Thanatopsis(view of death)中英文

2024年2月9日发(作者：魏兆琛)

William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878) was

an American romantic poet, journalist,

and long-time editor of the New York

Evening Post.

Thanatopsis （meditation on death）

To him who in the love of Nature holds

热爱自然的人与世间万象

Communion with her visible forms, she speaks

有着心神的交流，对他

A various language; for his gayer hours

她可说各种各样的语言

She has a voice of gladness, and a smile

他高兴的时候，她声音喜悦

And eloquence of beauty, and she glides

eloquence ：smooth and lovely speech

微笑里透着高贵的美丽

Into his darker musings, with a mild

她潜入他隐秘的思索，带着

And healing sympathy, that steals away

温柔和抚慰的关切，未及他明白

Their sharpness, ere he is aware. When

thoughts

她就将痛苦带走，

Of the last bitter hour come like a blight

当最后思想如灾难降

Over thy spirit, and sad images

临你的精神

Of the stern agony, and shroud, and pall,

悲痛的哀影，寿衣，棺罩

And breathless darkness, and the narrow

hou,

令人窒息的黑暗，以及促狭的房屋

Make thee to shudder and grow sick at heart;--

使你瑟瑟发抖，并心生憎恨——

Go forth, under the open sky, and list

去开阔的田野吧，去听听

To Nature's teachings, while from all around—

自然的教诲，听听那从四野里——

Earth and her waters, and the depths of air—

大地、河川和新鲜的空气中——

Comes a still voice--Yet a few days, and thee

传来的静谧而寂寥的声音——

The all-beholding sun shall e no more

然而几天后，普照大地的太阳

In all his cour; nor yet in the cold ground,

在它的行程里，也不见你的踪影；也不在冰冷的大地

Where thy pale form was laid with many tears,

你含泪苍白的形体停放之处

Nor in the embrace of ocean, shall exist

也不在大海的怀抱存你的形象

Thy image. Earth, that nourish'd thee, shall

claim

养育了你的大地要将你召回

Thy growth, to be resolved to earth again,

复归为尘土，

And, lost each human trace, surrendering up

消除人的痕迹

Thine individual being, shalt thou go

你的个体将臣服于此，你将

To mix for ever with the elements,

永远与自然之中的万物共处

To be a brother to the innsible rock,

去做无情的草木和磐石的兄弟

And to the sluggish

hard clod, which the rude

swain乡村青年

掩藏在坚硬的泥土下，任由

Turns with his share, and treads upon. The oak

那粗野的情郎翻犁和践踏

Shall nd his roots abroad, and pierce thy

mould.

橡树伸展的根须将刺穿你的躯体。

Yet not to thine eternal resting-place

不过，在你永恒的栖所

Shalt thou retire alone, nor couldst thou wish

你并不会独处，你也不能企望

Couch more magnificent. Thou shalt lie down

更多的奢华。你将与幼稚世界的

With patriarchs of the infant world--with

kings,

尊者们并卧，——有国王，

The powerful of the earth--the wi, the good,

地上的强者，——有智者、善者

Fair forms, and hoary ers of ages past,

仁者，以及远古时代的先知，

All in one mighty pulchre. The hills

在同一个墓室里。山峦

Rock-ribb'd

abounding in rocky cliffs or scarps崎岖陡峭 and

ancient as the sun,--the vales

如太阳一样固执且陈旧，河谷

Stretching in pensive

persistently thoughtful

quietness

between;

