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【摘要】诗歌是一种语词凝练、结构跳跃、富有节奏和韵律、高度集中地反映生活和表达思想感情的文学体裁。本文着重语词、内涵等方面分析诗歌的特点,使读者对诗歌的概念和基本特征有一个宏观认识。
【关键词】诗歌;定义
DefinitionofPoetry
RobertPinskyoncesaid:“Poetry...isanancientartortechnology:olderthanthecomputer,olderthanprint,olderthanwritingandindeed,thoughsomemayfindthissurprising,mucholderthanprose.Ipresumethatthetechnologyofpoetry,usingthehumanbodyasitsmedium,evolvedforspecificuses;toholdthingsinmemory,bothwithinandbeyondtheindividuallifespan;toachieveintensityandsensuousappeal;toexpressfeelingsandideasrapidlyandmemorably;tosharethosefeelingsandideaswithcompanions,andalsowiththedeadandwiththosetocomeafterus.”
Poetryisoneofthemostancientliteraryforms.Itappearedthousandsofyearsagointheworldasaformofliterature.InChina,thereisBookofPoetry;InGreek,thereisHomerEpic.PoetryisoneoftheearliestliteraryformsinancientIndia,EgyptandRome.InBritain,theearliestepicisBeowulfwritteninAnglo-Saxonperiod.Eversincethen,peopleinallworksoflife,especiallythoseeducated,sensitivemen,careaboutpoems.Simplepoemsevencaninterestchildren,becausepoetrycanbringpleasantsensationtothem.Peopleregardthepoetryasthemainthingofindividuallife.Poetryalsohasitsspecialvaluetoourspirituallife.Itplaysaveryimportantroleinourlife.Itcaresallkindsofexperiences;nomatterthisexperienceishappyorunhappy,specialorordinary,nobleorhumble,realisticorimaginative.Inpoetry,thiskindofexperiences,eventheunfortunateones,canbecomeobjectsforpeople’sappreciation.Althoughsuchexperiencescannotbringpleasantsensationinreallife,theycanenjoythereaderswiththeformofpoetry.Thus,poetrygivesusvitalityandenjoyment.JustasWilliamWordsworthoncesaid:"Poetryisthespontaneousoverflowofpowerfulfeelings:ittakesitsoriginfromemotionrecollectedintranquility:theemotioniscontemplatedtill,byaspeciesofreaction,thetranquilitygraduallydisappears,andanemotion,kindredtothatwhichwasthesubjectofcontemplation,isgraduallyproduced,anddoesitselfactuallyexistinthemind."(fromPrefacetoLyricalBallads).Throughreadingpoetry,wemayunderstandmoredeeplyabouthuman’sfeelingsandfurthermoreaboutlifeitself.
Poetryusesakindofcondensedlanguagetoshowlifeorfeelings,orsomeotherthings.Inthispoint,poetryisquitedifferentfromproseandnovels,sounderstandingpoetryismuchmoredifficultthanunderstandingproseandnovels.Icansaypoetryistheartofliterature,usingfewestwordstoexpressutmostmeanings.Poetryisthemirrorofourlife.Nomatterwhichnationitis,onceopeningitspoems,wemayfindpoemsrecordedeveryrisinganddecliningofhistoricalperiodofeachnation.Readingpoetry,wecanknowhistory,politics,economy,reformetcofdifferentcountriesinvariousperiods.Thepoetichistoryisalsothenation’sdevelopmentprocess.Whileexpressingideasorfeelingsorsomeothermeanings,poetsoftendependonsomeliterarytechniques,suchasmeter,naturalcadences,rhymeormetaphoretc.Thus,poetrycanexpressprofoundmeaningsinadisguisedway.
Poetryisalsothephilosophyoflife.Manysentencesofpoemsbecomemottos,whichleavelastingreputationinthewholeworld.Ithasevenbecomethelegacyofallhumanbeings.Forexample,inShelley’sOdetoTheWest,thereisafamoussentence:“…Oh,wind,Ifwintercomes,canSpringbefarbehind?”Thisfamoussayinghasencouragedmanypeopleintheworld.Whentheyfacedifficulties,ortheyareinmiserabletime,theywillthinkofitasencouragementtolightentheirforwardway.Inthisway,wecansaythatthepoemistheimportantlegacyofallhumanbeings.
Thefollowingpartisanexampletoseewhattherealpoemis.Afteranalyzingthispoem,wemayhaveaclearunderstandingaboutthedefinitionofthepoem.Hereisapoem:
TheFaithfulSwallow
——byThomasHardy
Whensummershone
Itssweeteston
AnAugustday,
“Hereevermore,”
Isaid,“I’llstay;
Notgoaway
Toanothershore
Asficklethey!”
Decembercame:
“Twasnotthesame!”
Ididnotknow
Fidelity
Wouldservemeso.
Frost,hunger,snow
Andnow,ahme,
Toolatetogo!
