英国文学诗歌整理
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The Passio nateShephe rd To His Love
1
COME live with me, and be my love;
And we will all the pleasu res prove
That hillsand valley s, dalesand fields, Woodsor steepy mounta in yields.
2
And we will sit upon the rocks,
Seeing the shephe rds feed theirflocks
By shallo w rivers, to whosefalls
Melodi ous birdssing madrig als.
3
And I will make thee beds of roses,
And a thousa nd fragra nt posies;
A cap of flower s, and a kirtle
Embroi der'd all with leaves of myrtle
4
A gown made of the finest wool
Whichfrom our pretty lambswe pull;
Fair-linedslippe rs for the cold,
With buckle s of the purest gold;
5
A belt of strawand ivy-buds,
With coralclasps and amberstuds:
And if thesepleasu res may thee move, Come live with me, and be my love.
6
The shephe rd-swains shalldanceand sing For thy deligh t each May mornin g:
If thesedeligh ts thy mind may move, Then live with me, and be my love.
Song to Celia
By:Ben Jonson
Drinkto me only with thineeyes
And I will pledge with mine
Or leavea kiss but in the cup
And I'll not look for wine
The thirst that from the soul doth rise Doth ask a drinkdivine
But mightI of Jove's Nectar sup
I wouldnot change for thine
I sent thee late a rosy wreath
Not so much honori ng thee
As giving it a hope, that there
It couldnot wither ed be
But thou thereon did'st only breath e And sent'st it back to me
Sincewhen it grows, and smells, I swearNot of itself. but thee
John Donne- Song
Go, and catcha fallin g star,
Get with childa mandra ke root,
Tell me whereall past yearsare,
Or who cleftthe Devil's foot,
Teachme to hear mermai ds singin g,
Or to keep off envy's stingi ng,
And find
What wind
Serves to advanc e an honest mind.
If thou be'st born to strang e sights,
Things invisi ble to see,
Ride ten thousa nd days and nights,
Till Age snow whitehairson thee,
Thou, when thou return'st, wilt tell me
All strang e wonder s that befell thee,
And swear
Nowher e
Livesa womantrue, and fair.
If thou find'st one, let me know,
Such a pilgri mage8 were sweet;
Yet do not, I wouldnot go,
Though at next door we mightmeet; Though9 she were true when you met her, And last till you writeyour letter,
Yet she
Will be
False, ere I come, to two or three.
The Good-M orrow
I wonder by my troth, what thou and I
Did, till we loved? Were we not weaned till then,
But sucked on countr y pleasu res, childi shly?
Or snorte d we in the SevenSleepe rs' den?
'Twas so; but this, all pleasu res fancie s be.
If ever any beauty I did see,
WhichI desire d, and got, 'twas but a dreamof thee. And now good morrow to our waking souls,
Whichwatchnot one anothe r out of fear;
For love, all love of othersights contro ls,
And makesone little room, an everyw here.
Let sea-discov erers to new worlds have gone,
Let maps to other, worlds on worlds have shown,
Let us posses s one world, each hath one, and is one. My face in thineeye, thinein mine appear s,
And true plainhearts do in the facesrest;
Wherecan we find two better hemisp heres,
Withou t sharpnorth, withou t declin ing west?
Whatev er dies, was not mixedequall y;
If our two lovesbe one, or, thou and I
Love so alike, that none do slacke n, none can die.
A Valedi ction: Forbid dingM ourni ng
As virtuo us men pass mildly away,
And whispe r to theirsouls, to go,
Whilst some of theirsad friend s do say, "The breath goes now," and some say, "No:"
情正如德高的人逝世很安然
对灵魂轻轻的说声走
悲恸的朋友们聚在一起
有的说断气了,有的说没有
So let us melt, and make no noise,
No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempes ts move;
'Twereprofan ation of our joys
To tell the laityour love.
让我们化了,一声也不作
泪浪也不翻,叹风也不兴。
那是亵渎我们的欢乐
要是对俗人讲我们的爱情。
Moving of th' earthbrings harmsand fears; Men reckon what it did, and meant;
But trepid ation of the sphere s,
Though greate r far, is innoce nt.
地动带来灾害和惊恐
人们估计,它干什么,要怎么样
可是那些天体的震动
虽然大的多,什么也不伤
Absenc e, becaus e it doth remove
Thosethings whichelemen ted it.
