维多利亚时期诗人

Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) Sonnets from the Portuguese: XIV 1If thou must love me, let it be for nought 2Except for love’s sake only.  Do not say 3“I love her for her smile—her look—her way 4Of speaking gently,—for a trick of thought 5That falls in well with mine, and certes brought 6A sense of pleasant ease on such a day”— 7For these things in themselves, Belovèd, may 8Be changed, or change for thee,—and love, so wrought, 9May be unwrought so.  Neither love me for 10Thine own dear pity’s wiping my cheeks dry,— 11A creature might forget to weep, who bore 12Thy comfort long, and lose thy love thereby! 13But love me for love’s sake, that evermore 14Thou may’st love on, through love’s eternity. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) The House of Life: 19. Silent Noon 1Your hands lie open in the long fresh grass,-- 2    The finger-points look through like rosy blooms: 3 Your eyes smile peace. The pasture gleams and glooms 4'Neath billowing skies that scatter and amass. 5All round our nest, far as the eye can pass, 6      Are golden kingcup-fields with silver edge 7      Where the cow-parsley skirts the hawthorn-hedge. 8'Tis visible silence, still as the hour-glass. 9Deep in the sun-search'd growths the dragon-fiy 10Hangs like a blue thread loosen'd from the sky:-- 11      So this wing'd hour is dropt to us from above. 12Oh! clasp we to our hearts, for deathless dower, 13This close-companion'd inarticulate hour 14      When twofold silence was the song of love. Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) When I am dead, my dearest 1When I am dead, my dearest, 2      Sing no sad songs for me; 3Plant thou no roses at my head, 4      Nor shady cypress tree: 5Be the green grass above me 6      With showers and dewdrops wet; 7And if thou wilt, remember, 8      And if thou wilt, forget. 9I shall not see the shadows, 10      I shall not feel the rain; 11I shall not hear the nightingale 12      Sing on, as if in pain: 13And dreaming through the twilight 14      That doth not rise nor set, 15Haply I may remember, 16      And haply may forget. Remember 1Remember me when I am gone away, 2      Gone far away into the silent land; 3      When you can no more hold me by the hand, 4Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay. 5Remember me when no more day by day 6      You tell me of our future that you plann'd: 7      Only remember me; you understand 8It will be late to counsel then or pray. 9Yet if you should forget me for a while 10      And afterwards remember, do not grieve: 11      For if the darkness and corruption leave 12      A vestige of the thoughts that once I had, 13Better by far you should forget and smile 14      Than that you should remember and be sad. Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837-1909) The Garden of Proserpine 1Here, where the world is quiet; 2      Here, where all trouble seems 3Dead winds' and spent waves' riot 4      In doubtful dreams of dreams; 5I watch the green field growing 6For reaping folk and sowing, 7For harvest-time and mowing, 8      A sleepy world of streams. 9I am tired of tears and laughter, 10      And men that laugh and weep; 11Of what may come hereafter 12      For men that sow to reap: 13I am weary of days and hours, 14Blown buds of barren flowers, 15Desires and dreams and powers 16      And everything but sleep. 17Here life has death for neighbour, 18      And far from eye or ear 19Wan waves and wet winds labour, 20      Weak ships and spirits steer; 21They drive adrift, and whither 22They wot not who make thither; 23But no such winds blow hither, 24      And no such things grow here. 25No growth of moor or coppice, 26      No heather-flower or vine, 27But bloomless buds of poppies, 28      Green grapes of Proserpine, 29Pale beds of blowing rushes 30Where no leaf blooms or blushes 31Save this whereout she crushes 32      For dead men deadly wine. 33Pale, without name or number, 34      In fruitless fields of corn, 35They bow themselves and slumber 36      All night till light is born; 37And like a soul belated, 38In hell and heaven unmated, 39By cloud and mist abated 40      Comes out of darkness morn. 41Though one were strong as seven, 42      He too with death shall dwell, 43Nor wake with wings in heaven, 44      Nor weep for pains in hell; 45Though one were fair as roses, 46His beauty clouds and closes; 47And well though love reposes, 48      In the end it is not well. 49Pale, beyond porch and portal, 50      Crowned with calm leaves, she stands 51Who gathers all things mortal 52      With cold immortal hands; 53Her languid lips are sweeter 54Than love's who fears to greet her 55To men that mix and meet her 56      From many times and lands. 57She waits for each and other, 58      She waits for all men born; 59Forgets the earth her mother, 60        The life of fruits and corn; 61And spring and seed and swallow 62Take wing for her and follow 63Where summer song rings hollow 64      And flowers are put to scorn. 