Ah, I wish I could turn yellow and thicken,
turn into a golden rain, drop by drop
fall into my beauty Cassan In Delei's arms,
When sleep slips into her eyelids;
I would also like to turn white and turn into a bull
While she was walking through the soft grass in April,
While she was like a flower that fascinated all the flowers,
he used a clever trick to kidnap her.
Ah, in order to alleviate my pain,
I would like to be Narcissus and turn into a clear spring,
Let me be intoxicated in the spring all night ,
I also pray that this night will become eternal,
I also pray that the morning light will not rise again,
will not rekindle the glory of the day.
(Translated by Fei Bai)
Appreciation
Longsa was born into a noble family and was a court attendant since childhood. Later, he founded the Seven Star Poetry Society with his classmates. The so-called "seven stars" refer to the Pleiades star cluster, of which six or seven stars are relatively bright and easy to see with the naked eye. Longsa's poetry club consists of seven people, hence the name.
Ronsard traveled abroad many times in his youth and was influenced by the Italian Renaissance. His early poems were learned from ancient Anacreon, Horace and modern Petrarch. The "spectrum" of his writing was particularly broad, including lyric poems, philosophical poems, pastoral songs, and odes. In addition, he also wrote the large-scale epic "Franciades", but failed. He is knowledgeable and familiar with classical literature. He takes it as his mission to reproduce the glorious style of classical literature in French poetry and is revered as a saint of poetry in the contemporary era.
In terms of poetic rhythm, Ronsard made various experiments, and his main achievement was to improve the Alexandrian rhythm of 12 syllables per line, making it the basic rhythm of French poetry.
Among Ronsard's various poems, lyric poetry is the most famous. His style is fresh and friendly, especially his love poems, which have been recited by readers of all generations.
This sonnet "Wish I" was translated from Ronsard's first collection of love poems "The Love Songs of Ronsard". This collection of poems is dedicated to the Italian girl Cassandre and was published In 1552.
This poem has a strong classical color, and the whole poem is based on three Greek mythological allusions.
The first allusion is the story of Zeus and Danae: King Acrisios of Argos received an oracle saying that he would die at the hands of his grandson. So Acrisios was determined not to let his daughter get married, so he imprisoned the princess Danae in a copper tower with only one skylight. But unexpectedly, Zeus, the king of the gods, turned into a golden rain and fell from the sky to match Danae, and as a result, Perseus was born. Although King Acrisios nailed the princess and her grandson into wooden boxes and threw them into the sea, they were still rescued. Perseus grew up to become a hero, but at a sports meeting, the discus he threw Finally, he accidentally hit his grandfather, causing his death.
The second allusion is the story of Zeus and Europa: Europa, the daughter of King Agenor, was picking flowers and playing on the seaside grass with her female companions. Zeus, the king of the gods, saw her and was amazed by her beauty. When he was tempted, he used a clever trick to turn himself into a white bull to lure Europa to ride on him. Then he carried her into the sea and swam across the sea from Agenor (Phoenicia) in western Asia to Europe. Crete, and achieved its purpose. Europa gave birth to three sons for Zeus, and the name Europa comes from her.
The third allusion is the story of Narcissus falling in love with his own reflection: Narcissus is the son of the river god and the forest fairy. He was born very beautiful because he dismissed the woman who pursued him. , they asked the gods to punish Narcissus. So, when he went hunting, he saw his own reflection in a clear spring, and immediately fell in love with his own image. He stayed by the spring, looking at the reflection in self-pity, never leaving, until he died of haggard, and turned into a narcissus after his death.
Although this love song is based on allusions, the poet's use of allusions is very natural and appropriate. These mythological stories are well known in Europe, so the lyricism will not be affected by the unfamiliar use of allusions. In addition, the author's language is clear and beautiful, and he uses the conditional sentence pattern "I wish I..." throughout the poem, which is completed in one go, making it even more touching.
(Fei Bai)