To a Waterfowl by William Cullen Bryant (威廉柯伦布莱恩特《致水鸟》的课件)

1、to a waterfowl,by william cullen bryant,to a waterfowl by william cullen bryant,whither, midst falling dew, while glow the heavens with the last steps of day, far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue thy solitary way? vainly the fowlers eye might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, as,

2、 darkly painted on the crimson sky, thy figure floats along. seekst thou the plashy brink of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, or where the rocking billows rise and sink on the chafed ocean side? there is a power whose care teaches thy way along that pathless coast,- the desert and illimitable air

3、,- lone wandering, but not lost.,all day thy wings have fannd at that far height, the cold thin atmosphere: yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, though the dark night is near. and soon that toil shall end, soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest, and scream among thy fellows; reeds shall

4、bend soon oer thy sheltered nest. thourt gone, the abyss of heaven hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, and shall not soon depart. he, who, from zone to zone, guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, in the long way that i must tread a

5、lone, will lead my steps aright.,译作赏析致水鸟吕志鲁译,披着滴落的露珠， 天空灿烂，白日的行程就要结束； 穿过玫瑰色的遥远空际， 你往何方把孤单的前程追逐？ 看你远远飞翔而无计可施， 捕鸟人的眼光徒劳眷顾； 满天红霞把你映衬， 暗黑的身影飘飘飞舞。 你是在寻找开阔的大河之滨， 还是波浪拍岸的水草之湖？ 或者潮水冲刷的海滩， 那里的巨浪奔腾起伏？ 有上苍把你关照， 在无路的海岸为你指路 在荒漠和无边的空际， 你孤单的飘荡不致迷途。,你成天翕动翅膀， 任空气稀薄暴寒冷，飞在高处， 疲乏中你不肯降落舒适的大地， 即使黑夜即将紧闭它的帷幕。 你很快就会结束这样的劳苦，

6、 你即将找到你夏天的住处； 休息中呼唤自己的伙伴， 芦苇也会躬身把你的窝巢遮护。 你的身躯全被吞没， 天堂深渊里，你踪影全无； 然而你的启迪深深留在我的心底， 我将久久地久久地把它记住砖 从一地又到一地， 天空无垠，你的飞翔从无迟误； 愿引领你的向导把我引领， 孤单的长路中迈开永不偏离的脚步。,2.1 youth and education,bryant was born on november 3, 1794,he was the second son of peter bryant, a doctor and later a state legislator, and sarah snel

7、l. his maternal ancestry traces back to passengers on the mayflower; his fathers, to colonists who arrived about a dozen years later. bryant and his family moved to a new home when he was two years old. the william cullen bryant homestead, his boyhood home, is now a museum. after just two years at w

8、illiams college, he studied law in worthington and bridgewater in massachusetts, and he was admitted to the bar in 1815. he then began practicing law in nearby plainfield, walking the seven miles from cummington every day. on one of these walks, in december 1815, he noticed a single bird flying on t

9、he horizon; the sight moved him enough to write to a waterfowl.,2.1 youth and education,bryant developed an interest in poetry early in life. under his fathers tutelage（监护）, he emulated（努力赶上） alexander pope and other neo-classic british poets. the embargo, a savage attack on president thomas jeffers

10、on published in 1808, reflected dr. bryants federalist political views. the first edition quickly sold outpartly because of the publicity earned by the poets young ageand a second, expanded edition, which included bryants translation of classical verse, was printed. the youth wrote little poetry whi

11、le preparing to enter williams college as a sophomore, but upon leaving williams after a single year and then beginning to read law, he regenerated his passion for poetry through encounter with the english pre-romantics and, particul,2.2 composition and publication history,the inspiration for the po

12、em occurred in december 1815 when bryant, then 21, was walking from cummington to plainfield to look for a place to settle as a lawyer. the duck, flying across the sunset, seemed to bryant as solitary a soul as himself, inspiring him to write the poem that evening. to a waterfowl was first published

13、 in the north american review in volume 6, issue 18, march 1818. it was later published in the collection poems in 1821.,2.3 critical response,matthew arnold praised it as the best short poem in the language, and the poet and critic richard wilbur has described it as americas first flawless poem.,2.

14、4 main works,discourse on the life, character and writings of gulian crommelin verplanck (english) (as author) letters of a travellernotes of things seen in europe and america (english) (as author) the little people of the snow (english) (as author) poems (english) (as author) poetical works of will

15、iam cullen bryanthousehold edition (english) (as author),3.1 summary,the narrator questions where the waterfowl is going. he questions his motives for flying. he warns the waterfowl that he could possibly find danger, traveling alone. but, this waterfowl is not alone. he knows that the waterfowl is

16、being led by some power（神秘主义mysticism）. as the waterfowl reaches out of the narrators sight, the narrator reflects on gods guidance in his own life. the narrator is sure that god has led this waterfowl, and that the waterfowl had faith in the narrator. now, the narrators faith is strengthened. he kn

