有体与无体:中西方自由诗的本质差异

On the Fundamental Differences between Chinese and English Free Verse

19世纪末 2 0世纪初是社会的政治革命和文学的文体革命大爆发的时代 ,出现了世界性的诗体解放 ,自由诗革命及自由诗在英、法、德、中等国涌现。英语诗歌的意象派诗歌运动和汉语诗歌的新诗革命是东西方最大的自由诗革命 ,产生了英语诗歌的“自由诗”和汉语诗歌的“自由诗” ,两者的文体特征却有巨大的差异。在“自由诗”的概念上 ,中西方有质的区别 :西方的自由诗是有“诗体”的诗 ,至少建立起了“准定型诗体” ,诗的表面韵律仍然受到重视。中国的自由诗极端地打破了“无韵则非诗”的原则 ,没有建立起相对稳定的“诗体”。应该改变百年来西方自由诗在中国的称谓 ,将freeverse译为自由体诗 ,还应该把中国的自由诗改称为“自由体诗”。这样才有利于新诗的诗体建设 ,特别是对当前诗坛进行的“诗体重建”有重要的现实意义。

At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th century There was the outburst of revolution in socio-political area as well as in literary genres, during which period there arose a world-wide emancipation in poetic style, Free Verse and revolution in Free Verse springing up in countries ranging from Britain, France, Germany to China. The Imagist Movement in English verse and the Neo-poetry Revolution in China were characteristic of such Free Verse Revolution in the west and east, from which Free Verse came into being in both the English and Chinese languages with wide differences in literary features, though. Conceptually, there exist fundamental differences in Chinese and English free verse. The English Free Verse, laying special emphasis on formal rhythm, required some minimal poetic styles, qualifying themselves to be rated as quasi-fixed style verse. By contrast, the Chinese Free Verse, while going to the extreme of smashing the tenet of No Rhythm, No Verse, failed to set up some relatively fixed poetic style. Thus, there is an urgent need to change the way the term English Free Verse has been translated in China during the past century, which literally means verse with no fixed poetic style in Chinese. And the name may well be given to their Chinese counterpart. This change is essential to the construction of poetic style of the Neo-Poetry, especially to the current Reconstruction of poetic style.