各篇文章的介紹者

單元:Poems on Nature

The Eagle by Lord Alfred Tennyson ---吳雨柔(Tracy)

The Tiger by William Blake ---張竣昱(Cliff)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost---田京威(Gabriel)

Spring is Like a Perhaps by Edward Estlin Cummings ---簡怡萱(Sherry)

歸去來兮 陶淵明 ---周爽

The Tiger

The Tiger by William Blake

TIGER, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies
Burnt the fire of thine eyes?
On what wings dare he aspire?
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder and what art
Could twist the sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heart began to beat,
What dread hand and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnace was thy brain?
What the anvil? What dread grasp
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,
And water'd heaven with their tears,
Did He smile His work to see?
Did He who made the lamb make thee?

Tiger, tiger, burning bright
In the forests of the night,
What immortal hand or eye
Dare frame thy fearful symmetry?



　　威廉˙布雷克(William Blake)是英國浪漫主義時期的一位詩人，同時也是一位畫家。但是在他有生之年，他的詩作和畫作都不被當時的大眾所欣賞，在他過世之後，世人重新欣賞他的詩作與畫作，這才使許多人對於布雷克大為推崇。
　　（更多有關布雷克的生平：維基百科-威廉˙布萊克）
　　這首詩在描寫老虎的英姿，但是字裡行間卻提出了對於上帝創造萬物的一些疑問。這首詩可以分為五個部份：
　　第一個段落(stanza)詠嘆暗夜叢林中老虎，在毛色、氣勢上的威猛，也作為整首詩的起頭。詩人首先用了burning bright這個形象，將老虎比喻為熊熊烈火，在暗夜森林之中更加耀眼，第三句(line)，詩人開始提出了問題，思考到底是誰能夠創造出老虎這般令人敬畏的生物。
　　這邊可以注意幾個用字上的特色，immortal hand or eye似乎已經道出這位創造者是不死之身，我們可以解讀成是因為創造像老虎這般的生物，通常不是一般人(mortals)所能及的，在西洋文化中，最常令人想到的immortal being就是上帝。其次是frame這個動詞，可以解讀為形塑，symmetry是指老虎身上的對稱條紋，第四句把創造老虎描寫的如同雕塑藝術品一般，也把創造者的形象比喻成工匠、雕刻藝術家。
　　第二個段落繼續延伸思考創造者的身分，並提出既然老虎如此令人畏懼，有沒有可能不是上帝，而是像撒旦這種邪惡之王創造的。從distant deeps or skies可以知道是及天頂或及地底的地方，通常也指的是天堂和地獄，也就分別代表上帝和撒旦的國度。不論是上帝或撒旦，能夠創造出這種令人聞之色變的生物，必然要有超人的能耐。
　　這一段若接著下一個部份，可以視為是描寫創造者形塑老虎以前的階段。
　　第三段開始至第四段，描寫了創造老虎的過程，詩人用火爐的形象，配合著先前第一段詩人同樣賦予老虎的烈火形象，描寫創造老虎各部位的細節，從心的肌腱、四肢、腦，到最後的利爪，其中並加以火爐(furnace)、鐵砧(anvil)、twist、hammer、chain、dread這些字詞，增加了創造過程中高溫而猛烈的形象，也有工匠在火爐邊的耐力和精巧。
　　第五段是創造完成的階段，工藝品在星光照耀之下，撼動天地。在此，詩人提出了他真心想問的問題（其實之前問的問題：創造者是誰，詩人的心裡早已有了答案），也是整首詩的一個重要的核心。最後一句中提出這位創造者創造了羔羊，是純潔的象徵，既然如此，為什麼創造者要同時創造出善與惡這兩個不同的代表？創造者創造老虎（惡）之時，也如同創造羔羊（善）之時一樣高興嗎？
　　這邊就觸及了傳統西方社會（尤其是基督教世界）一直以來的問題：「惡」在這個世界上存在的意義是什麼？比如聖經故事裡，上帝既然寵愛人類，給了他們伊甸園和永恆的幸福，為何要創造智慧之果和蛇，讓人類有機會被逐出伊甸園？為什麼世界上必須要有廝殺痛苦？……惡的意義衍生出的種種問題，在西方一直是爭論不休的。
　　第六段在檢視完了有關於老虎的一切，詩人至此不僅對於老虎本身感嘆，可能也對於老虎所引發出來的一連串事物也感嘆。這一段所有詩句都和第一段相同，唯一不同的地方是最後一句中的dare，在第一段是could，顯示了詩人從原本的好奇轉變為讚嘆。

