二十世纪著名诗人罗伯特·福斯特（二）

35 二十世纪著名诗人罗伯特·福斯特（二）

DATE=5-13-01
TITLE=PEOPLE IN AMERICA #1821 - ROBERT FROST, PT.2
BYLINE=RICHARD THORMAN

      Voice one:
      I'm rich Kleinfeldt.
       Voice two:
      And I'm Shirley Griffith with the v-o-a special English program, people in America. Today we finish the story of Robert Frost and his poetry.
       (Theme)
      Voice one:
      when Robert Frost left the United States in nineteen-twelve he was an unknown writer.  When he returned from Britain three years later he was on his way to becoming one of America's most (1) honored² writers. (2) Publishers who had rejected his books now competed against each other to publish them.       Unlike many poets of his time Frost wrote in (3) traditional forms. He said that not using them was like playing a game that had no rules. He joined the rules of the form with the (4) naturalness of common speech.  Other poets before him had tried to do this, but none with Frost's skill.
       Voice two:
       The common speech frost used had the words and way of speaking that could be easily seen as American.  For example, a poem called "the death of the hired man" begins:
       narrator:
            Mary sat musing³ on the (5) lamp-flame at the table                waiting for warren. When she heard his step,
           she ran on (6)tip-(7)toe down the darkened passage
           to meet him in the doorway⁴ with the news
            and put him on his guard. 'Silas is back.'
       Frost is telling a story about an old farm worker named Silas. The (8)discussion⁵ between warren and Mary continues:
      narrator:
        she pushed him outward⁶ with her through the door
        and shut it after her. 'Be kind,' she said.
        She took the market things from warren's arms
        and set them on the (9)porch, then drew him down
        to sit beside her on the (10)wooden steps
.       Voice two (cont):
       Warren says:
       (11)Narrator:
        'when was I ever anything but kind to him?
        But I'll not have the fellow back,' he said.
        'I told him so last (12) haying⁷, didn't I?'
        If he left then, I said, that ended it.'
       Voice two (cont):
       and Mary says:
       Narrator:
        'he's worn out. He's asleep beside the stove.
        When I came up from Rowe's I found him here,
        (13)huddled against the barn-door fast asleep....
       Voice one:
       Through the discussion between warren and Mary the reader discovers more and more about Silas.  In some ways he is a good worker, but he usually disappears when he is most needed.  He does not earn much money.  He has his own ideas about the way farm work should be done.  And he has his own ideas about himself. Instead of asking for help from his rich brother, Silas has come to (14) warren and Mary.  She says:
       Narrator:
        ...he has come home to die:
        you needn't be afraid he'll leave you this time.'
        'Home,' he mocked⁸ gently.
       Voice one (cont):
       she answers:
       Narrator:
        'yes, what else but home?
        'Home is the place where, when you go there,
        they have to take you in.'
       Voice one(cont):
       without ever having Silas speak, frost has made the reader know this tired old man, who has come to die in the only home he has. In the final lines of the poem the story of Silas is completed. Mary says:
       narrator:
          'I made the bed up for him there tonight.
        You'll be surprised at him--how much he's broken.
        His working days are done; I'm sure of it.
        Go, look, see for yourself.'
        warren returned--too soon, it seemed to her,
        (15) slipped to her side, caught up her hand and waited.        'Warren?' She questioned.
        'Dead,' was all he answered?
       Voice one (cont):
    The poem tells of the understanding that Mary and warren have for a man who has worked for them for many years.  The poem also presents a sadness that Frost repeats many times.
        Voice two:
        Frost was like an earlier new England writer and thinker, Ralph Waldo Emerson.  They never were good at joining others in programs or movements.  Frost was politically (16) conservative⁹ and avoided movement of the left or right.  He did this not because he did not support their beliefs, but because they were group projects. In the poem "mending wall" the speaker and his neighbor walk together along a wall, repairing the damage caused by winter weather:
       Narrator:
        something there is that doesn't love a wall,
        that sends the frozen¹⁰-ground-swell under it,
        and spills the upper (17) boulders¹¹ in the sun;
        and makes gaps¹² even two can pass (18)abreast.
        No one has seen them made or heard them made,
        but at spring (19)mending time we find them there.
        I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
        and on a day we meet and walk the line
        and set the wall between us once again.
        We keep the wall between us as we go.
       Voice two (cont):
       The speaker questions his neighbor who says, "good (20)fences make good neighbors."  The speaker says:
       Narrator:
        before I built a wall I'd ask to know
       what I was walling in or walling out,
        and to whom I was like to give offense¹³.
       Voice one:
