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借夜莺之口 ,王尔德写道 , " Surely love is a wonderful thing. It is more precious than emeralds, and dearer than fine opals. "
"Why is he weeping?" asked a green Lizard, as he ran past him with his tail in the air.
"Why, indeed?" said a Butterfly, who was fluttering about after a sunbeam.
"Why, indeed?" whispered a Daisy to his neighbour, in a soft, low voice.
"For a red rose?" they cried, "how very ridiculous!" and the little Lizard who was something of a cynic, laughed outright.
这些拟人化的动植物的运用和刻画 ,使得深刻的象征手法极具尖锐的社会批判意义。蜥蜴的自负 ———御用文人的不可一世的嘴脸 ;蝴蝶随波逐流 ———资产阶级拜金主义的代言人;雏菊愚昧无知 ———不学无术 ,头脑空虚的应声虫。这些人是王尔德所不齿的 ,但恰恰是这些对真爱懵懂无知之辈 ,对王尔德极尽讽刺批判。
对一切美好事物的追求与向往是要付出代价的。不但要彻夜鸣唱 ,还需把玫瑰的刺儿抵入胸膛 ,直穿心脏 ,用心血浇灌真爱之花。面对这样惨烈的牺牲 ,以生命为代价的付出 ,夜莺的回答是欣喜的 ,无畏的。
" Be happy, you shall have your red rose. I will build it out of music by moon light, and stain it with my own heart’s blood. All that I ask of you in return is that you will be a true lover".
"Death is a great price to pay for a red rose , " cried the Nightingale, " and life is very dear to all. Yet love is better than life, and what is the heart of a bird compared to the heart of a man?"
自轻自贱!心比天高,身为下贱!
王尔德借夜莺之口诠释了死亡、生命与真爱之间的联系:生命诚可贵 ,真爱价更高真爱是人世间最悦耳的乐曲 ,只能从内心里真情表露;爱是坟墓难以埋葬的东西 ,永远不会化为乌有 。亘古至今 ,横贯中西 ,这只夜莺对爱的讴歌也绝不比人逊色 ,此种无畏的牺牲也可谓是卓绝的 ,且言必信 ,行必果的果决 ,令人赞叹不已。但那“懂得哲学深奥的 ”学生却做出这样的评价:
"She has form. That cannot be denied but has she got feeling? I am afraid not. . In fact, she is like most artists: she is all style without any sincerity. She would not sacrifice herself for others. "
这种对夜莺以生命为代价的付出所做出的肤浅、冷漠的评价让我们体会出奥斯卡王尔德的深意所在。这些词语的运用富有才智和幽默 ,又兼寓意深刻的讽刺。年青时期的王尔德受 Walter Peter ,John Ruskin的影响 ,成为唯美主义 (艺术至上主义 )运动的中坚人物。他认为 What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities, 即以持续不变的态度献身于美的原理是真正的 ,又必须寻求各时代中各派别的美 ,而不固步自封。经过不断革新来发现真正的美 ,才不会成为自己原来见解的奴隶。他提出 " Art for Art’s Sake" ,并以坚守这一流派而著称。Art never expresses anything but itself. 为艺术而艺术 ,艺术至上 ,艺术只表现艺术。在此方面他做得很彻底 ,厌恶在艺术世界加入其他价值判断 ,如道德 ,哲学 ,宗教等。认为美的世界才是真实并可信赖的。
在英国文学中 ,Decadence反映了资产阶级文化危机. 作为唯美主义的代表人物 ,王尔德被划归为 decadent school,王尔德所受的批驳 ,叱责也是空前的。所以当夜莺一只歌接着一只歌高唱不止 ,当他把玫瑰的刺儿抵入胸膛 ,来缔造一朵红玫瑰时 ,也是他本人的写照:写了一个故事接着一个故事 ,呕心沥血地来弘扬人间真挚爱情却受到非议的自我。从那位 student对夜莺做出的评价“It had form but no feelings" ,“She would not sacrifice herself for others”也时刻提醒着读者:化身为夜莺的王尔德是被误解的。那些诋毁他作品的批评家们 ,甚至于给他挂上了“为艺术而艺术 ”的标签的人们认为爱是愚蠢的 ,真爱在世间是没有的。"What a silly thing love is! It is not half as useful as logic. In fact, it is quite unpractical, and in this age to be practical is everything, I shell go back to Philosophy and study Metaphysics”, the Student said , he threw the rose into the street, where it fell into the gutter, and a cart wheel went over it.
即便是那夜莺所同情 ,乃至为其献身的学生 ,也不能够明白爱的真谛。其视真爱如草芥 ,弃之如敝屣 ,并对之前的执著以自嘲加否定 ,转而倒向 in this age to be practices everything, 完全投诚于 " art for money’sake"的理念;而那反复易变 ,浅薄 ,自私 ,冷酷无情的教授的女儿 ,更是赤裸裸的拜金主义的忠实信徒。她拒绝了以夜莺生命为代价 ,以真爱化身的玫瑰。" I am afraid it will not go with my dress , and besides, the Chamberlain’s nephew has sent me some real jewels, and everybody knows that jewels dos more than flowers”。这是对 18世纪物欲横流的英国资产阶级上流社会和拜金主义入木三分的嘲讽 ! “为艺术而艺术 ”应是对当时“为金钱而艺术 ”的无奈反嘲。Ralph Fox wrote about his school of literature :Art for art’s sake is only the hopeless answer of the art is to the slogan "art for money’s sake" - - - -like groans of desperate patients because ivory never was a good material for fortifications. |
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