LESSON 12

SHORT SELECTIONS IN POETRY

诗歌采英

1. THE CLOUD.

A cloud lay cradled near the setting sun,

A gleam of crimson tinged its braided snow; Long had I watched the glory moving on,

O’er the still radiance of the lake below:

Tranquil its spirit seemed, and floated slow,

E’en in its very motion there was rest,

While every breath of eve that chanced to blow, Wafted the traveler to the beauteous west.

Emblem, methought, of the departed soul,

To whose white robe the gleam of bliss is given, And by the breath of mercy made to roll

Right onward to the golden gate of heaven,

While to the eye of faith it peaceful lies,

And tells to man his glorious destinies.

(John Wilson)

II. MY MIND.

My mind to me a kingdom is;

Such perfect joy therein I find,

As far exceeds all earthly bliss

That God or nature hath assigned;

Though much I want that most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave.

III. A GOOD NAME.

Good name, in man or woman, dear my lord,

Is the immediate jewel of their souls.

Who steals my purse, steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;’Twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;

But he that filches from me my good name,

Robs me of that which not enriches him, And makes me poor indeed.

Shakespeare.— Othello, Act III, Scene III.

IV. SUNRISE.

But yonder comes the powerful king of day, Rejoicing in the east. The lessening cloud,

The kindling azure, and the mountain’s browIllumed with liquid gold, his near approach Betoken glad. Lo! now apparent all,

Aslant the dew-bright earth and colored air

He looks in boundless majesty abroad,

And sheds the shining day that, burnished, plays

On rocks, and hills, and towers, and wandering streams, High gleaming from afar.

(Thomson)

V. OLD AGE AND DEATH.

Edmund Waller, 1605-1687, an English poet, was a cousin of John Hampden, and related to Oliver Cromwell. He was educated at Eton and Cambridge. Waller was for many years a member of Parliament. He took part in the civil war, and was detected in a treasonable plot. Several years of his life were spent in exile in France. After the Restoration he came into favor at court. His poetry is celebrated for smoothness and sweetness, but is disfigured by affected conceits.

The seas are quiet when the winds give o’er; So calm are we when passions are no more. For then we know how vain it was to boast

Of fleeting things, too certain to be lost.

Clouds of affection from our younger eyes Conceal that emptiness which age descries.The soul’s dark cottage, battered and decayed,

Lets in new light through chinks that time has made: Stronger by weakness, wiser men become,

As they draw near to their eternal home.

Leaving the old, both worlds at once they view,

That stand upon the threshold of the new.

VI. MILTON.

John Dryden, 1631-1703, was a noted English writer, who was made poet laureate by James II. On the expulsion of James, and the accession of William and Mary, Dryden lost his offices and pension, and was compelled to earn his bread by literary work. It was during these last years of his life that his best work was done. His “Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day” is one of his most celebrated poems. His prose writings are specimens of good, strong English.

Three poets, in three distant ages born, Greece, Italy, and England did adorn;

The first in loftiness of thought surpassed,

The next in majesty, in both the last.

The force of nature could no further go; To make a third she joined the other two.

【中文阅读】

1.云彩

一抹云彩像摇篮一样挂在落日近处，

深红色的光束染红了辫子状的雪地；

我长久地凝视这飘浮着的壮丽，

连下面的湖水也闪烁着光芒；

它的神采那样静谧，慢慢地浮动，

甚至在它倏忽一闪中也有静止不动，

夜晚碰巧刮来的一阵狂风，

将旅行者吹到美丽的西方。

我想，这象征已逝的灵魂，

他的白色长袍披上祝福的闪光，

在仁慈的微风下摆动

向上直抵天国金光闪闪的大门，信念的眼神平静祥和，

向我诉说他辉煌的宿命。

（约翰·威尔逊）

2.我的内心

对我来说我的内心就是一个王国；

我在里面觅到如此完美的快乐，

超越所有世俗的

上帝或者大自然赐予的极乐；

尽管我需要的很多，可是得到的更多，

我的内心仍旧不准寄予渴望。

3.好名声

我亲爱的大人，无论男人女人，名誉

是他们灵魂里面最贴近的珍宝。

偷窃我的钱囊的人，偷窃的仅是一些废物，可有可无之物，

从我之手如他人之手，千万人的奴隶；

可是，谁偷去了我的名誉，

他并不会因此而富足，

我却因为失去它而一无所有。

（莎士比亚：《奥瑟罗》，第三幕第三场）

4.日出

远处来的是主宰青天白日的王，

欣喜而陶然。渐渐稀薄的云，

火烧般的蔚蓝色，还有高山幽壑，

映出流彩的金色，他翩然而至

预示着愉快。瞧！现在一切清晰可见

露珠欲滴的大地倾斜着，还有五彩缤纷的空气

他的威严无限，

播下阳光明媚的天空，倾洒在

岩石上，山谷间，塔楼和蜿蜒的小溪也享受到阳光的温存，从远处熠熠生辉。

（汤姆逊）

5.老年和死亡

风过后海面波澜不兴，

当我们激情不再时，内心竟如此平静。

因为我们清楚以过眼烟云为荣有多么虚妄，逝去便不再。

我们年轻时爱情的云朵从眼前飘过

揭示了岁月的空洞。

心灵的黑暗囚所，飘摇而凋敝，

让新的光辉穿透时光造成的缝隙，

在他们挨近永恒的家园时，

睿智的人由弱小而变得强大。

告别老年，他们马上看到两个世界，

就站在新世界的门槛上。

6.弥尔顿

三位诗人，出生于相距遥远的时代，

希腊、意大利和英格兰都倍极尊奉；

第一位思想超卓，

第二位雄伟壮丽，第三位两者兼具。

大自然的鬼斧神工不过这样，

前两者的结合造就了最后一位。