       Frost's later poetry shows little change or development from his earlier writing.  It confirms what he had established in such early books as north of Boston.  For example, a poem called "(21) birches," written in nineteen-sixteen begins:
       Narrator:
        when I see birches bend to left and right
        across the lines of straighter darker trees,
        I like to think some boy's been (22)swinging them.
        But swinging doesn't bend them down to stay
        as ice storms do.
       Voice one (cont):
      and it ends:
       Narrator:
        I'd like to go by climbing a birch tree,
        and climb black branches up a snow-white trunk
        toward¹⁵ heaven, till the tree could bear no more,
        but dipped its top and set me down again.
        That would be good both going and coming back.
        One could do worse than is a swinger of birches.
   Voice two:
       In the nature poems there is often a (23)comparison between what the poet sees and what he feels.  It is what frost in one poem calls the difference between "outer and inner¹⁶ weather."  Under the common speech of the person saying the poem is a dark picture of the world.  In "the road not taken" he says:
   Narrator:
        two roads (24)diverged¹⁷ in a yellow wood,
        and sorry I could not travel both
        and be one traveler, long I stood
        and looked down one as far as if could
        to where it bent¹⁸ in the (25)undergrowth;
        then took the other, as just as fair,
        and having perhaps the better claim,
        because it was grassy¹⁹ and wanted wear;
        though as for that the passing there
       had worn them really about the same,
       and both that morning equally lay
       in leaves no step had trodden²⁰ black.
        Oh, I kept the first for another day!
        Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
       I doubted if I should ever come back.
      I shall be telling this with a sigh
       somewhere ages and ages hence:
        two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
       I took the one less traveled by,
        and that has made all the difference.
   Voice one:
       Among Frost's nature poems, there are more about winter than about any other season.  Even the poems about spring, autumn, or summer remember winter.  They are not poems about happiness found in nature.  They are moments of resistance²¹ to time and its changes.  And even the poems that tell stories are mainly pictures of people who are alone.
       Frost shared with Emerson the idea that everybody was a separate individual, and that groups weakened²² individuals.  But where Emerson and those who followed him looked at god and saw a creator, frost saw what he says is "no expression, nothing to express."  Frost sees the world as a "desert place." in a poem called "desert places," he says:
       Narrator:
        snow falling and night falling fast, oh, fast
        in a field I looked into going past,
        and the ground almost covered smooth in snow,
        but a few weeds and (26)stubble showing last.
        The woods around it have it--it is theirs.
        All animals are (27) smothered²³ in their lairs²⁴.
        I am too absent-spirited to count;
        the loneliness includes me unawares.
        And lonely as it is that loneliness
       will be more lonely ere it will be less--
       a blanker whiteness of (28)benighted snow
       with no expression, nothing to express.
        They cannot scare me with their empty spaces
        between stars--on stars where no human race is.
       I have it in me so much nearer home
        to scare myself with my own desert places. Voice two:
       Frost received almost every honor¹ a writer could receive.  He won the Pulitzer Prize for literature four times. In nineteen-sixty, congress²⁵ voted frost a gold medal for what he had given to the culture of the United States.       In the last years of his life, frost was no longer producing great poetry, but he represented the value of poetry in human life.  He often taught, and he gave talks.  Usually he would be asked to read his best known poem, "stopping by woods on a snowy evening:"
       Narrator:
        whose woods these are I think I know
        his house is in the village though;
        he will not see me stopping here
        to watch his woods fill up with snow.
        My little horse must think it queer
        to stop without a farmhouse²⁶ near
       between the woods and frozen lake 
        the darkest evening of the year. 
        He gives his harness²⁷ bells a shake
       to ask if there is some mistake.
        The only other sound's the sweep
        of easy wind and (29)downy flake²⁸.
        The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
        But I have promises to keep,
        and miles to go before I sleep,
        and miles to go before if sleep.
       Voice one:
       Robert Frost died in nineteen-sixty-three.  He had lived for almost one- hundred years, and had covered many miles before he slept, many miles before he slept.
      (Theme)
       Voice two:
       This VOA special English program, people in America, was written by Richard Thorman and produced by Lawan Davis.  Robert Frost's poetry was read by Shep o'neal.  Your narrators were rich Kleinfeldt and Shirley Griffith.

