书城外语那些年,那些诗(每天读一点英文)
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第36章 As Imperceptibly as Grief

Emily Dickinson

The Summer lapsed away—

Too imperceptible at last

To seem like Perfidy—

A Quietness distilled

As Twilight long begun,

Or Nature spending with herself

Sequestered Afternoon—

The Dusk drew earlier in—

The Morning foreign shone—

A courteous,yet harrowing Grace,

As Guest,that would be gone—

And thus,without a Wing

Or service of a Keel

Our Summer made her light escape

Into the Beautiful.

夏之逃逸

艾米莉·狄金森

不知不觉地,有如忧伤,

夏日竟然消逝了,

如此的难以察觉,简直

不像是有意潜逃。

向晚的微光很早便开始,

沉淀出一片寂静,

不然便是消瘦的四野

将下午悄悄幽禁。

黄昏比往日来得更早,

清晨的光彩已陌生——

一种拘礼而恼人的风度,

像即欲离开的客人。

就像如此,也不用翅膀,

也不劳小舟相送,

我们的夏日悄悄逃去,

没入了美的境中。

背景知识

艾米莉·狄金森(Emily Dickinson),美国诗人。20岁开始写诗,早期的诗大都已散失,1858年后闭门不出,70年代后几乎不出房门,文学史上称她为“阿默斯特的女尼”。她的诗风凝炼,比喻尖新。她生前只出版过10首诗,默默无闻,死后近70年开始得到文学界的认真关注,被现代派诗人追认为先驱。与同时代的惠特曼,一同被奉为美国最伟大诗人。

单词注解

lapsed [lApst] 流失的

imperceptibly [7impE5septEbl] 不可觉地

perfidy [5pE:fidi] 不诚实;背信弃义

distilled [dis5tild] 净化的

sequestered [si5kwestEd] 僻静的;隐蔽的

名句诵读

The Summer lapsed away—Too imperceptible at last

A courteous,yet harrowing Grace,As Guest,that would be gone—

Our Summer made her light escape Into the Beautiful.

第一章 I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud

William Wordsworth

I wandered lonely as a cloud

That floats on high o’er vales and hills,

When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host,of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake,beneath the trees,

Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine

And twinkle on the milky way,

They stretched in never-ending line

Along the margin of a bay:

Ten thousand saw I at a glance,

Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced;but they

Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:

A poet could not but be gay,

In such a jocund company:

I gazed—and gazed—but little thought

What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft,when on my couch I lie

In vacant or in pensive mood,

They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude;

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the daffodils.

我如行云独自游

威廉·华兹华斯

我如行云独自游,

在河谷与群山之上飘浮,

蓦然间,我看到一大片

一大片,金黄的水仙;

在湖畔,在树下,

在微风中翩翩起舞。

连绵不断,像繁星闪亮,

闪烁在银河,

沿着水弯的边缘,

它们伸展成无穷无尽的行列;

我一眼便看到成千上万朵水仙,

欢蹦乱跳,点头晃脑。

他们身边的湖波也在舞动,

但花儿比闪亮的水波舞得更欢。

有这样欢乐的花们为伴,

诗客怎能不开心颜?

久看水仙未遑思,

此景竟成我才源。

当我躺在卧榻之上,

或者茫然,或者沉思,

此时水仙会闪现在我的心中,

这是孤寂中无上的幸福;

我心因此而倍感快乐,

与水仙翩然共舞。

背景知识

威廉·华兹华斯(William Wordsworth),英国浪漫主义诗人。华兹华斯诗歌创作的黄金时期在1797年到1807年。随着声誉逐渐上升,他的创作逐渐走向衰退。到了1830年,他的成就已得到普遍承认,1843年被封为英国桂冠诗人。18世纪末、19世纪初在英国西北部的湖畔有一些诗人聚集,其诗作多描写湖区,故称他们为“湖畔派”。

这首诗可以分成两大部分;写景和抒情。诗的开篇以第一人称叙述,格调显得低沉忧郁。诗人一方面竭力捕捉回忆的渺茫信息,另一方面又觉得独自漂游,可以自由自在地欣赏大自然所赋予的美景。他把自己比作一朵流云,随意飘荡,富有想象的诗句暗示诗人有一种排遣孤独、向往自由的心情。在他的回忆中,水仙花缤纷茂密,如繁星点点在微风中轻盈飘舞。

单词注解

daffodil [5dAfEdil] 水仙;水仙花

breeze [bri:z] 微风,和风

sprightly [5spraitli] 生气勃勃的;轻快的

jocund [5dVCkEnd] 欢乐的,快活的,高兴的

bliss [blis] 极乐,至喜;天堂之乐

名句诵读

I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills,When all at once I saw a crowd,A host,of golden daffodils;

Beside the lake,beneath the trees,Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

For oft,when on my couch I lie In vacant or in pensive mood,They flash upon that inward eye Which is the bliss of solitude;And then my heart with pleasure fills,And dances with the daffodils.