——好玩儿的字母（M）
好久没玩儿字母了。五月将尽，我们就玩儿M，读几行May的诗句。我们的五月是春天的尾巴，时长时短——如这会儿雨蒙蒙的，鸟声还带着春味儿。在英国文学里，五月正是好春光。虽然莎翁在有名的Sonnet 18中把“你”比作summer，又说五月的“蛮风”（Rough winds），令人疑惑五月到底是春还是夏——真有人将summer译为春天的——但在很多诗人的笔下，五月还是春天。
湖畔浪漫大诗人Wordsworth有一首歌颂五月的诗（To May），诗句就跟诗人的心儿一样甜美：
Delicious odours! music sweet,
Too sweet to pass away!
Oh for a deathless song to meet
The soul's desire -- a lay
That, when a thousand years are told,
Should praise thee, genial Power!
Through summer heat, autumnal cold,
And winter's dreariest hour.
Genial power是有趣的感觉，把我们习惯的春风剪刀的力量抽象化了——诗歌当然也是可以抽象的——犹如Dryden说维纳斯是genial power of love。
W最后总结说，五月是幻想和希望的季节（Season of fancy and of hope），但也有节制，如抱着琵琶，让我们看见一半，还留一半让我们想象：
Season of fancyand of hope,
Permit not for onehour,
A blossom from thycrown to drop,
Nor add to it aflower!
Keep, lovely May, asif by touch
Ofself-restraining art,
This modest charm ofnot too much,
Part seen, imagined part!
关于节制，莎翁借丹麦王子的口说过一段很有名的台词，也正好用来解说五月的genial power：Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and (as I may say) whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness.
比W小十五岁的批评家诗人Leigh Hunt也写过一首To May，一开头就没有节制地把五月夸得像花儿一样：
MAY, thou month of rosy beauty,
Month,when pleasure is a duty;
Monthof maids that milk the kine,
Bosomrich, and breath divine;
Monthof bees, and month of flowers,
Monthof blossom-laden bowers;
Monthof little hands with daisies,
Lovers'love, and poets' praises;
Othou merry month complete,
May, thy very name is sweet!
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