ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard赏析.docx
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ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard赏析
ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard
ByThomasGray(1716-1771)
1.TypeofWork
"ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyard"is—asthetitleindicates—anelegy.Suchapoemcentersonthedeathofapersonorpersonsandis,therefore,somberintone.Anelegyislyricalratherthannarrative—thatis,itsprimarypurposeistoexpressfeelingsandinsightsaboutitssubjectratherthantotellastory.Typically,anelegyexpressesfeelingsoflossandsorrowwhilealsopraisingthedeceasedandcommentingonthemeaningofthedeceased'stimeonearth.Gray'spoemreflectsonthelivesofhumbleandunheralded未为人所知的peopleburiedinthecemetery墓地ofachurch.
2.Setting(timeandplace)
Thetimeisthemid1700s,aboutadecadebeforetheIndustrialRevolutionbeganinEngland.Theplaceisthecemeteryofachurch.EvidenceindicatesthatthechurchisSt.Giles,inthesmalltownofStokePoges,Buckinghamshire,insouthernEngland.Grayhimselfisburiedinthatcemetery.WilliamPenn,thefounderofPennsylvania,oncemaintainedamanor领地houseatStogePoges.
3.YearsofCompositionandPublication
Graybeganwritingtheelegyin1742,putitasideforawhile,andfinisheditin1750.RobertDodsleypublishedthepoeminLondonin1751.Revisedoralteredversionsofthepoemappearedin1753,1758,1768,and1775.CopiesofthevariousversionsareontheThomasGrayArchiveatOxfordUniversity.
4.Meter节拍andRhyme韵律Scheme
Graywrotethepoeminfour-linestanzas(quatrains).Eachlineisiniambicpentameter,meaningthefollowing:
1.Eachlinehasfivepairsofsyllablesforatotaloftensyllables.
2.Ineachpair,thefirstsyllableisunstressed(orunaccented),andthesecondisstressed(oraccented),asinthetwolinesthatopenthepoem:
TheCURfewTOLLStheKNELLofPARTingDAY
TheLOWingHERDwindSLOWlyO'ERtheLEA
Ineachstanza,thefirstlinerhymeswiththethirdandthesecondlinerhymeswiththefourth(abab),asfollows:
aThecurfewtollstheknellofpartingday,
bThelowingherdwindslowlyo'erthelea,
aTheplowmanhomewardplodshiswearyway,
bAndleavestheworldtodarknessandtome.
晚钟响起来一阵阵给白昼报丧,
牛群在草原上迂回,吼声起落,
耕地人累了,回家走,脚步踉跄,
把整个世界给了黄昏与我。
5.StanzaForm:
HeroicQuatrain英雄体四行诗
Astanzawiththeabove-mentionedcharacteristics—fourlines,iambicpentameter,andanababrhymescheme—isoftenreferredtoasaheroicquatrain.(QuatrainisderivedfromtheLatinwordquattuor,meaningfour.)WilliamShakespeareandJohnDrydenhadearlierusedthisstanzaform.AfterGray'spoembecamefamous,writersandcriticsalsobeganreferringtotheheroicquatrainasanelegiacstanza.
6.CompletePoemWithExplanatoryNotes
Stanza1
1.Thecurfewtollstheknellofpartingday,
2.Thelowingherdwindslowlyo'erthelea,
3.Theplowmanhomewardplodshiswearyway,
4.Andleavestheworldtodarknessandtome.
Notes
(1)Curfew:
ringingbellintheeveningthatremindedpeopleinEnglishtownsofGray’stimetoputoutfiresandgotobed.
(2)Knell:
mournfulsound.
(3)Partingday:
day'send;dyingday;twilight;dusk.
(4)Lowing:
mooing.
(5)O'er:
contractionforover.(6)Lea:
meadow.
