Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches1) in the soul,
And sings the tune—without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale2) is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash3) the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chilliest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb4) of me.
1. perch [p\:tF] vt. (使)栖息
2. gale [^eIl] n. 大风;(突发的)一阵
3. abash [E5bAF] vt. 使不安,使窘迫
4. crumb [krQm] n. 碎屑,面包屑;少许
赏析
埃米莉·迪金森(1830~1886),美国著名诗人,现代派先驱之一。诗风独特,以文字细腻、观察敏锐、意象突出著称。她生性淡薄,离群索居,生前只出版过十首诗,去世后近七十年才得到文学界的关注。迪金森的诗作一般采用教会赞美诗的格律:每节四句,第一、三句为八音节,第二、四句为六音节,第二、四句押韵。
这首《希望》(Hope)亦不例外。开篇诗人即采用隐喻(metaphor)的手法,将希望比作小鸟,只不过并非在枝头栖息,而是在人的心头放歌。清音袅袅,不绝如缕,亦象征着心中的希望经久不灭。希望给人温暖,令人坚强,尤其是当我们遭遇挫折或身处逆境之际,心中的希望能让我们勇敢地面对人生的凄风苦雨(sore),从而愈发体会到它的珍贵和美好(sweetest)。对此,诗人感同身受。“我”曾流落到最寒冷的土地,漂洋在最陌生的海域。但是,即便在如此绝境,心头的小鸟依然不离不弃,风雨同舟,给“我”带来歌声,伴“我”走出阴霾。
我不禁想起了影片《肖申克的救赎》(The Shawshank Redemption)里的一句话:Some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright.