1、英国文学史及选读,第五讲 十七英国文学,The King James Bible of 1611 John Donne (15721631) John Milton (16081674),The King James Bible consists of two great parts, one the Old Testament, the other the New Testament. The word “testament” means “the covenant” between God and the Hebrews. The Old Testament, originally wri
2、tten in Hebrew, is about the creation of the universe, the origin of the Jewish people, its history, religion, law, and poetry. The New Testament, originally written in Greek, is about the life, teaching and deeds of Jesus Christ. The earliest English translations of the Bible date back to Caedmon,
3、Bede and King Alfred. Then there were translations done by John Wycliff, William Tyndale, and Miles Miles Coverdale. The King James Bible was completed in 1611 after seven years arduous work of 47 of the best scholars in the kingdom.,Historical Background of the seventeenth-century England The seven
4、teenth century was an eventful period in the history of England. 1) The economic conflict between the Parliament and the king (the power of monarch). Parliament mainly represented the interests of the middle class; the middle class wanted free trade but the king controlled trade and commerce and imp
5、osed heavy taxes on the merchants. What made the matter worse, the king granted or sold monopolies (special privileges) to various individuals to manufacture or sell particular commodities such as coal, salt, etc This conflict resulted in the civil war in 1642 between Charles I and the Parliament. 2
6、) The religious conflict between the Puritans and the Anglican Church. The Puritans were Christians who wanted to make reforms in the Anglican Church. They were opposed to Charles I who held that the king was not only the head of the state but also the head of the Church (dictatorship).,The Puritans
7、 wanted to do away with the elaborate ceremonies of the Anglican Church. They demanded a simple religious belief, a simple manner of worship, and a simple manner of church organization. They advocated that the common people and the king were equal in the presence of God. They argued that the Bible e
8、ncouraged trade and individual freedom. Puritans represented the interests of the middle class. Charles I took strong measures against the Puritans and many of them had to emigrate to America to escape persecutions. 3) political conflicts. From 1642 to 1688, England was full of political conflicts.,
9、John Donne, the representative of metaphysical poets,The life of John Donne can be divided into two stages. In the first stage he was Donne the courtier, the lover, and the soldier. In the second stage he was Dr. John Donne, Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral.Donne was born in a Roman Catholic family. He r
10、eceived his education at Oxford and Cambridge and later studied law at Lincolns Inn. As a young man he was hungry for adventures. He joined the expedition of Essex for Cadiz (a region or a city of Spain) in 1596, and for the Azores (北大西洋中东部的一群岛，属葡萄牙) in 1597. he was secretary to Sir T. Egerton, keep
11、er of the Great Seal. In 1601 he eloped with 17-year-old Ann More, niece of Egertons wife, and for this he was cast into prison by the girls father. After release he lived in poverty,for 15 years, during which time he wrote some of his most beautiful lines, many of which believed to have been writte
12、n to his wife.In 1615 he gave up his Catholic faith and took orders in the Anglican Church and for ten years, from 1621 to his death, he was Dean of St. Pauls Cathedral. During this last period of his life he wrote only religious sermons and poems and was the most famous preacher of his time.The inf
