The Voyage of Life

发表于: 2008-5-28 16:00 作者: 天心月圆来源: 『原版英语』

The Voyage of Life是托马斯科尔画的一组宗教画，共四幅，采用象征隐喻的手法，通过一个旅行者一生中的水上之行，细腻又深刻地展现了一段生命的朝圣之路。三年前看到时，就呆望了好久，不断地看看，仔细观察画中不同景物的变化与更迭，又会发现更多解读的可能性。

这是维基百科的介绍：

The Voyage of Life series, painted by Thomas Cole in 1840, is a series of paintings that represent an allegory of the four stages of human life: childhood, youth, manhood, and old age. The paintings follow a voyager who travels in a boat on a river through the mid-1800s American wilderness. In each painting, accompanied by a guardian angel, the voyager rides the boat on the River of Life. The landscape, corresponding to the seasons of the year, plays a major role in telling the story. In each picture, the boat's direction of travel is reversed from the previous picture. In childhood, the infant glides from a dark cave into a rich, green landscape. As a youth, the boy takes control of the boat and aims for a shining castle in the sky. In manhood, the adult relies on prayer and religious faith to sustain him through rough waters and a threatening landscape. Finally, the man becomes old and the angel guides him to heaven across the waters of eternity

Childhood:

In the first painting, Childhood, all the important story elements of the series are introduced: the voyager, the angel, the river, and the expressive landscape. An infant is safely ensconced in a boat guided by an angel. The landscape is lush; everything is calm and basking in warm sunshine, reflecting the innocence and joy of childhood. The boat glides out of a dark, craggy cave which Cole himself described as "emblematic of our earthly origin, and the mysterious Past."^[1] The river is smooth and narrow, symbolizing the sheltered experience of childhood. The figurehead on the prow holds an hourglass representing time.

[ 本帖最后由天心月圆于 2008-5-28 16:29 编辑 ]

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予玟 (2008-5-28 16:14:14)

Youth:

The second painting, Youth, shows the same rich, green landscape, but here the view widens as does the voyager's experience. Now the youth grabs the tiller firmly as the angel watches and waves from the shore, allowing him to take control. The boy's enthusiasm and energy is evident in his forward-thrusting pose and billowing clothes. In the distance, a ghostly castle hovers in the sky, a white and shimmering beacon that represents the ambitions and dreams of man.

To the youth, the calm river seems to lead straight to the castle, but at the far right of the painting one can just glimpse the river as it becomes rough, choppy, and full of rocks. Cole comments on the landscape and the youth's ambitions: "The scenery of the picture--its clear stream, its lofty trees, its towering mountains, its unbounded distance, and transparent atmosphere--figure forth the romantic beauty of youthful imaginings, when the mind elevates the Mean and Common into the Magnificent, before experience teaches what is the Real."

1Youth.jpg
予玟 (2008-5-28 16:16:39)

Manhood: In the next painting, Manhood, the youth has grown into an adult and now faces the trials of life. The boat is damaged and the tiller is gone. The river has become a terrible rush of white water with menacing rocks, dangerous whirlpools, and surging currents. The warm sunlight of youth has been clouded over with dark and stormy skies and torrential rains. The trees have become wind-beaten, gnarled, leafless trunks. The fresh grass is gone, replaced by hard and unforgiving rock. In the boat, the man no longer displays confidence or even control. The angel appears high in the sky, still watching over the man, who does not see the angel. Man must rely on his faith that the angel is there to help him. Cole states, "Trouble is characteristic of the period of Manhood. In childhood, there is no carking care: in youth, no despairing thought. It is only when experience has taught us the realities of the world, that we lift from our eyes the golden veil of early life; that we feel deep and abiding sorrow: and in the Picture, the gloomy, eclipse-like tone, the conflicting elements, the trees riven by tempest, are the allegory; and the Ocean, dimly seen, figures the end of life, which the Voyager is now approaching."

