英文诗歌赏析·上(转载)

发表于 2006-10-19 14:07:00 类别：你想学的

导引

诗歌是一种精美的艺术，趣味高一点的人一般都喜欢诗歌。受过良好教育的中国人都会背诵若干首古诗。现在人们很重视学习英文，学习英文，视野也应宽阔一些，也应当对英文诗歌多少有些领略才好。中国文学中诗歌成就极大，英语文学中，诗歌也极其丰富多彩。语言艺术的最高表现形式在诗歌。如果只是知道实用性的英文，只学习商业英文、法律英文等英文，对英语文学毫无修养，对英文诗歌一无所知，那将是一个不小的遗憾，将会影响到审美能力的发展和提高，
学英文而不懂英文诗歌，不仅从审美角度看是一个遗憾，而且从英语学习这一角度看，不学一些英文诗歌，其英语水平也达不到很高的层次。诗歌语言最精炼，语汇最丰富，表达形式最精美，语言的色调最细腻。如果对诗歌有一定修养，其语言表达能力会大大提高。试想一个学汉语的人，如果对唐诗宋词一无所知，其汉语水平不会很高。学英语者也是如此。如果他对莎士比亚、弥尔顿、华兹华斯、拜伦、雪莱、济慈等人的著名诗篇一窍不通，其英文水平也不会很高。
总之，有一定英语基础的人不能不更上一层楼，读一点英文诗。这不仅有助于提高我们的文学素养，丰富我们的审美能力，也有助于提高我们的英语水平。

英诗基础知识

读英文诗歌相当不容易。其中的主要原因是诗歌有其独特的语言特点和表达方式，与散文有明显区别。为更好地欣赏英文诗歌，很有必要了解一些相关的基本知识。这方面的知识极其细致，以下只介绍一些最基本的。

一 节奏
诗歌是具有音乐性的语言。音乐作品的最大特点之一是音符的流动是有节奏的。所谓节奏就是强拍和弱拍按一定的形式配合起来，有规律地反复出现。懂点音乐的人都知道，音乐中基本的节奏有两种，即强——弱（2/4拍）和强——弱——弱（3/4拍）。举两个简单的例子：
《东方红》的节奏就是强——弱：

5 56│2 —│1 16│2 —│5 5│6i 65│1 16│2 —│

《新年好》（HAPPY NEW YEAR）这首儿歌的节奏是强——弱——弱：

11 1 5 │33 3 1│13 5 5 │43 2 —│23 4 4 │32 3 1│13 2 5│72 1 —│

中国古诗有节奏。其节奏主要是通过汉字特有的声调表现出来的。传统汉语中的声调有四：平、上、去、入。平声称“平声”，上、去、入三声统称仄声。平声与仄声结合起来反复出现，就是中国诗歌的节奏。如一首五言绝句，其最常见的节奏是：
仄仄平平仄，平平仄仄平。
平平平仄仄，仄仄仄平平。
王之涣《等鹳雀楼》：白日依山尽，黄河入海流。欲穷千里目，更上一层楼。此诗即是这样的节奏。其中“欲”字是仄声，与格式不合。但根据格律要求，诗行中的第一字可平可仄。
英文诗歌也有节奏。英文没有平声、仄声之分，但有重读轻读音节之分，其节奏是通过重读音节与轻读音节表现出来的。一个重读音节与一个或两个轻读音节按一定的模式搭配起来，有规律地反复出现就是英文诗歌的节奏。
我们知道凡是有两个以上音节的英文单词，都有重读音节与轻读音节之分，在一句话中，根据语法、语调、语意的要求，有些词也要重读，有些要轻读。如he went to town to buy a book.. I’m glad to hear the news. 英文中有重读和轻读之分，重读的音节和轻读的音节，按一定模式配合起来，反复再现，组成诗句，听起来起伏跌宕，抑扬顿挫，就形成了诗歌的节奏。多音节单词有重音和次重音，次重音根据节奏既可视为重读，也可视为轻读。读下面这两句诗：

Alone │she cuts │and binds│ the grain,
And sings │a me│lancho│ly strain.

这两行诗的重读与轻读的固定搭配模式是：轻——重。在每行中再现四次，这样就形成了这两行诗的节奏。某种固定的轻重搭配叫“音步”（foot），相当与乐谱中的“小节”。一轻一重，就是这两行诗的音步。一行诗中轻重搭配出现的次数叫音步数，这两行诗的音步数都是四，所以就称其为四音步诗。

二 常见的音步类型
音步是轻读与重读构成的。根据重读与轻读搭配的方式的不同，可以划分出不同的音步类型。音步类型不同，节奏自然也不同。最常见的音步类型有以下四种：

（一） 抑扬格
如果一个音步中有两个音节，前者为轻，后者为重，则这种音步叫抑扬格音步，其专业术语是（iamb, iambic.）。轻读是“抑”，重读是“扬”，一轻一重，故称抑扬格。
英语中有大量的单词，其发音都是一轻一重，如adore, excite, above, around, appear, besides, attack, supply, believe, return等，所以用英语写诗，用抑扬格就很便利。也就是说，抑扬格很符合英语的发音规律。因此，在英文诗歌中用得最多的便是抑扬格，百分之九十的英文诗都是用抑扬格写成的。前面的那两句诗就是抑扬格诗。

（二）扬抑格
如果一个音步中有两个音节，前者为重，后者为轻，则这种音步叫扬抑格音步，其专业术语是（trochee, trochaic.）。重读是“扬”，轻读是“抑”，一重一轻，故称扬抑格。与抑扬格恰好相反。
英语中也有一批其读音为一重一轻的单词，如Happy, many, holy, yonder, headlong, flaming, upper, grandeur, failing等。写扬抑格的诗，此类词正好合适。但这类词在英语中其数量不及前面的那些多，与英文的语言规律不十分吻合，所以扬抑格诗不多。举两句诗例：
Present │mirth has │present │laughter
Shakespeare
Shake your │chains to │earth like │dew
Shelley

（三） 抑抑扬格
抑抑扬格含三个音节，即轻——轻——重，专门术语是：Anapaest, anapaestic
例词：
cavalier, intercede, disbelieve, reappear, disapprove, indistinct, on the hill.
例句：
拜伦的以下四行诗是抑抑扬格：
The Assyr│ian came down │like the wolf │on the fold,
And his coh│orts were glea│ming in purp│le and gold;
And the sheen│ of their spears │was like stars │on the sea,
When the blue │waves rolls night│ly on deep │Galilee.
——Destruction of Sennacherib
这是拜伦写的描述古代亚述人围攻耶路撒冷，被瘟疫所袭的诗的一节。第四行第二音步中的waves 一词可轻可重。诗题中的Sennacherib 是亚述国王。fold 指羊群， purple and gold 描写亚述军队的服饰，Galilee，巴勒斯坦北部的加利利湖。cohorts军团， sheen，光芒。

（四） 扬抑抑格
重——轻——轻是扬抑抑格，专门术语是：dactyl, dactylic.
例词：
happily, merciful, eloquent, messenger, merrily, properly, accident, quantity.
例句：
Dragging the │corn by her │golden hair.
Davies: the villain.
英文诗歌中的音步类型有十几种之多，常见者即此四种，第一种则最常见。此外诗句中也常有抑抑格（pyrrhic[/peirik]和扬扬格(spondee[/sp :ndi])出现。