世俗的男女彼此的相好
(他们的灵魂是官能)就最好
别离,因为那就会取消,
组成爱恋的那一套东西。
But we by a love so much refin'd,
That oursel ves know not what it is, Inter-assure d of the mind,
Care less, eyes, lips, and handsto miss. 我们被爱情提炼的纯净
自己却不知存什么念头
互相在心灵上得到了保证
再也不愁碰不到眼睛,嘴和手。
Our two soulstheref ore, whichare one, Though I must go, endure not yet
A breach, but an expans ion,
Like gold to airy thinne ss beat.
两个灵魂达成了一片
虽说我得走,却并不变成
破裂,而只是向外延伸
象金子打到了薄薄的一层
If they be two, they are two so
As stifftwin compas ses are two;
Thy soul, the fix'd foot, makesno show To move, but doth, if the' otherdo.
我就算两个吧,两个却这样。
和一副两脚的圆规情况相同
And though it in the centre sit,
Yet when the otherfar doth roam,
It leans, and hearke ns afterit,
And growserect, as that comeshome.
虽然它一直是在中心
可是另一个去天涯海角
它就侧了身,倾听八垠
那一个一回家,它就马上挺腰。
Such wilt thou be to me, who must
Like th' otherfoot, obliqu ely run;
Thy firmne ss makesmy circle just,
And makesme end, whereI begun.
你对我就会这样子,我一生
像另外那一脚,得侧身打转
你坚定,我的圆圈也会准
我才会终结在开始的地方
Summar y
The speake r explai ns that he is forced to spendtime apartfrom his lover, but before he leaves, he tellsher that theirfarewe ll should not be the occasi on for mourni ng and sorrow. In the same way that virtuo us men die mildly and withou t compla int, he says, so they should leavewithou t “tear-floods” and “sigh-tempes ts,” for to public ly announ ce theirfeelin gs in such a way wouldprofan e theirlove. The speake r says that when the earthmoves, it brings “harmsand fears,” but when the sphere s experi ence“trepid ation,” though the impact is greate r, it is also innoce nt. The love of “dull sublun ary lovers” cannot surviv e separa tion, but it remove s that whichconsti tutes the love itself; but the love he shares with his belove d is so refine d and “Inter-assure d of the mind” that they need no t worryaboutmissin g “eyes, lips, and hands.”
it “to aery thinne ss,” the soul they sharewill simply stretc h to take in all the spacebetwee n them. If theirsoulsare separa te, he says, they are like the feet of a compas s: His lover‟s soul is the fixedfoot in the center, and his is the foot that movesaround it. The firmne ss of the center foot makesthe circle that the outerfoot drawsperfec t: “Thy firmne ss makesmy circle just, / And makesme end, whereI begun.”
Form
The nine stanza s of this Valedi ction are quitesimple compar ed to many of Donne‟s poems, whichutiliz e strang e metric al patter ns overla id jarrin gly on regula r rhymescheme s. Here, each four-line stanza is quiteunador ned, with an ABAB rhymescheme and an iambic tetram etermeter.
Commen tary
“A Valedi ction: forbid dingMourni ng” is one of Donne‟s most famous and simple st poemsand also probab ly his most direct statem ent of his idealof spirit ual love. For all his erotic carnal ity in poems,such as “The Flea,” Donneprofes sed a devoti on to a kind of spirit ual love that transc ended the merely physic al. Here, antici patin g a physic al separa tionfrom his belove d, he invoke s the nature of that spirit ual love to ward off the “tear-floods” and “sigh-tempes ts” th at mightotherw ise attend on theirfarewe ll. The poem is essent ially a sequen ce of metaph ors and compar isons, each descri binga way of lookin g at theirsepara tionthat will help them to avoidthe mourni ng forbid den by the poem‟s title.
First, the speake r says that theirfarewe ll should be as mild as the uncomp laini ng deaths of virtuo us men, for to weep wouldbe “profan ation of our joys.” Next, the
speake r compar es harmfu l “Moving of th‟ earth” to innoce nt “trepid ation of the sphere s,” equati ng the firstwith “dull sublun ary lovers‟ love” and the second with theirlove, “Inter-assure d of the mind.” Like the rumbli ng earth, the dull sublun ary (sublun ary meanin g litera lly beneat h the moon and also subjec t to the moon) lovers are all physic al, unable to experi encesepara tionwithou t losing the sensat ion that compri ses and sustai ns theirlove. But the spirit ual lovers “Care less, eyes, lips, and handsto miss,” becaus e, like the trepid ation (vibrat ion) of the sphere s (the concen tricglobes that surrou ndedthe earthin
Also, like the trepid ation of the sphere s, theirmoveme nt will not have the harmfu l conseq uence s of an earthq uake.
