米尔顿悼念莎士比亚诗欣赏

keatslover

on shakespear
             1630
   what needs my shakespear for his honour'd Bones,
   The labour of an age in piled stones,
   or that his hallow'd reliques should be hid
   under a star-ypointing pyramid?
   Dear son of memory ,great heir of Fame,
   What need'st thou such weak witnes of thy name?
   Thou in our wonder and astonishment
   Hast built thy self a live-long Monument.
   For whilst to th'shame of Slow-endeavouring art,
   Thy easie numbers flow ,and that each heart
   Hath from the leaves of thy unvalu'd Book,
   Those Delphick lines with deep impression took ,
   Then thou our fancy of it self bereaving,
   Dost make us Marble with too much conceaving ;
   And so sepulcher'd in such pomp dost lie,
   That Kings for such a Tomb would wish to die.  
    这是一首米尔顿纪念，或者是说像无数人一样抒发自己对莎士比亚热爱的诗。诗的起首是两个修辞疑问句，仿佛是自问自答般地指出莎士比亚的名声之不朽，这样的开首方式当然要比以叙述句直接叙述要来的有力，其中指向星空的金字塔（star-ypointing pyramid)一个意像鲜明而有生动。接着，米尔顿又指出你给我们带来的新奇和惊异已经为你竖立起了一个不朽的纪念碑。下面一句for进一步解释其理由：我费力的艺术（这里是将art拟人，也是米尔顿自谦）感觉羞愧的是，你的诗歌轻松自如。你那阿波罗神谕般的诗行中对人们的心灵留下深刻的印记，从而在对你的诗歌的阅读中为你树立起了帝王都会羡慕，富丽堂皇的墓地。再这几句中Conceiving一词带有深意，除了思考的含义以外，这个词语还有孕育的意思从而进一步强调了其艺术的不朽---即便在大理石之下还富有生机。dear son of memory 和Delphick lines 两句表明米尔顿是将莎士比亚视为是一个庇护艺术的神灵。全诗共16行，基本是英雄双雄体联句，但是第二句缺一个音节（除非piled 算两个音节）， bereaving 和conceaving 两个韵为仅有的阴韵。for一句起句突兀，强调了thy easie numbers flow。