注释：
(1)　 honor[ 5CnE ]n.尊敬, 敬意v.尊敬, 给以荣誉
(2) publisher[5pQblIFE(r)]n.出版者, 发行人
(3) traditional[trE5dIFEn(E)l]adj.传统的, 惯例的
(4) naturalness[5nAtF[r[lnis]n.自然, 当然
(5) lamp[ lAmp ]n.灯
(6) tip[ tip ]n.顶, 尖端
(7) toe[ tEu ]n.趾, 脚趾
(8) discussion[ dis5kQFEn ]n.讨论
(9) porch[ pC:tF ]n.门廊, 走廊
(10) wooden[ 5wudn ]adj.木制的
(11) narrator [nA5reit[]n. 讲述者，叙述者
(12) haying[5heiN]n.割干草, 堆干草
(13) huddle[ 5hQdl ]v.拥挤, 蜷缩n.杂乱的一堆, 拥挤
(14) warren[ 5wCrin ]n.养兔场, 拥挤的地方
(15) slip[ slip ]n.滑倒, 事故
(16) conservative[ kEn5sE:vEtiv ]adj.保守的, 守旧的n.保守派
(17) boulder[ 5bEuldE ]n.大石头, 漂石
(18) abreast[ E5brest ]adv.并肩地, 并排地
(19) mending[ 5mendiN ]n.修补工作
(20) fence[ fens¹⁴ ]n.栅栏, 围墙
(21) birch[ bE:tF ]n.桦树, 白桦
(22) swinging[ 5swiNiN ]adj.愉快活跃的；多姿多彩的
(23) comparison[ kEm5pArisn ]n.比较, 对照
(24) diverge[ dai5vE:dV ]vi.(道路等)分叉, (意见等)分歧
(25) undergrowth[ 5QndE^rEuW ]n.下层丛林, 生于大树下的矮树
(26) stubble[ 5stQbl ]n.断株, 短发
(27) smother[ 5smQTE ]v.窒息
(28) benighted[ bi5naitid ]adj.赶路到天黑的, 愚昧的
(29) downy[ 5dauni ]adj.绒毛的, 柔和的

1 honor   

n.光荣；敬意；荣幸；vt.给…以荣誉；尊敬

参考例句：

• I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
• It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。

2 honored   

adj.光荣的：荣幸的v.尊敬，给以荣誉( honor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• I hope to be honored with further orders. 如蒙惠顾，不胜荣幸。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This is a time-honored custom. 这是一个古老的习俗。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 musing   

n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• "At Tellson's banking-house at nine," he said, with a musing face. “九点在台尔森银行大厦见面，”他想道。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She put the jacket away, and stood by musing a minute. 她把那件上衣放到一边，站着沉思了一会儿。

4 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

5 discussion   

n.讨论，谈论；论述

参考例句：

• It is certain he will come to the discussion.他肯定会来参加讨论。
• After months of discussion,a peace agreement is gradually taking shape.经过几个月的商讨，和平协议渐渐有了眉目。

6 outward   

adj.向外的，表面的，外部的；adv.向外，在外，表面

参考例句：

• The medicine is for outward application only.这药只供外用。
• The door opens outward.这扇门向外开。

7 haying   

n.割干草，堆干草

参考例句：

8 mocked   

愚弄，嘲弄( mock的过去式和过去分词 )； 使受挫折； 不尊重，蔑视

参考例句：

• Those who mock history will be mocked by history. 嘲弄历史的人必将被历史所嘲弄。
• The river mocked all the enemy's efforts to cross. 敌人作了一切努力还是没能过河。

