The Awakening of Europe, 24. The Great Dramatist

24. The Great Dramatist

"Thou who didst the stars and sunbeams know, Self-schooled, self-scanned, self-honoured, self-secure, Didst tread on earth unguessed at." —M. ARNOLD

Of all the great men who added to the glory of Elizabeth's England, William Shakspere was the greatest, though neither the queen nor her people realised how great. Of the man himself the world knows nothing; with his work the Old and New Worlds ring even to-day. Just a poor lad, born of farmer parents at Stratford-on-Avon, he made his way to London as an actor and play-writer, and though he became popular, yet no one knew how great he really was till long years after he had died.

Now we know that he was one of the great "world-voices," "far-seeing as the sun," "the upper light of the world,"—one of the greatest men that the world has ever seen. He had little enough book-learning, "small Latin and less Greek"; but he knew mankind, he understood human nature, as rare a gift then as it is now. And by this great gift he could make the people of Elizabeth's days laugh and cry at will. Men cared about human life: he showed them human life, showed them men and women as they really are, with all their smiles and all their sorrows, all their actions and all their thoughts. From

"The whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school." The lonely exile crying to his king—

"Your will be done: this must my comfort be, The sun that warms you here shall shine on me." He tells his hearers of warriors and generals, of kings and statesmen,

"Of old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago." There is a whole play about Julius Cæsar and another about Coriolanus. Like Spenser, too, this poet can take us into the fairy world. His fairy queen is called Titania, and the kingdom of the fairies is away in the Indies, where the fairy Puck and his comrades circle the earth. These fairies have all the secrets of nature: they dance in the moonbeams, and they sleep in the flowers, fanned by the wings of painted butterflies. Shakspere's fun breaks out in the endless blunderings of the "Comedy of Errors" as well as in the "Merry Wives of Windsor," which he wrote for Queen Elizabeth herself. Though only a country-born lad, he caught up the spirit of the times, and wrote such tragedy and comedy as had not been written since the days of olden Greece.

Let us take one of his stories and tell it shortly.

There was a rich Jew called Shylock living at Venice. There was also a man named Antonio, "one in whom the ancient Roman honour more appeared than any that drew breath in Italy." There was also a man called Bassanio, a friend of Antonio's, who wanted to marry a wealthy lady at Venice called Portia. Would Antonio lend him some money so that he could marry? Now, Antonio was expecting some ships back from the East laden with merchandise. So the two friends went to Shylock, the rich Jew, and asked him to advance some money which should be repaid on the arrival of the ships. Shylock offered a large sum of money, making only one condition, half in jest, half in earnest, that if the money were not paid on the appointed day, Shylock should exact a pound of Antonio's flesh, to be cut where it pleased him. Antonio signed the bond, thinking it was only "merry sport," and took the money. So Bassanio married Portia. But that very same day they heard the sad news that Antonio's ships had been lost at sea, and that he could never now repay Shylock. He had therefore been cast into prison.

At once Bassanio and Portia set out in all haste for Venice, to save, if possible, the friend who was suffering for them. Portia knew how Bassanio loved his friend, how he would sacrifice "his life itself, his wife, and all the world" for him, and she now made a plan. She wrote to her cousin, who was going to judge Antonio at the trial, and begged to be allowed to plead instead. She dressed up in his robes of law and entered the court. Looking round, she saw the merciless Shylock, she saw Bassanio standing by Antonio in an agony of distress. Nobody recognised her, and the trial began. Her famous plea for mercy is one of Shakspere's finest passages, that mercy which "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath." But Shylock would have no mercy.

Antonio's bosom was bared for the knife, and the scales were ready to weigh the pound of flesh, when Portia cried,— "Tarry a little; there is something else. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are, a pound of flesh." Now Shylock could not possibly take a pound of flesh without shedding blood, so by her clever action Portia saved the life of Antonio, her husband's friend. Shylock escaped, Antonio's ships came in after all, and the play ends happily with the joy of Portia and Bassanio. Shakspere went on writing long after the death of Elizabeth. His plays grew very serious and thoughtful as life went on. In 1610 he returned from the noisy London theatres to the peace of Stratford-on-Avon, where a few years later he passed to

"The undiscover'd country from whose bourne No traveller returns."

