Dead Poets Society 死亡诗社 （精讲之一）

影片对白

KEATING: "Oh Captain, My Captain" who knows where that comes from? Anybody?Not a clue? It's from a poem by Walt Whitman about Mr. Abraham Lincoln. Now in this class you can either call me Mr. Keating. Or, if you're slightly more daring, Oh Captain, My Captain. Now let me dispel¹ a few rumors² so they don't fester into facts. Yes, I too attended Welton and survived. And no, at that time I was not the mental giant you see before you. I was the intellectual equivalent of a ninety-eight pound weakling. I would go to the beach and people would kick copies of Byron in my face. Now, Mr. Pitts? That's a rather unfortunate name. Mr. Pitts, where are you? Mr. Pitts? Would you open your hymnal to page 542 and read the first stanza³ of the poem you find there?

PITTS: To the virgins⁴, to make much of time? 

KEATING: Yes, that's the one. Somewhat appropriate, isn't it.

PITTS: Gather ye rosebuds⁵ while ye may, old time is still a flying, and this same flower that smiles today, tomorrow will be dying.

KEATING: Thank you Mr. Pitts. "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may." The Latin term for that sentiment is Carpe Diem. Now who knows what that means?

MEEKS: Carpe Diem. That's "seize the day".

KEATING: Very good, Mr.-

MEEKS: Meeks.

KEATING: Meeks. Another unusual name. Seize the day. Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. Why does the writer use these lines?

CHARLIE: Because he's in a hurry.

KEATING: No, ding!

KEATING: Thank you for playing anyway. Because we are food for worms, lads. Because,believe it or not, each and every one of us in this room is one day going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die.

KEATING: Now I would like you to step forward over here and peruse⁶ some of the faces from the past. You've walked past them many times. I don't think you've really looked at them. They're not that different from you, are they? Same haircuts, full of hormones⁷, just like you. Invincible⁸, just like you feel.The world is their oyster⁹. They believe they're destined¹⁰ for great things, just like many of you. Their eyes are full of hope, just like you. Did they wait until it was too late to make from their lives even oneiota¹¹of what they were capable? Because you see, gentlemen, these boys are now fertilizing¹² daffodils. But if you listen real close, you can hear them whisper their legacy¹³ to you. Go on, lean in. Carpe. Hear it? Carpe. Carpe. Carpe Diem. Seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary.

妙词佳句，活学活用

1. not a clue

“毫无头绪”的意思，有时候也说成not have a clue。这是在口语里经常使用的句子，大家可以试着多多使用。
e.g. I haven't a clue what I'll give Carl for his birthday next year.
明年生日给卡尔买什么礼物我真是一点主意都没有。

clue可以作动词，意思是“提供线索，提供情况”。如：
Clue me in on what's happening.
告诉我发生了什么事。
也可以作名词，意思是“线索”，如：
The police found a clue which will help them catch the robber.
警察发现了能帮助他们抓住强盗的线索。

2. Believe it or not

口语常用句型，意思是“信不信由你”。
e.g. Believe it or not, I met a super football star this morning on the street.
     信不信由你，我今天早晨在街上遇到一个超级球星。

在口语中还有一个句型：Can you believe it? 当说话人对自己说的话都觉得不可思议、不敢相信的时候，就可以用这个句子。比如在电影《阿甘正传》里有一句台词是：Can you believe it? I got to go to college too. （你能相信吗，我居然也上大学了。）

3. The world is their oyster.

oyster的意思是“牡蛎，蚝”，但是这个句子的意思跟这个毫无关系，这是一句非常口语化的表达，意思是“人生最得意（最有前途）的时刻”。
e.g. You're young. You've got a lot of opportunity. The world is your oyster.
     你正年轻，有很多机会。你正是在人生最得意的时候。

4. iota

极微小，极小量

Not an iota (of) 毫不，一点也不

If you say there is not an iota or not one iota of something, you are emphasizing that there is not even a very small amount of it.
e.g. 1）He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.
        他对任何工作都没表示出丝毫的兴趣。
     2）There is not an iota of truth in his story.
        他的故事没有一点是真的。

文化面面观

1. Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

American poet, whose work boldly asserts the worth of the individual and the oneness of all humanity. Whitman's defiant¹⁴ break with traditional poetic¹⁵ concerns and style exerted a major influence on American thought and literature.