需要说明的是，这些音步类型只是理论上的分析，实际上，一首诗仅用一种音步类型写，这种情况极少见，大多是以某一种为主，同时穿插其他类型。如果一首诗只含有一种音步，就会显得非常单调机械。一首诗只要是以某种类型为主的，尽管有其他类型穿插其中，也称此诗为某某格。如，以抑扬格为主要节奏写成的，就称此诗为抑扬格诗。现代兴起的一些自由诗（FREE VERSE），不受这些格律的限制。

三 诗行

（一） 一诗行不一定是一个完整的句字。
英文诗每行的第一个字母都大写，但是一诗行不一定是一个完整的句子，不一定能表达一个完整的意思。有时候，一行诗正好是一句，有时两行甚至许多行才构成一个意思完整的句子。前者叫end-stopped line（结句行），后者叫run-on line.（跨行句）。这是英文诗与中国诗的最大区别之一。中国诗歌都是一行表达一个完整的意思。看下面一节诗：
I shot an arrow into the air,
It fell to earth, I knew not where;
For, so swiftly it flew, the sight
Could not follow it in its flight.
前两行是end-stopped line，后两行是run-on line。读跨行句诗，行末停顿较短。
跨行句在英文诗歌中极其普遍，有时十来行才成一完整句子。刚学英文诗的人，对此往往不习惯。对此我们需加注意。

（二） 诗行的长短以音步数目计算：
英文诗行的长度范围一般是一音步——五音步。六、七、八音步的诗行也有，但不多。最多的是四音步、五音步的诗。
（各种长短诗行的专门术语：一音步诗：monometer 二音步诗：dimeter三音步诗：trimeter四音步诗：tetrameter 五音步诗：pentameter 六音步诗：hexameter 七音步诗：heptameter八音步诗：octameter.）
在分析一首诗的格律时，既要考律此诗的基本音步类型，也要考律此诗中诗行的音步数目。看下面的一首短诗：
An EMPTY HOUSE
Alexander Pope
You beat│your pate, │and fan│cy wit │will come:
Knock as│you please, │there’s no│body│at home.
（你拍拍脑袋，以为灵感马上就来。可任你怎么敲打，也无人把门打开。pate，脑袋。 fancy，动词：以为，想象。）
此诗的基本音步类型是抑扬格，每行五音步。因此称此诗的格律是“抑扬格五音步”（iambic pentameter）。一首诗的音步类型和诗行所含的音步数目构成此诗的格律（meter）。

四 压韵（rhyme）

英文诗一般都押运韵。

（一） 全韵与半韵（full rhyme and half rhyme）。
全韵是严格的押韵，其要求是：
（1） 韵要押在重读音节上，其元音应相同；
（2） 元音前的辅音应不同；
（3） 如果元音之后有辅音，应相同。
（4） 重读音节之后如有轻读音节，也应相同。
下面几对词都符合全韵的标准：
why---sigh; hate---late; fight---delight; powers---flowers; today---away; ending---bending.
如果仅是元音字母相同，读音不同，不符合全韵：如:
blood----hood; there---here; gone---alone; daughter----laughter.
这种情形被称为“眼韵”（eye rhyme），虽然诗人有时用之，但不是真正的押韵。
仅是辅音相同或仅是元音相同的属半韵：
元音不同，其前后的辅音相同，这叫谐辅韵（consonance）如：black, block; creak, croak; reader, rider; despise, dispose.
元音相同，其后的辅音相同者叫谐元韵（assonance），如lake, fate; time, mind.

（二） 尾韵与行内韵(end rhyme and internal rhyme)
押在诗行最后一个重读音节上，叫尾韵。这是英文诗歌最常见的押韵部位。诗行中间停顿处的重读音节与该行最后一个重读音节押韵者，叫行内韵。如：
Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king;
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring,

（三） 男韵与女韵((masculine rhyme and feminine rhyme)
所押的韵音局限于诗行中重读的末尾音节上，称男韵，也叫单韵，听起来强劲有力。如：late, fate; hill, fill; enjoy, destroy.
押韵押在两个音节上，后一音节非重读音节，称女韵，也叫双韵，听起来或轻快，或幽婉。如：lighting, fighting; motion, ocean; wining, beginning.
看下面一节诗：
I am coming, little maiden,
With the pleasant sunshine laden;
With the honey for the bee,
With the blossom for the tree.

前两行押女韵，后两行押男韵。
也有不少英文诗是不押韵的，不押韵的诗称无韵诗或白体诗（blank verse）。多用在戏剧和叙事诗中。莎士比亚的戏剧和弥尔顿的Paradise Lost 都是用blank verse写成的。 押韵的诗叫rhymed verse。无韵诗不同与自由诗。无韵诗虽不押韵，但是有固定节奏，以扬抑格五音步最常见。自由诗节奏不固定，如同白话。

诗选及讲解

A SELECTION OF ENGLISH POETRY
FOR AN OPTIONAL COURSE OF THE UNDERGRADUADTES

William Shakespeare（1564—1616）
作者简介：
剧作家、诗人。一生创作三十七部戏剧，154首十四行诗。其十四行诗大部分是献给一位贵族青年，有二十余篇则是献给一位“黑肤女士”（the dark lady）.

1 Sonnet 18

Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer’s lease hath all too short a date:

Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimmed;
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,
By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d;

But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st.

So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

注释:
Compare ···to 把什么比做什么。
Thou, thee 第二人称单数代词，前者主格，后者宾格。现已为you 所取代。其所有格是thy，或thine, 即现代英语的your。
Art = are. 16、17世纪时与thou连用。
Temperate: 来自拉丁文temperātus，读时为符合押韵规则，可将重音放后。
Shake：shake off。
Lease 租借期限，此处指夏天的长度。
Hath 与第三人称单数连用，相当于现代英语的has。
Dimmed: clouded.
Fair form fair: beautiful thing from beauty. 前后fair意义不同。Declines from beauty。
Chance：极缘，时运，命运。
And every fair from fair sometimes declines,/By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d：每一个美人总要失去美貌，即使没有突发的以外事件，也逃不过自然界生老病死的变迁。Sometimes: 有的版本作“sometime”: at some unspecified time.
Untrimm’d: untrimmed. 本意为剥去美观的衣服等，此处隐喻夺去美貌等。
Fair thou ow’st: beauty you own. 莎士比亚时代，owe与own通用。古英语第二人称单数后加-st或-est
His shade：shadow of death.
“Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade”：“死神无从夸口，说你在他的阴影里徘徊”。
To time thou grow’st: you grow as long as time lasts. 与时间同寿。 Grow to = be incorporated with.
内容解析：
此诗的发展变化：以人比夏天开始，以人胜自然终结。前四行说明人比夏天更美更温和；中四行发展了这个意思，引到驻颜无术的感慨；第三组则新意突起，推翻前言，终于于胜利的末两行作结。此诗表达了这样一种思想：美丽的事物可以依靠文学的力量而永远不朽；文学是人所创造的，因此这有宣告了人的不朽。因此此诗不是一般的爱情诗。
形式解析：
sonnet：十四行诗，即“商籁体”诗。此诗体起源不明，最早的例子出现于13世纪，16世纪在英国出现。主要有意大利式和英国式两种变体。意大利诗人Petrarch [/petra:k]用此诗体最精熟，故意大利式又称Petrarchan sonnet。英国式由莎士比亚创立，又称 Shakespearean sonnet.
意大利式分前八行、后六行。韵尾是abba, abba; cde, dcd.。莎士比亚式十四行诗，层次上分前四行，中四行，后四行和结尾两行。韵尾为：abab, cdcd, efef, gg。格律是抑扬格五音步。
Shall I│compare│ thee to │a sum│mer’s day? ( a)
Thou art │more love│ly and │more tem│perate -: ( b)
Rough winds │do shake │the dar│ling buds │of May, (a)
And sum│mer’s lease│ hath all │too short│ a date: (b)

