Reading by Dr. Edward Vargo
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J465 |
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I heard a fly buzz when I died-- |
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| The stillness in the room |
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| Was like the stillness in the air |
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| Between the heaves of storm. |
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| The eyes around had wrung them dry |
5 |
| And breaths were gathering firm |
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| For that last onset when the King |
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| Be witnessed in the room. |
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| I willed my keepsakes, signed away | |
| What portion of me be | 10 |
| Assignable -- and then it was | |
| There interposed a fly. | |
| With blue, uncertain, stumbling buzz, | |
| Between the light and me. | |
| And then the windows failed, and then | 15 |
| I could not see to see. |
Annotation
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Line |
Word or phrase |
Annotation |
| 1-4行 | 在這一段裡 詩中人描述了本詩的背景 她躺在自己即將死亡的床上 房內的沉靜及一隻蒼蠅的嗡嗡聲 顯示出一種死亡的氣氛 | |
| buzz | 嗡嗡聲 | |
| The stillness…room | 屋內默然沉靜的狀態 | |
| like the stillness in the air | 像在暴風雨來臨之前 天空中的一片寧靜 | |
| the heaves of storm | 暴風雨的起伏之狀 | |
| 5-8行 | 在這段裡 詩中人將其敘述的對象集中在探望她病情的人們的身上 | |
| The eyes …dry | 圍繞在即將去世人的四周的人們 他們把眼睛哭得乾癟 (wrung是wring 的過去式 意為扭乾) | |
| breath…gathering firm | 大家都屏息靜氣以待死亡的來臨 | |
| last onset | 在人去世之前 死亡對病人最後的一次的侵襲 | |
| King | 國王此處指上帝 | |
| Be witnessed | 為…所目賭 指詩中人的去世 為上帝親身所目賭 | |
| 9-12行 | 在這段裡 詩中人又講述到她自身及她訂寫遺囑的事 除了她的靈肉之外 一切均可贈與別人 | |
| willed my keepsakes | 立遺囑 將我的身外之物 均贈與別人 | |
| keepsakes | 紀念物或贈與別人 此處指詩人身外的所有物 | |
| signed away | 簽字讓渡 | |
| Assignable | 可分讓給與的 | |
| interposed | 介於其間 | |
| 13-16行 | 在此最後一段裡 詩中人將目標轉移到蒼蠅的身上 她注意到蒼蠅的嗡嗡憂鬱之聲 | |
| With…buzz | 帶著沮喪 躊躇 及蹣跚的嗡嗡聲 | |
| Between |
此字該接第12行的interposed
意指這隻蒼蠅盤旋在詩中人與屋內燈光之間 |
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| windows failed | 詩中人逐漸看不到屋中的屋子了 | |
| could not see to see | 第一個see是詩中人的視力第二個see是指詩人的觀看 意指詩中人到最後失去了她觀視的能力 |