《英美诗歌选读》课程教案第八讲首页
备注：教学进程一栏可根据教学内容的多少自定页数。
第八讲叙事诗
第一节史诗
史诗可分为三种，即史诗(epic)，戏拟史诗(epic satire)和英雄叙事诗(heroic narrative)。
一、史诗
史诗指一种宏篇巨制且自成一卷的叙事诗，用高雅的语言叙述英雄的事迹，风格庄严华美，多用精巧的修辞手法，如史诗明喻等。早期诗史多为民族传奇，往往被看成是一个民族的伟大文化财富之一，如英国民族史诗《贝奥武甫》（Beowulf）即是如此。其他史诗有斯宾塞的《仙后》(The Faerie Queen, 1590~1596)，贾尔斯•弗莱彻（Giles Fletcher, 1586-1623）的《基督的胜利》(Christs Victorie, and Triumph in Heav en, and Earth, ov er, and after Death, 1610)，弥尔顿的《失乐园》(Paradi Lost, 1667)、《复乐园》(Paradi Regained, 1671)。布莱克的《弥尔顿》也可以看作是一部史诗。
《贝奥武甫》现代译文第735行~第766行描述了贝奥武甫在鹿厅与巨怪葛婪代的激战：
Mighty and canny,
Hegylac‟s kinsman was keenly watching
for the first move the monster would make.
Nor did the creature keep him waiting
but struck s uddenly and started in;
he grabbed and mauled a man on his bench,
bit into his bone-lappings, bolted down his blood
and gorged on him in lumps, leaving the body
utterly lifeless, eaten up
hand and foot. V enturing c lor,
his talon was raid to attack Beow ulf
where he lay on the bed, he was bearing in
with open c law when the alert hero‟s
comeback and armlock forestalled him utterly.
The captain of evil discovered himlf
in a handgrip harder than anything
He had ever enc ountered in any man
on the fac e of the earth. Every bone in his body
quailed and rec oiled, but he could not esc ape.
He was desperate to flee to his den and hide
with the devil‟s litter, for in all his days
he had never been c lamped or c ornered like this.
Then Hygelac‟s trusty retainer recalled
婚庆礼品
his bedtime speec h, sprang to his feet
and got a firm hold. Fingers w ere bursting,
the monster bac k-trac king, the man overpow ering.
The dread of the land was desperate to escape,
to take a roundabout and flee
to his lair in the fens. The latching power
早的近义词
in his fingers weakened; it was the w orst trip
the terror-monger had taken to Heorot. 1
(Beowulf, a ver translation by Seamus Heaney)
斯宾塞《仙后》的内容如诗人在卷首序诗所言，“激烈的战斗和忠贞的爱情将是我歌的主旨”，其内容之一是对颇有作为的伊丽莎白女王的歌颂，表现民族主义的自豪。第一章一开始就开门见山地讲一位骑士的故事，第二诗节如下：
But on his brest a bloudie Cros he bore,
The deare remembranc e of his dying Lord,
For who sweete sake that glorious badge he wore,
And dead as living ever him adored:
Upon his shielde the like w as also scored,
For soveraine hope, whic h in his helpe he had:
Right faithful true he w as in deede and w ord,
But of his cheere did eme too solemne sad;
Yet nothing did he dread, but ever w as ydrad. 2
游戏角色名字斯宾塞向后来的诗人赠送了一笔宝贵遗产，那就是他有名的九行诗体，这里引的诗节就是典型的斯宾塞诗体。这是一种复杂的诗体，押韵格式为abab bcbc c。前八行是五韵步，第九行即最后一行延长为六韵步。节奏徐缓，韵式有连锁之美（b韵重复四次，c韵三次）。这种诗体影响深远，拜伦、雪莱、
济慈、丁尼生等都曾经用该诗体写出佳作，因此人们称斯宾塞为“诗人的诗人”。
1赫依拉勇武的外甥目不转睛，/ 看这杀人凶手如何实施攻击。/ 那怪物并无耐心，/ 说时迟，那时快，/ 早已抓起一位沉睡中的战士，/ 迫不及待，一把撕开/ 放进血盆大口，将骨锁咬得粉碎，/ 狼吞虎咽，鲜血如注，/ 刹那间整具尸首已入腹中，/ 连手带足！然后他猛扑上前，/ 伸手便抓假睡在床的英雄，/ 张开魔爪直捣贝奥武甫。/ 不料那猛士回敬得更快，/ 翻身坐起，以全身重量压上他的手臂。/ 孽障之主立刻发现，/ 世界上没有任何地方任何人，/ 请他领赏过如此强大的受力。/ 他心中惧怕起来，/ 可一下子又脱不了身。/ 他想逃窜，逃进黑暗的老巢，/ 窜回鬼怪中间。行凶一世，/ 他从来没受过这番礼遇！/ 然而那豪杰，赫依拉的外甥/ 牢记着那天晚上的誓言，一跃而起，/ 将魔爪死死钳在手掌。怪物的手指断了，/ 他不顾一切，拼命向外挣扎。/ 英雄步步紧逼；罪犯只求躲避，/ 不管什么地方；但愿早早告辞鹿厅，/ 藏进沼泽老巢。他知道自己手指的力量/ 已经留在敌人手中。这害人妖精/来鹿厅这同意趟，可真没赶巧。（冯象译）此译文是译者根据古英语译出，故与这里采用的现代作家诗人希尼的现代英语译文不能一一对应。
2他胸前饰有一枚血红的十字，/ 这是对殉难之主的亲切纪念，/ 为了主，他戴上这枚光辉的标志，/ 敬奉主——虽死犹如永活一般：/ 同样的红十字也绘在银盾上面，/ 表明想获得主佑的最高希望：/ 在言行两方面他都忠心可见，/ 但一幅庄严的神情流露在脸上；/ 他无所畏惧，却总是令人敬畏异常。（胡家峦译）
弥尔顿《失乐园》是关于人的堕落的史诗，其内容可以简述为：撒旦被上帝战败，报仇心切，诱使上帝所创造的人类始祖亚当一夏娃偷吃了智慧树上的果子，上帝震怒，把他们逐出伊甸园。
第一章写的是上天的一场战争，两大天使集团进行了较量，以撒旦为首的集团失败，被打入地狱。在地狱里，撒旦对局势做了痛苦的重新估量，估量的的结果是决心复仇，撒旦在此发表了慷慨激昂的演说（第一卷第105行~第124行）：
What though the field be lost?
