At the beginning of the class, I wouldlike ask you a question.

Guys, do you often read classicpoems?

How many of you read classic poems?

Pleaseraise your hand.

Ok. How many of you read sometimes?

Then. How many of you seldom or never read poems?

Verysorry to see this, the major purpose of this course is to popularize theclassics and guide you how to appreciate English classic poetry.

WeChinese people have been used to appreciating the Chinese poetry from its Yan(言),Yi(意)，Xiang(象).This course would adopt similar way because the beauty of the English poetrylies in sound form for Yan(言),Imagery for Xiang(象)and also sense for Yi(意),but the only difference is that I would list the Imagery as the last one,because it reaches integration of the meaning and image. That is to say, mylecture will cover the four dimensions of beauty of English poetry: sound,form, sense, imagery.

1000 readers have 1000 Hamlets. Can you tell me the meaning of thissentence? Any volunteers?

Differentpeople have different interpretations towards one thing, let alone poetic work.

Thiscourses consist of 5 lectures. The first one, introduction to English Poetry,namely, introduces some basic information about English poetry. The fourdimensions of English poetry are sound, form, sense, imagery.

Ourlecture today is Introduction to English Poetry. This lecture will cover 3aspects,

1. 1.      Definitionsof Poetry.

2. 2.      Elementsof Poetry

3. 3.      Functionsof Poetry

Now, let’s come to the first one--Definitions of Poetry. Roughly speaking, there are great number of definitionsabout English Poetry. As I mentioned just know, different people have differentunderstandings about poetry, so, there are great number of definitions, but therest three are very typical, let read it together.

1. 1.       Definitions of Poetry.

2. 1)      Thespontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, it takes its origin from emotion recollectedin tranquility.

                                             ______William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

William Wordsworth’s definition consistsof two parts. First: powerful feelings. Second: tranquility. A poem by him canexplain it better.

Reading1   I wandered Lonely as a Cloud

William Wordsworth(1770-1850)

I wandered Lonelyas a Cloud                我独自徘徊，如一朵云霞

That floats onhigh o’er vales and hills         高高飘浮于青山翠峡，

When all at once Isaw a Crowd              忽见一丛丛，

A host, of goldendaffodils                  一簇簇金灿灿的水仙，

Beside the lake,beneath the trees,           在碧水畔，绿树下

Fluttering anddancing in the Breeze.          迎风起舞，轻盈潇洒。

 

Inthe first stanza, (in a vivid poem, we don’t use the “paragraph”, we have theword “stanza”), the poet says” I wandered Lonely as a Cloud”, the poet feltvery lonely, he went out to the nature, then his powerful emotions of being lonely flowed out. This is the firstpart of his definition of poetry___ The spontaneous overflow of powerfulfeelings.

Guys, do you often have the experience of writing a poem? Do youoften write poems when you are free in your college years?

No?Why not? Sorry to hear that. What do you do in yourspare time?

That’syour way of enjoying beautiful scenery in nature, right? For Wordsworth, hisway is to write poems. For young guys of your age, because your blood is stillhot, your emotion is still powerful, at this moment, I guess writing poem isworthwhile. Apart from this, reading and reciting classic poems can be also ahealthy and happy hobby. Anyway, let’s come back to the poem.

Thisis not enough for Wordsworth. If you compose a poem, “The spontaneous overflowof powerful feelings” is not enough. let’s read the ending stanza of the poem,let’s read it together.

 

Foroft, when on my couch I lie                  每当我依榻卧躺，

Invacant or in pensive mood,                   有时冥想，有时惆怅，

Theyflash upon that inward eye                 那水仙便在我心头闪亮，

Whichis the bliss of solitude;                    孤寂时它使我神往，

Andthen my heart with pleasure fills,             我顿觉心情荡漾，

Anddances with the daffodils.                   欣然起舞，与水仙同欢畅。

 

2 expressions need to be mentioned. Thefirst one, “they” refers to the “daffodils”. This daffodils leave a deepimpression on me.

What’s the key word forcomposing a poem in this stanza?