　　大致上來說，這一首詩對於大部分的讀者而言，相當不好理解，尤其是第一次讀的時候，或許還有人會認為詩人是無病呻吟。但是我喜歡這首詩的幾個特點：
第一， 是他對於老虎的全身上下，觀察相當入微，並且並非以一般我們形容事物都使用形容詞，這首詩用了許多平常和老虎扯不上關係的動詞和名詞，來描寫老虎給人的氣勢和感覺，對於台灣的許多高中學生，愛用形容詞，卻不善用動詞的情況來說，是一篇值得學習的典範。
第二， 這首詩將詩的特質發揮的淋漓盡致，不僅押韻，用字簡潔，還蘊含了深刻的世間道理，也讓我們認識傳統西方世界的一些背景議題。

　　研究並且報告這首詩，對我來說是前所未有的挑戰，但也因此讓我有很大的收穫。

The Eagle

The Eagle by Lord Alfred Tennyson

He 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 he falls.


“The Eagle”是一首描寫老鷹英姿的詩。無論描繪老鷹的動態或靜態，在在都表現出老鷹的王者風範。作者丁尼生，是英國十九世紀的著名詩人，年少時就展現了超凡的詩歌才華。在其最著名的詩之一——《悼念》中，對於劍橋摯友哈勒姆的死，表達最深沉的傷感和悲痛，同時反映對生命本質和人類命運的思索與憂慮，被視為英國史上首屈一指的哀歌之一。其他重要詩作有《尤利西斯》、《伊諾克阿登》、《過沙洲》、《悼念集》等。因為在詩歌創作方面擁有極大的成就，他獲得了「桂冠詩人」的稱譽，也成為維多利亞時代最傑出的詩人之一。
他的詩題材廣泛，或取材於希臘、羅馬神話和中世紀傳說，或取材於生活和自然觀察，而且想像豐富、形式完美、詞藻綺麗、音調鏗鏘。他還擅長寫短詩，而這首“The Eagle”也不例外。這首詩短而有力(只有兩節、六行)，其用意在表達老鷹一閃即逝的感覺。第一節描寫的是靜態的老鷹。第一行有四個”k”音和一個”g”音，且押的頭韻”c”的形狀就像是老鷹的勾爪。不管是看起來或讀起來，都可以讓讀者聯想老鷹以強而有力的鷹爪勾住峭壁的英姿。在二、三行，作者著重在場景的描繪上，更增添了老鷹的氣勢。在一片蒼涼的景象中，老鷹立在日邊，並被蔚藍的天空包圍著，將老鷹的氣勢更加突顯出來。第二節描寫的是動態的老鷹。在這一段，每一行都可以找到動態的字——”crawls”,”watches”,”falls”。從高崖俯瞰，洶湧起伏的海在腳下蠕爬著。作者描寫的視角是「從高處往下看」，表現的是老鷹權力的象徵，有高位臨下之感。詩的前五行相對於最後一行還是比較偏向靜態的描寫，但有蓄積能量的功用。本來高聳挺立於崖壁的老鷹，突然如閃電般俯衝而下，氣勢和能量也在這一瞬間爆發出來。這首詩的格律是抑揚格四音部，每節三行，韻式為aaa bbb，且押韻的字都是單音節，以創造老鷹的氣勢。
這首詩最讓我欣賞的地方是，作者在如此小的格局裡，將老鷹的神采和霸氣描寫得細膩又生動。老鷹孤傲的姿態給我一種獨特的魅力。牠們總是獨來獨往，流露的是灑脫、自然的氣息。遨翔於天際的老鷹，翅膀有如滑翔翼，巨大且平穩，好像可以遮蔽整個天空似的。牠們的眼神是如此銳利，以至於即便在波濤洶湧的海面上，仍可精準並快速地捕捉到獵物。這首詩雖然篇幅極短，但老鷹的氣勢卻可見一斑，並讓讀者感受這種少見鳥類的英姿。

Stopping By Wood on A Snowy Evening

Stopping By Wood on A Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound's the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

About the poet:

Robert Frost was born in San Francisco, California (1874). He moved to Massachusetts when he was very young. When he grew up, he attended Dartmouth and Harvard but didn’t graduate. Then, he married Ms White in 1895, who had shared top honours with him in high school. He moved to Great Britain because his work was not appreciated by the US, and eventually printed A Boy’s Will, his first book of poems in 1913. He printed his second book North of Boston in 1914, and was published in the US in 1915. After gaining his reputation in the US, Robert Frost moved back to America, and four Pulitzers Prizes. He was invited to recite his poem The Gift Outright at John Kennedy’s inauguration, and in January 1916, and passed away in 1963.