Sometimes │too hot│ the eye │of hea│ven shines, (c)
And of│ten is │his gold │comple│xion dimmed; (d)
And eve│ry fair │from fair │sometimes │declines, (c)
By chance, │or na│ture’s chan│ging course, │ untrimm’d; (d)

But thy │eter│nal sum│mer shall │not fade, (e)
Nor lose│ posses│sion of │that fair│ thou ow’st; (f)
Nor shall│ Death brag │thou wan│der’st in│ his shade, (e)
When in │eter│nal lines │to time│ thou grow’st. (f)

So long│ as men │can breathe │or eyes │can see, (g)
So long │lives this, │ and this │gives life│ to thee. (g)

参考译文：
能不能让我把你比拟作夏日？
你可是更加温和，更加可爱：
狂风会吹落五月的好花儿，
夏季的生命又未免结束得太快：
有时候苍天的巨眼照得太灼热，
他那金彩的脸色也会被遮暗；
每一样美呀，总会离开美而凋落，
被时机或者自然的代谢所摧残；
但是你永久的夏天决不会凋枯，
你永远不会失去你美的仪态；
死神夸不着你在他影子里踯躅，
你将在不朽的诗中与时间同在；
只要人类在呼吸，眼睛看得见，
我这诗就活着，使你的生命绵延。（屠岸）

2 Spring

When daisies pied and violets blue
And lady-smocks all silver-white
And cuckoo-buds of yellow hue
Do paint the meadows with delight,
The cuckoo then, on every three,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, cuckoo! Oh word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear!

When shepherds pipe on oaten straws,
And merry larks are ploughmen’s clocks,
When turtles tread, and rooks, and daws,
And maidens bleach their summer smocks,
The cuckoo then, on every three,
Mocks married men; for thus sings he,
Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, cuckoo! Oh word of fear
Unpleasing to a married ear!
------Comedy: Love’s Labour Lost

剧情：拿伐Navarre [n /va: ]国王与其几位朝臣立誓三年之内摒弃一切世俗的快乐，致力于研究学问。其中的一条是：三年之中不可与女子交谈一次。不久法国公主携几名侍女来办理国务，国王和朝臣门守不住自己的誓言，爱上了这几个女子。最后公主的父亲去世，公主要持戒三年，国王和朝臣们的求爱也化为泡影。此诗在此剧之结尾处。
注释：
daisies pied：杂色的雏菊。
lady-smock：也作lady’s-smock 花名：布谷鸟剪秋罗。Smock：〈古〉女衬衣，罩衣。
cuckoo-buds of yellow hue：黄色的杜鹃花。hue：颜色。
Cuckoo：[/kuku:] 布谷鸟的叫声，与/cuckold（奸妇的丈夫）一词谐音。
shepherds [/ ep d]
pipe on oaten straws：拿燕麦杆吹哨子。
turtles tread：斑鸠交配。Turtle：〈古〉斑鸠，=turtledove。 Tread：（雄鸟）与（雌鸟）交配。
rooks and daws：白嘴鸦和穴鸟。
内容解析：
春天里百花争艳，万象更新，情人们沉醉于甜蜜的爱情之中。但树梢上布谷鸟的叫声却似乎在不断提醒人们：爱情并不可考。此诗有反讽意味，与剧情一致。英国诗人甘贝尔（Thomas Campbell，1777—1844）在 Freedom and Love一诗中说：“Love has bliss, but love has ruining/ Other smiles may make you fickle/ Tears for other charm may trickle。”
形式解析：抑扬格四音步，韵式：abab cc d ee; fgfg hh d ee

When dai│sies pied │and vio│lets blue
And la│dy-smocks│ all sil│ver-white
And cu│ckoo-buds │of ye│llow hue
Do paint │he mea│dows with│ delight,
The cu│ckoo then, │on eve│ry three,
Mocks mar│ried men; │for thus │sings he,
Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, │cuckoo! │Oh word│ of fear
Unplea│sing to│ a mar│ried ear!

When she│pherds pipe │on oa│ten straws,
And mer│ry larks│ are plough │men’s clocks,
When turt│les tread, │ and rooks, │and daws,
And mai│dens bleach │their sum│mer socks,
The cu│ckoo then, │on eve│ry three,
Mocks mar│ried men; │for thus │sings he,
Cuckoo,
Cuckoo, │cuckoo! │Oh word │of fear
Unplea│sing to│ a mar│ried ear!

参考译文：
当杂色的雏菊开遍牧场，
蓝的紫罗蓝，白的美人衫，
还有那杜鹃花吐蕾娇黄，
描出了一片广大的欣欢；

听杜鹃在每一株树上叫，
把那娶了妻的男人讥笑：
咯咕！
咯咕！咯咕！啊，可怕的声音！
害得做丈夫的肉跳心惊。

当无愁的牧童口吹麦笛，
清晨的云雀惊醒了农人，
斑鸠乌鸦都在觅侣求匹，
女郎们漂洗夏季的衣群；
听杜鹃在每一株树上叫，
把那娶了妻的男人讥笑：
咯咕！
咯咕！咯咕！啊，可怕的声音！
害得做丈夫的肉跳心惊。（朱生豪）

3 To Be or Not To Be

To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? To die—to sleep—
No more; and by a sleep to say we end
The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to. ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wished. To die—to sleep.
To sleep—perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub!
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come
When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,
Must give us pause. There’s the respect
That makes calamity of so long life.
For who would bear the whips and scorns of time,
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’ contumely,
The pangs of despised love, the law’s delay,
The insolence of office, and the spurns
That patient merit of the unworthy takes,
When he himself might his quietus make
With a bare bodkin? Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life,
But that the dread of something after death—
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns—puzzles the will,
And makes us rather bear those ill we have
Than fly to others that we know not of?
Thus conscience does make cowards of us all,
And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,
And enterprises of great pith and moment
With this regard their currents turn awry
And lose the name of action.