9 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

10 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

11 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 gaps   

n.缺口( gap的名词复数 )；不同；间隔；[植物学]裂

参考例句：

• Contraction of the timbers left gaps in the fence. 木料收缩，结果围墙露出缝来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The record is not complete; there are several gaps in it. 这份纪录不完整，中间有几处间断。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 offense   

n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪

参考例句：

• I hope you will not take any offense at my words. 对我讲的话请别见怪。
• His words gave great offense to everybody present.他的发言冲犯了在场的所有人。

14 fens   

n.（尤指英格兰东部的）沼泽地带( fen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Most of the landscape in the Fens is as flat as a pancake. 菲恩斯的大部分地形都是极平坦的。 来自互联网
• He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens. 它伏在莲叶之下，卧在芦苇隐密处和水洼子里。 来自互联网

15 toward   

prep.对于，关于，接近，将近，向，朝

参考例句：

• Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
• Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了，并跑了过去。

16 inner   

adj.内部的，里面的；内在的，内心的；精神的

参考例句：

• The label is on the inner side of the box.标签贴在盒子内侧。
• Other people seek the mountains for renewal of their inner lives.另一些人到深山中去，寻求新的精神生活。

17 diverged   

分开( diverge的过去式和过去分词 )； 偏离； 分歧； 分道扬镳

参考例句：

• Who knows when we'll meet again? 不知几时咱们能再见面！
• At what time do you get up? 你几时起床？

18 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。

19 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

20 trodden   

v.踩，踏( tread的过去分词 )；踩成；踏出；步行于

参考例句：

• The people have been trodden down for too long. 人民受践踏的时间太久了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The cattle had trodden a path to the pond. 牛群踏出了一条通往池塘的小径。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

21 resistance   

n.抵抗力，反抗，反抗行动；阻力，电阻；反对；adj.抵抗的

参考例句：

• Very little resistance was put up by the enemy.敌人没怎么进行抵抗。
• An aircraft has to overcome the resistance of the air.飞机须克服空气的阻力。

22 weakened   

adj.虚弱的v.（使）削弱， （使）变弱( weaken的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The team has been weakened by injury. 这个队因伤实力减弱。
• In his weakened condition, he is very susceptible to cold. 他身体很弱，因此很容易患感冒。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 smothered   

（使）窒息， （使）透不过气( smother的过去式和过去分词 )； 覆盖； 忍住； 抑制

参考例句：

• He smothered the baby with a pillow. 他用枕头把婴儿闷死了。
• The fire is smothered by ashes. 火被灰闷熄了。

24 lairs   

n.（野兽的）巢穴，窝( lair的名词复数 )；（人的）藏身处

参考例句：

• Beholders usually carve out underground lairs for themselves using their disintegrate rays. 眼魔经常用它们的解离射线雕刻自己的地底巢穴。 来自互联网
• All animals are smothered in their lairs. 所有的小生灵都躲在巢穴里冬眠。 来自互联网

25 Congress   

n.(代表)大会；(C-:美国等国的)国会，议会

参考例句：

• There were some days to wait before the Congress.大会的召开还有几天时间。
• After 18 years in Congress,he intented to return to private life.在国会供职18年后，他打算告老还乡。

26 farmhouse   

n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房）

参考例句：

• We fell for the farmhouse as soon as we saw it.我们对那所农舍一见倾心。
• We put up for the night at a farmhouse.我们在一间农舍投宿了一夜。

27 harness   

n.马具；类似马具的装备；vt.给上马具

参考例句：

• He paid ten dollars for the new harness.他花十美元买了这件马具。
• I harness the horse to the cart. 我把马套在车上。

28 flake   

v.使成薄片；雪片般落下；n.薄片

参考例句：

• Drain the salmon,discard the skin,crush the bones and flake the salmon with a fork.将鲑鱼沥干，去表皮，粉碎鱼骨并用餐叉子将鱼肉切成小薄片状。
• The paint's beginning to flake.油漆开始剥落了。