第221页 Ode on a Grecian Urn

stanza 1
Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
unravish'd: untouched  bride: maid
Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
foster: to take another person's child into your home for a period of time, without becoming his legal parent
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
sylvan: of the woods
A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunts about thy shape
fringe: to form a border around sth
Of deities or mortals, or of both,
deities: gods  mortals: men
In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
Tempe, Arcady: valleys in Greece  dale: valley
What men or gods are these? What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit? What struggle to escape?
What pipes and timbrels? What wild ecstasy?
pipe, timbrel: musical instruments


stanza 2
Heard are sweet melodies, but those unheard
are sweeter; therefore, ye soft pipe, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
sensual: physical  endear: to make sb popular
Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
ditty: a short simple song
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
Bold Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal -- yet, do not grieve;
She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!


stanza 3
Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
happy, happy boughs: personification
Your leaves, nor ever bid the Spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
melodist: a person who writes tunes
For ever piping songs for ever now;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
high ecstasy
For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
For ever panting, and for ever young;
pant: to breathe quickly with short breaths
All breathing human passion for above,
That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
cloy: (of sth pleasant/sweet) to start to become slightly disgusting/annoying, because there is too much of it
A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.
parch: to make an area of land very dry


stanza 4
Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
heifer: a young female cow, one that has not yet had a calf  low: moo
And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
flank: the side of an animal between the ribs and the hip  garland: a circle of flowers and leaves  drest: dressed
What little town by river or sea shore,
Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
citadel: a castle on high ground in/near a city where people could go when the city was  being attakced
Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
pious: 1. having/showing a deep respect for God and religion; 2. (disapproving) pretending to be religious, moral, or good in order to impress other people
the ambiguous meaning of 'pious' is important
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.


stanza 5
O Attic shape! Fair attitude! with brede
brede: 编带
Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
overwrought: very worried and upset; excited in a nervous way
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold pastoral!
When old age shalt this generation waste,
Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' -- that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.