人教版英语选修第三册 unit 5 Reading and Thinking

A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS

简体英文诗

There are various reasons why people compose poetry.

人们写诗有着各种各样的理由。

Some poems tell a story or describe a certain image in the reader’s mind.

有些诗是为了叙事，或者说是描述读者心目中的某个形象。

Others try to convey certain feelings such as joy and sorrow.

而有些诗则是为了传达某种感情，比如喜悦和悲伤。

The distinctive characteristics of poetry often include economical use of words, descriptive and vivid language, integrated imagery, literary devices such as similes and metaphors, and arrangement of words, lines, rhymes, and rhythm.

诗歌的显著特点通常包括：用词简洁；语言描述生动、形象；具备整合的意象；使用明喻和隐喻等文学手法；词、句、韵、节奏等编排有序。

Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves.

诗人用许多不同格式的诗来表达自己的情感。

Now we will look at a few of the simpler forms.

现在我们来看看几种格式比较简单的诗。

Some of the first poems a young child learns in English are nursery rhymes.

孩子们最早学习的英文诗是童谣。

They are usually the traditional poems or folk songs.

它们通常是传统的诗歌或民歌。

The language of these rhymes, like Poem A, is to the point but has a storyline.

这些童谣(如诗歌 A)的语言简单明了，但带有故事情节。

Many children enjoy nursery rhymes because they rhyme, have a strong rhythm, and often repeat the same words.

许多孩子喜欢童谣，因为它们押韵，节奏感强，并较多单词重复。

The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory, but they are easy to learn and recite.

童谣不一定有什么意义，甚至(有的)看来自相矛盾，但是它们容易学，也容易背诵。

By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.

通过童谣中的文字游戏，孩子们学习了语言。

A. Hush, little baby, don’t say a word,

小宝宝，别说话，

Papa’s gonna buy you a mockingbird.

爸爸给你买个小嘲鸟。

If that mockingbird won’t sing,

小嘲鸟，不会唱，

Papa’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.

爸爸给你买个钻石戒。

If that diamond ring turns to brass,

钻石戒，变成铜，

Papa’s gonna buy you a looking‑glass.

爸爸给你买个小镜子。

If that looking‑glass gets broke,

小镜子，打破了，

Papa’s gonna buy you a billy goat.

爸爸给你买个小山羊。

If that billy goat won’t pull,

如果小山羊变老了，

Papa’s gonna buy you a cart and bull.

爸爸给你买驾牛车。

One of the simplest kinds of poem is the “list poem”, which contains a list of things, people, ideas, or descriptions that develop a particular theme.

清单诗是诗歌中最简单的一种，它包含一系列发展特定主题的事物、人物、想法或描述。

List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem.

清单诗可长可短，可以重复一些短语，较为灵活，形成固定句型和诗的节奏。

Some rhyme (like B and C), while others do not.

有些清单诗有韵脚(如 B 和 C)，但有一些没有。

B. Mother

母亲

Hundreds of stars in the deep blue sky,

天空夜星如织，

Hundreds of shells on the shore together,

海滨贝壳满地，

Hundreds of birds that go singing by,

鸟儿鸣唱飞过，

Hundreds of bees in the sunny weather,

蜜蜂沐浴阳光，

Hundreds of dewdrops to greet the dawn,

黎明四野朝露，

Hundreds of bees in the purple clover,

苜蓿蜜蜂成群，

Hundreds of butterflies on the lawn,

草丛蝴蝶争艳，

But only one mother the world over.

但世界浩瀚，我唯有一母。

George Cooper

乔治·库柏

C. LIFE

生活

Life can be good,

生活可能美满，

Life can be bad,

生活可能悲伤，

Life is mostly cheerful,

生活常常充满欢乐，

but sometimes sad

但有时令人沮丧。

Life can be dreams,

生活可能是梦幻一场，

Life can be great thoughts

生活可能是智慧结晶。

Life can mean a person,

生活可能将一个人

Sitting in court.

送上被告法庭。

Another simple form of poem that amateurs can easily write is the cinquain, which is made up of five lines.

另外一种业余爱好者容易写的简体诗是由五行组成的，叫做五行诗。

With these, you can convey a strong picture or a certain mood in just a few words.

用五行诗，你可以用少量的词语传递一幅动人的画面或某一特定的心情。

Look at the example (D).

请看例子 D。

D. Brother

兄弟

Beautiful, athletic

爱美，又爱运动

Teasing, shouting, laughing

爱闹，爱叫，又爱笑

Friend and enemy too

是我的朋友

Mine

也是我的敌人

Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that consists of 17 syllables.

俳句诗(Haiku)是一种日本诗，由 17 个音节组成。

It has a format of three lines, containing 5, 7, and 5 syllables respectively.

它是三行格式，分别包含 5、7 和 5 个音节。

It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers.

它不属英诗的传统形式，但是在用英语写作的人们中间，这种诗也是很流行的。

It is easy to write and, like the cinquain, can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using very few words.

它容易写，而且像五行诗一样，它可以用最少的词语呈现出一幅清晰的画面，表达出一种特殊的感情。

The haiku poem (E) on the right is a translation from Japanese, which shows a moment in the life of a delicate butterfly.

右边的俳句诗(E)就是从日文翻译出来的，展示了一只蝴蝶生命中的一个瞬间。

E. A fallen blossom

落下的花朵

Is coming back to the branch.

回到了树枝上。

Look, a butterfly!

瞧啊，是个蝴蝶！

English speakers also enjoy poems from China, those from the Tang Dynasty in particular.

说英语的人也喜欢中国的诗，尤其是唐诗。

A lot of Tang poetry has been translated into English, such as this one (F).

有许多唐诗被翻译成英文，比如这一首诗(F)。

F. Where she awaits her husband On and on the river flows.

望夫处，江悠悠，

Never looking back, Transformed into stone.

化为石， 不回头

Day by day upon the mountain top, wind and rain revolve.

山头日日风复雨

Should the traveller return, this stone would utter speech.

行人归来石应语。

Wang Jian

王健

With so many different forms of poetry to choose from, you may eventually want to write poems of your own.

有了这么多可供选择的诗歌类型，你最终也许想自己作诗了。

Give it a try!

试一试吧！

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