美国⽂学期末考试-诗歌赏析部分
Philip Freneau
1.野⾦银花
美丽的⾦银花，你粲然绽放于幽静⼀⾓。芳菲满枝,⽆⼈垂顾，迎风起舞,⽆⼈注⽬。
游⼦从不践踏你的⽟体，
过客从不催落你的泪滴。造化令你素裹银妆，你得以远离庸⼈的⽬光她赐予你⼀⽚绿荫葱葱她带给你⼀泓流⽔淙淙恬静的夏⽇倏然流淌你终于红衰翠减，⽟殒⾹消
妩媚动⼈，你却⽆法盛颜久长落红满地，你令我黯然神伤纵然在伊甸乐园，⼈间天堂也难免⼀⽇凋零，满⽬凄凉萧瑟秋风，凄⽩秋霜你终于消失得⽆影⽆踪
朝霞幕露孕育了你娇⼩的⾝躯你从尘⼟来，⼜归尘⼟去来时⼀⽆所有，去时化作尘⼟可叹⽣命苦短你终究红消⾹断
Background: The short lyric was written in 1786. Freneau was inspired by the beauty of the wild honey s
uckle when he was walking at Chaeleston, South Carolina. As is displayed in this poem, honeysuckle, instead of rose of daffodil became the object of depiction; it is “wild” just to convey the fresh perception of the natural scenes on the new continent. The flowers, similar to the early Puritan settlers, used to believe they were the selects of God to be arranged on the abundant land, but now have to wake up from fantasy and be more respectful to natural law.
Theme:the mutability of flowers and by extension the transience of human life. Time is constant but the time of a life is short; any favor is relative but change is absolute; with or without the awareness, nature develops; flowers were born, blossomed and declined to repose, and human beings would exist in exactly the same way. A philosophical meditation is indicated by the description of the fate of a trivial wild plant. In this poem, the poet expresses a keen awareness of the loveliness and transience of nature. It implies that life and death are inevitable law of nature. In addition, the poet writes with the strong implication that, though in the work no one is presented in person, human beings at times envy the flower. This is seen not because the “roving foot” would “crush”; nor that the “busy hand” would “provoke a tear”; nor because of the “vulgar eye”, but because of the fact that the human being has the ability to foresee his death. Whereas, the flower, with its happy ignorance, lacks this consciousness and is completely unaware of its doom. Its innocence left it happier than the foreseeing human beings.
Unfortunately, the human beings are quite unwilling to refuse this knowledge and that arouses all their sufferings.
Rhyme and analysis: Form ?Four six-line stanzas ?iambic tetrameter 四⾳步抑扬格?soft-strong-soft-strong-soft-strong-soft-strong ? Fair flower, that dost so comely grow ? rhymed on ababcc pattern Following the traditional European model, the lyric is written in regular 6-line tetrameter stanzas, rhyming “ababcc”, and sounds just like music. But in order to accord with the change in tone and topic in Stanza 3, the rhythmic pattern is varied. Different from the rest the poem which is written in smooth iambic tetrameter lines, the third line of the stanza --- “They died” --- begins with a “spondee”(two stressed beats in a row) and, after forcing the reader to pause (the dash), continues in a highly irregular rhythm with an intensification of stressed beats. The purpose is obvious: the speaker wants to drive the horrible message home, to let the reader feel the impact acutely. But as we progress into the last stanza, when a more mature view of life and death is adopted, the rhythms are restored to the original regularity as the tone assumes a tempered serenity grown out of experience. The wild honey suckle is, in the poet’s eye, no longer a common flower.
In the first two stanzas, to start with, Freneau devoted more attention to the environment of the flower in which he found it than to the appearance of the flower per se. He commented on the secluded natur
e of the place where the honey suckle grew, drawing a conclusion that it was due to Nature’s protectiveness that the flower was able to lead a peaceful life free from men’s disturbance and destruction. But the next stanza immediately changed the tone from silent admiration and appreciation to outright lamentation over the “future’s doom” of the flower --- even Nature was unable to save the flower from its death. Actually no flower, or no living being, can escape. Not even the flowers that used to bloom in Eden. Thus from the flower in nature the poet started to ponder over the fate of man, who was bound to fall from his innocence and suffer from the despair of death as the result to his exile from Paradise. Just as kindly as nourished and protected the honey suckle in spring and summer, Nature will destroy ruthlessly the flower with its autumn and winter weapons.
