Stephen Burt: Why people need poetry

翻译人员: Yumeng Guo 校对人员: Bighead Ge

I read poetry all the time

我从未停止过读诗，

and write about it frequently

经常写诗，

and take poems apart

句句细读，

to see how they work

品味诗歌的奥妙，

because I'm a word person.

因为，我为文字而生。

I understand the world best, most fully,

唯落于文字，我才能完全理解世界，

in words rather than, say, pictures or numbers,

而不是通过图片或数字，

and when I have a new experience or a new feeling,

每每有了新的经历，新的感受，

I'm a little frustrated

只有表达成文字，

until I can try to put it into words.

我才会心安。

I think I've always been that way.

一直以来，概莫能外。

I devoured science fiction as a child. I still do.

小时候，科幻小说，我嗜之如命，至今依然。

And I found poems by Andrew Marvell

科幻小说引用了安德鲁•马维尔，

and Matthew Arnold and Emily Dickinson

马修•阿诺德，艾米莉•迪金森，

and William Butler Yeats

威廉•巴特勒•叶芝等诗人的诗歌，

because they were quoted in science fiction,

我便与他们笔下美丽的篇章相遇，

and I loved their sounds

我深爱着这些无声的音符，

and I went on to read about ottava rima

进而，我认识了八行诗体，

and medial caesuras and enjambment

居中停顿、跨行连续

and all that other technical stuff

等等诗歌艺术形式，

that you care about if you already care about poems,

如果你也深爱诗歌，你一定知道这些概念，

because poems already made me happier

因为诗歌赋予我欢乐，带给我忧伤，

and sadder and more alive.

也让我发现更多生命的意义。

And I became a poetry critic

为探索其中的奥妙，

because I wanted to know how and why.

我做了一名诗评人。

Now, poetry isn't one thing that serves one purpose

诗歌的作用，

any more than music or computer programming

并不比音乐或电脑编程多，

serve one purpose.

一个就够了。

The greek word poem, it just means "a made thing,"

「诗歌」，在希腊语里的意思是「人造的东西」，

and poetry is a set of techniques,

以一定的艺术技巧，

ways of making patterns

按照音节、声调和韵律等体裁、格式要求，

that put emotions into words.

把情感在文字中呈现出来，这就是诗歌。

The more techniques you know,

知道越多的艺术技巧，

the more things you can make,

悟出的感受会越多，

and the more patterns you can recognize

那些原本就喜爱的事情，

in things you might already like or love.

你会从另外的角度发现它们的美。

That said, poetry does seem to be

也就是说，在某些方面，

especially good at certain things.

诗歌的确是无法取代的。

For example, we are all going to die.

比如，我们终将逝去。

Poetry can help us live with that.

诗歌让我们坦然接受这一事实。

Poems are made of words, nothing but words.

诗歌由词语组成，除此之外，别无他物。

The particulars in poems are like

诗歌的独特性，

the particularities, the personalities,

要从细节上去把握，

that distinguish people from one another.

要结合诗人的性格去体会，

Poems are easy to share, easy to pass on,

诗歌易于分享，便于传播，

and when you read a poem, you can imagine

品读一首诗歌，

someone's speaking to you or for you,

宛如有人在你耳旁，为你诵读，

maybe even someone far away

此人，或远，

or someone made up or someone deceased.

或幻，或在天国。

That's why we can go to poems when we want to

这就是为何，每当我们缅怀这人，那事，

remember something or someone,

便会拾起一篇篇诗文，

to celebrate or to look beyond death

或纪念，或超脱，

or to say goodbye,

或道别，

and that's one reason poems can seem important,

诗歌为何不可或缺，这就是原因之一，

even to people who aren't me,

即便对于那些不像我这样

who don't so much live in a world of words.

