***** Piers Plowman *****
- Date
- 2009/11/02/Mon 21:10
- Category
- 未分類
Piers Plowman
英國文學在中世紀的作品中除了Chaucer之外，還有William Langland的作品Piers Plowman是當時受到注目，這是一本非常受歡迎的作品而且所保存下來的原稿說明從第十四世紀末期到伊麗莎白一世時代。其有三種不同的版本 學者們以ABC來標明它們，寫作的年代也不同：A本即是原本，1362年約2400行；B本是A本的修訂本，1377年增寫約4000行；C本為B本之修訂本，1395-1398年。
詩裏所描述的故事情節是發生在一個夢境或幻象之中，這種形式因「玫瑰的故事」在當時是很流行的寫作方法，詩人敘述說：「在一個夏季裏，溫和的太陽下我穿著粗布衣服，好像是個牧羊人者，樣子像是隱士；我在這個世界上漫遊聽聽看看各種奇景。－我想，是來自神仙境地；我曾在漫遊，現在十分疲倦，就在小溪畔的岸上休息，我躺在那裡，懶洋洋地望著溪水，逕自睡著了，聽起來真是悠閒。我做了一個很奇特的夢，夢見我在一片荒原中－究竟是甚麼地方，我全然不知道，我向東方望去抬頭看太陽，看見山頂上有一高塔建造得非常漂亮，下面是個深谷裏邊有個地牢，幽暗的有深溝看起來令人膽寒，在兩者之間是一片美麗的平原，平原上是各色人物，貧賤的、富有的、有的在工作，有的在遊蕩，正如這個世界要求的那樣，有些忙著扶犁耕種，很少有閒遊他們辛勤地流著汗播種，收穫那些浪費者在貪食暴飲中需要的東西。有的則專心在炫耀自己，穿著最華麗的昂貴衣服。很多人在祈禱和苦修，為了愛吾主他們生活得很嚴苛，希望能夠得到天國的賜福－他們像躲在洞穴中的隱士們，不在世界上閒遊也不過奢華的生活；有些是商人－他們做得比較好－至少我們看來這些人是昌盛的；有些求諸於歌，像那些遊唱詩人以他們的音樂賺些金錢，我相信這沒有甚麼可指責。………」
一位受歡迎的作家從某種意義而言，是他自己的民族和他那個時代的產物，其作品必然是反映他當時所處時代的智慧、道德情操和流行的社會輿論。然而、這部作品的文學形式、主題的社會行為與道德行為是主要引起廣大讀者的閱讀興趣。在詩的韻律方面，採用傳統詩法因為他知道本國古代傳統的旋律可以更深切地感動讀者及自然地使用這種文學形式，更重要的特色就是使用頭韻(alliteration)，這就是盎格魯.薩克遜的詩中最早使用的唯一韻律。William Langland和Chaucer是屬於同一時代的人，但這兩位大詩人的不同之處是William Langland描寫多為樸實窮人、營養不良、工作辛苦、終日與饑餓、不公、迫害、嚴峻的現實社會中掙扎，像是必須要經過層層難關的試驗；而Chaucer描述的多為上流社會中的富有階級較少有貧窮階級，是把英國生活中尋歡作樂的歡愉面呈現給讀者。
The English poet, William Langland (c.1332-c.1400), was probably born at Ledbury in Herefordshire. He became a clerk but having married early, could not take more than minor orders, and possibly earned a poor living by singing in a chantry and by copying legal documents. He lived many years in London in poverty. His famous Vision Concerning Piers Plowman exhibits a moral earnestness and energy which is brightened by his vivid glimpses of the lives of the poorest classes of 14th century England.
Piers Plowman is an allegorical moral and social satire, written as a "vision" of the common medieval type. The poet falls asleep in the Malvern Hills and dreams that in a wilderness he comes upon the tower of Truth (God) set on a hill, with the dungeon of Wrong (the Devil) in the deep valley below, and a "fair field full of folk" (the world of living men) between them. He describes satirically all the different classes of people he sees there; then a lady named Holy Church rebukes him for sleeping and explains the meaning of all he sees. Further characters (Conscience, Liar, Reason and so on) enter the action; Conscience finally persuades many of the people to turn away from the Seven Deadly Sins and go in search of St. Truth, but they need a guide. Piers (Peter), a simple Plowman, appears and says that because of his common sense and clean conscience he knows the way and will show them if they help him plow his half acre. Some of the company help, but some shirk; and Piers becomes identified with Christ, trying to get men to work toward their own material relief from the current abuses of worldly power. In the last section of the poem, much less coherent than the rest, the dreamer goes on a rambling but unsuccessful summer-long quest, aided by Thought, Wit, and Study, in search of the men who are Do-Well, Do-Bet and Do-Best.
