Whether we are watching a thrilling thunderstorm or looking up at a huge and magnificent tree, our experience of nature often causes feelings of awe. It is no surprise, then, that nature is a common theme in poetry. Poets observe nature and present its wonders in their poems. They create images of a windy day, rocky hills, or the first signs of spring to express their feelings about nature.
無論是看著一場驚心動魄的雷雨，還是仰望一棵巨大而壯觀的樹，我們對大自然的感受往往帶著敬畏。因此，大自然經常成為詩歌主題也就不足為奇。詩人觀察大自然，然後在詩中呈現這些奇觀。他們藉由創造風起的日子、崎嶇的山丘，或早春景致的意象，來表達他們對大自然的感受。
An image suggests a mental picture to readers. A creative and detailed image can describe a scene or an object vividly. Readers, on the other hand, can relate their own sensory experiences to the images in a poem so that they appear real to them. To help you understand this, here is a poem called "Who Has Seen the Wind?"
對讀者來說，意象會在腦海中構成一幅圖畫。一個生動以及充滿細節的意象，能栩栩如生地描述一個場景或物品。另一方面，讀者可以將自己的感官體驗與詩中的意象連結起來，這樣一來意象就會顯得真實。為了幫助你理解這一點，這裡有一首詩叫做《誰見過風？》
Who Has Seen the Wind?
有誰見過風？
by Christina Georgina Rossetti
作者：克莉絲蒂娜．羅塞蒂
Who has seen the wind?
有誰見過風？
Neither I nor you:
我跟你都沒有，
But when the leaves hang trembling
但是當樹上的葉子晃動的時候，
The wind is passing thro'.
風正擦身而過。
Who has seen the wind?
有誰見過風？
Neither you nor I:
你跟我都沒有，
But when the trees bow down their heads
但是當樹木都低下頭，
The wind is passing by.
風正擦身而過。
The lines "when the leaves hang trembling" and "when the trees bow down their heads" may either remind us of a windy day we have experienced or create an image in our minds of the effects of the wind. The details in the poem help readers picture the moment when the wind passes by. We might even bow our own heads, imagining that we are the trees.
「當樹上的葉子晃動的時候」和「當樹木都低下頭」的詩句可能會讓我們想起曾經歷過颳風的日子，或在我們心中創造出風吹過的意象。詩中的細節有助於讀者想像風經過的那一刻。我們甚至會低下頭，想像自己是樹。
The following poem is a stanza from William Blake's "Night." Blake describes many details of a night scene in this poem.
以下的詩取自威廉．布萊克的《夜晚》的一小節。他在詩裡描繪許多夜晚的細節。
Night
夜晚
by William Blake
作者：威廉．布萊克
The sun descending in the west,
太陽落西方，
The evening star does shine;
晚星耀光芒，
The birds are silent in their nest,
鳥兒靜歸巢，
And I must seek for mine.
我也正尋找。
The moon, like a flower,
月像一朵花，
In heaven's high bower,
高空裡清照，
With silent delight
一片歡喜心，
Sits and smiles on the night.
坐對夜晚笑。
Everyone has seen the moon and stars at night. However, Blake's vision seems to go beyond the moon itself; he sees the moon as a flower, smiling at us from up in the sky. He is drawing a comparison between the moon, a flower, and a smiling person. This unique image makes sense to us, and it somehow feels appropriate.
每個人都曾在晚上看到月亮和星星。然而，布萊克的視野似乎超越了月亮本身；他把月亮視為一朵花，在天上向我們微笑。他同時把月亮比喻成一朵花和一個微笑的人。這種獨特的意象對我們來說清楚易懂，也自然而然覺得合適。
In poetry, imagery seems to be an effective way of showing personal feelings. We even use imagery in everyday conversation. For example, we might say things like "The girl runs like the wind" or "The sweet taste of the apple juice flooded his mouth." These expressions stir up appealing images in our minds. Learn to combine such imagery with rhyme and rhythm, and you too can create beautiful poetry.
在詩歌中，意象似乎是一種表達個人情感的有效方式。我們甚至在日常對話中也會使用意象。例如，我們可能會說「那個女孩跑得像風一樣快」，或者「蘋果汁的甜味淹沒了他的嘴」。這些措辭能在我們心中激發迷人的意象。學會把這些意象結合押韻和韻律，你也可以創作出美麗的詩。
