When you are old 濟(jì)慈詩歌欣賞

Whenyouareold

------WilliamButlerYeats-12090414潘丹丹2021/5/91

WilliamButlerYeats

YeatswasanIrishpoetandplaywright.HewasthegreatestlyricpoetIrelandhasproducedandoneofthemajorfiguresof20th-centuryliterature,theacknowledgedleaderoftheIrishliteraryrenaissance.

Yeats’earlypoetrywasundertheinfluenceoftheromanticpoets,buthisIrishthemeandhisspecialuseoflanguagesoon

showedhimtobeapoet

ofdistinction.2021/5/92

WilliamButlerYeats

In1923,hewasawardedtheNobelPrizeinLiteratureforwhattheNobelCommitteedescribedas"inspiredpoetry,whichinahighlyartisticformgivesexpressiontothespiritofawholenation."HewasthefirstIrishmansohonored.

Yeatsisalsoadramatist,writingverseplaysinmostofthecases.Hewroteabout20playsaltogetherfrom1892to1939.Theplaywasagreatinspiration

totheIrishnationalistswhowerefighting

against

theEnglishgovernment

fortheirownfreedomand

independence.2021/5/93

MajorWorks

TheCountessCathleen(1892)《凱絲琳女伯爵》------aplay-TheEarlyRomanticPeriod’sPoems:Crossway(1899)《十字路口》TheWindAmongtheReeds(1899)《葦間風(fēng)》TheRose(1893)

-ThePeriodofTransition’sPoems:IntheSevenWoods(1904)《七重林中》TheGreatHelmetandOtherPoems(1910)《綠盔及其他詩作》TheWildSwansatCoole(1919)《庫利的野天鵝》MichaelRobartesandtheDancer(1921)《邁可·羅拔茲與舞者》

-TheGreatPeriod’sPoems:TheTower(1928)《塔樓》TheWindingStairandOtherPoems(1933)《回梯與其他詩作》2021/5/94

Whenyouareold

Whenyouareoldandgreyandfullofsleep,Andnoddingbythefire,takedownthisbook,Andslowlyread,anddreamofthesoftlook，Youreyeshadonce,andoftheirshadowsdeep;Howmanylovedyourmomentsofgladgrace,Andlovedyourbeautywithlovefalseortrue,ButonemanlovedthepilgrimSoulinyou,Andlovedthesorrowsofyourchangingface;Andbendingdownbesidetheglowingbars,Murmur,alittlesadly,howLovefledAndpaceduponthemountainsoverheadAndhidhisfaceamidacrowdofstars.2021/5/95當(dāng)你老了（冰心譯）

當(dāng)你老了，頭發(fā)花白，睡意沉沉，倦坐在爐邊，取下這本書來，慢慢讀著，追夢當(dāng)年的眼神，那柔美的神采與深幽的暈影。多少人愛過你青春的片影，愛過你的美貌，以虛偽或是真情，惟獨(dú)一人愛你那朝圣者的心，愛你哀戚的臉上歲月的留痕。在爐柵邊，你彎下了腰，低語著，帶著淺淺的傷感，愛情是怎樣逝去，又怎樣步上群山，怎樣在繁星之間藏住了臉。

2021/5/96

BackgroundThispoemwaswrittenin1897byYeats.ThepoetdeclaredloveforMaudGonnemanytimes,buthenevergetherresponse.SoYeatswrotethispoemtoimagineshecouldrealizethatheistheonewholovesherforeverwhenthewomanreadthispoembychancemanyyearslater.2021/5/97MaudGonneIn1889,YeatsmetMaudGonne,a23-year-oldheiressandardentNationalist,whowastohaunthimfortherestofhislife.

Shehadasignificantandlastingeffectonhispoetryandhislifethereafter.Sheinspirednotonlyhispoeticcreationbutalsohispatrioticfeelingstowardsthenationalistmovement.In1891,hevisitedGonneinIrelandandproposedmarriage,butwasrejected.YeatsproposedtoGonnethreemoretimes:in1899,1900and1901,buteverytimehewasrefused.2021/5/98AnalysisWhenyouareoldandgreyandfullofsleep,

Andnoddingbythefire,takedownthisbook.

Andslowlyread,anddreamofthesoftlook,

Youreyeshadonce,andoftheirshadowdeep.ImaginationThepoetimagineapictureinwhichanoldladyreadabookbyaccident,andshewasdeeplyimmersedinthethememoriesofthepast.2021/5/99AnalysisHowmanylovedyourmomentsofgladgrace,

Andloveyourbeautywithlovefalseortrue.

Butonemanlovethepilgrimsoulinyou,

Andlovedthesorrowofyourchangingface.ContrastContrastbetweenanattractiveyounggirlandanoldladyContrastbetweenotherpeople’sloveand

theport's.Contrastbetweenrealityandimagination2021/5/910AnalysisAndbendingdownbesidetheglowingbars,Murmur,alittlesadly,howlovefled

Andpaleduponthemountainsoverhead,Andhidhisfaceamidacrowdofstars.Useofsymbols“fire”symbolized“warm”.“mountain”symbolizedtough,sublimation“stars”symbolizedforeverEmphasisTherepetitionoffireFireissowarm,butthepoetfeltdespairforhislove.2021/5/911

MyComments

TheTragicBeauty“WhenYouAreOld”ismainlybasedonimagination.Itstartswithalovelyandwarmpictureofanoldlady:whenyouareold,mylady,andyourhairhaveturnedgrey,youwillbenoddingbythefire,fullofsleep.Thespeakerimaginesoneday,whenhisbelovedyoungladyisold,shewillbereadingthispoemandfeeltheyouthofherselfagain.Thesecondstanzaisacontrastbetweenotheradmirersandthespeaker:howmanyofyouradmirersloveyouisonlybecauseofyourbeautyandyouthwhenyouaregracefulandelegant?Nevertheless,thereisonlyonemanwholovesyournoblesoulandyouragingface.2021/5/912MyCommentsThelaststanzaseemstobeirrelevanttothepreviousstanzas,butitistheelevationofhisaffection:theoldladywillbenddownbesidethestoveandmurmursadlyabouttheGodofLovefleeingaway.Hegoesupamountainoverheadandhideshisfaceamongacrowdofstars.ThisisonlytheliteralmeaningofthethirdstanzaandtheimpliedmeaningisseeingtheGodofLovefleeawaymaymakeyoualittlesad,butinfact,theGodjusthideshimselfinthesky.Wemaynotbeabletogetmarriedinthehumanworld,butoursoulcanunitewhenweareinheaven.2021/5/913MyCommentsTherearemanysymbolsusedinthepoem,namely,noddingbythefire,thebook,bendingdown.Firstly,noddingbythefiregivesusacomfortablefeeling.Anoldladyissleepyandrestingbesideawarnfire.However,itisalsoasignofimpendingdeath.Secondly,thebookcanberegardedasthispoemaswellasthelovethespeakerexpressesinthispoem.Nomatterhowtimeflies,theloveandaffectionwillbewellpreservedinthepoemwithoutfading.Lastly,bendingdownisanactionofseekingwarmthfromthestove.