普通高中课程标准实验教科书 英语选修6 Unit 2 Poems-Reading

        A FEW SIMPLE FORMS OF ENGLISH POEMS
        There are various reasons why people write poetry. Some poems tell a story or describe something in a way that will give the reader a strong impression. Others try to convey certain emotions. Poets use many different forms of poetry to express themselves. In this text, however, we will look at a few of the simpler forms.
        Some of the first poetry a young child learns in English is nursery rhymes. These rhymes like the one on the right (A) are still a common type of children's poetry. The language is concrete but imaginative, and they delight small children because they rhyme, have strong rhythm and a lot of repetition. The poems may not make sense and even seem contradictory¹, but they are easy to learn and recite. By playing with the words in nursery rhymes, children learn about language.
A     Hush², little baby, don't say a word, Papa's going to buy you a mockingbird. If that mockingbird won't sing, Papa's going to buy you a diamond ring. If that diamond ring turns to brass³, Papa's going to buy you a looking-glass. If that looking-glass gets broke, Papa's going to buy you a billy-goat. If that billy-goat runs away, Papa's going to buy you another today.
        One of the simplest kinds of poems are those like B and C that list things. List poems have a flexible line length and repeated phrases which give both a pattern and a rhythm to the poem. Some rhyme (like B) while others do not (like C).
B     I saw a fish-portal all on fire
    I saw a fish-pond all on fire,
      I saw a house bow to a squire,
        I saw a person twelve-feet high,
        I saw a cottage in the sky,
        I saw a balloon made of lead,
        I saw a coffin⁴ drop down dead,
        I saw two sparrows run a race,
        I saw two horses making lace,
        I saw g girl just like a cat,
        I saw a kitten wear a hat,
        I saw a man who saw these too,
       And said though strange they all were true.
C    Our first football match
       We would have won ...
        if Jack⁵ had scored that goal,
        if we'd had just a few more minutes,
        if we had trained harder,
        if Ben had passed the ball to Joe,
        if we'd had thousands of fans screaming,
        if I hadn't taken my eye off the ball,
        if we hadn't stayed up so late the night before,
        if we hadn't taken it easy,
        if we hadn't run out of energy.
       We would have won ...
        if we'd been better!
       Another simple form of poem that students can easily write is the cinquain, a poem made up of five lines. With these, students can convey a strong picture in just a few words. Look at the examples (D and E) on the top of the next page.
D    Brother Beautiful, athletic⁶ Teasing, shouting, laughing Friend and enemy too Mine
E     Summer Sleepy, salty Drying, drooping⁷, dreading⁸ Week in, week out Endless
F     A fallen blossom Is coming back to the branch. Look, a butterfly!
        ( by Moritake)
G    Snow having melted, The whole village is brimful Of happy children.
                                                                                              (by Issa)
       Haiku is a Japanese form of poetry that is made up of 17 syllables⁹. It is not a traditional form of English poetry, but is very popular with English writers. It is easy to write and, like the cinquain , can give a clear picture and create a special feeling using the minimum of words. The two haiku poems (F and G) above are translations from the Japanese.                       
H     Where she awaits her husband On and on the river flows. Never looking back,Transformed into stone.Day by day upon the mountain top,wind and rain revolve¹⁰.Should the traveller return,this stone would utter speech.,
                                                                                    (by Wang Jian)
        Did you know that English speakers also enjoy other forms of Asian poetry - Tang poems from China in particular? A lot of Tang poetry has been translated into English. This Tang poem (H) is a translation from the Chinese.                
        With so many different forms of poetry to choose from, students may eventually want to write poems of their own. It is easier than you might think and certainly worth a try!

1 contradictory   

adj.反驳的，反对的，抗辩的；n.正反对，矛盾对立

参考例句：

• The argument is internally contradictory.论据本身自相矛盾。
• What he said was self-contradictory.他讲话前后不符。

2 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

3 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

4 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

5 jack   

n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克

参考例句：

• I am looking for the headphone jack.我正在找寻头戴式耳机插孔。
• He lifted the car with a jack to change the flat tyre.他用千斤顶把车顶起来换下瘪轮胎。

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 drooping   

adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词

参考例句：

• The drooping willows are waving gently in the morning breeze. 晨风中垂柳袅袅。
• The branches of the drooping willows were swaying lightly. 垂柳轻飘飘地摆动。

8 dreading   

v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• She was dreading having to broach the subject of money to her father. 她正在为不得不向父亲提出钱的事犯愁。
• This was the moment he had been dreading. 这是他一直最担心的时刻。

9 syllables   

n.音节( syllable的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a word with two syllables 双音节单词
• 'No. But I'll swear it was a name of two syllables.' “想不起。不过我可以发誓，它有两个音节。” 来自英汉文学 - 双城记

10 revolve   

vi.(使)旋转；循环出现

参考例句：

• The planets revolve around the sun.行星绕着太阳运转。
• The wheels began to revolve slowly.车轮开始慢慢转动。