William Blake简介

William Blake诗歌选读(Who Can Stand A Grain of Sand The Tyger Spring 地狱的箴言)

William Blake简介

威廉·布莱克William Blake（1757-1827），英国第一位重要的前浪漫主义诗人， 是一位复杂的多重人物。除了诗人，他同时还是画家、雕刻家。他艺术的一面影响另一面。他用自己发明的方法，把写的诗和画的插图刻在铜板上，然后用这种铜板印成书页，再给它们涂色。细读布莱克的作品，我们可以发现，它们是由图像和文本结合的整体。文本不仅仅是用来说明图画，图画也不仅仅是用来表现原文。两者都需要解释性或推测性的阅读。

从童年时代起，布莱克就充满了丰富的想像力，并且时常经历幻想。他说他曾看见过缀满天使的大树，曾见到过安葬在威斯敏斯特教堂中的古圣先贤，并给他们画过画像。他把自己所看到的一切用绘画和诗歌表现出来。他的画大多是经过深思熟虑后的变形人体或表现他幻觉中所见到的人物。如他为自己的诗 “欧洲：一个预言”（1794）所作的插图（见图1）就是源自他的幻觉。据说，当布莱克住在兰伯斯时，他曾站在一个楼梯的顶端，看见过类似的一副幻象出现在空中。从这幅画面上可以看出：混沌初开，一个裸体老人白发白须飞扬，伏在一个黄边红里的圆形物体内，伸出左手，在用一幅巨大的圆规测量下面的一片沉沉黑暗。这位神秘的老人显然是《圣经》里的上帝耶和华。在《旧约·箴言》里有一段“智慧”所说的话，可以佐证。这幅画不仅构图和色彩都带有一种梦幻般的神秘感，而且用意也不是写上帝的伟大。它表达的是上帝的邪恶，因为他创造了一个黑暗的世界，那幅圆规看起来像是黑暗的暴风雨之夜霹雳的电光。所以他只能是邪恶之神。

布莱克除了自写自画之外，还常常为别人的诗文作画。图2这幅名为《怜悯》的画，就是他为莎士比亚的名著《麦克白》的第一幕第七场所作的插图。麦克白在即将弑君夺位时，内心充满犹豫和矛盾。他说：“怜悯像一个赤条条的在狂风中飘游的新生儿，又像一个御气而行的天婴，将要把这可憎的行为揭露在每一个人的眼中，使眼泪淹没天风。”布莱克在这里构想了一个神话般的场面：在深沉的夜幕下，“怜悯”这位充满慈悲的人物，骑着一匹飘逸的白马“太虚使者”，无声无息地掠过夜空。大地上躺着一位刚刚生产的母亲。她非常虚弱，无力照顾新生的婴儿。“怜悯”关切地俯下身去，张开双臂迎接一个新的生命。而这个幼小但充满活力的新生儿，从大地母亲身上一跃而起，扑到“怜悯”的怀中。在“怜悯”的身后，有一个夜的使者，正张开手臂飞翔着，静静地掠过夜空。整个画面显得那样宁静而深沉，充满着夜的神秘感和博大的包容性。无边的夜幕，掩盖着无数的罪恶、不幸、欢乐、忧伤、生命和死亡、温柔与狰狞······所有的一切，都在它的包容下沉寂，构成了深不可测的神秘内容。

布莱克一生都保持着宗教、政治和艺术上的激进倾向。他浓厚的宗教意识、艺术家的天分和丰富的人生阅历，给他的诗歌提供了取之不尽的创作源泉，并使它的诗歌具有明显的宗教性、预言性、哲理性和艺术性等几大特点。他对英国诗歌，特别是浪漫主义诗歌所作出的贡献是有目共睹的。其前期诗作主要包括《诗歌素描》（1783）、《天真之歌》及《经验之歌》等。这一时期的诗作，语言上简单易懂，且以短诗为主，音节也能短则短，题材内容则以生活中的所见所闻为主；而后期的诗作篇幅明显增长，有时长达数百乃至上千行，内容也明显地晦涩起来，以神秘、宗教，以及象征为主要特征。

布莱克一生都没有得到官方或公众的赏识。在当时人们的眼中，它是个反理性主义者、梦幻家和神秘主义者，一个远离尘世的人和偏执狂。他的作品没有受到重视。直到十九、二十世纪之交，叶芝等人重编了他的诗集，人们才惊讶于他的纯真与深刻。接着是他的书信和笔记的发表，他的神启式的画也逐渐普及，于是诗人与画家布莱克的地位才确立无疑。