剧情：
《哈娒莱特》是莎士比亚重要剧作之一，写于1601年。剧中的主人公是丹麦王子Hamlit。哈姆莱特的父亲，即丹麦国王，被哈姆莱特的叔父Claudius秘密害死，不到两个月，又与哈姆莱特的母亲，即王后，结婚。还窃取了王位。哈姆莱特的叔父Caudius是个坏透顶了的人。哈姆莱特则是一位有理想、有道德的人，他决心要为父亲报仇。为了不被看出来，他装成疯子。哈姆莱特要为父亲报仇，但中间有其母亲穿插其间，这使他心情极其复杂，于是整日心情抑郁，产生了厌世情绪。于是真的有点疯疯颠颠了。剧情很曲折，大家可在课外找有关资料读。推荐读读英汉对照本《莎士比亚戏剧故事》（Tales from Shakespeare, by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb, 萧乾、文洁若翻译。商务印书馆1984年出版。）
这段独白就是哈姆莱特在极度困惑、不知所措的心情下道出的，谈到了生与死、思考与行动、报复与宽容等等人生中的永恒矛盾，批判了现实世界的黑暗，富有深刻的哲理意味。出现在原剧第三幕第一场。
注释：
slings and arrows of outrageous fortune: 狂暴命运的矢石交攻。sling: 投石器，弹
弓；投掷，打击一击.
To die—to sleep—No more：死就是睡眠，如此而已。
by a sleep to say we end/The heartache：to say (that) by a sleep we end the heartache
the thousand natural shocks/That flesh is heir to: 无数要承受的皮肉之苦，与“heartache”相对。Be heir to: 要继承或承受的。
’tis a consummation/Devoutly to be wished. 那正是求之不得的完美结局。Consummation：final settlement of everything.
To sleep—perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub! 睡眠也许要做梦，嗨，那就成问题了。Perchance：perhaps. Rub: 摩擦，障碍。
For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,/Must give us pause. “what dreams may come” 这一名词从句是主语，give 是谓语。Shuffled off：摆脱，脱去。mortal coil：earthly turmoil.人世的纷扰。
There’s the respect /That makes calamity of so long life. 这一顾虑使漫长岁月成了灾难。Respect: attention, consideration. 顾虑，考虑。”without respect to the results”不顾后果。
the whips and scorns of time: 人世的鞭挞和嘲弄。Time: the times, 时世
The oppressor’s wrong, the proud man’ contumely: 压迫者的凌辱，傲慢者的冷眼。
do sb. Wrong, do wrong to sb. Contumely [/k ] insolent treatment. 无礼对待。
The pangs of despised love：失恋的痛苦。Pang：痛苦。Despised 之重音在第一音节。
the spurns/That patient merit of the unworthy takes：忍让的有德才者从小人那里受到的排挤。Of: from; spurn: contemptuous rejection，一脚踢开; the unworthy: 小人。
Quietus [kai/i:t s]: acquittance, release, 卸去（义务、责任）
A bare bodkin: a mere poniard. 短剑，匕首。
Fardels: bundles, burdens.
Grunt: groan, 哼，呻吟.
Bourn: 领域
Conscience: 思考，顾虑，良心。
sicklied o’er：sickly: 使出现病态
the pale cast of thought: 惨白的一层思虑的病容。Cast：tinge, shade of color. Thought: 思虑，顾虑，melancholy, despondency.
pith and moment：vigour and importance. Pith: 体力、气力、精力，（文章的）力。1604年版本中pith作pitch: height
with this regard: on this account
内容分析：这断独白是倾诉人生的根本苦闷和基本矛盾。受到压迫了，应该反抗，但往往结果是适得其反。事事忍让，却又心中不能平衡。干事业需果断有魄力，但也得深思熟虑，三思而行。但是顾虑太多，缩手缩脚又会疲软，行动不起来。人生在世，烦恼苦难不一而足，但死后的世界未比此岸世界好（古代人一般相信有彼岸世界 “a life in the world to come is taken for granted.” New Concept English, vol.4, lesson, 60.）。人生就是这样充满了各种矛盾和无奈。
形式分析：
这是莎士比亚戏剧最著名独白(soliloquy)，用的是抑扬格五音步“白体诗”（BLANK VERSES）。
To be, │or not │to be: │that is │the ques│tion:
Whether│ ’tis nob│ler in │the mind │to suf│fer
The slings │and ar│rows of│ outra│geous for│tune
（以上三行多一音节，其到迟疑、沉思的效果。）
Or to│ take arms│against │a sea │of troubles,
And by op│posing │end them? │To die—│to sleep—
No more; │and by│ a sleep │to say │we end
The heart│ache, and│the thou│sand na│tural shocks
That flesh│ is heir │to. ’tis│ a con│summa│tion
Devout│ly to│ be wished. │ To die│—to sleep.
To sleep│—perchance │to dream: │ay, there’s │the rub!
For in │that sleep │of death│what dreams │may come
When we│ have shuffled │off this│ mortal │coil,
Must give│ us pause. │ There’s the │respect
That makes │cala│mity │of so │long life.
For who │would bear│ the whips│ and scorns │of time,
The oppres│sor’s wrong, │the proud│ man’ con│tumely,
The pangs │of des│pised love, │the law’s │delay,
The in│solence │of of│fice, and │the spurns
That pa│tient me│rit of the │unwor│thy takes,
When he│ himself │might his │quie│tus make
With a│ bare bod│kin? Who │would far│dels bear,
To grunt │and sweat │under│ a wea│ry life,
But that│ the dread │of some│thing af│ter death—
The un│disco│vered coun│try, from │whose bourn
No travel│ler re│turns—│puzzles │the will,
And makes │us ra│ther bear │those ill │we have
Than fly│ to oth│ers that │we know │not of?
Thus con│science does│ make co│wards of │us all,
And thus │the na│tive hue │of re│solu│tion
Is sick│lied o’er │with the │pale cast │of thought,
And en│terprises │of great │pith and│ moment
With this│ regard │their cur│rents turn│ awry
And lose │the name │of ac│tion.

参考译文：
“活下去还是不活：这是个问题”

活下去还是不活，这是个问题；
要做到高贵，究竟该忍气吞声
来容受狂暴的命运矢石交攻击呢，
还是该挺身反抗无边的苦恼，
扫它个干净？死，就是睡眠——
就这样；而如果睡眠就等于了结了
心痛以及千百种身体要担受的
皮痛肉痛，那该是天大的好事，
正求之不得啊！死，就是睡眠；
睡眠也许要做梦，这就麻烦了！
我们一旦摆脱了尘世的牵缠
在死的睡眠里还会做些什么梦，
一想到就不能不踌躇。这一点顾虑
正好使灾难变成了长期的折磨。
谁甘心忍受人世的鞭挞和嘲弄，
忍受压迫者虐待、傲慢者凌辱，
忍受失恋的痛苦、法庭的拖延、
衙门的横暴、做埋头苦干的大才
受座位的小人一脚踢出去，
如果他只消自己来使一下尖刀
就可以得到解脱啊？谁甘心挑担子，
拖着疲累的生命，呻吟，流汗，
要不是怕一死就去了没有人回来的
那个从未发现的国土，怕那边
还不知会怎样，因此意志动摇了，
因此就宁愿忍受目前的灾殃，
` 而不愿投奔另一些未知的苦难？
这样子，顾虑使我们都成了懦夫，
也就这样了，决断决行的本色
蒙上了惨白的一层思虑的病容；
本可以轰轰烈烈的大作大为，
由于这一点想不通，就出了别扭，
失去了行动的名份。（卞之琳）

Thomas Nash (1567—1601)
作者简介：剧作家、诗人，小说家，讽刺作家。

4 Spring

Spring, the sweet spring, is the year’s pleasant king;
Then blooms each thing, then maids dance in a ring,
Cold doth not sting, the pretty birds do sing,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

The palm and may make country houses gay,
Lambs frisk and play, the shepherds pipe all day,
And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

The fields breathe sweet, the daisies kiss our feet,
Young lovers meet, old wives a-sunning sit,
In every street these tunes our ears do greet,
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo!

