certain names like Homer,

有些名號，像是荷馬、

Shakespeare,

莎士比亞、

Milton,

彌爾頓、

and Whitman are instantly recognizable.

和惠特曼，大家一聽立刻就知道是誰

However, there's an early 20th century great French poet

但20世紀初期有一個偉大的法國詩人

whose name you may not know:

你可能不知道他的名字：

Guillaume Apollinaire.

紀堯姆·阿波利奈爾

He was a close friend and collaborator of artists

他有一些很親近的藝術家朋友兼合作夥伴

like Picasso, Rousseau,

像是畢卡索、盧梭、

and Chagall.

和夏卡爾

He coined the term surrealism,

他創造了「超現實主義」這個詞

and he was even suspected of stealing the Mona Lisa in 1911.

他還是《蒙娜麗莎》1911年遭竊事件的犯罪嫌疑人

During his short lifetime,

他在短暫的一生裡

he created poetry that combined text and image

創作了詩集，把文字和影像揉合在一起

in a way that seemingly predicted an artistic revolution to come.

這個創作方式，看似預測了即將到來的藝術革命

In the late 19th and early 20th century Paris,

在19世紀晚期和20世紀初期巴黎

the low-rent districts of Montmartre and Montparnasse

蒙馬特、蒙帕納斯的廉租地區 (註：免付稅金而物價低廉的巴黎郊區)

were home to every kind of starving artist.

聚集了各種貧困的藝術家

It was all they could afford.

他們只負擔得起這裡的生活

These painters, writers, and intellectuals, united

這些畫家、作家和知識份子聚集在一起

in their artistic passion and counterculture beliefs,

是因為懷抱著相同的藝術熱情，和反傳統文化信念

made up France's bohemian subculture.

因此形成法國波希米亞式放蕩不羈的次文化

And their works of art, literature, and intellect would shake up the world.

他們的藝術、文學作品和思想將顛覆整個世界

At the turn of the 20th century,

在20世紀開始一開始

within this dynamic scene, art critic, poet, and champion of the avant-garde,

活躍的時局之下，藝術評論、詩人，和前衛藝術運動的翹楚

Guillaume Apollinaire was a well-known fixture.

紀堯姆·阿波利奈爾是其中不可或缺的著名角色

As an art critic, Apollinaire explained

身為藝術評論家，阿波利奈爾向世界介紹了

the cubist and surrealist movements to the world,

立體派和超現實主義運動

and rose to the defense of many young artists

並挺身保護很多青年藝術家

in the face of what was often a xenophobic and narrow-minded public.

幫助他們面對排外、思想狹隘的大眾

As a poet, Apollinaire was passionate about all forms of art

身為詩人，阿波利奈爾熱衷各種藝術形式

and a connoisseur of medieval literature,

他也是鑒賞中世紀文學的行家

especially calligraphy and illuminated initials.

尤其是字體藝術和首字母裝飾藝術

As a visionary, Apollinaire saw a gap between two artistic institutions.

做為有遠見的夢想家，阿波利奈爾看到兩種藝術體系之間的鴻溝

On one side was the popular, highly lauded traditional art forms of the time.

一邊是受歡迎的、當時廣受好評傳統藝術形式

On the other, the forms of artistic expression made possible

另一邊是藝術表現形式的可能性

through surrealism, cubism,

包括超現實主義

and new inventions, like the cinema and the phonograph.

和創新發明，例如電影和留聲機

Within that divide,

處在分歧的兩者之間

through the creation of his most important contribution to poetry,

透過他對詩歌的重要貢獻

the calligram,

即「圖像詩」

Guillaume Apollinaire built a bridge.

紀堯姆·阿波利奈爾搭起兩者之間的橋梁

Apollinaire created the calligram as a poem picture,

阿波利奈爾創造圖像詩，也就是詩的形象描繪、

a written portrait,

一幅書寫而成的畫像、

a thoughts drawing,

思想的素描稿

and he used it to express his modernism

他用圖像詩表達自己的現代思想

and his desire to push poetry beyond the normal bounds of text and verse

他希望詩歌能超越原有的文字、詩韻規範

and into the 20th century.

再進入20世紀

Some of his calligrams are funny,

他做的圖像詩有些非常好玩

like the "Lettre-Océan."

像是《文字海洋》(註：法文)

Some of them are dedicated to his young dead friends,

有些獻給他幾個早逝的朋友

like "La Colombe Poignardée et le jet d'eau."

像是《被刺傷的鴿子與噴泉》

Some of them are the expression of an emotional moment,

有些詩，則用來表達感性時刻

as is "Il Pleut":

例如《下雨》這首詩：

"It's raining women's voices as if they had died even in memory,

「女子的聲音如雨下，彷彿在記憶中她們也已死去

and it's raining you as well, Marvellous encounters of my life,

而你也如雨下，我生命中的奇遇，

o little drops.

啊，那些點點滴滴

Those rearing clouds begin to neigh a whole universe of auricular cities.

揚起的雲開始瀟瀟作響，整座城市在我耳邊

Listen if it rains while regret and disdain weep to an ancient music.

你聽，是否下雨了，當遺憾和高傲把淚流成一首古調

Listen to the bonds fall off which hold you above and below."

聽那墜落的聲音，將你繫在上與下之間」

Each calligram is intended to allow readers to unchain themselves

每首圖像詩都有意要讓讀者從

from the regular experience of poetry,

一般閱讀詩歌的經驗裡解脫

and feel and see something new.

並感受到、看到不同的東西

"Lettre-Océan" is first an image to be seen before even the words are read.

《文字海洋》這首詩是先看到圖像，才閱讀文字

Text-only elements combine with words in shapes and forms.

只有「文字」這個元素，組成這些形狀和排列

Two circular forms, one locked in a square,

有兩個圓形，一個放在方形裡

the other, morph beyond the page in the shape of a spiral.

另一個以螺旋形旋轉開散

Together they create a picture that hints towards cubism.

兩者創造出一個畫面，透露了立體派的線索

Then on closer reading of the text,

那麼，再仔細地讀文字

the descriptive words within suggest

裡面的描述讓人想起

the image of an aerial view of the Eiffel Tower.

艾菲爾鐵塔的空照畫面

They give tribute to electromagnetic waves of the telegraph,

是在向電報的電磁波致敬

a new form of communication at the time.

電報在當時是一種新的通訊工具

Undoubtedly, the deeply layered artistic expressions in Apollinaire's calligrams

毫無疑問的，阿波利奈爾的圖像詩裡，深刻且多層次的藝術表現

are not just a brilliant display of poetic prowess from a master of the form.

不只展現這位表現形式大師，在詩的造詣上多麼才華橫溢

Each calligram itself is also a snapshot in time,

每首圖像詩都是當時的縮影

encapsulating the passion, the excitement,

捕捉了巴黎所有波希米亞式的藝術家的熱情、興奮

and the anticipation of all the bohemian artists of Paris,

和期待的情感

including Apollinaire, most of whom are well ahead of their time,

其中也包括這群藝術家當中，走在時代最前面的阿波利奈爾

and with their innovative work,

以及他們的創新作品

eagerly grasping for the future.

積極地掌握著未來