24. The Great Dramatist ||Великий драматург ||playwright ||伟大的剧作家 24. Der große Dramatiker 24. The Great Dramatist 24. El gran dramaturgo 24. Le grand dramaturge 24. Il grande drammaturgo 24.偉大なるドラマティスト 24. De grote dramaturg 24. Wielki Dramaturg 24. O Grande Dramaturgo 24. Великий драматург 24. Büyük Tiyatro Yazarı 24. Великий драматург 24. 伟大的戏剧家 24. 偉大的戲劇家

"Thou who didst the stars and sunbeams know, Self-schooled, self-scanned, self-honoured, self-secure, Didst tread on earth unguessed at." Ты||сделал||||солнечные лучи|||самоучка||самоизученный|||||||||неузнанный| ||曾经||||阳光束||自我||自学，自省，自|自省|自学，自省，自|自尊|自学，自省，自|||行走|||无人知晓| "Thou who didst the stars and sunbeams know, Self-schooled, self-scanned, self-honoured, self-secure, Didst tread on earth unguessed at." "Tú, que conocías las estrellas y los rayos del sol, autodidacta, autoescaneado, honrado, seguro de ti mismo, pisaste la tierra sin ser adivinado". "Ty, który znałeś gwiazdy i promienie słońca, samouczony, samoskanowany, samouhonorowany, samobezpieczny, stąpałeś po ziemi nieodgadniony". "你是了解星星和阳光的人，自我教育，自我审视，自我尊重，自信稳重，走在地球上无人知晓。" —M. ——M. ARNOLD 阿诺德 ARNOLD 阿诺德

Of all the great men who added to the glory of Elizabeth's England, William Shakspere was the greatest, though neither the queen nor her people realised how great. |||||||||слава||Елизаветы|||Уильям Шекспир|||||||||||осознавали|| |||||||||||||||||||||||||意识到|| Ze wszystkich wielkich ludzi, którzy przyczynili się do chwały Anglii Elżbiety, William Shakspere był największy, choć ani królowa, ani jej lud nie zdawali sobie sprawy, jak wielki. 在所有为伊丽莎白女王的英格兰增光添彩的伟人中，威廉·莎士比亚是最伟大的，尽管女王和她的人民都没有意识到他有多伟大。 Of the man himself the world knows nothing; with his work the Old and New Worlds ring even to-day. |||||||||他的|||||||||| Dell'uomo in sé il mondo non sa nulla; con la sua opera il Vecchio e il Nuovo Mondo risuonano ancora oggi. O samym człowieku świat nic nie wie; dzięki jego pracy Stary i Nowy Świat rozbrzmiewają nawet dziś. 关于这个人，世人一无所知；至今他的作品在古老和新兴的世界中依然受人敬仰。 Just a poor lad, born of farmer parents at Stratford-on-Avon, he made his way to London as an actor and play-writer, and though he became popular, yet no one knew how great he really was till long years after he had died. |||мальчик|||фермер|||Стратфорд-на-Эйвоне||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||| |||小伙子||||||斯特拉特福||||成就|||||||||剧作家|||||||||||||||||||||| Povero ragazzo, nato da genitori contadini a Stratford-on-Avon, si fece strada a Londra come attore e scrittore di commedie e, pur essendo diventato popolare, nessuno sapeva quanto fosse veramente grande fino a molti anni dopo la sua morte. Apenas um rapaz pobre, nascido de pais fazendeiros em Stratford-on-Avon, ele foi para Londres como ator e escritor, e apesar de ter se tornado popular, ninguém sabia como ele era realmente grande, até anos depois morreu. 他只是一个出生于斯特拉特福德的农民之子的穷小子，后来作为演员和剧作家来到伦敦，虽然他渐渐受到欢迎，但直到他去世很多年后，没人知道他究竟有多伟大。

