何功杰译济慈
济慈：怠惰颂
&&&&&&&&&&&&
One morning before me were three figures seen,
& &With bow&d
necks, and join&d hands, side-
And one behind the other stepped serene,
& &In placid
sandals, and i
The passed, like figures on a marble urn,
&& When shifted
T as when the urn once more
Is shifted round, the firs
&& And they were
strange to me, as may betide
With vases, to one deep in Phidian lore.
How is it, Shadows! that I knew ye not?
&& How came ye
muffled in so hush a masque?
Was it a silent deep-disguis&d plot
&& To steal
away, and leave without a task
My idle days? Ripe
&& The blissful
cloud of summer indolence
Pain had no sting, and pleasure's wreath no flower:
&& O why did ye
not melt, and leave my sense
Unhaunted quite of all but — nothingness?
A third time passed they by, and passing, turned
&& Each one the
Then faded, and to follow them I burned
&& And ached for
wings because I
The first was a fair Maid, and L
&& The second
was Ambition, pale of cheek,
And ever watchful with fatigu&
The last, whom L love more, the more of blame
&& Is heaped
upon her, maiden most unmeek —
I knew to be my demon Poesy.
They faded, and forsooth! I wanted wings,
&& O folly! What
is love! and where is it?
And for that poor Ambition — it springs
&& From a man's
little heart's short fever-fit.
For Poesy — no, she has not a joy —
&& At least for
me — so sweet as drowsy noons
And evenings steeped in honeyed indolence.
O, for an age so sheltered from annoy,
&& That I may
never know how change de moons,
Or hear the voice of busy common-sense!
A third time came they by — alas! wherefore?
&& My sleep had
been embroid
&My soul had been a lawn besprinkled
With flowers, and stirring shades, and baffled beams:
The morn was clouded, but no shower fell,
&& Though in her
lids hung the sweet tears of M
The open casement pressed a new-leaved vine,
&& Let in the
budding warmth and throstle'
O Shadows! 'was time to bid farewell!
Upon your skirts had fallen no tears of mine.
So, ye three ghosts, adieu! Ye cannot raise
&& My head
cool-bedded
For I would not be dieted with praise,
&& A pet-lamb in
a sentimental farce!
Fade softly from my eyes, and be once more
masque-like figures on the dreamy urn,
Farewell! I yet have visions for the night,
And for the day faint visions there is store.
Vanish, ye Phantoms! from idle sprite,
the clouds, and never more return!
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
他们既不辛劳,也不编造
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一天早晨我见到面前有三个人影，
他们低着头，合着手，侧着脸；
他们一前一后，静静地接踵前行，
脚穿凉鞋，身穿白袍，文雅体面；
他们走过，宛如大理石瓮上的人物，
&转动时可看见另一面的情景。
他们又来了，正如石瓮再次转动，
转回来的又是先前看到的人物；
我感到惊奇，仿佛那是花瓶上的情景，
& 发生在菲狄亚斯传说之中。
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那些人影，我怎么不认识？你们
怎么如此伪装闷声不响地来到这里？
你们是否带着深藏的秘密阴谋行窃
偷走我的闲散时光，然后无所事事
离开这里。昏睡的时光已经成熟，
夏日令人怠惰的欢乐云彩
迷糊了我的双眼，我的脉动越来越少；
痛苦没有刺激，欢乐花环没有花朵：
&哦，你们为什么不让我溶解，让我的感官
变成虚无——不受任何东西干扰。
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他们第三次从我面前经过，过往时，
每人都把脸转向我停留须臾，
