第一篇
How to read a poem
（诗歌） is a （混合、结合） of “sound” and “sense”. More than any other type of （文学）, it （通常） （说明，表明） a deeper meaning beyond the words on the page. So,how to (揭示） this （隐藏的） （方面，维度）?
First, follow your ears. While you may ask “What does it mean?” as you begin reading a poem, it is better to ask “How does it sound?” （即使） its true meaning appears to be beyond your （理解）, you can always say something about how the poem sounds when you read it aloud.Do you（察觉；发现） a rhythm? Are there any （重复的） words, rhymes or other （特殊的，特别的）（效果）? All of these are good qualities（特色、特征） to （注意）, and they may lead you to a better understanding of the poem （最终）.Read these lines to feel how they sound.
Sweet and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low low, （呼吸） and blow.
Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and blow.
Blow him again to me;
While my little one, while my pretty one, sleeps.
(From "Sweet and Low"by Alfred Tenryson)
Second, （靠近；处理） the poem as if you were an（探险者） in an（不熟悉的）（风景）.Ask some（基本问题） about the poem.Who is talking? Who is being talked to?What is being（描述）? Is there a sense of place? Are there other people or（物体） there? As you（探索） the poem, you will begin to see（图像） in your mind.
What're those images, and what（发生） when they are（被放在一起）?
This combination is often（复杂的） or even（相互矛盾的，对立的）. As you slowly explore your（周围环境）, you will start to（挖掘）（线索） that give you a greater understanding of the poem. Read these lines, （注意） the image of the（被关在笼中的） bird and try to find out what it means.
The caged bird sings
with a fearful trill
of things unknown
but longed for still
and his tune is heard
on the（遥远的） hill
for the caged bird
sings of（自由）.
(From Caged Bird" by Maya Angelou)
Third, if you are still（艰难地进行，吃力地进行） to （解释，诠释） the meaning of a poem even with much （十分小心的，极其仔细的）（努力）, just have some（耐心）. You cannot really understand a poem that you have only read once. Sometimes reading a poem can be a （一生的） job. So if you do not get it, set the poem aside and come back to it later. As an explorer,you will not reach your （目标） （立即地）—you need to go on a journey to a（偏远的，偏僻的） and unknown（目的地）. This may seem difficult（起初）,but when you finally make your great（发现. n）,your（努力） will be（获得回报、奖励）. Poems that are easy to understand are often less（有趣的） than those that（不断地） reveal deeper and（先前地）（未被意识到的，被忽略的） meanings. Read these lines and try to （找出） what they mean.
Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
(From "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening"by Robert Frost)
Finally, remember that you do not have to fully understand a poem to （欣赏） it. You might need to（抛弃） （逻辑思考） to discover its true（内心的） beauty. （只要）the journey of poetry reading makes you feel something or lets you（注意到，意识到） another level of meaning, it will have been（值得） your effort.
Poetry's combination of “sound" and “sense” makes you see the world in a new way and allows you to go beyond（正常的，平常的） reality for the（永恒的） beauty. Enjoy your journey in the world of poetry!
