内容简介
ABaysWill(1913)andNorthofBoston(1914)markedthedebutofRobertFrostasamajortalent.FourofhisvolumeswonthePulitzerPrizebeforehisdeathin1963,andhisbodyofworkhassincebecomeanintegralpartoftheAmericannationalheritage.AnnotationRobertFrost,oneofAmerica'sforemostpoetsandwinnerofthreePulitzerprizes,clearlyestablishedhimselfastheauthenticNewEnglandpoeticvoicewithhisfirsttwocollections,ABoy'sWillandNorthofBoston.Hereistheonlyeditionofthesetwoclassicspresentedintheiroriginalversions.1912年，弗罗斯特带领全家迁居英国，伦敦一家出版公司立即接受他的抒情诗集，1913年以《少年的意志》（ABoy'sWill）为题出版。接着，他的叙事诗集《波士顿以北》（NorthOfBoston）又在1914年出版。英国评论家的热情赞扬引起美国出版界的重视，三家美国出版公司立即向他约稿。
作者简介
RobertFrostwasborninSanFrancisco,California.HisfatherWilliamPrescottFrostJr.,ajournalistandanardentDemocrat,diedoftuberculosiswhenFrostwasaboutelevenyearsold.Tosupportherfamily,Frost'sScottishmother,theformerIsabelleMoody,resumedhercareerasaschoolteacher.TheymovedtoLawrence,Massachusetts,whereFrost'spaternalgrandfather,WilliamPrescottFrost,gavehisgrandsonagoodschooling.Belle,asFrost'smotherwascalled,wasacultured,intelligentwoman,butknownasapoorteacher,whocouldnotcontroltheclass.AftergraduatingfromLawrenceHighSchoolin1892,FrostattendedDartmouthCollegeforafewmonths.Mostprobablyhewasexpelledafterparticipatinginasadisticprank.OverthenexttenyearsFrostheldanumberofjobs,heworkedinatextilemillandonafarm,andtaughtLatinathismother'sschoolinMethuen,Massachusetts.OnNovember8,1894,theNewYorknewspaperIndependentpublishedFrost'spoem'MyButterfly',earninghim$15.Hehaditprivatelyprintedwithfourotherpoems,inaneditionoftwocopies.WhileworkingasateacherFrostcontinuedtowriteandpublishhispoemsinmagazines.In1895hemarriedaformerschoolmatefromLawrence,ElinorMiriamWhite;theyhadsixchildren.ASwedenborgianministerconductedthewedding.In1894,whenFrosthadtriedtopersuadeElinortomarryhim,andgavehertheothercopyoftheTwilight,shehadrejectedhim.Frostdestroyedhisowncopyandhalf-heartedlytriedtocommitsuicideintheDismalSwamp.Frostwasadmittedasaspecialstudentin1897toHarvard,wherehestudiedLatinandGreek,andphilosophyunderGeorgeSantayana.In1900hemovedtoDerry,NewHampshire,workingthereasacobbler,farmer,andteacheratPinkertonAcademy-heheldthepostforfiveyears-andthenatthestatenormalschoolinPlymouth.BythattimeFrosthadalreadygivenupfarming.WhenhesenthispoemstoTheAtlanticMonthlytheywerereturnedwiththisnote:"WeregretthatTheAtlantichasnoplaceforyourvigorousverse."AtDerry,thechildredhadlivedanisolatedlife;Frost,whowasaconscientiousfather,dominatedthefamily,mentallyandbyhisphysicalappearance.Hewasbroad-shoulderedandathletic,aboutfivefeet,nineinchestall,hishandwerelargeandstrong,eyeswerebrightblue,butcolorblind."Wehadnoplaymatesamongneighborchildren,"recalledherdaughterLesley."Wewerealittlescaredallthetime."Rememberinghowhisfatherhadpunishedhim,Frostneverwhippedthechildren.Frost'sgrandfatherdiedin1901andlefthimanestate,includingtheDerryfarm,anda$500annuity,whichallowedhimsufficientleisuretoreadingandwritingpoetryinbetweenfarming.In1912FrostsoldtheDerryfarmfor$1,900andtookhiswifeandfouryoungchildrentoEngland,settlingfirstinBeaconsfield,twentymilesnorthofLondon,andmovingthentoGloucestershire.Attheageof39,Frostpublishedhisfirstcollectionofpoems,ABOY'SWILL(1913),whichappearedinDavidNutt'sSeriesofModernPoets.ItwasfollowedbyNORTHOFBOSTON(1914),whichgainedinternationalreputationandisconsideredFrost'sgreatestbook.ThecollectioncontainssomeofFrost'sbest-knownpoems:'MendingWall,''TheDeathoftheHiredMan,''HomeBurial,''AServanttoServants,''AfterApple-Picking,'and'TheWood-Pile.'Thepoems,writtenwithblankverseorlooserfreeverseofdialogue,weredrawnfromhisownlife,recurrentlosses,everydaytasks,andhisloneliness."Thisisoneofthemostrevolutionarybooksofmoderntimes,"wrotetheBritishpoetandessayistEdwardThomas(1878-1917),Frost'sfriend,inhisreviewintheDailyNews,"butoneofthequietestandleastaggressive.Itspeaks,anditispoetry."WhileinEnglandFrostbecameacquaintedwiththegreatmodernistfromW.B.YeatstoFordMadoxFordandEzraPound,andtheGeorgianPoets,suchasEdwardThomas,WilfredGibsonandLascellesAbercrombie.AlthoughPound'sreviewsofABoy'sWillhadbeenpositive,Frostwasirritatedbyhispatronizingattitude,sayingthat"ItpleasedhimtotreatmealwaysasifImightbesomekindofpoetbutwasnotquitepresentable-atleastinLondon."In1915FrostreturnedtotheUSin1915withhisfamilyandboughtafarmnearFranconia,NewHampshire.WhentheeditorofTheAtlanticMonthlyaskedforpoems,hegavetheveryonesthathadpreviouslybeenrejected.FrosttaughtlateratAmherstCollege(1916-38)andMichiganuniversities.In1916hewasmadeamemberoftheNationalInstituteofArtsandLetters.Onthesameyearappearedhisthirdcollectionofverse,MOUNTAININTERVAL,whichcontainedsuchpoemsas'TheRoadNotTaken,''TheOvenBird,''Birches,'and'TheHillWife.'Frost'spoemsshowdeepappreciationofnaturalworldandsensibilityaboutthehumanaspirations.Hisimages-woods,stars,houses,brooks-areusuallytakenfromeverydaylife.Withhisdown-to-earthapproachtohissubjects,readersfounditiseasytofollowthepoetintodeepertruths,withoutbeingburdenedwithpedantry.OftenFrostusedtherhythmsandvocabularyofordinaryspeechoreventhelooserfreeverseofdialogue.In1920FrostpurchasedafarminSouthShaftsbury,Vermont,nearMiddleburyCollege,andin1939hepurchasedashissummerresidencetheHomerNoblefarm,inRipton.MostoftheyearFrostspentinCambridge.Hislastpermanenthomewasat35BrewsterStreet.FrosttaughtatAmherstCollege,theUniversityofMichigan,HarvardUniversity,andDartmouthCollege.Fornearlyfiftyyears,untiltwomonthsbeforehisdeath,Frostgavepoetryreadings.Theyexhaustedhimbothphysicallyandmentally,andwereasourceofmaritalconflicts,buthewasagreatperformedwhodrewalargeaudience.In1928,FrosttraveledtoEngland,havingawarmreunionwithhisoldfriends,andmeetingforthefirsttimeT.S.Eliot,"thebestofthewholegroupofobscurepoets,"ashelaterstated.Frostlostfourofhischildren.ElinorBettina,bornin1907,livedonlyashorttime.Elliott,thefirstchild,haddiedofcholerainfantumin1900.Crushedbytheloss,Elinor'srelationswithherhusbanddetoriorated.Shediedin1938.OnlyinafewpoemsFrostreferredtothepersonaltragediesofthefamily.Oneofthemis'HomeBurial,'whichheconsideredtoosadtobereadaloud.TwoofFrost'sdaughterssufferedmentalbreakdowns.Jeaniediedinanasylumin1929.Frost'ssonCarol,afrustratedpoetandfarmer,committedsuicidein1940withadeerhunterrifle.AlsoFrosthimselfsufferedfromdepressionandthecontinualself-doubtledhimtoclingtothedesiretobeawardedtheNobelPrizeforliterature.Hehadbeentoldin1950,thathewasamongcandidatesnominatedbytheSwedishcommittee.Afterthedeathofhiswife,FrostbecamestronglyattractedtoKathleen(Kay)Morrison,marriedtoTheodoreMorrison.Frostemployedherfrom1938ashissecretaryandadviser,butsheprobablybecamealsohislover.Frostalsocomposedforheroneofhisfinestlovepoems,'AWitnessTree.'TheonlysonoftheMorrisonswaskilledinacaraccidentin1955.DuringtheWWWII,FrostrefusedtohelptheAlliedwareffortbywritingpropaganda.Withhisfuturebiographer,LawranceThompson,Frosttravelledin1957toEngland,andtoIsraelandGreecein1961.However,hedidnotlikebeingabroad,sayingthatthe"onlycountryIcanhaveanyinterestinistheoneIhavelivedin."HeparticipatedintheinaugurationofPresidentJohnKennedyin1961byrecitingtwoofhispoems.Whenthesunandthewindpreventedhimfromreadinghisnewpoem,'ThePreface',Frostrecitedhisoldpoem,'TheGiftOutright,'frommemory.In1962FrosttravelledintheSovietUnionasamemberofagoodwillgroup.HehadalongtalkwithPremierNikitaKhrushchev,whomhedescribedadmiringlyas"nofathead";assmart,bigand"notacoward."FrostalsoreportedthatKhrushchevhadsaidtheUnitedStateswas"tooliberaltofight,"itcausedaconsiderablestirinWashington.AttheageofeightyFrostwenttoBrazil,meetingthereFaulkner,whowasdrunk.AmongthehonorsandrewardsFrostreceivedweretributesfromtheU.S.Senate(1950),theAmericanAcademyofPoets(1953),NewYorkUniversity(1956),theHuntingtonHartfordFoundation(1958),theCongressionalGoldMedal(1962),theEdwardMacDowellMedal(1962).In1930hewaselectedtotheAmericanAcademyofArtsandLetters,AmherstCollegeappointedhimSaimpsonLecturerforLife(1949),andin1958hewasmadepoetryconsultantfortheLibraryofCongress.AtthetimeofhisdeathonJanuary29,1963,FrostwasconsideredakindofunofficialpoetlaureateoftheUS."Iwouldhavewrittenofmeonmystone:Ihadalover'squarrelwiththeworld,"Frostoncesaid.Frostdepictedthefieldsandfarmsofhissurroundings,observingthedetailsofrurallife,whichhideuniversalmeaning.AMasqueofReason(1945)andAMasqueofMercy(1947),whichusedtheOldTestamentcharactersofJobandJonah,examinedthecomplexrelationshipbetweenmanandGod.However,Frostdevelopedasuspicionforreligiousmysticism.Hishalfhumorousviewoftheworldproducedsuchremarksas"Inevertakemysideinaquarrel",or"I'mneverseriousexceptwhenI'mfooling."Frost'sworksweregenerallypraised,butthelackofseriousnessconcerningsocialandeconomicproblemsofthe1930s,andhishostilitytowardthepoliciesoftheNewDeal,annoyedsomemoresociallyorientatedcritics."Politicalfreedomisnothingtome.Ibestowitrightandleft,"Froststatedin'TheFigureaPoemMakes,'firstpublishedin1939astheprefacetoaneditionofhisCollectedPoems.Laterbiographershavecreatedacomplexandcontradictoryportraitofthepoet.InLawranceThompson'sthree-volumeofficialbiography(1966-1976)Frostwaspresentedasamisanthrope,anti-intellectual,cruel,andangryman,butinJeffreyMeyers's(1996)andJayParini'swork(1999)hewasagainportrayedinamoresympatheticlight:''Hewasalonerwholikedcompany;apoetofisolationwhosoughtamassaudience;arebelwhosoughttofitin.Althoughafamilymantothecore,hefrequentlyfeltalienatedfromhiswifeandchildrenandwithdrewintoreveries.Whilepreferringtostayathome,hetraveledmorethananypoetofhisgenerationtogivelecturesandreadings,eventhoughheremainedterrifiedofpublicspeakingtotheend..."Frost'spersonalnotebooks,characterizedashis"intellectualautobiography,"werepublishedin2007.Becausethehandwritingofthepoetwasdifficulttoread-thenotebookswerewrittenforhisownpersonaluse-adisputesoonaroseovertheexactwording.罗伯特·弗洛斯特RobertFrost(1874-1963)，是美国二十世纪著名的田园诗人，也是20世纪美国诗坛拥有读者群最庞大、影响力最持久的杰出诗人。他在哈佛大学只读了两年书，之后当过工人、教员，也经营过农场，后来一面徒步漫游一面写诗，被称为“新英格兰的农民诗人”。主要作品有《波士顿以北》《西流的溪水》《更广阔的范围》等，曾四次获普利策奖。他是美国近代最负盛名的诗人，擅长通过对自然景物和乡间生活的精确描绘，表现出新的思想和境界。罗伯特·弗洛斯特也被称为“交替性的诗人”，意指他处在传统诗歌和现代派是个交替的一个时期。所以又被认为与艾略特同为美国现代诗歌的两大中心。弗洛斯特的著名诗集还有《山间》（1916），《新罕布什尔》（1923），《西去的溪流》（1928），《又一片牧场》（1936）等。1949年出版了《诗歌全集》，以后仍陆续有新作发表。
