音乐剧《猫》的前身~~Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats《擅长装扮的老猫经》

悠悠

Eliot's famous collection of nonsense verse about cats-the inspiration for the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Cats.

Editorial Reviews From Library Journal This is an absolutely marvelous rendition of Eliot's poetic classic, written for his godchildren and friends in the 1930s, which inspired the Broadway musical Cats. The tales of Mr. Mistoffelees the trickmaster, old Deuteronomy, a laid-back cat, Rum Tum Tugger, a contrary cat, and Macavity, the famous master criminal, are dramatized by Richard Briers, Alan Cumming, Nigel Davenport, Andrew Sachs, and Juliet Stevenson. Unfortunately, some material is repeated on the cassette's second side. Moreover, it comes with another tape that consists of excerpts of forthcoming Penguin audiobooks. This edition seems targeted more toward consumers than libraries.?James Dudley, Copiague, N.Y. Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Review This is an absolutely marvelous rendition of Eliot's poetic classic, written for his godchildren and friends in the 1930s, which inspired the Broadway musical Cats. The tales of Mr. Mistoffelees the trickmaster, old Deuteronomy, a laid-back cat, Rum Tum Tugger, a contrary cat, and Macavity, the famous master criminal, are dramatized by Richard Briers, Alan Cumming, Nigel Davenport, Andrew Sachs, and Juliet Stevenson. Unfortunately, some material is repeated on the cassette's second side. Moreover, it comes with another tape that consists of excerpts of forthcoming Penguin audiobooks. This edition seems targeted more toward consumers than libraries.?James Dudley, Copiague, N.Y. (Library Journal)

从网上收集一些中文介绍： 　　T.S. 艾略特 通常被认为是20世纪英语国家最重要的诗人。30年代的时候，艾略特以笔名“老负鼠”写了一系列给儿孙的书信，里面包含了很多关于猫咪心理学和社会学的诗歌，可谓天马行空之作。这些诗歌最终编集成册，以《Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats（擅长装扮的老猫经）》一书出版。 　　《擅长装扮的老猫经》据说是百老汇音乐剧《猫》的灵感来源。 关于《擅长装扮的老猫经》 　“关于原诗” 　　T.S.艾略特在他的早期诗作《阿尔弗雷德•普鲁弗朗克的爱情歌曲》中，将圣•路易所的黄雾比作猫 　　“在玻璃窗上摩擦着背部。黄色的烟雾在玻璃窗上摩擦着它的鼻子和嘴用它的舌头舔向夜晚的角落。 闯荡在排水沟中的小水塘上烟囱上的烟灰落在它的背上。在屋顶上轻轻走动，突然跃起看见了十月的柔和夜晚。再次蜷曲在屋子里，入睡……” 　　他的作品还有其它和猫有关的内容，主要是他在三十几岁时写给义子汤姆•费柏和艾莉森•坦迪的，在诗中他第一次称自己为“负鼠”。 　　他在1931年1月写给汤姆的信中描述了他的小猫詹丽若姆：“它想做一只有用的猫……它小得可以坐在我的耳朵上……！我还要告诉你关于我们家的科斯•科斯……但我不能把狗画得和猫一样好。然而：我要……”。在汤姆四岁时，艾略特在诗中告诉小汤姆所有的伯里克狗和杰利克猫都应该：“受邀参加托马斯•厄尔•费柏的生日舞会！ 　　“带着一支长笛，一支横笛，一把小提琴与一面小鼓，带着一把小提琴，一支横笛，一面大鼓和单面小鼓” 　　之后艾略特就写了“有一只非常大的猫……是波斯王子的品种，它的眼睛是蓝色的，因为它有蓝色的血，它的名字叫米尔扎•慕拉德•阿里•贝格，但我说这名字对这样小的动物来说实在太长了，因此就把名字变成了维斯克斯猫。但是有时别人叫它“音乐盒”，因为它常发出唱出来的噪音，而有时叫作“小公鸡”，因为看上去它们都很自负。（你可曾见过自负的小公鸡？我也没有）。”在1932年春天汤姆已经学会了“自负的猫在床上耳朵疼，因此伯里克狗不再呆在家里为它制作摇篮取悦它了”这样的诗句。 　　1936年，这两个孩子都收到了小诗“猫的命名”。 　　艾姆特总要发明一些和猫相配的猫名，因为他常常收到朋友或陌生人的要求来创作猫的名字。我记得有“诺伊里•普拉特”（一只优雅的猫）；“卡布克蒂”（一只喧闹的猫）；“坦特米尔”（一只迷人的猫）；他还取名“庞斯沃尔”和“斯拉巴布”，“斯拉巴布”是“愚蠢”和“魔王”两字组合而成的。 　　1936年10月艾莉森收到了艾略特的新诗《摇滚猫若腾塔格》。一年后艾略特在信中写道：“前一阵子我在信中提到要写两只猫，名叫蒙哥杰利和蓝蓓蒂泽，现在就在信中，你也许不喜欢它，因为写到后来，这两只猫竟比我想象的还要差劲”。1938年复活节前的第7个星期三艾略特告诉艾莉森：“我想写一首关于铁路猫的诗，完成后，我会在适当的时候寄给你”。之后，“史金波旋克斯”诞生了。 　　虽然费柏公司当时已经宣布，“《穿白色鞋套的人背诵的“伯里克狗与杰利克猫”》一书已经写入1936年春季的出版目录”，但之前艾略特对这部作品的总体现划还是感到困难。他曾写道：“这样分目录的意图是为了用恰当的主题来安排不同的诗……由穿白色鞋套的人背诵……最后连自己，穿鞋套的人，狗和猫都在气球中跟着气球上升。 　　“上上上飞越罗素酒店 　　上上上直上云宵” 　　三年过后，当他的出版社开始着手处理诗集时，认识到将装扮的猫和狗放在一起显得过于粗鲁，应该做成一本完全以猫为内容的书。一位喂养杂交犬的诗人拉尔夫•霍奇森曾希望为书画一些图解，但在当时的重要时期，他正在美国忙着我房子，他认为这样做或者尝试这件事，肯定是一件轻松舒服的事。 　　1939年10月5日，诗集《擅长装扮的老猫经》出版了。第一版印了3005期，艾略特为封面和封套画了画。在同年的三月，艾略特已经出版了他的诗剧《家庭团圆》，而《基督徒社会的观念》也将在诗作出版后的3个星期内面世。因此在出版前，他对诗集出版后的情况感到很不安。艾略特告诉杰弗里•费柏：“这个诗作是为具有新品味的公众创作的，但是我担心它没有老作品受欢迎”。他的担心其实是多余的。销售部经理之后不久就告诉艾略特“猫获得了普遍欢迎”的消息。如今这首诗集已经成为小有名气的杰作，被翻译成丹麦、德国、意大利、日本、瑞典、匈牙利和波兰等多国语言。 　　“伯里克狗的进行曲”和“比利•马考：著名的鹦鹉”都是1939年《皇后的红十字书》中的段落。“格里泽贝拉；妖艳的猫”是一个没有出版的段落，只写了八行，因为艾略特觉得格里泽贝拉的经历对孩子来说太悲伤了。 　　瓦莱利亚•艾略特 　　附：只要艾略特不舒服或者无法入睡的时候，他总会轻声地背诵他的诗。 其实只是想介绍这本诗集的，但音乐剧《猫》的确比较出名，所以也贴个在线看的网址吧：http://www.tudou.com/v/2uSTrdxs-O4/&rpid=329280562&resourceId=329280562_04_05_99/v.swf 只找到文本和诗人朗读的十五首音频。

