On October 7, the 2021 Nobel Prize in Literature was announced. Abdul-Razak Gürna, an English-language writer from Tanzania, has not translated any of his works into Chinese. The Nobel Committee's words were: "Because of his influence on colonialist literature and his uncompromising and compassionate insight into the situation of refugees in the intercourse between different cultures".
Five years ago, the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to American rock and folk artist Bob Dylan. The award speech said: "Bob Dylan brought a new poetic expression under the tradition of American ballads. It is worth pondering that the Swedish Academy of Letters gave Bob Dylan the award not because of his great achievements at the musical level, but because he brought "poetic expression to the song."
Here are the lyrics to Bob Dylan's masterpiece Like a Rolling Stone.
Back then, you were dressed brightly / You were superior to you enjoyed, you threw coins at beggars / They said you were going to be unlucky sooner or later / You thought they were joking / Again and again, you laughed / those who had nothing to do on the street / And now you still talk so loudly? / Are you more proud than they are now? / Those who are begging along the streets just to struggle for the next meal / Is this so? Is this true? / The taste of homelessness / This poor lonely man / Like a rolling stone
Girl, you go to the best school / That's really just a superior life / Can't teach you your daily livelihood / You know now, you have to deal with it yourself / You once said that you will never compromise / To those strange tramps / But now, you realize it / The guy doesn't need to make any excuses / When you stare into his empty and indifferent eyes / Ask him, is there a deal? /Is that so? Is this true? / The taste of homelessness / This poor lonely man / Like a rolling stone
You never thought/You can't see their troubles and struggles/When those clowns come to amuse you/You never think/What hardship is behind this joy/In fact they are bearing it for you/You can straddle the shiny motorcycle/There's your lover in the car/There's a Siamese cat lying on his shoulder/The absent-minded he's stealing everything from you/Is that right? Is this true? / The taste of homelessness / This poor lonely man / Like a rolling stone
The proud princess, and all those glamorous people / They are all drinking wine and pondering / All the more valuable things / and you have raised the diamond ring and sold it / With all the joys of your past / Like the unlucky Napoleon in the play and the unlucky words he said / Now it's your turn, Napoleon is beckoning / You have no way back / You have nothing / You don't care to lose / You're transparent / You're empty / Is that right? Is this true? / The taste of homelessness / This poor lonely man / Like a rolling stone
(Bob Dylan was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996 and 2006, respectively, and received the prize on October 8, 2016.) )
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