登陆注册
4708800000036

第36章

NOTHING so difficult as a beginning In poesy, unless perhaps the end;

For oftentimes when Pegasus seems winning The race, he sprains a wing, and down we tend, Like Lucifer when hurl'd from heaven for sinning;

Our sin the same, and hard as his to mend, Being pride, which leads the mind to soar too far, Till our own weakness shows us what we are.

But Time, which brings all beings to their level, And sharp Adversity, will teach at last Man,- and, as we would hope,- perhaps the devil, That neither of their intellects are vast:

While youth's hot wishes in our red veins revel, We know not this- the blood flows on too fast;

But as the torrent widens towards the ocean, We ponder deeply on each past emotion.

As boy, I thought myself a clever fellow, And wish'd that others held the same opinion;

They took it up when my days grew more mellow, And other minds acknowledged my dominion:

Now my sere fancy 'falls into the yellow Leaf,' and Imagination droops her pinion, And the sad truth which hovers o'er my desk Turns what was once romantic to burlesque.

And if I laugh at any mortal thing, 'T is that I may not weep; and if I weep, 'T is that our nature cannot always bring Itself to apathy, for we must steep Our hearts first in the depths of Lethe's spring, Ere what we least wish to behold will sleep:

Thetis baptized her mortal son in Styx;

A mortal mother would on Lethe fix.

Some have accused me of a strange design Against the creed and morals of the land, And trace it in this poem every line:

I don't pretend that I quite understand My own meaning when I would be very fine;

But the fact is that I have nothing plann'd, Unless it were to be a moment merry, A novel word in my vocabulary.

To the kind reader of our sober clime This way of writing will appear exotic;

Pulci was sire of the half-serious rhyme, Who sang when chivalry was more Quixotic, And revell'd in the fancies of the time, True knights, chaste dames, huge giants, kings despotic:

But all these, save the last, being obsolete, I chose a modern subject as more meet.

How I have treated it, I do not know;

Perhaps no better than they have treated me Who have imputed such designs as show Not what they saw, but what they wish'd to see:

But if it gives them pleasure, be it so;

This is a liberal age, and thoughts are free:

Meantime Apollo plucks me by the ear, And tells me to resume my story here.

Young Juan and his lady-love were left To their own hearts' most sweet society;

Even Time the pitiless in sorrow cleft With his rude scythe such gentle bosoms; he Sigh'd to behold them of their hours bereft, Though foe to love; and yet they could not be Meant to grow old, but die in happy spring, Before one charm or hope had taken wing.

Their faces were not made for wrinkles, their Pure blood to stagnate, their great hearts to fail;

The blank grey was not made to blast their hair, But like the climes that know nor snow nor hail They were all summer: lightning might assail And shiver them to ashes, but to trail A long and snake-like life of dull decay Was not for them- they had too little day.

They were alone once more; for them to be Thus was another Eden; they were never Weary, unless when separate: the tree Cut from its forest root of years- the river Damm'd from its fountain- the child from the knee And breast maternal wean'd at once for ever,-Would wither less than these two torn apart;

Alas! there is no instinct like the heart-The heart- which may be broken: happy they!

Thrice fortunate! who of that fragile mould, The precious porcelain of human clay, Break with the first fall: they can ne'er behold The long year link'd with heavy day on day, And all which must be borne, and never told;

While life's strange principle will often lie Deepest in those who long the most to die.

'Whom the gods love die young,' was said of yore, And many deaths do they escape by this:

The death of friends, and that which slays even more-The death of friendship, love, youth, all that is, Except mere breath; and since the silent shore Awaits at last even those who longest miss The old archer's shafts, perhaps the early grave Which men weep over may be meant to save.

Haidee and Juan thought not of the dead-The heavens, and earth, and air, seem'd made for them:

They found no fault with Time, save that he fled;

They saw not in themselves aught to condemn:

Each was the other's mirror, and but read Joy sparkling in their dark eyes like a gem, And knew such brightness was but the reflection Of their exchanging glances of affection.

The gentle pressure, and the thrilling touch, The least glance better understood than words, Which still said all, and ne'er could say too much;

A language, too, but like to that of birds, Known but to them, at least appearing such As but to lovers a true sense affords;

Sweet playful phrases, which would seem absurd To those who have ceased to hear such, or ne'er heard,-All these were theirs, for they were children still, And children still they should have ever been;

They were not made in the real world to fill A busy character in the dull scene, But like two beings born from out a rill, A nymph and her beloved, all unseen To pass their lives in fountains and on flowers, And never know the weight of human hours.

Moons changing had roll'd on, and changeless found Those their bright rise had lighted to such joys As rarely they beheld throughout their round;

And these were not of the vain kind which cloys, For theirs were buoyant spirits, never bound By the mere senses; and that which destroys Most love, possession, unto them appear'd A thing which each endearment more endear'd.

