
knit:v.编织;针织;机织;(使)紧密结合;n.针织衫;编织的衣服;
Blew hither; here am I. 随风轻吹至此,我于是存在。
Now — for a breath I tarry 此刻--我停留鼻息,
tarry:vi.等候;逗留;耽搁;vt.等待;n.逗留;adj.涂了焦油的;
Nor yet disperse apart — 仍未散逸之前--
disperse:v.分散;驱散;疏散;散布;adj.分散的;弥散的
Take my hand quick and tell me, 快握住我的手并告诉我,
What have you in your heart. 是什么盘据在你心中。
Speak now, and I will answer; 说吧,我会回答你,
How shall I help you, say; 我该如何幫助你,尽管说吧,
Ere to the wind's twelve quarters 否则我就快回到风起前的的四面八方,
I take my endless way." 踏上无限的旅途。
endless:adj.无止境的;连续的;环状的;漫无目的的;
[A. E. Housman] (作者为A. E.豪斯曼)
Now, this poem has appealed to science fiction writers. 这首诗迷住了 许多科幻小说家。
appealed:v.上诉;申诉;有吸引力;呼吁;吁请;恳求;(appeal的过去分词和过去式)
It's furnished at least three science fiction titles, 这首诗被用于至少三部科幻小说的标题里,
furnished:adj.带家具的; v.布置家具; (furnish的过去分词和过去式)
I think because it says poems can brings us news from the future or the past or across the world, because their patterns can seem to tell you what's in somebody's heart. 我想是因为这首诗点出:诗总是能带给我们一些信息, 无论是从未来或是过去, 甚至是从世界各方, 因为它的文体似乎能告诉你, 某人心中想些什么。
It says poems can bring people together temporarily , which I think is true, and it sticks in my head not just because it rhymes but for how it rhymes, cleanly and simply on the two and four, "say" and "way," 诗能短暂的将人们凝聚在一起, 我想确实如此。 而这首诗会留在我脑海,不只是因为它押韵, 而是它押韵的方式, 简单扼要的在第二行、第四行
temporarily:adv.临时地,临时; rhymes:n.押韵(rhyme的复数);尾韵;v.押韵(rhyme的第三人称单数形式); cleanly:adv.干净地;清洁地;adj.干净的;爱清洁的;
with anticipatory hints on the one and three, "answer" and "quarters," 并在一、三行预留线索,
anticipatory:adj.预期的;提早发生的;期待着的; hints:n.暗示,提示(hint的复数形式);v.暗示,示意(hint的单三形式);
as if the poem itself were coming together. 这首诗好像是自己浑然天成的。
It plays up the fact that we die by exaggerating the speed of our lives. 它强调人终将面临死亡, 藉由誇大的方式来呈现人生苦短。
exaggerating:v.夸张;夸大;言过其实(exaggerate的现在分词)
A few years on Earth become one speech, one breath. 像是在地球上生存的几年时间, 变成说一句话、吸一口气般短暂。
It's a poem about loneliness -- the "I" in the poem feels no connection will last — and it might look like a plea for help 'til you get to the word "help," 这是首关于孤寂的诗-- 诗中的 我 ,认为没有任何连结是永久的, 且像是在寻求协助, 直到你读到 幫助 这词,一切才具体化
plea:n.请求;恳求;答辩;借口;
where this "I" facing you, taking your hand, is more like a teacher or a genie , or at least that's what he wants to believe. 而这个 我 面对着你,握住你的手, 就像是一位老师或精灵, 或至少,是作者盼望相信的事。
genie:n.妖怪;鬼;
It would not be the first time a poet had written the poem that he wanted to hear. 这已经不是第一次,一位诗人, 写出一首自己想听到的诗。
Now, this next poem really changed what I liked and what I read and what I felt I could read as an adult. 下一首诗,则完全改变了 我喜欢的东西、阅读的品味、 以及身为成人,我以为自己理解的事。
It might not make any sense to you if you haven't seen it before. 如果你以前没读过这首诗, 有可能无法体会:
make any sense to:理解;
'"The Garden" 【花园】
'" Oleander : coral from lipstick ads in the 50's. 夹竹桃:珊瑚红, 来自50年代的口红广告。
Oleander:n.夹竹桃(产于欧洲); coral:n.珊瑚;珊瑚虫;adj.珊瑚的;珊瑚色的; lipstick:n.口红;唇膏;
Fruit of the tree of such knowledge 知识树上的果实,教导了我们何等知识。
To smack (thin air) Smack ,动词,
smack:v.用巴掌打; n.打巴掌; v.恰好;
meaning kiss or hit. 意思为亲吻或击打(空气)。
It appears in the guise of outworn usages because we are bad? 这个字, 在老套字义的伪装下呼之欲出, 是因为我们心怀不轨吗?
