The West Land 荒原

英国文学Unit15TheWasteLandIntroductiontoEliotThomasStearnsEliotOM(26September1888–4January1965)wasanessayist,publisher,playwright,literaryandsocialcriticandoneofthetwentiethcentury'smajorpoets.BorninSt.Louis,MissouriintheUnitedStates,hemovedtotheUnitedKingdomin1914(atage25)andwasnaturalizedasaBritishsubjectin1927atage39.EliotattractedwidespreadattentionforhispoemTheLoveSongofJ.AlfredPrufrock(1915),whichisseenasamasterpieceoftheModernistmovement.Itwasfollowedbysomeofthebest-knownpoemsintheEnglishlanguage,includingTheWasteLand(1922),TheHollowMen(1925),AshWednesday(1930)andFourQuartets(1945).[2]Heisalsoknownforhissevenplays,particularlyMurderintheCathedral(1935).InOctober1922,EliotpublishedTheWasteLandinTheCriterion.Eliot'sdedicationtoillmigliorfabbro(thebettercraftsman)referstoEzraPound'ssignificanthandineditingandreshapingthepoemfromalongerEliotmanuscripttotheshortenedversionthatappearsinpublication.ItwascomposedduringaperiodofpersonaldifficultyforEliot—hismarriagewasfailing,andbothheandVivienneweresufferingfromnervousdisorders.Thepoemisoftenreadasarepresentationofthedisillusionmentofthepost-wargeneration.Beforethepoem'spublicationasabookinDecember1922,Eliotdistancedhimselffromitsvisionofdespair.On15November1922,hewrotetoRichardAldington,saying,AsforTheWasteLand,thatisathingofthepastsofarasIamconcernedandIamnowfeelingtowardanewformandstyle.Thepoemisknownforitsobscurenature—itsslippagebetweensatireandprophesy;itsabruptchangesofspeaker,location,andtime.Despitethis,ithasbecomeatouchstoneofmodernliterature,apoeticcounterparttoanovelpublishedinthesameyear,JamesJoyce'sUlysses.Amongitsbest-knownphrasesareAprilisthecruelestmonth,IwillshowyoufearinahandfulofdustandShantihshantihshantih.TheSanskritmantraendsthepoem.SummaryofTheWasteLandTheWasteLandbeginswithasectionentitledTheBurialoftheDead.Init,thenarrator--perhapsarepresentationofEliothimself--describestheseasons.Springbringsmemoryanddesire,andsothenarrator'smemorydriftsbacktotimesinMunich,tochildhoodsledrides,andtoapossibleromancewithahyacinthgirl.Thememoriesonlygosofar,however.Thenarratorisnowsurroundedbyadesolatelandfullofstonyrubbish.Heremembersafortune-tellernamedMadameSosostriswhosaidhewasthedrownedPhoenicianSailorandthatheshouldfeardeathbywater.NexthefindshimselfonLondonBridge,surroundedbyacrowdofpeople.Hespotsafriendofhisfromwartime,andcallsouttohim.UnderthebrownfogofawinterdawnAcrowdflowedoverLondonbridge,somany一群人流过伦敦桥，呵，这么多我没有想到死亡毁灭了这么多人Thenextsection,AGameofChess,transportsthereaderabruptlyfromthestreetsofLondontoagildeddrawingroom,inwhichsitsarich,jewel-bedeckedladywhocomplainsabouthernervesandwonderswhattodo.Thepoemdriftsagain,thistimetoapubatclosingtimeinwhichtwoCockneywomengossip.Withinafewstanzas,wehavemovedfromtheuppercrustofsocietytoLondon'slow-life.TheFireSermonopenswithanimageofariver.Thenarratorsitsonthebanksandmusesonthedeplorablestateoftheworld.AsTiresias,heseesayoungcarbuncularmanhopintobedwithalonelyfemaletypist,onlytoaggressivelymakelovetoherandthenleavewithouthesitation.Thepoemreturnstotheriver,wheremaidenssingasongoflament,oneofthemcryingoverherlossofinnocencetoasimilarlylustfulman.DeathbyWater,thefourthsectionofthepoem,describesadeadPhoenicianlyinginthewater--perhapsthesamedrownedsailorofwhomMadameSosostrisspoke.WhattheThunderSaidshiftslocalesfromtheseatorocksandmountains.Thenarratorcriesforrain,anditfinallycomes.Thethunderthataccompaniesitushersinthethree-prongeddictumsprungfromtheBrihadaranyakaUpanishad:Datta,dayadhvam,damyata:togive,tosympathize,tocontrol.Withthesecommandments,benedictionispossible,despitethecollapseofcivilizationthatisunderway--Londonbridgeisfallingdownfallingdownfallingdown.TranslationofTheWasteLandTheBurialofTheDeadAprilisthecruelestmonth,breedingLilacsoutofthedeadland,mixingMemoryanddesire,stirringDullrootswithspringrain.Winterkeptuswarm,coveringEarthinforgetfulsnow,feedingAlittlelifewithdriedtubers.死者的葬礼四月最残忍，从死了的土地滋生丁香，混杂着回忆和欲望，让春雨挑动着呆钝的根。冬天保我们温暖，把大地埋在忘怀的雪里，使干了的FallingtowersJerusalemAthensAlexandriaViennaLondonunreal倒下的楼阁呵耶路撒冷、雅典、亚历山大、维也纳、伦敦呵，不真实的AnanalysisofTheWasteLandEliot’sopeningquotationsetsthetoneforthepoemasawhole.SibylisamythologicalfigurewhoaskedApollo“forasmanyyearsoflifeastherearegrainsinahandfulofsand”(North,3).Unfortunately,shedidnotthinktoaskforeverlastingyouth.Asaresult,sheisdoomedtodecayforyearsandyears,andpreservesherselfwithinajar.Havingaskedforsomethingakintoeternallife,shefindsthatwhatshemostwantsisdeath.Deathaloneoffersescape;deathalonepromisestheend,andthereforeanewbeginning.ThusdoesEliotbeginhismagisterialpoem,labelinghisfirstsection“TheBurialoftheDead,”atitlepulledfromtheAnglicanBookofCommonPrayer.Hehasbeencarefultolayouthiscentralthemebeforethefirststanzahasevenbegun:deathandlifeareeasilyblurred;fromdeathcanspringlife,andlifeinturnnecessitatesdeath.CleanthBrooks,Jr.,in“TheWasteLand:AnAnalysis,”seesthepoem’sengineasaparadox:“Lifedevoidofmeaningisdeath;sacrifice,eventhesacrificialdeath,maybelife-giving,anawakingtolife.Eliot’svisionisofadecrepitlandinhabitedbypersonswholanguishinanin-between