補習-Elizabeth Barret Browning to Robert Brow

伊麗莎白。芭蕾特。白朗寧致羅伯特。白朗寧 　　欣賞導讀 　　Elizabeth Barret(1806-1861)和Robert Browning(1812-1889)都是英國詩人，二人相愛，遭到家庭反對，1846年逃到意大利秘密結婚。巴雷特去世后，白朗寧才回英國。1845年，當羅伯特白朗寧寫信給伊麗莎白巴雷特的時候，他32歲，她38歲。她已是一位著名的詩人，發表過文章贊揚他的作品。她使這種通信化為友誼，然后又堅持不懈地把它變為愛情。下面的這封情書展現的是他們如何深文友和情誼的一個側面。 　　情書精髓 　　50 Wimpole Street; Jan. 11, 1845 　　I thank you, dear Mr. Browning, from the bottom of my heart. You meant to give me pleasure by your letter-and even if the object had not been answered, I ought still to thank you. But it is thoroughly answered. Such a letter from such a hand! Sympathy is dear-very dear to me: but the sympathy of a poet, and of such a poet, is the quintessence of sympathy of me! Will you take back my gratitude for it? agreeing, too, that of all the commerce done in the world, from Tyre to Carthage, the exchange of sympathy for gratitude is the most princely thing? 　　For the rest you draw me on with your kindness. It is difficult to get rid of people when you once have given them too much pleasure-that is a fact, and we will not stop for the moral of it. What I was going to say-after a little natural hesitation-is, that if ever you emerge without inconvenient effort from your passive state, and will tell me of such faults as rise to the surface and strike you as important in my poems, (for of course, I do not think of troubling you with criticism in detail) you will confer a lasting obligation on me, and one which I shall value so much, that I covet it at a distance. 　　I do not pretend to any extraordinary meekness under criticism and it is possible enough that I might not be altogether obedient to yours. But with my high respect for your power in your art and for your experience as an artist, it would be quite impossible for me to hear a general observation of yours on what appear to you my master-faults without being the better for it hereafter in some way. I ask for only a sentence or two of general observation-and I do not ask even for that, so as to tease you-but in the humble, low voice, which is so excellent a thing in women-particularly when they go a-begging! 　　The most frequent general criticism I receive, is, I think, upon the style, - if I would but change my style! But that is an objection (isn't it?) to the writer bodily? Buffon says, and every sincere writer must fell, that Le style c'est I'homme; a fact, however, scarcely calculated to lessen the objection with certain critics. 　　