注释：
the year’s pleasant king：一年四季中以春天为最欢乐的时期。King 即比喻欢乐之最，也兼指一岁之首。
Cold doth not sting：doth：古英语do 的第三人称现在事态形式。
the pretty birds do thing：do 是为了韵律的需要而加进去的。
Cuckoo, jug-jug, pu-we, to-witta-woo： Cuckoo, 布谷鸟的叫声； jug-jug, 夜莺（nightingale）的叫声，pu-we, 田凫（pewit）的叫声，to-witta-woo，泛指各种鸟鸣。
Palm: 棕榈。其枝叶常作为胜利的象征。
May：山楂花。因在五月盛开，故名 may。
And we hear aye birds tune this merry lay：aye：古英语副词，always， ever。Tune：动词：唱。 Lay 歌曲。
old wives a-sunning sit：sit是谓语动词。 a-sunning：晒太阳，作状语。a-作为特殊介词，后跟动名词，表示在进行什么活动。如 He went a-fishing. 现代说法是：He went fishing.
these tunes our ears do greet：these tunes do greet our ears.
内容解析：此诗节奏明快，旋律强烈，生动地描绘出了一幅春回大地，生机昂然的画面。
形式解析：主要是扬抑格五音步，韵式是aaab, cccb, dddb. 三节最后一行是叠句（refrain）；每节除末一行外，其他三行都用行内韵（internal rhyme），即第二音步的第二个词同第五音步末尾的词谐韵。叠句（refrain）: a phrase, line or lines repeated at the end of a stanza.
Spring, the│ sweet spring, │ is the │year’s plea│sant king;
Then blooms │each thing, │ then maids│ dance in│ a ring,
Cold doth│ not sting, │the pret│ty birds │do thing,
Cuckoo, │ jug-jug, │ pu-we, │to-wi│tta-woo!

The palm│ and may│ make coun│try hou│ses gay,
Lambs frisk │and play, │the she│pherds pipe │all day,
And we│ hear aye│ birds tune │this mer│ry lay,
Cuckoo, │jug-jug, │pu-we, │to-wi│tta-woo!

The fields │breathe sweet, │the dai│sies kiss │our feet,
Young lo│vers meet, │ old wives │a-sun│ning sit,
In eve│ry street │these tunes │our ears│ do greet,
Cuckoo, │ jug-jug, │pu-we, │ to-wi│tta-woo!
Spring! The │sweet spring!

Spring! The sweet spring!
参考译文：（略。郭沫若有译文，意译，参考价值不不大。）

John Milton (1608—1674)
作者简介：英国诗人，思想家、政论家。从小好学，经常开夜车，四十余岁失明。晚年在失明的情况下，写成了伟大史诗《失乐园》（PARADISE LOST）。其内容是演述《圣经》故事。可与荷马的《伊利亚特》（Homer's Iliad）、但丁的《神曲》(Dante's Divine Comedy)相媲美。《五月晨歌》是早期作品，成于二十一岁时，格调十分清新。

5 Song On May Morning
Now the bright morning star, Day’s harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowery May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip and the pale primrose.
Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire
Mirth, and youth, and warm desire!
Woods and groves are of thy dressing;
Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing.
Thus we salute thee with our early song
And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

注释：
morning star: 启明星、太白星、长庚星等。早晨在东方出现。晚上在西方出现，叫长庚，英文作“evening star”.。同是一颗星，即Venus。
harbinger [/ha: bind ]先导，先兆
primrose [/primroz] 樱草花，报春花。
Bounteous [/baunti s] 慷慨的
of thy dressing：dressed in thy fashion
Dost：第二人称现在时单数。即do
Doth: 一般用于第三人称单数，但弥尔顿也常常用于复数。在他的作品中很常见。著名英语专家陆佩弦总结弥尔顿的语言特点，其中一条就是 “singular verb for plural subject”。此种情况在莎士比亚的作品中也不时能遇见。
Long: long life.
形式分析：抑扬格穿插扬抑格（7、8两行是扬抑格，女韵，显得十分轻快）。韵式为aa，bb，cc，dd，ee。
Now the │bright mor│ning star, │ Day’s har│binger,
Comes dan│cing from │the east, │ and leads │with her
The flowe│ry May, │who from │her green │lap throws
The ye│llow cow│slip and │the pale│ primrose.
Hail, boun│teous May, │that dost │inspire
Mirth, │ and youth, │and warm │desire!
Woods and │groves are │of thy │dressing;
Hill and │dale doth│boast thy │blessing.
Thus we│ salute │thee with │our ear│ly song
And wel│come thee, │and wish │thee long.

参考译文：
晶莹的晨星，白日的先驱，
她舞蹈着从东方带来娇侣，
百花的五月，从绿色的怀中撒下
金黄色的九轮花和淡红的樱草花。
欢迎，富丽的五月啊，你激扬
欢乐、青春和热情的希望；
林木、树丛是你的装束，
山陵、溪谷夸说你的幸福。
我们也用清晨的歌曲向你礼赞，
欢迎你，并且祝福你永恒无边！

Alexander Pope (1688—1744)
作者简介：蒲伯是18世纪英国最重要的诗人。作品很多。他还用英雄双行体诗翻译了荷马史诗。文学上崇尚精雕细琢，是新古典主义的大师。身体不好，终身未婚。他的父母是天主教徒，当时天主教徒是受迫害的。一生基本上过的是隐居日子。《独处诵》是其早期作品。自称写于12岁时。
6 Solitude

Happy the man, whose wish and care
A few paternal acres bound, （acres[/eik ]）
Content to breathe his native air
In his own ground.

Whose herds with milk, whose fields with bread,
Whose flocks supply him with attire;
Whose trees in summer yield him shade,
In winter fire.

Blest, who can unconcern’dly find
Hours, days, and years slide soft away
In health of body, peace of mind,
Quiet by day,

Sound sleep by night; study and ease
Together mix’d; sweet creation;
And innocence, which most does please
With meditation.

Thus let me live, unseen, unknown;
Thus unlamented let me die;
Steal from the world, and not a stone
Tell where I lie.

注释: the first stanza can be rewritten like this: the man is happy, whose wish and care are bound by a few paternal acres, and who is content to breathe his native air in his own ground. 其意思相当于《中庸》上所说的“君子素位而行，不愿乎其外。”Jude The Obscure 中有一句话说：a contented mind is a continual feast.(Jude the Obscure.P378)

Whose herds with milk, /whose fields with bread,/Whose flocks supply him with attire; 前两行省略了“supply him with”。Attire：服装。

unconcern’dly，即unconcernedly：漫不经心，无忧无虑，悠然自得。第三节可以改写成：Blest is the man who can unconcern’dly find Hours, days, and years slide soft away In health of body and in peace of mind 相当于“ I see him leave.”这样的句子。

study and ease /Together mix’d; sweet creation;/And innocence, which most does please/With meditation. 他劳逸结合，有令人欢喜的娱乐活动，还有天真的性情。这天真的性情与沉思结合起来，最使他高兴。

内容解析：避开尘世的烦扰，与世无争，潜心学术，并悠然自得地享受田园生活，这是最幸福的。与《庄子》“恬淡寂寞，虚无无为”（《刻意》）之说有相似之处。陶渊明有几句诗可以与此诗相参：“息交游闲业，卧起弄书琴。园蔬有余滋（生长得很多。滋：生长），旧谷犹储今。营己良有极，过足非所钦。舂秫作美酒，酒熟吾自斟。弱子戏我侧，学语未成吟。此事真复乐，聊用忘华簪（比喻高官厚禄）。”（《和郭主薄》其一）

形式解析：此诗五节，每节四行。韵尾是abab。节奏主要是四音步抑扬格(i/ambic te/trameter)，每节四音步：
Happy │the man, │ whose wish │and care
A few │pater│nal a│cres bound,
Content│ to breathe │his na│tive air
In his │own ground.

Whose herds │with milk, │whose fields │with bread,
Whose flocks │supply │him with│ attire;
Whose trees│ in sum│mer yield│ him shade,
In win│ter fire.