65There go the loves that wither, 66      The old loves with wearier wings; 67And all dead years draw thither, 68      And all disastrous things; 69Dead dreams of days forsaken, 70Blind buds that snows have shaken, 71Wild leaves that winds have taken, 72      Red strays of ruined springs. 73We are not sure of sorrow, 74      And joy was never sure; 75To-day will die to-morrow; 76      Time stoops to no man's lure; 77And love, grown faint and fretful, 78With lips but half regretful 79Sighs, and with eyes forgetful 80      Weeps that no loves endure. 81From too much love of living, 82      From hope and fear set free, 83We thank with brief thanksgiving 84      Whatever gods may be 85That no life lives for ever; 86That dead men rise up never; 87That even the weariest river 88      Winds somewhere safe to sea. 89Then star nor sun shall waken, 90      Nor any change of light: 91Nor sound of waters shaken, 92      Nor any sound or sight: 93Nor wintry leaves nor vernal, 94Nor days nor things diurnal; 95Only the sleep eternal 96      In an eternal night. Notes 1] Proserpina, daughter of Zeus and Demeter, whom Pluto, god of the underworld, seized for his queen and took off to the land of the dead. Cf. Milton's description of her in Paradise Lost, IV.269-72. 22] wot: know. 25] coppice: wild crump of bushes or small trees, a thicket. 34] corn: grain. 76] Time does not swoop down (like a bird of prey) to seize bait laid out for it by man. Ernest Dowson (1867-1900) Non Sum Qualis Eram Bonae sub Regno Cynarae 1Last night, ah, yesternight, betwixt her lips and mine 2There fell thy shadow, Cynara! thy breath was shed 3Upon my soul between the kisses and the wine; 4And I was desolate and sick of an old passion, 5    Yea, I was desolate and bowed my head: 6I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion. 7All night upon mine heart I felt her warm heart beat, 8Night-long within mine arms in love and sleep she lay; 9Surely the kisses of her bought red mouth were sweet; 10But I was desolate and sick of an old passion, 11    When I awoke and found the dawn was gray; 12I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion. 13I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind, 14Flung roses, roses riotously with the throng, 15Dancing, to put thy pale, lost lilies out of mind; 16But I was desolate and sick of an old passion, 17    Yea, all the time, because the dance was long; 18I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion. 19I cried for madder music and for stronger wine, 20But when the feast is finished and the lamps expire, 21Then falls thy shadow, Cynara! the night is thine; 22And I was desolate and sick of an old passion, 23    Yea hungry for the lips of my desire: 24I have been faithful to thee, Cynara! in my fashion. Notes 1] The Latin title is from the opening of Horace's Odes, Book 4.1: Intermissa, Venus, diu rursus bella moues? Parce precor, precor. Non sum qualis eram bonae sub regno Cinarae. (translated by John Conington [London: G. Bell, 1909] as “Yet again thou wak'st the flame / That long had slumber'd! Spare me, Venus, spare! / Trust me, I am not the same / As in the reign of Cinara, kind and fair"). William Morris (1834-1896) The Defence of Guenevere 1But, learning now that they would have her speak, 2She threw her wet hair backward from her brow, 3Her hand close to her mouth touching her cheek, 4As though she had had there a shameful blow, 5And feeling it shameful to feel ought but shame 6All through her heart, yet felt her cheek burned so, 7She must a little touch it; like one lame 8She walked away from Gauwaine, with her head 9Still lifted up; and on her cheek of flame 10The tears dried quick; she stopped at last and said: 11"O knights and lords, it seems but little skill 12To talk of well-known things past now and dead. 13"God wot I ought to say, I have done ill, 14And pray you all forgiveness heartily! 15Because you must be right, such great lords--still 16"Listen, suppose your time were come to die, 17And you were quite alone and very weak; 18Yea, laid a dying while very mightily 19"The wind was ruffling up the narrow streak 20Of river through your broad lands running well: 21Suppose a hush should come, then some one speak: 22" 'One of these cloths is heaven, and one is hell, 23Now choose one cloth for ever; which they be, 24I will not tell you, you must somehow tell 25" 'Of your own strength and mightiness; here, see!' 26Yea, yea, my lord, and you to ope your eyes, 27At foot of your familiar bed to see 28"A great God's angel standing, with such dyes, 29Not known on earth, on his great wings, and hands 30Held at two ways, light from the inner skies 31"Showing him well, and making his commands 32Seem to be God's commands, moreover, too, 33Holding within his hands the cloths on wands; 34"And one of these strange choosing cloths was blue, 35Wavy and long, and one cut short and red; 36No man could tell the better of the two. 37"After a shivering half-hour you said: 38'God help! heaven's colour, the blue;' and he said: 'hell.' 