13、luence of his poetic style was widely felt in the seventeenth century. He tangibly influenced Andrew Marvell, George Herbert, Henry Vaughan and others, and is deemed the greatest of what John Dryden and Samuel Johnson called the “metaphysical poets.”,Metaphysical poetry is a derogatory term invented
14、 by John Dryden (1631-1700) and later adopted by Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) describing a school of highly intellectual poetry marked by bold and ingenious conceits, incongruous imagery, complexity of thought, frequent use of paradox, and often by deliberate harshness or rigidity of expression. The m
15、ain themes of the metaphysical poets are love, death, and religion. According to them, all things in the universe, no matter how dissimilar they are to each other, are closely unified in God. The chief representative of this school was John Donne.,The Flea Mark: notice; look at; pay attention to. Ho
16、w little that which thou denies me is: your denial of my love is of little use / significance. in this flea our two bloods mingled be: our two bloods would be mingled in this flea. Yet this enjoys before it woo: this flea enjoys love before it could seek love. woo: seek love, seek dating. pampered s
17、wells with one blood made of two: the blood of this flea is made of the blood of us two, and the mixture of our blood made his stomach become bigger. This implies that our love would make you pregnant. Where we almost, nay more than married are: in the flea we are more than married. nay: rather, mor
18、e than. 这里nay 与more than连用，起强调作用。,7. marriage temple: church where a marriage is held. 8. jet: 1) a hard black semi-precious variety of lignite, capable of being carved and highly polished; 2) a glossy black colour. 9. Let not to that, self-murder added be: Do not add self-murdering to the murdering
19、 of a flea. 10. sacrilege: violation or misuse of what is regarded as sacred. 11. has thou since purpled thy nail in blood of innocence? 你难道要用无辜的鲜血染红自己的指甲？ 12. Wherein could this flea guilty be?: in what aspects could this flea guilty be? 13. Just so much honorwill waste, as: this fleas death does n
20、ot lose honor, so your accepting of my love will not lose honor, either.,跳蚤约翰邓恩看呀，这只跳蚤，叮在这里， 你对我的拒绝多么微不足道； 它先叮我，现在又叮你， 我们的血液在它体内溶和； 你知道这是不能言说的 罪恶、羞耻、贞操的丢失， 它没有向我们请求就得到享受， 饱餐了我们的血滴后大腹便便， 这种享受我们无能企及。,住手，一只跳蚤，三条生命啊， 它的身体不只是见证我们的婚约。 还是你和我，我们的婚床，婚姻的殿堂； 父母怨恨，你不情愿，我们还是相遇， 并躲藏在黝黑的有生命的墙院里。 尽管你会习惯地拍死跳蚤， 千万别，这
21、会杀了我，也增加你的自杀之罪， 杀害三条生命会亵渎神灵。,多么残忍，你毫无犹豫 用无辜的鲜血染红自己的指甲？ 它不过吸了你一滴血 罪不至死啊？ 你却以胜利者的口吻说 你我并没有因失血而有些虚弱； 的确，担心不过是虚惊一场： 接受我的爱， 你的名誉不会有丝毫损失， 就象跳蚤之死不会让你的生命有所损失。,Death Be Not Proud An explanation of lines 5-6: (Since) much pleasure (flows) from rest and sleep, which be but (=are only) thy pictures, then more (
22、pleasure) must flow from thee (=death). (Here, “thy pictures” means “images of death.” What is more, these two lines convey Platos concept of Idea and its images. Death is compared to an Idea, and rest and sleep are just images of death.)An Explanation of lines 9-10: Fate, Chance, kings, and despera
23、te men can bring death, so all of them actually control death, and death is not mighty at all. Death lies in Poison, war, and sickness, so death is not superior to them. Opium and magic charms can also make us sleep, and such a kind of sleep is much easier than the sleep caused by death.,The theme o
24、f the poem “Death Be Not Proud”: The poet applies the method of argument to show that death is not mighty and dreadful at all. The speaker in the poem argues that death is caused by fate, chance, kings, desperate men, poison, war, and sickness, so death is not mighty. Rest and sleep are images of de
25、ath, after a short rest or sleep, man will have another form of eternal life, so death is momentary and not dreadful.,死神，你莫骄横，尽管有人将你看得 如何强大，如何可怖，你呀，名不符实； 你自以为已经把芸芸众生毁灭， 可怜的死神，他们没死你至今还杀不死我； 休憩和睡眠，其实就是你的写照， 你定然比它们更让人感到舒适惬意， 而我们最出色的人们随你而去越早， 越能早日让灵魂获救，肉体安息， 你是命运、时机、君主和狂徒的奴隶， 你与毒药、战争和病魔同流合污， 鸦片与巫术也能灵验地进
