Shixuan
How should I pronounce the word 'temperate' in this poem? Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date. How should I pronounce the last syllable of 'temperate' ? I've looked it up in the dictionary and was given the transcription /-ət/ But I think it is supposed to rythme with 'date' ,thus changed into temper/eit/ Thanks for your answer in advance!! I'll be even more grateful if you share some tips for reading poems with me or recommend some good poems :D
2016年9月9日 13:47
回答 · 7
1
English was spoken much differently in Shakespeare's time. It could be that it rhymed with date. On YouTube you can find examples of spoken English from that time in history. Take a listen: https://youtu.be/gPlpphT7n9s
2016年9月9日
1
It is quite possible that this was a real rhyme when Shakespeare wrote it. If I were a professional actor _I would research the issue,_ and study what other actors have done. When reading poetry of this kind aloud, it is sort of a judgement call. If you say "TEMpurit," using the modern pronunciation, it's easy to understand but it doesn't rhyme. If you say "tem-pur-eight," spacing the syllables out a little, it fits the rhyme and meter better and sounds better, but it's harder to understand. In real life, what I personally would do, is intentionally fudge the issue by saying something in between! I would experiment with saying "TEMperit" but shift the vowel sound just a bit closer to "eight!" However, on playing a few YouTube videos, I see that all the ones I played simply give it the usual modern pronunciation, and ignore the fact that it doesn't rhyme.
2016年9月9日
1
It is common in English poetry for authors sometimes to make rhymes that do not match sounds perfectly. If the poet rhymes two words that have the same written endings but do not actually sound the same when spoken, as in the Shakespeare sonnet above, this is called an 'eye rhyme'. It is generally not considered poor form.
2016年9月9日
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