guise:n.伪装;装束;外观;vt.使化装;vi.伪装; outworn:adj.陈腐的;用旧的;疲惫的;v.过耗(outwear的过去分词); usages:n.用法(usage的复数形式);惯例;
Big masculine threat, insinuating and slangy ." 浓烈的阳刚气息朝人逼近, 充满暗示、吊儿郎当。
masculine:adj.男性的;阳性的;男子气概的;n.男性;阳性,阳性词; insinuating:adj.含沙射影的; v.暗示; (insinuate的现在分词) slangy:adj.俚语的;俗话多的;好用俚语的;
[Rae Armantrout] (作者为蕾?阿曼特饒特)
Now, I found this poem in an anthology of almost equally confusing poems in 1989. 我从名诗选集中发现这首诗, 在1989年,整本诗集都是这种非常困惑的诗文。
anthology:n.(诗,文,曲,画等的)选集; confusing:adj.令人困惑; v.使糊涂; (confuse的现在分词)
I just heard that there were these scandalous writers called Language poets who didn't make any sense, and I wanted to go and see for myself what they were like, and some of them didn't do much for me, but this writer, Rae Armantrout, did an awful lot, and I kept reading her until I felt I knew what was going on, as I do with this poem. 我正好听到有些恶名昭彰的作家, 他们被称为 语言诗人 ,专写一些没有意义的东西, 于是我想看看他们到底是写些什么。 而我对那些诗却没有太多共鸣 但其中有位作家,蕾?阿曼特饒特, 她的诗让我收获良多,我一直阅读她的作品, 直到逐渐明白她的深意, 就如同我反覆的阅读这首诗,
scandalous:adj.可耻的;诽谤性的;
It's about the Garden of Eden and the Fall and the Biblical story of the Fall, in which sex as we know it and death and guilt come into the world at the same time . 它是关于伊甸园和人的堕落, 以及圣经中提到堕落的故事: 也就是在性、 死亡、罪恶, 这些同时降临在这世界的时候。
Garden of Eden:na.(《圣经》中所说亚当和夏娃所住的)伊甸园; Biblical:adj.圣经的;依据圣经的(等于biblical); at the same time:同时;另一方面;与此同时;
It's also about how appearances deceive , how our culture can sweep us along into doing and saying things we didn't intend or don't like, and Armantrout's style is trying to help us stop or slow down. 这首诗同时也述说着外表如何蒙蔽事物, 如何以我们的文化 迫使我们做出或说出那原本不打算做的事, 或不喜欢的事物,而这就是阿曼特饒特的作风, 试图幫我们沉淀下来。
appearances:n.露面;外观;出现;表面的迹象[征兆];(appearance的复数) deceive:v.欺骗;蒙骗;诓骗;欺骗(自己); intend:v.打算;计划;想要;
'"Smack" can mean "kiss" as in air kisses, as in lip-smacking , but that can lead to "smack" as in "hit" Smack,可以代表亲吻,像是飞吻那种, 也代表咂嘴唇, 但Smack也可表示击打的意思,
lip-smacking:吧唧嘴;
as in domestic abuse , because sexual attraction can seem threatening. 就像家暴会出现的那种, 因为性诱惑有时看来充满威胁。
domestic:n.佣人;家佣;家庭纠纷;家庭矛盾;adj.本国的;国内的;家用的;家庭的; abuse:n.滥用;虐待;辱骂;弊端;恶习,陋习;v.滥用;虐待;辱骂; sexual:adj.性的;性别的;有性的;
The red that means fertility can also mean poison. 珊瑚红代表生育力, 也可代表剧毒,
fertility:n.多产;肥沃;[农经]生产力;丰饶;
Oleander is poisonous . 因为夹竹桃是有毒的。
poisonous:adj.有毒的;恶毒的;讨厌的;
And outworn usages like "smack" for "kiss" 诗里提到的老套字义,像是smack解释为「亲吻」
or "hit" can help us see how our unacknowledged assumptions can make us believe we are bad, either because sex is sinful or because we tolerate so much sexism . 或「击打」,可以幫助我们看透, 这些毫无根据的臆测, 如何让我们相信自己是错的, 无论是因为充满罪恶的性欲, 或是因为我们承受了太多性别歧视,
unacknowledged:adj.不被承认的,未公开承认的;未答复的; assumptions:n.假定;假设;承担;获得;(assumption的复数) sinful:adj.有罪的; tolerate:v.容忍;忍受;容许;包容; sexism:n.(针对女性的)性别歧视;男性至上主义;
We let guys tell women what to do. 总是让男人唆使女人。
