书城外语那些年,那些诗(每天读一点英文)
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第2章 Sand Dunes

Robert Frost

Sea waves are green and wet,

But up from where they die,

Rise others vaster yet,

And those are brown and dry.

They are the sea made land

To come at the fisher town,

And bury in solid sand

The men she could not drown.

She may know cove and cape,

But she does not know mankind

If by any change of shape,

She hopes to cut off mind.

Men left her a ship to sink:

They can leave her a hut as well;

And be but more free to think

For the one more cast-off shell.

沙 丘

罗伯特·弗洛斯特

海浪是绿色而潮湿的,

但从它们平息的处所,

依然卷着更大的浪涛,

而且是褐色的干燥的。

那是变成沙丘的海洋,

涌进渔夫栖息的村镇,

想用坚硬的沙子掩埋,

海水不能淹死的人们。

海或许了解海湾与海角,

却永远无法了解人类,

若她以为改变了形状,

就可以剪断人的思想。

人们留给了她一条船,使其沉没:

同样也能淹没一座小屋;

她们会更加自由地想着,

再一次抛弃那无用的外壳。

背景知识

罗伯特·弗洛斯特(Robert Frost),20世纪美国最杰出的诗人,作品以朴素、深邃著称。他拥有四个普利策诗歌奖、44种名誉学位和种种荣誉。他徒步漫游过许多地方,被认为是“新英格兰的农民诗人”。

在这首看似简单的诗歌里,诗人通过人和大海关系的思考来映射生与死,身体与思想之间的关系。

单词注解

dune [dju:n] 沙丘

cape [keip] 岬,海角

hut [hQt] 小屋

shell [Fel] 壳, 贝壳

名句诵读

Sea waves are green and wet,But up from where they die,Rise others vaster yet,And those are brown and dry.

She may know cove and cape,But she does not know mankind

If by any change of shape,She hopes to cut off mind.

Men left her a ship to sink:They can leave her a hut as well;And be but more free to think For the one more cast-off shell.