第8章　菲利普·弗瑞诺

8.1　复习笔记

Philip Freneau (1752－1832) (菲利普·弗瑞诺)

1．Life (生平)

Freneau is the most outstanding poet and political journalist of the post-revolutionary period, indicating the transition between neo-classicism and romanticism.

He was born on January 2, 1752, in New York, of French Huguenot and Scottish stock. He was tutored for Princeton where he established close friendships with a future president, James Madison, and a future novelist, Hugh Henry Brackenridge. Later he turned from poetry to political journalism. Reduced in fortune and political ambition, he settled in 1794 at his plantation homestead, Mount Pleasant, near Freehold, New Jersey, where for a time he edited a New Jersey paper. Again he turned to his farm for subsistence, but in 1818 his home burned down, and he gathered together the remnants of his family and possessions in a little farmhouse nearer town. Poor and nearly forgotten, he died of exposure in 1832 at the age of eighty.

菲利普·弗瑞诺是美国革命后时期最杰出的诗人和政治新闻记者，是新古典主义向浪漫主义过渡的重要人物。

1752年1月2日弗瑞诺出生于纽约，有着法国胡格诺派教徒和苏格兰人的血统。他在普林斯顿大学学习时与未来的总统詹姆斯·麦迪逊以及未来的小说家休·亨利·布雷肯里奇建立了深厚的友谊。之后他从诗歌转向政治报刊。随着财富和政治抱负的减弱，1794年，弗瑞诺到新泽西福利霍尔德附近的快乐山种植园定居，并曾为一家新泽西报社做编辑。为了生存，他又回到了农场，1818年，他家被一场大火烧毁，他只好收拾一些所剩的家什，搬到了城镇附近的一所小农舍里。1832年，贫困潦倒的弗瑞诺默默无闻地冻死了，享年80岁。

2．Literary Achievements and Status (文学成就和地位)

(1) He was called “Poet of the American Revolution”. He was also called the “Father of American Poetry”, and it is ultimately in a historical estimate that Freneau is important.

(2) As a poet, Freneau heralded American literary independence; his close observation of nature distinguished his treatment of indigenous wild life and other native American subjects.

(3) Apart from the fact that he used his poetic talents in the service of a nation struggling for independence, writing verses for the righteous cause of his people and exposing British colonial savageries, he was a most notable representative of dawning nationalism in American literature.

(1) 他被称为“美国革命诗人”。他被称为“美国诗歌之父”，最终被认为在美国文坛上占有重要地位。

(2) 作为一位诗人，弗瑞诺预示了美国文学的独立；他对自然的细致观察使其对有关本土野生生命主题的处理与其他本土作家有所不同。

(3) 他把自己的诗歌创作才能奉献给了国家的独立斗争事业，其诗歌歌颂了人民的正义事业，揭露了英国殖民者的暴行。除此之外，他还是开启美国文学民族主义的突出代表之一。

3．Major Works (主要作品)

“The Power of Fancy” (1770) 《想象的力量》

“The Rising Glory of America” (1772) 《美洲光辉的升起》

“The House of Night” (1776) 《夜之屋》

“The Beauties of Santa Cruz” (1776) 《圣诞老人之美》

“The British Prison Ship” (1781) 《英国囚船》

“The Poems of Philip Freneau Written Chiefly During the Later War” (1786) 《战争后期菲利浦·弗瑞诺主要诗歌集》

“The Wild Honey Suckle” (1786) 《野忍冬花》

“The Indian Burying Ground” (1788) 《印第安人的墓地》

4．Selected Works (选读作品)

“The Wild Honey Suckle” 《野忍冬花》

“The Wild Honey Suckle” is probably Freneau’s most famous poem, and was wildly read by people. In this poem, the poet expresses a keen awareness of the loveliness and transience of nature. He has deep love for nature and pity for transience of natural beauty. However, he is optimistic overall, as he knows that life and death are inevitable law of nature.

This poem is an indication of the poet’s dedication of American subject matter.

《野忍冬花》或许是弗瑞诺最有名的一首诗，被人们广泛阅读。诗中，诗人表达了一种对自然生命的可爱和短暂易逝的深刻认识。他热爱大自然，又为大自然生命的短暂感到惋惜。然而，诗人是乐观的，因为他知道生死乃自然之道。

该诗显示了诗人致力于描写美国本土的题材。

“The Indian Burying Ground” 《印第安人的墓地》

This poem is about Indian funeral, which is very different from the white’s. The dead Indian is dressed in special cloth and buried in a sitting posture as if celebrating a happy event. Death in the Indian tradition has a different meaning. It is no longer that sad and dreadful event that everyone is afraid of. The dead person becomes a warrior to protect the land.

The rhyming scheme of the poem is abab.

这首诗写的是与白人大有不同的印第安人殡葬。死去的印第安人穿上特别的衣服，以坐姿埋葬，像是在庆祝欢庆的事。死亡在印第安人传统中具有特殊的意义，它不再是令人悲伤、恐惧的事情。去世的人成为守护大地的勇士。

这首诗的韵律是abab。

“To a Caty-Did” 《致纺织娘》

“Caty-did” is the sound of a well-known insect, when full grown, about two inches long in length, and of the exact color of a green leaf.

This poem reveals the poet’s love for nature and his keen observation of living things in nature; it also shows the mystery of nature.

“凯提-迪德”是拟声词，是一种有名的昆虫的叫声，这种昆虫长大后身长约两寸，披着绿叶般的外衣。

这首诗揭示了诗人对大自然的热爱和对自然界生物的细致观察,同时显示出了大自然的神秘之处。