爱伦·坡《哦，时代！哦，风尚！ 》

与爱默生、惠特曼等主流作家乐观自信、热情洋溢的格调不同，爱伦·坡通过展示死亡与丑恶来表现自己独特的浪漫主义灵感，以象征、隐喻的方式表达自己对世界、对人性的理解。他的恐怖小说常常置景于深渊、城堡、暗室、暴风雨或月光之下，人物备受孤独、死亡意识与精神反常的折磨，读起来令人毛骨悚然、不寒而栗，宛如噩梦一般。爱伦·坡文笔考究，运词精当，通过构思设计惊险奇绝的情节，在恐怖小说中向读者极力描绘了一个个常人难以想象的怪诞事件和恐怖场景，制造意境，渲染气氛，准确达到作品预期的艺术效果。

在建构幽默小说故事情节时，爱伦·坡明显吸纳了边疆幽默故事的叙述模式，有时让叙述者参与故事的发展，有时又让叙述者置身故事之外，总是穿梭在故事的内外，既能感受主人公的内心思想．又能用现实主义的白措手法对故事进行客观叙述，所不同的是，爱伦·坡的故事更加缜密，更加精致，更加注重效果的追求，手段更加多样丰富，显示出更强的文学性，从而大大提高了美国幽默文学的文学品味。幽默大师马克·吐温虽然批评过爱伦·坡，但其幽默小说的叙述模式与爱伦·坡的小说有着明显的相似性。

爱伦·坡的幽默小说里不乏滑稽幽默人物。对这些人物的原型加以考察便会发现．他们的塑造其实是爱伦·坡对许多熟知的人物独具匠心的滑稽戏仿。在对人物的戏仿过程中，爱伦·坡总是喜欢用反语和双关语，以此表达他对人物言行的讽刺；有时为了突出入物滑稽幽默的个性，爱伦·坡甚至会采用改写或者颠倒的方式来对语言进行加工。

I've been a thinking—isn't that the phrase?—

I like your Yankee words and Yankee ways—

I've been a thinking, whether it were best

To take things seriously, or all in jest;

Whether, with grim Heraclitus of yore,

To weep, as he did, till his eyes were sore;

Or rather laugh with him, that queer philosopher,

Democritus of Thrace, who used to toss over

The page of life and grin at the dog-ears,

As though he'd say, "Why, who the devil cares?"

This is a question which, oh heaven, withdraw

The luckless query from a member's claw!

Instead of two sides, Job has nearly eight,

Each fit to furnish forth four hours debate.

What shall be done? I'll lay it on the table,

And take the matter up when I'm more able;

And, in the meantime, to prevent all bother,

I'll neither laugh with one, nor cry with t'other,

Nor deal in flatt'ry or aspersions foul,

But, taking one by each hand, merely growl.

Ah, growl, say you, my friend, and pray at what?

Why, really, sir, I almost had forgot—

But, damn it, sir, I deem it a disgrace

That things should stare us boldly in the face,

And daily strut the street with bows and scrapes,

Who would be men by imitating apes.

I beg your pardon, reader, for the oath

The monkeys make me swear, though something loath;

I'm apt to be discursive in my style,

But pray be patient; yet a little while

Will change me, and as politicians do,

I'll mend my manners and my measures too.

Of all the cities—and I've seen no few;

For I have travelled, friend, as well as you—

I don't remember one, upon my soul,

But take it generally upon the whole,

(As Members say they like their logick taken,

Because divided, it may chance be shaken)

So pat, agreeable and vastly proper

As this for a neat, frisky counter-hopper;

Here he may revel to his heart's content,

Flounce like a fish in his own element,

Toss back his fine curls from their forehead fair,

And hop o'er counters with a Vester's air,

Complete at night what he began A.M.,

And having cheated ladies, dance with them;

For, at a ball, what fair one can escape

The pretty little hand that sold her tape,

Or who so cold, so callous to refuse

The youth who cut the ribbon for her shoes!

One of these fish, par excellence the beau—

God help me!—it has been my lot to know,

At least by sight, for I'm a timid man,

And always keep from laughing, if I can;

But speak to him, he'll make you such grimace,

Lord! to be grave exceeds the power of face.

The hearts of all the ladies are with him,

Their bright eyes on his Tom and Jerry brim

And dove-tailed coat, obtained at cost; while then

Those eyes won't turn on anything like men.

His very voice is musical delight,

His form, once seen, becomes a part of sight;

In short, his shirt collar, his look, his tone is

The "beau ideal" fancied for Adonis.

Philosophers have often held dispute

As to the seat of thought in man and brute;

For that the power of thought attends the latter

My friend, the beau, hath made a settled matter,

And spite of all dogmas, current in all ages,

One settled fact is better than ten sages.

For he does think, though I'm oft in doubt

If I can tell exactly what about.

Ah, yes! his little foot and ankle trim,

'Tis there the seat of reason lies in him,

A wise philosopher would shake his head,

He then, of course, must shake his foot instead.

At me, in vengeance, shall that foot be shaken—

Another proof of thought, I'm not mistaken—

Because to his cat's eyes I hold a glass,

And let him see himself, a proper ass!

