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世界经典文学精选. 21
The Death of the Moth《飞蛾之死》
作者：Virginia Woolf 弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫
选自弗吉尼亚·伍尔夫《The Death of the Moth》
《飞蛾之死》——1942年出版
英文原文
Moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths;
they do not excite that pleasant sense of dark autumn nights
and ivy-blossom which the commonest yellow-underwing asleep
in the shadow of the curtain never fails to rouse in us.
They are hybrid creatures,
neither gay like butterflies nor sombre like their own species.
Nevertheless the present specimen,
with his narrow hay-coloured wings,
fringed with a tassel of soft brown,
seemed content with life.
He was a little orator and actor,
performing on the narrow strip of window.
One could not help watching him.
One was, indeed, conscious of a queer feeling of pity for him.
The possibilities of pleasure seemed that morning so enormous and so various,
that to have only a moth’s part in life,
and a day moth’s at that,
appeared a hard fate,
and his zest for his poor little opportunities,
pitiful.
Yet,
as I looked at him,
he seemed filled with energy.
He was trying to fly across the window pane.
He beat his wings again and again.
He strained and struggled.
There was no hope.
But he would not give up.
The struggle was useless.
I watched,
as if the tiny thread of life before me was the symbol of all life.
It was as if someone small but mighty was fighting against death itself.
Then the body relaxed.
The struggle ended.
The little creature lay still.
Death is stronger than I am,
and yet had taken a tiny opponent by force.
译文
白日里飞舞的飞蛾，并不能严格算作蛾类；
它们不会唤起那种，属于幽暗秋夜与常春藤花的美好感受，
那感受，是窗帘阴影下沉睡的普通黄底蛾总能带给我们的。
它们是混杂的生灵，
不像蝴蝶那般明艳，也不像同类那般阴郁。
但眼前这一只，
长着干草色窄小翅膀，
边缘缀着柔软棕褐色流苏，
却似乎对生命满心知足。
它像是小小的演说家与表演者，
在狭窄的窗沿之上舞动。
人忍不住去凝望它。
心中，竟生出一种奇异的怜悯。
那个清晨，世间欢愉的可能如此浩瀚、丰富，
而它，只拥有飞蛾短暂的一生，
尚且只是一只昼飞的蛾，
命运看似何其残酷，
而它，却对这卑微渺小的机会满怀热忱，
令人心生恻隐。
然而，
当我注视着它，
它浑身充满力量。
它奋力想要飞过玻璃窗。
它一遍又一遍扇动翅膀。
它绷紧身躯，拼命挣扎。
前路毫无希望。
可它不愿放弃。
这场挣扎，终究徒劳。
我静静看着，
仿佛眼前这纤细的生命丝线，便是世间一切生命的象征。
仿佛一个渺小却坚韧的生命，正在独自对抗死亡本身。
而后身躯松弛下来。
挣扎停止了。
这小小的生灵静静躺卧。
死亡比我更为强大，
它以蛮力，征服了这微小的对手。
🔍长难句赏析与拆解
原句：Moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths;
they do not excite that pleasant sense of dark autumn nights
and ivy-blossom which the commonest
yellow-underwing asleep in the shadow of the curtain never fails to rouse in us.
句式解读：
that引导定语从句修饰Moths；
which引导定语从句修饰先行词pleasant sense；
分词短语asleep in the shadow of the curtain作后置定语修饰yellow-underwing；
never fails to rouse为双重否定结构，表示总能唤起。
句子主干：
Day-flying moths cannot truly be called moths,
and they cannot bring us that pleasant feeling.
文学赏析：
开篇便区分昼飞飞蛾与普通夜蛾，
以秋夜、常春藤花营造朦胧诗意，
是伍尔夫标志性细腻的感官描写。
句子层层嵌套，缓缓铺陈内心感受，
为后文飞蛾的生命挣扎铺垫情绪底色。
写作迁移点拨：
适用于生命、微小事物的力量，生与死类议论文段落。
仿写：Flowers that bloom at night are not simply to be called flowers;
they awaken that quiet feeling of deep starry sky
and soft breeze which the ordinary
grass hidden in the dark corner never fails to stir in our heart.
