I think there are two people inside me,
One wants my heart to be pious,
Full of love for you.
Another law against you,
You want me to break your rules.
A wise, very outstanding,
Let me be closely connected with heaven,
Come into contact with eternal perfection,
Others are treated like dirt.
The other, with an ominous burden,
Drag me into this world.
Alas! Fight against yourself.
Where can I find peace?
I had a wish, but it never came true.
Ah! How sad and hateful!
The goodness I love has not been promoted,
The evil I hate is going on.
God's grace, the pillar of saving lives,
To agree with me;
Bound by soft power,
This man is in conflict with you,
Put this dead slave,
Be a slave to your will.
(Translated by Zheng Kelu)
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As a representative of French classicism, jean racine experienced the whole process of classicism from its rise to its peak. Racine's achievements in his life are attributed to two things: first, the cultivation of Father Ransen by the Royal Pier Monastery in Paris enabled him to learn Latin and Greek and have a deep understanding of ancient western culture; Second, Moliere Troupe rehearsed his original plays "Debit" (1664) and "Alexander" (1665), which enabled him to master the creative experience of stage plays.
Racine's major literary achievement lies in drama. Like the classical writers of his time, Racine also used the theme of "the duty of resisting desire" in his own drama creation, but obviously, his works have higher artistic conception than ordinary dramas.
Racine's poems, like his plays, are full of classicism, advocating rationality with self-restraint and moderate compromise as the main content, and respecting the moral norms required by absolute monarchy. As far as literary style is concerned, it is elegant and comprehensive, abides by certain laws and regulations, has a rigorous and complete structure, and has a concise and clear language. His Song of the Soul (1694) made him a great poet on par with Long Sha, Hugo and Baudelaire.
Complaining about a Christian is a very typical poem in Racine's poems. At the beginning of this poem, the poet expressed his feelings to God in a penitent tone. There are two forces in the author's heart fighting and struggling: "One wants my heart to be pious,/full of love for you." /The other betrayed your laws/and asked me to stand up to your laws. "These two forces, like the superego and id that psychologist Freud later said, are pulling the ego in real life. The poet felt great pain: "Struggle with yourself. /Where can I find peace? "
The poet felt "pitiful and hateful" for his weakness. He thinks rationally about life, hoping that he can be wise and outstanding, and get in touch with eternal beauty, instead of being dragged into the secular by mediocre desires. The poet hopes that God's grace can help him get rid of evil desires and make him a slave of his own will, thus ending his accusation against God.
It can be said that rationality, will and morality are not only the key words in the poet Racine's plays, but also the key words in his poems and even his inner world.
(Chai Tian)