诗歌项目有助于痴呆病人的记忆长度

 　　JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, the first in a new series we will be bring you over the coming months.

　　We're calling this project Where Poetry Lives.

　　Jeffrey Brown tells us about it.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: We have a special guide traveling with us, poet laureate Natasha Trethewey.

　　Our goal is to explore poetry and literature in various corners of American life, in sometimes unexpected ways and places,

　　and we will seek to connect these trips to aspects of Natasha's personal experience and, no doubt, to the experiences of many of you.

　　We will encounter some difficult and even painful problems, but also, we hope, capture the joy and more that art can bring.

　　We certainly saw all of that in this, our first report.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Mortal, though.

　　GARY GLAZNER: Not sleeping.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Not sleeping.

　　GARY GLAZNER: We must save it.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Marianne Moore's poem "The Camperdown Elm," and standing¹ before the tree itself on a beautiful day in Prospect² Park, Brooklyn, poet Gary Glazner led a recitation.

　　GARY GLAZNER: OK, I say it, you say it.

　　Props³ are needed.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Props are needed.

　　GARY GLAZNER: And tree food.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: And tree food.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: It's a performance, a kind of game, and something more, for these are men and women at various stages of dementia, now participants in the Alzheimer's Poetry Project created by Glazner almost a decade ago.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: A poem as lovely as a tree.

　　GARY GLAZNER: I think it's momentary⁴ happiness and satisfaction, quality of life.

　　I think that's the thing we can learn from people living with dementia, is that they live in the moment, and in that moment, if we're playful and we're joking around and we're doing poetry together, it's just beautiful.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Natasha Trethewey and I joined Glazner and his group on their recent outing in the park, as they listened, recited and even created some poetry of their own.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: It's a perfect day.

　　GARY GLAZNER: I don't call this a cloud.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: I don't call this a cloud.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: It was part of a project that now operates in 24 states, as well as Germany, Poland and South Korea.

　　In New York, it operates out of the New York Memory Center, a community-based nonprofit organization that's designed a rigorous day program for people experiencing memory disorders⁵, including yoga classes, computer skills instruction and poetry.

　　Several times a month, they're joined by preschoolers housed in the same building. On this day, together, they recited William Wordsworth.

　　GARY GLAZNER: And then my heart with pleasure fills.

　　CHILDREN: Then my heart with pleasure fills.

　　GARY GLAZNER: And dances with the daffodils.

　　CHILDREN: And dances with the daffodils.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Natasha joined in for a lighter⁶ moment.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY, U.S. Poet Laureate: I'm a poet.

　　GARY GLAZNER: I'm a poet.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: And I know it.

　　GARY GLAZNER: And I know it.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: And my feet surely show it.

　　GARY GLAZNER: And my feet surely show it.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: Because they're long fellows.

　　GARY GLAZNER: Because they're long fellows.

　　GARY GLAZNER: All right. Very good, yes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: She also worked separately with Glazner and the Alzheimer's group on "The Ode to the Statue of Liberty" by Emma Lazarus.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Give me your tired, your poor.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Seventy-five-year-old Ola Hightower first came to the center nine years ago.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: When Gary said Emma Lazarus, you immediately said?

　　WOMAN: Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled⁷ masses.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: Now, how did you -- now, how did you memorize that poem?

　　WOMAN: Well, I guess I learned it when I was in college, you know, and I remember stuff.

　　And I like reading. Oh, God, you should see my library.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Memories of poems, of family members, of one's own self, they're what Alzheimer's steals,short-term memory first and then, progressively, longer-term memory.

　　Today, some five million Americans live with the disease. As the population ages, some estimate the numberwill grow as high as 13.8 million in 40 years.

　　It's something that touches so many of us, including Natasha, who told of how watching a beloved aunt living with Alzheimer's affected⁸ her and her early poetry.

　　NATASHA TRETHEWEY: The idea that what she was losing was personal history because she was losing memory,that's the first thing I tried to make sense of, and how I saw her trying to grasp or hold onto things as she was losing so much in her head.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: There's a lot still not known about the causes of Alzheimer's, and there's no cure.

　　But Memory Center executive director Christopher Nadeau says scientists and psychologists are seeing clearcare benefits from working with language and art.

　　CHRISTOPHER NADEAU, New York Memory Center: What we're seeing is more and more studies come out showing that we can certainly improve the quality of life of individuals that are living with Alzheimer's and related dementia.

　　And so what does that translate into? It translates to improved levels of self-esteem, a decrease in depression levels, and sustaining people in the community for longer periods of time.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: We saw simple, but direct examples of language triggering memory and a bit of fun, as Gary Glazner finished reciting Edward Lear's "The Owl⁹ and the Pussycat," ending on the word moon.

　　MEN AND WOMEN (singing): Fly me to the moon let me play amongst the stars.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Seventy-nine-year-old Norman Marcus, a retired¹⁰ stockbroker¹¹ and Frank Sinatra fan, launched into a old favorite.

　　Patricia Bradley told us how, several years ago, her once-confident mother had grown anxious and fearful.

　　These days 84-year-old, Kathleen Bradley goes to the Memory Center every day and quietly joins in the activities.

　　You like going to the Memory Center?

　　WOMAN: Yes, I do.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: You do?

　　WOMAN: It gets out of the house.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: You what? You get out of the house.

　　WOMAN: Get out of the house.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Oh, you like getting out of the house.

　　WOMAN: Yes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: So, you have friends there?

　　WOMAN: Yes.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Yes.

　　WOMAN: Mom is very lucid¹², and things come out and can come out very clearly.

　　And it's like wow. And other days, it's not that easy. And it sometimes seems like, is there -- what's going on, like, what is the thought process?

　　Can she really -- is she really understanding at the moment what she's really reading, because sometimes it seems like she is, but then it's like forgotten.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And then there was Bernie Packer, a former cook who talked, kidded and sang his way throughthe stroll.

　　MAN: Well, I'm 94. I do the best I can. I will be honest.

　　I approach the long-term memory -- and now the short-time memory is getting pretty short.

　　So it's not that great anymore.

　　But I made a deal with God...

　　JEFFREY BROWN: What's the deal?

　　MAN: ... you know, that he could do anything he wants to my body, but he must not fool with my brain. I want to remain sane¹³ until the day I go, you know?

　　JEFFREY BROWN: And how's the deal going?

　　MAN: OK. I live in the present.

　　GARY GLAZNER: Once upon a midnight dreary¹⁴.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Once upon a midnight dreary.

　　GARY GLAZNER: While I pondered weak and weary.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: Joy was the word for one moment we all experienced in the park, as we came upon a saxophonist playing for the birds and passersby¹⁵.

　　He joined Glazner and the group for an improvised¹⁶ version of Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven¹⁷."

　　GARY GLAZNER: Quoth the raven, nevermore.

　　MEN AND WOMEN: Quoth the raven, nevermore.

　　JEFFREY BROWN: A short walk in the park, a sax, and a lot of poetry, memories lost, moments gained.

　　And we have much more on this story online, including Gary Glazner and Natasha Trethewey reading their ownpoems about memory and loss.

　　Natasha has also written a short essay about our trip. And you can send us your thoughts and questions about our report.

　　Natasha and I will answer them in an online chat we will post next week.

　　Next up in our series: a visit to Detroit and a report on InsideOUT, a writing program in inner-city schools. We will have that for you in October.

　　JUDY WOODRUFF: That was lovely.

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 prospect   

n.前景，前途；景色，视野

参考例句：

• This state of things holds out a cheerful prospect.事态呈现出可喜的前景。
• The prospect became more evident.前景变得更加明朗了。

3 props   

小道具； 支柱( prop的名词复数 )； 支持者； 道具； （橄榄球中的）支柱前锋

参考例句：

• Rescuers used props to stop the roof of the tunnel collapsing. 救援人员用支柱防止隧道顶塌陷。
• The government props up the prices of farm products to support farmers' incomes. 政府保持农产品价格不变以保障农民们的收入。

4 momentary   

adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的

参考例句：

• We are in momentary expectation of the arrival of you.我们无时无刻不在盼望你的到来。
• I caught a momentary glimpse of them.我瞥了他们一眼。

5 disorders   

n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调

参考例句：

• Reports of anorexia and other eating disorders are on the increase. 据报告，厌食症和其他饮食方面的功能紊乱发生率正在不断增长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The announcement led to violent civil disorders. 这项宣布引起剧烈的骚乱。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

7 huddled   

挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• We huddled together for warmth. 我们挤在一块取暖。
• We huddled together to keep warm. 我们挤在一起来保暖。

8 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

9 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

10 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

11 stockbroker   

n.股票（或证券），经纪人（或机构）

参考例句：

• The main business of stockbroker is to help clients buy and sell shares.股票经纪人的主要业务是帮客户买卖股票。
• My stockbroker manages my portfolio for me.我的证券经纪人替我管理投资组合。

12 lucid   

adj.明白易懂的，清晰的，头脑清楚的

参考例句：

• His explanation was lucid and to the point.他的解释扼要易懂。
• He wasn't very lucid,he didn't quite know where he was.他神志不是很清醒，不太知道自己在哪里。

13 sane   

adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的

参考例句：

• He was sane at the time of the murder.在凶杀案发生时他的神志是清醒的。
• He is a very sane person.他是一个很有头脑的人。

14 dreary   

adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的

参考例句：

• They live such dreary lives.他们的生活如此乏味。
• She was tired of hearing the same dreary tale of drunkenness and violence.她听够了那些关于酗酒和暴力的乏味故事。

15 passersby   

n. 过路人(行人,经过者)

参考例句：

• He had terrorized Oxford Street,where passersby had seen only his footprints. 他曾使牛津街笼罩了一片恐怖气氛，因为那儿的行人只能看到他的脚印，看不到他的人。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
• A person is marceling on a street, watching passersby passing. 街边烫发者打量着匆匆行人。

16 improvised   

a.即席而作的,即兴的

参考例句：

• He improvised a song about the football team's victory. 他即席创作了一首足球队胜利之歌。
• We improvised a tent out of two blankets and some long poles. 我们用两条毛毯和几根长竿搭成一个临时帐蓬。

17 raven   

n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的

参考例句：

• We know the raven will never leave the man's room.我们知道了乌鸦再也不会离开那个男人的房间。
• Her charming face was framed with raven hair.她迷人的脸上垂落着乌亮的黑发。