Now we know that he was one of the great "world-voices," "far-seeing as the sun," "the upper light of the world,"—one of the greatest men that the world has ever seen. ||||||||||世界|||||||这||||||||||||||曾经|| |||||||||||голоса мира|||||||||||||||||||||| He had little enough book-learning, "small Latin and less Greek"; but he knew mankind, he understood human nature, as rare a gift then as it is now. ||||书本知识|||||||||||||||||||当时|||| Aveva studiato poco, "poco latino e poco greco"; ma conosceva l'umanità, capiva la natura umana, un dono raro allora come oggi. 他书本知识不多，“少量拉丁语和更少的希腊语”；但他了解人性，他理解人类，这在当时是一种稀有的天赋，现在也是。 And by this great gift he could make the people of Elizabeth's days laugh and cry at will. ||||||||||||||||随意| 凭借这个伟大的天赋，他能够让伊丽莎白时代的人们随心所欲地欢笑与哭泣。 Men cared about human life: he showed them human life, showed them men and women as they really are, with all their smiles and all their sorrows, all their actions and all their thoughts. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||печали||||||| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||smutki||||||| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||行为|||| Os homens se importavam com a vida humana: ele mostrava a eles a vida humana, mostrava a eles homens e mulheres como eles realmente são, com todos os seus sorrisos e todas as suas tristezas, todas as suas ações e todos os seus pensamentos. 人们关心人类的生活：他向他们展示了人类的生活，真实地展示了男人和女人，展现了他们所有的微笑与悲伤，所有的行为与思想。 From

"The whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school." |скулеж|школьник|||портфель|||||||||| |抱怨的|学生|||书包|||||缓慢爬行||蜗牛|不情愿地|| "Lo scolaretto piagnucoloso, con la cartella e la faccia lucida del mattino, che striscia come una lumaca senza volerlo verso la scuola". "O estudante choramingando, com sua mochila E cara brilhante de manhã, rastejando como um caracol Sem vontade de ir à escola." "抱怨的学生，背着书包，脸上露出朝阳般的光彩，像蜗牛一样不情愿地爬向学校。" The lonely exile crying to his king— ||wygnaniec|||| 孤独的流亡者向他的国王呼喊——

"Your will be done: this must my comfort be, The sun that warms you here shall shine on me." |||||||安慰|||||||||照耀|| "Sia fatta la tua volontà: questo deve essere il mio conforto, il sole che ti riscalda qui risplenda su di me". "愿你的意志成就：这必须是我的安慰，温暖你的阳光也会照耀在我身上。" He tells his hearers of warriors and generals, of kings and statesmen, |||听众|||||||| |||||||||||mężowie stanu Racconta ai suoi ascoltatori di guerrieri e generali, di re e statisti, 他告诉他的听众关于战士和将军，关于国王和政治家，