生活在文字堆砌成的世界的人。

The poet Frank O'Hara said,

诗人弗兰克•欧哈拉曾说，

"If you don't need poetry, bully for you,"

「你说不需要诗歌，你真了不起。」

but he also said when he didn't want to be alive anymore,

但他曾坦言，当有了不想活下去的念头时，

the thought that he wouldn't write any more poems

一想到这意味着没法再写诗，

had stopped him.

就不会再有那种念头了。

Poetry helps me want to be alive,

诗歌让我热爱生命，

and I want to show you why by showing you how,

我为你诵读一些诗歌，你就会明白，

how a couple of poems react to the fact that

你会从这些诗歌中感受到，

we're alive in one place at one time in one culture,

此次此刻我们在此呼吸行走，

and in another we won't be alive at all.

而在另一个世界里我们可能根本没有感觉。

So here's one of the first poems I memorized.

这是我记诵的第一首诗歌，

It could address a child or an adult.

无关乎年龄，皆可品读。

"From far, from eve and morning

「来自远方 来自黄昏和清晨

From yon twelve-winded sky,

来自十二重高天的好风轻扬

The stuff of life to knit me

飘来生命气息的吹拂

Blew hither; here am I.

吹在我身上

Now — for a breath I tarry

快 趁生命气息逗留

Nor yet disperse apart —

盘桓未去

Take my hand quick and tell me,

拉住我的手

What have you in your heart.

告诉我你的心声

Speak now, and I will answer;

告诉我，我便能回答

How shall I help you, say;

告诉我，我怎样才能够帮助你

Ere to the wind's twelve quarters

在我向那十二风彼方行进

I take my endless way."

踏上无尽旅途的前夕」

[A. E. Housman]

[A E 霍斯曼 《趁生命气息逗留》]

Now, this poem has appealed

这首诗吸引了

to science fiction writers.

科幻小说作家的目光，

It's furnished at least three science fiction titles,

三篇科幻小说题目的灵感皆来源于此，

I think because it says poems can brings us news

因为，这首诗带我们遥望远方，

from the future or the past

回首往昔，

or across the world,

跨越疆土；

because their patterns can seem to tell you

因为，透过字里行间，

what's in somebody's heart.

仿佛触碰到了心灵，

It says poems can bring people together temporarily,

诗歌让我们萍水相逢，

which I think is true,

诚然，

and it sticks in my head not just because it rhymes

对此我深信不疑，不只因为诗歌的韵律美，

but for how it rhymes,

还在于美的方式，

cleanly and simply on the two and four,

第二和第四节工整而简洁，

"say" and "way,"

「叙述」和「方式」

with anticipatory hints on the one and three,

第一和第三节往往不出预料，

"answer" and "quarters,"

「解释」和「四格」，

as if the poem itself were coming together.

诗歌仿佛浑然天成，

It plays up the fact that we die

对死亡的话题驾轻就熟，

by exaggerating the speed of our lives.

加速了时光的脚步，

A few years on Earth become

人间数年，在诗人的笔下，

one speech, one breath.

一呼一吸，弹指挥过，

It's a poem about loneliness --

这首诗写的是孤独——

the "I" in the poem feels no connection will last —

诗中的「我」无处寻觅关怀，

and it might look like a plea for help

在读到「帮助」这个词之前，

'til you get to the word "help,"

「我」仿佛在祈求帮助，

where this "I" facing you, taking your hand,

「我」与你相顾无言，唯执子之手，

is more like a teacher or a genie,

如一位师长，又如一个精灵，

or at least that's what he wants to believe.

抑或，如他所想所愿。

It would not be the first time a poet had

这不是第一首描述

written the poem that he wanted to hear.

其内心希冀聆听的诗歌。

Now, this next poem really changed

下一首，彻底地改变了

what I liked and what I read

我所读，所感，

and what I felt I could read as an adult.

改变了书能带给我的领悟。

It might not make any sense to you

如果你不曾读过此诗，

if you haven't seen it before.

你就体会不到其中深意。

"The Garden"

《伊甸园》

"Oleander: coral

「夹竹桃：珊瑚

from lipstick ads in the 50's.