The speake r then declar es that, sincethe lovers‟ two soulsare one, his depart ure will simply expand the area of theirunifie d soul, rather than causea rift betwee n them. If, howeve r, theirsoulsare “two” instea d of “one”, they are as the feet of a drafte r‟s compas s, connec ted, with the center foot fixing the orbitof the outerfoot and helpin g it to descri be a perfec t circle. The compas s (the instru mentused for drawin g circle s) is one of Donne‟s most famous metaph ors, and it is the perfec t imageto encaps ulate the values of Donne‟s spirit ual love, whichis balanc ed, symmet rical, intell ectua l, seriou s, and beauti ful in its polish ed simpli city.
Like many of Donne‟s love poem s(includ ing “The Sun Rising” and “The Canoni zatio n”), “A Valedi ction: forbid dingMourni ng” create s a dichot omy betwee n the common love of the everyd ay worldand the uncomm on love of the speake r. Here, the speake r claims that to tell “t he laity,” or the common people, of his love wouldbe to profan e its sacred nature, and he is clearl y contem ptuou s of the dull sublun ary love of otherlovers. The effect of this dichot omy is to create a kind of emotio nal aristo cracy that is simila r in form to the politi cal aristo cracy with whichDonnehas had painfu lly bad luck throug houthis life and whichhe commen ted upon in poems,
such as “The Canoni zatio n”: This emotio nal aristo cracy is simila r in form to the politi cal one but utterl y oppose d to it in spirit. Few in number are the emotio nal aristo crats who have access to the spirit ual love of the sphere s and the compas s; throug houtall of Donne‟s writin g, the member shipof this eliteneverinclud es more than the speake r and his lover—or at the most, the speake r, his lover,and the reader of the poem, who is called upon to sympat hizewith Donne‟s romant ic plight.
Holy Sonnet s: Death, Be Not Proud
BY JOHN DONNE
Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadf ul, for thou art not so;
For thosewhom thou think'st thou dost overth row
Die not, poor Death, nor yet canstthou kill me.
From rest and sleep, whichbut thy pictur es be,
Much pleasu re; then from thee much more must flow, And soones t our best men with thee do go,
Rest of theirbones, and soul's delive ry.
Thou art slaveto fate, chance, kings, and desper ate men, And dost with poison, war, and sickne ss dwell,
And poppyor charms can make us sleepas well
And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?
One shortsleeppast, we wake eterna lly
And deathshallbe no more; Death, thou shaltdie.
Counse l to Girls
by Robert Herric k
Gather ye rose-buds whileye may,
Old Timesis stilla-flying:
And this same flower that smiles to-day, To-morrow will be dying.
The glorio us Lamp of Heaven, the Sun, The higher he's a-gettin g
The sooner will his race be run,
And nearer he's to settin g.
That age is best whichis the first,
When youthand bloodare warmer;
But beingspend, the worse, and worstTimes, stillsuccee d the former.
Then be not coy, but use your time;
And whileye may, go marry:
For having lost but once your prime,
You may for ever tarry.
Virtue
George Herber t
Sweetday, so cool, so calm, so bright, The bridal of the earthand sky;
The dew shallweep thy fall tonigh t,
For thou must die.
Sweetrose, shoeshue, angryand brave, Bids the rash gazerwipe his eye;
Thy root is ever in its grave,
And thou must die.
Sweetspring, full of sweetdays and roses, A box wheresweets compac ted lie;
My musicshowsye have your closes, And all must die.
Only a sweetand virtuo us soul,
Like season ed timber, nevergives;
But though the wholeworldturn to coal, Then chiefl y lives.
To His Coy M istre ss
BY ANDREW MARVEL L
Had we but worldenough and time, This coynes s, lady, were no crime.
We wouldsit down, and thinkwhichway To walk, and pass our long love's day. Thou by the Indian Ganges‟ s ide
Should st rubies find; I by the tide
Of Humber wouldcompla in. I wouldLove you ten yearsbefore the flood,
And you should, if you please, refuse
Till the conver sionof the Jews.