1Manhood.jpg
予玟 (2008-5-28 16:25:48)

Old age:

The final painting, Old Age, is an image of death. The man has grown old; he has survived the trials of life. The waters have calmed; the river flows into the waters of eternity. The figurehead and hourglass are missing from the battered boat; the withered old voyager has reached the end of earthly time. In the distance, angels are descending from heaven, while the guardian angel hovers close, gesturing toward the others. The man is once again joyous with the knowledge that faith has sustained him through life. The landscape is practically gone, just a few rough rocks represent the edge of the earthly world, and dark water stretches onward. Cole describes the scene: "The chains of corporeal existence are falling away; and already the mind has glimpses of Immortal Life."

This painting was used as the cover of the album Nightfall by Swedish doom metal band Candlemass.

1Old Age.jpg
wwlcj1982 (2008-5-28 17:06:19)

这些畫让我想起了丁尼生写的一首诗，从网上搜了一下：

越过海滩

太阳沉没，晚星闪烁，
一个清晰的呼声在召唤我！
愿海滩不要哀泣呜咽，
当我出海的时刻。

浑然流动的潮水似已睡去，
潮太满了．反而无声无息，
从无边的海洋里汲取的，
如今又复归去。

暮色茫茫，晚钟轻轻．
接着是黑暗降临！
但愿不要有诀别的悲痛
当我启航的时辰；

虽然潮水会把我带到无限遥远，
越出我们的时间、空间，
我希望见到领航人，面对着面，
当我越过了海滩。

（飞白译）

有的译者把海滩翻译成沙洲
予玟 (2008-5-28 17:21:56)

这首诗的原名是否叫做crossing the bar?是出自丁尼生的《国王歌集》吗？好美丽的翻译！一个叫傅浩的也译过，但比这逊色多了。这首诗歌，真的是这组画一个非常贴切的注脚，谢谢楼上的分享！
wwlcj1982 (2008-5-28 19:51:29)

QUOTE:
原帖由 天心月圆 于 2008-5-28 17:21 发表这首诗的原名是否叫做crossing the bar?是出自丁尼生的《国王歌集》吗？好美丽的翻译！一个叫傅浩的也译过，但比这逊色多了。这首诗歌，真的是这组画一个非常贴切的注脚，谢谢楼上的分享！ ...

应该是国王歌谣里的，我很早以前读过的，好像在《西方正典》还是一本诗歌合集里看过，记不清了。这首诗是丁尼生写的最后一首，也是他在人生终点内心的真实写照，把离世比喻成出海时的启航，这一意象表达出作者对死亡的释然、迎面直上毫无畏惧的心态。而诗中的领航人，恰是心目中的天使，引导作者进入永生之中。这首诗与楼主最后一幅图的意味正好合拍。
予玟 (2008-5-28 20:04:41)

QUOTE:
原帖由 wwlcj1982 于 2008-5-28 17:06 发表这些畫让我想起了丁尼生写的一首诗，从网上搜了一下：越过海滩太阳沉没，晚星闪烁，一个清晰的呼声在召唤我！愿海滩不要哀泣呜咽，当我出海的时刻。浑然流动的潮水似已睡去，潮太满了．反而无声无息，从无边的海洋里 ...

嗯，后来我也核实了一下，作于1889年，虽然不是丁尼生的绝笔，但在他的要求之下，总是被放在他所有诗集的最后。

通篇的象征手法，要表达自己对死亡的沉思和预期？

取于自然的意象，巧妙地排列成一幅真实可感的航海图景，跟这组画的第一张和最后一张的意境很像，背后却蕴藏着真实的寓意。说的是诗人把死亡视为一种旅行，一种回归，一种从一个世界到另一个世界的过程吗？因此可以不必忧怀，不必伤悲？

至于最后一节里提到的希望，是指他希望离开尘世之后，或许能亲眼见到上帝----那个灵魂的导航者吧。如果这样看来，诗人对于死亡的态度倒是很平和很达观的。
wwlcj1982 (2008-5-28 20:21:25)

你的解释应该更加合理一些。突然想起来了，好像是一本叫做什么必读多少多少诗的书里看到的，在国图借过的。说的就是这个意思。
2008guoguo (2008-5-30 12:59:53)

喜欢这样的画，希望楼主多介绍些。
bingchong (2008-5-30 15:54:01)

喜欢这样的画，喜欢大家的介绍！！
littlebendan (2008-5-30 17:02:06)

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喜欢看到大家这样，积极，活跃！