the language may seem strange.

當中的語言看起來可能很奇怪

But there is a secret to appreciating it.

但是有一個秘訣可以幫助你欣賞它

Although he was famous for his plays, Shakespeare was first and foremost a poet.

雖然莎士比亞以其劇作聞名，詩人才是他最初與最重要的身分

One of the most important things in Shakespeare's language

莎士比亞的語言中最顯著的特色之一

is his use of stress.

就是重音 (stress) 的使用

Not that kind of stress,

不是壓力 (stress)

but the way we emphasize certain syllables in words more than others.

這裡指的是在單字中強調某些音節勝過其他音節

We're so used to doing this that we may not notice it at first.

我們太習慣這件事了，以致於一開始可能沒有注意到

But if you say the word slowly, you can easily identify them.

但是如果你慢慢唸，很輕易就能發現這件事

Playwright, computer, telephone.

''Play'' wright, com ''pu'' ter, ''tel'' ephone

Poets are very aware of these stresses,

詩人對這些重音非常敏銳

having long experimented with the number

他們進行了長時間的實驗，將不同數量

and order of stressed and unstressed syllables,

與順序的重音及非重音音節排列組合

and combined them in different ways to create rhythm in their poems.

以各種方式將它們結合，創造出詩的韻律感

Like songwriters,

就像作曲家一樣

poets often express their ideas through a recognizable repetition of these rhythms

詩人經常透過這些易於辨認、重複的韻律

or poetic meter.

或詩的格律來表達他們的想法

And like music,

而就像音樂一樣

poetry has its own set of terms for describing this.

對於描述韻律，詩也有自己的一套術語

In a line of verse,

在一行詩句中

a foot is a certain number of stressed and unstressed syllables

1 個音步由數個重音及非重音音節組成

forming a distinct unit,

形成一個獨特的單元

just as a musical measure consists of a certain number of beats.

就像音樂中，1 小節是由數個不同節奏的拍子組成的

One line of verse is usually made up of several feet.

一行詩句通常包含了許多音步

For example, a dactyl is a metrical foot of three syllables

舉例來說，一個揚抑抑格是一個有韻律的音步，由 3 個音節組成

with the first stressed, and the second and third unstressed.

其中第一個音節為重音，第二和第三個音節為非重音

Dactyls can create lines that move swiftly and gather force,

揚抑抑格創造出讀起來滑順又強而有力的詩句

as in Robert Browning's poem, "The Lost Leader."

羅伯特·布朗寧的詩作《失落的領袖》就是使用這種音步

"Just for a handful of silver he left us. Just for a rib and to stick in his coat."

「只為了盈把的銀錢他離開了我們。只為了一條帶子綴在他的衣裳。」

Another kind of foot is the two-syllable long trochee,

另外一種音步是由 2 個音節組成的揚抑格

a stressed syllable followed by an unstressed one.

第一個音節為重音，第二個音節為非重音

The trochees in these lines from Shakespeare's "Macbeth"

下面這句台詞出自莎士比亞的《馬克白》，揚抑格的使用

lend an ominous and spooky tone to the witches' chant.

充分表現了女巫吟唱時不吉利、陰森可怕的腔調

"Double, double, toil and trouble; fire burn and cauldron bubble."

「不禪辛勞不禪煩；釜中沸沫已成瀾。」

But with Shakespeare, it's all about the iamb.

然而，莎士比亞最著名的卻是抑揚格

This two-syllable foot is like a reverse trochee,

這種由 2 個音節組成的音步就像是顛倒的揚抑格

so the first syllable is unstressed and the second is stressed, as in,

也就是說，第一個音節為非重音、第二個音節為重音，就像在

"To be, or not to be."

"To be, or not to be." 這句當中的音步一樣

Shakespeare's favorite meter, in particular, was iambic pentameter,

莎士比亞特別喜愛的格律是五步抑揚格

where each line of verse is made up of five two-syllable iambs,

其中每行是由 5 組 2 個音節的抑揚格組成　

for a total of ten syllables.