Understand the title: 1. The name honeysuckle comes from the sweet nectar that the flow er produces to intoxicate the greedy bee. Its powerful fragrance seduces the human senses as it pervades the air. The perfume of this passionate plant may turn a maidens head, hence wild honeysuckle is a symbol of inconstancy in . The word “wild”implies her
living place; she lives in wilderness not in paradise or house; so she will not be app reciated by others and feels sorrowful. Also it implies the nature, so we can say the writer is describing the nature.
William Cullen Bryant
（对死亡的冥想）
热爱⾃然的⼈与世间万象, 有着⼼神的交流，对他, 她可说各种各样的语⾔
他⾼兴的时候，她声⾳喜悦, 微笑⾥透着⾼贵的美丽, 她潜⼊他隐秘的思索，带着温柔和抚慰的关切，
未及他明⽩她就将痛苦带⾛，
当最后的思想如灾难降临你的精神，悲痛的哀影，寿⾐，棺罩，令⼈窒息的⿊暗，以及促狭的房屋
使你瑟瑟发抖，并⼼⽣憎恨——
去开阔的⽥野吧，去听听,⾃然的教诲，听听那从四野⾥——⼤地、河川和新鲜的空⽓中——
传来的静谧⽽寂寥的声⾳——
然⽽⼏天后，普照⼤地的太阳在它的⾏程⾥，也不见你的踪影；也不在冰冷的⼤地
你含泪苍⽩的形体停放之处，也不在⼤海的怀抱存你的形象
养育了你的⼤地要将你召回, 复归为尘⼟，消除⼈的痕迹你的个体将⾂服于此，你将永远与⾃然之中的万物共处
去做⽆情的草⽊和磐⽯的兄弟掩藏在坚硬的泥⼟下，任由那粗野的情郎翻犁和践踏橡树伸展的根须将刺穿
你的躯体。不过，在你永恒的栖所你并不会独处，你也不能企望更多的奢华。
你将与幼稚世界的尊者们并卧，——有国王，地上的强者，——有智者、善者仁者，以及远古时代的先知，
在同⼀个墓室⾥。⼭峦如太阳⼀样固执且陈旧，河⾕平静的沉思在原始的树林间伸展蜿蜒——江河在尊贵⾥
前⾏，⽽浇绿草原的溪流却带着汩汩的怨⾔，灌注世间的⼀切，古⽼的海洋是苍凉孤凄的荒原——
⽽这⼀切不过是⼈类伟⼤坟冢的威严的装饰。⾦⾊的太阳众多的⾏星，⼀切天界⽆限的居所
都照耀着死亡之悲戚的归处历经的静逝。
⼀切⾏在世间的⾎⾁也不过是安睡在其胸间的部族的⼀撮。——
攀上清晨的翅膀，穿越巴肯荒漠或⾃弃于绵延的丛林，俄勒冈河奔流不息的⽔声充溢双⽿——尽管亡者
齐聚，万千魂灵在那孤寂⾥隐⾝⾃打这多年的飞⾏肇始，他们就卧
在最后的睡眠⾥——那⾥亡者独⾃统治。
你也将这般歇息；假若你从⽣撤⼊沉寂，⽽⽆⼀亲朋注意到你的离去所有呼吸的⼈都将分享你的命运
乐观的在你不在的时候欢笑严肃⽽关切的艰难前⾏。每个⼈都将⼀如既往地追求他们
最⼼仪的幻影；尽管他们都将离开⼀切欢愉和觊觎，⽽前来
筑榻于你之侧。随着⽣命的列车慢慢滑远，⼈类的⼦孙⽣命之春的青年，历经沧桑的中年、垂垂⽼妪和娇娇少⼥
呀呀学语的孩童，以及两鬓苍苍的⽼⼈——都将⼀个个地来到你的⾝边
更多的⼈也将追随他们⽽来所以活着，直到被召唤去加⼊
那庞⼤的篷车旅⾏的队伍，向着神秘的王国前进，⼈⼈都将在死亡
沉寂的殿堂⾥到⾃⼰的房间不要像矿场的奴⾪⼀样在深夜
被鞭笞进⿊暗的地牢；⽽要带着平静的抚慰和永恒的信仰，⾛进你的墓⽳，打开你华丽的铺盖躺下去，进⼊甜美的梦乡。Theme：The author’s view about death.
3.To a waterfowl
生命的列车
Arranged in alternating rhymed quatrains, it expressed both the poet’s grateful view, at the close of a day of self-doubt and despair, of a solitary bird on the horizon, and his sense of a divine power guiding and protecting everything in nature.