Stanza2
5.Nowfadestheglimm'ringlandscapeonthesight,
6.Andalltheairasolemnstillnessholds,
7.Savewherethebeetlewheelshisdroningflight,
8.Anddrowsytinklingslullthedistantfolds.
Notes
(1)Line5:
Thelandscapebecomeslessandlessvisible.
(2)Sight...solemnstillness...save:
alliteration.(3)Save:
except.
(4)Beetle:
wingedinsectthatoccursinmorethan350,000varieties.Onetypeisthefirefly,orlightningbug.
(5)Wheels:
verbmeaningfliesincircles.
(6)Droning:
humming;buzzing;monotonoussound.
(7)Drowsytinklingslullthedistantfolds:
Thisclauseapparentlyreferstothegentlesoundsmadebyabellaroundtheneckofacastratedmalesheepthatleadsothersheep.Acastratedmalesheepiscalledawether.Suchasheepwithabellarounditsneckiscalledabellwether.Foldsisanounreferringtoflocksofsheep.
(8)Tinklings:
onomatopoeia.
Stanza3
9.Savethatfromyonderivy-mantledtow'r
10.Themopingowldoestothemooncomplain
11.Ofsuch,aswand'ringnearhersecretbow'r,
12.Molestherancientsolitaryreign.
Notes
(1)Save:
except.
(2)Yonder:
distant;remote.
(3)Ivy-mantled:
cloaked,dressed,oradornedwithivy.
(4)Moping:
gloomy;grumbling.
(5)Ofsuch:
ofanythingoranybody.
(6)Bow'r:
bower,anenclosuresurroundedbyplantgrowth—inthiscase,ivy.
(7)Molestherancientsolitaryreign:
bothertheowlwhileitkeepswatchoverthechurchyardandcountryside.
(8)Herancientsolitaryrein:
metaphorcomparingtheowltoaqueen.
Stanza4
13.Beneaththoseruggedelms,thatyew-tree'sshade,
14.Whereheavestheturfinmanyamould'ringheap,
15.Eachinhisnarrowcellforeverlaid,
16.Therudeforefathersofthehamletsleep.
Notes
(1)Whereheavestheturf:
anastrophe,afigureofspeechthatinvertsthenormalwordorder(theturfheaves).
(2)Mould'ring:
mouldering(British),moldering(American),anadjectivemeaningdecaying,crumbling.
(3)Cell:
metaphorcomparingagravetoaprisoncell.
(4)Rude:
robust;sturdy;hearty;stalwart.
(5)Hamlet:
village.
Stanza5
17.Thebreezycallofincense-breathingMorn,
18.Theswallowtwitt'ringfromthestraw-builtshed,
19.Thecock'sshrillclarion,ortheechoinghorn,
20.Nomoreshallrousethemfromtheirlowlybed.
Notes
(1)Breezycallofincense-breathingMorn:
windcarryingthepleasantsmellsofmorning,includingdewygrassandflowers.NoticethatMornisametaphorcomparingittoalivingcreature.(Itcallsandbreathes.)
(2)Swallow:
Insect-eatingsongbirdthatlikestoperch.
(3)Clarion:
cock-a-doodle-doo.
(4)Echoinghorn:
Thewordsmayrefertothesoundmadebyafoxhuntsmanwhoblowsacopperhorntowhichpackhoundsrespond.
Stanza6
21.Forthemnomoretheblazinghearthshallburn,
22.Orbusyhousewifeplyhereveningcare:
23.Nochildrenruntolisptheirsire'sreturn,
24.Orclimbhiskneestheenviedkisstoshare.
Notes
(1)hearth...housewife...her:
alliteration.
(2)Climbhiskneestheenviedkisstoshare:
anastrophe,afigureofspeechthatinvertsthenormalwordorder(tosharetheenviedkiss).
Stanza7
25.Oftdidtheharvesttotheirsickleyield,
26.Theirfurrowoftthestubbornglebehasbroke;
27.Howjocunddidtheydrivetheirteamafield!