时至今日，不少批评家把布莱克列为英国文学史上与乔叟、斯宾塞、莎士比亚、弥尔顿、华兹华斯齐名的最伟大的六位诗人之一。由于他的画在文艺复兴以后，开启了不重形似而重精神力量的新路，他又被赞誉为“英国艺术方面最重要的人物之一”。笔者2002年8月至2003年8月在英国剑桥大学访学期间发现：剑桥大学菲茨威廉博物馆（FitzwilliamMuseum）为布莱克开设了专馆，且馆藏十分丰富；仅在2002年米迦勒学期（MichaelmasTerm）剑桥大学英文系的课程表中，就有三门有关布莱克研究的课程，它们是：“威廉·布莱克”、“布莱克的复合艺术” （Blake sCompositeArt）和“布莱克的微细特例”（Blake sMinuteParticulars）。布莱克的成就及魅力由此可见一斑。正如王佐良教授所断言的，对于后来者来说，布莱克是挖掘不尽的———无论从思想、象征、神话出发，还是从格律、诗艺或绘画艺术出发，他的作品里还有大量值得深入研究的东西。他经得起不断发掘。很可能，今后人们还会从他的作品中发掘出很多新的东西。

William Blake诗歌选读

Who Can Stand

Oh, for a voice like thunder, and a tongue to drown the throat of war!

When the senses are shaken,

And the soul is driven to madness,

Who can stand?

When the souls of the oppressed fight in the troubled air that rages,

Who can stand?

When the whirlwind of fury comes from the throne of god,

When the frowns of his countenance drive the nations together,

Who can stand?

When Sin claps his broad wings over the battle,

And sails rejoicing in the flood of Death;

When souls are torn to everlasting fire,

And fiends of Hell rejoice upon the slain.

Oh, who can stand?

Oh, who hath caused this?

Oh, who can answer at the throne of God?

The Kings and Nobles of the Land have done it!

Hear it not, Heaven, thy Ministers have done it!

A Grain of Sand

一粒沙子

William Blake/威廉.布莱克

To see a world in a grain of sand, 从一粒沙子看到一个世界，

And a heaven in a wild fllower, 从一朵野花看到一个天堂，

Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, 把握在你手心里的就是无限，

And eternity in an hour. 永恒也就消融于一个时辰。

The Tyger

Poem lyrics of The Tyger by William Blake.

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night

What immortal hand or eye

Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies

Burnt the fire of thine eyes?

On what wings dare he aspire?

What the hand dare seize the fire?

And What shoulder, and what art,

Could twist the sinews of thy heart?

And when thy heart began to beat,

What dread hand? and what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain?

In what furnace was thy brain?

What the anvil? what dread grasp

Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears,

And watered heaven with their tears,

Did he smile his work to see?

Did he who made the lamb make thee?

Tyger! Tyger! burning bright

In the forests of the night,

What immortal hand or eye

Dare frame thy fearful symmetry

Spring

Sound the Flute!

Now it's mute.

Birds delight

Day and Night.

Nightingale

In the dale,

Lark in Sky

Merrily

Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year.

Little Boy

Full of joy.

Little Girl

Sweet and small.

Cock does crow,

So do you.

Merry voice,

Infant noise,

Merrily Merrily to welcome in the Year.

Little Lamb,

Here I am,

Come and lick

My white neck.

Let me pull

Your soft Wool.

Let me kiss

Your soft face.

Merrily Merrily we welcome in the Year.

地狱的箴言

The Proverbs of Hell

威廉·布莱克（William Blake,1757-1827），飞白 译

春天学习，秋天教导，冬天享受。

In seed time learn, in harvest teach, in winter enjoy.

让你的大车和犁头碾着死人的白骨前进吧。

Drive your cart and your plow over the bones of the dead.

离经叛道是通向智慧之宫的必由之路。

The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom.

审慎是无能追求的一位富有而丑陋的老处女。

Prudence is a rich, ugly old maid courted by Incapacity.

有欲望而无行动者滋生瘟疫。

He who desires but acts not, breeds pestilence.

被犁断的蛀虫原谅犁头。

The cut worm forgives the plow.

把好水者置于河中。

Dip him in the river who loves water.

傻瓜和智者看到的不是同一棵树。

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

谁的脸上不发光就永远成不了星星。

He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.

永恒喜爱时间的产品。

Eternity is in love with the productions of time.

忙碌的蜜蜂没有时间悔恨。

The busy bee has no time for sorrow.

愚蠢的钟点可以由钟表衡量，但智慧的时间没法衡量。

The hours of folly are measur'd by the clock; but of wisdom, no clock can measure.

凡有益健康的食品都不是由网和陷阱得来的。

All wholesome food is caught without a net or a trap.

度量衡要在荒年颁布。

Bring out number, weight and measure in a year of dearth.

如果单凭自己的翅膀，没有一只鸟儿会飞得很高。

No bird soars too high, if he soars with his own wings.

只有尸体才不会为受到的伤害报复。

A dead body revenges not injuries.

最崇高的行为就是把别人置于你的前面。

The most sublime act is to set another before you.

如果愚人坚持其愚蠢，那他就会变聪明。

If the fool would persist in his folly he would become wise.

愚蠢是无赖的斗篷。

Folly is the cloak of knavery.

羞涩是骄傲的外衣。

Shame is Pride's cloke.

监狱由法律的石头砌就，妓院由宗教的砖块造成。

Prisons are built with stones of law, brothels with bricks of religion.

孔雀的骄傲是上帝的荣耀。

The pride of the peacock is the glory of God.

