精美英文欣赏:海外乡愁

作者简介：

罗伯特·白朗宁（Robert Browning，1812—1889），英国十九世纪中叶诗人，出身富裕家庭，终生不事生产，写诗过日。在英国文学史上他与丁尼生（Alfred Tennyson）齐名，在政治上倾向于资产阶级自由党中的激进派，在同他妻子伊丽莎白·白朗宁（也是著名诗人）长期寄居意大利期间，曾同情当地人民反抗奥地利占领者的革命斗争。

白朗宁写了许多长诗，颇有特色；他尝试过诗剧的创作，则无多建树；他的短诗之中，有两类颇值一读。一类是抒情诗。他的诗笔一般晦涩，但在一些抒情短诗里他却做到以白描见长。另一类是戏剧性的独白诗，用活跃的口语词语和节奏，模拟人物口吻，一时独步诗坛，无人能及。在题材上，诗人所歌咏的，除了爱情之外，多是处在奇幻处境里的人物的心理状态，但也有反对教会与贵族专制的作品。

Home Thoughts From Abroad

by Robert Browning

Oh, to be in England now that April's there,

And whoever wakes in England sees, some morning, unaware¹,

That the lowest boughs³ and the brushwood sheaf

Round the elm-tree bole are in tiny leaf,

While the chaffinch sings on the orchard⁴ bough²

In England - now!

And after April, when May follows

And the white-throat builds, and all the swallows!

Hark, where my blossomed pear-tree in the hedge

Leans to the field and scatters⁵ on the clover

Blossoms and dewdrops - at the bent⁶ spray's edge

That's the wise thrush: he sings each song twice over

Lest you should think he never could recapture

The first fine careless rapture⁷!

And, tho' the fields look rough with hoary⁸ dew,

All will be gay when noontide wakes anew

The buttercups, the little children's dower

Far brighter than this gaudy⁹ melon-flower!

海外乡愁

罗伯特.勃朗宁

啊，但愿此刻身在英格兰，趁这四月天，

一个早晨醒来，谁都会突然发观：

榆树四周低矮的枝条和灌木丛中，

小小的嫩叶已显出一片葱茏，

听那苍头燕雀正在果园里唱歌，

在英格兰啊，在此刻!

四月过去，五月接踵来到，

燕子都在衔泥,白喉鸟在筑巢!

我园中倚向篱笆外的梨树

把如雨的花瓣和露珠 

洒满了树枝之下的苜蓿田；

聪明的鸫鸟在那儿唱，把每支歌都唱两遍，

为了免得你猜想：它不可能重新捕捉

第一遍即兴唱出的美妙欢乐!

尽管露水笼罩得田野灰白暗淡，

到中午一切又将喜气盎然，

苏醒的毛茛花是孩子们的“嫁妆”，

这华而俗的甜瓜花哪儿比得上它灿烂明亮!

1 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

2 bough   

n.大树枝，主枝

参考例句：

• I rested my fishing rod against a pine bough.我把钓鱼竿靠在一棵松树的大树枝上。
• Every bough was swinging in the wind.每条树枝都在风里摇摆。

3 boughs   

大树枝( bough的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。
• A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

4 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

5 scatters   

v.（使）散开， （使）分散，驱散( scatter的第三人称单数 )；撒

参考例句：

• He scatters money about as if he were rich. 他四处挥霍，好像很有钱。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Truth raises against itself the storm that scatters its seeds broadcast. 真理引起了反对它自己的狂风骤雨，那场风雨吹散了真理的广播的种子。 来自辞典例句

6 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

7 rapture   

n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜

参考例句：

• His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
• In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地，被他父亲打断了。

8 hoary   

adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的

参考例句：

• They discussed the hoary old problem.他们讨论老问题。
• Without a word spoken,he hurried away,with his hoary head bending low.他什么也没说，低着白发苍苍的头，匆匆地走了。

9 gaudy   

adj.华而不实的；俗丽的

参考例句：

• She was tricked out in gaudy dress.她穿得华丽而俗气。
• The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him.浮华的蝴蝶却相信花是应该向它道谢的。