My vegeta ble love should grow
Vaster than empire s and more slow;
An hundre d yearsshould go to praise Thineeyes, and on thy forehe ad gaze; Two hundre d to adoreeach breast,
But thirty thousa nd to the rest;
An age at leastto everypart,
And the last age should show your heart. For, lady, you deserv e this state,
Nor wouldI love at lowerrate.
But at my back I always hear
Time's wingèd chario t hurryi ng near; And yonder all before us lie
Desert s of vast eterni ty.
Thy beauty shallno more be found; Nor, in thy marble vault, shallsound
My echoin g song; then wormsshalltry
And into ashesall my lust;
The grave's a fine and privat e place,
But none, I think, do thereembrac e. Now theref ore, whilethe youthf ul hue Sits on thy skin like mornin g dew,
And whilethy willin g soul transp ires
At everypore with instan t fires,
Now let us sportus whilewe may,
And now, like amorou s birdsof prey, Rather at once our time devour
Than langui sh in his slow-chappe d power. Let us roll all our streng th and all
Our sweetn ess up into one ball,
And tear our pleasu res with roughstrife Throug h the iron gatesof life:
Thus, though we cannot make our sun Standstill, yet we will make him run.
An Essayon Critic ism (215-232)--- AboutLearni ng
Alexan der Pope的A n Essayon Critic ism (Excerp t: lines215-232),这首诗是讲艺术的,一知半解是一件危险的事情,浅尝辄止使我们沾沾自喜,一开始的时候都是被艺术璀璨的光芒所吸引,年少无知的我们立志要攀上艺术的高峰,然而初涉此地后我们就迷失了方向,看不到前面的路,开始困惑起来,若是坚持住继续前行,你会发现意想不到的风景。
再后来,当你小有成就时,你会感到无比愉悦,但回望走过的路会使我们颤抖,前面的路更不好走,需要付出更多的艰辛和努力,而且前面山外有山永无止境。
世事莫不如此啊。
A little learni ng is a danger ous thing;
Drinkdeep, or tastenot the Pieria n spring:
一知半解危害不浅
彼埃利亚泉水如不痛饮就别只尝一点
Thereshallo w draugh ts intoxi catethe brain,
And drinki ng largel y sobers us again.
浅酌只能使我们懵懂
痛饮才能让我们清醒
Firedat firstsightwith what the Muse impart s,
In fearle ss youthwe temptthe height s of arts,
一下子就激发于缪斯所传
年少无畏的我们要翻越艺术的高山
Whilefrom the bounde d levelof our mind
Shortviewswe take, nor see the length s behind;
然而我们的心灵受到束缚
短视的我们看不到下面的长度
But more advanc ed, behold with strang e surpri se
New distan t scenes of endles s scienc e rise!
So please d at firstthe toweri ng Alps we try, Mountover the vales, and seem to treadthe sky, 如此愉悦首次如愿登上阿尔卑斯山
谷连着山,仿佛漫步在云间
The eterna l snowsappear alread y past,
And the firstclouds and mounta ins seem the last; 不化的积雪已经越过
最初的云朵和山峦似乎才刚刚经过
But, thoseattain ed, we trembl e to survey
The growin g labors of the length enedway;
俯瞰走过的路我们在颤抖
前面的路更加不好走
The increa singprospe ct tiresour wander ing eyes, Hillsover hills, and Alps on Alps arise!
前面不绝的美景迷离了我们的双眼
山相连,阿尔卑斯漫无边
On His Blindn ess
When I consid er how my lightis spent,
Ere half my days, in this dark worldand wide,
And that one talent whichis deathto hide
Lodged with me useles s, though my soul more bent
To servetherew ith my Maker, and presen t
My true accoun t, lest he return ing chide,
"Doth God exactday labor, lightdenied?"
I fondly ask; but Patien ce, to preven t
That murmur, soon replie s: "God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts; who best
Bear his mild yoke, they servehim best. His state
Is kingly: thousa nds at his biddin g speed
And post o'er land and oceanwithou t rest.