Poem introduction:

First of all, I would like to get into the details of the literary meanings. The first stanza wrote that “Whose woods these are I think I know” which means that he had been there several times, or to be specific, he had encountered such situation or was involved in such condition more than once. Due to the fact that the owner of the woods was in the village, somewhere outside the woods, the poet was left alone, and was able to do all sorts of things he wanted to, regardless of how others were going to judge him. After all, there was no one there to convict him.

-

In the second stanza, the poet mentioned that it was the darkest evening of the year. There might be two meanings here—1) winter solstice, 2) the poet was experiencing great depression. Puzzled, the horse of the poet shook his bell to question his master whether his decision was a mistake. We could find a splendid use of personification here.

-

I could tell that the surroundings were extremely quiet from the way the poet described that the only two sounds which could be heard were the ringing of the horse-bell and the sweep of easy wind and downy flake. Soundless does not mean thorough silence while a bit of sound could contrast the quietness of the environment. Here is a Chinese poetry that could prove this phenomenon: 蟬鳴林更靜，鳥鳴山更幽。

-

The poet used words like “dark” and “deep” to describe the woods which engendered us to focus on the spooky aspects of the place he was dwelling in. Nevertheless, he used the word “lovely,” which gave out a totally different concept. It meant that he was not afraid of the darkness, and was even attracted to the gloom of the woods. Although he would really like to stay, he had no choice but to carry on, for he had obligations and responsibilities. He reminded himself about the promises he had to keep by repeating the last sentence “And miles to go before I sleep.”

-

Getting back into the main point, why did the poet stopped by the dark and deep woods? We could see a picture of falling snow, which give us a vision of resting and lying down. I believe the poet had faced some difficulties and frustrations that forced him into such circumstance time and again. He wanted to get out of reality, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and to live in seclusion like a hermit in the dark and quiet woods. However, he had promises to keep. Over here, the poet used the word “dark” to contrast the light in the city. In addition, “promises” are towards people, and the poet did not want to hang around with people, but to be alone. As a result, it put the poet in a dilemma—to stay or to go. The poem did not reveal whether the poet stayed or left, but I reckon the poet had moved on because at the very beginning of the poem, we could tell that the poet had encountered such situation more than once, and he had chosen to fulfill his responsibilities. As such, I think he should have done the same.

-

A poem of nature, an art of decision, I like how the poet connected these two very different things, which make the poem interesting and beautiful. I believe many of us had also been involved in similar situations before, but in no circumstances could we give up our promises toward others. After all, it is these promises that keep us moving on! Every human being lives for a promise to keep, a goal to fulfill!

By:

National Central University

Department of English

Gabriel Tien Jing Wei 田京威

981002518

Spring Is Like a Perhaps Hand

Spring is like a perhaps hand
(which comes carefully 　
out of Nowhere) arranging
a window, into which people look ( while
people stare
arranging and changing placing 　
carefully there a strange 　
thing and a known thing here) and

changing everything carefully

spring is like a perhaps
Hand in a window
(carefully to
and from moving New and
Old things,while
people stare carefully
moving a perhaps
fraction of flower here placing
an inch of air there) and

without breaking anything.


