John Keats & Ode on a Grecian Urn

John Keats & Ode on a Grecian Urn By Nie Zhouyan

*About John Keats *Translation of Ode on a Grecian Urn *Analysis of the ode

John Keats Background Oct.31st,1795:born in Finsbury Pavement near London 1810:became an orphan and taken from school to be an apprentice to a surgeon by his new guardians 1814: left his master and became a hospital student in London. 1814: sacrificed his medical ambitions to a literary life. 1816:published his first poem in a magazine. 1817:published about thirty poems and sonnets printed in the volume "Poems".

John Keats Productive Years 1817-1821 Winter of 1817:George Keats married and emigrated to America, leaving the consumptive brother Tom to John's care. Apart from helping Tom against consumption, Keats worked on his poem "Endymion". Just before its publication, he went on a hiking tour to Scotland and Ireland with his friend Charles Brown. First signs of his own fatal disease forced him to return prematurely, where he found his brother seriously ill and his poem harshly criticized. Dec. 1818 :Tom Keats died. John moved to Hampstead Heath, where he lived in the house of Charles Brown. While in Scotland with Keats, Brown had lent his house to a Mrs. Browne and her sixteen-year-old daughter Fanny. Since the ladies were still living in London, Keats soon made their acquaintance and fell in love with the beautiful, fashionable girl. Absorbed in love and poetry, he exhausted himself mentally. Autumn of 1819: he tried to gain some distance to literature through an ordinary occupation.

John Keats Illness and Death 1820-1821 An unmistakable sign of consumption in February 1820 however broke all his plans for the future, marking the beginning of what he called his "posthumous life". He could not enjoy the positive resonance on the publication of the volume "Lamia, Isabella &c.", including his most celebrated odes. In the late summer of 1820, Keats was ordered by his doctors to avoid the English winter and move to Italy. His friend Joseph Severn accompanied him south - first to Naples, and then to Rome. His health improved momentarily, only to collapse finally. Keats died in Rome on the 23rd of February, 1821. He was buried on the Protestant Cemetery, near the grave of Caius Cestius. On his desire, the following lines were engraved on his tombstone: "Here lies one whose name was writ in water."

THOU still unravish’d bride of quietness, Thou foster-child of silence and slow time, Sylvan historian, who canst thus express A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme: What leaf-fring’d legend haunts about thy shape Of deities or mortals, or of both, In Tempe or the dales of Arcady? What men or gods are these? What maidens loth? What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape? What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy? 你委身“寂静”的、完美的处子，　受过了“沉默”和“悠久”的抚育，呵，田园的史家，你竟能铺叙一个如花的故事，比诗还瑰丽：　在你的形体上，岂非缭绕着古老的传说，以绿叶为其边缘；讲着人，或神，敦陂或阿卡呵，是怎样的人，或神！在舞乐前　　多热烈的追求！少女怎样地逃躲！　　　　怎样的风笛和鼓谣！怎样的狂喜！ Ode on a Grecian Urn

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipes, play on; Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear’d, Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone: Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare; Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss, Though winning near the goal - yet, do not grieve; She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss, For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair! 听见的乐声虽好，但若听不见　　　却更美；所以，吹吧，柔情的风笛；　　不是奏给耳朵听，而是更甜，　　　它给灵魂奏出无声的乐曲；　　树下的美少年呵，你无法中断　　　你的歌，那树木也落不了叶子；　　　　卤莽的恋人，你永远、永远吻不上，　　虽然够接近了－－但不必心酸；　　　　她不会老，虽然你不能如愿以偿，　　　你将永远爱下去，她也永远秀丽！ Ode on a Grecian Urn

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu; And, happy melodist, unwearied, For ever piping songs for ever new; More happy love! more happy, happy love! For ever warm and still to be enjoy’d, For ever panting, and for ever young; All breathing human passion far above, That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy’d, A burning forehead, and a parching tongue. 呵，幸福的树木！你的枝叶不会剥落，从不曾离开春天；　幸福的吹笛人也不会停歇，他的歌曲永远是那么新鲜；　呵，更为幸福的、幸福的爱！　永远热烈，正等待情人宴飨，永远热情地心跳，永远年轻；幸福的是这一切超凡的情态：　它不会使心灵餍足和悲伤，没有炽热的头脑，焦渴的嘴唇。 Ode on a Grecian Urn

Who are these coming to the sacrifice? To what green altar, O mysterious priest, Lead’st thou that heifer lowing at the skies, And all her silken flanks with garlands drest? What little town by river or sea shore, Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel, Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn? And, little town, thy streets for evermore Will silent be; and not a soul to tell Why thou art desolate, can e’er return. 这些人是谁呵，都去赶祭祀？　　　这作牺牲的小牛，对天鸣叫，　　你要牵它到哪儿，神秘的祭司？　　　花环缀满着它光滑的身腰。　　是从哪个傍河傍海的小镇，　　　或哪个静静的堡寨山村，　　　　来了这些人，在这敬神的清早？　　呵，小镇，你的街道永远恬静；　　　再也不可能回来一个灵魂　　　　告诉人你何以是这么寂寥。 Ode on a Grecian Urn

