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那不勒斯的墙

 
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这首诗的作者是Andrew Motion，他的创作灵感来自于一幅Thomas Jones的画，这幅画保存在伦敦的国家美术馆。在这首诗里，Motion表达了艺术创作具有的永恒价值。

Instructions & downloads

先做准备练习.然后在文本中阅读诗歌或故事（你也可以在阅读的同时收听音频）。之后到任务中做练习。

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Preparation

We suggest you do the vocabulary activity below before you read or listen. Then read and/or listen to the poem and do the task to check your comprehension.

Exercise

Text

A Wall in Naples

by Andrew Motion

I have forgotten whatever it was
I wanted to say. Also the way I wanted
to say it. Form and Music.

Perhaps it had something to do with - no,
that's not it. More likely, I should just
look at whatever there is

and fix myself to the earth. This wall,
I mean, which faces me over the street.
Smooth as a shaven chin

but pocked with the holes that scaffolders left
and flicked with an overflow-flag. Which still
leaves pigeon-shit, rain-streaks, washing -

or maybe the whole thing's really a board
where tiny singing meteors strike.
How can we tell what is true? I rest my case.

I rest my case and cannot imagine a hunger
greater than this. For marks.
For messages sent by hand. For signs of life.

 

Task


Complete the gaps with a word from the top to make a summary of the text.

Exercise

Discussion

In his introduction to the reading of the poem, Motion comments:

"It's a poem about a painting, not that you need to know it. I think this is a sort of polite form of revenge on Phillip Larkin, whom I greatly liked and wished no, had no revenging feelings about truly. But Larkin was very keen on the idea you should never write poems about other poems or other works of art, other paintings, and like you all I'm sure, I spend a lot of time looking at paintings, and want to write about them sometimes, so, anyway at last I've overcome my Larkin inspired inhibitions about this. In the National Gallery there is a wonderful small painting by the late 18th, early 19th century painter Thomas Jones whose large scale works are rather disappointing but whose small scale works are rather magical."

Is there a painting that could inspire you to write a poem? If yes, why don't you read through the following and see if this helps and send us what you write. Login and send us your own poems and stories or your opinions and comments below. We'll publish the best poems.

  • think about the feelings you had when you first saw the painting and write some words that describe to describe these feelings
  • imagine you were standing next to the painter when they were working on the painting, and describe what you see
  • now reflect on what's happened in your life when you first saw the painting and how your views have changed.

The rest is over to you, good luck!

Log in and send us your own texts or your opinions and comments below.

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