原句：The possibilities of pleasure seemed that morning so enormous and so various,
that to have only a moth’s part in life,
and a day moth’s at that,
appeared a hard fate,
and his zest for his poor little opportunities,
pitiful.
句式解读：
本句使用so…that…结果状语从句结构；
to have only a moth’s part in life是不定式作主语；
and a day moth’s at that是省略式补充说明；
后半句and his zest…pitiful为并列省略句。
句子主干：
The world held so many joys,
yet the moth only got a short life.
文学赏析：
长句舒缓流动，
把宏大世间的欢愉，
和飞蛾短暂卑微的生命放在一起对比。
没有激烈呐喊，只有安静温柔的悲悯，
体现伍尔夫散文意识流的特点，
于微小生灵之中看见生命本身。
写作迁移点拨：
适用于生命价值、平凡与伟大主题升华句。
仿写：The chances of beauty seem in life so endless and diverse,
that to own only a quiet simple life
appears a plain fate,
and one’s passion for small moments,
precious.
📝全篇句式特点
本文选自伍尔夫经典散文《The Death of the Moth》，
是英国现代主义散文的经典之作。
文风细腻沉静，充满内省式思考，
大量使用定语从句、so…that…长句、省略结构，
语言优美克制，意象精微。
文章逻辑层层递进：
开篇区分昼飞蛾，描绘飞蛾在窗边灵动活动→
作者心生怜悯，感慨生命机遇的巨大差距→
描写飞蛾一次次奋力挣扎，冲击玻璃窗→
飞蛾力竭而亡，作者感悟生与死的命题→
结尾升华，死亡拥有强大力量，渺小生命的抗争震撼人心。
句式大量使用定语从句、
分词后置定语、so…that结果状语、省略句式；
长短句交替，以微小事物承载宏大哲思，
文字没有激烈情绪，以安静观察打动读者，
适合散文赏析，优美的哲理句子可以摘抄，
用于生命、平凡、抗争类英语作文。
核心词汇
1. moth
/mɒθ/
蛾，飞蛾
名词 (n.)
2. hybrid
/ˈhaɪbrɪd/
混合的，异类的
形容词 (adj.)
3. specimen
/ˈspesɪmən/
样本，实例，这里指这只飞蛾
名词 (n.)
4. fringe
/frɪndʒ/
镶边，饰以流苏
动词 (v.)
5. zest
/zest/
热忱，热情
名词 (n.)
6. strain
/streɪn/
竭力，紧绷
动词 (v.)
7. struggle
/ˈstrʌɡl/
挣扎，抗争
动词 (v.)
8. enormous
/ɪˈnɔːməs/
巨大的，庞大的
形容词 (adj.)
9. symbol
/ˈsɪmbl/
象征
名词 (n.)
10. opponent
/əˈpəʊnənt/
对手，抗衡者
名词 (n.)
💡主旨品读
《飞蛾之死》是伍尔夫最为著名的短篇哲理散文。
作者在窗边偶然观察一只小小的昼飞蛾，
记录它短暂生命里最后的奋力挣扎。
飞蛾渺小、生命短暂，
却拼尽全力想要冲破玻璃，飞向广阔天地。
作者静静旁观，由这微小生灵的抗争，
思考生命本能的力量，以及死亡不可抗拒的威严。
文章不是慷慨激昂的颂歌，
而是安静温柔的沉思。
微小生命依然拥有热烈求生的本能，
哪怕结局注定失败，抗争本身就拥有意义。
适合生命力量、平凡之物、生与死、坚持抗争等写作主题，
文字细腻优美，意象独特，适合摘抄进英语散文赏析作文。
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