英文诗歌精读

（5，6年级）

英文诗歌国内孩子很少接触。熟悉诗歌阅读有一个很长的过程。习得/半习得，原版阅读路子的孩子，诗歌精读应该是英文学习不可分割的一部分。很多地方私立高中入学都要考察诗歌阅读，美国私校SSAT 考试，澳洲顶级私校入学考试AESA（多谢悠悠妈告知）都要考察诗歌。

这首诗讲了一个故事。孩子们要能够用5句话 summarize 这个故事，评论整首诗的语气，找出Rhyme scheme, 并且能说出这个 rhymescheme 起什么作用。

Death of anAircraft

CharlesCausley

One dayin our village in the month of July                                     1

Anaeroplane sank from the sea of the sky,

White asa whale it smashed on the shore

Bleedingoil and petrol all over the floor.

TheGermans advanced in the vertical heat                                     5

To savethe dead plane from the people of Crete,

And roundthe glass wreck in a circus of snow

Set sevenmechanical sentries to go.

Sevenstalking spiders about the sharp sun

Clickinglike clockwork and each with a gun                                   10

But at‘Come to the Cookhouse’ they all wheeled about

And satdown to sausages and sauerkraut.

Down fromthe mountain burning so brown

Wriggledthree heroes from Kastelo town

Deep inthe sand they silently sank                                                 15

And eachstruck a match for a petrol tank.

Up wentthe plane in a feather of fire

As thebubbling boys began to retire

And, greyin the guardhouse, seven Berliners

Losttheir stripes as well as their dinners.                                         20

Down inthe village, at murder-stations,

TheGermans fell in friends and relations:

But not aKastelian snapped an eye

As hespat in the eye and prepared to die.

Not aKastelian whispered a word                                       25

Dressedwith the dust to be massacred,

Andsquinted up in the sky with a frown

As threebubbly boys came walking down.

One wassent to the county gaol

Too youngfor bullets if not for bail,                                   30

But theother two were in prime condition

To takeon a load of ammunition.

InArchonti they stood in the weather

Naked,hungry, chained together;

Stark asthe stones in the market-place,                                           35

Under theeyes of the populace.

Theirirons unlocked as their naked hearts

Theyfaced the squad and their funeral –carts.

TheCaptain cried, ‘Before you’re away

Is thereany last word you’d like to say?’                                        40

‘I wantno words’, said one ‘with my lead,

Only somewater to cool my head’.

‘Water’,the other said ‘ ‘s all very fine

But I’llbe taking a glass of wine.

‘A glassof wine for the afternoon                                       45

Withpermission to sing a signature tune!’

And heran the raki down this throat

And tooka deep breath for the leading note.

Butbefore the squad could shoot or stay

Like theimpala he leapt away                                             50

Over therifles, under the biers,

Thebullets rattling round his ears.

‘Run’,they cried to the boy of stone

Who nowstood there in the street alone,

But,‘Rather than bring revenge on your head                       55

It isbetter for me to die’, he said.

Thesoldiers turned their machine guns round

And shothim down with a dreadful sound

Scrubbedhis face with perpetual dark

Andrubbed it out like a pencil mark.                                   60

But hiscomrade slept in the olive tree

Andsailed by night on the gnawing sea,

Thesoldier’s silver shilling earned,

And,armed like an archangel, returned.