39Perhaps you then would roll upon your bed, 40"And cry to all good men that loved you well, 41'Ah Christ! if only I had known, known, known;' 42Launcelot went away, then I could tell, 43"Like wisest man how all things would be, moan, 44And roll and hurt myself, and long to die, 45And yet fear much to die for what was sown. 46"Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie, 47Whatever may have happened through these years, 48God knows I speak truth, saying that you lie." 49Her voice was low at first, being full of tears, 50But as it cleared, it grew full loud and shrill, 51Growing a windy shriek in all men's ears, 52A ringing in their startled brains, until 53She said that Gauwaine lied, then her voice sunk, 54And her great eyes began again to fill, 55Though still she stood right up, and never shrunk, 56But spoke on bravely, glorious lady fair! 57Whatever tears her full lips may have drunk, 58She stood, and seemed to think, and wrung her hair, 59Spoke out at last with no more trace of shame, 60With passionate twisting of her body there: 61"It chanced upon a day that Launcelot came 62To dwell at Arthur's court: at Christmas time 63This happened; when the heralds sung his name, 64" 'Son of King Ban of Benwick,' seemed to chime 65Along with all the bells that rang that day, 66O'er the white roofs, with little change of rhyme. 67"Christmas and whitened winter passed away, 68And over me the April sunshine came, 69Made very awful with black hail-clouds, yea 70"And in the Summer I grew white with flame, 71And bowed my head down--Autumn, and the sick 72Sure knowledge things would never be the same, 73"However often Spring might be most thick 74Of blossoms and buds, smote on me, and I grew 75Careless of most things, let the clock tick, tick, 76"To my unhappy pulse, that beat right through 77My eager body; while I laughed out loud, 78And let my lips curl up at false or true, 79"Seemed cold and shallow without any cloud. 80Behold my judges, then the cloths were brought; 81While I was dizzied thus, old thoughts would crowd, 82"Belonging to the time ere I was bought 83By Arthur's great name and his little love; 84Must I give up for ever then, I thought, 85"That which I deemed would ever round me move 86Glorifying all things; for a little word, 87Scarce ever meant at all, must I now prove 88"Stone-cold for ever? Pray you, does the Lord 89Will that all folks should be quite happy and good? 90I love God now a little, if this cord 91"Were broken, once for all what striving could 92Make me love anything in earth or heaven? 93So day by day it grew, as if one should 94"Slip slowly down some path worn smooth and even, 95Down to a cool sea on a summer day; 96Yet still in slipping there was some small leaven 97"Of stretched hands catching small stones by the way, 98Until one surely reached the sea at last, 99And felt strange new joy as the worn head lay 100"Back, with the hair like sea-weed; yea all past 101Sweat of the forehead, dryness of the lips, 102Washed utterly out by the dear waves o'ercast, 103"In the lone sea, far off from any ships! 104Do I not know now of a day in Spring? 105No minute of that wild day ever slips 106"From out my memory; I hear thrushes sing, 107And wheresoever I may be, straightway 108Thoughts of it all come up with most fresh sting: 109"I was half mad with beauty on that day, 110And went without my ladies all alone, 111In a quiet garden walled round every way; 112"I was right joyful of that wall of stone, 113That shut the flowers and trees up with the sky, 114And trebled all the beauty: to the bone, 115"Yea right through to my heart, grown very shy 116With weary thoughts, it pierced, and made me glad; 117Exceedingly glad, and I knew verily, 118"A little thing just then had made me mad; 119I dared not think, as I was wont to do, 120Sometimes, upon my beauty; if I had 121"Held out my long hand up against the blue, 122And, looking on the tenderly darken'd fingers, 123Thought that by rights one ought to see quite through, 124"There, see you, where the soft still light yet lingers, 125Round by the edges; what should I have done, 126If this had joined with yellow spotted singers, 127"And startling green drawn upward by the sun? 128But shouting, loosed out, see now! all my hair, 129And trancedly stood watching the west wind run 130"With faintest half-heard breathing sound--why there 131I lose my head e'en now in doing this; 132But shortly listen--in that garden fair 133"Came Launcelot walking; this is true, the kiss 134Wherewith we kissed in meeting that spring day, 135I scarce dare talk of the remember'd bliss, 136"When both our mouths went wandering in one way, 137And aching sorely, met among the leaves; 138Our hands being left behind strained far away. 139"Never within a yard of my bright sleeves 140Had Launcelot come before--and now, so nigh! 141After that day why is it Guenevere grieves? 