Oh beautiful! and rare as beautiful But theirs was love in which the mind delights To lose itself when the old world grows dull, And we are sick of its hack sounds and sights, Intrigues, adventures of the common school, Its petty passions, marriages, and flights, Where Hymen's torch but brands one strumpet more, Whose husband only knows her not a wh- re.

Hard words; harsh truth; a truth which many know.

同类推荐
  • 释门自镜录

    释门自镜录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 医原

    医原

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 蜀梼杌

    蜀梼杌

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 元始天尊济度血湖真经

    元始天尊济度血湖真经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 千金宝要

    千金宝要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 寒声轻落

    寒声轻落

    【盛夏城事】——你在等什么?——我在等那个人回来。十年前,他坐在豪车里对着她冷漠的背影喊着:“韩轻落,我会回来娶你!”她背对着他,“笙笙,永别了,我们应该不会再见。”十年后,他搂着另一个女生笑得一脸不屑,“不要想接近我,我对你这种乡下妞没兴趣!”她只是淡漠地望着他,“同学,你挡路了。”一场长达十八年的等待,两代人的恩仇。等到最后,韩清落只等到了一脸恍然。一个是飞蛾扑火的疯子,一个是盘缩如鼠的傻子,一个是默默守候的呆子。二十年前,三个人,一场邂逅一桩罪。二十年后,四个人,一场青春一世劫。——你在等一个人,还是一个故事?——我在等一颗心。
  • 第一神婆

    第一神婆

    什么是易师?易师就是——算卦的!她本是中国古代哲学研究生,精通周易八卦,奇门遁甲。布阵时意外穿越到贫贱之家,家徒四壁,食不果腹;无良的爹爹为了钱财竟然要将12岁的她“嫁”给得了痨病的老汉冲喜!饿着肚子逃婚,改头换面,更名换姓……她靠着精准的易数,卖卦求生,终于在异世生存下来。本想安稳度日,却因一枚前世带来的铜钱,卷入朝堂纷争、江湖厮杀!人不犯我我不犯人,既然你们不让本姑娘过安稳的小日子,本姑娘就搅和你个天翻地覆、家破人亡!谁叫你得罪了易师呢?所以说,宁可得罪小人,不要得罪女人,尤其是会易理术数的——女易师!
  • 接骨手法

    接骨手法

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 篮下我为王

    篮下我为王

    人生至此,你是否觉得遗憾?如果给你一个机会,你愿意重塑你的人生吗?当你带着系统回到过去,得到一副无人可敌的身体,你要做什么?锄强扶弱?拯救世界?带领人类冲出银河系?或者每天准时扶老奶奶过马路什么的?算了吧!我没那么伟大,我就是想自由自在地活着,顺便成为NBA历史上最伟大的球员。我要为所欲为,爱我的人加倍爱我,恨我的人睡觉都在咒骂我!既然你想看我的故事,你必须知道以下几件事:詹姆斯的时代不会到来。杜兰特唯一的夺冠方式就是加入我。至于那个摇头晃脑的小学生我他妈连提都不想提,我要打十个!
  • 唐愚士诗

    唐愚士诗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 香寒

    香寒

    他是复仇而来的金融巨子,她心甘情愿含笑饮鸩;她是瑰丽带刺的商界蔷薇,他却让她成为锦上花。为了相同的敌人、刻骨的仇怨而结合在一起的他们,最终会选择爱情,还是背弃?
  • 释名

    释名

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 云安公主下降奉诏作

    云安公主下降奉诏作

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 顾渊家的小媳妇

    顾渊家的小媳妇

    有的时候爱情来得那么的猝不及防,那么的难以置信,或许不是时候,但却是人生中最美的相遇。”呼~~你一会去班里和同学们解释一下好不好,就说你是开玩笑的,就说我是你阿姨家的女儿”,鹿笙深吸了一口气,讨好的说着。“我没有阿姨”,顾渊说。再吸一口气。“那就姑姑家的”鹿笙说。“我没有姑姑”,顾渊答。“那就堂兄妹,叔伯家的,我随母姓”,鹿笙觉得自己周围的空气好像有点稀薄啊,不然怎么老想深呼吸呢?“我没有叔伯”,顾渊平静的说。“……….你!怎!莫!什!么!都!没!有!”,鹿笙觉得空气越来越稀薄了。“我家三代单传”“………………..”,鹿笙突然觉得国家的计划生育很到位啊。
  • 孔雀西南飞

    孔雀西南飞

    1981年我去攀钢,首先激起我创作激情的,是很有大将风度的“好一个黎明”!第二篇报告文学,专写赵忠玉。题目叫:《得人心者》。今天我读别人写攀钢、写赵忠玉的文章,仍禁不住叹日:得人心者,得天下也。啊,又见攀钢,又见攀钢。