然后慢慢隐去，我切望能张翅
&追随他们，因为我认识这三个人物；
第一个是位美貌女郎，“爱”是她的称谓；
第二位是“雄心”，脸色苍白，
疲乏的眼睛总是提防不怠；
最后那位，我爱之尤甚，她受的责备
也更多，一位最不温顺的少女——
我知道，她就是我的鬼诗才。
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他们消失了， 真的！我缺乏羽翼。
&哦，傻瓜！爱是什么！它在哪里？
至于那可怜的“雄心”——那只是从
狭窄心胸中发出的一阵短暂狂热而已。
诗才！——没有，她没有一点欢欣——
至少我是如此——像困盹的中午一样甜蜜，
夜晚也沉浸在甜蜜的怠惰之中。
哦，我久久地如此避开痛苦侵淫，
可能永远也不知岁月的变易，
&或永远听不到忙碌的常人之声！
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他们三次经过，——我的天！为啥？
&朦胧的梦境曾使我的睡眠变得绚丽，
我的心灵是一片草坪，遍地鲜花，
光影扑簌迷离，令人振奋无比：
早上天空有阴云，但无阵雨下降，
虽然她眼帘上挂着甜蜜的五月泪水；
一根长着新叶的藤条压着敞开的窗扉，
流入花蕾的温馨，传来画眉的歌唱；
哦，人影！告别的时间到了，再见！
&你的裙子上没有我滴上的泪水。
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你们三个幽灵，再见！你们不能
&把我的头抬起，我睡在花草凉床上；
因为我不会以赞扬为食物，
一头在感伤的滑稽剧中受宠的羔羊！
慢慢地从我眼前消逝吧，像石瓮上
梦幻般再现的伪装人物。
&再见！我还能见到夜晚的幻境，
白天也还有不少的昏昏幻像。
消逝吧，幽灵！离开我这闲散的精灵，
进入九霄云外，永远别再返回！
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（何功杰& 译）
这首颂诗算不上出色，所以还未见有译，但这首颂诗是济慈唯一的一首关系到自己的诗歌，他在诗中否定名誉，否定爱情和诗才，欢迎怠惰的生活——显然，这是诗人自己个人危机的直接反映。这首诗采用的是十行诗节的诗体，基本韵律是ababcdecde，但最后两节的后六行的韵律略有变化。
1819&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
我的心痛啊，似有一种昏昏欲睡
& 感官麻木的痛苦，仿佛饮了毒芹，
或吞服了大量的鸦片使全身麻醉，
& 顷刻之间就向着列斯忘川下沉。
这并非是我羡慕你的幸福命运，
& 而是你的欢乐使我太欢欣，
你呀，森林之仙，羽翼轻盈，
在长满山毛榉的
欢悦之地，在无数的树影里，
& 你放声自由歌唱夏季。
哦！我多么想饮一杯葡萄佳酿，
& 在深掘的地窖里久久冷藏，
有乡村的花香，绿野的风光和舞蹈，
& 普鲁旺斯的歌声和阳光下的欢笑。
哦！要是能饮上一杯真正的灵泉，
& 来自南国，充溢殷红和温暖，
珍珠般的泡沫在杯沿眨眼，
染成紫色的嘴唇闪灿，
一杯过肠就悄然离开这个世界，
& 和你一道遁隐到那幽暗的林间。
远远地退隐，消融，完全忘了
& 你在枝叶间从不知道的事情，
那劳累，那烧热，和那烦躁；
& 这儿，人们坐听着彼此的呻吟；
瘫痪老人最后几根悲哀白发在摇晃，
& 年轻人变得苍白，消瘦，最后死亡；
这儿，你只要想一想就满腹悲伤，
双眼沉重，完全失望；
这儿，美难以保持她的双眸发亮，
& 新欢在憔悴，待不到明天。
去吧！去吧！因为我将要飞向你，
& 不乘酒神之车，不要群豹驾辕，
只乘那无形的诗神羽翼，
& 虽然迟钝的大脑使我困惑，迟缓：
我早已和你在一起！夜如此温柔，
& 月后也正好登上了她的宝座，
四周有璀璨的星仙侍侯：
但这儿没有亮光，
除了从天上吹来的微风，
& 穿过葱绿的幽暗和苔藓曲径。
我看不清脚下是什么花草，
& 也辨不清枝头飘溢的是什么清香，
但是，在芬芳的黑暗里我可以猜到
& 五月时节赋予的是什么芬芳
给野果树，丛林，和绿草；
& 田园里的野蔷薇、白山楂；
叶丛下那些易谢的紫罗兰；
五月中旬最先开放的宠花，
以及露珠晶莹即将开放的麝香玫瑰，
& 夏夜蚊蝇，嗡嗡造访的地方。
我在黑暗中倾听；曾有多少次
& 我几乎爱上了安逸的“死亡”，
多少次在诗中轻轻呼唤你的名字，
& 请你把我的气息带到空中。
此刻死去似更富情味，
& 半夜里停止呼吸，没有痛苦，
而你仍在倾吐你的心声，
如此神醉，如此狂喜！
你将一直歌唱，我有耳也听不见——
& 你的安魂曲，如草泥一片。
永生的鸟儿啊，你天生不会死去！
& 没有任何饥饿的一代能把你蹂躏；
我在这消逝的夜晚听到的歌声
& 古代的帝王和村民也曾聆听；
或许就是这同样的一首歌曲
&&曾使露丝心碎，当她思念家乡，
在异乡的麦地里泪水汪汪；
这同样的歌曲
常把魔窗深深吸引，开着窗扉，
& 在凄凉的仙境，把汹涌的大海眺望。
凄凉啊！这个词语的本身犹如钟鸣
& 把我从你处唤回，回到孤独的自己！
再见！幻想虽有欺骗的名声，但决不能
& 欺骗得如此巧妙竟能欺骗她自己。
再见！再见！你那哀怨的圣歌
& 飞过附近草地，飘过静谧小溪，
爬上了山坡，此刻它已深藏
在下个山谷的林间空地：
这是幻觉，抑或是醒着做梦？
& 那乐曲消失了：——我是醒着还是在睡乡？
[这首诗的翻译在本人的下列三本编著中都有选收,但均有不等程度的修订:1/英诗选读(1998年安徽教育出版社)
2/英美名诗品读(2002年上海交通大学出版社)
3/英语鼎诗选译(2011年苏州大学出版社)]
Lethe：列斯忘川，即古西腊神话中的冥河。据说人死了以后进入阴间，渡过冥河，当他喝了冥河的水以后，他就会忘却生前尘世的一切。
Provencal：普鲁旺斯的。普鲁旺斯（Provence）位于法国南部，在中世纪末，以那里的行吟人、抒情诗人、和歌舞而闻名。
Hippocrene：希腊神话中赫利孔山上的灵泉。赫利孔山是阿波罗和众女神居住之地，据说那灵泉是柏伽索斯（Pegasus）的飞马足蹄踩过以后喷出的泉水，诗人饮之，可获灵感。
Bacchus and his
pards：巴克斯（Bacchus）是希腊神话中的酒神狄俄尼索斯（Dionysus）的别名。据说他出游时，由虎豹（pards）拉车。
Ruth：《圣经》中讲述的一位寡妇，她的父亲和她的丈夫去世以后，她就带着她唯一的女儿流浪到异乡，靠拾谷穗为生。
原义为“小精灵”，这里指“Fancy”，即拟人的“幻想”本身。
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“美就是真，真就是美，”
And all her silken franks with garlands drest?
济慈:普赛克颂
哦，女神!请听这没有音调的歌吟，
& 它是甜蜜的苦思和亲切的回忆，
请原谅，你的秘密竟在你自己
& 海螺般柔软的耳畔响起：
难道我是白日做梦，或是醒来
& 看见了你这长翅的普赛克女神?
