RobertLeeFrost(1874-1963)Themostpopularmodernpoet4timeswinningPulitzerPrizesApoemappreciationStoppingbyWoodsonaSnowyEvening

RobertFrostWhosewoodstheseareIthinkIknow,

Hishouseisinthevillagethough.

Hewillnotseemestoppinghere,

Towatchhiswoodsfillupwithsnow.Mylittlehorsemustthinkitqueer,

Tostopwithoutafarmhousenear,

Betweenthewoodsandfrozenlake,

Thedarkesteveningoftheyear.Hegiveshisharnessbellsashake,

Toaskifthereissomemistake.

Theonlyothersound'sthesweep,

Ofeasywindanddownyflake.Thewoodsarelovely,darkanddeep.

ButIhavepromisestokeep,

AndmilestogobeforeIsleep.

AndmilestogobeforeIsleep.

雪夜林畔小駐（譯）余光中想來我認識這座森林，

林主的莊宅就在鄰村，

卻不會見我在此駐馬，

看他林中積雪的美景。我的小馬一定頗驚訝：

四望不見有什么農家，

偏是一年最暗的黃昏，

寒林和冰湖之間停下。它搖一搖身上的串鈴，

問我這地方該不該停。

此外只有輕風拂雪片，

再也聽不見其他聲音。森林又暗又深真可羨，

但我還要守一些諾言，

還要趕多少路才安眠，

還要趕多少路才安眠。WhosewoodstheseareIthinkIknow.Hishouseisinthevillagethough;林主的莊宅就在鄰村

；想來我認識這座森林

，(IthinkIknowwhosewoodstheseare)AnalysisofthePoem

woods:nature&village:humansociety

Hewillnotseemestoppinghere,Towatchhiswoodsfillupwithsnow.看他林中積雪的美景

。確不會見我在此駐馬

，

這里，我們不妨把未露面的樹林主人及其房屋村落看作是詩人精心設計的一個象征，其含義是現實世界和人群。而詩歌中的旅行者顯然獨自一人佇立于代表大自然的樹林和代表現實世界的村落之間，思索自己的選擇和方向。TheownerofthewoodsMylittlehorsemustthinkitqueer，Tostopwithoutafarmhousenear，Betweenthewoodsandfrozenlake，Thedarkesteveningoftheyear.我的小馬一定頗驚訝

，四望不見有什么農家

，偏是一年最暗的黃昏，寒林和冰湖之間停下。奇怪的原因使讀者看到大雪紛飛的同時，更感覺到一陣刺骨的寒冷。Hegiveshisharnessbellsashake，Toaskifthereissomemistake.問我這地方該不該停。它搖一搖身上的串鈴，詩人借助馬兒的鈴聲在這潔白寂靜的世界中加入了聲響，馬兒似乎以鈴聲來責怪主人的奇怪選擇。1）Myhorse2）Personification擬人Theonlyothersound’sthesweep,Ofeasywindanddownyflake.此外只有清風拂雪片，再也聽不見其它聲音。1)Alliteration2)連續的[s]音另人似乎耳聞風吹樹林的嗖嗖聲和雪飄的簌簌聲Lightandgentlesoftandfeathery絨毛般的Thewoodsarelovely,darkanddeep,ButIhavepromisestokeep,但我還要守一些諾言，森林又暗又深真可羨，詩人來自社會，盡管大自然的魅力使他流連忘返，但他最終決定回歸社會。社會職責和義務1）Alliteration頭韻2）強調樹林的幽暗和深邃AndmilestogobeforeIsleep,AndmilestogobeforeIsleep.還要趕多少路才安眠。還有趕多少路才安眠，采用重疊句的形式以強調肩負責任之重大。詩人承擔起自己所應擔負的社會責任，尋求自己人生的真正意義。WritingSkills