All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,
And study of revenge, immortal hate,
And courage never to submit or yield:
And what is el not to be overc ome?
That Glory never shall his wrath or might
Extort from me. To bow and sue for grace
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With suppliant knee, and deifie his pow er
Who from the terror of this Arm so late
Doubted his Empire, that w ere low indeed,
That were an ignominy and shame beneath
This dow nfall; sinc e by Fate the strength of Gods
And this Empyreal substanc e cannot fail,
Sinc e through experienc e of this great event
In Arms not wor, in foresight muc h advanc ed,
79年属什么的We may w ith more succ essful hope resolve
To wage by force or guile eternal War
Irrec onc ileable, to our grand Foe,
Who now triumphs, and in th' excess of joy
Sole reigning holds the Tyranny of Heav'n. 3
该史诗第二章写会上辩论，第三章转到天堂，第四章出现亚当和夏娃，史诗的语言不再是金鼓铁甲之声，不再是上帝与耶稣的严肃对话，而是人间的多情话语。史诗在以下诗行中结束：
In either hand the hastening Angel caught
Our lingering parents, and to the eastern gate
3地盘丢了又怎样？/ 并非什么都丢光：不挠的意志、/ 热切的复仇心、不灭的憎恨，/ 以及永不屈服、永不退让的勇气，/ 还有什么难以战胜的呢？/ 他的暴怒或威力永远/ 夺不走我身上的那荣耀。/ 经过这一次战争的惨烈，/ 好容易才使他的政权动摇；/ 这时还要弯腰屈膝，向他/ 哀求怜悯，拜倒在他的权力之下，/ 那才真正是卑鄙、可耻，/ 比这次的沉沦还要卑贱。/ 因为我们生而有神力，/ 秉有清轻的灵质，不能朽坏，/ 又因这次大事件的经验，/ 我们要准备更好的武器，/ 更远的预见，更有成功的希望，/ 用暴力或智力向我们的大敌/ 挑起不可调和的持久战争。/ 他现在正自夸胜利，得意忘形，/ 独揽大权，在天上掌握虐政呢。（朱维之译）
Led them direct, and dow n the c liff as fast
To the subjected plain—then disappeared.
They, looking bac k, all the eastern side beheld
Of Paradi, so late their happy at,
Waved over by that flaming brand; the gate
With dreadful faces thronged and fiery arms.好看的花边
Some natural tears they dropped, but w iped them soon;
The world w as all before them, where to choo
Their plac e of rest, and Providenc e their guide.
They, hand in hand, w ith wandering steps and slow,
Through Eden took their solitary way. 4
这是这部史诗的结束，也是人类世间生活的开始。“世界整个放在他们面前”，生命将延续下去。
《复乐园》写的是耶稣挫败了撒旦的种种诱惑，使撒旦在成功地诱惑了夏娃之后终于遭到失败，这样，人类就可以赎罪而重新升入天堂，也就是恢复了乐园。全诗的结构是一场大辩论，耶稣与撒旦不断辩论，自始至终，贯穿四章。诗的开始七行是全诗的总序：
I, who erewhile the Happy Garden sung
By one man‟s disobedienc e lost, now sing
经营城市Recovered Paradi to all mankind,
By one man‟s firm obedienc e fully tried
Through all temptation, and the Tempter foiled
In all his w iles, defeated and repuld,东风标致官网
And Eden raid in the waste Wilderness. 5
第一句是说诗人在写《复乐园》之前曾写了《失乐园》，咏亚当受诱惑食禁果而失去乐园。第二行的“一人”（one man），指亚当和夏娃，他们夫妇是一体。
二、戏拟史诗
戏拟史诗，即讽刺史诗，指一种通过滑稽性地模仿严肃史诗的手法，主要描写非英雄故事的长篇叙事诗。如蒲柏的《劫发记》（The Rape of the Lock）(1714)，拜伦的《唐璜》（Don Juan）(1819-24)等。
4那天使看见这情景，急忙/ 两手牵住我们的始祖父母，/ 一直把他们领到乐园的东门，/ 急速奔下山岩，如履平地，/ 然后不见了。他们二人回顾/ 自己原住的幸福乐园的东侧，/ 那上面有火焰的剑在挥动。/ 门口有可怖面目和火武器的队伍。/ 他们滴下自然的眼泪，但很快/ 就拭掉了；世界整个放在他们/ 面前，让他们选择安身的地方，/ 有神的意图作他们的指导。/ 二人手携手，慢移流浪的脚步，/ 告别伊甸，踏上他们孤寂的路途。（朱维之译）
5我先前曾讴歌那快乐的庭园，/ 那庭园只为一人违逆天命而丧失了；/ 现在又来歌咏这为人类而收复的乐园，/ 这乐园只为一人严守神旨而复得，/ 经过种种诱惑，试探，/ 抵抗诱惑者一切诡计，/ 终于追奔逐北，握取最后胜利，/ 在广漠的荒野中复兴伊甸。（朱维之译）