我在林中漫游，心无所思，
& 突然间，我诧异而模糊地
看见两个美生灵，肩并肩
& 躺在深草中，在窃窃私语的
& 绿叶下，花儿摇曳，溪水潺潺，
没有人来此探看：
蓝色、银色的花朵和紫色花蕾
默默无声地飘着幽香；
他们以草地为床，躺着静静地呼吸，
双臂拥抱着，羽翼也相连；
嘴唇虽未接触，但也没有离远，
仿佛睡神之手轻轻把他们分开，
当黎明女神爱恋的媚眼亮起来，
& 他们还准备继续更多的吻爱；
我认识那长翅的男孩，
& 但是，哦，幸福的鸽子，你是谁?
他的普赛克，忠诚的爱!
哦，你诞生得最晚，但也数你最美，
奥林帕斯的众女神已红消艳退！
洁白如玉的月神也不如你美；
维纳斯，空中爱神，也难和你相比；
你比他们都美，虽然你没有殿堂，
也没有堆满鲜花的祭坛；
没有童女唱诗班在半夜时光
为你美妙动人地吟唱；
没有歌声，没有诗琴，没有箫管，
没有从袅绕的香炉中飘出的馨香；
没有神龛，没有丛林，没有神谕坛，
没有唇白的先知热情把你梦想。
哦，最明亮的女神!你生得太晚没能赶上
古老的宣誓，古琴不能为你歌唱，
那时，圣灵光顾的林中枝叶多么神圣，
神圣啊，空气，流水和火光；
今天，即使幸福的虔诚已远离我们，
你那光辉明亮的羽翼依然在振荡，
在失色的奥林帕斯山女神中间飞翔。
我凭灵感看见了你，为你歌唱，
让我做你的唱诗班，在这
午夜时光，轻轻为你吟唱；
我愿做你的声音，做你的诗琴和箫管，
做你的香炉，从中飘出屡屡馨香；
做你的神龛，你的园林，你的神谕坛，
做唇白的先知热情地把你梦想。
是的，我将做你的牧师，在我那
& 圣洁灵府深处为你建座殿堂，
那里，纷繁思绪在愉快的结合中长出新枝
& 像青松一样在风中细语喃喃：
那些幽暗的丛林像羽毛一样
& 在四周荒野的重重高山上飘扬；
这里，和风，溪流，百鸟和蜜蜂，
& 把躺在藓苔上的林仙催入睡乡；
在这广阔无垠的静寂之中，我将
& 为你装饰起一座玫瑰圣堂，
用大脑作用下产生的花环构架，
& 用蓓蕾，铃铛，和不知名的星星，
用园丁“幻想”所想象的一切本领
& 培育鲜花，但品种永远不同。
那里你将有幽思获得的一切温柔
& 和欢欣，供你享受；
一把明亮火炬，一扇窗扉晚间敞开
& 让温情的爱神飞越进来！
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[转贴自&英诗选读& 何功杰编著 安徽教育出版社 1998年]
& 博主译后语:
济慈最有名的六首颂歌的翻译和上传到此为止,愿与网友共同学习,共同分享,也欢迎对译诗批评指正!&
根据罗马神话，Psyche被爱神Venus的儿子Cupid所爱，由于Cupid的母亲对Psyche美貌的妒忌，他们在受尽了种种磨难以后终于结合升天成仙。在希腊，Psyche也是拟人化的心灵。Psyche在现代的评论中常常被视为“在恋爱中的人灵”(the
human-soul-in-love)
的代表。Cupid是罗马爱神，常常被描述成一个带有双翼的顽皮男孩，他总是身背弓箭，谁被他的箭射中，谁就会开始恋爱。评论家认为，这首颂诗除歌颂Psyche和Cupid的爱情外还歌颂了诗歌的灵感。
乐曲，这里‘tuneless numbers’指“诗歌”。
Ears that are soft and shaped like a
Tyrian: purple color. It is so named because of
the purple dye which came from Tyrian, an ancient seaport of
Phoenicia (modern Sur, Lebanon) which flourished during
12th & 18th cc. B. C. as a trading center,
esp. for the export of Tyrian Purple dye and silk.
Auroren: The word comes from Aurora, goddess of
hierarchy: the ranks of classic gods of Mt.
Phoebe’s sapphire-region’d star: the moon,
supervised by the goddess, Phoebe (Diana). Sapphire: a kind of
presious stone of a transparent bright blue color.
Vesper: Venus, it is amorous
because she was goddess of sexual love.
so far retir’d / From happy pieties: so far away
from happy pieties of the ancient times.
