Mending-Wall-修墙(罗伯特·弗罗斯特)

RobertFrost,MendingWall,罗伯特弗罗斯特,20世纪最受欢迎的美国诗人。因其当过新英格兰的鞋匠、教师和农场主，所以作品多从农村生活中取题材；与19世纪的诗人有很多共同之处，但相比之下，却又较少具有现代派气息。他曾赢得4次普利策奖和许多其他的奖励及荣誉，被称之为美国文学中的桂冠诗人。然而在他的下半生，才赢得大众对其诗歌作品的承认，并最终树立起了一位伟大的文学家的形象。,RobertFrost简介,MendingWallisametaphorical(隐喻的)poemwritteninblankverse,publishedin1914.Thispoemissetinthecountrysideandisaboutonemanquestioningwhyheandhisneighbormustrebuildthestonewalldividingtheirfarmseachspring.ThestonewallatFrostsfarminDerry,whichhedescribedinMendingwall.,WhilelivinginEnglandwithhisfamily,FrostwasexceptionallyhomesickforthefarminNewHampshirewherehehadlivedwithhiswifefrom1900to1909.Despitetheeventualfailureofthefarm,FrostassociatedhistimeinNewHampshirewithapeaceful,ruralsensibilitythatheinstilledinthemajorityofhissubsequentpoems.“MendingWall”isautobiographicalonanevenmorespecificlevel:aFrench-CanadiannamedNapoleonGuayhadbeenFrostsneighborinNewHampshire,andthetwohadoftenwalkedalongtheirpropertylineandrepairedthewallthatseparatedtheirland.,Summary,Everyyear,twoneighborsmeettorepairthestonewallthatdividestheirproperty.Thenarratorisskepticalofthistradition,unabletounderstandtheneedforawallwhenthereisnolivestocktobecontainedontheproperty,onlyapplesandpinetrees.Hedoesnotbelievethatawallshouldexistsimplyforthesakeofexisting.Moreover,hecannothelpbutnoticethatthenaturalworldseemstodislikethewallasmuchashedoes:mysteriousgapsappear,bouldersfallfornoreason.,Theneighbor,ontheotherhand,assertsthatthewalliscrucialtomaintainingtheirrelationship,asserting,“Goodfencesmakegoodneighbors.”Overthecourseofthemending,thenarratorattemptstoconvincehisneighborotherwiseandaccuseshimofbeingold-fashionedformaintainingthetraditionsostrictly.Nomatterwhatthenarratorsays,though,theneighborstandshisground,repeatingonly:“Goodfencesmakegoodneighbors.”.,Somethingthereisthatdoesntloveawall,Thatsendsthefrozen-ground-swellunderit,Andspillstheupperbouldersinthesun;Andmakesgapseventwocanpassabreast.,有一样东西，它大概是不喜欢墙，它使得墙脚下的冻地涨得隆起，大白天的把墙头石块弄得纷纷落：使得墙裂了缝，二人并肩都走得过。,Frost,Theworkofhuntersisanotherthing:IhavecomeafterthemandmaderepairWheretheyhaveleftnotonestoneonastone,Buttheywouldhavetherabbitoutofhiding,Topleasetheyelpingdogs.,士绅们行猎时又是另一番糟蹋：他们要掀开每块石头上的石头，我总是跟在他们后面去修补，但是他们要把兔子从隐处赶出来，讨好那群汪汪叫的狗。,Thespeakerandreaders,ThegapsImean,Noonehasseenthemmadeorheardthemmade,Butatspringmending-timewefindthemthere.Iletmyneighborknowbeyondthehill;,我说的墙缝是怎么生的，谁也没看见，谁也没听见但是到了春季补墙时，就看见在那里。我通知了住在山那边的邻居；,AndonadaywemeettowalkthelineAndsetthewallbetweenusonceagain.Wekeepthewallbetweenusaswego.,有一天我们约会好，巡视地界一番，在我们两家之间再把墙重新砌起。我们走的时候，中间隔着一垛墙。,Toeachthebouldersthathavefallentoeach.AndsomeareloavesandsomesonearlyballsWehavetouseaspelltomakethembalance:Staywhereyouareuntilourbacksareturned!,落在各边的石头，由各自去料理。有些是长块的，有些几乎圆得像球需要一点魔术才能把它们放稳当：“老实呆在那里，等我们转过身再落下！”,Wewearourfingersroughwithhandlingthem.Oh,justanotherkindofout-doorgame,Oneonaside.Itcomestolittlemore:,我们搬弄石头把手指都磨粗了。啊！这不过又是一种户外游戏，一个人站在一边。此外没有多少用处：,Metaphor:wall-mendingprocess,Therewhereitiswedonotneedthewall:HeisallpineandIamappleorchard.MyappletreeswillnevergetacrossAndeattheconesunderhispines,Itellhim.Heonlysays,Goodfencesmakegoodneighbors.,在墙那地方，我们根本不需要墙：他那边全是松树，我这边是苹果园。我的苹果树永远也不会踱过去吃掉他松树下的松球，我对他说。他只是说：“好篱笆造出好邻家。”,Personification:refertothespeakerhimself,Springisthemischiefinme,andIwonderIfIcouldputanotioninhishead:Whydotheymakegoodneighbors?Isntit,春天在我心里作祟，我在悬想能不能把一个念头注入他的脑里：“为什么好篱笆造出好邻家？是否指着,Wheretherearecows?Butheretherearenocows.BeforeIbuiltawallIdasktoknowWhatIwaswallinginorwallingout,AndtowhomIwasliketogiveoffence.,有牛的人家？可是我们此地又没有牛。我在造墙之前先要弄个清楚，圈进来的是什么，圈出去的是什么，并且我可能开罪的是些什么人家，,Speakersmeditationonwall,Protectdignityandproperty,hinderthecommunication,Somethingthereisthatdoesntloveawall,Thatwantsitdown.