28.Howbow'dthewoodsbeneaththeirsturdystroke!
Notes
(1)Sickle:
Harvestingtoolwithahandleandacrescent-shapedblade.Fieldhandsswingitfromrighttolefttocutdownplantgrowth.
(2)Furrow:
channelorgroovemadebyaplowforplantingseeds.
(3)Glebe:
earth.
(4)Jocund:
Tomaintainthemeter,Grayusesanadjectivewhenthesyntaxcallforanadverb,jocundly.Jocund(pronouncedJAHKund)meanscheerful.
Stanza8
29.LetnotAmbitionmocktheirusefultoil,
30.Theirhomelyjoys,anddestinyobscure;
31.NorGrandeurhearwithadisdainfulsmile
32.Theshortandsimpleannalsofthepoor.
Notes
(1)Ambition:
Personificationreferringtothedesiretosucceedortoambitiouspeopleseekingloftygoals.
(2)Destinyobscure:
thehumblefateofthecommonpeople;theirunheraldeddeeds.
(3)Lines29-30:
anastrophe,afigureofspeechthatinvertsthenormalwordorder(letnotAmbitionobscuretheirdestinyandhomelyjoys).
(4)Grandeur:
personificationreferringtopeoplewithwealth,socialstanding,andpower.
(5)Annals:
historicalrecords;story.
Stanza9
33.Theboastofheraldry,thepompofpow'r,
34.Andallthatbeauty,allthatwealthe'ergave,
35.Awaitsaliketh'inevitablehour.
36.Thepathsofgloryleadbuttothegrave.
Notes
(1)Boastofheraldry:
Proudtalkaboutthearistocraticornoblerootsofone'sfamily;snobbery.Heraldrywasasciencethattracedfamilylinesofroyalandnoblepersonagesanddesignedcoatsofarmsforthem.
(2)Pomp:
ceremonies,rituals,andsplendidsurroundingsofnoblesandroyals.
(3)Pompofpow'r:
alliteration.
(4)E'er:
ever.Generalmeaningofstanza:
Everyperson—nomatterhowimportant,powerful,orwealthy—endsupthesame,dead.
Stanza10
37.Noryou,yeproud,imputetothesethefault,
38.IfMem'ryo'ertheirtombnotrophiesraise,
39.Wherethro'thelong-drawnaisleandfrettedvault
40.Thepealinganthemswellsthenoteofpraise.
Notes
(1)Impute:
Assign,ascribe.
(2)Mem'ry:
Memory,apersonificationreferringtomemorials,commemorations,andtributes—includingstatues,headstones,andepitaphs—usedtopreservethememoryofimportantorprivilegedpeople.
(3)Wherethro'...thenoteofpraise:
Referencetotheinteriorofachurchhousingthetombsofimportantpeople.Frettedvaultreferstoacarvedorornamentedarchedrooforceiling.
(4)Pealinganthemmayrefertoloftyorganmusic.
Stanza11
41.Canstoriedurnoranimatedbust
42.Backtoitsmansioncallthefleetingbreath?
43.CanHonour'svoiceprovokethesilentdust,
44.OrFlatt'rysoothethedullcoldearofDeath?
Notes
(1)Storiedurn:
Vaseadornedwithpicturestellingastory.Urnshavesometimesbeenusedtoholdtheashesofacrematedbody.
(2)Bust:
sculptureofthehead,shoulders,andchestofahuman.
(3)Storiedurn...breath?
Canthesoul(fleetingbreath)becalledbacktothebody(mansion)bytheurnorbustback?
Noticethaturnandbustarepersonificationsthatcall.
(4)CanHonour's...Death?
Canhonor(Honour'svoice)attributedtothedeadpersoncausethatperson(silentdust)tocomebacktolife?
Canflatteringwords(Flatt'ry)aboutthedeadpersonmakedeathmore"bearable"?
(5)Gen