英语修辞与文体 论文

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme;

But you shall shine more bright in these contents

Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.

When wasteful war shall statues overturn,

And broils root out the work of masonry,

Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn

The living record of your memory.

'Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth; your praise shall still find room

Even in the eyes of all posterity

That wear this world out to the ending doom.

So, till the judgment that yourself arise,

You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes.

Sonnet 55 is one of Shakespeare's most famous works and a noticeable deviation from other sonnets in which he appears insecure about his relationships and his own self-worth. Here we canfind an impassioned burst of confidence as the poet claims to have the power to keep his friend's memory alive evermore.

We should focus on the translation of this poem at first. Not marble, nor the gold-plated shrines. Of princes shall outlive the power of poetry. You shall shine more bright in these verses than on dust-covered gravestones, ravaged by time.When devastating war shall overturn statues and conflicts destroy the mason's handiwork, the cause of war (Mars) nor the effects of war (fire) shall destroy the living record of your memory (this poem). Against death and destruction, which render people forgotten,shall you push onward; praise of you will always find a place even in the eyes of future generations. That survives until the end of humanity.So, until you arise on Judgment Day,you are immortalized in this poetry, and continue to live in lovers' eyes.

Then we will discuss its stylistics.

First, we focus on this poem ’s rhyme. Sonnet 55 is a fourteen-line sonnet, metered in iambic pentameter:

x / x / x / x / x /

No marble, nor the gilded monuments

x / x / x / x / x /

Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme

It consists of three quartrains followed by a couplet. The rhyme scheme is ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

Not marble, nor the gilded monuments Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme But you shall shine more bright in these contents Than unswept stone, besmeared with sluttish time When wasteful war shall statues overturn

And broils root out the work of masonry Nor Mars his sword nor war’s quick fire shall burn The living record of your memory

Gainst death and all-oblivious enmity

Shall you pace forth, your praise shall still find room

Even in the eye of all posterity That wear this world out to the ending doom So, till the judgment that yourself arise You live in this, and dwell in lover ’s eyes

Second, we focus on this poem ’s metaphor. The poet uses metaphors like marble, monuments, and stone in the first four lines to say that none of them will be as everlasting as this poem. Then he says that war and broil may destroy many tough things like statues and masonry, but not people ’s memory of you ——the hero in this poem. It will survive your death and all the powers which work against you.You shall still move on, people will always honor you even their offsprings will praise you for

A B A B C D C D E F E F G G