惠特曼的伟大作品《草叶集》(1855年第一次出版），用非传统的韵律和韵文写成，宣扬自我、死亡是生命的一部分、普遍的兄弟情谊、民主的伟大和美国。

2. Byron (1788-1824)

Byron, George Gordon Noel, 6th Baron¹⁶ Byron (1788-1824), known as Lord Byron, English poet, who was one of the most important and versatile¹⁷ writers of the Romantic Movement. 那象征着孤独、反抗和沉思的"拜伦式英雄"的形象最早出现在《曼弗雷德》（1817年）里。他的其它著作有《查尔德·哈洛尔德游记》（1812至1818年）、《希永的囚徒》（1816年）以及讽刺长诗《唐璜》（1819至1824年）。由于他的恋爱经历和反传统的生活方式，拜伦在当时是名誉扫地的。他死于为希腊脱离土耳其而独立所做的工作中。

思想火花

这部电影讲述的是一个很有人格魅力、而且上课方式很独特的老师在一所传统学校里教书育人的故事。

在影片开始不久的这个片段里，Keating老师上的第一节课就让学生们印象深刻。我们也可以清楚地记住这个拉丁语的表达：Carpe Diem，英文的意思是seize the day。他是想让学生抓住每一天，不要虚度时光，当然不是只让他们好好学习，而是享受自己的生活，让自己的每一天都过得充实和非同凡响。这是一堂与众不同的课，也带给了学生和观众不一样的感受，我们也感同身受地希望自己能够seize the day.

考考你

用今日所学翻译下面的句子。

1. 信不信由你，我和Mary下个月就要结婚了！
2. 我进来的时候教室里乱糟糟的，发生了什么事我是一无所知。
3. 他的故事没有一点是真的。

《BJ单身日记》2 （精讲之六）考考你 参考答案

2. 我下了车才看到他。
   The moment I stepped out of car, I saw him.

1 dispel   

vt.驱走，驱散，消除

参考例句：

• I tried in vain to dispel her misgivings.我试图消除她的疑虑，但没有成功。
• We hope the programme will dispel certain misconceptions about the disease.我们希望这个节目能消除对这种疾病的一些误解。

2 rumors   

n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷

参考例句：

• Rumors have it that the school was burned down. 有谣言说学校给烧掉了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Rumors of a revolt were afloat. 叛变的谣言四起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 stanza   

n.（诗）节，段

参考例句：

• We omitted to sing the second stanza.我们漏唱了第二节。
• One young reporter wrote a review with a stanza that contained some offensive content.一个年轻的记者就歌词中包含有攻击性内容的一节写了评论。

4 virgins   

处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母）

参考例句：

• They were both virgins when they met and married. 他们从相识到结婚前都未曾经历男女之事。
• Men want virgins as concubines. 人家买姨太太的要整货。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

5 rosebuds   

蔷薇花蕾，妙龄少女，初入社交界的少女( rosebud的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 花开堪折直须折。
• Gather ye rosebuds while ye may. 有花堪折直须折，莫待花无空折枝。

6 peruse   

v.细读，精读

参考例句：

• We perused the company's financial statements for the past five years.我们翻阅了公司过去5年来的财务报表。
• Please peruse this report at your leisure.请在空暇时细读这篇报道。

7 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

8 invincible   

adj.不可征服的，难以制服的

参考例句：

• This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
• The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。

9 oyster   

n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人

参考例句：

• I enjoy eating oyster; it's really delicious.我喜欢吃牡蛎，它味道真美。
• I find I fairly like eating when he finally persuades me to taste the oyster.当他最后说服我尝尝牡蛎时，我发现我相当喜欢吃。

10 destined   

adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的

参考例句：

• It was destined that they would marry.他们结婚是缘分。
• The shipment is destined for America.这批货物将运往美国。

11 iota   

n.些微，一点儿

参考例句：

• There is not an iota of truth in his story.他的故事没有一点是真的。
• He's never shown an iota of interest in any kind of work.他从来没有对任何工作表现出一点儿兴趣。

12 fertilizing   

v.施肥( fertilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Sometimes the preliminary step must be taken of reducing weed population before fertilizing. 有时候，在施肥之前，必须采取减少杂草密度的预备性步骤。 来自辞典例句
• The self fertilizing garden can also be planted in raised beds. 自我施肥的菜园也可以在苗圃床中种植。 来自互联网

13 legacy   

n.遗产，遗赠；先人(或过去)留下的东西

参考例句：

• They are the most precious cultural legacy our forefathers left.它们是我们祖先留下来的最宝贵的文化遗产。
• He thinks the legacy is a gift from the Gods.他认为这笔遗产是天赐之物。

14 defiant   

adj.无礼的，挑战的

参考例句：

• With a last defiant gesture,they sang a revolutionary song as they were led away to prison.他们被带走投入监狱时，仍以最后的反抗姿态唱起了一支革命歌曲。
• He assumed a defiant attitude toward his employer.他对雇主采取挑衅的态度。

15 poetic   

adj.富有诗意的，有诗人气质的，善于抒情的

参考例句：

• His poetic idiom is stamped with expressions describing group feeling and thought.他的诗中的措辞往往带有描写群体感情和思想的印记。
• His poetic novels have gone through three different historical stages.他的诗情小说创作经历了三个不同的历史阶段。

16 baron   

n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王

参考例句：

• Henry Ford was an automobile baron.亨利·福特是一位汽车业巨头。
• The baron lived in a strong castle.男爵住在一座坚固的城堡中。

17 versatile   

adj.通用的，万用的；多才多艺的，多方面的

参考例句：

• A versatile person is often good at a number of different things.多才多艺的人通常擅长许多种不同的事情。
• He had been one of the game's most versatile athletes.他是这项运动中技术最全面的运动员之一。