Blest, who │can un│concern’d│ly find
Hours, days, │and years │slide soft│ away
In health│ of bo│dy, peace│ of mind,
Quiet │by day,

Sound sleep│ by night; │ study│ and ease
Toge│ther mix’d; │ sweet cre│ation;
And in│nocence, │ which most │does please
With me│ditation.

Thus let │me live, │unseen, │unknown;
Thus un│lamen│ted let│ me die;
Steal from │the world, │ and not│ a stone
Tell where │I lie.
参考译文： 人生如何方为乐，唯有知足不贪心。
只守祖上数亩田，但吸故园气清新。

绵羊产毛制衫袍，乳牛耕地供食饮。
夏来密叶乘浓荫，冬至疏枝做柴薪。

一任岁月轻轻去，那堪忧思处处寻。
白日闲逸夜安眠，一身强健心气平。

读书劳逸相结合，娱乐甜美悦人心。
最佳胜景有冥思，极乐世界属天真。

死后不受世哀悼，生时岂令人见闻。
幽幽偷辞浊世去，不铭何处葬我身。（石瓃）
Robert Burns (1759—1796)
罗伯特·彭斯，苏格兰诗人。出身于偏僻乡村。他的诗歌充分吸收了苏格兰民歌成分，热情奔放，优美动听，被誉为伟大的苏格兰民族诗人。19世纪英国浪漫主义诗歌运动的先驱。他的一些诗歌被谱写成歌曲，广为流传。如《友谊地久天长》（Auld[o:ld] Lang Syne[sain]: old long then: long ago.）、《我的心在高原》(My heart's in the high lands)等。
7 A Red, Red Rose
O, my Luve’s like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June.
O, my Luve’s like the melodie,
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in Luve am I,
And I will love thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry!

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun!
And I will love thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only Luve!
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile!

注释：
Luve’s = Love is
melodie = melody，甜蜜的歌曲
play’d in tune = played in tune。唱得合拍。
As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,/ So deep in Luve am I: Bonnie: beautiful. Lass[laes]: girl, maiden.可改写为：as you are fair, my bonnie lass, so I am deep in love. 你那么美，我也那么爱你。我爱你的程度与你美的程度成正比。So 的意思是“in the same proportion", "in like manner", "in the same way". Another example: As you treat me, so I will treat you.
I will love thee still = I will always love thee.
Till a’ the seas gang dry: a’ = all. gang = go.
wi’ = with.
While the sands’ o’ life shall run: 只要我生命不息。o’= of。sands o’ life：沙漏。古代人们在时钟发明前，用玻璃器皿盛沙，使沙从小孔中漏过，以此计时。因此诗人常用沙漏中的沙比喻人生。
fare thee weel：goodbye.。Weel[wi:l] = well. Farewell: "proceed happily". Goodbye: 本来是"God be wy ye"(God be with you), 后缩写成"God-bye", 后来为与"good day"、“good night" 一致, "God bye" 又改成了"goodbye".
Tho’ = though
内容解析：
这是彭斯最有名的爱情诗，节奏强烈，激情澎湃，很有感染力。但是此诗所表达的感情似乎不太深刻，其爱情似乎纯粹是建立在容美貌的础上的。容貌一衰退，很难保证海枯石烂不变心。另一英国诗人贾鲁(Thomas Carew, 1594---1640)有一首名The True Beauty的诗，可拿来对彭斯的这首诗作注脚：
He that loves a rosy cheek
Or a coral lip admires,
Or from star-like eyes doth seek
Fuel to maintain his fires;
As old Time makes these decay,
So his flames must waste away.

But a smooth and steadfast mind,
Gentle thoughts, and calm desires,
Hearts with equal love combined,
Kindle never-dying fires:----
Where these are not, I despise
Lovely cheeks or lips or eyes.
（smooth and steadfast mind：性情温和、意志坚定。Hearts with equal love combined：正常语序为：hearts combined with equal love.能一视同仁的心灵。）

彭斯说他的爱人如同玫瑰花一样美，他的爱与其爱人的美丽成正比，贾鲁反过来说，谁追求玫瑰花一样的容貌，谁的爱情的衰退程度与就容貌衰老的程度成正比。贾鲁讲的虽然有道理，他的态度也很可取，但是世上的人像贾鲁那样的很少，相彭斯这样的人则多不胜数。（彭斯是个沉溺于美酒、诗歌和爱情的人）。人的感情往往能冲破理智的说教，即使这种爱情不一定能长久，人们往往也要追求它。所以不能以说教的心态否定诗歌的艺术价值。
形式分析：基本上是抑扬格，每节二、四两行押韵。
O, my │Luve’s like │a red, │red rose,
That’s new│ly sprung │in June.
O, my │Luve’s like│ the me│lodie,
That’s sweet│ly play’d │in tune.

As fair│ art thou, │my bon│nie lass,
So deep│ in Luve│ am I,
And I │will love │thee still, │my dear,
Till a’ │the seas │gang dry!

Till a’ │ the seas │gang dry, │my dear,
And the rocks │melt wi’ │the sun!
And I│ will love │thee still, │my dear,
While the sands│ o’ life │shall run.

And fare│ thee weel, │my on│ly Luve!
And fare│ thee weel, │ a while!
And I│ will come │again, │ my Luve,
Tho’ it were │ten thous│and mile!

William Wordsworth (1770—1850)
华兹华斯（渥滋渥斯），英国浪漫主义时期的大诗人，湖泮诗人（LAKE POETS）之首。1843年荣获桂冠诗人称号（Poet Laureate）。湖畔诗人是十九世纪英国的一个诗歌流派，这些人在英格兰西北部的湖区（Lake district）居住、写作。其主要成员除华兹华斯外，尚有柯勒律治（Samuel Taylor Coleridge）。华兹华斯对大自然情有独钟，经常去各地旅行漫游，对自然风光和田园生活有独特的感受。他的诗的特点是通过描写日常生活中的平凡场景激发心灵深处的感受，表现人性中真善美。素材多为自然风光、田园生活和素朴的农民。语言简明，情真意切。读之能使人产生无尽的遐思、精神上能受到有力的陶冶。
英国浪漫主义运动时间介于1790-1830，最重要的代表人物有六：William Blake, William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Lord Byron, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and John Keats. 作品特点：形式比较自由，想象丰富，倾向描写孤独的个人的精神世界和大自然。'Poery is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings'----Wordsworth.

8 I Wandered Lonely As A Cloud (The Daffodils)

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 pleasures fills,
And dances with the daffodils.

注释：o'er: over. Pronounced as [/o ], counted as one syllable.
The waves beside them danced, but they\ Out-did the sparkling waves in glee: 虽然浪花也在起舞，但是水仙花的欢乐超过了浪花的欢乐。in glee, 就欢乐而言，在欢乐上。in 有as to, as regards 这样的用法, 表示'在···方面'。如：weak in judgment; they are equal in length. 有人注解此诗，认为in glee是介词短语作定语修饰waves 的，这样也通，但不如视为状语修饰全句为好。
Sprightly: 轻快地，活泼地。
Could not but: but: other than, except. But 用在否定词后，构成双重否定。如：there is no one but hopes rich. （没有不想发财的人）There is no one but knows that.（那件事无人不知。）
Jocund: lit. & poet: merry, cheerful.
Couch：睡椅，床。
And then my heart with pleasures fills：my heart fills with pleasures. Fill 可用为不及物动词，意思是“满”。如the house fills (with children).
They flash upon that inward eye | Which is the bliss of solitude：湛然的心灵是幽居才能有的福分。因为心灵回归其自我是一种高级的精神享受，所以如此说。
内容：此诗是诗人1804年回忆两年前在英格兰湖区漫游时看到一大片水仙的情景时写成的。后经多此修该，到1815年才最终定型。当时的情景深深地因在了他心灵深处，幽居独处时，就在心中显现出来，给他带来慰籍。可见诗人对自然的向往。我们读之，犹如进入了空明洁净的世界。
形式：全诗四节，每节的韵式是ababcc。韵律基本上是抑扬格四音步。
I wan|dered lone|ly as| a cloud
That floats |on high |o’er vales |and hills,
When all |at once |I saw| a crowd,
A host, |of gold|en da|ffodils;
Beside |the lake, |beneath| the trees,
Fluttering |and dancing |in the breeze.