“Spring is like a perhaps hand” 是美國著名詩人Edward Estlin Cummings的作品。他將春天比喻為一隻手，不著痕跡地改變大地的景色。本詩語言淺顯易懂，自成一格的結構和標點符號，是詩人的特色之ㄧ。雖然詩文在表面上只是稱頌春天，但其實有更深一層的寓意。
作者Edward Estlin Cummings，簡稱E. E. Cummings，於1894年出生於美國麻州劍橋。他的雙親培養了他豐富的創作能力；他與任職教授的父親親近，獨立自主的母親則自作者幼年就鼓勵他寫詩。作者於哈佛大學攻取藝術學士和英文與古典文學研究碩士，就讀期間致力文學創作，作品常見於校刊。在第一次世界大戰期間，作者到法國擔任志工，卻被法國政府勿判為間諜而服刑五個月。作者不僅寫詩，也著述論文和創作小說、劇本，同時也是畫家。作者一生中獲獎無數，
逝世當時是美國擁有第二多讀者的詩人，僅次於Robert Frost。
　　作者的詩作多以愛情、戰爭和自然為主題，也有諷刺詩。他的用詞淺顯，常就標點符號、形式、拼字，和句型結構做實驗性的嘗試。後期有人批評他的詩作風格太特立獨行，自溺而不成章法，更無心深入發展出實驗結果。儘管如此，作者因為語言簡單且主題常與兩性和戰爭相關，仍然有大群年輕讀者擁護。
　　全詩的結構為段、行、段、行；不同於一般的詩作，本詩不押韻，也沒有音律上的節奏，加上句尾沒有標點符號，和兩句自成段落的詩句，讓讀者很難判斷哪裏應該停頓。
本詩運用不少修辭。首先，詩人把春天比作一隻手，是貫穿全詩的比喻。再來是詩的意象(imagery)，詩句描寫人們靜靜的看著春天化為一隻手，擺設櫥窗的景致。詩人描寫春天這隻手是小心翼翼地改變大地景色，賦予本無生命的春季生命，使季節轉換而造成的改變彷彿是出於春的意願與其巧妙的手藝，此為擬人化修辭。詩中多次出現spring, changing與 carefully，是反覆修辭(repetition)。本詩的詩句雖然分成許多行，但其實都是句意連續且文法無誤的完整句子，此為詩句之連續修辭(enjambment)。
詩中幾個詞句以大寫開頭，如Nowhere, Hand, New and Old things，是詩人藉以強調其所表達的意義。Nowhere指的可能是荒蕪的冬季，或者亦可解釋為「沒有原因的」，因為季節的遞嬗本來就不需要理由。New and Old things可對應到第一段的a strange thing and a known thing，分別指春天時新的事物如嫩芽與小生命，和原本即存在的舊事物，如冬雪與枯枝等。Perhaps一字原為副詞，詩人卻將其變成形容詞來使用，表現春天的微妙、神秘，和似有似無的特質；perhaps一字原意為可能、也許，詩人或許是想藉這層意思來暗示春天所帶來的機會：此時的大地可能出現新的生命，而生命本身就是充滿可能性的。
詩中除了描寫春天這隻手如何改變大地景色，也寫到人們觀看春天時大地的變化。本詩的寓意即是，春天不但改變了自然景觀，也能改變人們對生活或生命的看法與態度。度過蕭瑟的秋天和灰暗的冬天，春天的到來帶給人們希望與蓬勃的生氣，一掃冬天的陰霾，讓人心情愉悅，生活態度也更為樂觀。
by 簡怡萱 981002514

《歸去來兮辭》賞析和心得

陶淵明（約365-427），潯陽柴桑（今江西九江西南）人，字元亮，私諡靖節，世稱“靖節先生”，又稱“五柳先生”。陶淵明從29歲起開始出仕，一直厭惡官場，對腐朽現實的不滿，嚮往田園。本文是他經歷了三次出世入世的矛盾心情後最終選擇歸隱田園的心跡表露。
首先來解題。“歸去來兮辭”中的“辭”是一種與“賦”相近的文體名稱，“兮”是一個祝詞，在楚辭中很常見，“去來”是偏義複詞，意思就是“去”，所以題目的意思用我們現在的話表達就是“歸去”，足見陶淵明歸隱田園的熱誠之心。
這篇散文共分為四小節，可分為三個部分。下面以三部分來略說這篇散文的內容。第一部分即第一節表明了他辭官的決心，詩人已知過去求官為非，今日棄官為是，好比是入了迷途不遠，還來得及回到正道上來，因而深感欣慰。第二部分即中間兩節，寫作者回到田園後的愉快生活。首先歸途和初抵家時的情況，可以看出作者既輕鬆又渴望快快抵達的心情，到家後則是欣喜若狂，然後寫回家的日常生活，有室中之樂和園中之樂，接著又寫詩人在農村中的出遊之樂，處處充滿了內心的喜悅。第三部分即最後一節是抒發感慨，結尾點出那是“樂夫天命”的自然之樂，上升到了一個哲學的高度。
本文語言十分精美。詩句以六字句為主，間以三字句、四字句、七字句和八字句，多用對偶句，朗朗上口，富有音樂感。句中襯以“之”、“以”、“而”等字，舒緩雅致。描寫和抒情、議論相結合，時而寫景，時而抒情，時而議論。文中也多有對比，將官場生活與田園生活進行對比，一厭一喜，盡在不言中。
陶淵明是山水田園詩人的代表，在“歸去來兮辭”之前他就寫了很多讚美田園生活的作品，而這一篇無論在藝術上還是思想上都達到了極高的境界，為山水田園派的發展開啟了道路。我們從中可以窺探到詩人的自然觀。對於陶淵明而言，他詩中的自然是與世俗的社會相對立的一種觀念，是他實現心靈自由的一種依託。他要與自然同生同滅，一起開心，一起流淚，把自己整個的交付給自然。
西方也有不少的田園派詩人，例如華茲華斯就是他們其中的傑出代表。而中西方詩人在對待自然的態度上卻是有著不同的哲學命題的。同樣是讚美自然，陶淵明強調的是生命主體的價值，是把內心的理想傾注於外物之上，將內在人性自然化。而華茲華斯正相反，他崇拜自然，推崇自然的力量，常常在自然中發現啟迪人性之美，並在詩中注重自然之美與人性之美的交融。一個是將內在人性自然化，一個是將外在自然人性化。可見中西方文化心靈的差異。
有人說多讀陶淵明的詩會產生消極的情感，我卻不這麼認為。在他的詩裡我發現了自然之美，發現了人性的回歸，我於自己渴望構建一個心靈的家園。

