LESSON 22 AN ELEGY ON MADAM BLAIZE 布萊茲夫人的挽歌

Oliver Goldsmith (b.1728, d.1774) was born at Pallas, or Pallasmore, in the parish of Forney, Ireland.He received his education at several schools, at Trinity College, Dublin, at Edinburgh, and at Leyden.He spent some time in wandering over continental Europe, often in poverty and want.In 1756 he became a resident of London, where he made the acquaintance of several celebrated men, among whom were Dr.Johnson and Sir Joshua Reynolds.His writings are noted for their purity, grace, and f luency.His fame as a poet is secured by “The Traveler,” and “The Deserted Village;” as a dramatist, by “She Stoops to Conquer;” and as a novelist, by “The Vicar of Wakef ield.” His reckless extravagance always kept him in f inancial dif f iculty, and he died heavily in debt.His monument is in Westminster Abbey.

1.Good people all, with one accord^[1],

Lament for Madam Blaize,

Who never wanted a good word—

From those who spoke her praise.

2.The needy seldom passed her door,

And always found her kind;

She freely lent to all the poor—

Who left a pledge^[2] behind.

3.She strove the neighborhood to please,

With manner wondrous winning:

She never followed wicked ways—

Unless when she was sinning.

4.At church, in silks and satin new,

With hoop of monstrous size,

She never slumbered in her pew—

But when she shut her eyes.

5.Her love was sought, I do aver,

By twenty beaux and more;

The king himself has followed her—

When she has walked before.

6.But now, her wealth and fi nery fl ed,

Her hangers-on^[3] cut short all,

Her doctors found, when she was dead—

Her last disorder mortal^[4].

7.Let us lament, in sorrow sore;

For Kent Street well may say,

That, had she lived a twelvemonth more—

She had not died today.

【中文閱讀】

奧利弗·戈德史密斯（1728—1774）出生于愛爾蘭福尼教區的帕拉斯村，又稱帕拉斯莫村。他曾在都柏林的三一學院、愛丁堡大學和萊頓大學等處接受教育。盡管經常窘困不堪，他仍游歷了整個歐洲大陸。1756年，他定居倫敦，并在那里結識了不少有名望的人，包括約翰遜博士和約舒亞·雷諾茲爵士。他的作品語言純凈優雅，行文流暢。戈德史密斯兼詩人、劇作家和小說家于一身，《旅行者》和《荒村》兩首詩奠定了他作為詩人的聲望，《屈身求愛》使他以劇作家的身份成名，而《威克菲爾德牧師傳》則是他最著名的小說。他花錢揮霍無度，常使自己捉襟見肘，以至于死后仍負債累累。英國威斯敏斯特大教堂矗有他的紀念碑。

1.善良的人們，異口同聲地

為布萊茲夫人哀悼。

生前，她從未期待過贊譽——

盡管，人們總是發自內心地稱道。

2.需要幫助的人很少從她門前走過，

但總能得到她善意的救助；

她施舍眾生，為人慷慨——

借貸者，甚至只留下極少許諾。

3.她竭盡所能，造福鄉鄰，

心有謀略，變通靈活；

她為人坦蕩，心底無私——

除非，偶爾難以顧及。

4.她總是穿著嶄新衣裳，

漂亮裙子，去教堂敬拜；

她從未在長椅上打盹走神——

直到她悄然去世。

5.我敢說，許多男人都曾追求過，

她的芳心青睞；

就連國王也曾為她傾心，

當她從他面前娉婷走過。

6.如今，她財富散盡美貌不再，

那些追隨者也日漸稀疏，

待最后離世，醫生才發現——

她的體內早已重疾難愈。

7.悲哀深深，讓我們為她哀悼，

她曾住過的肯特大街，也許見證，

要是她多活一年，該有多好——

她走得實在太早。

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【注釋】

[1] Accord, agreement of opinion, consent.

[2] Pledge, personal property delivered to another as a security for a debt.

[3] Hangers-on, followers.

[4] Mortal, destructive to life.