英文文学 第9章 歌谣

Song of the Sky Loom

Tewa部落歌曲

O our Mother the Earth, O our Father the sky,

Your children are we, and with tired backs

We bring you the gifts you love.

Then weave for us a garment of brightness;

May the warp be the white light of morning,

May the weft be the red light of the evening,

May the fringes be the falling rain,

May the border be the standing rainbow.

Thus weave for us a garment of brightness,

That we may walk fittingly where the birds sing,

That we may walk fittingly where the grass is green,

O our Mother the Earth, O our Father the sky.

解析：

这是一个美国印第安人部落的歌曲。其中用比喻把自然中的事件用纺织来表达。“用早晨的阳光组成白色的经纱，用红色的晚霞组成红色的纬线，边框有雨水组成，彩虹把这一切都包裹起来。”这是第五到第七行的大意。早晨的阳光和夜晚的晚霞是编织时的线条，它们一起纺织成了美丽的天空。这首歌谣其实也是再向天空和大地表示感谢，感谢它们组成了美丽的地球能够让人们生活。