142"Nevertheless you, O Sir Gauwaine, lie, 143Whatever happened on through all those years, 144God knows I speak truth, saying that you lie. 145"Being such a lady could I weep these tears 146If this were true? A great queen such as I 147Having sinn'd this way, straight her conscience sears; 148"And afterwards she liveth hatefully, 149Slaying and poisoning, certes never weeps,-- 150Gauwaine, be friends now, speak me lovingly. 151"Do I not see how God's dear pity creeps 152All through your frame, and trembles in your mouth? 153Remember in what grave your mother sleeps, 154"Buried in some place far down in the south, 155Men are forgetting as I speak to you; 156By her head sever'd in that awful drouth 157"Of pity that drew Agravaine's fell blow, 158I pray your pity! let me not scream out 159For ever after, when the shrill winds blow 160"Through half your castle-locks! let me not shout 161For ever after in the winter night 162When you ride out alone! in battle-rout 163"Let not my rusting tears make your sword light! 164Ah! God of mercy, how he turns away! 165So, ever must I dress me to the fight; 166"So--let God's justice work! Gauwaine, I say, 167See me hew down your proofs: yea, all men know 168Even as you said how Mellyagraunce one day, 169"One bitter day in la Fausse Garde, for so 170All good knights held it after, saw-- 171Yea, sirs, by cursed unknightly outrage; though 172"You, Gauwaine, held his word without a flaw, 173This Mellyagraunce saw blood upon my bed-- 174Whose blood then pray you? is there any law 175"To make a queen say why some spots of red 176Lie on her coverlet? or will you say: 177`Your hands are white, lady, as when you wed, 178" `Where did you bleed?' and I must stammer out: 'Nay, 179I blush indeed, fair lord, only to rend 180My sleeve up to my shoulder, where there lay 181" `A knife-point last night:' so must I defend 182The honour of the lady Guenevere? 183Not so, fair lords, even if the world should end 184"This very day, and you were judges here 185Instead of God. Did you see Mellyagraunce 186When Launcelot stood by him? what white fear 187"Curdled his blood, and how his teeth did dance, 188His side sink in? as my knight cried and said: 189'Slayer of unarm'd men, here is a chance! 190" `Setter of traps, I pray you guard your head, 191By God I am so glad to fight with you, 192Stripper of ladies, that my hand feels lead 193" `For driving weight; hurrah now! draw and do, 194For all my wounds are moving in my breast, 195And I am getting mad with waiting so.' 196"He struck his hands together o'er the beast, 197Who fell down flat and grovell'd at his feet, 198And groan'd at being slain so young `at least.' 199"My knight said: `Rise you, sir, who are so fleet 200At catching ladies, half-arm'd will I fight, 201My left side all uncover'd!' then I weet, 202"Up sprang Sir Mellyagraunce with great delight 203Upon his knave's face; not until just then 204Did I quite hate him, as I saw my knight 205"Along the lists look to my stake and pen 206With such a joyous smile, it made me sigh 207From agony beneath my waist-chain, when 208"The fight began, and to me they drew nigh; 209Ever Sir Launcelot kept him on the right, 210And traversed warily, and ever high 211"And fast leapt caitiff's sword, until my knight 212Sudden threw up his sword to his left hand, 213Caught it, and swung it; that was all the fight, 214"Except a spout of blood on the hot land; 215For it was hottest summer; and I know 216I wonder'd how the fire, while I should stand, 217"And burn, against the heat, would quiver so, 218Yards above my head; thus these matters went; 219Which things were only warnings of the woe 220"That fell on me. Yet Mellyagraunce was shent, 221For Mellyagraunce had fought against the Lord; 222Therefore, my lords, take heed lest you be blent 223"With all this wickedness; say no rash word 224Against me, being so beautiful; my eyes, 225Wept all away to grey, may bring some sword 226"To drown you in your blood; see my breast rise, 227Like waves of purple sea, as here I stand; 228And how my arms are moved in wonderful wise, 229"Yea also at my full heart's strong command, 230See through my long throat how the words go up 231In ripples to my mouth; how in my hand 232"The shadow lies like wine within a cup 233Of marvellously colour'd gold; yea now 234This little wind is rising, look you up, 235"And wonder how the light is falling so 236Within my moving tresses: will you dare 237When you have looked a little on my brow, 238"To say this thing is vile? or will you care 239For any plausible lies of cunning woof, 240When you can see my face with no lie there 241"For ever? am I not a gracious proof-- 242'But in your chamber Launcelot was found'-- 243Is there a good knight then would stand aloof, 244"When a queen says with gentle queenly sound: 245'O true as steel, come now and talk with me, 246I love to see your step upon the ground 247" 'Unwavering, also well I love to see 248That gracious smile light up your face, and hear 249Your wonderful words, that all mean verily 250" 'The thing they seem to mean: good friend, so dear 251To me in everything, come here to-night, 252Or else the hours will pass most dull