She Walks in Beauty

LifeandCareerBornintoanancientaristocraticfamilyInheritedthetitleofabaronandalargeestateattheageoftenInheritedthetitleofabaronandalargeestateattheageoftenEducatedfirstatHarrowandthenCambridgeTookhisseatintheHouseofLordsThepublicationin1812ofthefirsttwocantosofChildeHarold'sPilgrimage,apoemnarratinghistravelsbetween1809and1811inEurope,broughtByronfame.Hethensaid:Iawokeonemorningandfoundmyselffamous.In1815ByrongotmarriedtoAnnaIsabellaMilbanke.Ayearlater,hiswifelefthimandrefusedtocomeback.Rumorsabouthisincestuousrelationshipwithhishalf-sisterAugustaanddoubtsabouthissanityledtohisbeingabusedanddecried.Soinangeranddisgust,ByronleftEnglandin1816andneverreturned.ByronfirstwenttoSwitzerland,wherehemadeacquaintancewithShelley.HenextestablishedresidenceinVenice,whereinthethreeyearsfrom1816to1819heproduced,amongotherworks,theversedramaManfred(1817),thefirsttwocantosofDonJuan(1818—1819),andthefourthandfinalcantoofChildeHarold(1818).•AtthenewsoftheGreekrevoltagainsttheTurks,ByronnotonlygavetheinsurgentGreeksfinancialhelpbutplungedhimselfintothestruggleforthenationalindependenceofthatcountry.•Becauseofseveralmonth'shardworkunderbadweather,Byronfellillanddied.ThewholeGreeknationmournedoverhisdeath.拜伦故居HisInfluenceByron'spoetryhasgreatinfluenceontheliteratureofthewholeworld.AcrossEurope,patriotsandpaintersandmusiciansareallinspiredbyhim.Poetsandnovelistsareprofoundlyinfluencedbyhiswork.ActuallyByronhasenrichedEuropeanpoetrywithanabundanceofideas,images,artisticformsandinnovations.YoungByronShewalksinbeauty,likethenight她在美中徜徉,像夜晚Ofcloudlessclimesandstarryskies;皎洁无云而且繁星漫天Andallthat’sbestofdarkandbright明与暗的最美妙的色泽Meetinheraspectandhereyes:在她的仪容和秋波里呈现：Thusmellow’dtothattenderlight耀目的白天只嫌光太强，Whichheaventogaudydaydenies.它比那光亮柔和而幽暗。Oneshadethemore,oneraytheless,增加或减少一份明与暗Hadhalfimpair’dthenamelessgrace就会损害这难言的美。Whichwavesineveryraventress,美波动在她乌黑的发上，Orsoftlylightenso’erherface;或者散布淡淡的光辉Wherethoughtsserenelysweetexpress在那脸庞，恬静的思绪Howpure,howdeartheirdwellingplace.指明它的来处纯洁而珍贵。•Andonthatcheek,ando’erthatbrow,•呵，那额际，那鲜艳的面颊，•Sosoft,socalm,yeteloquent,•如此温和，平静，而又脉脉含情，•Thesmilesthatwin,thetintsthatglow,•那迷人的微笑，那容颜的光彩•Buttellofdaysingoodnessspent,•都在说明一个善良的生命：•Amindatpeacewithallbelow,•她的头脑安于世间的一切，•Aheartwhoseloveisinnocent!•她的心充溢着真纯的爱情！DiscussionofthePoem•Thefirstverse:Thefirsttwolinesbringtogethertheopposingqualitiesofdarknessandlight.Theremaininglinestellusthatherfaceandeyescombine“allthat’sbestofdarkandbright”.•Thesecondverse:Theglowofthelady’sfaceisnearlyperfect.