中世纪之民谣

ThePopularBalladsMainformofMedievalFolkLiteratureInthispart,we’llfocusonDefinitionandOriginofPopularBalladsStylisticFeaturesoftheBalladsSubjectsoftheBalladsDefinitionofPopularBalladsAballadisaformofverse,oftenanarrativesettomusic.BalladswereparticularlycharacteristicofBritishandIrishpopularpoetryandsongfromthelatermedievalperioduntilthe19thcenturyandusedextensivelyacrossEuropeandlaterNorthAmerica,AustraliaandNorthAfrica.百科名片民间流行的、富于民族色彩的歌曲，称为民谣或民歌。民谣的历史悠远，故其作者多不知名。民谣的内容丰富，有宗教的、爱情的、战争的、工作的，也有饮酒、舞蹈作乐、祭典等等。民谣既是表现一个民族的感情与习尚，因此各有其独特的音阶与情调风格。如法国民谣的蓬勃、意大利民谣的热情、英国民谣的淳朴、西班牙民谣的狂放不羁、中国民谣的缠绵悱恻，都表现了强烈的民族气质与色彩。英国民谣（EnglishBallad），起源于中世纪末期，即12、13世纪，兴盛于14、15世纪，复兴于18、19世纪，是英国最古老的诗歌形式之一。它主要包括两大部分，英格兰民谣和苏格兰民谣。OriginofPopularBalladsDuringthelongperiodofMiddleAges,popularballadswerepreservedandpasseddownthroughoraltransmission.Womenwerethemostprominentcarriersoforalballadry;theywerealsocapableofcreatingindividualvariants.世界上唯一的女性文字：女书就有用来记录歌谣的。OriginofPopularBalladsThestandardmoderncollectionforballadsremainsFrancisJamesChild’sTheEnglishandScottishPopularBalladsthatheeditedbetween1882and1898.Whenofficialcollectedandprintedtheyarereshapedandrewrittenwithanumberofvariations.Balladsalsohaveaconsiderableeffectoncontemporarypoets,withWordsworth,Keats,Coleridgeproducingliteraryballads.百科名片《诗经》TheBookofSongs是我国第一部诗歌总集，收入自西周初年至春秋中叶五百多年的诗歌311篇，又称《诗三百》。先秦称为《诗》，或取其整数称《诗三百》。西汉时被尊为儒家经典，始称《诗经》，并沿用至今。《诗经》共有风(ballad)、雅(dynastichymns)、颂(song,ode,eulogy)三个部分。其中“风”包括了十五个地方的民歌，叫“十五国风”，有160篇，是《诗经》中的核心内容。“风”的意思是土风、风谣。“雅”是正声雅乐，分“大雅”、“小雅”，有诗105篇，其中大雅31篇，小雅74篇。“颂”是祭祀乐歌，分“周颂”、“鲁颂”、“商颂”，有诗40篇。是“五经”之一。诗经距今已有2500年的历史。汉代的乐府以及后来唐代的新乐府也收集和改编了不少古代民歌。StylisticFeatureoftheBalladsOralNatureThepopularballadhasanoralcurrencywhichmakesiteasiertorememberandeasiertomemorize.Thereforeallthestylisticfeaturesofithavederivedfromtheiroralnature.Thefirstfeatureisitssimplelanguage;thesimplicityisreflectedbothintheverseformandthecolloquialexpressions.Sofarastheverseformisconcerned,balladsarecomposedeitherincouplets(usuallyheroic)or,morecommonly,inquatrains,whichareknownastheballadstanza,rhymingabcb,withthefirstandthirdlinescarrying4accentedsyllablesandthesecondandfourthcarrying3.StylisticFeatureoftheBalladsOralNatureTherearegreatvariationsinthenumberofunstressedsyllables;andtherhymeisoftenapproximatewithassonanceandconsonancefrequentlyappearing.Bymakinguseofsimple,plainlanguageordialectofthecommonpeoplewithcolloquial,vividand,sometimes,idiomaticexpressionsinitsnarrationaswellasinitsdialogues,theballadleavesastrongdramaticeffecttothereader.SubjectsoftheBalladsAccordingtothesubjects,popularballadscanbedividedintodifferentgroups.AnumberofballadsnarratingincidentsontheEnglish-Scottishborderandknownas“BorderBallads”Anotherimportantgroupofballadsistheseriesof37balladsofdifferentlengthsinChild’scollection,whichtellofthewonderfuldeedsofRobinHood,thefamousoutlaw,andhismen.