Thispoemcontainsonlyafewwords.Itisaboutaswallowwhichdidnotmigratewiththeotherbirds,andisnowsufferingindespairinthecoldwinter.Someofthewords,suchas“faithful”,“fickle”and“fidelity”,mayremindyouofthewaywetalkaboutloveandmarriage.Infact,thepoemisaboutpeopleinlove,andusestheswallowasanimage.Thepoemhastwostanzas,andthereisagapbetweenthem.Thefirstsectionshowsthatthesummerfidelityseemsrightandgood,andthesecondsectionshowsthatfidelityhasbroughtsufferinganddespairwhenwintercomes.Herewecanseethatthedifferentsectionsofapoemalwaysrelatetoeachother.Inthispoem,thefirstsectionisaboutsummerandhope;thesecondsectionisaboutwinteranddespair.Sothetwosectionsofthispoemcontrastwitheachother.Theyaresetinoppositeseasons,andexpressoppositefeelingsaboutfidelity.Throughrereadingthepoem,Ifoundmoredetailsfitintothecontraststructure:ontheonesidesummer“shone”its“sweetest”in“August”;ontheotherside,“December”was“frost,hunger,snow”.Contemptforotherswallowsinsummerchangestoenvytheminwinter.Theseason,emotionsandopinionsareallpartofthebasiccontrastwhichgivesshapetothepoem.
Basedonwhatwehavetalkedabove,wemayfindthethemeofthispoem,whichisalsothewriter’spurpose.“TheFaithfulSwallow”isaboutpeople’shopesanddisappointments,andexpressesthecontrastbetweenthem.Hardycontraststhebrightidealistichopespeoplehavewhentheyareyoungwiththemiseryanddespairtheycometointheend.Thesuddenoppositionbetweenthetwostanzasaddstotheeffectofthepoem,becauseitexpresseshowhopeiscrushedbycruelexperience,verystarklyandsuddenly.InreallifeHardymayhavelearnedthemiseryofdisappointmentovermanyyearsofslowchangeashegrewolder.Inthepoemthesharpcontrastbetweenthetwostanzasheightensthepainfulnessofdisappointmentbymakingitseemtohappeninamoment.
Usuallyspeaking,theswallowisquiteanordinarybirdinourmind.Butinthispoemtheauthorendowstheswallowsomeothermeanings.Wecanseeitclearlyevenfromthetitle“TheFaithfulSwallow”.Thenafterreadingandanalyzingthispoem,thereadermaythinkcarefullywhethertobefaithfulisonearthgoodornot.“Tobefaithful”leadsthepoorswallowintothemisery.Thesamethingsoftenhappeninourreallife.Sometimeswedosomethingfaithfullyandmeettrouble.Thuswecanseethatpoetrycangenerateourimagination.Wemaythinkmoreaboutwhatthelifeis,andwhatkindofattitudeweshouldhavetowardlife.Thisisthebasicfunctionofpoetry----toeducatepeople,andenrichtheirlifeexperience.
Understandingpoetryreliesontreatingpoemsascrisesfromunwrittenstories,sowemayfindtheelementswhichtogethermakeuptheexperiencethepoemconveys.However,insomepoetry,thevitalelementsareexpressedinimagesratherthandirectlanguage.Thenwemustrereadingthepoemandfindwhattheimagerepresents.Remember:Poetsdonotmaketheirexperiencesliveincharactersorastory;poetryexplainsitsmeaninginanypatternofwordswhichevokesafeelingandcommunicatesthepoet’scomplexidea.Itisnecessarytobeflexible,therefore,inapproachingpoems.
Fromwhatwehavediscussedabove,wecanseethateveryword,everysentenceofpoem,mustreachitsutmostintensity.Thatistosay,itmustbedifferentfromcommonlanguageinexpressingideas.Poetsshouldusesourcematerialsasmuchaspossibleofferedbythelanguageitself,andthenbasedonsomeliterarytechniquessuchasassociation,imagination,simile,metaphor,contrast,comparison,rhyme,sarcastic,etcaswellassomelifeexperiencetoexpresstheunderlyingmeanings.Thesuccessfulpoemshavenoextraword.Thegoodpoemisjustlikeatree,whichformsitsownstructureandorganizesbyitself.Thegoodpoemisalsoanorganism,inwhicheverypartmustserveausefulpurposeandeverypartmustcooperatewithoneanothertoshowtheinnerlifeofthepoem.Asforthereaders,whilewearereadingpoems,weareenjoyingaprocessofappreciation.Weareappreciatingnotonlythehappiness,butalsothebitternessofpoems.SamuelJohnsononcesaid:"Theendofwritingistoinstruct;theendofpoetryistoinstructbypleasing."(fromPrefacetoShakespeare)
Inmyopinion,poetryisacompositiondesignedtoconveyavividandimaginativesenseofexperience,characterizedbytheuseofcondensedlanguage,aswellasliterarytechniques.Poetryisthemostoutstandingrepresentativeofpeople’slife,soreadingpoemsisalsotheprocessofunderstandingtheprofoundmeaningsofourlife.
Bibliography:
[1]ForrestG.Robinson:《剑桥文学指南哈代》,上海教育出版社,2001年版
[2]劳•坡林:《怎样欣赏英美诗歌》,北京出版社,1985年版
[3]童庆炳主编:《文学理论教程》,高等教育出版社,1997年版
[4]王佐良:《英诗的境界》,三联书店出版社,1996年版
[5]赵世平:《英诗知识与赏析》,陕西师范大学出版社,1992年版