兩種人生觀

摘 要：常言道，文如其人，作家常常在作品中抒發(fā)自己的人生觀。美國詩人文森特·默蕾和托馬斯·艾略特在他們兩首詩中抒發(fā)了各自的人生觀。二者在對待理想與現(xiàn)實(shí)、信仰的態(tài)度上有相似之處，而對于生死、人生的意義又有不同的看法。

關(guān)鍵詞：文森特·默蕾；托馬斯·艾略特；理想與現(xiàn)實(shí)；生與死

[中圖分類號]：I06 [文獻(xiàn)標(biāo)識碼]：A

[文章編號]：1002-2139(2012)-15-0307-01

Life is a puzzle which everyone tries to figure out in his or her own way. Thus， everyone has his or her unique philosophy of life. Literary works， such as “On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven” by Edna St. Vincent Millay and “The Journey of the Magi” by T. S. Eliot， often suggest the writers’ particular philosophies of life. Accordingly， this essay will focus on the similarities and differences of the philosophies of life implied in these two poems.

In regard to similarities， first of all， both works assume the seemingly eternal incompatibility between the ideal and reality in life. For instance， in the first poem， “On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven，” the ideal of “excellence and peace” in the “sweet sounds” clashes with the real world that teems with “the spiteful and the stingy and the rude”(Millay). Similarly， in the second poem， “The Journey of the Magi”， problems like harsh weather， “refractory” camels and hostile villages collide with what the Magi have expected (Eliot). Despite the frustrating conflict between the ideal and reality， the protagonists in both poems adhere to their beliefs. In the first poem， to fight against the overwhelmingly “spiteful” reality， the speaker builds up a “rampart” of music and would cling to her strong belief in the music’s “excellence and peace” until death Likewise， the magi hold to their belief in Christianity firmly however unfavorable the environment is. They never regret having made the journey.

As for differences， firstly， the philosophies of life expressed in the two poems differ in the interpretation of the relationship between life and death. In the first poem， life and death are interpreted physically and they are opposite. This can be shown clearly through the line “l(fā)et me live， / till Doom espy my towers and scatter them” (Millay). By contrast， birth and death are defined at the spiritual level in the second poem and “death” can go with “birth”. When the magi convert to Christianity， the “birth” of new spirits leads to the “death” of old spirits. In this way， birth and death， the two seemingly inconsistent things， take place simultaneously. Besides， the two poems also advocate two different views of the purpose of life. In the first poem， Millay indicates that the purpose of life is the “excellence and peace” embodied in the symphony (Millay). Undoubtedly， this is a secular perspective. Conversely， Eliot views the purpose of human life as being to devote oneself to God. The journey of the magi signifies human life. They take this journey to view Jesus’ birth in the same way that man seeks for religious belief as the sole purpose of life.

To conclude， the two poems imply the two poets’ philosophies of life. On the one hand， their philosophies of life are similar to each other in their assumption of the seemingly eternal conflict between ideal and reality， and attitude of sticking to one’s beliefs. On the other hand， their philosophies differ in the understanding of the relationship of life and death， and the purpose of life. Consequently， the different philosophies， reflected in the works， render each poem distinctive and thought-provoking for readers.

Works Cited:

[1]、Eliot， T. S. “The Journey of the Magi”. blight. com. n. p. n. d. Web. 5 July 2012.

< http://www.blight.com/～sparkle/poems/magi.html>

[2]、Millay， Vincent. “On Hearing a Symphony of Beethoven”. english-for-students.com. n. p. n. d. Web. 5 July 2012.