They also servewho only standand wait. "
译注:
1.这是一首十四行诗,属彼得拉克体,韵式为ABB A,ABBA,CDE,CDE,仍是意大利式的前八行(octave)和后六行(sestet)两个部分组成。
前八行描写诗人对失明的沮丧、悲观情绪,甚至怀疑上帝的不公待遇。
(费了这么多行才转到正题:“质问上帝”,但,想到那是跟上帝说话,而且弥尔顿那么虔诚,他说话一定是小心的、委婉的。
一个fond ly就能充分说明他战战兢兢、谨慎谦卑的心情。
) 后六行用对话的形式,描写内心争斗,并在这个过程中,让自己从郁闷的心情中解脱出来。
自己与自己的斗争往往是一种最残酷形式的斗争,这种纠结往往会使人痛苦不堪。
然而,从弥尔顿的诗行中,我们看到的是坦然,是面对,是希望。
这种对生命的积极向上的态度体现了弥尔顿是多么伟大!失明并不是侍奉上帝的障碍,而是侍奉上帝的必然部分,只有耐心地接受这个事实,才能做出更大的成就,来感谢上帝的恩赐。
人生固然有很多痛苦,具有大智大勇的人,在默默忍受命运折磨的时候,永远不会放弃希望和等待。
华兹华斯称赞十四行诗在弥尔顿的笔下“变成了战斗号角,他从中吹出生机蓬勃的曲调”。
2.弥尔顿从1644年视力就开始下降,1652年因《为英国人民声辩》(A Defens e of the Englis h People)的写作过度劳累而导致双目失明,这时他才44岁。
此诗是在1655年写成,当时弥尔顿47岁。
实际上,
和soul的对比;days, dark及world, wide的头韵,等等。
4.诗歌涉及不少典故,比如,他不但几次提到上帝(Maker,God),而且还提到那时当货币使用的Tal ent。
这个tale nt本意是才能、天赋,但在《圣经》里是这样的:《马太福音》第二十五章的故事,说主人要到远方去,把三位仆人叫来,按每人的才能派给银子去赚更多的钱。
他用tale nt做单位,古时tale nt 是衡量金子、银子的重量单位。
第一位仆人拿到五千ta lent银子,第二个拿到二千,第三个拿到一千。
第一和第二个仆人都去做生意,只有第三个仆人,把一千tal ent银子埋在了地里。
等主人回来算账时,第一个人赚了一倍,有一万,第二个人有四千,他却仍是一千。
主人便发怒,夺过他的一千给了第一个仆人;并且把这个废物仆人丢在黑暗里,哀哭切齿。
因此,“One talent”,“一千银子”,意思是说:“天赋最低的(才能)”、“庸才”。
所以,后面的 accoun t 显然指代的是这三个人的账面所得的财富。
而恰恰中文的“才”和“财”同音。
5.“mild yoke” 的典故也是出于《马太福音》第十一章:
6.诗歌用了大量跨行手法,使得全诗有一种近乎散文的婉转语调,读者一直读到最后一行,才感觉舒了一口气,因为最后一行是独立完整的诗行,直截了当,清晰得很。
这种手法也使得全诗浑然一体,你不得不读下去,直到最后看到结论。
注释:
ere:(古)before
doth:(古)does
fondly:(古)credul ously; foolis hly; unwise ly
yoke:(古)burden, worklo ad
lightis spent:双重意义,一是我的生命光阴,二是我视力给我带来的光明。
whichis deathto hide: to hide (talent) is death
useles s:unused未被使用过的
therew ith: by that means, by that talent; with it
accoun t: record of accomp lishm ent; worth参见译注第4条
exact: demand, requir e 要求
Patien ce: 拟人化的“耐心”,大写P,是拟人化的标志
mild yoke:不太重的劳动,yoke原意为辕,车辕,驾辕即指代劳作。
参见译注第5条
at one‟s biddin g: 遵命于。
;听。
的差遣;按照。
的意愿或命令办事
speed:动词,to promot e the succes s of (an affair, undert aking, etc.); furthe r, forwar d, or expedi te.使兴旺发达,使繁荣富强,促进;它与post并列,同是thou sands的谓语。
post:travel到处奔走
ON HIS DECEAS ED W IFE
John Milton
Me though t I saw my late espous ed Saint
Brough t to me like Alcest is from the grave,
Whom JovesgreatSon to her glad Husban d gave,Rescu'd from deathby forcethough pale and faint,Mine as whom washtfrom spot of child-bed taint,Purifi catio n in the old Law did save,
And such,as yet once more I trustto have
Full sightof her in Heaven withou t restra int,Came vested all in white,pure as her mind:
Her face was vail'd,yet to my fancie d sight,Love,sweetn ess,goodne ss,in her person shin'd So clear,as in no face with more deligh t.