“IcouldsayElvestohim,Butitsnotelvesexactly,andIdratherHesaiditforhimself.,有一点什么，它不喜欢墙，它要推倒它。”我可以对他说这是“鬼”。但严格说也不是鬼我想这事还是由他自己决定吧。,IseehimthereBringingastonegraspedfirmlybythetopIneachhand,likeanold-stonesavagearmed.Hemovesindarknessasitseemstome,Notofwoodsonlyandtheshadeoftrees.,我看见他在那里搬一块石头，两手紧抓着石头的上端，像一个旧石器时代的武装的野蛮人。我觉得他是在黑暗中摸索，这黑暗不仅是来自深林与树荫。,simile,Backward,uncivilized,convention,Hewillnotgobehindhisfatherssaying,AndhelikeshavingthoughtofitsowellHesaysagain,Goodfencesmakegoodneighbors.,他不肯探究他父亲传给他的格言他想到这句格言，便如此的喜欢，于是再说一遍，“好篱笆造出好邻家”。,Form,Blankverseisthebaselinemeterofthispoem,butfewofthelinesmarchalonginblankversescharacteristiclock-stepiambs,fiveabreast.Frostmaintainsfivestressedsyllablesperline,buthevariesthefeetextensivelytosustainthenaturalspeech-likequalityoftheverse.Therearenostanzabreaks,obviousend-rhymes,orrhymingpatterns,butmanyoftheend-wordsshareanassonance(e.g.,wall,hill,balls,wall,andwellsun,thing,stone,mean,line,andagainorgame,them,andhimtwice).,Internalrhymes,too,aresubtle,slanted,andconceivablycoincidental.Thevocabularyisallofapiecenofancywords,allshort(onlyoneword,another,isofthreesyllables),allconversationalandthisisperhapswhythewordsresonatesoconsummatelywitheachotherinsoundandfeel.,Thewallisakeyinthispoem,itunitesthespeakerandhisneighboreveryyearandseparatesthemaswell.Actually,thewallsymbolizestheregulationsmadeuponhumanbeinginmodernsociety.Livinginthemodernsociety,oneisboundbymanyrulesandlawstoenforcethenormalsocialorder.,Whatdoesthewallsymbolize?,Themes,Theimageattheheartof“MendingWall”isarresting:twomenmeetingontermsofcivilityandneighborlinesstobuildabarrierbetweenthem.Theydosooutoftradition,outofhabit.YettheveryearthconspiresagainstthemandmakestheirtaskSisyphean.SisyphusisthefigureinGreekmythologycondemnedperpetuallytopushaboulderupahill,onlytohavetheboulderrolldownagain.Thesemenpushbouldersbackontopofthewall;yetjustasinevitably,whetheratthehandofhuntersorsprites,orthefrostandthawofnaturesinvisiblehand,theboulderstumbledownagain.Still,theneighborspersist.Thepoem,thus,seemstomeditateconventionallyonthreegrandthemes:barrier-building(segregation,inthebroadestsenseoftheword),thedoomednatureofthisenterpriseandourpersistenceinthisactivityregardless.,Analysis,Asthenarratorpointsout,theveryactofmendingthewallseemstobeinoppositiontonature.Everyyear,stonesaredislodgedandgapssuddenlyappear,allwithoutexplanation.Everyyear,thetwoneighborsfillthegapsandreplacethefallenboulders,onlytohavepartsofthewallfalloveragaininthecomingmonths.Itseemsasifnatureisattemptingtodestroythebarriersthatmanhascreatedontheland,evenasmancontinuestorepairthebarriers,simplyoutofhabitandtradition.,Thespeakermayscornhisneighborsobstinate（顽固的）wall-building,mayobservetheactivitywithhumorousdetachment,buthehimselfgoestothewallatalltimesoftheyeartomendthedamagedonebyhunters;itisthespeakerwhocontactstheneighboratwall-mendingtimetosettheannualappointment.Whichperson,then,istherealwall-builder?Thespeakersaysheseesnoneedforawallhere,butthisimpliesthattheremaybeaneedforawallelsewhere“wheretherearecows,”forexample.Yetthespeakermustderivesomething,someuse,somesatisfaction,outoftheexerciseofwall-building,orwhywouldheinitiateithere?Thereissomethinginhimthatdoesloveawall,oratleasttheactofmakingawall.,Perhapshisskepticalquestionsandquipscanthenbereadasanattempttojustifyhisownbehaviortohimself.Whilehechoosestopresenthimselfasamodernman,farbeyondold-fashionedtraditions,thenarratorisreallynodifferentfromhisneighbor:hetooclingstotheconceptofpropertyanddivision,ofownershipandindividuality.Ultimately,thepresenceofthewallbetweenthepropertiesdoesensureaqualityrelationshipbetweenthetwoneighbors.Bymaintainingthedivisionbetweentheproperties,thenarratorandhisnei