My Last Duchess

    by Robert Browning

That's my last Duchess painted on the wall,
Looking as if she were alive. I call
That piece a wonder, now: Fr Pandolf's hands
Worked busily a day, and there she stands.
Will't please you sit and look at her? I said
''Fr Pandolf'' by design, for never read
Strangers like you that pictured countenance,
The depth and passion of its earnest glance,
But to myself they turned (since none puts by
The curtain I have drawn for you, but I)
And seemed as they would ask me, if they durst,
How such a glance came there; so, not the first
Are you to turn and ask thus. Sir, 'twas not
Her husband's presence only, called that spot
Of joy into the Duchess' cheek: perhaps
Fr Pandolf chanced to say" Her mantle laps
"Over my lady's wrist too much,'' or " Paint
"Must never hope to reproduce the faint
"Half-flush that dies along her throat:'' such stuff
Was courtesy, she thought, and cause enough
For calling up that spot of joy. She had
A heart---how shall I say?---too soon made glad,
Too easily impressed; she liked whate'er
She looked on, and her looks went everywhere.
Sir, 'twas all one! My favour at her breast,
The dropping of the daylight in the West,
The bough of cherries some officious fool
Broke in the orchard for her, the white mule
She rode with round the terrace---all and each
Would draw from her alike the approving speech,
Or blush, at least. She thanked men,---good! but thanked
Somehow---I know not how---as if she ranked
My gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name
With anybody's gift. Who'd stoop to blame
This sort of trifling? Even had you skill
In speech---(which I have not)---to make your will
Quite clear to such an one, and say, " Just this
"Or that in you disgusts me; here you miss,
"Or there exceed the mark''---and if she let
Herself be lessoned so, nor plainly set
Her wits to yours, forsooth, and made excuse,
---E'en then would be some stooping; and I choose
Never to stoop. Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene'er I passed her; but who passed without
Much the same smile? This grew; I gave commands;
Then all smiles stopped together. There she stands
As if alive. Will't please you rise? We'll meet
The company below, then. I repeat,
The Count your master's known munificence
Is ample warrant that no just pretence
Of mine for dowry will be disallowed;
Though his fair daughter's self, as I avowed
At starting, is my object. Nay, we'll go
Together down, sir. Notice Neptune, though,
Taming a sea-horse, thought a rarity,
Which Claus of Innsbruck cast in bronze for me!

我的前公爵夫人

    羅伯特?勃朗寧

墻上的這幅面是我的前公爵夫人，
看起來就像她活著一樣。如今，
我稱它為奇跡：潘道夫師的手筆
經一日忙碌，從此她就在此站立。
你愿坐下看看她嗎？我有意提起
潘道夫，因為外來的生客（例如你）
凡是見了畫中描繪的面容、
那真摯的眼神的深邃和熱情，
沒有一個不轉向我（因為除我外
再沒有別人把畫上的簾幕拉開），
似乎想問我可是又不大敢問；
是從哪兒來的——這樣的眼神？
你并非第一個人回頭這樣問我。
先生，不僅僅是她丈夫的在座
使公爵夫人面帶歡容，可能
潘道夫偶然說過：“夫人的披風
蓋住她的手腕太多，”或者說：
“隱約的紅暈向頸部漸漸隱沒，
這絕非任何顏料所能復制。”
這種無聊話，卻被她當成好意，
也足以喚起她的歡心。她那顆心——
怎么說好呢？——要取悅容易得很，
也太易感動。她看到什么都喜歡，
而她的目光又偏愛到處觀看。
先生，她對什么都一樣！她胸口上
佩戴的我的贈品，或落日的余光；
過分殷勤的傻子在園中攀折
給她的一枝櫻桃，或她騎著
繞行花圃的白騾——所有這一切
都會使她同樣地贊羨不絕，
或至少泛起紅暈。她感激人．好的！
但她的感激（我說不上怎么搞的）
仿佛把我賜她的九百年的門第
與任何人的贈品并列。誰愿意
屈尊去譴責這種輕浮舉止？即使
你有口才（我卻沒有）能把你的意志
給這樣的人兒充分說明：“你這點
或那點令我討厭。這兒你差得遠，
而那兒你超越了界限。”即使她肯聽
你這樣訓誡她而毫不爭論，
毫不為自己辯解，——我也覺得
這會有失身份，所以我選擇
絕不屈尊。哦，先生，她總是在微笑，
每逢我走過；但是誰人走過得不到
同樣慷慨的微笑？發展至此，
我下了令：于是一切微笑都從此制止。
她站在那兒，像活著一樣。請你起身
客人們在樓下等。我再重復一聲：
你的主人——伯爵先生聞名的大方
足以充分保證：我對嫁妝
提出任何合理要求都不會遭拒絕；
當然．如我開頭聲明的，他美貌的小姐
才是我追求的目標。別客氣，讓咱們
一同下樓吧。但請看這海神尼普頓
在馴服海馬，這是件珍貴的收藏，
是克勞斯為我特制的青銅鑄像。

  這首詩是根據文藝復興時期意大利的費拉拉公爵阿方索二世的一個真實故事創作的。詩中的敘述者是公爵，公爵夫人剛剛去世，隨即有人上門提親，媒人到來時，公爵帶媒人參觀自己的藝術收藏品，全詩即是此時公爵對媒人說的一番自言自語。詩中透露出，公爵夫人之死與公爵有直接關系，但殺死自己的夫人在詩中卻成了公爵向別人炫耀的談資。
  這首詩采用戲劇獨白的形式。受其戲劇創作的影響，布朗寧善于在詩中運用“戲劇獨白”。“戲劇獨白”并非布朗寧首創，但“戲劇獨白”詩體卻是他對英國詩歌的一大貢獻。這首詩是布朗寧戲劇獨白詩體中很有代表性的一首，詩歌語言口語化，夾敘夾議，它利用戲劇反諷，通過公爵一個人自言自語的道白揭示其心理活動，入木三分地刻劃了公爵的兩面性：他表面上溫文爾雅、愛好藝術，實際上專橫霸道，冷酷自私。媒人來提親時，公爵故作風雅，帶人去欣賞藝術品，但卻借機對已故前妻大加貶斥，然而讀者從他的口中得到的卻是友善而又開朗的公爵夫人形象，他不能容忍夫人的天真活潑恰恰暴露了自己心胸狹窄的性格；他剛說完前妻之死便對新人提出了嫁妝要求，討價還價未畢卻又夸耀起自己的藝術藏品，使他的冷酷和虛偽暴露無遺。

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