26、行蛊惑， 而且效果更佳，你又何必颐指气使？ 人们小憩一会，精神便得以永远清朗， 便再不会有死亡，死神你自己将死亡。,John Milton, a poet who first employed the blank verse in epic writing.,Milton, John (1608-1674), English poet, whose rich, dense verse was a powerful influence on succeeding English poets, and whose prose was devoted to the defense of civil
27、and religious liberty. Milton is often considered the greatest English poet after Shakespeare.John Miltons work is marked by cosmic themes and lofty religious idealism; it reveals an astonishing breadth of learning and command of the Greek, Latin, and Hebrew classics. His blank verse is of remarkabl
28、e variety and richness, so skillfully modulated and flexible that it has been compared to organ tones.,Milton has noble thought and splendid imagery. He is a great stylist. His poetry has a grand style. That is because he made a life-long study of classical and Biblical literature. His poetry is not
29、ed for sublimity of thought and majesty of expression. Milton is a great master of blank verse. He is the glorious pioneer to introduce blank verse into non-dramatic poetry. He has used it as the main tool in his masterpiece Paradise Lost. His blank verse is rich in every poetic quality and never mo
30、notonous.,The central theme of Paradise Lost deals with the Christian story of “the fall of man,” as summed up in the beginning lines of Book I: Of mans first disobedience, and the fruitOf that forbidden tree whose mortal tasteBrought death into the world, and all our woe,With loss of Eden, till one
31、 great manRestore us, and regain the blissful seat.Miltons purpose for writing Paradise Lost, as he puts it very clearly at the beginning of the poem, is to “assert eternal Providence and justify the ways of God to man.”,大约九天九夜，那是根据人间的计算， 他和他那一伙可怕的徒众， 沉沦辗转在烈火的深渊中； 虽属不死之身，却与死者一样横陈。 但这个刑罚反激起他更深的愤怒， 既失
32、去了幸福，又饱受无尽痛苦的折磨。 当他抬起忧虑的双眼，环顾四周， 摆在眼前的是莫大的隐忧和烦恼， 交织着顽固的傲气和难消的仇恨。,vanquished (l.52): defeated. confounded (53): ruined, routed; spoiled, corrupted. doom (53): sentence of punishment. baleful (56): full of suffering; of pernicious influence. witnessed (57): expressed, revealed. obdurate (58): stubborn
33、ly refusing to change ones opinion or course of action.,霎时间，他竭尽天使的目力， 望断天涯，但见悲风弥漫，缥纱无垠， 可怕的地牢从四面八方围着他 像一个洪炉的烈火四射，但那火焰 并不发光，只是灰蒙蒙的一片， 仅供辨认出那儿的苦难情景， 悲惨的境地和凄怆的暗影。 和平和安息从不在此驻扎， 希望无所不到，唯独不到这儿。 ken (59): (archaic) be within ones range of knowledge or sight; recognize, identify. dismal (60): calamitous, as
34、 well as depressingly dark.,只有无穷无尽的苦难步步相跟 永燃的硫磺不断地添注， 不灭的火焰有如洪水向他们滚滚逼来。 正义之神为那些叛逆者准备的，正是这个地方。 这个在天外的冥荒中为他们设置的牢狱。 那个地方远离天神和天界的亮光， 相当于天极到中心的三倍那么远。 still (68): constantly. urges (68): stimulates, excites, provokes. ordain (71): (esp. of God or fate) prescribe; determine (sth.) portion (72): a part of w
35、hole; an amount, section, or piece of sth. ll.73-74: from hell to earth (the center) is twice as far as from earth to heaven, which lies just beyond the outer shell of the universe. (天堂离地狱相当天离地的三倍远),啊，这里和他所从坠落的地方 简直有天壤之别呀！(比起来是何等的不同呀！) 和他一起坠落的伙伴们 淹没在烈火的洪流和旋风之中， 他辨认得出，在他近旁挣扎的， 论权力和罪行都仅次于他的神魔， 后来在巴勒斯坦
36、得知他名叫别西卜。 这个在天上叫做撒旦的首要神敌， 以豪壮的言语打破可怕的沉寂， 开始向他的伙伴这样说道： weltering (78): rolling in the waves. Belzebub (81) is called “the prince of the devils” in Matt. 12.24, and the name may have been a synonym for Satan. Satan (82): the Hebrew word for adversary.,“是你啊；这是何等的坠落！ 何等的变化呀！你原来住在 光明的乐土，浑身披盖着 无比的光辉，胜过群星的
37、璀璨； 你曾和我结盟，同心同气， 同一希望，搏击于光荣的大事业之中。 现在，我们是从高高在上的天界上， 沉沦到了不可测的深渊呀！,If thou beest he (84): 如果可以称呼你为他的话。撒旦故意用代词“he”混淆堕落天使和上帝之间的区别，以暗示上帝并无特权统治一切。 Myriad (87): a countless or extremely great number. if he whom mutual leaguejoined with me once (87-90): whom作 joined的宾语。 hazard (89): 1. a danger or risk; a p
