The-second-coming-详细解析-YEATS-叶芝

TheSecondComing-W.B.Yeats1919年,整个世界,特别是欧洲正努力而缓慢地从第一次世界大战的阴影中恢复过来。威廉·巴特勒·叶芝面对周遭形形色色的社会问题,为一个充满了罪恶、污染、混乱和颓废的世界发出悲叹。在他看来,这是有史以来最暴力和无法无天的时代。世界缺乏有系统的信仰维系,各个群体在互动TurningandturninginthewideninggyreThefalconcannothearthefalconer;TheopeninglinesofTheSecondComingintroducetwomajorsymbolsinthepoemwhichworktorepresentthesensethatcontemporarysocietyhaslostcontrol.Thesymbolofthegyrerepresentseternity.Asthepresentsocietydrawstoaclose,Yeatsseesthegyreofeternitywidening.Atthebirthofanewerathemotionofthegyreisnarrow.Thefalconrepresentstheroleofmanandcurrentsociety.Asthefalcontravelsthemotionofthegyre,itbecomeslessawareofitsmaster,thefalconer,whorepresentstheorderandstructureinsociety.ThisimpliesthatYeats'snotionofcontemporarysocietyisbeingdestroyedbyitslackoforder,oranarchy.Thingsfallapart;thecentrecannothold;Mereanarchyisloosedupontheworld,TheselinesconfirmtheaboveideabyshowingthatwithoutorderThingsfallapart.Society'scenterdissolvesasthegyrewidens,introducinganarchy.Theblood-dimmedtideisloosed,andeverywhereTheceremonyofinnocenceisdrowned;Intheselinestheconflictbetweenorderandanarchycontinues.Theimageoftheblood-dimmedtideisaviolentonewhichdrownstheceremonyofinnocence.Hereagain,thereaderwillnotethattheceremony,ortheorderedpartofsocietyisdestroyedbythechaotic,violentside.Thebestlackallconviction,whiletheworstArefullofpassionateintensity.Theselinesfurtherexplorethechaosandviolenceofthepoem'ssociety.Humanityhasbeendividedintothebestandtheworst,andasonewouldexpectinthisdyingcivilizationtheworstofhumanityholdspowerfueledbypassionateintensity.Surelysomerevelationisathand;SurelytheSecondComingisathand.IntheselinesthespeakercontemplatestheviolenceinsocietyasasignofChrist'spredictionofthesecondcoming,butthenear-repetitionandthequestion-likequalityofthelinesimplythatthespeakerisnotatallcertainofhisguess.TheSecondComing!HardlyarethosewordsoutWhenavastimageoutofSpritusMundiHerethespeakerexperiencesavisionsimilartotheoneexperiencedbytheapostleJohnwithregardstotheBeastoftheApocalypse.Thespeaker'svisioncomesoutoftheSpiritusMundiwhichmeansliterallyspiritoftheworld.ForYeats,theSpiritusMundiwassimilartoCarlJung'sideaofthecollectiveunconscious.Itisastorehouseofsymbolsburiedintheunconsciouswhicharereceivedfromsomehigherpower.Troublesmysight:somewhereinsandsofthedesertAshapewithlionbodyandtheheadofaman,Thespeaker'shorrificvisionisofasupernaturalcreaturewithabodythatishalf-lionandhalf-man[griffin].Thisbeastrepresentsthenewgodofthenewera.Asstatedearlierinthepoem,orderhasbeendestroyedandnowisreplacedbyasupernaturalbeingwhocombinestheimageofhumanitywithaviolent,disturbingimageofnature.Notealsothatthisvisionissetinadesertlandscape.Thisimpliesthatthecomingerawillcreateadry,witheredexistence.Agazeblankandpitilessasthesun,Ismovingitsslowthighs,whileallaboutitReelshadowsoftheindignantdesertbirds.Intheselinesthebeastisgivenqualitiesthatseemlifeless.Itisdescribedaspitiless,theoppositeofwhatChristrepresents.Noticetheominousdescriptionofit'smovements.Thisdarkmoodiscontinuedwiththeimageofthedesertbirdscirclingcloseby.Thesebirdsseemtobeatransformationofthefalconearlierinthepoem.Asscavengerbirdstheywaittoprofitfromthedeathanddestruction.Thedarknessdropsagain;butnowIknowThattwentycenturiesofstonysleepwerevexedtonightmarebyarockingcradle,Andwhatroughbeast,itshourcomeroundatlast,SlouchestowardsBethlehemtobeborn?InthelastlinesofthepoemthespeakerforseestheChristianera,describedastwentycenturiesofstonysleep,takenoveranddestroyedbythisroughgodwhosechaoticimagerepresentstheoppositeofChristianorder.ItslouchestowardsChrist'sbirthplaceasiftoannihilatetheverybeginningsoftheChristianera.Indoingso,thecyclecompletesandthenew,nightmarisherabegins.WilliamButlerYeats,TheSecondComing(1921)“TheSecondComing”1921Inthispoem,weseeYeats'interestinsynthesizingseveraldifferentworldviewsintooneglobaltheoryofhumanhistory.Towardsthisend,YeatsstudiedHinduism,Celtichistory,Christianity,Buddhism,andtheoccult.Likemanyofhiscontemporaries--EzraPound,T.S.Eliot,andJamesJoyce,forexample--Yeatssoughttodiscoverandcreateaunifiedtheoryofworldhistory.Wecanunderstandthisgoalifweconsiderthehistoricalcontext:inthewakeofWorldWarI,mostEuropeansandAmericansfoundtheirworldviewsbadlyshaken.YeatssoughttoputthepiecesofEuropeanculturebacktogetherbydiscoveringtheiroriginsinworldliteratureandreligions.Yeatscametobelieveinacyclicaltheoryofhistoryashestudiedcomparativehistoryandreligion.Indeed,circlesarearepeatedmotifinTheSecondComingandinhisotherpublications.ThetitleofTheSecondComingsuggeststhatthepoemwilldepicttheApocalypse,describedinRevelation.Butbiblicalhistoryislinear,notcyclical:ithasabeginning(Genesis),aturningpoint(thebirthandcrucifixionofChrist),andanendingprophesiedbytheRevelationofStJohntheDivine.Thus,althoughthetitleandmuchofthepoem'slanguageandimageryechobiblicaldescriptions,itsconnectiontothevisionofStJohnremainsobscure.Thespeakerofthepoemseems,atbest,doubtfulofwhathesees:heisavisionarywhoisunabletounderstandhisvision.Thereadersharesthisconfusioninpartbecausethepoembeginsinmediasres:weareplungedintothespea