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。
- thrilling [ˋθrɪlɪŋ] adj.
驚險的
In New Zealand we enjoyed a thrilling ride in a very fast boat.
在紐西蘭的時候，我們在一艘航速非常快的船上享受了一段刺激的航程。 - thunderstorm [ˋθʌndɚ͵stɔrm] n.
暴風雨，雷雨
I hate thunderstorms because I'm terrified of being struck by lightning.
我很討厭暴風雨，因為我很怕被閃電打到。 - magnificent [mægˋnɪfəsənt] adj.
宏偉的，壯麗的
Climbing the mountain was tough, but the magnificent views were worth it.
爬山非常辛苦，但是壯麗的景致是值得的。 - awe [ɔ] n.
敬畏
Toby is in awe of his older brother, who has achieved so much.
Toby 對他非常有成就的哥哥心存敬畏。 - theme [θim] n.
主題
Space travel is a common theme in the writer's novels.
時空旅行是這個作家小說的常見主題。 - observe [əbˋzɝv] v.
觀察；注意到，察覺
The police officers observed the house for five days to see who was coming and going.
警察監視了這棟房屋五天，觀察有誰進出這裡。
I observed a big change in my sister after she fell in love.
我姊姊談戀愛後，我觀察到她巨大的改變。 - observation [͵ɑbzɝˋveʃən] n.
觀察
The little girl wasn't badly hurt, but she was kept under observation in the hospital.
這個小女孩傷得並不重，但她被留在醫院觀察。 - observant [əbˋzɝvənt] adj.
善於觀察的，觀察力敏銳的
You were very observant to see how the magician did the trick.
你看出魔術師是怎麼變魔術的，真的很善於觀察。 - present [prɪˋzɛnt] v.
展現，呈現
We are having an art show for the students to present their photographs, paintings, and other works.
我們辦了一個藝術展，讓學生呈現自己的攝影、繪畫和其他作品。 - wonder [ˋwʌndɚ] n.
奇觀，奇事；驚奇
I have seen the Great Wall of China, one of the wonders of the world.
我看過中國長城，這是世界奇觀之一。
At the zoo, Mary's young son looked in wonder at the various strange animals.
在動物園時，Mary 年紀還小的兒子看著各式各樣不同的動物，眼神流露出驚奇。 - mental [ˋmɛnt!] adj.
心理的，思想上的
There's nothing wrong with you physically, so I think your headaches are caused by a mental problem.
你身體上沒什麼問題，所以我想你的頭痛是心理問題造成的。 - vividly [ˋvɪvɪdlɪ] adv.
生動地，栩栩如生地
Jack told the story so vividly that I felt I had been there myself.
Jack 把這個故事講得非常生動，讓我如臨其境。 - vivid [ˋvɪvɪd] adj.
生動的，栩栩如生的
The book contains some vivid descriptions of the writer's hometown.
書中對於作者的家鄉有生動的描繪。 - sensory [ˋsɛnsərɪ] adj.
感官的
With great music and impressive effects, the show is an amazing sensory experience.
這部秀聲光效果極佳，給予觀眾很棒的感官體驗。 - tremble [ˋtrɛmb!] v.
顫抖
Billy trembled with embarrassment as the other children laughed at him.
其他小孩嘲笑 Billy 的時候，他窘迫地顫抖著。 - picture [ˋpɪktʃɚ] v.
想像
I often try to relax by picturing an image of a beautiful place in my mind.
我經常試著藉由在心中想像美麗景緻來放鬆。 - descend [dɪˋsɛnd] v.
（暮色）降臨；走下，降下
As night descended, we decided to head for home.
隨著夜幕降臨 ，我們決定返家。
The mountain path was steep, and we had to descend slowly.
山路很陡，我們必須慢慢下山。 - delight [dɪˋlaɪt] n.
欣喜；令人愉快的人或事物
To Charlotte's delight, her boyfriend gave her a ring and asked her to marry him.
讓 Charlotte 欣喜的是，她男友給了她一枚戒指並向她求婚。
Walking around her beautiful garden is a constant delight for Sheila.