歸去來兮辭（陶渊明）

原文：

歸去來兮，田園將蕪胡不歸？既自以心為形役，奚惆悵而獨悲？悟已往之不諫，知來者之可追。實迷途其未遠，覺今是而昨非。舟遙遙以輕颺，風飄飄而吹衣。
問征夫以前路，恨晨光之熹微。乃瞻衡宇，載欣載奔。僮僕歡迎，稚子候門。三徑就荒，松菊猶存。攜幼入室，有酒盈樽。引壺觴以自酌，眄庭柯以怡顏。倚南窗以寄傲，審容膝之易安。園日涉以成趣，門雖設而常關。策扶老以流憩，時矯首而遐觀。雲無心以出岫，鳥倦飛而知還。景翳翳以將入，撫孤松而盤桓。
歸去來兮，請息交以絕遊。世與我而相違，複駕言兮焉求？悅親戚之情話，樂琴書以消憂。農人告餘以春及，將有事於西疇。或命巾車，或棹孤舟。既窈窕以尋壑，亦崎嶇而經丘。木欣欣以向榮，泉涓涓而始流。善萬物之得時，感吾生之行休。
已矣乎！寓形宇內複幾時！曷不委心任去留？胡為乎遑遑欲何之？富貴非吾願，帝鄉不可期。懷良辰以孤往，或植杖而耘耔。登東皋以舒嘯，臨清流而賦詩。聊乘化以歸盡，樂夫天命複奚疑？

譯文：

回去吧，田園快要荒蕪了，為什麼還不回?既然自認為心志被形體所役使，又為什麼惆悵而獨自傷悲？認識到過去的錯誤已經不可挽回，知道未來的事還來得及補救。實在是誤入迷途還不算太遠，覺悟到現在（歸隱）是正確的（選擇），當初（做官）是失誤的（選擇）。
船在水面輕輕地飄蕩著前進，微風徐徐地吹動著上衣。向行人打聽前面的道路，遺憾的是天剛剛放亮。剛剛看見了自家的房子，一邊高興，一邊奔跑。僮僕歡喜地前來迎接，幼兒迎候在家門。庭院小路雖將荒蕪，卻喜園中松菊還存。我拉著幼兒走進內室，屋裡擺著盛滿酒的酒樽。拿過酒壺酒杯來自斟自飲，看看院子裡的樹木，覺得很愉快。靠著南窗寄託著我的傲世情懷，深知住在小屋裡反而容易安適。天天在園子裡散步自成樂趣，儘管設有園門卻常常閉關。拄著手杖或漫步或悠閒地隨處休息，不時地抬起頭來向遠處看看。雲煙自然而然地從山洞飄出，鳥兒飛倦了也知道回還。日光漸暗太陽將快要下山，我撫摸著孤松而流連忘返。
回去吧，讓我同外界斷絕交遊。既然世俗與我乖違相悖，我還駕車出遊有什麼可求？聽著親朋的知心話使我高興，以彈琴讀書來消除我的憂愁為樂。農人們告訴我春天已經來臨，我將要到西邊去耕耘田畝。有時坐著有布篷的小車，有時劃著一隻小船。既探尋幽深曲折的山溝，也經過道路崎嶇的小丘。樹木長得欣欣向榮，泉水開始涓涓奔流。羡慕萬物恰逢繁榮滋長的季節，感歎我的一生將要結束。
算了吧！身體寄託在天地間還能有多少時候（活在世上還能有多久）？為什麼不隨心所欲，聽憑自然地生死？為什麼心神不定啊，想要到哪裡去？企求富貴不是我的心願，修仙成神是沒有希望的。愛惜美好的時光，獨自外出。有時扶著拐杖除草培苗。登上東邊的高岡，放聲呼嘯。面對清清的流水吟誦詩篇。姑且順隨自然的變化，度到生命的盡頭。樂安天命，還有什麼可疑慮的呢？