朗费罗及人生礼赞赏析

Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
Life is real— Life is earnest—
人生即真，不能虚度!
And the grave is not its goal;
坟墓并非人生追求的目标；
You are from dust and return to dust
Dust thou art, to dust returnest,
你来自尘土，归于尘土,
the quotation from the Bible
Was not spoken of the soul.
这并非对灵魂的写照。
The second stanza points further out that a person may die but his spirit will not.
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His Life
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After graduating in 1825, he was offered a job as professor of modern languages at his alma mater （母校）.
Then he went to Europe to study language, against the wish of his father who thought his son should become a lawyer. For 4 years, he studied languages in France, Spain, Italy, Germany and England.



stout: strong muffled: make a sound quieter bivouac: camp dumb: unable to speak cattle: cows and bulls strife: conflict, struggle howe’er: however
New Words



Psalm[sɑːm]: song that praises God but: only slumbers: sleep goal: aim returnest: return destined: decide by fate fleeting: lasting only a short time
Background of the poem
《人生礼赞》写于1838年， 诗人爱妻波特1835年因流 产而病故，他一度陷入悲 痛之中，而当他追求阿普 尔顿（五年后成为他第二 任妻子）时，又遭遇颇多 波折。于是他感到百感交 集，觉得人生充满挫折， 内心不免伤感，但在诗文 中，他则勉励人们在人生 道路上不懈努力，不断进 取，不断追求。全诗一气 呵成，感情强烈，为世人 传诵。 The poem was written in 1838 when Longfellow was struck with great dismay: his first wife died in 1835, and his courtship of a young woman was unrequited. However, despite all the frustrations, Longfellow tried to encourage himself by writing a piece of optimistic words.
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His Life
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His first marriage ended in 1835, when his wife died. In 1843, he married the daughter of a wealthy industrialist who gave him wealth, and domestic happiness. He spent his last days in Cambridge. He is the only American man of letters to be honored with a bust（半身像） in the Poet’s Corner in Westminster.
因为昏睡的灵魂不再有生活,
And things are not what they seem.
而事物也不是表面的模样。
The first stanza tells us that the author does not believe that life is just an empty dream. He criticizes those people who have a pessimistic attitude to the life. He says such numb soul is a dead one.



o’er: over sublime: of very high quality solemn: serious forlorn: lonely and unhappy take heart: feel more positive labour: work
Poem appreciation
Drama: Michael Angelo «迈克尔 安吉洛» Translation: Divine Comedy « 神曲»

Evangeline « 伊凡吉林» （1847）; Song of Hiawatha« 海华沙之歌» （1855）; Courtship of Miles Standish « 迈尔斯 斯坦狄什的求婚（1858）
10. 11.
II. Works



Lyrics:
Voices of the Night « 夜吟»(1839); Ballads and Other Poems « 歌谣及其他»(1842) ; Poems on Slavery « 奴隶制度诗篇 » （1842）


Long poems:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Life Works
A
Psalm of Life
I. His Life
1.
Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, to Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah (Wadsworth) Longfellow in Portland, Maine, and he grew up in what is now known as the Wadsworth-Longfellow House.
• 人们在临死前通常要给后人留下遗嘱,可一 位在克里米亚作战的英国士兵临死前却在背 诵《人生礼赞》。 • 诗的作者就是美国历史上最伟大的 诗人之一亨利•华兹华斯•朗费罗 (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)。
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
(1807-1882)
Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
short Art is long, and time is fleeting,
学艺须日久，时光飞如箭。
And our hearts, though stout and brave, strong
我们的心尽管坚强又勇敢,
Still, like muffled drums, are beating low and unclear沉闷的 Funeral marches to the grave.
依然像蒙住的鼓 敲打着葬礼的鼓点走向坟墓。
Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
The fourth stanza admits that life lasts short.
Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
In the world’s broad field of battle,
在世界辽阔的战场,
to emphasize the shortness of human being’s life, as well as to suggest that life is also a fight filed which contains a lot of struggles.

A Psalm of Life
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Psalm of life is the first English
poem introduced to China
It’s About…
Background
Fra Baidu bibliotek
of the poem Poem appreciation Brief analysis
Henry was enrolled in a dame school (an early form of a private elementary school in English-speaking countries. 妇孺学院) at the age of three and by age six was enrolled at the private Portland Academy. In the fall of 1822, the 15-year-old Longfellow enrolled at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, alongside his brother Stephen.
Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”

Tell me not, in mournful numbers, poetic meters
不要用哀婉的诗句对我说:
Life is but an empty dream!
“人生只是梦幻一场!——
sleeps For the soul is dead that slumbers,
只是行动，并且每一个明天
Find us farther than to-day.
发现我们比前一个今天都有进展。
The third one says so long as we work actively, each day people make more progress than before.
Writing style
Simplicity, directness, sweetness, purity, gentleness, musicality, sentimentality Belong to the milder aspect of the romantic movement, and strongly influenced by the German romantic lyrists Major themes: idealized vision of world and life his work untouched the religious and social struggles
Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life”
Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,
destined: fated Is our destin’d end or way;
我们命运的终点或道路， 不是享乐, 也不是忧伤;
But to act, that each to-morrow
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His Life
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In Madrid, he spent time with Washington Irving and was particularly impressed by the author's work ethic. Irving encouraged the young Longfellow to pursue writing. He served as a professor of modern languages at Bowdoin College from 1829---1835. He taught modern languages at Harvard from 1836 to 1854.