悠悠

给儿子听了两首，他一下子就接受了，不过也没时间听下去了，明天再说吧。

jerryhao

那首诗以前被翻译成“老负鼠的猫经” 艾略特的诗都挺长的，真的读起来不是太容易 罗伯特·弗罗斯特的一些诗写的就比较短，也更接近口语，读起来就会更容易一些。 我来贴几首，你也可以去找找MP3，听起来更优美。

jerryhao

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen lake The darkest evening of the year. He gives his harness bells a shake To ask if there is some mistake. The only other sound's the sweep Of easy wind and downy flake. The woods are lovely, dark, and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.

jerryhao

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler, long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrown. Then took the other, as just as fair, And having perhaps the better claim, Because it was grassy and wanted wear; Though as for that the passing there Had worn them really about the same. And both that morning equally lay In leaves no step had trodden black Oh, I kept the first for another day! Yet knowing how way leads on to way, I doubted if I should even come back. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--- I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

jerryhao

Nothing Gold Can Stay by Robert Frost Nature's first green is gold, Her hardest hue to hold. Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour. Then leaf subsides to leaf. So Eden sank to grief, So dawn goes down to day. Nothing gold can stay.

jerryhao

Neither Out Far Nor In Deep by Robert Frost The people along the sand All turn and look one way. They turn their back on the land. They look at the sea all day. As long as it takes to pass A ship keeps raising its hull; The wetter ground like glass Reflects a standing gull The land may vary more; But wherever the truth may be-- The water comes ashore, And the people look at the sea. They cannot look out far. They cannot look in deep. But when was that ever a bar To any watch they keep?

jerryhao

The Silken Tent by Robert Frost She is as in a field a silken tent At midday when a sunny summer breeze Has dried the dew and all its ropes relent, So that in guys it gently sways at ease SAnd its supporting central cedar pole, That is its pinnacle to heavenward And signifies the sureness of its soul Seems to owe naught to any single cord, But strictly held by none, is loosely bound By countless silken ties of love and thought To everything on earth the compass round, And only by one's going slightly taut In the capriciousness of summer air, Is the slightest bondage made aware.

jerryhao

The Door in the Dark by Robert Frost In going from room to room in the dark, I reached out blindly to save my face, But neglected, however lightly, to lace My fingers and close my arms in an arc. A slim door got in past my guard, And hit me a blow in the head so hard. I had my native simile jarred. So people and things don't pair any more With what they used to pair with before.

悠悠

jerryhao 发表于 2014-2-18 16:35 The Door in the Dark by Robert Frost

谢谢，还真找到了他诗作的mp3，儿子听了似乎更喜欢那些猫，不过这个他说也不错。也许等他再大一些会更喜欢。