17、ows that god is guiding him as well. as the narrator sees god directing the waterfowl, the narrator is reminded of gods guidance in his own life. through his observance in nature, the narrator is reconnected with his faith in god.,3.2 analysis,“to a waterfowl” is written in iambic trimeter（抑扬三部格） an

18、d iambic pentameter（抑扬格五音部）, consisting of eight stanzas of four lines. the poem represents early stages of american romanticism through celebration of nature and gods presence within nature. bryant is acknowledged as skillful at depicting american scenery but his natural details are often combined

19、with a universal moral, as in to a waterfowl.,stanza 1 whither 1, midst falling dew, while glow the heavens with the last steps of day, far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue thy solitary way? 2 summary as the dew falls and the sun sets in the rosy depths of the heavens, i wonder where you

20、 (waterfowl) are going? notes 1. whither: where. 2. the speaker addresses the waterfowl as if it were present. doing so constitutes a figure of speech known as apostrophe. 本诗第一节就以整节的篇幅描绘一只水鸟孤独地飞在天空中的画面背景；,stanza 2 vainly the fowlers 3 eye might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, as, darkly se

21、en against the crimson sky, thy figure floats along. summary without success, a hunter (fowler) might try to bring you down as you float in silhouette against the crimson evening sky. notes 3. fowlers: hunters. 诗人把水鸟塑造成一个坚定的形象。,stanza 3 seekst thou the plashy 4 brink of weedy lake, or marge of river

22、 wide, 10 or where the rocking billows rise and sink on the chafed 5 ocean-side? summary are you looking for the marshy edge of a lake, the bank of a river, or the shore of the ocean? notes 4. .plashy: marshy, wet, having many puddles. 5. chafed: worn away by the sea.,stanza 4 there is a power 6 who

23、se care teaches thy way along that pathless coast the desert and illimitable air 15 lone wandering, but not lost. summary there is a power that leads you on your way across deserts and through unlimited expanses of air. you may be wandering and alone, but you are not lost. notes 6. .power: god. 水鸟如何

24、到达自己的目的地。一切都浑然天成，不论是在无形海岸还是无尽的天空，都有一种神秘的力作为它的向导。,stanza 5 all day thy wings have fanned, at that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere, yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, though the dark night is near. 20 summary you have been flapping your wings all day high in the sky, yet you continue on

25、even though night is near and land beckons beneath you. 此节开始，全诗的象征意味显明起来。凉夜将降，水鸟飞行终日，疲惫不堪，诗人却不希望它降临福地。,stanza 6 and soon that toil shall end; soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest, and scream among thy fellows; reeds 7 shall bend, soon, oer thy sheltered nest. summary soon your journey will e

26、nd. soon you will descend to your summer home. there, you will scream among others of your kind and find secure shelter among the tall grasses. notes 7. .reeds: tall grasses in marshland 这种象征意味更加明显。虽然描写得非常具象：水鸟熬过暗夜，结束旅程，迁徙至温暖的家。但此时它的同伴却“尖叫”起来，而芦苇也长过它曾憩息的地方。如此一联系，原诗中的rest也许不是单指休息，而是水鸟长途跋涉之后西去了。,stanz

27、a 7 thou rt gone, the abyss of heaven 25 hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, and shall not soon depart. summary i can no longer see you, but i will never forget the lesson you taught me. lesson?,stanza 8 he 8 who, from zone to zone, guides throug

28、h the boundless sky thy certain flight, 30 in the long way that i must tread alone, will lead my steps aright. summary god, who guides you from one place to another, will also guide me through life, leading me on the right path. notes 8. .he: god？,3.2.2 theme,just as god guides the waterfowl to its

29、summer home, so too he guides the speaker of the poem through life to his ultimate destination, heaven. in the end, one will be able to say about the speaker what the speaker says about the waterfowl: the abyss of heaven / hath swallowed up thy form (lines 25-26). the poem is, in essence, a professi

30、on of faith in god.,3.2.3 meter,in each stanza, the poet uses iambic trimiter in lines 1 and 4 but iambic pentameter in lines 2 and 3. the second stanza illustrates this format:,3.2.4 structure and rhyme,bryant neatly divides the poem into eight stanzas, each with the same metrical structure and eac

31、h with the same rhyme pattern: the last syllable of the first line always rhymes with the last syllable of the third, and the last syllable of the second line always rhymes with the last syllable of the fourth. (lines 14 and 16 have different vowel sounds at the end; consequently, the syllables cont

32、aining them become a pararhyme.) the use of iambs (metrical feet each consisting of an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable) throughout the poem could be a way to suggest the flapping of wings.,3.2.5 examples of figures of speech,alliteration: while, whither (lines 1-2); depths, dost (line 3); their, thou, thy (lines 3-4); distant, do, darkly (lines 6-7) metaphor: last steps of day (comparison of the day to a creature that walks). anaphora（首语重复法）: repetition of soon (lines 21, 22, 24). anaphora is the repetition of a word, phrase, or