罗宾汉（RobinHood）是英国民间传说中的侠盗式的英雄人物，相传他活跃在1160年至1247年间的英国，人称汉丁顿伯爵(Earl)。从12世纪中叶起，关于罗宾汉的民谣和传说就开始在民间流传。14世纪，有关罗宾汉的故事首次作为文学作品问世。此后，不断有作家以此为素材，写出了许多脍炙人口的作品。也有说是大约公元1190年，英国狮心王理查率领英国军队参加十字军东征，罗宾汉也随军前行。可是当战争结束，罗宾汉从战场返回家乡的时候，发现自己的庄园和财产已经被诺丁汉郡治安官以莫须有的罪名没收。此时，英国正在被借着狮心王东征而趁机弄权的约翰王子所统治，他的横征暴敛让人民苦不堪言。为此，罗宾汉聚集了一帮绿林好汉，凭借着自己的机智和勇敢，带领大家劫富济贫，对抗昏君的暴政。同名电影RobinHood（2010）Alan-a-DaleAlan-a-Dale(alsospelledAllen-a-Dale,Allan-a-Dale,Allin-a-Dale,AllanA'Dayleetc.)isafigureintheRobinHoodlegend.Accordingtothestories,hewasawanderingminstrelwhobecameamemberofRobin'sbandofoutlaws,theMerryMen.SubjectsoftheBalladsSirPatricSpensOfalltheseaballads,thebestknownis“SirPatricSpens”.ItisoneofthemostpopularoftheChildBallads(No.58),andisprimarilyofScottishorigin.Theeventsoftheballadaresimilarto,andmaychronicle,anactualevent:thebringinghomeoftheScottishqueenMargaret,MaidofNorwayacrosstheNorthSeain1290.Theseven-year-oldprincessdiedonthecrossing,thoughnotinthemannerofSirPatrickinthissong.However,manyoftheshipssenttofetchheraresaidtohaveperished.ThenamePatrickSpenshasnohistoricalrecord,and,likemanyoftheheroesofsuchballads,isprobablyaninvention.AlthoughsomehistoriansbelievethathewasactuallySirPatrickVans.Theopeninglineshowever,dorefertothekingwhoisspecificallylocatedinDunfermlinewherehistoricallytherewasaroyalresidence,Malcolm'sTower.SirPatricSpensThestoryastoldintheballadhasmultipleversions,buttheyallfollowthesamebasicplot.TheKingofScotlandhascalledforthegreatestsailorinthelandtocommandashipforaroyalerrand.ThenameSirPatrickSpensismentionedbyacourtier,andthekingdespatchesaletter.SirPatrick,thoughhonouredtoreceivearoyalcommission,isdismayedatbeingputtoseainthedeadofwinter,clearlyrealisingthisvoyagecouldwellbehislast.Versionsdiffersomewhatatthispoint.Someindicatethatastormsanktheshipintheinitialcrossing,thusendingtheballadatthispoint,whilemanyhaveSirPatricksafelyreachingNorway.SirPatricSpensInNorwaytensionarisesbetweentheNorwegianlordsandtheScots,whoareaccusedofbeingafinancialburdenontheking.SirPatrick,takingoffense,leavesthefollowingday.Nearlyallversions,whethertheyhavethewreckontheoutwardvoyageorthereturn,relatethebadomenofseeingthenewmoonlate