平静的沉思在原始的树林间

The venerable woods; rivers that move

伸展蜿蜒——江河在尊贵里前行，

In majesty, and the complaining brooks

而浇绿草原的溪流

That make the meadows green; and, pour'd

round all,

却带着汩汩的怨言，灌注世间的一切，

Old Ocean's grey and melancholy waste,--

古老的海洋

Are but the solemn decorations all

是苍凉孤凄的荒原——

Of the great tomb of man. The golden sun,

而这一切不过是人类伟大坟冢的威严的装饰

The planets, all the infinite host of heaven,

金色的太阳,众多的行星，一切天界无限的居所

Are shining on the sad abodes of death,

都照耀着死亡之悲戚的归处

Through the still lap of ages. All that tread

历经千秋万代的静逝。一切

The globe are but a handful to the tribes

行在世间的血肉也不过是

That slumber in its bosom.--Take the wings

安睡在其胸间的部族的一撮。——

Of morning, pierce the Barcan wilderness,

the

derts of North Africa

攀上清晨的翅膀，穿越巴肯荒漠

Or lo thylf in the continuous woods

或自弃于绵延的丛林,俄勒冈河奔流

Where rolls the Oregon

Columbia River and hears no

sound

不息的水声充溢双耳

Save his own dashings--yet the dead are there:

尽管亡者齐聚，

And millions in tho solitudes, since

first

万千魂灵在那孤寂里隐身

The flight of years began, have laid them

down

自从时光飞逝之初，，他们就卧在

In their last sleep--the dead reign there alone.

最后的睡眠里——那里亡者独自统治

So shalt thou rest: and what if thou withdraw

你也将这般歇息；假若你从生撤入沉寂，

In silence from the living, and no friend

而无一亲朋

Take note of thy departure? All that breathe

注意到你的离去,所有呼吸的人

Will share thy destiny. The gay will laugh

far-away places

都将分享你的命运. 当你走了，达观者将开怀大笑

When thou art gone, the solemn

Unhappy people

brood

of care worry

严肃者会忧心忡忡艰难前行。

Plod on, and each one as before will cha

每个人都将一如既往地追求他们

His favourite phantom; yet all the shall leave

最心仪的幻影；但是他们都将

Their mirth and their employments消遣, and

shall come

离开一切欢愉和觊觎，而前来

And make their bed with thee. As the long

train

筑榻于你之侧。随着生命的列车

Of ages glides away, the sons of men,

慢慢滑远，人类的子孙

The youth in life's green spring, and he who

goes

生命之春的青年，历经沧桑的

In the full strength of years, matron and maid,

中年、垂垂老妪和娇娇少女

The speechless babe, and the gray-headed

man—

呀呀学语的孩童，以及两鬓苍苍的老人——

Shall one by one be gathered to thy side

都将一个个地来到你的身边

By tho who in their turn shall follow them.

更多的人也将追随他们而来

So live, that when thy summons comes to join

所以活着，直到被召唤去加入

The innumerable caravan which moves

那庞大的篷车旅行的队伍，向着

To that mysterious realm where each shall take

神秘的王国前进，人人都将在死亡

His chamber in the silent halls of death,

沉寂的殿堂里找到自己的房间

Thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night,

不要像矿场的奴隶一样在深夜

Scourged to his dungeon; but, sustained and

soothed

被鞭笞进黑暗的地牢；而要带着

By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,

平静的抚慰和永恒的信仰，走进

Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch

你的墓穴，打开你华丽的铺盖

About him, and lies down to pleasant dreams.

躺下去，进入甜美的梦乡。

The name Bryant cho for this poem is rather

fitting, being that "thanatopsis" is the

contemplation of death. He begins by telling

the reader that any who are in tune with Nature

will be comforted (by Nature), and each way

will be different from the last person. Later in

the first stanza, the author advis that if one is

down and are fear-ridden, he should go out

and enjoy Nature, who will cau him to

realize happiness, becau in the end, all will

join Nature in its beauty through Death.

The cond stanza speaks of the comfort one

may hope for in death. It refers to death as a

"couch" that is greater than any other, and it

claims that one will not lie in death alone. The

poem reminds the reader that through death all

will be forever connected with the greatest

men of all time around the world. It then

describes how Nature is beautiful with "The

hills/ Rock-ribbed and ancient as " etc.

Then it portrays even the duller parts of the

world (Old Ocean's gray and melancholy

waste") as decoration of man's final resting

place. The end of the cond stanza ensures

the reader that the dead alone reign supreme in

Nature.

