However, although the love psychology of both sexes is the same, the attitudes and expressions of love in different countries and nationalities are different. This is because their national traditions and cultural backgrounds are different, so their expressions in literary and artistic works are also different. First of all, as far as the attitude towards love is concerned, although China said that "marriage is a lifelong event", in feudal society, love came to an end after marriage. However, westerners often regard love itself above everything else, and even in a cage, they still think about their lover. The following is a poem by Richard Lovelace (1618-1657), "To Elsia in prison" (only the first two paragraphs are recorded):
When Cupid spread his wings of freedom
Soaring in my heavy prison door,
To bring the holy elsa here,
Whispering with iron bars;
When I was entangled in her messy hair,
Detained by her eyes,
A sacred object in the air,
Without my freedom.
……
Prisons cannot be built of stone,
An iron fence is not a cage;
Naive thoughts just live in it,
Live in a secluded corner like a hermit.
If I have free will in love,
The mind is not bound by anything,
Only angels who swim high,
Enjoy this freedom.
As far as the content of expressing love is concerned, there are also differences between eastern and western poems. China wrote few poems about love before marriage, but many poems about parting from sorrow and not hating. For example, Li Qingzhao and Zhao Mingcheng, famous poetesss in the Song Dynasty, were loving couples. After Zhao Mingcheng's death, Li Qingzhao wrote a mourning poem "Wulingchun", which expressed her deep affection for her husband before her death. It's both sad and touching to read: the wind blows away the flowers, and combing your hair at night is tiring. Things are people, not everything, and tears flow first. It is said that Shuangxi Spring is still good, and it is also planned to make canoes. I'm afraid the boat won't move. I'm worried.
In English poetry, it is common to express brave pursuit and strong admiration for love. For example, elizabeth barret browning's Portuguese Sonnet (2 1) is one of them:
Please say it again, after you finish,
Just say you love me. Even if your words are repeated over and over again,
Like the cuckoo's song, she kept singing "cuckoo".
You know, without the cuckoo's song,
There will be no complete spring, wearing a green robe,
Come to plains and hillsides, Woods and valleys.
Love, I heard a worried voice in the dark;
Suffering from anxiety,
I shouted, "Say it again: you love me!" " "
Who would think there are too many stars, even if they all run in the sky?
Who thinks there are too many flowers, even if they are all crown spring?
Say you love me, you love me, you love me, put the silver clock
Knock it open! -Honey, don't forget this:
Love me with silence, with your heart. (translated by Bai Fei)
Elizabeth Barrett, later elizabeth barrett browning, injured her leg while riding and became lame. She couldn't go out, so she had to study and write poems at home and later became a famous poetess. At that time, Browning's reputation was far inferior to hers. Browning appreciated her poems very much, so he began to correspond with her and discuss literary issues. It was not until two years later, that is, one day in the summer of 1845, that they met for the first time and fell in love at first sight. Although Barrett was a famous poet, he did not dare to expect the happiness of love. When Browning proposed to her, she just said, "You are only 33 years old and you are a famous poet. Many young women will worship you! I am 39 years old and disabled ... ". But Browning loved her poems, loved her people and pursued her sincerely, which moved Barrett very much. Thanks to spiritual comfort and treatment, her leg disease recovered quickly and finally stood up. The Browning couple's love experience has always been a story in the history of English literature. The Portuguese Sonnets is Elizabeth Barrett's love poems, with 44 poems, which records her strong love and faithful love for Browning.
In addition, westerners attach great importance to the love of life and realistic love, and there are many such poems. Here is only a poem by robert herrick in England in the17th century, for example:
Pick rose buds early;
Time is always flying;
This flower is still smiling today.
Will wither and die tomorrow.
The rising sun, lanterns in the sky,
Always rising in Ran Ran,
The trip to Wan Li will be over soon.
The sun is setting in the west and dusk is coming.
The best thing in life is being young,
At this time, the blood of youth is burning;
If you waste time, it will get worse and worse in the future.
The beauty of youth is hard to find again.
So, don't be shy and enjoy your youth.