robert-frost簡介以及desert-places-詩歌評析(英文)

RobertFrostBriefIntroductionMainworks

WritingstyleAnalysisofDesertPlacesRobertFrostwasagreatpoetwhowasbornonMarch26,1874inSanFrancisco,California.ThoughborninAmerica,hecameofNewEnglandstock(血統(tǒng)),hisancestorsforninegenerationsbeingNewEnglandersandlivinginLowell,Massachusetts（洛厄爾馬薩諸塞州）.WhenRobertwas11hisfatherdied,andthefamilymovedtoMassachusettsinNewEnglandwherehismothertaughttoearnaliving.

Aftergraduatingfromhighschool,FrosthadstudiedatDartmouthCollege（達特茅斯學院）(in1893),butremainedlessthan1semester.ReturningtoMassachusetts,hetaughtschoolandworkedinamillandasanewspaperreporter.MarriageandChildrenIn1895hemarriedElinorWhite,whobecameamajorinspirationinhispoetry,andthenthenewlywedscontinuedtoteach,whichFrostalwaysenjoyed.Elliott(b.1896-1900)Carol(1902-1940)Lesley(b.1899),Irma(b.1903),Marjorie(b.1905-1934),ElinorBettina(1907-1907).In1900ElliotdiedofcholeraIn1907ElinorBettinadiedjustonedayafterbirthIn1934hisbeloveddaughterMarjoriediedafterthebirthofherfirstchildIn1938hiswifeElinordiedofaheartattack.In1940Carolcommittedsuicide.

Afterhismarriage,FroststudiedatHarvardUniversityinCambridge,Massachusetts

(1897~1899),butleftwithoutreceivingadegreeduetofamilyproblemsandpoorhealth.In1900,hisgrandfatherboughthimafarminNewHampshire(新罕布什爾州)fromwhichhewrestedaliving，supplementedbyteaching,for12years.Thiswasnodoubtanimportantperiodinhisdevelopment,forhewasdistinctlyandalmostexclusivelythepoetoftheNewEnglandcountrysideandcountrypeople.MovetoEngland1912.8.24

In1912,

attheageof38,Frostdecidedtotrytomakeanewstart.HesoldthefarmandusedtheproceedstotakehisfamilytoEngland,wherehebecameacquaintedwiththeF.S.Flint,EdwardThomas,andEzraPound,whocalledFrost’spoems“moderngeorgics(田園詩)".

Fortunatelyhehadhisfirsttwovolumesofverse,

ABoy’sWill《孩子的意愿》(forwhichhegotareviewfromthefamousAmericanexpatriatepoetEzraPound),and

NorthofBoston《波士頓以北》publishedinLondonwiththehelpofEzraPound.BacktoAmerica1915.2

In1915FrostcamebacktotheUnitedStates.WhiledevotinghimselftopoetryhetaughtatAmherstCollege(阿默斯特)tosupporthimself.

Hisfamewassteadilyontheincrease,hepublishedasuccessionofbooks:MountainInterval《山間》,

NewHampshire《新罕布什爾》，West-RunningBrook《西去的溪流》,

CollectedPoems

《詩歌全集》etc.

In1920,Frostbought‘StoneHouse’(nowamuseum)inSouthShaftsbury,Vermont.Frostlivedtherefrom1920to1929.TherehewrotemanyofthepoemscontainedinhisfourthcollectionofpoetryNewHampshire

《新罕布什爾》(1923)whichwonhimthePulitzerPrizeforPoetryin1923.Honors4PulitzerPrizes(普利策獎)readpoetryatapresidentialinauguration.receivedhonorarydegreesfrom44collegesunofficialPoetLaureate,oneofthemostcelebratedAmerican’smodernistpoets

Whenhewasasoldaseighty-seven,twoyearsbeforehisdeath,hewaschosentoreadoneofhispoems,“TheGiftOutright”(1942)attheinaugurationofthelatePresidentJohnF.Kennedy.RobertFrostdiedonthe29thofJanuary1963inBoston,Massachusetts.HeliesburiedinthefamilyplotintheOldBenningtonCemeterybehindtheOldFirstCongregationalChurchnearShaftsbury,Vermont.Hisgravestonereads‘IHadALover’sQuarrelWithTheWorld’.