Conti|nuous as |the stars |that shine
And twink|le on |the mil|ky way,
They stretched |in ne|ver-en|ding line
Along |the mar|gin of| a bay:
Ten thou|sand saw |I at| a glance,
Tossing |their heads |in spright|ly dance.

The waves| beside| them danced, |but they
Out-did |the spark|ling waves |in glee:
A po|et could |not but |be gay
In such |a jo|cund com|pany:
I gazed —|and gazed |— but litt|le thought
What wealth |the show |to me |had brought:

For oft, | when on |my couch |I lie
In va|cant or |in pen|sive mood,
They flash |upon| that in|ward eye
Which is| the bliss |of so|litude;
And then| my heart| with plea|sures fills,
And dan|ces with |the da|ffodils.

9 The Solitary Reaper

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands;
A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings? —
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago;
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate’er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o’er the sickle bending; —
I listen’d, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

注释：
Yon：yonder，那边的，远处的。
No Nightingale did ever chaunt\More welcome notes to weary bands\ Of travellers in some shady haunt,\Among Arabian sands;:即使在人际罕至的阿拉伯沙漠的幽暗之处，夜莺也不曾为疲惫的行人唱过如此动人的歌曲。Chaunt: chant的变体。
A voice so thrilling ne’er was heard\In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,\Breaking the silence of the seas: In spring-time , a voice so thrilling was never heard from the Cuckoo-bird, whose song breaks the silence of the seas among the farthest Hebrides. Hebrides[/hebridi:z]赫布里底群岛[英国苏格兰西部]
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow\For old, unhappy, far-off things,\And battles long ago;\Or is it some more humble lay,\Familiar matter of to-day?\Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,\That has been, and may be again? 也许这凄婉的歌声是咏叹古老的、遥远的悲欢离合，和很久以前的征战，要么是一只平凡的曲子，唱的是今天日常小事，或者是那些曾经有过而且可能继续出现的、常见的忧伤、失意和痛苦？
I saw her singing at her work,\And o’er the sickle bending; I saw her singing at her work and when she is bending over the sickle.
And, as I mounted up the hill, \The music in my heart I bore,\Long after it was heard no more. 到我登上了山岗时，虽然那歌声早已听不见了，但还是在我心底回响。Bear: 负担，担负，带上。
内容：此诗写的是苏格兰高原地区一农家少女独自在田间劳动歌唱的情景。此一情景深深地触动了诗人的心弦。为了让这淳朴勤劳的女孩尽情地歌唱、尽情地抒发她的内心的世界，诗人不忍心惊动她，他想，要么就此止步，要么悄悄走开。夜莺、布谷鸟的歌声是天籁之声，诗人说割麦女的歌声比夜莺、布谷鸟的歌声还要动人，表名其歌声是纯真而自然的。农家女孩没有受到城市生活的污染，如“清水出芙蓉，天然去雕饰”，独自一人在空旷的田野，向大自然倾诉衷情，当然会打动向往大自然的诗人。今天，浮伪之风比其一百多年前诗人所处的那个时代，更厉害不知多少倍，因而此诗所描写的情景更能引起人们的遐思神往。此诗的意境空灵飘逸，感情高洁真挚，极富浪漫气息，没有丝毫庸俗情调。
形式：此诗四节，每节八行，除第四是三音步外，其余七行都是四音步。抑扬格。每节的韵式为 ababccdd
Behold| her, sing|le in |the field,
Yon so|lita|ry High|land lass!
Reaping |and sing|ing by |herself;
Stop here, |or gent|ly pass!
Alone |she cuts |and binds| the grain,
And sings |a me|lancho|ly strain;
O li|sten! for| the Vale |profound
Is ov|erflow|ing with| the sound.

No Nigh|tingale |did ev|er chaunt
More wel|come notes |to wea|ry bands
Of travel|lers in |some sha|dy haunt,
Among| A/ra|bian sands;
A voice| so thril|ling ne’er |was heard
In spring|-time from| the Cu|ckoo-bird,
Breaking |the si|lence of| the seas
Among |the far|thest He|brides.

Will no |one tell| me what |she sings? —
Perhaps |the plain|tive num|bers flow
For old, | unhap|py, far-|off things,
And ba|ttles long |ago;
Or is |it some| more hum|ble lay,
Fami|liar mat|ter of |to-day?
Some na|tural sor|row, loss, | or pain,
That has |been, and| may be| again?

Whate’er |the theme, |the Mai|den sang
As if| her song |could have |no ending;
I saw| her sing|ing at| her work,
And o’er |the sick|le bending; —
I li|sten’d, mo|tionless| and still;
And, as |I moun|ted up |the hill,
The mu|sic in| my heart |I bore,
Long af|ter it| was heard |no more.

George Gordon Byron [/bai r n](1788—1824)
乔治·戈登·拜伦是重要浪漫主义诗人，但是与华兹华斯为首的湖畔诗人有不同。拜伦政治上很激进，反对传统，主张革命，为人放荡不羁，是所谓积极浪漫主义者。华兹华斯主张回归自然，维护传统价值，是所谓消极浪漫主义者。拜伦对湖畔诗人进行过攻击。其实，拜伦只是一个出色的诗人，在政治思想上是肤浅的。拜伦的成名作是《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》（Childe Harold's Pilgrimage,1809-1818），最有影响的著作是《唐·璜》(Don Juan,1819-1824)。此外还有不少抒情诗等。《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》（杨熙龄译，1959年上海文艺出版社。）是一部叙事长诗，是描写作者游历欧洲各国的抒情日记，由一个灰心失望的贵族青年哈罗德将全诗情节贯穿起来。《唐璜》[don/d u: n]也是一部叙事长诗，写的是欧洲传说中的传奇人物唐璜浪漫冒险经历，未完成。关于唐璜这个人物，欧洲各国有很多作品。莫扎特有一部歌剧即名《唐璜》。
我们所选的这首《滑铁卢前夜》是《游记》中的片段(Canto III, stanzas 21, 22, 24, 25.)，记述的是滑铁卢之战爆发前夕比利时首都布鲁塞尔（Brussels, Belgium）上层人士盲目歌舞狂欢的场面。滑铁卢是位于比利时首都以南约20公里的一个村庄，1815年英军在此驻扎。吕希蒙公爵夫人设宴款待英军将士，拿破仑乘其不备，于当晚突然袭击。与英军共同与拿破仑战斗的还有荷兰、比利时、德等国。最后拿破仑寡不敌众，失败。
10 The Eve Of Waterloo

There was a sound of revelry by night,
And Belgium’s capital had gather’d then
Her Beauty and her Chivalry, and bright
The lamps shone o’er fair women and brave men;
A thousand hearts beat happily; and when
Music arose with its voluptuous swell,
Soft eyes look’d love to eyes which spake again,
And all went merry as a marriage bell;
But hush! hark! a deep sound strikes like a rising knell!

