致水鸟to-the-waterfowl

ToaWaterfowlbyWilliamCullenBryantWhither,'midstfallingdew,Whileglowtheheavenswiththelaststepsofday,Far,throughtheirrosydepths,dostthoupursueThysolitaryway?Vainlythefowler'seyeMightmarkthydistantflighttodotheewrong,As,darklypaintedonthecrimsonsky,Thyfigurefloatsalong.Seek'stthoutheplashybrinkOfweedylake,ormargeofriverwide,OrwheretherockingbillowsriseandsinkOnthechafedoceanside?ThereisaPowerwhosecareTeachesthywayalongthatpathlesscoast,--Thedesertandillimitableair,--Lonewandering,butnotlost.Willleadmystepsaright.Alldaythywingshavefann'dAtthatfarheight,thecoldthinatmosphere:Yetstoopnot,weary,tothewelcomeland,Thoughthedarknightisnear.Andsoonthattoilshallend,Soonshaltthoufindasummerhome,andrest,Andscreamamongthyfellows;reedshallbendSoono'erthyshelterednest.Thou'rtgone,theabyssofheavenHathswallowedupthyform;yet,onmyheartDeeplyhathsunkthelessonthouhastgiven,Andshallnotsoondepart.He,who,fromzonetozone,Guidesthroughtheboundlessskythycertainflight,InthelongwaythatImusttreadalone,Willleadmystepsaright.致水鸟译作吕志鲁译在漂洒的露水中，天空闪烁着白日最后脚步的光辉，穿过玫瑰色云霞的深处，你向哪里去寻找你孤独的路?捕鸟者恶意的目光徒然注意到你在远处的飞翔因为，绛红色的天幕映照出，你潇洒飞翔的身影。你在寻找潮湿的栖地，是芳草萋萋的湖畔，还是宽阔河流的岸边抑或，是在寻找那波涛起伏浪涛拍岸的海岸?有一个神明关怀着你，为你在没有路的岸边指路，——寂寥无际的万里长空，——孑然一身却从不迷途。你终日扑打双翼在那浩淼的天际，穿过冰冷稀薄的空气疲倦了，你也从不俯身飞向热情的大地，尽管黑夜即将来临。你辛劳的旅程即将告终你将找到夏日的家园，在那里你将在同伴中休憩鸣唱，芦苇将俯身遮掩你隐蔽的鸟窝。你袅袅而去，深邃的天空吞噬了你的身影；然而，我心中却深深地镌刻你留下的教益，不会轻易忘记。他，人间无处不在，在无垠的天空指引着你的飞行，在我孤独跋涉的漫长路上，他将为我正确地导航。WilliamCullenBryant(November3,1794–June12,1878)wasanAmericanromanticpoet,journalist,andlong-timeeditoroftheNewYorkEveningPost.FiresidePoetsWilliamCullenBryant,HenryWadsworthLongfellowandJamesRusselLowellconsistutedagroupsometimescalledthefiresidepoetsorNewEnglandPoets.Theyearnedthenicknamebecausetheyfrequentlyusedthehearthasanimageofcomfortandunity,aplacewherefamiliesgatheredtolearnandtellstores.FiresidePoetsfirstputAmericanpoetryonanequalfootingwithBritishpoetry.CompositionandpublicationhistoryTheinspirationforthepoemoccurredinDecember1815whenBryant,then21,waswalkingfromCummingtontoPlainfieldtolookforaplacetosettleasalawyer.Theduck,flyingacrossthesunset,seemedtoBryantassolitaryasoulashimself,inspiringhimtowritethepoemthatevening.ToaWaterfowlwasfirstpublishedintheNorthAmericanReviewinVolume6,Issue18,March1818.ItwaslaterpublishedinthecollectionPoemsin1821.CriticalresponseMatthewArnoldpraiseditas“thebestshortpoeminthelanguage”.criticRichardWilburhasdescribeditasAmerica'sfirstflawlesspoem.SummaryThenarratorquestionswherethewaterfowlisgoing.Hequestionshismotivesforflying.