JustninemonthsafterFrost’sdeath,KennedygaveaspeechatAmherstCollege,singingFrosts’praisesandspeakingontheimportanceoftheArtsinAmerica.Laterhesaid,“ThedeathofRobertFrostleavesavacancyintheAmericanspirit....Hisdeathimpoverishesusall;buthehasbequeathedhisNationabodyofimperishableversefromwhichAmericanswillforevergainjoyandunderstanding.”CompletePoemsABoy’sWillNorthofBostonMountainIntervalNewHampshireWest-RunningBrookCollectedPoemsAFurtherRangeAwitnessTreeSteepleBushAMasqueofReasonAMasqueofMercy

《少年的心愿》1913《波士頓以北》1914《山間低地》1916《新罕布仕爾》1923《西去的溪流》1928《詩集》1930《山外青山》1935《見證樹》1942《絨毛繡線菊》1947《理性假面具》1945《仁慈假面具》1947LiteraryStyleProfoundmeaningsarehiddenunderneaththeplainlanguageandsimpleform.Hispoemsmostlywroteaboutnature(influencefromWordsworthandEmerson)andNewEnglandlandscape.(2)Heusedsimplelanguage,agracefulstyle,andtraditionalformsofpoetry.(reasonforpopular)(3)Symbolism(Heusedsymbolsfromeverydaylifetoexpressprofoundideas.)(4)Frostwroteruralpoetryinthepastoraltraditionasawaytounderstandmodernlife.(Inhispoems,traditionalelementsandmodernelementsmingletogether.)

(5)ManypeopletendtothinkofFrostasanoptimistic“countryphilosopher”andhispoemsassimple,ordinarynaturepoems.(6)Frost'spoemsshowdeepappreciationofnaturalworldandsensibilityaboutthehumanaspirations.ThemeYouthandtheLossofInnocenceYouthappearsprominentlyinFrost’spoetry,particularlyinconnectionwithinnocenceanditsloss.

ABoy’sWill

dealswiththis

theme

explicitly.tracingthedevelopmentofasolitaryyouthasheexploresandquestionstheworldaroundhim.

ThethemeoflostinnocencebecomesparticularlypoignantforFrostafterthehorrorsofWorldWarIandWorldWarII,inwhichhewitnessedthephysicalandpsychicwoundingofentiregenerationsofyoungpeople.Self-KnowledgeThroughNatureNaturefiguresprominentlyinFrost’spoetry,andhispoemsusuallyincludeamomentofinteractionorencounterbetweenahumanspeaker

andanaturalsubjectorphenomenon.Theseencountersculminateinprofoundrealizationsorrevelations.Communityvs.IsolationFrostmarveledatthecontrastbetweenthehumancapacitytoconnectwithoneanotherandtoexperiencefeelingsofprofoundisolation.InseveralFrostpoems,solitaryindividualswanderthroughanaturalsettingandencounteranotherindividual,anobject,orananimal.Theseencountersstimulatemomentsofrevelationinwhichthespeakerrealizesherorhisconnectiontoothersor,conversely,thewaysthatsheorhefeelsisolatedfromthecommunity.

AnalysisofDesertPlacesDesert—lifeless,dullnessPlaces—plural,innerandouterloneliness.DesertPlaces

Snowfallingandnightfallingfast,oh,fast

InafieldIlookedintogoingpast,

Andthegroundalmostcoveredsmoothinsnow,

Butafewweedsandstubbleshowinglast.

Thewoodsaroundithaveit--itistheirs.

Allanimalsaresmotheredintheirlairs.

Iamtooabsent-spiritedtocount;

Thelonelinessincludesmeunawares.

Andlonelyasitisthatloneliness

Willbemorelonelyereitwillbeless--

Ablankerwhitenessofbenightedsnow

Withnoexpression,nothingtoexpress.

Theycannotscaremewiththeiremptyspaces

Betweenstars--onstarswherenohumanraceis.

Ihaveitinmesomuchnearerhome

Toscaremyselfwithmyowndesertplaces.

雪花匆匆飄落，夜降臨，

我望著一片路過的荒野：

地面幾乎盡被白雪覆蓋，

只有殘枝斷草裸露在外。

四周的樹林環(huán)抱著荒野。

所有動物似已入巢安睡。

我無力思想也無心體會，

孤獨寂寞不覺將我包圍。

或許我內心也這般荒涼，

甚至比看到的還要寂寞；

入夜前的雪地一片死寂，

毫無表情，什么也不說。

星和星的距離嚇不倒我，

遙遠、無人居住更荒蕪。

離家越近，我卻越孤獨，

內心的荒野那才叫恐怖。

thepoem

DesertPlaces

waspublishedin1936.Thepoemfollowsarhymingschemeof“aaba”overfourstanzas,foratotalof16lines.Thepoemexplorestheconceptsoflonelinessandthetiebetweenmanandnaturefromthefirst-personperspective.Itopenswiththemaincharacterpassinganemptyfieldduringasnowyevening.Thefieldissurroundedbywoods.Hesees“l(fā)oneliness”inthefieldwhereafew“weedsandstubble”peakoutfromthelayerofsnowontheground.Theanimalsaredeepintheirlairs.Apictureofthenaturescenehasbeenthoroughlydescribed.

