The-Chimney-Sweeper解析

WilliamBlake威廉·布莱克（WilliamBlake1757—1827），生于伦敦一个袜商之家，少年时家境贫寒，未有就学机会，十四岁开始当雕版学徒，后即靠雕刻版画为生。平生写诗甚多，其代表作有《天真之歌》（SongsofInnocence）和《经验之歌》（SongsofExperience）等。他的诗歌富有民主思想，揭露了当时英国社会的罪恶和不公正现象，表现了他对穷苦不幸者的深切同情。MajorLiteraryWorksSongsofInnocence(1789):presentahappyandinnocentworld,thoughwithitsevilsandsufferingsSongsofExperience(1794):presentaworldofmisery,poverty,disease,warandrepressionwithamelancholytoneTheChimneySweeperBackground壁炉中燃烧的柴火会积生一层层的煤灰，容易堵住烟囱的通道，影响空气的进出流动，因此需要常常清理。可是壁炉的空间与烟囱的通道又是那么的狭窄，那清理扫除的工作由谁来做呢？身材细小的孩童便成了劳力的主要来源。于是，清晨时分，一个个背带着清扫工具袋的孩童，沿着大街小巷叫喊着「扫烟囱！扫烟囱！」大概是十八、十九世纪英国大城市熟悉的生活场景之一。ThebackgroundtothesepoemsisoneofthemanysocialproblemsthatexistedinBlake'stime—theuseofyoungchildrenaschimneysweeps.Childrenwereoftensoldattheageofseventoworkaschimneysweeps.Theywerebadlytreated,withneverenoughclothes,foodorhousing.Theywereplacedinconstantdangerofsuffocatingorburning,andthesootcausedcancerandotherseriousillnessesthatresultedinpainfulandearlydeaths.SummaryTheChimneySweeperisthetitleoftwopoemsbyWilliamBlake,publishedinSongsofInnocencein1789andSongsofExperiencein1794.Intheearlierpoem,ayoungchimneysweeperrecountsadreamhadbyoneofhisfellows,inwhichanangelrescuestheboysfromcoffinsandtakesthemtoasunnymeadow;inthelaterpoem,anapparentlyadultspeakerencountersachildchimneysweeperabandonedinthesnowwhilehisparentsareatchurch.ThepoemispicturedbyanengravingmadebyBlakehimself.Itshowsthechildwalkingalongastreet,itisarainydayandheisalone.Furthermore,theboyisbarefootanddirty.Withhisrighthandheisholdingabrusherandiscarringadirty,bigbagonhisback.Therainisparticularlydark.Thefinalpointisthatthechildislookingatthestormwithwhatitseemsasadexpressioninhisface.Alittleblackthingamongthesnow一个满身污垢的小小身影站在大雪里，Cryingweep,weep,innotesofwoe!“扫烟囱！扫烟囱！”他的叫声悲戚！（thechild'sattemptatsayingSweep!Sweep!,whichwasthechimneysweeper'sstreetcry.Weep:cry）Wherearethyfather&mother?say?“告诉我，你的父母在哪里？”Theyarebothgoneuptothechurchtopray.他们都去了教堂祷告上帝.Thefirststanzaisatestimonythatdescribesthesituationofalittlechimneysweeperinthesnowwhoiscryingandcallingforhisparentswhiletheyareprayingatthechurch.BecauseIwashappyupontheheath,“因为我喜欢在荒野上嬉戏，Andsmil'damongthewinterssnow在冬天的大雪中也满脸笑意，Theyclothedmeintheclothesofdeath,他们就给我穿上丧衣，Andtaughtmetosingthenotesofwoe.还教我用悲声唱丧曲。”AndbecauseIamhappy&dance&sing,“因为我显得快乐，又唱歌，又跳舞，Theythinktheyhavedonemenoinjury:他们就觉得对我的所为无害无虞，AndaregonetopraiseGod&hisPriest&King,于是就去赞美牧师、国王和上帝—Whomakeupaheavenofourmisery.这些人用我们的痛苦成就了一个极乐之地。”