lucent fans: shining wings.发亮的翅膀
fane: temple.庙堂
Dryads: wood nymph.林中小仙
A rosy sanctuary will I
dress / With the wreath’d trellis of a working brain: Here the poet
suggests that he will use his imagination and write beautiful poems
in honor of her. &sanctuary: holy
place like a church or temple. Poetry has been regarded as holy as
a sanctuary.& trellis: light upright
structure of strips of wood, etc. as used for supporting climbing
plants. “Trellis of a working brain” refers to word, phrases, or
a casement ope at night: a window open at
The warm Love: I.c. Cupid, god of Love
济慈：论名声
济慈写过两首“论名声”的十四行诗，他采用的是莎士比亚十四行的变体，这里选译了其中的第二首，基本按照其原诗韵律翻译与网友分享。
You cannot eat cake and have it
too. Proverb
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&John Keats
How fevered is the man who
cannot look
Upon his mortal days with
temperate blood,
Who vexes all the leaves of
his life’s book,
And robs his fair name of its
It is as if the rose should
pluck herself,
Or the ripe plum finger its
misty bloom,
As if a Naiad, like a meddling
Should darken her pure grot
with muddy gloom:
But the rose leaves herself
upon the briar,
For winds to kiss and grateful
bees to feed,
And the ripe plum still wears
the dim attire,
The undisturbed lake has
Why then should man, teasing
the world for grace,
Spoil his salvation for a fierce
鱼和熊掌不可兼得——谚语
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
（何功杰& 译）
（注）“”；“成熟”如否也无需标榜张扬，李子上面一层粉衣(bloom)是“淡妆”，但也是成熟的标志，无需再说“我成熟了，你摸摸我的粉衣看”；纯洁的人也不要像湖畔的小妖精那样，把纯净的自己让“污泥”（即“虚名”）把自己沾污了。这首诗总的主题是:奉劝“艺术家”和“诗人”不要让那所谓的“美名”信条误导，不要为那“美名”而折腾自己，要蔑视“她”，保持自己的原生态，这样，你才能得救。
1984年的抄袭就不算抄袭？
——学术腐败中的一种怪现象
有朋友给我看了一份检举揭发某大学教授在专著中有大量抄袭剽窃现象的材料，后来又听了朋友的详细叙述，深感震惊。
某大学有十多名资深、知名的老教授检举 xxx
教授1984年10月出版的一本专著属抄袭剽窃，检举材料多达50余页，每一页分两栏，抄袭的内容和原创作者的内容对照，有作者，有页码，白纸黑字，一清二楚，任何辩解都不能否定抄袭剽窃的事实。参加检举的最初只有该系的6名教授，时间是2004年，至今已有8年多了（他们称“八年抗战”），检举人增加到11人，“抄导”(即“抄袭博导”)事件一度搞得沸沸扬扬，在全国都有影响。但是，因这位教授和校长（现为书记）同在一个博士点，他们怕影响校长和学校声誉，故一直为其包庇着。今年下半年该学校曾派一位副校长两次向检举者通报专家的鉴定意见，专家是学校聘请的，据说专家也是
xxx 和该校原校长的朋友，即使如此，专家也一致认定“抄袭剽窃情况全部属实，”但留下一个尾巴：强调 xxx
的书是1984年出版的，是教材，当时没有规范，必须历史看待问题。某大学的领导就以这条根本站不住脚的理由为借口，作盾牌，迄今没有对剽窃事件作出任何处理。
xxx 的剽窃著作曾获省社科三等奖，奖金...元； xxx
也因此而晋升教授，荣获国贴，当上博导，深得某校长的宠护，可谓顺风得意，名利双丰！
在作品中的抄袭现象，无论是什么时候发生的，它是可见的客观存在，是不可否认的事实，从来没有时间的限定。抄袭就是抄袭！古今中外，没有抄袭作品被认可，没有抄袭作品被算作科研成果，更没有抄袭作品获物质和荣誉奖励的先例。难道某大学某教授1984年的抄袭就不算抄袭？就可以免于查处？这难道不是在强权掩护下学术腐败的又一种怪现象？！
《名作欣赏》精华读本
《外国诗歌名作欣赏》
（本人译诗和赏析文章有幸入选）
今天意外地收到了由“飞 白 辜正坤 等著” 的、由北京大学出版社出版并寄赠的图书一册：《名作欣赏》精华读本《外国诗歌名作欣赏》。此书是为纪念《名作欣赏》创刊三十周年选编出版的。《名作欣赏》为重点刊物，“曾蝉联首届、第二届、第三届政府最高奖——国家期刊奖”。&
&&&该书的几位前言作者说，《名作欣赏》精华读本是从“三十多年、三百余期、近两万篇文章中”选出的，按内容分成12种编辑出版；《先秦文学名作欣赏》，《两汉文学名作欣赏》，《魏晋南北朝文学名作欣赏》，《隋唐五代文学名作欣赏》，《宋元文学名作欣赏》，《明清文学名作欣赏》，《中国现当代文学名作欣赏》，《中国现当代散文戏剧名作欣赏》，《中国现当代诗歌名作欣赏》，《外国小说名作欣赏》，《外国散文戏剧名作欣赏》，《外国诗歌名作欣赏》。
《名作欣赏》的精华读本是“中国第一套名家赏析名作丛书”，“作者阵容大师云集，群星璀璨”，其中包括：萧乾，周汝昌，施蛰存，萧涤非，沈祖棼，李健吾，叶嘉莹，程千帆，袁行霈，吴小如，严家炎，余光中，刘鸣九，孙玉石，谢冕，周先慎，草婴，褚斌杰，飞白，杨武能，等等。
这次出版的《名作欣赏》精华读本丛书中的《外国诗歌名作欣赏》分卷共选编了28篇，涉及到12个语种。书中收录的都是“名篇、名人、名文”（引文均为书中“前言”中语，下同），作者也大都是“学术界、文化界知名人士”，“著名学者”，他们是（按目录顺序）：方平，杨德发，杨武能，高健，朱炯强，袁可嘉，胡家峦，辜正坤、何功杰，飞白，郑克鲁，王守人，顾蕴璞，谷羽，王以培，吴迪，吕同六，曾艳兵，苏福忠，伊甸，唐晓渡，侯传文。
&&&大约十多年前，本人曾应约在《名作欣赏》该杂志上发表过几篇赏析文字（当时该刊就刊出了读者好评）,这次出版的《名作欣赏》精华读本中也收录了本人一篇翻译和赏析诗人奥登、题为《失却灵魂的现代人》的译诗和赏析文章。本人及拙作有幸又一次入选并厕身于作者中的“知名人士”之列，出乎我的意外，实感鼓舞、荣幸、欣慰。
&&&有些书刊、有些人称我为“名家”、“翻译家”、“诗人”，本人实有愧感，也从未在任何场合自诩或接受过这些桂冠。我在《英诗艺术研究与探幽丛书》（2011年苏州大学出版社出版)的“前言”中这样自述：“笔者既非翻译家，也非诗人，终身只是一名普通的大学外语教师。”我认为，头衔、名利是次要的，作为正直而又有良知的学者，不应该以名利为追求目的，而应该有个自知之明，不要到处自诩所得的头衔或名利。学者个人的名利并不能惠及读者。我还认为，有人真正认可或接受你的著译或研究成果，或你的著译和研究成果能对读者、学习者有所助益，或有所启迪，这就达到了做学问和做人的目的。这比获这个奖授那个名更令人感到高兴！这也正如一个人，由于能惠及他人而得到人爱和尊重，他就感到心安，感到亲切，感到鼓舞，感到欣慰！
祝贺《名作欣赏》精华读本《外国诗歌名作欣赏》！
失却灵魂的现代人
奥登的名诗《无名的市民》的译诗和赏析文字我最初曾以《现代人是否自由？是否幸福》为题发表于《名作欣赏》2002年第1期中。2007年1月本人曾分三期将原诗、译诗和中文的赏析文字上传到了我的博客之中（“
”）（点击即可查阅）。我于2011年出版的“英诗研究与探幽丛书”之一《诗苑内外拾零》收编了这首诗的译诗和中文赏析，在《英美诗歌导读》中收编了这首诗的原诗、和英文解读文章（"Analytical
Reading"）（作为对照阅读参考的译诗也附上了）。这次收到的北京大学出版社出版的名作欣赏精华读本《外国诗歌名作欣赏》卷收编了我的译诗和赏析文章是出乎我的意料，编者将题目改为《失却灵魂的现代人》，简明扼要，突出了这首诗的主题。
需要说明一点，这次《外国诗歌名作欣赏》所收的译诗还是2002年刊登在《名作欣赏》上的译文，其实我于2011年将其收编到我的“英诗研究与探幽丛书”中时有个别地方有少许更动。最近才获悉，编者曾发出与作者联系的通知，但我因故未看到该通知，故未能将修改的信息告知编者。
关于这首诗详细的中文赏析，如果网友感兴趣，可以从我上面提到的博文中去查阅。这里转载该诗的英文解读，也附上我的终译版本。
统计局发现他是
一个没有官方抱怨的人，
他的所有品德报告都同意
按古词语的现代词义，他是个圣人，
因为他做的一切都是在为国家尽力。
除了战时以外他都在工厂工作
直到退休从未有过被解雇的经历。
福吉摩托公司顾主们对他很满意。
他不当工贼，观点也不越轨，
因为工会报告说他交纳会费，
（他那个工会的报告表明工会健全）
我们的社会心理学工作者发现
他受同事们欢迎，也喜欢饮上一杯。
报社相信他每天都买份报纸看看
对各种广告的反映无论从哪个方面看都属正常。
他名下的各种保险单证明他得到了充分保险，
他的健康卡表明他曾住过院但康复后出了院，
“厂家调查”和“高档生活”宣扬
他对“分期付款计划”的好处都知道
而且现代人所需的必需品他都有了，
一台唱机，一台收音机，一部汽车，一台冰箱。
我们的“公众舆论”调查者对他很满意，
因为每年他所持的意见与别人无异；
和平时期他拥护和平，有战争他就奔赴战场。
他结了婚，还为国家人口添了五口子，
我们的优生学家说他们这一代父母这个数目属正常，
我们的老师也反映说他从不干涉他孩子的教育事项。
他是否自由？他是否幸福？提这样的问题简直荒唐：
（&何功杰 译）
【Analytical
（转载自《英语诗歌导读》，何功杰编著，苏州大学出版社，2011年4月）
这是公民的身份证号码。
更大的社区，这里指的是“国家”。
各种保险单
是个什么样?
我听说过贫穷.
它意味着饥饿,缺少食物,
没有鞋穿,没有住处,
好东西全无.
它意味着冬夜
孤独而寂寞,
感到已经老化.
贫穷是一张疲乏的脸,
贫穷是黄皮骨瘦.
贫穷是站立在外面
眼朝门内瞅.
(迈拉.柯恩.利温斯顿)
(转贴自&英诗助读&
何功杰编安徽教育出版社,1999年5月)
已投稿到：
以上网友发言只代表其个人观点，不代表新浪网的观点或立场。Sepp Blatter - or Bett Slapper? Photo credit: www.express.co.uk
Last week’s arrest in Zurich of seven members of FIFA (football’s world governing body) threw an intense spotlight on the subsequent re-election of FIFA’s president, Sepp Blatter.
But amid all the column inches written and all the media and internet speculation circulating about Mr Blatter, there was one wonderful moment that brought some much-needed relief. On BBC Radio Four’s Any Answers programme, someone unintentionally (but hilariously) referred to FIFA’s president as Bett Slapper, instantly bringing to my mind an image of Mr Blatter with huge hoop earrings and an off-the-shoulder leopard-print top like a barmaid from Coronation Street, or a Carry On… film.
This kind of effect where sounds get mixed up to produce a phrase with a different meaning to the one intended is called a spoonerism. This particular speech error is named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner (), an Anglican priest and Oxford scholar. Although there seem to be many examples of his own spoonerisms, it seems likely that most of these were made up and circulated by his students.
Famous examples include:
A toast to “our queer old dean”.
It is kisstomary to cuss the bride.
Will nobody pat my hiccup?
When our boys come home from France, we will have the hags flung out.
A well-boiled icicle.
Apocryphal or not, such accidental linguistic mix-ups make for much amusement and the term ‘spoonerism’ seems to have been.
Other forms of spoonerisms were named kniferism and forkerism by American cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter. They refer to speech errors where syllables from the middle of a word are switched (kniferism) and where syllables from the ends of two words are switched (forkerism). Examples of kniferism as cited on
a British television newsreader referring to the police at a crime scene removing a “hypodeemic nerdle“;
a television announcer saying that “All the world was thrilled by the marriage of the Duck and Doochess of Windsor“
While most spoonerisms are unintentional slips of the tongue (my own common spoonerism is par cark instead of car park), spoonerisms can be a source of deliberate and clever wordplay.
British comedian and comic writer Ronnie Barker excelled at this sort of linguistic nonsense. I’ll leave you with this classic Two Ronnies sketch called Dr Spooner Revisited:
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I’ve got an eye for signage and typography and without being an expert I certainly know what I like. And I love ghostsigns – those lovely, faded, handpainted signs you sometimes see on the sides of buildings. I first started noticing them a few years ago and when I joined Instagram last year I finally found a place to publish my ghostsign photos.