Snowfallingandnightfallingfast,oh,fast

InafieldIlookedintogoingpast,

Andthegroundalmostcoveredsmoothinsnow,

Butafewweedsandstubbleshowinglast.

SnowandNightAblackandwhitecontrastiscreatedbythevisionofthesnow-coveredfieldandthenight.Thesnowworksagainstthenight,givingghastlylightwherebytoseethedarkness,whilethefastfallingdarknessgivesurgencytotheneedtosee,fortheopportunitywillnotlastlong.

WeedsandStubbleItisimportanttounderstand,then,thatthisisacultivatedfieldandnotanaturalclearingintheforest;itisnaturegivenpurposeandidentitybyman.Likethesnowandthenight,theweedsandstubblesetupcrosscurrentsofmeaning.Thestubbleismoreclearlythehintofman'spresence,ofman'scontactwiththeland,whiletheweeds—whichcanexistonlyinacultivatedarea—remindusofnature'spersistentreclamationoftheartificial.

Thismeterisfullofthehurryandslantofdrivensnow,itsunstoppable,anxiety-inducingforwardrush,allthatwhisperingturmoilofablizzard.

Thewoodsaroundithaveit--itistheirs.

Allanimalsare

smotheredintheir

lairs.

Iamtooabsent-spiritedtocount;

Thelonelinessincludesmeunawares.

Thesnowpileson,obliteratingalldistinction,thefieldbecomesaninanimate,deadthing,unmarkedby,andunreflectiveof,thecareofman,theverythingwhichgaveititspositiveidentityasafield.Removethesignsofman'sinvolvementandcanonlybeidentifiednegatively:itisthenothingnessatthecenteroftheencirclingtrees.Thisannihilationisfiguredasdeath,theultimateweightofwhichincosmicfashionsmothersalllife,leavingthepoetaloneinadeaduniverse.

Andlonelyasitisthatloneliness

Willbemorelonelyereitwillbeless--

Ablankerwhitenessofbenightedsnow

Withnoexpression,nothingtoexpress.

Thethirdstanzaappearsatfirsttheweakestonseveralcounts.Itisnecessarytoshiftthefocusfromthepoethimselfbacktothescenebeforehiminpreparationforthefinalstatementinthelaststanza.Thefirsttwolines,asReubenBrowerhaspointedout,achievea"Poe-likemelancholy,"theuseofthearchaic"ere"andthemournfulreiterationoftheword"lonely."Afurtherweaknessoftheselinesmightconsistintheinadequacyofthephysicalphenomenonwhichpromptsthem.

Thestanzadoes,ofcourse,accomplishanintensificationofmood.Thegentlehintof"ereitwillbeless"mustberejectediftheselinesaretobereadasagenuineconcentrationofdespair.AnalogybetweenNatureandHumanTheanalogybetweentheconditionofnatureandthatofpersonalpsychologyisaromanticconceptandoneperfectlyinaccordwiththeideasofEmersonorWordsworth.In"DesertPlaces,"however,theimplicationsoftheanalogyarenecessarilyandentirelyreversed.ForWordsworth,theanalogybetweenstatesofmindordispositionsofthespiritandthesympatheticuniversewasuplifting,whileFrostappears,tohavereversedtheseimplications.Theanalogybetweenmanandnatureappearsoperative,butthereciprocalrelationisnegativeratherthanpositive;fragmentedinitsstressonalonenessratherthanunified;deadlyratherthanlife-supporting.

Theycannotscaremewiththeiremptyspaces

Betweenstars--onstarswherenohumanraceis.

Ihaveitinmesomuchnearerhome

Toscaremyselfwithmyowndesertplaces.

TheprotestationofthefirstlineappearstoReubenBrower"abitflamboyant.""Thescaryplaceisthrustoff'there'bytheemergingmanofwit,bythemindthatwon'tgivewayto'absent-spiritedness.'Butthegesture...opensaworseformofterrorbybringingfearwherethepoetlivesmostalone.“Thisreadingdependsontheassumptionthatthelaststanzaisessentiallydisjointed;thatsomethinghasoccurredbetweenlinestwoandthreethatleadsthepoettoreconsidertheconfidentdefiancehehasjust,perhapstooheroically,expressed.Inotherwords,inexplainingthesenseofthelaststanzaBrowerfindsanimplicit"but"beforethethirdline.Tobesure,thepoemhasproceededbycrosscurrentstosuchanextentthatitwouldbeeasytoseeanotheronehere,butinthis