——好玩儿的字母（M）

好久没玩儿字母了。五月将尽，我们就玩儿M，读几行May的诗句。我们的五月是春天的尾巴，时长时短——如这会儿雨蒙蒙的，鸟声还带着春味儿。在英国文学里，五月正是好春光。虽然莎翁在有名的Sonnet 18中把“你”比作summer，又说五月的“蛮风”（Rough winds），令人疑惑五月到底是春还是夏——真有人将summer译为春天的——但在很多诗人的笔下，五月还是春天。

湖畔浪漫大诗人Wordsworth有一首歌颂五月的诗（To May），诗句就跟诗人的心儿一样甜美：

        Delicious odours! music sweet,

          Too sweet to pass away!                                  

        Oh for a deathless song to meet

          The soul's desire -- a lay

        That, when a thousand years are told,

          Should praise thee, genial Power!

        Through summer heat, autumnal cold,

          And winter's dreariest hour.

Genial power是有趣的感觉，把我们习惯的春风剪刀的力量抽象化了——诗歌当然也是可以抽象的——犹如Dryden说维纳斯是genial power of love。

W最后总结说，五月是幻想和希望的季节（Season of fancy and of hope），但也有节制，如抱着琵琶，让我们看见一半，还留一半让我们想象：

         Season of fancyand of hope,

           Permit not for onehour,                                

         A blossom from thycrown to drop,

           Nor add to it aflower!

         Keep, lovely May, asif by touch

           Ofself-restraining art,

         This modest charm ofnot too much,

          Part seen, imagined part!

关于节制，莎翁借丹麦王子的口说过一段很有名的台词，也正好用来解说五月的genial power：Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness.

比W小十五岁的批评家诗人Leigh Hunt也写过一首To May，一开头就没有节制地把五月夸得像花儿一样：

MAY, thou month of rosy beauty,

Month,when pleasure is a duty;

Monthof maids that milk the kine,

Bosomrich, and breath divine;

Monthof bees, and month of flowers,

Monthof blossom-laden bowers;

Monthof little hands with daisies,

Lovers'love, and poets' praises;

Othou merry month complete,

May, thy very name is sweet!