RhythmandRhyme(格律)：thispoemiswritteninIambictetrameter(四步抑揚格),therhymeschemeisAABA,BBCB,CCDC,DDDD,whichiscalledinterlockingenclosedrhyme.Withinthefourlinesofeachstanza,thefirst,second,andfourthlinesrhyme.Thethirdlinedoesnot,butitsetsuptherhymesforthenextstanza.Forexample,inthethirdstanza,“queer”,”near“,and“year”allrhyme,but“lake”rhymeswith“shake”,”mistake“,and”flake“inthefollowingstanza.這種韻式叫連鎖抱韻，即每一詩節的第1,2,4行押韻，第3行的尾韻成為下一詩節的韻腳。(oldfashionedortraditionalform)(2)RhetoricalDevice(修辭)：

Alliteration(頭韻)sound&sleep;dark&deep

Personification(擬人)

“he”—horse“Mylittlehorsemustthinkitqueer.”

“Toaskifthereissomemistake.”

Repetition(重復)

“andmilestogobeforeIsleep,

andmilestogobeforeIsleep.”Superficialmeaning:thereisstillalongdistancebeforethespeaker

arrivesathomeandsleeps.Impliedmeaning:therearestillnumerousresponsibilitiesbeforethe

speaker’slifecomestoanend.(3)Images/Symbolism(意象/象征)Woods--Themysteryofnature;thetemptationsinourlifeVillage&He(theownerofthewoods)—Humanworld&societySnow--SomethingofpurityPromises--Theunavoidableresponsibilities&obligationsMiles--Longdistance;theheavydutyoflifeSleep--Restduringnight;theendoflife(death)

Iamonmyway--Thejourneyoflife

Summary

Stanza1WhosewoodstheseareIthinkIknow,AHishouseisinthevillagethough,AHewillnotseemestoppinghere,BTowatchhiswoodsfillupwithsnow.A

Thefirststanzatellsusthatthemanisstoppinginfrontofthewoodsownedbyanotherpersoninthevillage--thevillageandtheownercanbothrepresenthumansociety.Onlythemaniswatchingthewoodsbeingfilledupwithsnow.Thewoodsandsnowcanbothhintatnaturaloccurrences.

Stanza2Mylittlehorsemustthinkitqueer,BTostopwithoutafarmhousenear,BBetweenthewoodsandfrozenlake,CThedarkesteveningoftheyear.BThisstanzasaysthelocationisfarfromcivilization(farmhouse),light(darkestevening)andwarmth(frozenlake)thateventhehorsewouldthinkthemanisqueertostopthere.

Stanza3Hegiveshisharnessbellsashake,CToaskifthereissomemistake.

CTheonlyothersound’sthesweep,

DOfeasywindanddownyflake.CTheclimaxofthewholepoemiswhenthemaniswokenupbyhishorseandstepsoutoffantasybuthefindshimselfinacontradictionbetweenrealityandfantasy.

Stanza4Thewoodsarelovely,dark,anddeep,DButIhavepromisestokeep,DAndmilestogobeforeIsleep,DAndmilestogobeforeIsleep.DThisstanzarevealsthewoods’attractiontowardsthemanasitis“lovely,darkanddeep”.Italsoshowstheman’sdeterminationtobreakawayfromsuchaesthetictemptationbecausehehastotakeonworldlyburdensandresponsibilities(“promises”).

Theme

Thispoemstressesa

centralconflictbetweenman'senjoymentofnaturalbeautyandhisresponsibilityin

society.Thisshowsaman'sdespairingcouragetoseekoutthemeaningoflife.FormThepoemconsistsoffourstanzas.Eachlineisiambic,withfourstressedsyllables:Withinthefourlinesofeachstanza,thefirst,second,andfourthlinesrhyme.Thethirdlinedoesnot,butitsetsuptherhymesforthenextstanza(aaba

bbcb…).Thenotableexceptiontothispatterncomesinthefinalstanza,wherethethirdlinerhymeswiththeprevioustwoandisrepeatedasthefourthline.(dddd)TakenfromNewHampsh