"Of old, unhappy, far-off things, And battles long ago." “关于古老的不幸，遥远的事物，以及很久以前的战斗。” There is a whole play about Julius Cæsar and another about Coriolanus. ||||剧本||尤利乌斯|||||科里奥兰纳有一整部戏剧关于尤里乌斯·凯撒，还有一部关于科里奥兰努斯。 Like Spenser, too, this poet can take us into the fairy world. |斯宾塞|||||||||| His fairy queen is called Titania, and the kingdom of the fairies is away in the Indies, where the fairy Puck and his comrades circle the earth. |||||泰坦尼亚|||||||是||||印度||||帕克|||同伴们||| |wróżka||||||||||||||||||||||||| 他的仙女王后叫做泰坦妮亚，妖精的王国位于印第安群岛，那里的妖精帕克和他的同伴们环绕着地球飞舞。 These fairies have all the secrets of nature: they dance in the moonbeams, and they sleep in the flowers, fanned by the wings of painted butterflies. ||||||||||||月光中||||||||||||彩色的| 这些仙女掌握着所有自然的秘密：她们在月光下跳舞，在花中沉睡，沐浴在彩蝶的翅膀扇动下。 Shakspere's fun breaks out in the endless blunderings of the "Comedy of Errors" as well as in the "Merry Wives of Windsor," which he wrote for Queen Elizabeth herself. 莎士比亚的||||在|||||||||||||||||温莎||||||| 莎士比亚的幽默在《错误的喜剧》中展现无遗，同时在他为伊丽莎白女王本人创作的《风流妇人》中也得以体现。 Though only a country-born lad, he caught up the spirit of the times, and wrote such tragedy and comedy as had not been written since the days of olden Greece. 尽管他只是一个乡下出生的男孩，但他抓住了时代的精神，写出了自古希腊以来未曾写过的悲剧和喜剧。

Let us take one of his stories and tell it shortly. ||||||||讲述|| Vamos pegar uma de suas histórias e contar em breve. 让我们拿他的一个故事来简要讲述一下。

There was a rich Jew called Shylock living at Venice. ||||||夏洛克|||威尼斯有一个叫夏洛克的富有犹太人住在威尼斯。 There was also a man named Antonio, "one in whom the ancient Roman honour more appeared than any that drew breath in Italy." |||||||||||||荣誉||||||呼吸||| 还有一个人叫安东尼奥，“他身上展现的古罗马荣耀，超过意大利任何一个行走在世上的人。” There was also a man called Bassanio, a friend of Antonio's, who wanted to marry a wealthy lady at Venice called Portia. ||||||巴萨尼奥||||||||娶||||||| 还有一个叫巴萨尼奥的人，是安东尼奥的朋友，他想要娶在威尼斯的一位富有女士，名叫波西亚。 Would Antonio lend him some money so that he could marry? ||借|||||||| 安东尼奥愿意借给他一些钱，好让他能够结婚吗？ Now, Antonio was expecting some ships back from the East laden with merchandise. ||||||||||||货物现在，安东尼奥期待从东方返回的一些货船，装满了商品。 So the two friends went to Shylock, the rich Jew, and asked him to advance some money which should be repaid on the arrival of the ships. ||||||夏洛克||||||||借出||||||偿还|||船只到达||| 于是这两个朋友去找了富有的犹太人夏洛克，请他预支一些钱，约定在船到达时偿还。 Shylock offered a large sum of money, making only one condition, half in jest, half in earnest, that if the money were not paid on the appointed day, Shylock should exact a pound of Antonio's flesh, to be cut where it pleased him. ||||一大笔|||||||一半||半开玩笑|一半||||||||||||||||索取|||||||||||他喜欢| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||ustalonym|||||||||||||||| Shylock ofereceu uma grande quantia em dinheiro, fazendo apenas uma condição, metade em tom de brincadeira, meio a sério, que se o dinheiro não fosse pago no dia marcado, Shylock deveria exigir um quilo de carne de Antonio, para ser cortado onde quisesse. 夏洛克提供了一大笔钱，只提出一个条件，半开玩笑半认真的说，如果在约定的日期未能偿还，夏洛克可以索要安东尼奥一磅的肉，切在哪里都可以。 Antonio signed the bond, thinking it was only "merry sport," and took the money. |||契约||||||游戏|||| 安东尼奥签署了合同，认为这只是 "快乐的游戏 "，并拿了钱。 So Bassanio married Portia. |巴萨尼奥|| 所以巴萨尼奥娶了波西亚。 But that very same day they heard the sad news that Antonio's ships had been lost at sea, and that he could never now repay Shylock. ||正是||||||||||||||||||||||| He had therefore been cast into prison. ||||投放||