•Theshadesandraysareinjusttherightproportion,andbecausetheyare,theladypossessesanamelessgrace.Thisconveystheromanticideathatherinnerbeautyismirroredbyherouterbeauty.•Thelastverse:Thefirstthreelinesofphysicaldescriptionandlastthreelinesthatdescribethelady’smoralcharacters.Analysis•Tone•Earnest,Admiring,Happy•RhythmandMeter•Iambictetrameter•Rhyme•TherhymeofthreecantosareABABAB,CDCDCD,EFEFEF•Sentencestructure•ComplicatedSentencesExclamatorySentences•Figuresofspeech:•Simile•Theme•Alady’sphysicalbeautyisareflectionofherinnerbeauty.UseofAlliteration头韵•Alliterationoccursfrequentlytoenhancetheappealofthepoemtotheear.Themostobviousexamplesofthisfigureofspeechincludethefollowing:•Line2:…cloudlessclimes;starryskies.•Line6:…daydenies•Line8:…Hadhalf•Line9:…Whichwaves•Line11:…serenelysweet•Line14:…Sosoft,so•Line18:…HeartWhoseOtherFiguresofSpeech•Line1,2:…Simile明喻•comparingthemovementofthebeautifulwomantothemovementoftheskies•Line6:…Metonymy转喻，借代，•inwhichheavenissubstitutedforGodorfortheupperatmosphere•Line8-10:…Metaphor暗喻•comparinggrace,aquality,toaperceivablephenomenon•Line11-12:…Metaphorandpersonification拟人•comparingthoughtstopeople；metaphorandpersonificationcomparingthemindtoahome(dwelling-place)•Line13-16:…Metaphorandpersonification•comparingthewoman’scheekandbrowtopersonswhotellofdaysingoodnessspent她在美中行》中“美”的动态特征分析•具体说来，拜伦在诗中所描绘的“她”漫步于“美”中这幅生动画面可从以下三个方面进行分析：从诗的背景看•根据记载，拜伦写这首诗的背景是在一次舞会上。在这次舞会上，他邂逅了表妹威尔莫尔·霍顿夫人。时逢夫人新寡，身着丧服，其眉间淡淡的忧伤更反衬出她内在的美。诗人顿时为表妹的年轻美貌所倾倒，有感而发，遂成此诗。由于舞会本身就是一个富有动态特征和充满活力的地方，拜伦将“她”置于极富动感的旋律和若隐若现的灯光中就为这“美”定了调，深化了诗歌的主题，体现出了“美”极强的动态特征。从诗的标题看该诗的英文标题为“SheWalksinBeauty”，将其译成中文，可译成“她在美中行”、“她走在美的光彩中”和“她漫步于美丽的光环中”等。可见，诗的标题也具有动态特征。美是一种艺术，属于抽象的无生命的东西，本身不能体现出动态特征，只能通过欣赏它的主体———人，去体现自身的运动和活力。拜伦正是巧妙地运用了二者之间独特微妙的关系，创造性地揭示了诗歌的意蕴并深化了主题。他首先设置了“美”这种特殊的环境，它是通过一场舞会来实现的。而舞会本身又是动态的有活力的，诸如闪烁的彩灯，优美的曲调和有节奏的舞步等。接着诗人又通过“walk”这样一种动作去映衬和烘托“beauty”的动态效果，他是通过舞会的主体“she”来表现的。只有当楚楚动人的“她”（she）“漫步于”（walks）彩灯闪烁、曲调优美的“美”（beauty）中时，不论是扣人心弦、迷人神志的“她”还是让人忘乎所以、如痴如醉的舞会才会更加美丽。所以，诗歌的标题“SheWalksinBeauty”本身就是既抽象又具体、既静又动的结合体。抽象寓于具体之中，静通过动表现出来。舞会的美和人的美相互衬托、交相辉映，真是合璧天成、妙夺天工。由此可见，诗的标题满含诗人的激情，烘托出了诗的光明的氛围，使读者一下子就沉浸在“她”的出现造成的令人欢快的意境中，把握住“她”的不同凡响的美主要来自他那摄人魂魄的精神，那是自然成就，并且泽及他人的，由此展开了美的意境。而三节诗行都围绕着“美”一词的内涵，层层深入地抒发了诗人的美感，造成了联翩而至的想象的空间，使美的意境得到无限延伸。从诗的内容看首先，看下面该诗的三个中译本：•译本1:查良铮译•她走在美丽的光彩中•她走在美丽的光彩中，•像夜晚皎洁无云而且繁星满天；•明与暗的最美妙的色泽•在她的仪容和秋波里呈现：•耀目的白天只嫌光太强，•它比那光亮柔和而幽暗。•增加或减少一分明与暗就会损害这难言的美，•美波动在她乌黑的发上，•或者散布淡淡的光辉在那脸庞，•恬静的思绪指明它的来处纯洁而珍贵。•呵，那额际，那鲜艳的面颊，•如此温和，平静，而又脉脉含情，•那迷人的微笑，那容颜的光彩，•都在说明一个善良的生命：•她的头脑安于世间的一切，•她的心充溢着真纯的爱情！•译本2:周永启译•她在幽