The poem reacts to old lipstick ads, and its edginess about statement , its reversals and halts , have everything to do with resisting the language of ads that want to tell us so easily what to want, what to do, what to think. 诗文中反应出这老旧的口红广告、 急促的陈述方式、 转折、停顿,在在都充满了 对广告语言的反叛 -- 广告太直白的诉说我们的欲望, 告诉我们该做什么、该怎么想。
reacts:vi.反应;影响;反抗;起反作用;vt.使发生相互作用;使起化学反应; edginess:n.刀口锐利;急躁; statement:n.声明;陈述,叙述;报表,清单; reversals:n.逆转;[法]撤销(reversal的复数); halts:n.多氯双茂(一种除草剂); have everything to do with:与…关系密切; resisting:adj.稳定的;坚固的;v.抵抗;忍住(resist的现在分词);
That resistance is a lot of the point of the poem, which shows me, Armantrout shows me what it's like to hear grave threats and mortal dishonesty in the language of everyday life, and once she's done that, 这种反叛与诗的本意相对应, 这首诗,或说阿曼特饒特让我明白, 被言语威胁是怎样的感觉, 而看穿那些日常生活中的不实的语言, 又是怎么样的感觉。而一旦她做到这点,
resistance:n.电阻;抵抗;阻力;抗力; grave:adj.重大的;严肃的;黯淡的;n.墓穴,坟墓;死亡;v.雕刻;铭记; mortal:adj.凡人的;致死的;终有一死的;不共戴天的;n.人类,凡人; dishonesty:n.不诚实;欺诈;不正直;
I think she can show other people, women and men, what it's like to feel that way and say to other people, women and men who feel so alienated or so threatened that they're not alone. 我认为她就能传达给大家,不论男人女人, 传递诗中的意涵, 然后告诉所有人,无论男人女人, 在他们感到孤单或受到威胁时, 他们并不寂寞。
alienated:adj.疏远的;被疏远的;v.使疏离(alienate的过去式);
Now, how do I know that I'm right about this somewhat confusing poem? 好,那我怎么知道我的解读是对的呢？ 这首诗如此令人困惑。
somewhat:n.几分;某物;adv.有点;多少;几分;稍微;
Well in this case, I emailed the poet a draft of my talk and she said, "Yeah, yeah, that's about it." 好吧,是因为我把我的讲稿email 给阿曼特劳特, 她回说: 对,对,大概是这样没错。
draft:n.草案; v.起草; adj.供役使的;
Yeah. (Laughter) (Applause) (笑声) (掌声)
But usually, you can't know. You never know . 但通常来说,你根本不晓得,
You never know:(非正式)很难说,不可预知;
You can't be sure, and that's okay. 你也无法确定,但没关系,
All we can do we is listen to poems and look at poems and guess and see if they can bring us what we need, and if you're wrong about some part of a poem, nothing bad will happen. 我们所该做的就是聆听这首诗, 仔细品尝并大胆猜测, 看看是否带来些我们所需要的东西, 而就算你对一些环节有错误的理解, 也没有关系的。
Now, this next poem is older than Armantrout's, but a little younger than A. E. Housman's. 好,接下来这首诗比阿曼特饒特的诗更早问世, 但比A. E.豪斯曼的作品还后期一些,
'"The Brave Man"
'"The sun, that brave man, 太阳,是那英勇的男人,
Comes through boughs that lie in wait, 照透那危机四伏的树枝,
boughs:n.大树枝;
That brave man. 那英勇的男人啊。
Green and gloomy eyes 一双双翠绿而忧郁的眼睛,
gloomy:adj.黑暗的;沮丧的;阴郁的;
In dark forms of the grass 在幽暗的草丛里,
Run away. 逃散无踪。
The good stars, 众多的繁星、
Pale helms and spiky spurs , 苍白的钢盔、尖锐的马刺,
helms:n.头盔;通用头盔;舵(helm的复数形式);vt.给…掌舵;指挥(helm的三单形式); spiky:adj.大钉一般的;装有大钉的;尖刻的;易怒的;有穗的; spurs:n.马刺(spur的复数);
Run away. 逃散无踪。
Fears of my bed, 面临入睡的恐惧、
Fears of life and fears of death, 面临生死的恐惧,
Run away. 逃散无踪。
That brave man comes up 英勇的男人出现了,
From below and walks without meditation , 毫不犹豫的走上来,