Edgar Allan Poe
Helen
The theme of this short poem is the beauty of a woman . she treated him kindly and m ay have urged him–or perhaps inspired him. The theme of this short poem is the beauty of a woman with whom Poe became acquainted when he was 14.
The poet compares himself to be Odysseus, who wandered for ten years to get home. Helen, the beauty, is his guide to come home.
–
to write poetry. Beauty in the poem appears to refer to the woman's soul as well as h er physical appearance. As is typical
with many of Poe's poems, the rhythm and rhyme scheme of "To Helen" is irregular but musical in sound. The poem
consists of three stanzas of five lines each, where the end rhyme of the first stanza is ABABB, that of the second is ABABA, and that of the third is ABBAB. His concludin g image is that of light and Helen is the beacon of him in the life .
5.Annabel Lee
Content:The love between the narrator and annabel lee is very strong and pure. Though an nabel lee was killed by a chilling wind sent by people who envy their love , the lo ve of them remains alive –
eternal –because the souls of the lovers remain united .
Theme the poet looks back into the distant past to a time in a kingdom by the sea wh ere he and his lover annabel lee lived. their love was so great that even the highest rank of angels,envied them for it. It’s in memory of his dead wife
,the general tone of the poem is sad.
Rhyme:Traditionally, most poems are stanzaic. The poem of Annabel Lee is written in six stanzas, each stanza being composed of six to eight lines. The lines of each stanza seem to alternate. Part of the reason for the alternation of lines may be due to the aspect of rhyming and rhythm. In the instance where the lines vary, the flow of the poem would be disrupted if it were changed in any way.
The repetition of the melodious long rhyme “see, Lee, me” gives a sense of solemnity and melancholy. The poet also uses internal rhyme, such as “beams” rhymes with “dreams”, “rise” with “eyes” and “tide”with “side” to make the poem musical. The sound is like the insistent tolling of a bell, not unlike that sound of church-bells at a funeral, heavily beating on reader’s hearts. The poet places their great love “in a kingdom by the sea”, which indicates European classical flavor. The sea and the bank symbol death and life. In this poem, there is not shinning sun and bright smile but colorless moonlight, billow sound and lonely sepulcher, which successfully evokes an air of sadness and desolation.
Theme the poet looks back into the distant past to a time in a kingdom by the sea wh ere he and his lover annabel lee lived. their love was so great that even the highest rank of angels,envied them for it. It’s in memory of his dead wife
,the general tone of the poem is sad.
Figures of speech: In this poem ,the poet pay great attention on alliteration to create pleasing sound patt erns.
Walt Whitman
6.Song of Myself
Theme"Song of Myself" is all about the human experience. The human experience, here, mean s
what men of the past, present and future have seen, touched, smelt, and heard. In this poem Whitman is explaining how all of humanity is like one living organism, and no on e part is more
important than the other.
Analysis
In section 44 of "Song of Myself" Whitman says, "We have thus far exhausted trillions o
f winters and summers, There are trillions ahead, and trillions ahead of them. Births ha ve brought us richness and variety, And other births will brin
g us richness and variety.
I do not call one greater and one smaller, That which fills its period and place is equal to any." It is clear that Whitman had a perspective of the human race and its history that escaped most writers. More specifically, Whitman speaks of equal contributio n to the human experience in section 42: "Here and there with dimes on the eyes walkin g, To feed the greed of the belly the brains liberally spooning, Tickets buying, taking, selling, but in to the feast never once going, Many sweating, ploughing, thrashing, and then the chaff for payment receiving, A few idly owning, and they the wheat continuall y claiming. This is the city and I am one of the citizens, Whatever interests the rest interests me, politics, wars, markets, newspapers, schools, The mayor and councils, banks , tariffs, steamships, factories, stocks, stores, real estate and personal estate.
Emily Dickinson
7.I Died for Beauty-But Was Scarce
The last stanza shows the whole theme of the poem. No matter what people died for, their names would be faded away after time passed.
Summary
The speaker says that she died for Beauty, but she was hardly adjusted to her tomb bef ore a man who died for Truth was laid in a tomb next to her. When the two softly to ld each other why they died, the man declared that Truth and Beauty are the same, so that he and the speaker were "Brethren." The speaker says that they met at night, "as Kinsmen," and talked between their tombs until the moss reached their lips and covered u p the names on their tombstones.
