My Last Duchess
我的前公爵夫人

My Last Duchess is a poem by Robert Browning, frequently anthologized as an example of the dramatic monologue. This poem is loosely based on historical events involving Alfonso, the Duke of Ferrara, who lived in the 16th century. The Duke is the speaker of the poem, and tells us he is entertaining an emissary who has come to negotiate the Duke's marriage to the daughter of another powerful family. As he shows the visitor through his palace, he stops before a portrait of the late Duchess, apparently a young and lovely girl. The Duke begins reminiscing about the portrait sessions, then about the Duchess herself. His musings give way to a diatribe on her disgraceful behavior: he claims she flirted with everyone and did not appreciate his “gift of a nine-hundred-years-old name”. As his monologue continues, the reader realizes with ever-more chilling certainty that the Duke in fact caused the Duchess's early demise: when her behavior escalated, “(he) gave commands; / Then all smiles stopped together.” Having made this disclosure, the Duke returns to the business at hand: arranging for another marriage, with another young girl.
《我的前公爵夫人》是罗伯特·勃朗宁的一首著名诗篇，常被作为戏剧独白诗的典范编入各类诗歌选集。后人猜测该诗的创作是基于16世纪费拉拉公爵阿方索的历史故事。公爵即诗中的讲述者，他告诉读者，他正在接待一位帮他做媒的特使。此次这位公爵要迎娶的也是一位出身豪门的千金。他领着客人参观他的宫殿，脚步停在逝世的公爵夫人画像前。画像中的夫人是位年轻、可爱的姑娘。公爵从追忆这幅画像开始，慢慢谈到了画像中的夫人。他一边回忆，一边开始无休止地谴责妻子生前的不检点行为。他控诉她和每个人调情，毫不珍惜他“赠予的有九百年历史的名字”。随着公爵独白的展开，读者不禁感到一丝凉意袭上背脊，因为导致公爵夫人早逝的凶手，正是公爵本人。当她的行为越发严重时，“(他)下了令；/于是一切微笑都从此制止”。泄露这点后，公爵便继续安排手上的事，为迎娶下一位年轻姑娘做准备。

A poem like My Last Duchess calculatedly engages its readers on a psychological level. Because we hear only the Duke's musings, we must piece the story together ourselves. Browning forces his reader to become involved in the poem in order to understand it, and this adds to the fun of reading his work.
《我的前公爵夫人》这样的诗歌刻意从心理层面紧紧扣住读者的心。由于诗中只能听到公爵断断续续的沉思，读者必须自己串联起整个故事。勃朗宁逼着读者参与进来，所以读者在追随故事发展的同时也收获了极大的阅读乐趣。