The third and fourth stanzas are much shorter,

but carry the overall message:

The third stanza warns the reader that if he

does not live a full and happy life, no one will

notice when he is gone. They will all live a life

as if nothing happened. But to avoid depicting

death as a bad thing, Bryant then re-ensures

his audience that even if one's death goes

unnoticed, all who lived that did or did not

notice the person's death, will soon join that

person regardless, for all are joined in death.

The fourth stanza is intended to end the poem

on a hopeful note, and its purpo is also to

drive home the strongest point in the poem: If

one lives life to its fullest, he may embrace

death with comfort and pleasure. He may die

peacefully.

The message of the poem

1. Have a full life in order to die well and

comfortably.

2. In death, all are joined with Nature and with

each other for eternity.

3. This comfort and togetherness in death may

only be obtained through death.

To a waterfoel

WHITHER, midst falling dew,

你要去往何方？露珠正在坠落

While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,

天穹闪耀着白昼最后的脚步

Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue

远远地，穿过玫瑰色的深处

Thy solitary way?

你求索着孤独的道路

Vainly the fowler's eye

也许，猎鸟者的眼睛

Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,

徒劳地看着你远飞，想要伤害你

As, darkly en against the crimson sky,

当红色的天空衬着你的身影

Thy figure floats along.

你飘摇而去

Seek'st thou the plashy 潮湿的 brink

你想要飞往何处

Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, 10

要寻觅杂草丛生、潮湿的湖岸？

Or where the rocking billows ri and sink

那里有动荡的巨浪起起落落

On the chafed ocean-side?

大河的边沿，还是磨损的海滩？

There is a Power who care

有一种力量关照着你，

Teaches thy way along that pathless coast—

教导你在无路的海滨，

The dert and illimitable air— 15

荒芜和辽阔的长空，

Lone wandering, but not lost.

独自漫游，不会迷失。

All day thy wings have fanned,

你整天拍打着翅膀，

At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere,

扇着远天那寒冷的稀薄大气，

Yet stoop

忍辱; 弯腰

not, weary, to the welcome land,

尽管黑夜已靠近，你已疲惫

Though the dark night is near. 20

也不肯屈尊降落安全的大地。

I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears

and sweat

And soon that toil shall end;

不久那折磨就会结束；

Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,

不久你就会找到夏天的家，歇下，

And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,

在同伴间欢叫；

Soon, o'er thy sheltered nest.

不久 芦苇将弯下，在你隐蔽的巢上。

Thou 'rt gone, the abyss of heaven 25

你消失了，天空的深渊

Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart

吞噬了你的身影；但在我心上

Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,

已深深留下你教给我的一课，

And shall not soon depart.

它不会很快遗忘。

He who, from zone to zone,

谁引导你穿过无垠的天空，

Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, 30

从一个领域到另一个领域，

In the long way that I must tread alone,

也会在我必须独自跋涉的长途上，

Will lead my steps aright.

正确地引导我的脚步。

The Message of “To A Waterfowl”

“To A Waterfowl” is a well-known poem

about nature, in which he relates a scene of

nature to the divine power and the divine

power to the human life and the author shows

the reader his n of divine power guiding

and protecting everything in nature.

Theme

The beauty and harmony of nature as a source

of joy and escape

The power of God

The author starts his poem by the question

where the solitary waterfowl pursues his way:

Whither, midst falling dew,

While glow the heavens with the last

steps of day,

Far, through their rosy depths, dost

thou pursue

Thy solitary way?

By this stanza, we can imagine an individual

migrating waterfowl, not in flocks, flying

“midst falling dew” at the end of the day. Thus

the author’ purpo to aro sympathy with the

bird is accomplished.

The cond stanza helps to establish the

emotion of sympathy. The hunter attempts to

get the bird down, though he fails. The bird

continues flying alone to “ the plashy brink of

weedy lake or marge of river wide, or where

the rocking billows ri and sink on the chafed

ocean-side”.