Is in indeed true that I was so near to the pleasure and honour of making your acquaintance? And can it be true that you look back upon the lost opportunity with any regret? But you know if you had entered the crypt, you might have caught cold, or been tired to death, and wished yourself a thousand miles off; which would have been worse than traveling them. It is not my interest, however, to put such thoughts in your head about its being all for the best; and I would rather hope (as I do) that what I lost by one chance I may recover by some future one. Winters shut me up as they do dormouse's eyes; in the spring, we shall see: and I am so much better than I seem turning round to the outward world again. And in the meantime I have learnt to know your voice, not merely from the poetry but from the kindness in it. Mr. Kenyon often speaks of you-dear Mr. Kenyon! who most unspeakably, of only speakably with tears in my eyes, -has been my friend and helper, and my books friend and helper! Critic and sympathizer, true friend of all ours! You know him well enough, I think, to understand that I must be grateful to him. 　　I am writing too much, -and not with standing that I am writing too much, I will write of one thing more. I will say that I am your debtor, no only for this cordial letter and for all the pleasure which came with it, but in other ways, and those the highest: and I will say that while I live to follow this divine art of poetry. In proportion to my love for it and my devotion to it, I must be a devout admirer and student of your works. This is in my heart to say to you-and I say it. 　　And for the rest, I am proud to remain, 　　Your obliged and faithful 　　Elizabeth B. Barrett 　　1845年1月11日于溫布爾街50號 　　親愛的白朗寧先生，我衷心感謝你。 你寫信的目的是想給我帶來歡樂 即便這一目的未能如意，我依然應該感激你。 況且這一目的已經完全達到。這樣一封出自這樣一個人之手的信！ 同情對我而言是可貴的 非常可貴；而來自一位詩人，一位非凡詩人的同情是對我的最好同情！ 你愿意接受我對此的感激之情嗎？ 同時望你也能贊同，在世界上進行一切貿易中， 從提爾到迦太基，以同情換取感謝是最崇高的事！ 　　此外，你好心地鼓勵我。 當你曾使人得到過多的快樂時，你說很難把他們打發走 事實正是這樣， 而我們卻不會從這一教訓而有所收斂。 我要說的稍停片刻后說是，如果說你什么時候很輕易地超出你的被動狀態， 并指出我詩中那些十分明顯但在你看來又是主要的缺點 (當然我不想麻煩你作詳細點評)， 那么你將來使我終身受益，我一定倍加珍惜并遙盼你的賜教。 　　在受到批評時我不會假裝表現得特別聽話而順從，而且很有可能我會完全不接受你的點評。 但是我十分敬佩你的藝術才華以及你當藝術家的經驗， 因此能聽到你對我的主要缺點作出總的評價后，我在今后的詩歌創作中不可能不有所長進。 我只求你作一兩句總評 即便是為了這一兩句我也不是想取笑你才去求你 而是卑微恭順，低聲細語， 這是女人所擅長的 特別是當她們有求于人時！ 　　一般來說，別人對我的批評， 我想，是關于我的風格， 但愿我能改變自己的風格！ 可是這么說是否在指責(是不是？)作者本人呢？ 布封說過風格即人(而且每位真正的作家也一定會有同感)， 然而，有些批評家卻不愿考慮這一事實從而少作指責。 　　難道我真的有幸快要與你相識嗎？ 難道你真的后悔曾坐失的良機嗎？ 可是 你要知道 如果你進入那座地窟，你可以會感冒，或者悶得要死， 因此希望自己離它千里之遙； 那種滋味要比千里之外吹來更難受。 然而我不想在你腦海里時留下認為這里一切均好的想法； 我倒是希望(我確實希望這樣)一次機會所失去的可以從下一次機會中得到補償。 一到冬天我就足不離家門猶如睡鼠閉目冬眠一樣。 今年春天我們定會相見。 我現在的身體要比看上去好多少倍，因為我又能在外面的世界走走。 與此同時，我已學會不僅是從你的詩中而且也從你的詩中所蘊涵的溫情里辨出你的聲音， 凱尼恩先生常提到你 親愛的凱尼因先生！ 他，我簡直無法形容， 或只能噙著眼淚說，一直是我的朋友和幫手，也一直是我的書的朋友和助手！ 批評家和同情者，是永遠的知心朋友！ 我想你相當了解他，所以能夠理解我為何要感激他。 　　我寫得太多了， 但盡管如此，我還是要提一件事。 我要說我也欠你許多，不僅是這封誠摯的信和它帶給我的全部歡樂， 還有其他方面，那些最為重要的方面：我還要說我活著就是為了熱愛詩歌， 為執著追求詩歌這一神圣的藝術，與此同時我也一定要終生欣賞和研究你的詩作。 這是我對說的心里話 我終于脫口而出了。 　　最后，我感到自豪的是我將永遠是 　　感激和忠實于你的 　　伊麗莎白巴雷特 　　生 詞 本文含義 　　the object 此處的意思是給我快樂這一目的 　　quintessence n.典范 　　from Tyre to Carthage 此處指的是從提爾(巴黎南部省沿海城鎮，商貿中心)到迦太基(古代一城名，商業發達。現為突尼斯市郊區) 　　Le style c'est I'home 文如其人 　　pretend v.偽裝顯示一副假面貌；偽裝 　　outward adj.外面的外面的，位于外面的或向外移的；外部的

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