Dickinson used personification and the conversation to create a kind of life situation to the performance of the theme and to
make it be more vivid and drawing close to life．In the poetry，death seem8 that the person moved home from a familiar place to a stranger one—tomb，at first he”was 8caree，Adjusted”，then tIIere was another arrived in the next room and they became
close neighbor，through communication，they found they were brothers．Then they talked leisurely”between the Rooms Until
the Moss had reached our lips⼀⼀And covered up—our names ⼀”，now the tomb became their”room”．Going to Heaven is just like going home，death is immortality．This manner of presentation belongs to Dickinson uniquely．
Emily Dickinson had used metaphor and symbolism to make her Poetry vivid and symbolic．The moss described by the
Poet is not just a plant，but also is one kind has the symbolic significance thing．The moss grow mostly in the unvisited
place，the moss therefore sires people one kind of silent even desolate feeling．This suggests the poet
choose Solitary life in order to seek beauty and shows the determination tO die for beauty．
Overall．the poetry”I Died for Beauty—-But Was Scarce”is not sorrowful but deep，simple but rich philosophical．．Her
Main key is positive and noble．In the IIlind of Dickinson,the poetry is the beautiful symb01．And she devoted her life to seeking beauty in the poetry kingdom．To die for the beauty，this spirit is also a kin
d of immortality，to enter the
eternal．The death is a real existence in the world，the poet studies death from different angles，it just shows her pursuit of truth．Her confusion with death is actually her deep understanding of life and love for the earthly life．
I Could Not Stop for Death
" Because I Could Not Stop for Death", which brims over with religious theme. As Dickinson’s poems usually had no titles, and the first sentence of a poem is taken as its poem begins with a leisurely image. At first, the protagonist feels totally at ease and the usually frightening death is described as if a familiar friend, gentle and polite. Continuingly, the poem is developed upon a basic metaphor that life is a journey. It was truly rather old a comparison, but Dickinson enriched it with her creativity and imagination: "School, where Children strove" --childhood; "Fields of Gazing Grain"--maturity; and "Setting Sun"--old age. Then “the Dews drew quivering and chill-” makes the protagonist feel terribly cold, which may mean that they are getting nearer and nearer to the tomb. But at last, his companions, Immortality and Death, finally desert him and leave him alone to go toward it seems that though death cheats him and at the same time deserts him, the experience of death itself is not painful. Emily Dickin
son’s poems just explain this kind of essence of life, which then lead you to a world of imagination and thinking.
In this poem, Dickinson describes dying and immortality in the dominant metaphor of a carriage on a Stanza 1, Death, accompanied by Immortality, stops to pick up the speaker in a carriage. In stanzas 2-4, they journey, leaving earthly life behind them (labor, leisure, children, grain, setting sun). In stanza 5, they pause before the grave (swelling of the ground), and stanza 6 depicts the speaker centuries later, speaking from eternity.
Ezra Pound
a Station of the Metro
这⼏张脸在⼈中幻景般闪现；
湿漉漉的⿊树枝上花瓣数点。（飞⽩）
Theme:This poem is an observation of the poet of the human faces seen in a Paris sub
way station or a description of a moment of sudden emotion at seeing beautiful faces in a Metro in Paris. He
sees the faces, turned variously toward light and darkness, like flower petals which are half absorbed by, half resisting, the wet, dark texture of a bough.
The one image in this poem: This poem is probably the most famous of all imagist poem s. In two lines it combines a sharp visual image or two juxtaposed images
（意象叠加）"Petals on a wet，black bough" with an implied meaning. The faces in the dim lig ht of the
Metro suggest both the impersonality and haste of city life and the greater transience o f human life itself. The word "apparition" is a well-chosen one which has a two-fold me aning: Firstly, it means a visible appearance of something real. Secondly, it builds an image of a ghostly sight, a delusive and unexpected appearance.
Pound uses the fewest possible words to convey an accurate image, which is the principle of the
Imagist poetry. This poem looks to be a modern adoption of the haiku form of Japanese poetry
which adapts the 3-line, 17 syllable and where the title is an integral part of the wh ole. The poem
succeeds largely because of its internal
rhymes: station/apparition; Metro/petals/wet; crowd/bough. Its form was determined by the ex perience that inspired it, involving organically rather than being chosen arbitrarily.
This short piece illustrates his imagistic talent because the entire poem deals with imag es alone. It is not complex; rather, the two-line poem is straightforward and to the po int. The poem is extremely short, but it seems intriguing and has a deep message about the beauty of human beings.
Edwin Arlington Robinson
9.Richard Cory
Content:The poem is divided into four quarters, a total line of sixteen. The poem was written from the
perspective of ordinary working class who regard the Cory a sketch the fate of beloved. Richard Cory is a handsome