meditation:n.冥想;沉思,深思;
That brave man." 那英勇的男人。
[Wallace Stevens] (作者为华莱士·史蒂文斯)
Now, the sun in this poem, in Wallace Stevens' poem, seems so grave because the person in the poem is so afraid. 现在,这首诗提到的太阳, 在华莱士·史蒂文斯的诗中,似乎显得忧沉, 因为诗中提到的人物感到害怕
The sun comes up in the morning through branches, dispels the dew , the eyes, on the grass, and defeats stars envisioned as armies. 早晨的阳光穿透了树枝, 蒸发了青草上的露珠,也就是一双双的眼睛们, 击溃了一片像大军压境的星辰,
dew:n.珠,滴;露水;清新;vt.(露水等)弄湿;vi.结露水; envisioned:v.展望;想象;(envision的过去分词和过去式)
'"Brave" has its old sense of showy as well as its modern sense, courage. 英勇 一词,带有古语中强出风头的意思, 同时也有现代的意思:勇气。
showy:adj.艳丽的;炫耀的;显眼的; as well as:也;和…一样;不但…而且;
This sun is not afraid to show his face. 这里的太阳对抛头露面感到无所畏惧,
But the person in the poem is afraid. 反倒是诗的叙述者感到害怕,
He might have been up all night. 他可能整晚都没睡。
That is the reveal Stevens saves for that fourth stanza , where run away has become a refrain . 史蒂文斯在这边为第四诗节留下伏笔, 第四诗节的 逃散无踪 变成一种忍耐,
reveal:v.显示;透露;揭露;泄露;n.揭露;暴露;门侧,窗侧; stanza:n.演出期;局;场;诗的一节; refrain:vi.节制,克制;避免;制止;n.叠句,副歌;重复;
This person might want to run away too, but fortified by the sun's example, he might just rise. 即便这男人也想逃跑, 但为了效仿太阳的英勇, 他必须挺身而出。
fortified:v.筑防御工事以防卫;加强,增强;(fortify的过去式和过去分词)
Stevens saves that sonically odd word "meditation" 作者史蒂文斯以音韵破格的 冥想 一词,
sonically:用法,发音,音标,搭配,同义词,反义词和例句等在线英语服务。; odd:adj.古怪的;奇数的;n.奇数;
for the end. 来做为结尾。
Unlike the sun, human beings think. 因为人类不像太阳,人类会有所冥想,
We meditate on past and future, life and death, above and below. 我们常冥想过去与未来、生与死, 上天堂或是下地狱,
meditate:vt.考虑;计划;企图;vi.冥想;沉思;
And it can make us afraid. 这些让我们感到畏惧,
Poems, the patterns in poems, show us not just what somebody thought or what someone did or what happened but what it was like to be a person like that, to be so anxious, so lonely, so inquisitive , so goofy , so preposterous , so brave. 诗,以及诗的文体型式, 不只告诉我们某人想了什么、 做过什么,或发生过什么事, 还能告诉我们,如果你是这样的人,你会有什么感受, 当你如此焦虑、孤寂、好奇、 如此愚蠢、可笑,如此勇敢。
inquisitive:adj.好奇的;好问的,爱打听的; goofy:adj.傻瓜的,愚笨的; preposterous:adj.荒谬的;可笑的;
That's why poems can seem at once so durable , so personal, and so ephemeral , like something inside and outside you at once. 这就是为什么诗文总是如此历久弥新、 同时又如此私密、而且稍纵即逝, 私密得像是你内在的一部份,却又如外在世界般巨大。
durable:adj.耐用的;耐久的;长期的;长久的;n.耐久品; ephemeral:adj.短暂的;朝生暮死的;n.只生存一天的事物;
The Scottish poet Denise Riley compares poetry to a needle , a sliver of outside I cradle inside, and the American poet Terrance Hayes wrote six poems called "Wind in a Box." 苏格兰诗人丹尼斯赖利,曾经把诗 比喻成一根银针,银针的织物可以让我放心窝在里面 而美国诗人特伦斯海斯, 写了六首诗,题为 盒中的风
Riley:adj.生气的; compares:v.比较;对比;(compare的第三人称单数) needle:n.针;针头;指针;缝针;v.穿过;刺激;拿针缝;拿针穿; cradle:n.摇篮;发源地;发祥地;支船架;vt.抚育;把...搁在支架上;把...放在摇篮内;
One of them asks, "Tell me, what am I going to do when I'm dead?" 其中一首问道: 告诉我, 当我死了之后要做什么?