50年代的口红广告

Fruit of the tree of such knowledge

认知树的果实

To smack (thin air)

拍打 （轻薄空气）

meaning kiss or hit.

是轻吻，还是击打

It appears

看上去

in the guise of outworn usages

它披裹陈旧的假衣

because we are bad?

因为我们很坏吗？

Big masculine threat,

阳刚的威武

insinuating and slangy."

曲意逢迎，俚语滔滔」

[Rae Armantrout]

[雷•阿尔曼特劳特]

Now, I found this poem in an anthology

1989年，我在一本篇篇让人如此费解的诗选中，

of almost equally confusing poems in 1989.

读到了这首诗。

I just heard that there were these scandalous writers

当时，我听说这些「可耻」的作者

called Language poets who didn't make any sense,

被称作语言诗派，写的诗很不着调，

and I wanted to go and see for myself what they were like,

我就想亲自摸索，一探究竟。

and some of them didn't do much for me,

很多诗人对我的理解没带来多少帮助，

but this writer, Rae Armantrout,

除了这位，雷•阿尔曼特劳特，

did an awful lot, and I kept reading her

我获益良多，自此对她的作品爱不释卷，

until I felt I knew what was going on,

直到体会到了字里行间的曼妙，

as I do with this poem.

正如这首诗。

It's about the Garden of Eden and the Fall

这首诗讲述的是伊甸园和堕落的故事，

and the Biblical story of the Fall,

（译者注：圣经•创世纪•第3章， 亚当和夏娃偷食禁果而被逐出伊甸园）

in which sex as we know it

我们知道，

and death and guilt

性、死亡和罪恶

come into the world at the same time.

与此同时降落到凡世中。

It's also about how appearances deceive,

诗中也描绘了外表如何欺骗双眼，

how our culture can sweep us along

文化如何席卷我们，

into doing and saying things we didn't intend

去做、去说那些我们本不打算或不喜欢做的事情，

or don't like, and Armantrout's style

阿尔曼特劳特的笔风，

is trying to help us stop or slow down.

让我们舒缓步伐，或停下脚步。

"Smack" can mean "kiss" as in air kisses,

「拍打」可以是亲吻空气

as in lip-smacking,

或唇唇欲动的「亲吻」，

but that can lead to "smack" as in "hit"

也可以是家庭暴力中的

as in domestic abuse,

「击打」，

because sexual attraction can seem threatening.

因为性诱惑看起来是极具威胁的。

The red that means fertility

意味着丰饶的「红色」，

can also mean poison.

也可以表示「毒药」，

Oleander is poisonous.

夹竹桃是有毒的。

And outworn usages like "smack" for "kiss"

陈旧的用法，如「拍打」指「亲吻」

or "hit" can help us see

或「击打」，让我们认识到

how our unacknowledged assumptions

不足的认知会让我们做出

can make us believe we are bad,

「自己很坏」的假设，

either because sex is sinful

或因为性是罪恶的，

or because we tolerate so much sexism.

或因为我们忍受了太多的性别歧视。

We let guys tell women what to do.

让男人告诉女人该做些什么。

The poem reacts to old lipstick ads,

这首诗提到了旧时口红广告，

and its edginess about statement,

其犀利的言辞，

its reversals and halts, have everything to do

迂回、停顿等手法，与抵制那些

with resisting the language of ads

如此简单地告诉我们如何去渴望、

that want to tell us so easily what to want,

如何去做、如何去想的广告用语

what to do, what to think.

紧密相连。

That resistance is a lot of the point of the poem,

诗中诸多笔墨都着力于这种抵制，

which shows me, Armantrout shows me

阿尔曼特劳特让我看到，

what it's like to hear grave threats

日常生活中听到凶狠的威胁声和

and mortal dishonesty in the language

普世大众的谎言是怎样一番感受，

of everyday life, and once she's done that,

她既然能让我感受到，

I think she can show other people, women and men,

我想她也可以让其他人——无论男女——感受到，

what it's like to feel that way

那是一种怎样的感受，

and say to other people, women and men

然后告诉其他人——无论男女——，

who feel so alienated or so threatened

那些感觉被疏远的，或那些被威胁的人们

that they're not alone.

