Poem 712

J712

Because l could not stop for Death

 

He kindly stopped for me;

 

The carriage held but Just ourselves

 

And Immortality

 

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,

5

And I had put away

 

My labor, and my leisure too

 

For his civility,

 

We passed the school, when children strove

 

At recess, in the ring;

10

We passed the fields of gazing grain,

 

We passed the setting sun.

 

Or rather he passed us

 

The dews drew quivering and chill,

 

For only gossamer my gown

15

My tippet only tulle.

 

We paused before a house that seemed

 

A swelling of the ground!

 

The roof was s scarcely visible,

 

The cornice in the ground.

20

Since then 'tis centuries and yet

 

Feels shorter. The day

 

I first surmised the horses' death

 

were toward eternity.

 

 

 
 
  Annotation

Line

Word or phrase

Annotation

 

Death

 

2

He kindly stopped for me

(指死亡之神)親切的為我而停車。第一節給讀者一個極明確的意象:死亡是個駕駛員(像是個親切的紳士,駕駛著一部(死亡的)四輪馬車,我(像是個仕女)不願停足去坐他的車,而他卻親切的停車要我坐。

3

The carriage 

(死亡的)四輪馬車。

 

ourselves

death和me。

4

Immortality

永生。永生被人格化而為永生之神。人死後可得永生,在第一節中詩中人似乎假想其已死亡,所以說馬車坐著「死亡之神」,「我」與「永生之神」。

5

We slowly drove, he knew no haste

我們慢慢的驅車前行,他(指死亡之神,不匆不忙的,這裡的we指的是「死亡之神」「我」與「永生之神」。

8

civility

殷勤。與第二行 。He kindly stopped for me"互相呼應。因為「死亡之神」很客氣,很殷勤,所以我們也就跟著走了,第二節主述人仍在說明她已死。

10

recess

休息時間。

 

in the ring

在圓形遊戲場裡(象徵童年生活)。

11

gazing grain

田野中的穀物被人格化而凝視著我們(象徵著成年 生活)。

12

setting sun

西下的太陽。(象徵老年生活)。

12

passed us

太陽經過我們(指白晝已過去,注意這裹的"he"指的並非「死亡之神」而是第十二行的太陽)。

14

The dews drew quivering and chill

露珠顫抖著而且又冷(說明黑夜已到來)。

15

gossamer my gown

輕而又薄的紗布是我的長外衣。

16

My tippet only tulle 

我的披肩是用薄紗做的(第十五、十六行給人一種輕惑惑的感覓,好像要振翼而登仙。

17-18

a house that seemed...the ground

這座房屋所指的就是墳墓,因為這座房屋從地上鼓起,屋簷看視,飛 簷在地下。

20

cornice

飛簷

21-22

Since then...the day

從此以後過了好幾個世紀,而感覺上對比一天還要短。