Autumn Song
BY DANTE GABRIEL ROSSETTI
Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the heart feels a languid grief
Laid on it for a covering,
And how sleep seems a goodly thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?
And how the swift beat of the brain
Falters because it is in vain,
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf
Knowest thou not? and how the chief
Of joys seems—not to suffer pain?
Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the soul feels like a dried sheaf
Bound up at length for harvesting,
And how death seems a comely thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?
【原文】
Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the heart feels a languid grief
Laid on it for a covering,
And how sleep seems a goodly thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?
【理解】
Know'st thou not: Doesn't you know (你可知道?).
at the fall of the leaf: 当秋叶飘零
languid: 疲乏
Laid on it: it 指 heart
for a covering:意思是伤感(像一层有形的物质)包裹了我们的心。
And how sleep seems a goodly thing: 昏昏欲睡也成了件好事。
全句意思是:你可知道,当秋叶飘零,心就感觉到像被一层令人无力的伤感包裹起来,昏昏欲睡也成了件好事。
【原文】
And how the swift beat of the brain
Falters because it is in vain,
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf
Knowest thou not? and how the chief
Of joys seems—not to suffer pain?
【理解】
the swift beat of the brain:指大脑的快速运转
Falters: 慢下来,疲软下来。
it is in vain:“it”指大脑的快速运转。这是说(在秋天)大脑的敏捷已经无“用武之地”
chief of joys: 意即最高级的快乐。
not to suffer pain: 避免痛苦
此句的意思即伊壁鸠鲁所说脱离痛苦就是最高的快乐。
全句意思是:你可知道,当秋叶飘零,快速运转的大脑也放慢了节奏,因为那敏捷已经无用;我们似乎开始领悟到脱离痛苦就是最高的快乐。
【原文】
Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf
How the soul feels like a dried sheaf
Bound up at length for harvesting,
And how death seems a comely thing
In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?
【理解】
sheaf:秋收的谷捆
Bound up at length for harvesting:束扎起来排成长列等待丰收
a comely thing:自然、顺理成章、和情合理的事
全句意思是:你可知道,当秋叶飘零,灵魂感觉到自己就像束扎起来排成长列等待丰收的谷捆;死亡看起來也成了自然、顺理成章、和情合理的事。(接受死亡这不可避免的结局,把死亡看成生命达成“终极目的”的最后一步,就像稻谷生长的意义在于最后的被收割。)
【总评】
全诗结构优美,分成三段。第一、三段都以“Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf”起头,以“In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?”结束。而在第二段(也是三段中的中閒段)的正中閒(也是全诗的正中閒),放入“In Autumn at the fall of the leaf?”三段都压AABBA尾韵。
“Know'st thou not at the fall of the leaf”就像对一位亲近的人低声细语,讲述最关心的事:生命、死亡、伤感、超越,层层递进,把诗人最好的东西 - 超越死亡的感悟 - 送给所爱的人。如此地经历过了生命,最后才能“feels like a dried sheaf Bound up at length for harvesting”。
人皆有死,这样的人生有意义吗?诗人的领悟是:人生的“最高阶段”就是感悟到死亡不足畏。这样的感悟就是人生终极的“收获”,就像稻谷“一生”终极的意义不在于永远在田地里作青禾,而在于秋天被收割,然后打成米粒。