他们并不孤单

Now, how do I know that I'm right

对于这首令人费解的诗，

about this somewhat confusing poem?

我怎么知道我的解读是正确的呢？

Well in this case, I emailed the poet a draft of my talk

我发了封邮件给作者，告诉他我的想法，

and she said, "Yeah, yeah, that's about it."

她说，「没错，没错，就是如此。」

Yeah. (Laughter) (Applause)

太好了。（笑声）（掌声）

But usually, you can't know. You never know.

但通常来讲，你摸不到作者的心思，永远摸不透。

You can't be sure, and that's okay.

你不确定解读得正确与否，但没关系。

All we can do we is listen to poems

我们能做的只是聆听诗歌，

and look at poems and guess

品味诗歌，琢磨诗句的意义，

and see if they can bring us what we need,

看看诗歌能否带给我们需要的感触，

and if you're wrong about some part of a poem,

如果对诗歌的某部分理解得不到位，

nothing bad will happen.

一点关系都没有。

Now, this next poem is older than Armantrout's,

下面这首诗要比阿尔曼特劳特的那首年代更久远，

but a little younger than A. E. Housman's.

但稍稍晚于A E 霍斯曼的那首诗。

"The Brave Man"

《勇敢的人》

"The sun, that brave man,

「太阳，勇敢的人

Comes through boughs that lie in wait,

透过安然而待的枝桠

That brave man.

那勇敢的人

Green and gloomy eyes

双眼暗绿，沉郁

In dark forms of the grass

芳草阴暗

Run away.

逃跑吧

The good stars,

明媚星辰

Pale helms and spiky spurs,

苍苍头盔，尖尖靴刺

Run away.

逃跑吧

Fears of my bed,

故土的畏惧

Fears of life and fears of death,

生命的畏惧，死亡的畏惧

Run away.

逃跑吧

That brave man comes up

勇敢的人挺身而出

From below and walks without meditation,

从低谷走来，不再冥思

That brave man."

勇敢的人」

[Wallace Stevens]

[华莱士•史蒂文斯]

Now, the sun in this poem,

「太阳」在这首诗里，

in Wallace Stevens' poem, seems so grave

在这首史蒂文斯的诗里，看起来如此黯淡，

because the person in the poem is so afraid.

因为诗中描绘的那个人心存畏惧。

The sun comes up in the morning through branches,

早上太阳升起，阳光透过枝桠，

dispels the dew, the eyes, on the grass,

露水消散，刺痛双眼，照耀在芳草上，

and defeats stars envisioned as armies.

星辰被比作军队。

"Brave" has its old sense of showy

「勇敢」不但有它光辉的一面，

as well as its modern sense, courage.

也有现代的意义，勇气。

This sun is not afraid to show his face.

太阳不畏展示自己，

But the person in the poem is afraid.

但诗中描绘的那个人心存畏惧。

He might have been up all night.

他也许整夜无眠。

That is the reveal Stevens saves for that fourth stanza,

这是第四节所显示出来的线索，

where run away has become a refrain.

「逃跑吧」成了一种约束。

This person might want to run away too,

这个人或许也想逃跑，

but fortified by the sun's example,

但受太阳鼓舞，

he might just rise.

他或许就挺身而出了。

Stevens saves that sonically odd word "meditation"

史蒂文斯把「冥思」这个奇怪的词

for the end.

放在最后。

Unlike the sun, human beings think.

太阳不曾思考，但人类思考。

We meditate on past and future, life and death,

我们冥思过去和未来，生命与死亡，

above and below.

雄起还是消沉。

And it can make us afraid.

