阅读英国报刊时,常常会遇到一些不熟悉的典故,其中一个令我印象深刻的是“轻骑兵冲锋”(Charge of the Light Brigade),不仅在与战争相关的文章中经常出现,还看到在政治时事新闻中使用,甚至在看体育比赛报道时都会跳到人眼前。从字面上很难猜出这个典故的意思,过了很长一段时间,我才弄清楚这句话想表达什么,了解到其背后的故事来自克里米亚战争。
The Charge of the Light Brigade
克里米亚战争的深远影响
The Charge of the Light Brigade
上次提到 Alfred Tennyson 1854年创作的 The Charge of the Light Brigade 是所有 Poet Laureate 创作的诗中最受欢迎的一首。全文如下。在 Poetry Archive 中有 Alfred Tennyson 的朗诵录音。
The Charge of the Light Brigade
by Alfred Tennyson.
Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward,
All in the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
“Forward the Light Brigade!
Charge for the guns!” he said.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Forward, the Light Brigade!”
Was there a man dismay’d?
Not tho’ the soldier knew
Some one had blunder’d.
Theirs not to make reply,
Theirs not to reason why,
Theirs but to do and die.
Into the valley of Death
Rode the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
Boldly they rode and well,
Into the jaws of Death,
Into the mouth of hell
Rode the six hundred.
Flash’d all their sabres bare,
Flash’d as they turn’d in air
Sabring the gunners there,
Charging an army, while
All the world wonder’d.
Plunged in the battery-smoke
Right thro’ the line they broke;
Cossack and Russian
Reel’d from the sabre-stroke
Shatter’d and sunder’d.
Then they rode back, but not,
Not the six hundred.
Cannon to right of them,
Cannon to left of them,
Cannon behind them
Volley’d and thunder’d;
Storm’d at with shot and shell,
While horse and hero fell,
They that had fought so well
Came thro’ the jaws of Death,
Back from the mouth of hell,
All that was left of them,
Left of six hundred.
When can their glory fade?
O the wild charge they made!
All the world wonder’d.
Honor the charge they made!
Honor the Light Brigade,
Noble six hundred!