And the answer is that he'll stay with us or won't stay with us inside us as wind, as air, as words. 而答案是他将会伴随在我们身边, 或是像风一样,飘然离我们而去, 像是空气、像是话语般短暂。
It is easier than ever to find poems that might stay inside you, that might stay with you, from long, long ago, or from right this minute, from far away or from right close to where you live, almost no matter where you live. 比起过去,现在很容易找到一首诗, 能够留存心里且一直伴随着你, 有些诗是古老的前人写下、有些是当下的创作、 有些来自遥远的地方,有些则近在咫尺, 无论你身处何处,都可找寻到。
Poems can help you say, help you show how you're feeling, but they can also introduce you to feelings, ways of being in the world, people, very much unlike you, maybe even people from long, long ago. 诗文总是能幫助你表达你内心的感受, 不仅如此,还能引领你, 感受另一个世界、 感受人,或许那人性格跟你相差甚远, 也可能那人早已永留青史。
Some poems even tell you that that is what they can do. 有些诗甚至会直接告诉你: 这就是诗的功用。
That's what John Keats is doing in his most mysterious , perhaps, poem. 约翰?济慈有一首诗就在写这个, 大概是他最神秘的一首,
Keats:n.济慈(英国诗人); mysterious:adj.神秘的;不可思议的;难解的;
It's mysterious because it's probably unfinished, he probably left it unfinished, and because it might be meant for a character in a play, but it might just be Keats' thinking about what his own writing, his handwriting, could do, and in it I hear, at least I hear, mortality , and I hear the power of older poetic techniques, 这首诗很神秘,可能是因为济慈可能并没有写完。 他说不定是故意不写完的。 也有可能因为这段, 是为他剧中的角色写的台词。 不过这首诗也有可能只是济慈的想法, 在想他的作品能做什么, 他亲笔写下的文字到底有什么用。 而在诗里我体会到,起码我体会到:死亡。 我体会到了古老诗歌的技法,
mortality:n.死亡数,死亡率;必死性,必死的命运; poetic:adj.诗的,诗歌的;诗意的;诗人的;n.诗学,诗论;
and I have the feeling, you might have the feeling, of meeting even for an instant , almost becoming, someone else from long ago, someone quite memorable . 且我有种感觉,我觉得你可能也会觉得, 觉得好像有那么一瞬间,你好像变成了 好久以前的另一个人, 他是一个难以忘怀的人:
instant:n.瞬间; adj.立即的; conj.同"assoonas"; memorable:adj.显著的,难忘的;值得纪念的;
'"This living hand, now warm and capable 「这只活生生的手,现在是温暖的,充满生气,
capable:adj.能干的,能胜任的;有才华的;
Of earnest grasping , would, if it were cold 能够热诚的紧握事物。但若它是阴凉的,
earnest:adj.认真的,热心的;重要的;n.认真;定金;诚挚; grasping:adj.贪婪的;紧紧抓住的;v.理解,领会;抓紧,抓牢;(grasp的现在分词形式)
And in the icy silence of the tomb, 且从冰冷寂静的坟墓里伸向你,
So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights 让你日日夜夜深受惊扰,
haunt:v.出没;作祟;n.栖息地;常去的地方; thy:pron.你的; chill:n.寒冷; adj.寒冷的; v.冷冻,冷藏;
That thou would wish thine own heart dry of blood 你会希望自己心脏血液干涸,
thine:pron.你的;你的东西,你的家属(或有关的人);
So in my veins red life might stream again, 好让你的红色生命可以重新盈满我的血管,
veins:n.[解剖]静脉(vein的复数); v.使有脉络;
And thou be conscience-calm’d -- see here it is -- 你才会安下良心并冷静下来-- 你看,就是我这只手 --
I hold it towards you." 我现在将它伸向你。」
Thanks. 谢谢。
(Applause) (掌声)