At once Bassanio and Portia set out in all haste for Venice, to save, if possible, the friend who was suffering for them. ||巴萨尼奥|||出发||||||威尼斯||||||||||| Portia knew how Bassanio loved his friend, how he would sacrifice "his life itself, his wife, and all the world" for him, and she now made a plan. She wrote to her cousin, who was going to judge Antonio at the trial, and begged to be allowed to plead instead. ||||表亲|||||||||审判|||||||辩护|代替她写信给她的表弟，他将担任安东尼奥审判的法官，并恳求被允许代为辩护。 She dressed up in his robes of law and entered the court. |||||||||||法庭她穿上他的法袍，进入法庭。 Looking round, she saw the merciless Shylock, she saw Bassanio standing by Antonio in an agony of distress. |||||无情的|夏洛克||||站在||||||| ||||||Szekspirowski Sh||||||||||| 环顾四周，她看到了无情的夏洛克，看到了巴萨尼奥在安东尼奥身边痛苦不堪。 Nobody recognised her, and the trial began. Her famous plea for mercy is one of Shakspere's finest passages, that mercy which "droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath." ||恳求||||||||段落||||降落||||||||||在下面她著名的求情是莎士比亚最优秀的段落之一，那种怜悯“就像温柔的雨从天上滴落在下面的地方。” But Shylock would have no mercy. 但夏洛克却没有怜悯。

Antonio's bosom was bared for the knife, and the scales were ready to weigh the pound of flesh, when Portia cried,— |胸膛||裸露||||||天平||||||||||| Il seno di Antonio era scoperto per il coltello e la bilancia era pronta a pesare la libbra di carne, quando Porzia gridò. 安东尼奥的心胸为刀锋暴露，天平准备好称量那一磅肉时，波西亚喊道—— "Tarry a little; there is something else. 稍等|||||| "Aspettate un po'; c'è qualcos'altro. This bond doth give thee here no jot of blood; The words expressly are, a pound of flesh." ||does|||||一点|||||明确地||||| Questo vincolo non ti dà un briciolo di sangue; le parole sono espressamente: una libbra di carne". 这债券不会给你任何一点血；字面上的意思是一磅肉。 Now Shylock could not possibly take a pound of flesh without shedding blood, so by her clever action Portia saved the life of Antonio, her husband's friend. |||||||||||流血||||||||||||||| Ora Shylock non poteva prendere una libbra di carne senza spargere sangue, quindi con la sua astuta azione Porzia salvò la vita di Antonio, l'amico di suo marito. 现在，夏洛克不可能在不流血的情况下取走一磅肉，所以波西亚通过她聪明的行动拯救了安东尼奥，她丈夫的朋友。 Shylock escaped, Antonio's ships came in after all, and the play ends happily with the joy of Portia and Bassanio. 夏洛克逃脱了，安东尼奥的船终于归来了，剧本以波西亚和巴萨尼奥的快乐结束。 Shakspere went on writing long after the death of Elizabeth. His plays grew very serious and thoughtful as life went on. 他的剧作随着生活的进展变得非常严肃和深思。 In 1610 he returned from the noisy London theatres to the peace of Stratford-on-Avon, where a few years later he passed to |||||||剧院||||||||||||||| Nel 1610 tornò dai chiassosi teatri londinesi alla pace di Stratford-on-Avon, dove qualche anno dopo passò a 1610年、彼は騒々しいロンドンの劇場からストラトフォード・オン・エイボンの平穏な場所に戻り、数年後、彼はこの劇場に移り住んだ。 1610年，他从喧闹的伦敦剧院回到了宁静的艾文河畔斯特拉福德，几年后他在那里去世。

"The undiscover'd country from whose bourne No traveller returns." |未被发现的||||边界||旅行者| "Il paese inesplorato dal quale nessun viaggiatore fa ritorno". "旅人の帰らぬ国" "Неоткрытая страна, из которой не возвращается ни один путешественник". "无可探知的国度，无人从那里归来。"