Anecdote of the Jar


Reading by Dr. Edward Vargo

原文與註釋(Text and Annotation)

I placed a jar in Tennessee,
And round it was, upon a hill.
It made the slovenly wilderness
Surround that hill. (3-4)

The wilderness rose up to it, 5
And sprawled around, no longer wild.
The jar was round upon the ground
And tall and of a port in air.

It took dominion every where.
The jar was gray and bare. 10
It did not give of bird or bush,
Like nothing else in Tennessee. (11-12)

 

Line
Word or phrase
Annotation
Title Anecdote 短而有趣的故事；軼事。[back]
1

I


jar


Tennessee

不一定指作者Wallace本人，可指任何詩人或藝術家。
瓶子。在此可能代表藝術品(art)。

美國中南部之田納西州。東部多大山荒野，此州中森林約為1, 369, 600英畝，佔全部面積一半以上。在此可能象徵大自然。[back]
3 It
slovenly		 指瓶子(jar)。
雜亂不整之貌。[back]
3-4 這句大意為：有完整外貌的瓶子使四周雜亂的荒野環繞著它而呈現一種秩序感。[back]
5 rose up to it
sprawled around		 挺身向它。或指荒野對瓶子懷著贊羨之情。
指荒野伏臥於四周，顯出臣服的樣子。另sprawl有蔓延之意，表示荒野之廣闊。[back]
8 a port in air
port		 (portly appearance)巍峨莊嚴的樣子。

舉止，態度。[back]
11-12 give of 產生之意。藝術可以統一自然，然而自然有其繁衍的能力，而藝術則無。其情形有如田納西州的荒野，林，鳥生生不息，而瓶子本身並不能滋生不絕。
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