Here’s a ghostsign I spotted high up on the side of an old building in Elizabeth Street, Melbourne, Australia a couple of years ago:
Ghostsign, Melbourne. (C)Sue Walder 2013
And another seen in Uzes, France:
Ghostsign, Uzes, France. (C)Sue Walder 2013
There are plenty of ghostsigns around if you look for them – you’ll find them in cities, towns and even villages up and down the UK. They were the billboards of their day but were created by highly skilled signpainters rather than print and digital technology.
I often wonder what these beautiful signs would have looked like in all their freshly-painted glory – they must have been dazzling. Certainly more aesthetically pleasing than most of the shop signage and billboards on our high streets today.
It’s also interesting to try to puzzle out the words and images and wonder about the history of the sign and the company or product being promoted.
Here’s one of my favourite ghostsigns, located on Heath Street, Hampstead in north London. It says “Established 1746 Chas B King Estate Agent Decorator Gas, Hot Water & Sanitary Engineer.” Clearly an industrious man, that Chas King. And I love the fact that the premises are still used as an estate agents today – Goldschmidt of Hampstead.
Ghostsign, Hampstead, London. (C)Sue Walder 2014
A similar pleasing continuity with the past can be seen on the corner of Leicester Road and the High Road, in East Finchley, London above an off licence. You can just about make out the words “Grocery Wines, Spirits Bottled Beers Agents for Meauxs & Thornes”:
Ghostsign, East Finchley, London (C)Sue Walder 2014
I recently went on a fascinating , in north London to see some wonderful ghostsigns – some of which are over a 100 years old.
The tours are run by Sam Roberts, who runs the
website and blog, and if you’re at all interested in signage, typography, and local history I’d strongly recommend you join one.
Stoke Newington has many fine ghostsigns due to the rapid development of the area in the 19th century. The fact that Stoke Newington village has Conservation Area status means that many of these old signs are not lost due to demolition and high rise development.
As Sam points out, these lovely palimpsests are not entirely safe as they are still at the mercy of London’s weather, pollution, and the whims of local landlords.
Here’s a couple of shots I took on the day (bad weather didn’t dampen our enthusiasm):
Cakebread & Robey ghostsign, Stoke Newington. (C)Sue Walder 2015
Protected ghostsign, Stoke Newington. (C)Sue Walder 2015
This beautiful ghostsign advertising fountain pen repairs by Walker Bros has been awarded Local Listed status by the Hackney Society and English Heritage – it is also the sign that first got Sam Roberts interested in the history of ghostsigns. You can just see another large (and blue) ghostsign on the left-hand side of the building.
Here are a couple I’ve spotted in my own manor – Finchley, north London:
This one – for Edw. Croft, Contractor & Removals – appears to be set within a brick frame and the handpainted letters have a lovely drop shadow. I find the modern signage around it so ugly in comparison.
Ghostsign, North Finchley. (C)Sue Walder 2014
This glimpse of an old ghostsign (you can just make out the word Electric) in Finchley Central was revealed when a billboard was replaced. It is covered up again new with a new billboard.
Ghostsign, Finchley Central. (C)Sue Walder 2014
And here’s one from Brighton, in West Sussex:
Ghostsign, Brighton. (C)Sue Walder 2014
I particularly like this shot as it juxtaposes an old ghostsign (high up – Dyeing and Cleaning Works) with a modern handpainted sign of Jimi Hendrix and Brighton Guitars – possibly a ghostsign of the future?
And finally – a ghostsign that might not technically be a ghostsign. However, it’s definitely an old, handpainted sign that gives us a glimpse into times gone by and miraculously it’s still here, in Spitalfields, in the East End of London.
To me it’s a work of art:
If you want to spot a ghostsign, Sam Roberts recommends not just looking up but also to look back over your shoulder.
Happy ghostsign hunting!
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I missed the now cult TV show Buffy the Vampire Slayer first time around but I’m currently watching my way through the third series with my teenage daughter.
Created by writer-director Joss Whedon, Buffy is an American TV series which originally aired from 1997 to 2003.
One of the distinguishing features of the series is its playful and inventive use of language – particularly the dialogue spoken by the slayer herself and her friends (the Scooby Gang).
The series turns on its head the whole cinematic trope of the ‘helpless blonde girl getting killed’ – in that Buffy has super strength and, although still attending Sunnydale High School, slays the vampires and demons that plague the town, which sits atop the ‘Hellmouth’.
Bonnie Kneen wrote a brilliant analysis of the language of Buffy in an Oxford Dictionaries
The use of ‘in’ words for the gang is an important feature. They talk of ‘slayage’ and ‘kissage’, they use compound words, and incorporate pop culture references. Nobody ‘freaks out’ – they ‘wig’.
And, as Bonnie Kneen points out the show has given us new ways of talking -
“it was Buffy, both the film and the TV series, that popularized the use of much with a ‘preceding adjective, infinitive verb, or noun phrase, forming an elliptical comment or question’. (Geek out, much?)”
Here are a few quotes from the show to give you a taste:
“Yeah, I’m also a person. You can’t just define me by my Slayerness. That’s… something-ism.”
“Yeah, you’re the Slayer. We’re, like, the Slayerettes.”
“It’s officially nippy. So say my nips.”
“If the apocalypse comes, beep me.”
“Oh my god, he’s looking at her! He’s got his filthy, adult, Pierce-Brosny eyes all over my Cordy.”
“He got hit by the Buffinator. Now he’s powerless.”
“I’m jonesing for a little brainless fun.”
“No candles? Well, I brought one. It’s extra flamey.”
Analysis is fine and dandy but there’s nothing like going direct to the source to really grasp the Buffyness of Buffy. If you’ve never seen an episode of Buffy I strongly recommend you head over to Netflix.