I think he'll take this likeness to himself,

But if he won't, he shall, a stupid elf,

And, lest the guessing throw the fool in fits,

I close the portrait with the name of PITTS.

我是一种思想——这难道不是格言？——

我喜欢你的北方腔调和北方习惯——

我是一种思想，不管怎样做最好，

是严肃对待人生，还是把人生当玩笑；

是学赫拉克利特，那个严厉的老翁， 

像他一样哭泣，直哭得两眼红肿；

还是跟着他笑，那个奇怪的哲人，

色雷斯的德谟克利特，笑对人生，

他常翻开人生之书，对着折页发笑，

仿佛要说“干吗，究竟有谁会在乎？” 

哦，天啊，就是这一个问号，

把世人那个不幸的问题一笔勾销！

不是两问，约伯几乎有八问， 

每问都应该花上四小时来辩争。

那我该怎么办？先把问题搁一边，

待我有能力解答时再回过头来看；

而与此同时，我将避开一切烦扰，

既不跟着人哭，也不跟着人笑，

既不诬蔑诽谤，也不阿谀奉承，

而是一手拉一个，只是愤愤不平。

啊哈，我的朋友，你愤愤不平什么？

哟，真的，先生，我几乎已忘却——

可真该死，先生，我认为那真丢脸，

那些家伙竟厚颜无耻盯着咱们看，

终日在街头招摇，还不时点头哈腰，

那些家伙肯定是学人模样的活宝。

我请求读者原谅，原谅我出言不逊，

虽说不情愿，可那些猴子使我骂人；

我的作风很容易变得自由散漫，

但请稍安勿躁，只需一点点时间，

我就会像政客们一样摇身一变，

恢复我的风度举止和行为规范。

在所有的城市中——我见过不少人；

因为，朋友，我和你一样爱旅行——

可现在我脑海中一个也想不起，

不过干脆就把他们视为一个整体，

（就像有人喜欢他的逻辑保持囫囵，

因为一旦被分解，很可能一文不名）

如此恰当，如此相宜，如此方便，

把这整体比作一个精明活跃的老板， 

在这世上他沉迷于他心灵的满足，

活蹦欢跳如鱼得水，如渴者逢甘露，

从优雅的额前把美丽的卷发向后一甩，

纵身跳过柜台，以大老板的气派，

在夜间来完成他上午开始的任务，

骗一个个夫人小姐与他翩翩共舞；

因为在舞场上哪位淑女能逃走，

从那双卖给她火酒的漂亮小手；

或谁会那么无情，竟忍心推辞，

撕绶带为她系鞋的年轻绅士！

这些鱼中的一条，杰出的花花公子——

愿上帝助我——我注定与他相识，

至少见过他，因为我生性害臊，

只要能够忍住，我总是忍住不笑；

但对他说话，他会对你扮个鬼脸，

主啊！那鬼脸的魅力超过了庄严。

所有女人的芳心都跟着他转悠，

她们明亮的眼中也溢满他的甜酒，

还有他那身价格昂贵的燕尾服，

除此之外她们对谁都不屑一顾。

他那悦耳的声音像音乐一样动听，

他那我曾见过的身躯已成为一景；

他的衣领、容貌、风度，总而言之，

就像是阿多尼，理想中美的极致。 

哲学家们从来就争论不休，

何处是思想之寓所，于人于兽；

由于思想的力量伴随着后者，

我漂亮的朋友已把这问题解决，

虽说有无数定理世世代代流传，

但一个解决的问题胜过十个圣贤。

其次，休姆也强调意象描绘的精确性。他说，诗歌“最重要的目的在于正确的、精细的和明确的描写” 。为了达到意象的精确，休姆提出的基本方法是与日常语言作斗争。因为语言是公共的东西，而每个人的想法是不同的，用语言表达出来的往往是不够精确的，是向公共东西的妥协，诗人“为了清楚而精确地表达他所了解的，他必须与语言作一番可怕的斗争”，“只有通过脑力的集中努力”“才能把握住它”，使它成为精确描绘意象的工具，才能“画出他看到的任何东西……的精确的曲线”， 才能凭借诗的语言“在无限的细节和努力中始终坚持”这种“确切的曲线” 。休姆进一步提出，要克服日常语言的局限性，须运用新鲜的隐喻、幻想的手法。他说，未来诗歌中，幻想是意象派的“必要武器”，而“幻想不仅仅是加在平常语言上的装饰。平常的语言本质上是不精确的。只有通过新的隐喻，也就是说通过幻想，才能使它明确起来” 。之所以要用新的隐喻，乃“是因为旧的已不再能传达一种有形的东西，而已经变成抽象的号码了”，只有新的隐喻才能传达出“具体的意象”；而“在诗中，意象不仅仅是装饰，而是一种直觉的语言的本质本身”， 隐喻就是“直觉的语言”，它精确地描绘、传达出有形的意象。休姆对诗人讲，如果幻想、比喻或比拟、象征“对于要描绘出你所要表达的感觉或事物的确切的曲线是必要的时候”，也即对精确地描绘意象是必要的话，“在我看来你已获得了最高明的诗”。 在此，休姆对诗歌精确描绘意象的要求也与庞德如出一辙。

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