ODE:INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY FROM RECOLLECTIONS
OF EARLY CHILDHOOD

原文與注釋(Text and Annotation): V

5. (Summary)
Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:
The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,
60
        Hath had elsewhere its setting,
          And cometh from afar:  
        Not in entire forgetfulness,
        And not in utter nakedness,
But trailing clouds of glory do we come
65
        From God, who is our home:  
Heaven lies about us in our infancy!
Shades of the prison-house begin to close
        Upon the growing Boy,  
But he
70
Beholds the light, and whence it flows,       
        He sees it in his joy;  
The Youth, who daily farther from the east  
    Must travel, still is Nature's Priest,  
      And by the vision splendid
75
      Is on his way attended;
 
At length the Man perceives it die away,
And fade into the light of common day.
Line / No.
Word or Phrase
Annotation
第五節大意：(詩人著手著手尋譯這種喪失之感的原委。)我們到此世界之前原有前生的存在。我們的靈魂原與上帝同居共處；降世之初，天堂似乎仍在左右。這種天堂之光日漸消逝。迨至成人則不復看見天堂的榮耀，而跌入庸碌的日常生活中。[back]
5/58
 Our borth is but a sleep and a forgetting 今世只是（靈魂的）一次睡眠及遺忘。[back]
60
 Star 指sun把soul譬為生命的太陽。正如日山日落，人生時，靈魂自永恒來，人死時，靈魂又回歸永恒。[back]
61
 elsewhere 指靈魂之歸處，即天堂。[back]
62
 forgetfulness 遺忘。[back]
64
 nakedness 赤裸。[back]
65
 trailing clouds of glory 拖曳著榮耀的雲霞。即人生時還帶著天堂的榮耀。[back]
67
 lies about 包圍。[back]
68
 Shades 陰影。
Prison-house 監獄。指現實的世界，在此天真無邪的孩童，漸漸喪失其榮耀。[back]
Close (upon) 圍攏。[back]
71
 Beholds 看。
whence 從何處。[back]
74
 Naturee's Priest 自然的祭司。就如何波羅的祭司能夠解釋阿波羅的預言，The Youth也能說明大自然的啟示。[back]
75
 vision 幻景。
Splendid 壯觀的，璀燦的。[back]
76
 attended 伴隨。[back]
77
 perceive 發覺。[back]
78
 fade 失去光彩。[back]

[top]