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ElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyardByThomasGray(1716-1771)1.TypeofWorkElegyWritteninaCountryChurchyardis—asthetitleindicates—anelegy.Suchapoemcentersonthedeathofapersonorpersonsandis,therefore,somberintone.Anelegyislyricalratherthannarrative—thatis,itsprimarypurposeistoexpressfeelingsandinsightsaboutitssubjectratherthantotellastory.Typically,anelegyexpressesfeelingsoflossandsorrowwhilealsopraisingthedeceasedandcommentingonthemeaningofthedeceased'stimeonearth.Gray'spoemreflectsonthelivesofhumbleandunheralded未为人所知的peopleburiedinthecemetery墓地ofachurch.2.Setting(timeandplace)Thetimeisthemid1700s,aboutadecadebeforetheIndustrialRevolutionbeganinEngland.Theplaceisthecemeteryofachurch.EvidenceindicatesthatthechurchisSt.Giles,inthesmalltownofStokePoges,Buckinghamshire,insouthernEngland.Grayhimselfisburiedinthatcemetery.WilliamPenn,thefounderofPennsylvania,oncemaintainedamanor领地houseatStogePoges.3.YearsofCompositionandPublicationGraybeganwritingtheelegyin1742,putitasideforawhile,andfinisheditin1750.RobertDodsleypublishedthepoeminLondonin1751.Revisedoralteredversionsofthepoemappearedin1753,1758,1768,and1775.CopiesofthevariousversionsareonfileintheThomasGrayArchiveatOxfordUniversity.4.Meter节拍andRhyme韵律SchemeGraywrotethepoeminfour-linestanzas(quatrains).Eachlineisiniambicpentameter,meaningthefollowing:1.Eachlinehasfivepairsofsyllablesforatotaloftensyllables.2.Ineachpair,thefirstsyllableisunstressed(orunaccented),andthesecondisstressed(oraccented),asinthetwolinesthatopenthepoem:TheCURfewTOLLStheKNELLofPARTingDAYTheLOWingHERDwindSLOWlyO'ERtheLEAIneachstanza,thefirstlinerhymeswiththethirdandthesecondlinerhymeswiththefourth(abab),asfollows:a..Thecurfewtollstheknellofpartingday,b..Thelowingherdwindslowlyo'erthelea,a..Theplowmanhomewardplodshiswearyway,b..Andleavestheworldtodarknessandtome.晚钟响起来一阵阵给白昼报丧,牛群在草原上迂回,吼声起落,耕地人累了,回家走,脚步踉跄,把整个世界给了黄昏与我。5.StanzaForm:HeroicQuatrain英雄体四行诗Astanzawiththeabove-mentionedcharacteristics—fourlines,iambicpentameter,andanababrhymescheme—isoftenreferredtoasaheroicquatrain.(QuatrainisderivedfromtheLatinwordquattuor,meaningfour.)WilliamShakespeareandJohnDrydenhadearlierusedthisstanzaform.AfterGray'spoembecamefamous,writersandcriticsalsobeganreferringtotheheroicquatrainasanelegiacstanza.6.CompletePoemWithExplanatoryNotesStanza11.Thecurfewtollstheknellofpartingday,2.Thelowingherdwindslowlyo'erthelea,3.Theplowmanhomewardplodshiswearyway,4.Andleavestheworldtodarknessandtome.Notes(1)Curfew:ringingbellintheeveningthatremindedpeopleinEnglishtownsofGray’stimetoputoutfiresandgotobed.(2)Knell:mournfulsound.(3)Partingday:day'send;dyingday;twilight;dusk.(4)Lowing:mooing.(5)O'er:contractionforover.(6)Lea:meadow.Stanza25.Nowfadestheglimm'ringlandscapeonthesight,6.Andalltheairasolemnstillnessholds,7.Savewherethebeetlewheelshisdroningflight,8.Anddrowsytinklingslullthedistantfolds.Notes(1)Line5:Thelandscapebecomeslessandlessvisible.(2)Sight...solemnstillness...save:alliteration.(3)Save:except.(4)Beetle:wingedinsectthatoccursinmorethan350,000varieties.Onetypeisthefirefly,orlightningbug.(5)Wheels:verbmeaningfliesincircles.(6)Droning:humming;buzzing;monotonoussound.(7)Drowsytinklingslullthedistantfolds:Thisclauseapparentlyreferstothegentlesoundsmadebyabellaroundtheneckofacastratedmalesheepthatleadsothersheep.Acastratedmalesheepiscalledawether.Suchasheepwithabellarounditsneckiscalledabellwether.Foldsisanounreferringtoflocksofsheep.(8)Tinklings:onomatopoeia.Stanza39.Savethatfromyonderivy-mantledtow'r10.Themopingowldoestothemooncomplain11.Ofsuch,aswand'ringnearhersecretbow'r,12.Molestherancientsolitaryreign.Notes(1)Save:except.(2)Yonder:distant;remote.(3)Ivy-mantled:cloaked,dressed,oradornedwithivy.(4)Moping:gloomy;grumbling.(5)Ofsuch:ofanythingoranybody.(6)Bow'r:bower,anenclosuresurroundedbyplantgrowth—inthiscase,ivy.(7)Molestherancientsolitaryreign:bothertheowlwhileitkeepswatchoverthechurchyardandcountryside.(8)Herancientsolitaryrein:metaphorcomparingtheowltoaqueen.Stanza413.Beneaththoseruggedelms,thatyew-tree'sshade,14.Whereheavestheturfinmanyamould'ringheap,15.Eachinhisnarrowcellforeverlaid,16.Therudeforefathersofthehamletsleep.Notes(1)Whereheavestheturf:anastrophe,afigureofspeechthatinvertsthenormalwordorder(theturfheaves).(2)Mould'ring:mouldering(British),moldering(American),anadjectivemeaningdecaying,crumbling.(3)Cell:metaphorcomparingagravetoaprisoncell.(4)Rude:robust;sturdy;hearty;stalwart.(5)Hamlet:village.Stanza517.Thebreezycallofincense-breathingMorn,18.Theswallowtwitt'ringfromthestraw-builtshed,19.Thecock'sshrillclarion,ortheechoinghorn,20.Nomoreshallrousethemfromtheirlowlybed.Notes(1)Breezycallofincense-breathingMorn:windcarryingthepleasantsmellsofmorning,includingdewygrassandflowers.NoticethatMornisametaphorcomparingittoalivingcreature.(Itcallsandbreathes.)(2)Swallow:Insect-eatingsongbirdthatlikestoperch.(3)Clarion:cock-a-doodle-doo.(4)Echoinghorn:Thewordsmayrefertothesoundmadebyafoxhuntsmanwhoblowsacopperhorntowhichpackhoundsrespond.Stanza621.Forthemnomoretheblazinghearthshallburn,22.Orbusyhousewifeplyhereve
本文标题:Elegy-Written-in-a-Country-Churchyard-赏析
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