英美文学London-William-Blake

—WilliamBlakeGroupmembers：KiwiEudoraLesleyMaiaJackieIwanderthro’1eachcharter’dstreet2,Nearwherethecharter’dThamesdoesflow,Andmark3ineveryfaceImeetMarks3ofweakness,marksofwoe4.1thro’s:through;2charter’dstreet:astreetwhichispre-emptedasprivateproperty.3mark:herethefirstoneisaverb,whichmeansnotice;thesecondoneisanoun,whichmeansasign.4woe:greatsorrow;IneverycryofeveryMan,IneveryInfant’s5cryoffear,Ineveryvoice,ineveryban6,Themind-forg’dmanacles7Ihear.5infant:newbornbaby;6ban:anorderthatofficiallyforbidssomething;7Themind-forg’dmanacles:Thechainsthatwerepainstakinglydevisedandmadebytherulingclass.HowtheChimney-sweeper’s8cry9Everyblack’ning10Churchappalls11;Andthehapless12Soldier’ssigh13RunsinblooddownPalacewalls.8chimney-sweeper:apersonwhosejobistosweepthechimney;9cry:(olduse)announce(goodsetc.)forsalebycallingout;Hapless:10black’ning:blackening;11appall:deepshock;12hapless:unhappy,unfortunate;13Soldier’ssigh:referringtothetragiclivesofdisarmedsolders,onevisualizesbloodrunningdownonthewallsofthepalace.Butmost14thro’midnightstreetsIhearHowtheyouthfulHarlot’scurse15Blasts16thenewbornInfant’stear,Andblights17withplagues18theMarriagehearse19.14most:mostofall;15curse:wordorwordstoexpressanger,hate,etc.;16blast:(usedtoexpressannoyance)ruins,destroys;17blight:causesgrowthtoceaseinruins;18plague:anydeadlyinfectiousdiseasethatspreadsquicklyandkillsmanypeopleoranimals;19hearse:alargecarthatcarriesthecoffinatafuneral.LOGOLondonContentsAnIntroductiontoWilliamBlakeBackgroundInformationofLondonAnAppreciationofLondonLOGO(28November1757–12August1827)HewasanEnglishpoet,painterandprintmaker.Largelyunrecognizedduringhislifetime,BlakeisnowconsideredaseminalfigureinthehistoryofthepoetryandvisualartsoftheRomanticAge.HispropheticpoetryhasbeensaidtoformwhatisinproportiontoitsmeritstheleastreadbodyofpoetryintheEnglishlanguage.WilliamBlakeLOGOWilliamBlakerejectedestablishedreligionforvariousreasons.OneofthemainoneswasthefailureoftheestablishedChurchtohelpchildreninLondonwhowereforcedtowork.Blakelivedandworkedinthecapital,sowasarguablywellplacedtowriteclearlyabouttheconditionspeoplewholivedtherefaced.ThereasonofwritingthispoemLOGOTheFrenchRevolutionIn1789,theFrenchpeoplerevoltedagainstthemonarchyandaristocracy,usingviolenceandmurdertooverthrowthoseinpower.ManysawtheFrenchRevolutionasinspirational-amodelforhowordinary,disadvantagedpeoplecouldseizepower.BlakealludestotherevolutioninLondon,arguablysuggestingthattheexperienceoflivingtherecouldencouragearevolutiononthestreetsofthecapital.LOGOSongsofInnocenceandofExperienceIn1794,LondonpublishedinSongsofExperience.ItisoneofthefewpoemsinSongsofExperiencewhichdoesnothaveacorrespondingpoeminSongsofInnocence.In1826,LondonprintfromCopyAAofSongsofInnocenceandExperiencewhichnowisintheCollectionoftheFitzwilliamMuseum.LOGOLondonThepoemdescribesajourneyaroundLondon,offeringaglimpseofwhatthespeakerseesastheterribleconditionsfacedbytheinhabitantsofthecity.Childlabour,restrictivelawsofpropertyandprostitutionareallexploredinthepoem.LOGOLondonThepoemstartswithacriticismoflawsrelatingtoownership.The'charter'dThames'isabitterreferencetothewayinwhicheveryaspectoflifeinLondonisowned,eventheriver,soofteninotherpoemsasymboloflife,freedomandthepowerofnature.LOGOLondonBlake'spoemalsocriticisesreligionanditsfailures.Thespeakerdrawsattentiontothecryofthechimneysweeperandtheblackeningofchurchwalls,implyingthatthechurchasaninstitutionisinactive,unwillingtohelpthoseinneed.Itendswithavisionoftheterribleconsequencestobefacedasaresultofsexuallytransmitteddisease.LOGOStructureAsthetitleofthecollectionsuggests,Londonispresentedinaveryregularway,muchlikeasong.Thereisastrictababrhymeschemeineachofthefourstanzas.Thefourstanzasofferaglimpseofdifferentaspectsofthecity,almostlikesnapshotsseenbythespeakerduringhiswanderthro'thestreets.LOGOAttitudesandideasBlake'sspeakerhasaverynegativeviewofthecity.ForBlake,theconditionsfacedbypeoplecausedthemtodecayphysically,morallyandspiritually.ForBlake,buildings,especiallychurchbuildings,oftensymbolisedconfinement,restrictionandfailure.ToBlake,thismakesamockeryoftheloveandcarethatshouldcharacterisetheChristianreligion.ThepoemasawholesuggestsBlakeseestherapidurbanisationinBritainatthetimeasadangerousforce.Thepoemispessimistic.Itiswithouthopeforthefuture.(BBC,Englishliterature)LOGOCommentsBlakeopenedouttherealitythatthesocietymoldereddaybyday.Blakeusedatechniqueasmontagetowritethedifferentanglesofthesociety.Asthefastchangeofthescene,thepoemshowsuparealBritishsocietytoreaders.Thepoemisfullofcharmbecauseoftherealdescriptionbutthebeautifulwords.Themostrealpoem,themostrealsociety.我走过每条独占的街道，徘徊在独占的参晤士河边。我看见每个过往的行人有一张衰弱、痛苦的脸。每个人的每声呼喊，每个婴孩害始的号叫，每句话，每条禁令。都呐着心灵铸成的镣铐。多少扫烟囱孩子的喊叫震惊了每座熏黑的教堂，不幸士兵的长叹像鲜血流下了官培。最怕是深夜的街头又听年轻妓女的诅咒!它骇住了初生儿的眼泪又带来瘟疫、使婚车变成灵柩。(1794)王佐良译我徘徊在每一条专利经营的街道上，专利经营的泰晤士河就在近旁流过。我注意到我所遇见的每一张面庞，都呈现肩羸弱的标志，痛苦的折磨。从每一个成人的每一次喊声，从每个婴儿带着惊恐的啼叫，从每一句咒骂，每一道禁令，我都听见那禁锢心灵的镣拷。我听见扫烟囱的人沿街吆喊震骇着每座污黑的教堂，我听见不幸的士兵频频哀叹浸透着鲜血流下了宫墙。最痛心莫过于在夜半路旁，听见年轻的妓女一声咀咒：灭绝了初生婴儿泪眼的微光使婚车蒙上疫病变成了灵枢。(1988）黄宏煦译