11位維多利亞時(shí)代詩(shī)人

Victorian

PoetsI.

Alfred

TennysonII.

Robert

BrowningIII.

Matthew

ArnoldAlfred

TennysonLife

StoryWorksStyleSignificanceAppreciation

of

the

PoemsLife

Story1809:

Born

at

Somersby

rectory,

Lincolnshire,

fourth

son

of

the

rector.1820

:

LeavesLouth

to

beeducated

at

home

by

his

father.1827:

Poems

by

TwoBrothers

with

Charles

and

Edward. &

Enters

Trinity

College,

Cambridge.1829:

Friendship

with

Arthur

Henry

Hallam.&

Member

of

the

“Apostles,”

agroup

of

young

men,

atCambridge.&

Receives

chancellor’s

Gold

Medal

for

prize

poem

“Timbuctoo”.&

Falls

in

love

with

Emily

Tennyson.1831:

Father

dies.1832:

Hisbrother

Edward

goesinsane.1833:

Hallam

dies.1834:

Falls

in

love

with

Rosa

BaringTennyson

with

his

wife

Emily

(1813-1896)

and

his

sons

Hallam

(1852-1928)and

Lionel

(1854-1886).1838:

Engaged

to

EmilySellwood.1840:

Engagement

broken

off.1842:

Poems

revised;

hisfameestablished.1844:

Has

an

emotional

breakdown.1845:

Receives

Civil

List

pension

of200

pounds/year.1849:

Renews

correspondence

withEmilySellwood.1850:

In

Memoriampublishedanonymously.&

Marries

Emily

Sellwood.&

Appointed

Poet

Laureate.1852:

SonHallam

born.1862:

Has

first

audience

with

QueenVictoria.1883:

Accepts

barony.1892:

Dies.Major

WorksPoems

by

Two

Brothers

★Poems,

Chiefly

LyricalPoems

(two

volumes)The

PrincessMaud

★The

Idylls

of

the

King

★

★In

Memoriam

★

★Alfred

Tennyson:

His

PoemsTennyson’s

major

poeticachievement

is

the

elegymourning

the

death

of

hisfriendArthur

Hallam,

In

Memoriam(1850).The

patriotic

poem

“Charge

of

theLight

Brigade”,

published

inMaud

(1855),

is

one

ofTennyson’s

best

known

works.Idylls

OfTheKing

(1859-1885)

isasomber

ethical

epic

of

the

gloryand

the

downfall

of

King

Arthur.In

the

Arthurian

legend,

Tennysonprojected

his

vision

of

thehollowness

of

his

own

civilization.StyleHis

poetry

is

rich

in

poetic

images

and

melodious

language.His

poetry

is

noted

for

its

lyrical

beauty

and

metrical

charm.His

wonderful

works

manifest

all

the

qualities

of

England’s

great poets:

the

dreaminess

of

Spencer,

the

majesty

of

Milton,

the natural

simplicity

of

Wordsworth,

the

fantasy

of

Blake

and Coleridge,

the

melody

of

Keats

and

Shelley,

and

the

narrative vigor

of

Scott

and

Byron.Comment

on

Alfred

Tennyson1)

Tennyson

is

a

moralist.2)

Tennyson

is

apoet

of

nature.

In

Tennyson’s

poetry,

naturaldescriptions

provide

aseries

ofmetaphors

on

the

changing

state

ofthe

poet’s

mind.3)

Tennyson

is

a

realartist.His

Positionin

Literature

HistoryHe

was

often

regarded

as the

chief

representativeof the

Victorian

age

(1836

- 1901)

inpoetry.Tennyson

succeeded Wordsworth

as

Poet Laureate

in

1850;

he

was appointed

by

Queen Victoria

and

served

42 years.The

Eagle:

A

FragmentHe

clasps

the

crag

with

crooked

hands;Close

to

the

sun

in

lonely

lands,Ringed

with

the

azure

world,

he

stands.The

wrinkled

sea

beneath

him

crawls;He

watches

from

his

mountain

walls,And

like

a

thunderbolt

hefalls.1851他彎曲的手勾住峭壁;緊臨太陽(yáng)于孤寂之地,青天環(huán)抱中,他挺立.紋皺的海在下面蠕動(dòng);他在山垣上伺機(jī)欲攻,然后雷霆一般地俯沖.彭鏡禧夏燕生譯One

InterpretationThe

eagle,

at

its

great

height,

is

a

representation

of

a

man

at the

peak

of

his

life,

clinging

on

desperately.The

mountain

represent

the

universe.