38、otential source of danger. 2. chance; probability.,他握有雷霆，确实强大， 谁知道这凶恶的武器竟威力无比呢？ 可是，那强有力的威力， 那胜利者的狂暴，都不能叫我沮丧， 或者叫我改变初衷， 虽然外表的光环消失了。 till then who knew the force of those dire arms? (93-94): Before the battle, nobody knew the force of the fearful arms. dire: fearful, threatening; arms refers to the th
39、under. potent (95): having great power, influence, or effect. inflict (96): cause (sth. Unpleasant or painful) to be suffered by someone or sth. luster (97): a gentle sheen or soft glow, esp. tat of a partly reflective surface.,不移的信念和岸然的骄矜 因发觉受到不公正待遇，它 激发用最大的决心与强权决一胜负， 率领无数天军投入剧烈的战斗， 他们都厌恶天神的统治而来拥护我
40、， 在天界疆场上那冒险的战斗中， 拼尽全力同至高的权力抗衡， 震撼了他的宝座。 injured (98): done an injustice to. merit: just claim to reward. 此句的结构是That fixed mind and high disdainopposed his utmost power with adverse power and shook his throne. 从句That with the mightiest修饰sense of injured merit。当然，从句中又有从句That durst dislike his reign修饰a
41、rmed spirits (天军)。这是容易让人迷失的巴罗克句子结构。,What though the field be lost? (105): What does it matter though we have lost the battle? (field=battlefield) All is not lost (106): Not all is lost. study of (107): (拉丁词义) application of thought to; zealous effort to achieve; striving after, pursuit of. What is e
42、lse not to be overcome? (109): What else is it that constitutes not being overcome but the possession of unconquerable will, study of revenge, immortal hate, and courage never to submit or yield? (“不可征服”除之外还能意味着别的什么呢？)或可理解为what other things that are not be overcome? (还有别的不可征服的东西吗？) overcome: beaten.
43、,That glory (110): the glory of not being overcome. Extort (111): obtain by force or threats. 此句用了倒装，其正常结构是：His wrath or might (power) shall never extort that glory from me. sue for grace (111): beg for mercy suppliant (112): humbly begging deify his power / who: worship the power of him who (112-13
44、). 这里，his power who是密尔顿常用的拉丁语结构。,Who from the terror of this arm so late / Doubted his empire (113-14): God, fearing the strength of our power which he lately confronted, became uncertain of his authority and rule. This arm: 撒旦在说这话时，可能指着自己举起的右臂。按照诗中的描绘，即18天以前。撒旦从天堂掉进地狱火湖经过九天九夜，又在地狱火湖上昏迷不醒地躺了九天。Doubt
45、ed his Empire: in fear of losing his Empire (power).,that were low indeed (114): that refers to “to bow and sue for grace, and deify his power”. low: mean, degraded. Ignominy (115): disgrace, dishonour, humiliation. ignominy可能读成 ignomy,或者 ignominy中的ny可能与紧接其后的and连读，从而省去一个音节，以符合五音步十音节的格律。 Shame beneat
46、h / This downfall (115-16): a shame worse than our defeat. by fate (116): Satan denies that angels are Gods creatures, and their fate is dominated by God.凭靠命运。这暗示撒旦像异教徒那样相信至高无上的神是“命运之神”而不是上帝。,the strength of gods (116): Before their fall, Satan and his followers were gods in heaven. Though in Hell,
47、Satan still regards himself as a god. gods: divine beings, angels. empyreal substance (117): the fiery essence in the highest heaven (empyreal = of empyrean, which is the highest heaven or heavenly sphere in ancient or medieval cosmology, usually described as a sphere of fire or light; substance = e
48、ssence, used especially of the divine nature). Satan boasts that he and his followers are angels and are made of heavenly essence. (see the picture below) cannot fail (117): cannot cease to exist; cannot perish. this great event (118): referring to the battle between God and Satan. In arms not worse
49、 (119): not worse in weapons.,foresight (119): the capacity of foreseeing. 远见。 more successful hope (120): more hope of success. guile (121): treacherous, cunning. in th excess of joy (123): in the extreme joy; in overjoys. holds the tyranny of Heaven (124): holds the reign in heaven like a tyrant. 像暴君一样统治着天堂。,地球位于中央，地球周围是the elementary region, 从地球向外依次为：the Moon， the Mercury（水星）, Venus（金星，太白星）， the Sun （位于七个行星天的中间）, Mars（火星）, Jupiter（木星）, Saturn（土星）。 土星之上是恒星天（the Sphere of the fixed stars）和视角无法观测到的原动天 (empyreal sphere)。 这就是 毕达哥拉斯托勒密宇宙图式。,The Ptolemaic Universe: the most ancient figure,