Inthesecondandthirdstanzas,thechildexplainshissituation.Hedescribesthathehadbeenhappyand“smiledamongthewintersnow,”butalsohewastaughttosufferwhenhesays“andtaughtmetosingthenotesofwoe.”Adultsarementionedinthepoemwhenhequestioned“Wherearethyfatherandmother?”andwhenhesays“God&hisPriest&King.”Finallyheblames“they”andadds“whomakeupaheavenofourmisery.”扫烟囱的孩子威廉·布莱克风雪里一个满身乌黑的小东西“扫呀，扫呀”在那里哭哭啼啼！“你的爹娘上哪儿去了，你讲讲？”“他们呀都去祷告了，上了教堂。“因为我原先在野地里欢欢喜喜，我在冬天的雪地里也总是笑嘻嘻，他们就把我拿晦气的黑衣裳一罩，他们还教我唱起了悲伤的曲调。“因为我显得快活，还唱歌，还跳舞，他们就以为并没有把我害苦，就跑去赞美了上帝、教士和国王，夸他们拿我们苦难造成了天堂。”（卞之琳译）Analysis这首小诗表面看似明快，其弦外之音让人感到震撼。读这首诗时，首先映入读者眼帘的是“little”一词。“little”往往指无忧无虑、活泼可爱的儿童，但在诗中立刻被“black”一词化解。扫烟囱的孩子爬进窄小的烟囱，挤在里面，还要用手去刮煤灰，不但蓬头垢面，而且很容易烫伤甚至窒息而死。小小年纪，就要在街上招揽生意，“weep!weep!”一声声凄厉的叫喊是风雪中哀伤的音符。孩子野地里玩耍，父母却让他穿上黑衣去扫烟囱，孩子在烟囱里呻吟，父母却在教堂里虔诚祈祷。这惨不忍睹的情景强烈地震撼了诗人的心。在诗的末尾诗人指出：上帝不但不拯救扫烟囱的孩子，而且伙同国王和教士把天堂建在无数孩子的痛苦之上，从而表达了诗人对社会不平的愤怒。thepoliticalandreligiousleaders,representedbyGod,PriestandKing,arehypocriticallypious.Theymaintainasumptuouslife,butignorethepoverty-strickengroups.Throughthechild’ssimplestatement,thepoetintendstoattackthemfortheirindifferenceandruthlessness.Blakeshowcasesthelifeofacommonsweeperandexposesthosewhoallowedbarbaricactionsagainstthemtotakeplace.TheStructure:Basedastanzaoffourlines.Rhythmpattern:aabb（联韵）onFirststanza.abab（交叉韵）onsecond&thirdFeatureswritteninfirstperson：createscredibilityandadeepersenseofsympathy.“'weep!'weep!'weep!”Blakewriteshispoemsinplainanddirectlanguage.Hispoemsoftencarrythelyricbeautywithimmensecompressionofmeaning.Hedistruststheabstractnessandtendstoembodyhisviewswithvisualimages.useofsimplelanguageserious,somberthemeslyricalbeautysymbolismmysticismTheChimney-SweeperWhenmymotherdiedIwasveryyoung,我母亲死的时候，我还小得很，Andmyfathersoldmewhileyetmytongue我父亲把我拿出来卖给了别人，Couldscarcelycry'weep!'weep!'weep!'weep!我当时还不大喊得清，“扫呀——扫!”SoyourchimneysIsweep,andinsootIsleep.我就扫你们烟囱，裹煤屑睡觉。There'slittleTomDacre,whocriedwhenhishead,有个小托姆，头发卷得像小羊头，Thatcurledlikealamb‘sback,wasshaved:soIsaid,剃光的时候，哭得好伤心，好难受，Hush,Tom!nevermindit,forwhenyourhead'sbare,我就说：“小托姆，不要紧，光了脑袋，Youknowthatthesootcannotspoilyourwhitehair.打起来煤屑就不会糟踏你白头发。”(SongsofInnocence),1789Andsohewasquiet;andthatverynight,他就安安静静了，当天夜里，AsTomwasa-sleeping,hehadsuchasight,-托姆睡着了，事情就来得稀奇，Thatthousandsofsweepers,Dick,Joe,Ned,andJack,他看见千千万万的扫烟囱小孩Wereallofthemlockedupincoffinsofblack.阿猫阿狗全都给锁进了黑棺材。Andbycameanangelwhohadabrightkey,后来来了个天使，拿了把金钥匙，Andheopenedthecoffinsandsetthemallfree;开棺材放出了孩子们(真是好天使!)Thendownagreenplainleaping,laughing,theyrun,他们就边跳，边笑，边跑过草坪，Andwashinariver,andshineinthesun.到河里洗了澡，太阳里晒得亮晶晶。Thennakedandwhite,alltheir