Similar

to

the

eagle’s smallness

as

compared

to

the

mountain,

is

man’s

as

compared to

the

universe.

The

man

is

lonely

in

that

he

must

enter

and leave

the

world

alone.Just

as

the

eagle

is

a

part

or

fragment

of

the

mountain,

the

man is

a

part

of

the

universe

and

they

both

leave

when

they

“fall off.”

Both

are

encircled

by

their

“worlds”

and

must

stand

or endure.The

sea

implies

life

and

the

return

to

it

after

death

because

of the

theory

that

states

such.One

InterpretationThe

thunderbolt

characterizes

death

in

that

both

are

sudden, effective,

and

momentary.

It

is

louddisappears

just

as

quickly as

it

appears.

Man

was

supposedly

born

water,

and

returns

to his

origins

after

death.Thus

the

water

below

thecliff

maintains

that

ideaas

the

eagle probably

falls

in.In

addition,

the

last

words

of

each

stanza,

“stands”

and

“falls,” are

opposite

to

each

other

in

definition.“Falls”

is

often

used

to

convey

death,

while

“stands”

is

used to

convey

endurance.Thus,

falls

and

the

suddenness

of

the

thunderbolt,

together convey

death.This

poem

was

labeled

as

a

fragment

by

Tennyson,

that

isto

say,

this

poem

is

an

uncompleted

poem

or

part

of

acomplete

poem.

Though

it

isnot

completed,

thepoet

makes

ita

poem.

This

remind

us

a

Chinese

poem:

A

Fragment

(DuanZhang)

composed

by

Bian

Zhilin:斷

章你站在橋上看風(fēng)景，看風(fēng)景的人在樓上看你。明月裝飾了你的窗子，你裝飾了別人的夢(mèng)。Break,

Break,

BreakIt

was

composed

byAlfred

inhis

grief

for

his

friend

ArthurHallam.images

and

rhythmsIn

this

poem

the

moods,blendperfectly.Tennyson’sIllustration

for“Break,

Break,

Break”Break,

Break,

BreakIt

is

a

bitter

poem

on

unrecompensed,

pointless

loss,

but

it achieves

its

power

and

makes

its

point

very

indirectly,

largely through

structural

implications.The

direct

statement

are

deliberately

localized

and

simple, making

concrete

the

emotion

of

the

poem

without

stating

its implications.Because

the

poem

is

so

indirect,

a

good

many

competing interpretations

have

been

advanced,

but

all

are

based

on perceptions

of

the

poem's

structure.Robert

Browning(1812-1889)Life

Story1812:

Robert

Browning,

an

English

poet

and

playwright,

was

born

in Camberwell,

aLondon

suburb.1826:

Begins

writing

poetry,

influenced

largely

by

Shelley.1828:

Attends

London

University

for

a semester,

and

returns

home,

to

study,

write, and

publish

(at

his

father’s

expense)

poetry.1840:

Publishes

Sordello,

a

long

narrative poem

in

dramatic

monologue.

It

gains

a reputation

as

“unintelligible”

and “meaningless,”

establishing

Browning

as

an obscure

poet.1845:

Writes

a

letter

to

Elizabeth

Barrett praising

her

poetry.

Visits

her

and

declares his

love.

Her

father

is

against

marriage.1846:

Marries

Elizabeth

Barrett,

secretly. They

settle

in

Florence,

Italy,

where

they will

live

in

a

happy

marriage

for

fifteen years.1861:

Elizabeth

Barrett

Browning

dies;

Browning

moves

to

London.1869:

Browning

proposes

marriage

to

Lady

Ashburton,

only

to

be rejected.

