亞歷山大·蒲柏（Alexander Pope, 1688-1744），十八世紀最偉大的英國詩人，《牛津名言詞典》（The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations）收載條目第二多的詩人（僅次於莎士比亞），畢生勤於著述，擅多種題材文體。學識豐贍，才氣縱橫，洞燭世態人心，作品中妙語警句俯拾即是，許多都成為了英語世界的成語，例如“Hope springs eternal”（希望之泉永不竭）、“To err is human, to forgive,divine”（犯錯是人性，寬宥是神性）、“A little learning is a dang'rous thing”（一知半解害死人）、“Damning with faint praise”（名褒實貶）、“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread”（無知者無畏）。後輩詩人拜倫是對蒲柏五體投地：“無論時間或空間，哀痛或衰年，都永遠不能減損我對他的崇敬。他是偉大的諷喻詩人，規箴一切時代、一切風土、一切情感，以及生存的一切階段。他是我少時的歡樂，壯歲的志趣，或許還會成為我暮年（假使我有幸活到暮年的話）的慰藉。他的詩篇，便是人生的寶典。”蒲柏《呆廝國誌》是一部諷刺史詩，初刊於1728 年，最終版刊行於1743 年，前後歷時十五年，稱之為蒲柏畢生心血結晶，絕非過甚之辭。此詩以虛擬的“呆廝女神”為線索，鋪敘社會日趨粗鄙的頹敗進程，尖銳抨擊文藝市場化、低俗化、政治化的時弊，嬉笑怒駡，酣暢淋漓，直筆寫出一部活色生香的大不列顛墮落史，堪稱西方諷刺史詩的里程碑式巨製。這部詩作帶來莫大的聲名，同時給蒲柏招來了無數敵人，致使他餘生楚歌四面、怨謗隨身。文學史上稱許為“英語詩歌史上最引人入勝、最獨樹一幟的作品”的《呆廝國誌》，也許翻譯難度太大，直至現在牛津終於能出版給中文讀者。
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From Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Fidel Castro and Dolly Parton, the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations features 4,000 of the best quotations of past and present. Packed with quotable quotes on
From Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Fidel Castro and Dolly Parton, the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations features 4,000 of the best quotations of past and present. Packed with quotable quotes on
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