韵动的“奇想”——菲利普·弗瑞诺《奇想的力量》形式与主题试析

“FANCY”IN THE VARIETY OF VERSE RHYTHM——An analysis of the rhythm and theme of Philip Freneau's The Power of Fancy

美国革命诗人菲利普·弗瑞诺早期诗歌的优秀作品《奇想的力量》,在韵律、韵步、押韵、诗行停顿、跨行诗等诗歌形式方面,与奇想的主题是基本对等的。该诗主要赞颂奇想的力量:奇想的神秘和奇想的漫游。该诗154行,主导韵律为四韵步短双行体,诗行简短,不拘一格,充分暗示了奇想的轻快。韵步上,不拘泥于韵步数量和韵步种类,三韵步与四韵步并置,以抑扬格和扬抑格为主导,屡屡出现抑抑扬格,也出现了抑扬格的省略形式和扬抑抑格等,从而使整首诗的韵步格式不单调,充满了舞动的想象。押韵上,韵种极富想象力,达64种。押韵格式为双行体aa,韵类以单韵为主体,出现了和韵、目韵和减字韵。此外,该诗停顿和跨行比较多,符合"奇想"的逻辑。

The Power of Fancy,the best among the earlier poems composed by Philip Freneau known as the Poet of American Revolution,reflects the motif of ＂ fancy＂ in such verse forms as its meter,metrical foot,rhyme,caesura,enjambment and so on.The theme of the poem is the eulogy of the power of fancy： the mystic nature of fancy and the ramble of fancy.The background meter of the 154-line poem is tetrameter couplets,which signify the buoyance of fancy with its short line and rhythmic variety.As for the metrical foot,the poem is not restricted by the specific numbers and types of metrical foot： the juxtaposition of tetrameter and trimeter lines,the emergence of tribrach,the omitted iamb,dactyl,with iamb and trochee as the dominant feet,which makes the metrical feet of the whole poem full of ＂ fancy＂.As for the rhyme,the rhyming scheme is the couplet aa,and the types of rhyme includes single rhyme,consonance,eye rhyme,diminishing rhyme,with the single rhyme as the main type of rhyme.It is worth noting that the 64 rhyming sounds are full of ＂ fancy＂.Besides,lot of caesuras and enjambments express the logic of ＂ fancy＂.