“我既不是活的,也未曾死”——论艾略特的《荒原》

I Am Neither Alive Nor Dead"——Comments on "The Waste Land" by Eliot

解读和评价艾略特的著名长诗《荒原》的路径很多 ,但有一条既不难走 ,又有意思 ,这就是将长诗的题辞当作入门的钥匙。该诗的那句拉丁语题词 ,概括或浓缩了全诗的主旨 :即现代西方人的生存状态和精神状态就是那种“西比尔式”的“不生不死、即生即死、生不如死 ,死即是生”的荒原状态。诗人自己对长诗歌的解释和注释是必要的 ,但也不是最可靠的 ;最可靠的理解和解释应当到文本本身去寻找 ,而艾略特的文本又进一步证实了长诗题词的价值和意义。

There are many ways of commenting on 'The Waste Land' by Eliot, but one of them is not only easy but also interesting. That is, to take the epigraph as the key. That epigraph in Latin summarizes the theme of the poem: the existential and spiritual state of the Westerners is like that of Sibyllam: 'neither alive nor dead, both alive and dead, alive no better than dead, and dead is alive'--the Waste land state. The explanations and annotations made by the poet himself are necessary, but not the most reliable. The most reliable ones should be found in the text itself, which proves the value and importance of the epigraph.