This

proposal,

an

example

of

Browning’s

intention

for

social climbing,

will

continue

to

embarrass

him

in

society

and

shame

him over

his

infidelity

towards

his

deadwife.1871-1887:

Publishes

over

a

dozen

volumes

of

poetry

during

this period,

which

nowreside

in

near-obscurity.1880:

Dr.

F.

J.

Furnivall

and

others

establish

the

Browning

Society

in London.

They

study

his

works

and

idolize

him.1889:Dies

in

Venice

of

bronchitis(支氣管炎);is

buried

in

Poets’ Comer

of

Westminster

Abbey.Mr.

&

MrsBrowningsMr.

BrowningMrs.

Browning(1806-1861)Robert’sLoveLettertoE.B.B,WorksPauline:

A

Fragment

of

a

Confession

(1833)Paracelsus

(1835)Strafford

(play)

(1837)Pippa

Passes

(play)

(1841)

★Dramatic

Lyrics

(1842)—It

includes

notably

“My

Last

Duchess.”Dramatic

Romances

and

Lyrics

(1845)Men

and

Women

(1855)

★Dramatis

Personae

(1864)The

Ring

and

the

Book

(1868-9)

★Aristophanes’

Apology

(1875)Dramatic

Idylls

(1879)Comments

on

Robert

BrowningHe

is

different

to

understand

for

the

obscurity

of

his

poems.He

is

an

important

Victorian

poet

together

with

Tennyson.He

is

regarded

the

most

original

poet

in

his

age.He

is

famous

for

his

development

and

mastery

of

the “dramatic

monologue”,

that

is,

a

poem

in

which

there

is

one imaginary

speaker

addressing

an

imaginary

audience.My LastDuchessLucrezia

de

Medici,Duchess

to

Alphonse

IIof

FerraraMy

Last

DuchessThis

poem

is

one

of

the

most

representative

of

Browning’s dramatic

monologues.

The

speaker

is

the

Duke

of

Ferrara

(a city

in

Italy),

whose

young

wife

died

suspiciously

after

three years

of

marriage.

Not

long

after

her

death,

the

duke managed

to

arrange

a

marriage

with

the

niece

of

another noble

man.

This

dramatic

monologue

is

the

duke’s

speech addressed

to

the

agent

who

comes

to

negotiate

the

marriage. In

his

talk

about

his

“l(fā)ast

duchess”,

the

duke

reveals

himself as

a

self-conceited,

cruel

and

tyrannical

man.The

poem

is

written

in

heroic

couplet,

but

with

no

regular metrical

system.

In

reading,

it

sounds

like

blank

verse.Elizabeth

Barrett(1806-1861)Elizabeth

Barrett

was

born

at

Coxhoe

Hall,

Durham,

England.

Elizabeth

was educated

at

home.

In

1819,

her

father

arranged

for

the

printing

of

one

of

her poems

(she

was13

at

the

time.)In

1821,

Elizabeth

injured

her

spine

as a

result

of

a

fall.

She

spentthemajority of

her

time

in

her

room

writing

poetry. In

1844,

Robert

Browning

wrote

to Elizabeth

admiring

her

poems.

He continued

to

write

to

her

and

they

were engaged

in

1845.Elizabeth’s

father

disapproved

of

the courtship

and

engagement.

In

1846, Elizabeth

and

Robert

were

secretly wed.

Soon

the

couple

ran

off

to

Italy where

Elizabeth’s

health

improved.In

1861,

Elizabeth

Barrett

Browning died

at

the

age

of

55.Her

PoetryIn

1850,

Elizabeth’s

best

known

book of

poems

was

published:

Sonnets

from the

Portuguese.

They

are

not translations,

but

a

sequence

of

44 sonnets

recording

the

growth

of

her love

for

Robert.

He

often

called

her “my

little

Portuguese”

because

of

her dark

complexion.Elizabeth’s

poems

have

a

diction

and rhythm

evoking

an

attractive, spontaneous

quality

though

some

may seem

sentimental.

Many

of

her

poems protest

what

she

considered

unjust social

conditions.

