TheTiger

(fromSongsOfExperience)ByWilliamBlake第1頁TextofthePoemTiger,tiger,burningbrightIntheforestsofthenight,WhatimmortalhandoreyeCouldframethyfearfulsymmetry?Stanza2InwhatdistantdeepsorskiesBurntthefireofthineeyes?Onwhatwingsdareheaspire?Whatthehanddareseizethefire?第2頁一、Alliteration(頭韻法)Thecolor-codedlettersinthefirsttwostanzasgiveexamplesofalliteration.二、MeaningofthePoemStanza1:Whatimmortalbeingcreatedthisterrifyingcreaturewhich,withitsperfectproportions(symmetry),isanawesomekillingmachine?

Stanza2:Wasitcreatedinhell(distantdeeps)orinheaven(skies)?Ifthecreatorhadwings,howcouldhegetsoclosetothefireinwhichthetigerwascreated?Howcouldheworkwithsoblazingafire?第3頁

Stanza3AndwhatshoulderandwhatartCouldtwistthesinewsofthyheart?Andwhenthyheartbegantobeat,Whatdreadhandandwhatdreadfeet?

Stanza4Whatthehammer?whatthechain?Inwhatfurnacewasthybrain?Whattheanvil?WhatdreadgraspDareitsdeadlyterrorsclasp?第4頁Stanza3:Whatstrength(shoulder)andcraftsmanship(art)couldmakethetiger'sheart?Whatbeingcouldthenstandbeforeit(feet)andshapeitfurther(hand)?Stanza4:Whatkindoftool(hammer)didheusetofashion，thetigerintheforgefire?Whataboutthechainconnected

tothepedalwhichthemakerusedtopumpthebellows?Whatoftheheatinthefurnaceandtheanvilonwhichthemakerhammeredouthiscreation?Howdidthemakermusterthecouragetograspthetiger?第5頁Stanza5:Whenthestarscasttheirlightonthenewbeingandthecloudscried,wasthemakerpleasedwithhiscreation?Stanza6:Thepoetrepeatsthethecentralquestionofthepoem,statedinStanza1.However,hechangescould(Line4)todare(Line24).Thisisasignificantchange,forthepoetisnolongeraskingwhohadthecapabilityofcreatingthetigerbutwhodaredtocreatesofrightfulacreature.第6頁老虎！老虎！光焰閃耀，在黑夜叢林中熊熊燃燒，什么樣不朽之手和眼?造成你那可怕勻稱外貌？你眼中烈火熊來自多遠深處或高空？他憑什么翅膀敢飛到九天？什么樣手敢去抓這火焰？Translation第7頁什么樣臂力，什么樣技才能擰成你那心臟腱肌

什么樣手,什么樣腳才使得你心臟開始彈跳？

用什么樣錘子？什么樣鏈條在什么樣爐里煉成了你大腦？在什么樣鐵砧上？用什么樣臂力敢抓住這能夠致命可怕東西？第8頁當星星投下他們矛槍，用他們淚水澆灌穹蒼，他見到自己作品時可微笑？難道是他造了你也造了羊羔？老虎！老虎！光焰閃耀，

在黑夜叢林中熊熊燃燒

什么樣不朽之手和眼造成你那可怕勻稱外貌？第9頁“TheTiger,”byWilliamBlake(1757-1827),presentsaquestionthatembodiesthetheme:

Whocreatedthetiger?WasitthekindandlovingGodwhomadethelamb?OrwasitSatan?

BlakepresentshisquestioninLines3and4

Theme

第10頁WhatimmortalhandoreyeCouldframethyfearfulsymmetry?Blakerealizes,ofcourse,thatGodmadeallthecreaturesonearth.However,toexpresshisbewildermentthattheGodwhocreatedthegentlelambalsocreatedtheterrifyingtiger,heincludesSatanasapossiblecreatorwhileraisinghisrhetoricalquestions,notablytheoneheasksinLines5and6:InwhatdistantdeepsorskiesBurntthefireofthyeyes?Deepsappearstorefertohellandskiestoheaven.Ineithercase,therewouldbefire--thefireofhellorthefireofthestars.第11頁.Ofcourse,therecanbenogainsayingthatthetigersymbolizesevil,ortheincarnationofevil,andthatthelamb(Line20)representsgoodness,orChrist.Blake'sinquiryisavariationonanoldphilosophicalandtheologicalquestion:WhydoesevilexistinauniversecreatedandruledbyabenevolentGod?Blakeprovidesnoanswer.Hismissionistoreflectrealityinarrestingimages.Apoet’sfirstpurpose,afterall,istopresenttheworldanditsdenizensinlanguagethatstimulatestheaestheticsense;heisnottoexhortormoralize.Nevertheless,thepoemdoesstirthereadertodeepthought.Hereisthetiger,fierceandbrutalinitsquestforsustenance;thereisthelamb,meekandgentleinitsquestforsurvival.IsitpossiblethatthesameGodwhomadethelambalsomadethetiger?Orwasthetigerthedevil'swork?第12頁

MeterThepoemisintrochaictetrameterwithcatalexisattheendofeachline.Hereisanexplanationofthesetechnicalterms:TetrameterLine:apoetrylineusuallywitheightsyllablesbutsometimesseven.TrochaicFoot:Apairofsyllables--astressedsyllablefollowedbyanunstressedsyllable.Catalexis（欠(音)節(jié)）:Theabsenceofasyllableinthefinalfootinaline.InBlake’spoem,anunstressedsyllableisabsentinthelastfootofeachline.Thus,everylinehassevensyllables,nottheconventionaleight.第13頁StructureandRhymeScheme

Thepoemconsistsofsixquatrains.(Aquatrainisafour-linestanza.)Eachquatraincontains

twocouplets.(Acoupletisapairofrhyminglines).Thuswehavea24-linepoemwith12

coupletsan