In the meantime, here’s a video clip on Buffy speak … tempted, much?
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I love the sound of words and I love looking at words. So, I tend to think that
is a wonderful thing.
Of course, it must be done well, otherwise it can just get in the way of enjoying the text. But here’s an excellent example of kinetic typography done well – it’s Jimmy Zito’s interpretation of the legendary Abbott & Costello routine “Who’s on first?”
Abbott & Costello were a hugely popular American comedy double act in the 1940s and 50s, appearing in films, TV, on radio and the stage.
is a routine full of quick-fire verbal patter or wordplay developed while they performed in vaudeville in the late 1930s. Here’s one .
The comedy springs from the increasing confusion and exasperation felt by Costello as he tries to understand the names of baseball players as outlined by Abbott and their positions on the team. It’s so simple, and so brilliant.
I think Jimmy Zito’s film manages to enhance the fast-paced back-and-forth of the two comedians. It makes you really focus on the words. And that surely is a good thing. Check it out:
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Love it or loathe it, slang (or non-standard English) is all around us. Language purists try in vain to impose rules that would keep language constrained to what they would define as ‘proper’ usage but the joy of English (and of slang) is that it throws off all attempts to tie it down.
Slang is inventive and playful and shows how flexible the English language is. More than anything – it’s fun.
Here’s a lovely short film exclusively featuring London slang (past and current) called ‘Be Lucky’. It was made by photographer and filmmaker
with the help of slang lexicographer
(compiler of Green’s Dictionary of Slang).
Here’s what Jenny says about it on her website:
‘Be Lucky’ is a film celebrating London slang. Loaded with humorous insults and exchanges, it includes everything from Cockney to Street slang throughout the last five decades. This film packed with 94 slang phrases, is sure to educate and entertain people in London and beyond. The basic plot is based on gossip about a couple who were thrown out of the local boozer. Jenny Keogh & Jonathon Green have combined their skills to bring the written slang dictionary to life. This film aims to preserve London slang of the past whilst highlighting slang used today. They hope to make a series. Slang is forever evolving and in itself is a language, created by people for the people. Enjoy it. Share it. Celebrate it!
So – here it is:
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There’s a generation of young people for whom letters – especially handwritten letters – must seem old-fashioned and quaint. In an age of instant communication via text, emails, Twitter and Facebook, most young people won’t have written any letters themselves, except perhaps to the tooth fairy, or Santa, or the occasional thank-you note.
But here’s the thing: even if most of us are too ‘time-poor’ to sit down and craft letters on a daily basis, most people surely still get a thrill out of receiving one. So the art of letter writing may well be lost but our fascination with letters endures.
The attention being given to the First World War during this centenary year is making me think of my paternal grandfather, Alfred Walder, who fought in the war and survived. Sadly, he died just after I was born so I never got to know him.
One of the few things I have from my grandfather is a handwritten letter, dated 15th June 1920, in a battered wallet (see image at top of page). The letter is from his brother, my grand-uncle, Percy who was serving on a dreadnought battleship
in London. It begins:
My Dear Bro Alf, Winnie & Babs.
The letter doesn’t contain much in the way of news but it is brimming with cheerfulness and love. The Babs referred to is my uncle John, who was a newborn at this point and it seems grandad had just sent Percy a photograph of Winnie and the baby.
He closes with:
I remain your Loving and Affec. Brother Perce xx
Give these to Winn and Baby xxxxxxxx
And these? to you, Wonder xxxxx
PS I am keeping a four hour watch whilst writing this. I guess you’re between the sheets. Goodbye.
I find this letter genuinely moving. I never met my grandad or Percy but having heard how close they were, these flimsy sheets of paper provide a connection to the past and a little glimpse into their lives.
My grandad survived WW1, even though he was in a cavalry unit. Fortunately, he was kicked in the knee by a horse rather badly while in France and was shipped back to England. My father always spoke of grandad’s amazing affinity with, and love of, animals so it was especially pleasing to discover a couple of handwritten notes in the battered wallet that provide recipes for dealing with horses.
One is titled “To Quiet A Mare or Gelding”:
1 dram oil of Cummings, 1 dram oil of Carraways, 1 dram oil of Cassia, 12 drops oil of Rhodium. Rub a few drops on bit or nose…
There are other recipes for Appetite Powder, Oils to Make a Horse Follow You, and (ironically) How to Quiet A Kicker. Maybe grandad forgot to give that horse in northern France his quietening dose… If grandad hadn’t received the wound that sent him back to England things may well have turned out very differently. If he hadn’t survived the war, my father wouldn’t have been born, and I wouldn’t be writing these words.
But you don’t need to be related to someone to find their lives and times of interest. One of my favourite blogs is , run by Shaun Usher, who describes it as an “archive of fascinating correspondence.”
I’d urge you to read the blog and follow
on Twitter. The blog has been so successful that a compilation of letters has now been put together in book form.
Letters of Note - Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience, compiled by Shaun Usher.
There are letters from the rich and famous as well as the more humble and ordinary. All have something to say, and they say it in a great variety of ways – funny, sad, wise, and flippant. This
in The Guardian tells you more.
Shaun Usher’s favourite letter is one written in 1934 by Robert Pirosh, an aspiring screenwriter, to all the Hollywood players he could think of. It opens with:
I like words. I like fat buttery words, such as ooze, turpitude, glutinous, toady.
He goes on to list many, many wonderful words. It closes with:
May I have a few with you?
Having a word – how could he fail?
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Back in 2011, The Open University produced a fun series of short videos called The History of English in 10 minutes.
Produced by the
section of The Open University, these videos are a fantastic free resource to anyone interested in the evolution of English.