“Solitude”. You need to be tranquility insolitude, you need to be away from the noisy world, and come down into your ownworld. This is solitude and tranquility, and without solitude, your powerful emotionscan’t turn into philosophic ideas. Only together with philosophic ideas, canyou strong emotions flow out into worlds ,into lines, into poems.

 

1. 2)      Theexpression of the imagination

____Percy ByssheShelley

Hestresses on the “imagination”.

 

Reading2  Ode to the West Wind

           Percy Bysshe Shelley(1792-1822)

 …

Thetrumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,

IfWinter comes, can Spring be far behind?

 

In his ending stanza, he capitalizes the “Wind”,“Winter”, “Spring”, because in his imaginary world, “Wind” is the trumpet ofprophecy and the revolutionary force. “Winter” is the temporary difficult time.“Spring”, season of hope, waiting ahead, coming soon.

Iguess when we get into difficulty, we’ll remember “If Winter comes, can Springbe far behind?”

1. 3)      Thekind of thing poets write

Poetry begins in delight and ends inwisdom.

               ______Robert Frost (1874-1963)

Robert Frost, a modern American poet. Hisdefinition is quite simple, right? He is not really simple, but deceptivesimple. What delight can we get from reading poetry? And What wisdom can we getfrom reading poetry?

Robert Frost is a good example for us tomove to the elements of poetry naturally, we can see from his poem later on.

 

1. 2.       Elements of Poetry

We appreciate the beauty of English poetryroughly from those dimensions.

 

 

 

              

As mentioned just now, “1000 readers have1000 Hamlets”. Maybe some people would like to take more than 4 dimensions toappreciate the poem. We mainly appreciate the poetry from those 4 dimensions.

 

Reading 3    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening   雪夜在林边停留

                                 Robert Frost

Whose woods these are I think I know,     我想我知道这树林是谁的

His house is in the village, though;         虽然主人的茅屋远在村里

He will not see me stopping here          他看不见我再此歇脚逗留

To watch his woods fill up with snow.      观赏这些凝结雪花的树枝。

 

My little horse must think it queer          相必我的小马正暗自纳闷

To stop without a farmhouse near          不见农舍，怎么就停步不前

 

Between the woods and frozen lake         在这冰湖与丛树之间

The darkest evening of the year.            是一年中最最黑暗的夜晚

 

He gives his harness bells a shake           小马轻轻地抖摇僵铃

To ask if there is some mistake.             仿佛问我是否把道路找错

The only other sound’s the sweep           林中万籁俱寂，了无回声

Of easy wind and downy flake.              只有柔风轻抚，雪花飘落

 

The woods are lively, dark, and deep,         这树林真可爱，阴沉，幽深

But I have promises to keep,                但我必须把诺言履行

And miles to go before I sleep               安歇前还要走漫长的路程

And miles to go before I sleep.              安歇前还要走漫长的路程

 

First,you should read with strong emotions. Second, try to feel the beauty in theseveral dimensions I mentioned above: sound, form, sense, imagery.

Can you feel some beauty in it?

Maybe your feeling is vague, not clear,because you don’t know the terms, you don’t have the specific idea, but let’stry to describe how you feel about the beauty of the poem.

Let’s enjoy the beauty of the sound bytaking the first stanza as the example.

[u:] whose, woods,

[i] his, house

[w] watch, wood, snow

Read the last word of each line

1,2,4 line rhyme with each other, line 3is different, but same as lake, shake, mistake,flake.

 

Let’s enjoy the beauty of the form.

Can you find out that actually this poemis very regular, evenly formed.

It consists of 4 stanzas, each stanzaconsists of 4 lines. We have a term for stanza of four lines, It’s called“quatrain”, we have 4 quatrains in the poem.

 

Let’s enjoy the beauty of the sense.

The poem is about the nature, the beautyof the nature. Robert Frost had been a farmer, he know well about the beauty ofthe nature. To a farmer, life is a little hard and difficult. The poem is alsoabout the difficulty of life. I mentioned just now, he had been a farmer, heknow the beauty of nature and the difficulty of life.