She

also

wrote poems

appealing

for

political

freedom for

Italy

and

other

countries

controlled by

foreign

nations.XIVIf

thou

must

love

me,

let

it

be

for

noughtExcept

for

love’s

sake

only.

Do

not

sayI

love

her

for

her

smile—her

look—her

way

Of

speaking

gently,

—for

a

trick

of

thoughtThat

falls

in

well

with

mine,

and

certes

broughtA

sense

of

ease

on

such

a

day

—For

these

things

in

themselves,

Belovèd,

mayBe

changed,

or

change

for

thee,

—

and

love,

so

wrought,May

be

unwrought

so.

Neither

love

me

forThine

own

dear

pity’s

wiping

my

cheek

dry,

—A

creature

might

forget

to

weep,

who

boreThy

comfort

long,

and

lose

thy

love

thereby!But

love

me

for

love's

sake,

that

evermoreThou

may’st

love

on,

through

love’s

eternity.Sonnet

XLIIIHow

do

I

love

thee?

Let

me

count

the

ways.I

love

thee

to

the

depth

and

breadth

andheightMy

soul

can

reach,

when

feeling

out

of

sightFor

the

ends

of

Being

and

ideal

Grace.I

love

thee

to

the

level

ofeveryday's

Most

quiet

need,

by

sun

and

candle-light.I

love

thee

freely,

as

men

strive

for

Right;I

love

thee

purely,

as

they

turn

from

Praise.I

love

thee

with

the

passion

put

to

useIn

my

old

griefs,

and

with

my

childhood's

faith.I

love

thee

with

a

love

I

seemed

toloseWith

my

lost

saints,

-I

love

thee

with

the

breath,Smiles,

tears,

of

all

my

life!

-

and,

if

God

choose,I

shall

but

love

thee

better

after

death.Matthew

Arnold(1822-1888)Life

Story1822:

Matthew

Arnold,

the English

poet

and

critic,

was

born at

Laleham.1828:

Moves

to

Rugby

School, where

his

father

became headmaster

in

1821.

His

father’s fame

is

spreading

as

an educational

reformer.1851:

Marries

FrancesLucyWightman,

daughter

ofanhonorable

judge.

In

order

tosupport

his

family,

he

takes

a

jobas

an

inspector

of

schools,

aposition

he

will

hold

for

thirty-fiveyears.1853:

Publishes

Poems

with

his

famous

“preface,”

Arnold’s

first important

critical

essay,

in

which

he

introduces

the

principle

that

a significant

focus

of

criticism

should

be

the

work’s

effect

on

the emotional

and

moral

health

of

the

reader

and

thenation.1857:

Becomes

professor

of

poetry

at

Oxford,

a

position

he

willkeep

for

tenyears.1867:

Resigns

chair

at

Oxford

and

gives

up

his

poetic

career.

Turnsto

social

and

religious

criticism.1886:

Second

tour

of

America.

Age

and

poor

health

lead

him

togive

up

his

post

at

school.1888:

Dies

of

a

heart

attack.

He

is

buried

at

Laleham

beside

histhreesons.WorksPoems

(1853)Poems,

Second

Series

(1855)The

Study

of

Celtic

Literature

(lectures)

(1867)Essays

in

Criticism

(1865

and

1888)

★New

Poems

(1867) “DoverBeach”Culture

and

Anarchy

(1869)

★L(fēng)iterature

and

Dogma

(1873)

★Comment

on

ArnoldHe

was

an

importantVictorian

poetimmediately

afterTennyson

and

Browning.He

is

one

of

the

greatliterary

critics

of

England.He

is

a

great

master

oflanguage

and

style

both

inprose

and

verse.Dover

BeachMatthew

Arnold’s

most

famous

poem

is

“Dover

Beach”

which was

inspired

by

his

visit

to

Dover

following

his

honeymoon abroad

in

1851.Dover

beach

is

a

pebble

beach

that

runs

between

the

Prince

of Walespier

and

Eastern

Docks.

It

is

below

Dover

Castle

and

the famous

white

cliffs

of

Dover.

The

pebble

beach

runs

between the

Prince

of

Wales

pier

and

Eastern

Docks.Dover

is

an

ancient

town.

