Billy Collins
Tonight the moon is a cracker，
with a bite out of it
floating in the night.
and in a week or so
according to the calendar
it will probably look
like a silver football，
and nine，maybe ten days ago
it reminded me of a thin bright claw.
But eventually—
by the end of the month，
I reckon—
it will waste away
to nothing，
nothing but stars in the sky，
and I will have a few nights
to myself，
a little time to rest my jittery pen.
创 作
比利·科林斯
今晚的月亮是块
被咬掉一口的薄脆饼干
飘飘荡荡浮在夜天，
按照日历
约莫一周时间
它看似大概会
像个银色的足球，
而九天，或许十天之前
它使我想起一个薄明的蟹钳。
可渐渐地——
到这个月底
我推断——
它将消瘦至
身影全无
天上只留繁星点点，
而对我自己来说
会有几个夜晚
让我极度紧张的笔得以休闲。
背景知识
比利·科林斯（Billy Collins），纽约城市大学莱曼学院英语教授，2001美国桂冠诗人。在《纽约客》、《巴黎评论》、《美国诗歌评论》、《美国学者》等杂志发表过诗作。主要诗集有《有关天使的问题》、《溺水的艺术》等15本。现居纽约萨默斯。约翰·厄普代克称他的诗“可爱、清澈、柔和，一贯令人吃惊，比表面上更为严肃。”
单词注解
cracker [5krAkE] 薄脆饼干；饼干
float [flEut] 漂浮，浮动
calendar [5kAlindE] 日历；历书
jittery [5dVitEri] 【口】紧张不安的；神经过敏的
名句诵读
Tonight the moon is a cracker，with a bite out of it floating in the night.
But eventually—by the end of the month，I reckon—
第一章 Snow Adopted After the Tune of
Chin Yuan Chun
Mao Zedong
North country scene：
A hundred leagues locked in ice，
A thousand leagues of whirling snow.
Both sides of the Great Wall
One single white immensity.
The Yellow River’s swift current
Is stilled from end to end.
The mountains dance like silver snakes
And the highlands charge like wax-hued elephants，
Vying with heaven in stature.
On a fine day，the land，
Clad in white，adorned in red，
Grows more enchanting.
This land so rich in beauty
Has made countless heroes bow in homage.
But the monarches，such as
Qinshihuang and HanWudi
Were lacking in literary grace，
The emperors，like Tang Tai-tsung and Sung Tai-tsu
Had little poetry in their souls；
That proud son of Heaven Genghis Khan，
Knew only shooting eagles with bow outstretched
All those are past and gone!
For truly great men
Look to this age alone.
沁园春·雪
毛泽东
北国风光，
千里冰封，
万里雪飘。
望长城内外，
惟馀莽莽；
大河上下，
顿失滔滔。
山舞银蛇，
原驰蜡象，
欲与天公试比高。
须晴日，
看红妆素裹，
分外妖娆。
江山如此多娇，
引无数英雄竞折腰。
惜秦皇汉武，
略输文采；
唐宗宋祖，
稍逊风骚。
一代天骄，
成吉思汗，
只识弯弓射大雕。
俱往矣，
数风流人物，
还看今朝。
背景知识
毛泽东（1893-1976），字润之。中国共产党、中国人民解放军和中华人民共和国的主要缔造者和领导人、诗人、书法家。
这首词因雪而得、以雪冠名，却并非为雪所作，而是在借雪言志。它隐藏了太多的秘密，含着无尽的玄机。其中的每一句都意有所指，是诗人所思所想的真实流露，是诗人对许多重大问题给出的回答。其情感之真挚、寓意之深远、哲理之精辟，令人拍案叫绝。
单词注解
immensity [i5mEnsiti] 无限；广大；巨大
stature [5stAtFE] 高度
outstretch [aut5stretF] 伸出；扩展
名句诵读
North country scene：A hundred leagues locked in ice，A thousand leagues of whirling snow.
This land so rich in beauty Has made countless heroes bow in homage.
For truly great men Look to this age alone.