2 little stories may help us understandthe poem better. The first one is very simple. One dusk, he was in his houseand look outside far into the woods, and he noticed suddenly how beautiful thenature was. That’s why the idea of composing such poem.

The other one is one year, Christmas wascoming. We all know western Christmas is like our spring festival. Christmas isthe most important festival for the western people. When spring festival iscoming, most parents buy some presents. Robert Frost wanted to sell what thefamily grow to the market in order to get some money to buy some presents.Fortunately, he didn’t sell anything, he had no money to buy some presents. Onhis way, as he is about to turning around the woods to meet the family soon, hefelt so sad.

There, you have the ideas of the poem.This two stories tell us about the beauty of the nature on the one hand and thedifficulty of life on the other hand. There are more sense in the poem. You canalso find the sharp contrast between the coldness and isolation of human beingsand the friendless and closeness of the animals.

“His house is in the village, though; Hewill not see me stopping here”

He doesn’t care how difficult I am now.

“My little horse must think it queer…Hegives his harness bells a shake, To ask if there is some mistake”.    

Through personification, we know the poetactually extend us the friendless and closeness of the nature and animals.

 

Let’s enjoy the beauty of the imagery.

But poet never tell us what they want tosay directly, they tell us something they want to convey through imagery.

Can you get some imageries fromthe poem?

Wood, house, village, snow, horse,farmhouse, lake

You can find some beautiful words todescribe how beautiful the nature is, you also can find some sentences to tellus the difficult of time.

 “Thedarkest evening of the year”, “the sweep of easy wind and downy flake”.

 

Conclusion: Beauty of the poem

Sound: Rhyme scheme: aaba bbcb ccdc dddd

Metric Rhythm: iambic tetrameter(抑扬格四音步)

Other musical devices: house,woods…

Form: Quatrain

Sense: 1. the beauty of nature.

     2. the difficulty of life.

     3. contrast between the coldness and isolation of human beings and thefriendless and closeness of the animals

Imagery: Wood, house, village, snow,horse, farmhouse, lake

 

What can the poetry can do forus or on us?

First of all, we can enjoy the beauty. Thepoetry can bring delight for us and we have so many philosophical ideas andemotions.

Reading and reciting poems is a good wayof letting out your powerful meotions.

 

1. 3.       Functions of Poetry

2. 1)      AncientChinese thoughts

They(poems) can simulate the mind, satisfy the self-contemplation, teach the art ofsociability and regulate the feeling of resentment. ----Confucius (551-479BC)

诗可以兴，可以观，可以群，可以怨。

1. 2)      Ancientwestern thoughts

Poetry,if it is not socially educational, should be banned.----Plato (427-347BC)

Meaning:Poetry should be socially educational

Catharsis(情感宣泄):Purifying the soul----Aristotle(384-322BC)

1. 3)      Morewestern thought

To bring truth and justice back to peopleand care for the future of the whole humankind.----John Milton(1608-1674)

[Doyou know him? Maybe we have read sth by him. Have you read sth by him?《ParadiseLost》 John Milton, in all his life, insistedon practicing the holy responsibility as a poet, constructing a justicesociety, breeding the seeds of virtues. In his college years at Cambridge, hepractice writing poems. According to him, the function of the poetry is notjust on the personal scale or just on socially educational. It’s for the wholehuman kind.]

1. 4)      toplace a jar of art and order in the wilderness----wallace stevens (1875-1955华莱士.史蒂文斯 )

Helives when the society was questioning its tradition beliefs, when the worldlabeled waste land, when the most people felt spiritually.

Whatcan poetry could relieve our lost faith and set the world in order.

Conclusion

1. 1.      Invitepowerful feelings

2. 2.      Triggerrich imagination

3. 3.      Awakenour responsility

Especiallywhen the society is undergoing drastic changes, developing unimaginable fast,materially or techniquely. Spiritual crisis would be along the way. At thismoment, classic or poetic works play a part.

Enhancingour appreciation    提升欣赏力

Enrichingour sprit           丰富精神

Ennoblingour minds          升华思想