山羊的淫欲是上帝的博爱。

The lust of the goat is the bounty of God.

女人的裸体是上帝的杰作。

The wrath of the lion is the wisdom of God.

过悲会笑，过乐会哭。

Excess of sorrow laughs. Excess of joy weeps.

狮子的咆哮，狼的嚎叫，暴风雨中海的发怒，和毁灭一切的剑，在凡人眼中都是过于伟大的永恒的一部分。

The roaring of lions, the howling of wolves, the raging of the stormy sea, and the destructive sword, are portions of eternity, too great for the eye of man.

狐狸责怪陷阱，而不责怪自己。

The fox condemns the trap, not himself.

欢乐授胎，悲哀生育。

Joys impregnate. Sorrows bring forth.

让男人穿狮皮，女人穿羊毛。

Let man wear the fell of the lion, woman the fleece of the sheep.

鸟需巢，蜘蛛需网，人需友谊。

The bird a nest, the spider a web, man friendship.

窃窃自笑的傻瓜和愁眉苦脸的都应看作是聪明的，他们也许是同一根棍子的两端。

The selfish, smiling fool, and the sullen, frowning fool shall be both thought wise, that they may be a rod.

凡现已证实的都曾是现象。

What is now proved was once only imagin'd.

鼠、鼷、狐、兔只看到树根，狮、虎、马、象才看到果实。

The rat, the mouse, the fox, the rabbit watch the roots; the lion, the tyger, the horse, the elephant watch the fruits.

水池蓄，泉水涌。

The cistern contains: the fountain overflows.

一个思想可充满太空。

One thought fills immensity.

永远准备说真话，那样卑鄙的人就会避开你。

Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you.

一切可信之物都是真理之象。

Every thing possible to be believ'd is an image of truth.

鹰决不会浪费时间屈尊向乌鸦学习。

The eagle never lost so much time as when he submitted to learn of the crow.

狐狸供养自己，但上帝供养狮子。

The fox provides for himself, but God provides for the lion.

清晨思想，中午行动，黄昏进食，夜晚睡眠。

Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night.

上过你的当的人最了解你。

He who has suffer'd you to impose on him, knows you.

犁头服从人使唤，上帝报答祈祷者。

As the plow follows words, so God rewards prayers.

愤怒的虎比说教的马更聪明。

The tygers of wrath are wiser than the horses of instruction.

死水有毒。

Expect poison from the standing water.

除非你知道什么是过度，你决不会知道什么是足够。

You never know what is enough unless you know what is more than enough.

请听傻瓜的责骂，这是一种莫大的荣耀。

Listen to the fool's reproach! it is a kingly title!

火是眼，风是鼻孔，水是嘴，大地是胡子。

The eyes of fire, the nostrils of air, the mouth of water, the beard of earth.

怯于勇气者善使诡计。

The weak in courage is strong in cunning.

苹果树从不问山毛榉如果生长，狮子从不问斑马如何觅食。

The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow; nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.

高兴的税收官带来一个丰年。

The thankful receiver bears a plentiful harvest.

如果别人从来不傻，那一定是我们傻了。

If others had not been foolish, we should be so.

甜蜜快乐的灵魂不会受污损。

The soul of sweet delight can never be defil'd.

当你看鹰时，你就在看天才的一部分，抬起头来！

When thou seest an eagle, thou seest a portion of genius; lift up thy head!

毛虫总爱在最美的叶子上产卵，教士总爱诅咒最正当的快乐。

As the caterpillar chooses the fairest leaves to lay her eggs on, so the priest lays his curse on the fairest joys.

创造一朵小花需万年之功。

To create a little flower is the labour of ages.

诅咒使人振奋，祝福使人懈怠。

Damn braces. Bless relaxes.

酒越陈越好，水越鲜越好。

The best wine is the oldest, the best water the newest.

祈祷者不耕作，赞美者不收获。

Prayers plow not! Praises reap not!

极乐不笑，极悲不哭。

Joys laugh not! Sorrows weep not!

崇高为头，痛苦为心，生殖为美，平衡为手足。

The head Sublime, the heart Pathos, the genitals Beauty, the hands and feet Proportion.

卑鄙之于卑鄙者正如风之于鸟水之于鱼一样。

As the air to a bird or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible.

乌鸦希望一切皆黑，猫头鹰则希望一切皆白。

The crow wish'd every thing was black, the owl that every thing was white.

丰盛既美。

Exuberance is Beauty.

如果狮子接受狐狸的劝告，他也只会使使诡计。

If the lion was advised by the fox, he would be cunning.

道路修整后变得平直，但未加修整的曲折道路才是天才之路。

Improvement makes strait roads; but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.

有欲望无行动等于把婴儿扼杀在摇篮之中。

Sooner murder an infant in its cradle than nurse unacted desires.

人迹未到之处，自然一片荒凉。

Where man is not, nature is barren.

真理决不会是只能理解而不能信仰的。

Truth can never be told so as to be understood, and not be believ'd.

够了，太多了！

Enough! Or too much.

（选自《天堂与地狱的婚姻》）