冥思会让我们畏缩。

Poems, the patterns in poems,

诗歌，通过诗歌的格式，

show us not just what somebody thought

我们不仅可以得知他人的想法，

or what someone did or what happened

或他人的作为、发生的故事，

but what it was like to be a person like that,

还可以知晓成为一个像那样的人 是怎样一种感受，

to be so anxious, so lonely, so inquisitive,

是焦虑不安，孤单寂寞，天真好奇，

so goofy, so preposterous, so brave.

还是萌萌傻傻，荒谬不堪，勇敢无畏。

That's why poems can seem at once so durable,

这就是为何，某一瞬间， 诗歌可以看起来悠然致远，

so personal, and so ephemeral,

蕴含作者独特印迹，又转瞬即逝，

like something inside and outside you at once.

就好像那一瞬，它与你的思想交织，进进出出。

The Scottish poet Denise Riley compares poetry

苏格兰诗人丹尼斯•赖利将诗歌比作一根针，

to a needle, a sliver of outside I cradle inside,

银面裹于外层，我在其中游曳。

and the American poet Terrance Hayes

美国诗人特朗斯•海耶斯

wrote six poems called "Wind in a Box."

写过名为「盒中风」的六首诗，

One of them asks, "Tell me,

其中一首中这样问到，

what am I going to do when I'm dead?"

「告诉我，我死后，身在何方？」

And the answer is that he'll stay with us

答案就是，他会在我们身边，

or won't stay with us inside us as wind,

或者不在，而在我们内心，如轻风，

as air, as words.

如空气，如诗歌。

It is easier than ever to find poems

诗歌非常容易融进

that might stay inside you, that might stay with you,

你的内心，伴随你左右，

from long, long ago, or from right this minute,

或许是很久之前，或许就在此时，

from far away or from right close to where you live,

或许在遥远的地方，或许就在眼前，

almost no matter where you live.

无论你在何方。

Poems can help you say, help you show how you're feeling,

诗歌能帮助你，帮助你表达情感，

but they can also introduce you

也可以让你触碰不曾体验的情感，

to feelings, ways of being in the world,

让你见到不曾领悟到的世界，

people, very much unlike you,

让你跟那些与你不同的人相见，

maybe even people from long, long ago.

也许是很遥远，遥远的人，

Some poems even tell you

有些诗歌甚至会直白地告诉你，

that that is what they can do.

这就是诗歌的意图。

That's what John Keats is doing

这就是约翰•济慈在他那

in his most mysterious, perhaps, poem.

或许是最神秘的诗里所写到的吧。

It's mysterious because it's probably unfinished,

之所以神秘，是因为它很有可能还没有完成，

he probably left it unfinished,

很有可能，他始终都没为它划上句号，

and because it might be meant

也许它代表了

for a character in a play,

一出戏中的某个角色，

but it might just be Keats' thinking

但也有可能，这正是济慈认为

about what his own writing,

他的诗歌、

his handwriting, could do,

他的文字所能实现的，

and in it I hear, at least I hear, mortality,

在他的文字中，我，起码是我嗅到了命运的气息，

and I hear the power of older poetic techniques,

我也感受到了更古老的诗歌艺术技巧的波涌，

and I have the feeling, you might have the feeling,

我有一种感受，你或许也会有这种感受，

of meeting even for an instant, almost becoming,

在那一瞬，亦真亦幻，

someone else from long ago,

与久远的人相遇，

someone quite memorable.

那记忆犹新的人。

"This living hand, now warm and capable

「这只活生生的手，现在还温热

Of earnest grasping, would, if it were cold

还能紧握，假如一旦冷却，

And in the icy silence of the tomb,

在寂静的坟墓里，它还会经常出没

So haunt thy days and chill thy dreaming nights

在你的岁月里，使你夜梦寒颤，

That thou would wish thine own heart dry of blood

以至你也希望自己的心血流干

So in my veins red life might stream again,

让生命在我红色血管里重新流动，

And thou be conscience-calm’d -- see here it is --

你也会感到心安——瞧这双手——

I hold it towards you."

我向你伸出。」

Thanks.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）