對 Sheila 來說，在她的美麗花園裡四處走走一直是件令人愉快的事。 - delightful [dɪˋlaɪtfəl] adj.
令人愉快的
I enjoyed a delightful dinner at my friend's home.
我喜歡在朋友家中享用一頓令人愉快的晚餐。 - comparison [kəmˋpærəsn] n.
比擬；比較，對照
We can draw a comparison between the human brain and a computer.
我們可以把人腦比喻成一部電腦。
By comparison with his brother, Leon is a quiet and shy young man.
和他哥哥相比，Leon 是個安靜害羞的年輕人。 - compare [kəmˋpɛr] v.
比做，比擬；比較
Benjamin thinks his wife is beautiful, and he often compares her to a movie star.
Benjamin 認為他太太很漂亮，經常將她比做電影明星。
Dave compared his apartment with a new one nearby, and decided to move.
Dave 比較了他的公寓和附近的新公寓，決定搬家。 - somehow [ˋsʌm͵haʊ] adv.
不知什麼原因
I thought the movie was terrible, but somehow it won an Oscar.
我以為那部電影很糟，但不知為何它贏得一座奧斯卡。 - appropriate [əˋproprɪ͵et] adj.
適當的
This movie is rated R, so it goes without saying that it's not appropriate for children.
這部電影是限制級，所以不用說，它並不適合小孩。 - imagery [ˋɪmɪdʒərɪ] n.
意象
Many people find it difficult to understand the imagery in Picasso's work.
許多人覺得要理解畢卡索作品中的意象非常困難。 - flood [flʌd] v.
（使）淹沒，（使）充滿水
The heavy rain caused the water level in the lake to rise and flood our village.
大雨造成湖水水位上升，淹沒了我們的村莊。
The bathroom flooded when my brother forgot to turn off the faucet.
我弟忘了關水龍頭，廁所淹水了。 - flood [flʌd] n.
洪水，氾濫
Floods are very common in this area during the rainy season.
這個地區雨季時經常洪水氾濫。
When the river is in flood, these fields can be covered in water.
河川氾濫時，這片原野就會淹水。 - expression [ɪkˋsprɛʃən] n.
詞語，措辭
"As free as a bird" is a popular English expression, and it means being free to do whatever you like.
As free as a bird 是相當常見的英文慣用法，意思是想多自由就多自由。 - appealing [əˋpilɪŋ] adj.
有吸引力的
The thought of going swimming on this hot afternoon was very appealing to Maggie.
在這個炎熱下午去游泳的想法對 Maggie 來說很有吸引力。 - appeal [əˋpil] v.
對...有吸引力
Cold foods like salad don't appeal to me. I prefer hot soup.
冷食像是沙拉對我沒有吸引力。我比較喜歡熱湯。 - combine [kəmˋbaɪn] v.
結合
Mom combined the meat with some leftover vegetables to make a tasty dish.
媽媽把肉類和一些蔬菜結合起來做出美味的菜餚。
The two charity organizations combined to arrange a successful event that raised a lot of money.
這兩家慈善組織聯合起來安排了一場很成功的活動，募集了很多錢。 - combination [͵kɑmbəˋneʃən] n.
組合，混合
I think this coffee and chocolate cake make a perfect combination.
我認為這個咖啡和巧克力蛋糕是個完美組合。
This medicine in combonation with plenty of rest will soon make you feel better.
這種藥結合足夠休息很快就會讓你感覺好多了。 - on the other hand
另一方面
Julie and Frankie laughed at my joke. Carrie, on the other hand, just looked confused.
Julie 和 Frankie 對我講的笑話大笑，而另一方面，Carrie 只是看起來很困惑。 - pass by
經過
Brenda was looking at her phone and passed by without seeing me.
Brenda 看著她的手機，經過的時候沒看到我。 - make sense
合理易懂
Georgia was apparently very upset and her words didn't make sense, so we tried to calm her down.
Georgia 顯然十分難過，而且她的話讓人難以理解，因此我們試著安撫她。