As

the

“Gateway

to

England”

it

has faced

armies

of

invasion,

been

fortified,

settled

and

developed.The

cliffs

of

Dover

were

mentioned

by

Julius

Caesar

in

his account

of

the

Roman

invasion

of

Britain

in

55

BC.Shakespeare

too

makes

reference

to

them

in

King

Lear

and

the lines

beginning

“There

is

a

cliff,

whose

high

and

bending

head looks

fearfully

on

the

confined

deep”

are

commemorated

by Shakespeare

Cliff

to

the

west

of

the

town.The

Cliffs

of

DoverThe

PoemIt

is

a

dramatic

monologue,

in

which

the

unnamed

speaker addresses

an

implied

but

silent

listener.

In

it,

the

speaker

looks over

the

shore

at

Dover

and

reflects

on

the

scene

before

him.“Dover

Beach”

is

a

melancholic

poem.

Matthew

Arnold

uses the

means

of

‘pathetic

fallacy’,

when

he

attributes

or

rather projects

the

human

feeling

of

sadness

onto

an

inanimate object

like

the

sea.At

the

same

time

he

creates

a

feeling

of

‘pathos’.

The

reader can

feel

sympathy

for

the

suffering

lyrical

self,

who

suffers under

the

existing

conditions.Stanza

OneThe

sea

is

calm

to-night.The

tide

is

full,

the

moonlies

fairUpon

the

straits;

—on

theFrench

coast

the

lightGleams

and

is

gone;

thecliffs

of

England

stand,Glimmering

and

vast,

out

inthe

tranquil

bay.Come

to

the

window,

sweetis

the

night

air!Only,

from

the

long

line

ofsprayWhere

the

sea

meets

themoon-blanch’d

land,今夜海上是風(fēng)平浪靜，潮水正滿(mǎn)，月色皎皎臨照著海峽；—法國(guó)海岸上，光明一現(xiàn)而不見(jiàn)了；英國(guó)的懸崖，閃亮而開(kāi)闊，挺立在寧謐

的海灣里到窗口來(lái)吧，夜里的空氣多好！只是，從海水同月光所漂白的陸地兩相銜接的地方，浪花鋪成長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的一排，Stanza

OneListen!

you

hear

the

gratingroarOf

pebbles

which

thewaves

draw

back,

andfling,At

their

return,

up

the

highstrand,Begin,

and

cease,

and

thenagain

begin,With

tremulous

cadenceslow,

and

bringThe

eternal

note

of

sadnessin.聽(tīng)啊！你聽(tīng)得見(jiàn)聒耳的咆哮，是水浪把石子卷回去，回頭又拋出，拋到高高的岸上來(lái)，來(lái)了，停了，然后又來(lái)一陣，徐緩的旋律抖抖擻擻，帶來(lái)了永恒的哀音。The

first

stanzaThe

first

stanza

opens

with

the

description

of

a

nightly scene

at

the

seaside.The

lyrical

self

calls

his

addressee

to

the

window,

to

share the

visual

beauty

of

the

scene.Then

he

calls

her

attention

to

the

aural

experience,

which

is somehow

less

beautiful.The

lyrical

self

projects

his

own

feelings

of

melancholy

on to

the

sound

of

“the

grating

roar

/Of

pebbles,

which

the waves

draw

back,

and

fling/

At

their

return,

up

the

high strand”.This

sound

causes

an

emotion

of

“sadness”

in

him.Stanza

TwoSophocles

long

agoHeard

it

on

the

Aegean,and

it

broughtInto

his

mind

the

turbidebb

and

flowOf

human

misery;

weFind

also

in

the

sound

athought,Hearing

it

by

thisdistant

northern

sea.前索?？死账乖诤芫靡栽趷?ài)琴海上聽(tīng)見(jiàn)它給他的心里帶來(lái)了人類(lèi)的悲慘濁浪滾滾的起伏景象；我們也聽(tīng)得出一種思潮活動(dòng)在這一片聲音里，在這里遙遠(yuǎn)的北海邊聽(tīng)見(jiàn)它起伏。Stanza

ThreeT