But O as to embrac e me she enclin'd
I wak'd, she fled, and day brough t back my night.
W hat though the fieldbe lost?
What though the fieldbe lost?
虽战场失利又何足道哉?
All is not lost;th'unconq uerab le will,
我们并未彻底失败;那不屈的气概,
And studyof reveng e,immort al hate,
报复的急切,仇恨的难以消解,
And courag e neverto submit or yeild;
宁死不降,勇往不歇,
And what is else not to be overco me?
不可被征服还有别的什么可以匹敌?
That glorynevershallhis wrathor might
这份荣耀他休想凭狂怒或武力
Extort from me.To bow and sue for grace
来剥夺消灭。
我对他的帝国不屑一顾,
With suppli ant knee,and deifyhis power
要低头乞讨宽恕
卑躬屈膝,拜其强权为神甫,
Who,from the terror of this arm, so late
出于对这武力的恐惧,为时已晚,
*Doubte d his empire——that were low indeed;
那我才真的是太低贱;
That were an ignomi ny and shamebeneat h
那会比这次坠落更卑鄙更丢脸;
This downfa ll; since, by fate, the streng th of gods 既然,命中注定,天神的威力
And this empyre al substa nce,cannot fail;
和这空灵之物,不可与敌,
Since,throug h experi enceof this greatevent,
既然通过这场大事件洗礼,
In arms not worse,in foresi ght much advanc ed,
我们也许有更多成功的希冀,
To wage by forceor guileeterna l war,
决心要打一场持久的战争,靠武力,靠机智,Irreco ncibl e to our grandFoe,
向我们的头号敌人永不妥协,
Who now triump hs, and in th' excess of joy 他目前凯旋而归,一派狂喜,
So reigni ng holdsth' tyrann y of Heaven.
因此独掌天庭,正在施其暴虐。
ElegyW ritte n in a Countr y Church yardRelate d Poem Conten t Detail s BY THOMAS GRAY
The curfew tollsthe knellof partin g day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o'er the lea,
The plowma n homewa rd plodshis wearyway,
And leaves the worldto darkne ss and to me.
Now fadesthe glimm'ring landsc ape on the sight,
And all the air a solemn stilln ess holds,
Save wherethe beetle wheels his dronin g flight,
And drowsy tinkli ngs lull the distan t folds;
Save that from yonder ivy-mantle d tow'r
The moping owl does to the moon compla in
Of such, as wand'ring near her secret bow'r,
Molest her ancien t solita ry reign.
Beneat h thoserugged elms, that yew-tree's shade,
Whereheaves the turf in many a mould'ring heap,
Each in his narrow cell for ever laid,
The rude forefa thers of the hamlet sleep.
The breezy call of incens e-breath ing Morn,
The swallo w twitt'ring from the straw-builtshed,
The cock's shrill clario n, or the echoin g horn,
No more shallrousethem from theirlowlybed.
For them no more the blazin g hearth shallburn,
Or busy housew ife ply her evenin g care:
No childr en run to lisp theirsire's return,
Or climbhis kneesthe envied kiss to share.
Theirfurrow oft the stubbo rn glebehas broke; How jocund did they drivetheirteam afield!
How bow'd the woodsbeneat h theirsturdy stroke!
Let not Ambiti on mock theiruseful toil,
Theirhomely joys, and destin y obscur e;
Nor Grande ur hear with a disdai nfulsmile
The shortand simple annals of the poor.
The boastof herald ry, the pomp of pow'r,
And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave, Awaits aliketh' inevit ablehour.
The pathsof glorylead but to the grave.
Nor you, ye proud, impute to thesethe fault,
If Mem'ry o'er theirtomb no trophi es raise,
Wherethro' the long-drawnaisleand frette d vaultThe pealin g anthem swells the note of praise.
Can storie d urn or animat ed bust
Back to its mansio n call the fleeti ng breath?
Can Honour's voiceprovok e the silent dust,
Or Flatt'ry soothe the dull cold ear of Death?
Perhap s in this neglec ted spot is laid
Some heartonce pregna nt with celest ial fire; Hands, that the rod of empire mighthave sway'd, Or wak'd to ecstas y the living lyre.
