Types of Sonnet
• There are three dominant types of sonnet, all named after their founders or perfecters(完善者): Petrarchan sonnet, Spenserian sonnet and Shakespearean sonnet.
Conclusion (g ) 合
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Study Questions
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Why does the poet compare `thee` to a summer’s day? And who could `thee` be? What picture have you got of English summer, and could you explain why? How does the poet answer the question he puts forth in the first line? Whaቤተ መጻሕፍቲ ባይዱ makes the poet think that “thou” can be more fair than summer and immortal? What figures of speech are used in this poem? What is the theme of the poem?
• Paraphrase: If you are written in an eternal poem, you will become part of time, you will always be young or your youthfulness will be everlasting (will never disappear), and you will never lose your beauty, and even Death shall not boast that you are under his control.
Meter:
Shall I compare thee to a sum mer’s day ? Thou art more love ly and more tem perate. a b
Rough winds do shake the dar ling buds of may,
And sum mer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Appreciation
• Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? • Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
- a summer’s day: In England, summer is not hot but comfortably warm. It is the most pleasant season of the year. -temperate: gentle, soft, mild Paraphrase: How can I compare you to a summer’s day since you are lovelier and gentler than it?
Shakespearian Sonnet
• Also known as the English Sonnet, consists of three quatrains followed by a couplet. • The rhyme scheme is abab cdcd efef gg.
• A theme is developed & elaborated in the quatrains, & a concluding thought is presented in the couplet..
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b
Iambus（抑扬格） Iambic Foot（抑扬音步）
5-foot Iambus (Iambic Pentametre) （五步抑扬格）
Sonnet
18
a b a b c d c d e f e f g g
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of may, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date. Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines , By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d. But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as man can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, c And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; d Elucidation (承) And every fair from fair sometime declines , c By chance, or nature’s changing course, untrimm’d. d But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Nor shall Death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st. So long as man can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. e Transition f (转) e f
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, 但是你的长夏永远不会雕落， Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st, 也不会损失你这皎洁的红芳， Nor shall death brag thou wand'rest in his shade, 或死神夸口你在他影里漂泊， When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st, 当你在不朽的诗里与时同长。 So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, 只要一天有人类，或人有眼睛， So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. 这诗将长存，并且赐给你生命。
Modern English v.s. Middle English
• • • • you You (object form) your yours
• • • • thine thou Thee Thy
• Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, • And Summer’s lease hath all too short a date.
Sonnet 18 (1609)
Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? 我怎么能够把你来比作夏天？ Thou art more lovely and more temperate: 你不独比它可爱也比它温婉： Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, 狂风把五月宠爱的嫩蕊作践， And summer's lease hath all too short a date: 夏天出赁的期限又未免太短：
rough: violent; terrible darling: lovely; dear; charming lease: Here it is figuratively used, meaning “lifetime”. hath: old use for “has” date: period of time In fact, the violent winds do destroy the lovely buds of May, and summer lasts for only a very short period of time.
Sonnet 18
Definition of Sonnet
• A sonnet is a lyric invariably of fourteen lines, usually in iambic pentameter, restricted to a definite rhyme scheme.
• But thy eternal summer shall not fade, • Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, • Nor shall Death brag thou wand’rest in his shade, • When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st