總共 10 個音節

And it's used for many of Shakespeare's most famous lines:

很多莎士比亞最出名的詩句或台詞便是使用五步抑揚格

"Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?"

「我該把你比擬做夏天嗎？」

"Arise fair sun, and kill the envious moon."

「升起吧，美麗的太陽！殺死那善妒的月亮。」

Notice how the iambs cut across both punctuation and word separation.

注意抑揚格不受標點符號與單字的限制

Meter is all about sound, not spelling.

格律的重點在於聲音，而不是拼字

Iambic pentameter may sound technical,

五步抑揚格可能聽起來很學術性

but there's an easy way to remember what it means.

但是有個簡單的方法能讓你記住這個術語的意思

The word iamb is pronounced just like the phrase, "I am."

抑揚格 (iamb) 這個字讀起來跟 ''I am." 很像

Now, let's expand that to a sentence

現在，我們可以將這個短語延伸成一個句子

that just happens to be in iambic pentameter.

這個句子剛好符合五步抑揚格的格律

"I am a pirate with a wooden leg."

「我是一個有一條木腿的海盜。」

The pirate can only walk in iambs,

這個海盜只能以抑揚格的方式行走

a living reminder of Shakespeare's favorite meter.

這是個活生生的提醒，表現出了莎士比亞最喜愛的格律

Iambic pentameter is when he takes ten steps.

五步抑揚格就是當他走了 10 步的時候

Our pirate friend can even help us remember how to properly mark it

我們的海盜朋友甚至可以幫助我們記得如何適當地標記句子

if we image the footprints he leaves walking along a deserted island beach:

如果我們將他在無人島海灘留下的腳印這樣想像：

A curve for unstressed syllables, and a shoe outline for stressed ones.

曲線代表非重音音節，鞋印則代表重音音節

"If music be the food of love, play on."

「如果音樂是愛情的食糧，那麼請你繼續演奏下去。」

Of course, most lines of Shakespeare's plays

當然，莎士比亞劇作中大部分的台詞

are written in regular prose.

都是普通的散文

But if you read carefully,

但是如果仔細讀

you'll notice that Shakespeare's characters turn to poetry,

你就會發現莎士比亞劇作中的角色開始吟詩

and iambic pentameter in particular,

與朗讀五步抑揚格的許多原因

for many of the same reasons that we look to poetry in our own lives.

正和我們在自己生命中依賴詩的原因相同

Feeling passionate, introspective, or momentous.

表達熱烈的感受、自我反思或呈現重要時刻

Whether it's Hamlet pondering his existence,

不論是哈姆雷特在深思他的存在

or Romeo professing his love,

或羅密歐公開宣示他的愛

the characters switch to iambic pentameter when speaking about their emotions

這些角色轉而使用五步抑揚格 來表達他們的情感

and their place in the world.

和自己在世界上的位置

Which leaves just one last question.

這樣就只剩下最後一個問題

Why did Shakespeare choose iambic pentameter for these moments,

為什麼莎士比亞選擇在這些時刻使用五步抑揚格

rather than, say, trochaic hexameter or dactylic tetrameter?

而不是，比方說，六步揚抑格或四步揚抑抑格？

It's been said that iambic pentameter was easy for his actors to memorize

有人說是因為五步抑揚格 對他的演員來說很容易記住

and for the audience to understand

對觀眾來說很容易理解

because it's naturally suited to the English language.

因為這個格律很自然地適合英文

But there might be another reason.

不過可能還有另一個原因

The next time you're in a heightened emotional situation,

下一次當你情緒高昂的時候

like the ones that make Shakespeare's characters burst into verse,

就像莎士比亞的角色們突然開始吟詩的那些時刻

put your hand over the left side of your chest.

將你的手放在胸口左邊

What do you feel?

你感受到什麼？

That's your heart beating in iambs.

那是你的心臟以抑揚格的韻律跳動著

Da duhm, da duhm, da duhm, da duhm, da duhm.

Shakespeare's most poetic lines don't just talk about matters of the heart.

莎士比亞最富有詩意的詩句不只描述了角色內心的感受

They follow its rhythm.

它們還隨著角色的心一起跳動