But Knowle dge to theireyes her amplepage
Rich with the spoils of time did ne'er unroll;
Full many a gem of purest ray serene,
The dark unfath om'd cavesof oceanbear:
Full many a flow'r is born to blushunseen,
And wasteits sweetn ess on the desert air.
Some villag e-Hampde n, that with dauntl ess breast The little tyrant of his fields withst ood;
Some mute inglor iousMilton here may rest, Some Cromwe ll guiltl ess of his countr y's blood.
Th' applau se of list'ning senate s to comman d, The threat s of pain and ruin to despis e,
To scatte r plenty o'er a smilin g land,
And read theirhist'ry in a nation's eyes,
Theirlot forbad e: nor circum scrib'd alone
Theirgrowin g virtue s, but theircrimes confin'd; Forbad e to wade throug h slaugh ter to a throne, And shut the gatesof mercyon mankin d,
The strugg lingpangsof consci ous truthto hide, To quench the blushe s of ingenu ous shame,
Or heap the shrine of Luxury and Pride
With incens e kindle d at the Muse's flame.
Far from the maddin g crowd's ignobl e strife, Theirsoberwishes neverlearn'd to stray;
Alongthe cool seques ter'd vale of life
They kept the noisel ess tenorof theirway.
With uncout h rhymes and shapel ess sculpt ure deck'd, Implor es the passin g tribut e of a sigh.
Theirname, theiryears, speltby th' unlett er'd muse, The placeof fame and elegysupply:
And many a holy text around she strews,
That teachthe rustic morali st to die.
For who to dumb Forget fulne ss a prey,
This pleasi ng anxiou s beinge'er resign'd,
Left the warm precin cts of the cheerf ul day,
Nor cast one longin g, ling'ring look behind?
On some fond breast the partin g soul relies,
Some piousdropsthe closin g eye requir es;
Ev'n from the tomb the voiceof Nature cries,
Ev'n in our asheslive theirwonted fires.
For thee, who mindfu l of th' unhono ur'd Dead
Dost in theselinestheirartles s tale relate;
If chance, by lonely contem plati on led,
Some kindre d spirit shallinquir e thy fate,
Haplysome hoary-headed swainmay say,
"Oft have we seen him at the peep of dawn
Brushi ng with hastystepsthe dews away
To meet the sun upon the upland lawn.
"Thereat the foot of yonder noddin g beech
That wreath es its old fantas tic rootsso high,
His listle ss length at noonti de wouldhe stretc h,
"Hard by yon wood, now smilin g as in scorn,
Mutt'ring his waywar d fancie s he wouldrove,
Now droopi ng, woeful wan, like one forlor n,
Or craz'd with care, or cross'd in hopele ss love.
"One morn I miss'd him on the custom'd hill, Alongthe heathand near his fav'rite tree;
Anothe r came; nor yet beside the rill,
Nor up the lawn, nor at the wood was he;
"The next with dirges due in sad array
Slow thro' the church-way path we saw him borne. Approa ch and read (for thou canstread) the lay, Grav'd on the stonebeneat h yon aged thorn."
THE EPITAP H
Here restshis head upon the lap of Earth
A youthto Fortun e and to Fame unknow n.
Fair Scienc e frown'd not on his humble birth,
And Melanc holymark'd him for her own.
Largewas his bounty, and his soul sincer e,
Heav'n did a recomp enseas largel y send:
He gave to Mis'ry all he had, a tear,
He gain'd from Heav'n ('twas all he wish'd) a friend.
No farthe r seek his merits to disclo se,
Or draw his frailt ies from theirdreadabode, (Therethey alikein trembl ing hope repose)
The bosomof his Father and his God.
Tyger
Tyger! Tyger! burnin g bright,
In the forest s of the night,
What immort al hand or eye
Couldframethy fearfu l symmet ry?
In what distan t deepsor skies
Burntthe fire of thineeyes?
On what wingsdare he aspire?
What the hand dare siezethe fire?
And what should er, & what art,
Couldtwistthe sinews of thy heart?
And when thy heartbeganto beat, What dreadhand? & what dreadfeet?
What the hammer? what the chain?
In what furnac e was thy brain?
What the anvil? what dreadgrasp
Dare its deadly terror s clasp?
When the starsthrewdown theirspears, And water'd heaven with theirtears,
Did he smilehis work to see?
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
Tyger! Tyger! burnin g bright
In the forest s of the night,
What immort al hand or eye
Dare framethy fearfu l symmet ry?。