英國文學在中世紀的作品中除了Chaucer之外，還有William Langland的作品Piers Plowman是當時受到注目，這是一本非常受歡迎的作品而且所保存下來的原稿說明從第十四世紀末期到伊麗莎白一世時代。其有三種不同的版本 學者們以ABC來標明它們，寫作的年代也不同：A本即是原本，1362年約2400行；B本是A本的修訂本，1377年增寫約4000行；C本為B本之修訂本，1395-1398年。
詩裏所描述的故事情節是發生在一個夢境或幻象之中，這種形式因「玫瑰的故事」在當時是很流行的寫作方法，詩人敘述說：「在一個夏季裏，溫和的太陽下我穿著粗布衣服，好像是個牧羊人者，樣子像是隱士；我在這個世界上漫遊聽聽看看各種奇景。－我想，是來自神仙境地；我曾在漫遊，現在十分疲倦，就在小溪畔的岸上休息，我躺在那裡，懶洋洋地望著溪水，逕自睡著了，聽起來真是悠閒。我做了一個很奇特的夢，夢見我在一片荒原中－究竟是甚麼地方，我全然不知道，我向東方望去抬頭看太陽，看見山頂上有一高塔建造得非常漂亮，下面是個深谷裏邊有個地牢，幽暗的有深溝看起來令人膽寒，在兩者之間是一片美麗的平原，平原上是各色人物，貧賤的、富有的、有的在工作，有的在遊蕩，正如這個世界要求的那樣，有些忙著扶犁耕種，很少有閒遊他們辛勤地流著汗播種，收穫那些浪費者在貪食暴飲中需要的東西。有的則專心在炫耀自己，穿著最華麗的昂貴衣服。很多人在祈禱和苦修，為了愛吾主他們生活得很嚴苛，希望能夠得到天國的賜福－他們像躲在洞穴中的隱士們，不在世界上閒遊也不過奢華的生活；有些是商人－他們做得比較好－至少我們看來這些人是昌盛的；有些求諸於歌，像那些遊唱詩人以他們的音樂賺些金錢，我相信這沒有甚麼可指責。………」
一位受歡迎的作家從某種意義而言，是他自己的民族和他那個時代的產物，其作品必然是反映他當時所處時代的智慧、道德情操和流行的社會輿論。然而、這部作品的文學形式、主題的社會行為與道德行為是主要引起廣大讀者的閱讀興趣。在詩的韻律方面，採用傳統詩法因為他知道本國古代傳統的旋律可以更深切地感動讀者及自然地使用這種文學形式，更重要的特色就是使用頭韻(alliteration)，這就是盎格魯.薩克遜的詩中最早使用的唯一韻律。William Langland和Chaucer是屬於同一時代的人，但這兩位大詩人的不同之處是William Langland描寫多為樸實窮人、營養不良、工作辛苦、終日與饑餓、不公、迫害、嚴峻的現實社會中掙扎，像是必須要經過層層難關的試驗；而Chaucer描述的多為上流社會中的富有階級較少有貧窮階級，是把英國生活中尋歡作樂的歡愉面呈現給讀者。
The English poet, William Langland (c.1332-c.1400), was probably born at Ledbury in Herefordshire. He became a clerk but having married early, could not take more than minor orders, and possibly earned a poor living by singing in a chantry and by copying legal documents. He lived many years in London in poverty. His famous Vision Concerning Piers Plowman exhibits a moral earnestness and energy which is brightened by his vivid glimpses of the lives of the poorest classes of 14th century England.
Piers Plowman is an allegorical moral and social satire, written as a "vision" of the common medieval type. The poet falls asleep in the Malvern Hills and dreams that in a wilderness he comes upon the tower of Truth (God) set on a hill, with the dungeon of Wrong (the Devil) in the deep valley below, and a "fair field full of folk" (the world of living men) between them. He describes satirically all the different classes of people he sees there; then a lady named Holy Church rebukes him for sleeping and explains the meaning of all he sees. Further characters (Conscience, Liar, Reason and so on) enter the action; Conscience finally persuades many of the people to turn away from the Seven Deadly Sins and go in search of St. Truth, but they need a guide. Piers (Peter), a simple Plowman, appears and says that because of his common sense and clean conscience he knows the way and will show them if they help him plow his half acre. Some of the company help, but some shirk; and Piers becomes identified with Christ, trying to get men to work toward their own material relief from the current abuses of worldly power. In the last section of the poem, much less coherent than the rest, the dreamer goes on a rambling but unsuccessful summer-long quest, aided by Thought, Wit, and Study, in search of the men who are Do-Well, Do-Bet and Do-Best.
