讀英國詩學英文: The Owl and the Pussycat

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編輯/Lily

一聽到英文詩相信許多人都會覺得困難而不碰它,

今天Engvid的導師Gill要教我們一首簡單有趣的英國詩The Owl and the Pussycat,邊讀詩邊學單字及英國文化。

 

背景

The Owl and the Pussycat是英國詩人Edward Lear於1871年發表的一首nonsense poem 打油詩。此詩是做給朋友 John Addington Symonds的3歲女兒。

 

The Owl and the Pussycat

The Owl and the Pussy-cat went to sea

In a beautiful pea green boat,

They took some honey, and plenty of money,

Wrapped up in a five pound note.

The Owl looked up to the stars above,

And sang to a small guitar,

O lovely Pussy! O Pussy my love,

What a beautiful Pussy you are,

You are,

You are!

What a beautiful Pussy you are!

 

Pussy said to the Owl, “You elegant fowl!

How charmingly sweet you sing!

O let us be married! too long we have tarried:

But what shall we do for a ring?”

They sailed away, for a year and a day,

To the land where the Bong-Tree grows

And there in a wood a Piggy-wig stood

With a ring at the end of his nose,

His nose,

His nose,

With a ring at the end of his nose.

 

“Dear Pig, are you willing to sell for one shilling

Your ring?” Said the Piggy, “I will.”

So they took it away, and were married next day

By the Turkey who lives on the hill.

They dined on mince, and slices of quince,

Which they ate with a runcible spoon;

And hand in hand, on the edge of the sand,

They danced by the light of the moon,

The moon,

The moon,

They danced by the light of the moon.

單字

owl 貓頭鷹

Pussycat 小貓咪

pea-green 碗豆綠

Wrapped up 包住

five-pound note 五元大鈔

elegant 高雅

fowl 鳥

shilling 以前的錢幣

turkey 火雞

mince 碎肉

runcible spoon 三齒叉叉匙,湯匙與叉子結合的餐具

圖片來源: pixabay