Hewarnsthewaterfowlthathecouldpossiblyfinddanger,travelingalone.But,thiswaterfowlisnotalone.HeknowsthatthewaterfowlisbeingledbysomePower.Asthewaterfowlreachesoutofthenarrator'ssight,thenarratorreflectsonGod'sguidanceinhisownlife.ThenarratorissurethatGodhasledthiswaterfowl,andthatthewaterfowlhadfaithinthenarrator.Now,thenarrator'sfaithisstrengthened.HeknowsthatGodisguidinghimaswell.AsthenarratorseesGoddirectingthewaterfowl,thenarratorisremindedofGod'sguidanceinhisownlife.Throughhisobservanceinnature,thenarratorisreconnectedwithhisfaithinGod.AnalysisToaWaterfowliswritteniniambictrimeterandiambicpentameter,consistingofeightstanzasoffourlines.ThepoemrepresentsearlystagesofAmericanRomanticismthroughcelebrationofNatureandGod'spresencewithinNature.BryantisacknowledgedasskillfulatdepictingAmericanscenerybuthisnaturaldetailsareoftencombinedwithauniversalmoral,asinToaWaterfowlstanza1Whithermidstfallingdew,whileglowtheheavenswiththelaststepsoftheday;far,throughtheirrosydepths,dostthoupursuethesolitaryway.本诗第一节就以整节的篇幅描绘一只水鸟孤独地飞在天空中的画面背景。Stanza2Withoutsuccess,ahuntermighttrytobringyoudownasyoufloatinsilhouettethecrimsoneveningsky.诗人把水鸟塑造成了一个坚定的形象。Stanza3Areyoulookingforthemarshyedgeofalake,thebankofariver,ortheshoreoftheocean.Stanza4Thereisapowerthatleadsyouonyourwayacrossdesertsandthroughunlimitedexpansesofair.Youmaybewonderingandalone,butyouarenotlost.水鸟如何到达自己的目的地，一切都浑然天成，不论是在无形海岸还是无尽的天空，都有一种神秘的力作为它的向导。Stanza5Youhavebeenflappingyourwingsalldayhighinthesky,yetyoucontinueoneventhoughnightisnearandlandbeckonsbeneathyou.此节开始，全诗的象征显明起来。凉夜降至，水鸟飞行终日，疲惫不堪，诗人却不希望它降临福地。Stanza6Soonyourjourneywillend,Soonyouwilldescendtoyoursummerhome.Toawaterfowlwillscreamamongothersofyourkingandfindsecureshelteramongthetallgrasses.这种象征意味更加明显。虽然描写得非常具象：水鸟熬过暗夜，结束旅程，迁徙至温暖的家。但此时它的同伴却“尖叫”起来，而芦苇也长过它曾憩息的地方。原诗的也许不单指休息，而是水鸟跋涉之后西去了。Stanza7Icannolongerseeyou,butIwillneverforgetthelessonyoutaughtme.Stanza8God,whoguidesyoufromoneplacetoanther,willalsoguidemethroughlife,leadingmeontherightpath.ThemeJustasGodguidesthewaterfowltoitssummerhome.Heguidesthespeakerofthepoemthroughlifetohisultimatedestination—heaven.Intheend,onewillbeabletosayaboutthespeakerwhatthespeakersaysaboutthewaterfowl:“theabyssofheaven/Hathswallowedupthyform.”Thepoemis,inessence,aprofessionoffaithinGod.AnalysisToaWaterfowliswritteniniambictrimeterandiambicpentameter,consistingofeightstanzasoffourlines.ThepoemrepresentsearlystagesofAmericanRomanticismthroughcelebrationofNatureandGod'spresencewithinNature.Bryantisacknowledgedasskill