Did ye not hear it? —No; ’twas but the wind,
Or the car rattling o’er the stony street;
On with the dance! let joy be unconfined;
No sleep till morn, when Youth and Pleasure meet
To chase the growing hours with flying feet—
But, hark! — that heavy sound breaks in once more,
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;
And nearer, clearer, deadlier than before!
Arm! arm! it is — it is —the cannon’s opening roar!

Ah! Then and there was hurrying to and fro,
And gathering tears, and tremblings of distress,
And cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago
Blush’d at the praise of their own loveliness:
And there were sudden partings, such as press
The life from out young hearts, and choking sighs
Which ne’er might be repeated; who could guess
If ever more should meet those mutual eyes,
Since upon night so sweet such awful morn could rise!

And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed,
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car,
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed,
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war;
And the deep thunder peal on peal afar;
And near, the beat of the alarming drum
Roused up the soldier ere the morning star;
While throng’d the citizens with terror dumb,
Or whispering with white lips —‘the foe! they come! they come!’

注释：
Her Beauty and her Chivalry, and bright：布鲁塞尔的英雄美人。Her 指Brussels
Voluptuous[v /l ptu s ]swell 华丽的音乐旋律。Swell 本指大浪，此指乐声荡漾。
Soft eyes look’d love to eyes which spake again look：温柔的眼睛与眼睛互相传情。Look love：Look with love。
And all went merry as a marriage bell; 大家欢欣鼓舞，就像结婚打钟。
a deep sound strikes like a rising knell：一个沉闷的声音就像正在敲响的丧钟一样传来。
Youth and Pleasure meet\To chase the growing hours with flying feet: 青春与欢乐结伴，用飞快的脚步追逐这焕发的时光。growing hours：令人起劲的时光。
As if the clouds its echo would repeat;天上的云好像又把它的回声有重复了一次：意即声音很大，会响很久。
Arm! arm! it is — it is —the cannon’s opening roar! 拿起武器，拿起武器！这是大炮在展开咆哮。
gathering tears：不断聚集的泪，越来越多的泪水。
cheeks all pale, which but an hour ago\ Blush’d at the praise of their own loveliness: 一小时以前因受到夸奖而羞红的脸蛋儿，现在都发白了。
there were sudden partings, such as press\The life from out young hearts, 使年轻的心灵痛不欲生的突然诀别。
choking sighs\ Which ne’er might be repeated;很可能永远不会再有的抽搐叹息。因为可能是诀别，所很可能不会再有。
mustering squadron：集合的中队
swiftly forming in the ranks of war;快速排成作战队形。Rank：队列。
And the deep thunder peal on peal afar;\ And near, the beat of the alarming drum\Roused up the soldier ere [e ]the morning star;远处是一阵一阵的沉闷的雷鸣，近处是报警的鼓声，不等启名星出现，就把士兵唤醒。
While throng’d the citizens with terror dumb,市民们则挤在一起，被吓成了哑巴。此句可改成：the citizens thronged, dumb with terror. 或者：The citizens dumb with terror thronged.
内容：此诗极其生动地描绘了舞会上的欢乐场面和大战来临之际的惊慌景象。舞会上英雄们风度翩翩，美人们含情脉脉，婆娑起舞，尽情狂欢。没有想到，也不相信战争会在此时爆发。正在狂欢之际，大炮轰鸣起来。于是在惊恐和绝望之中告别。士兵门急速集合，市民们惊慌失措。整个城市乱作一团。此诗的成功之处在于生动的场景描写，极富戏剧性，读之如身临其境。英国小说家萨克雷（William Makepeace Thackeray）在起长篇小说《名利场》(Vanity Fair, 1847-48)第29章中对这场舞会也有非常出色的描写。
形式：
此诗属斯宾塞体(Spenserian stanza)， Edmund Spenser （1552？—99继乔叟之后的最大诗人。） 在The Faerie Queene 中创造了这种形式的诗节，故名。其形式是每节九行，前八行为抑扬格五音步，第九行为抑扬格六音步，韵式是：ababbcbcc.

There was |a sound |of re|velry |by night,
And Bel|gium’s ca|pital |had ga|ther’d then
Her Beau|ty and |her Chi|valry, |and bright
The lamps |shone o’er |fair wo|men and |brave men;
A thou|sand hearts |beat hap|pily; |and when
Music| arose| with its| volup|tuous swell,
Soft eyes| look’d love| to eyes |which spake |again,
And all |went mer|ry as |a mar|riage bell;
But hush! | hark! a| deep sound |strikes like |a ris|ing knell!

Did ye |not hear| it? —No; |’twas but| the wind,
Or the |car rat|tling o’er| the sto|ny street;
On with |the dance! |let joy |be un|confined;
No sleep| till morn, | when Youth |and Plea|sure meet
To chase |the grow|ing hours |with fly|ing feet—
But, hark! | — that hea|vy sound |breaks in |once more,
As if |the clouds |its e|cho would |repeat;
And near|er, clear|er, dead|lier than |before!
Arm! arm! | it is —|it is —|the can|non’s open|ing roar!

Ah! Then| and there| was hur|rying to| and fro,
And gath|ering tears, | and trem|blings of| distress,
And cheeks| all pale, |which but |an hour |ago
Blush’d at |the praise |of their |own love|liness:
And there| were sud|den par|tings, such| as press
The life |from out |young hearts, |and chok|ing sighs
Which ne’er |might be |repea|ted; who |could guess
If ev |er more | should meet |those mut |ual eyes,
Since up |on night | so sweet |such aw |ful morn |could rise!

And there | was moun |ting in |hot haste: |the steed,
The must |ering squa |dron, and |the clatt |ering car,
Went pou |ring for |ward with | impe |tuous speed,
And swift |ly form |ing in |the ranks | of war;
And the |deep thun |der peal | on peal |afar;
And near, | the beat |of the |alar |ming drum
Roused up |the sol |dier ere | the mor |ning star;
While throng’d |the ci|tizens| with ter|ror dumb,
Or whisp|ering with |white lips —| ‘the foe! |they come! |they come!’

Percy Bysshe Shelly[/p :si bi / eli ](1792—1822)
珀西·比希·雪莱是拜伦的好友，与拜伦一样，也是浪漫主义时期的大诗人。极力主张自由，不仅主张政治上的自由，也主张男女之爱的自由。二十来岁时与一个名叫Harriet Westbrook 的女孩私奔并结婚。后来加入激进的哲学家 William Godwin 的学术圈子，成为其信徒。（William Godwin，1756—1836，主张人性本善，在理性直到下，可以不要法律。财产制度、婚姻制度都该废除。）后来雪莱又在Godwin 的后妻的女儿Claire Clairmont的陪伴下与Godwin 前妻的女儿Mary Wollstonecraft私奔到瑞士，并结婚， 前妻自杀。Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin 写过一本名为《为女权申辩》（A Vindication of the Rights of Woman）可谓现在女全运动的先驱人物。Godwin 也是主张爱情自由的，可是当雪莱与其女儿私本后，就不再如此主张了。三十岁时，雪莱溺水而死。其作品很多，代表作有长诗Prometheus[pru /mi: s] Unbound, Ode To The West Wind 等。我们要读的是他的一首著