So, what can you expect to learn? The OU’s describes the series as:
‘The History of English’ squeezes 1600 years of history into 10 one-minute bites, uncovering the sources of English words and phrases from Shakespeare and the King James Bible to America and the Internet. Bursting with fascinating facts, the series looks at how English grew from a small tongue into a major global language before reflecting on the future of English in the 21st century.
That’s a lot to pack into 10 minutes – but somehow they manage it. Here is the full set:
If you’d rather savour them one at a time, then go to the OUlearn YouTube channel .
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Luca Zingaretti, who plays Inspector Montalbano, BBC4
With the nights drawing in and temperatures beginning to drop here in the UK, what a tonic BBC4′s Italian police drama Inspector Montalbano is proving to be.
I can swap grey, chilly London for the gorgeous sunlit laneways and Baroque churches of the fictional Sicilian town of Vigàta, and especially Montalbano’s beach-side apartment.
The TV series is unlike any British police procedural. And it’s different again from the highly stylised and dark Nordic offerings such as Wallander and The Killing.
It has a curiously dated feel – the opening credit sequence looks like it could have come from the
1970s or 80s. The characters are generally exaggerated – Commissario Montalbano is gruff but caring (and always seems to have attractive women trying to seduce him). He loves good food and wine. Women are either very attractive (and attracted to Montalbano) or worn-out middle-aged cleaners. There are no female police officers to be seen. Montalbano’s colleagues are effective but somewhat stereotypical and in one case (Caterella ) a simple-minded clown. Oh, and the plots are often diffuse.
So why watch it? For me, it’s a winning combination of stunning locations, loveable characters, and… hand gestures. I always knew that hand gestures were an important part of any Italian’s vocabulary but with this TV series I’ve become fascinated with how much can be said with your hands. The interplay of gestures between Montalbano and his colleagues is mesmerising.
Earlier this year, The New York Times published a piece titled: . It seems likely that exaggerated hand gestures probably first appeared in polyglot Naples where many different languages were used and gestures were a way of making sure people could understand one another. Flamboyant gestures also help to get you noticed.
Here’s a potted history of Italian hand gestures from the New York Times article:
In my research I also found a fascinating article on the website
which looked at a vintage visual dictionary of Italian hand gestures by Bruno Munari. Here’s a lovely illustration:
Can you figure out what they mean? From left to right: money, past times, affirmation, stupid good, wait a moment, to walk backwards, to steal, horns (cuckhold), to ask for.
I’m definitely going to start sprinkling a few of these into my daily conversations.
I’ll leave you with a short montage of Inspector Montalbano in action – Ciao!
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Photo credit: www.guardian.co.uk
On August 31 2013, record-breaking long-distance swimmer , aged 64, became the first person ever to swim the 110 miles of open water from Havana, Cuba, to Florida. She swam this distance in 53 hours and without the aid of a shark cage.
While this is a truly impressive feat of endurance and determination (this was her fifth attempt), what struck me was that with a name like Nyad she couldn’t have done anything else.
Nyad sounds like naiad – naiads in Greek mythology were water nymphs or spirits. That’s cute, I thought. Then I noticed that naiad is an anagram of her first name – Diana. *Cue dramatic chords* So, could this just be coincidence or is something else in play?
There is a notion – called
– that a person’s name can somehow influence the type of work or activities they do, and maybe even their character.
The idea is an ancient one but the term nominative determinism was coined in the 1990s in the Feedback column of the popular science magazine New Scientist (one of the examples cited was an article on incontinence that had been published in the British Journal of Urology by J W Splatt & D Weedon.)
As Roger Highfield, editor of New Scientist, says in an article in :
In 2002, nominative determinism became a serious study in its own right, with the publication of a paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology entitled ‘Why Susie Sells Seashells by the Seashore: Implicit Egotism and Major Life Decisions’. On the assumption that ‘people prefer things that are connected to the self (for example, the letters in one’s name)’, authors Brett Pelham, Matthew Mirenberg and John Jones concluded that people are disproportionately likely to ‘choose careers whose labels resemble their names (for example, people named Dennis or Denise are over-represented among dentists).’
So, perhaps in naming her Diana, the Nyad parents had set something inevitable in
Once you start to be aware of the phenomenon, you’ll see examples of nominative determinism everywhere. For instance, where I live in Finchley, North London, there is a local dentist called Mr Fang.
Here are some of the examples Roger Highfield lists:
Usain Bolt Olympic champion and world record holder for the 100m and 200m.
Rich Ricci CEO of Barclays Capital who received a bonus package of ?44 million in 2010.
Bill Cash MP who claimed more than ?15,000 in expenses to pay his daughter’s rent.
Chris Moneymaker The first amateur winner of the $2.5m prize World Series of Poker in 2003.
Sara Blizzard Weather presenter for East Midlands Today.
John Doolittle & Tom DeLay Republicans who argued against any action on the ozone hole.
Wright Hassall Solicitors’ firm in Leamington Spa.
And, my favourite: Dr. Richard Chopp Leading urologist specialising in vasectomies.
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Did you know that Great Britain can also be called ‘Great Land of The Tattooed’?
Not because of the popularity of tattoos in this country. Rather, it’s the name you arrive at if you look deeper into the etymology of the words ‘Great Britain’. (Maybe this is why Cheryl Cole couldn’t help getting her infamous ?)
This etymological approach to place names has been pursued by a company called Kalimedia and they’ve now produced a series of maps of The British Isles, Canada, The USA and Europe called .
As Kalimedia says on its website:
Once the names have been taken back to their roots and translated into English, it is immediately apparent that our world has an extraordinary affinity with Middle Earth, the mythical continent where the events of Tolkein’s The Lord of the Rings are played out.
So, I can now say that I come from The Great Land of The Tattooed.
I was born in Northern Enclosed Farm (Northampton) but I now live in the capital city, Unfordable River Town (London). Or should that be Unaffordable River Town?
So – where are you from?
Atlas of True Names - section of SE England. Photo credit:
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