Seeing the bird’s homeward flight, the author

sinks himlf into meditation.

The following 3 stanzas (4,5,6) tells us that

there exist a Power who guides the bird to fly

through the pathless coast, the dert and the

illimitable air without being lost, and leads the

bird to get to his homecoming after having

overcome difficulties during the flight: always

wings fanning, far height, cold and thin

atmosphere, and dark night. At last the bird is

safe at home by the images of a summer home,

rest, scream among the bird’ fellows, and the

nest sheltered by the bent reeds.

Stanza 7 is a turning point in this poem,

moving from the obrvation of the bird and

the meditation about its flight to a statement of

the meaning of this kind of experience. As the

author states in this stanza:

Thou’rt gone, the abyss of heaven

Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on

my heart

Deeply has sunk the lesson thou hast

given,

And shall not soon depart.

The “lesson” of this experience touches the

author’s heart very much. He gains an inner

assurance of his own that the Power, who

guides the bird through the boundless and

pathless sky, will lead his steps aright. Wee

can e that the author parallels the flight of

the bird to his own earthbound journey

through life.

From a bird and its flight to an ordinary

person and his cour of life, this poem

conveys that everything in nature is under the

beneficence and protection of the Power.

To a Waterfowl

Stanza1: With the arrival of evening and in the

tting sun and falling dew, where will the

waterfowl, through the rosy clouds, fly to?

Stanza2: In the rosy light of the tting sun, the

hunter might e the bird, but it is too distant

to be harmed. Thus it is able for the bird to fly

easily and delightedly.

Stanza3: The poet is enquiring the destination

of the fowl: Is it by the lake, along the river or

at the ocean side?

Stanza4: The poet believes that a supernatural

power is guiding and protecting the bird.

Stanza5: The evening is falling and the bird,

though rathe exhausted,kept on flying.

Stanza6: Soon the weary flight will end and a

shelter will be found.

Stanza7: Though the bird has flown out of

sight, the lessons is taught will stay in my

heart forever

Comment on the poem

In the first three stanzas, there is no hint of any

morals. However, in the fourth, all of a sudden,

a new figure as a god appears. The god has a

supernatural power which directs the bird’s

flight. Bryant interrupted himlf from

describing a bird into teaching a lesson. Bryant

may think it is not enough for a poem written

just for the sake of its own, or just for the

beauty of it, it should say something more than

beauty; it should carry morals.

It rhymes “abab,”, while the length of each

line is so different that you cannot find a

regular foot. But, the two long lines in the

middle of each stanza may refer to the balance

in the floating of the bird. The first and the

fourth lines, which are relatively shorter, look

like two wings. The stanzaic form reminds one

of a flying bird.

威廉·库伦·布莱恩特《致水鸟》

你要去往何方？露珠正在坠落，

天穹闪耀着白昼最后的脚步，

远远地，穿过玫瑰色的深处，

你求索着孤独的道路。

也许，猎鸟者的眼睛

徒劳地看着你远飞，想要伤害你，

当红色的天空衬着你的身影，

你飘摇而去。

你想要飞往何处？

要寻觅杂草丛生、潮湿的湖岸？

大河的边沿，还是磨损的海滩？

那里有动荡的巨浪起起落落

有一种力量关照着你，

教导你在无路的海滨，

荒漠和浩淼的长空，

独自漫游，不会迷失。

你整天拍打着翅膀，

扇着远天那寒冷的稀薄大气，

尽管黑夜已靠近，你已疲惫

也不肯屈尊降落安全的大地。

不久那折磨就会结束；

不久你就会找到夏天的家，歇下，

在同伴间欢叫；不久

芦苇将弯下，在你隐蔽的巢上。

你消失了，天空的深渊

吞噬了你的身影；但在我心上

已深深留下你教给我的一课，

它不会很快遗忘。

谁引导你穿过无垠的天空，

从一个领域到另一个领域，

也会在我必须独自跋涉的长途上，

正确地引导我的脚步。