O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede Of marble men and maidens overwrought, With forest branches and the trodden weed; Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral! When old age shall this generation waste, Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st, «Beauty is truth, truth beauty,»- that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. 哦，希腊的形状！唯美的观照！　　　上面缀有石雕的男人和女人，　　还有林木，和践踏过的青草；　　　沉默的形体呵，你象是“永恒” 　　使人超越思想：呵，冰冷的牧歌！　　　等暮年使这一世代都凋落，　　　　只有你如旧；在另外的一些　　　忧伤中，你会抚慰后人说：“美即是真，真即是美，”这就包括你们所知道、和该知道的一切。 Ode on a Grecian Urn

Analysis Generally speaking: The sight, or the imagination, of a piece of ancient sculpture had set the poet's mind at work. Conjuring up the scenes of ancient life and worship which lay behind and suggested the sculptured images on one hand; on the other, speculating on the abstract relations of plastic art to life. Theme :The beauty of art is long-lasting.It has gone beyond time and space ,and will never disappear.

Analysis Stanza 1: The opening invocation is followed by a string of questions which flash their own answer upon us out of the darkness of antiquity - interrogatories which are at the same time pictures. 这是一只上下边缘刻印着绿叶花纹，其间雕有神话和田园风情图案的古瓮。这本是千百年前雕刻艺人留下的“死”物，但在诗人眼里，却出现了一幅活生生的社会风俗画的画面。(诗人用提问的方式，告诉读者他所看到的图案，为诗歌的进一步发展提供了引子。这时，尽管读者还不知道图案的具体内容，但至少已经明了，这是一幅充满生气的图画.诗人通过描写宁静的古瓮本体和充满动感的表面，在读者脑海中勾勒出了古瓮的形象，并由此让读者不知不觉地跟着他一起走入他那想象中的天地。瓮上的图案幻化成一幅活生生的田园景色。绿荫丛中，诗人仿佛看见一对在热恋中的男女青年在纵情嬉闹，随着悠扬的鼓乐和风笛声在翩翩起舞.)

Analysis Stanzas 2&3: Express with perfect poetic felicity and insight the vital differences between life, which pays for its unique prerogative of reality by satiety and decay, and art, which in forfeiting reality gains in exchange permanence of beauty, and the power to charm by imagined experiences even richer than the real.

第二节：诗人用实实在在的描绘和合乎情理的判断，揭示出了永恒的美。正因为两个热恋的青年是雕刻在瓮上的，所以他们永远也无法实现自己所渴望的热吻。这看来是桩憾事，但诗人并不因此而悲伤，反而寻到了欢悦。道理很简单：他看到了永恒。古瓮上的树叶永远常青，不会枯黄，不会飘落；姑娘永远年轻，不会衰老；而爱情永存。千百年来，他们一直保持着当初古希腊艺人雕刻时的模样，千百年后，他们还将这么年轻，这么漂亮，永远这么热恋着。第二节：诗人用实实在在的描绘和合乎情理的判断，揭示出了永恒的美。正因为两个热恋的青年是雕刻在瓮上的，所以他们永远也无法实现自己所渴望的热吻。这看来是桩憾事，但诗人并不因此而悲伤，反而寻到了欢悦。道理很简单：他看到了永恒。古瓮上的树叶永远常青，不会枯黄，不会飘落；姑娘永远年轻，不会衰老；而爱情永存。千百年来，他们一直保持着当初古希腊艺人雕刻时的模样，千百年后，他们还将这么年轻，这么漂亮，永远这么热恋着。第三节：从内容上说，这节诗是上节诗的延伸，没有多大多大的区别，但这节诗的每字每行更富有感情色彩，强化了上一节诗中所阐明的观点——艺术的美是一种永恒的美。为了强调这种永恒，诗人又一口气用了六个“永远”，给人留下了深刻的印象。值得注意的是，诗人用“火热”来形容古瓮上这对情人的爱情，这样，就把读者的心从冷冰冰的雕刻艺术中牵了出来，带进活生生的世界，使人仿佛触摸到了年轻恋人们怦怦跳动着的心房。

Analysis Stanza 4: By questioning:who are these coming to the sacrifice?the poet led the readers again to a position of observer.Here,the poet focused on a social activity of the villagers,reflecting the relation between art and reality 对小镇的描写是非常富有现实意义的。小镇是这队祭祀行列的出发点，又是这些村民们劳动生活的中心，通过对它们的联想，一幅幅社会风俗画就会展现在我们面前。古瓮的图案不可能描绘小镇的荒芜和静寂，但诗人的想象力却看到了这一点。村镇被遗弃了，这不单是因为出走的人个个被禁锢在瓮上，也是因为那镇上的人早在很久以前就消失了，唯有这古瓮上雕刻着的还栩栩如生。这样，诗人又一次表明了他的信念：艺术是不朽的。

Analysis Stanza 5: came back to the urn as a whole,reflecting the well-organized structure of the ode.Finally,the poet point out the relation between art and reality:Beauty is truth,truth beauty. What should be emphasized here is that :the poet felt the beauty by heart,and imagination plays an important role in this process.

Thank you !

John Keats & Ode on a Grecian Urn