每日英语 · 2026-10-23

Tell me, what is it you plan to do / with your one wild and precious life?

Mary Oliver · The Summer Day · 1990 · 诗集 House of Light 中《The Summer Day》的最后两行

译文

告诉我，你打算怎样度过你这唯一的、狂野而珍贵的一生？

语法

1. 主干：Tell me 是祈使句（省略主语 you），后面接一个直接问句 what is it you plan to do with your life? 作为“告诉我”的内容。
2. 强调问句 what is it (that) ...：把普通问句 What do you plan to do? 套进强调句型 It is ... that ...，再对 what 提问，就成了 What is it (that) you plan to do?。语气更重、更追问，相当于中文的“你到底打算做什么”。that 在口语和诗歌里常省略。
3. plan to do sth：plan 后接不定式表示“打算做某事”；do ... with sth 表示“拿……怎么办、如何利用”，所以 do with your life 就是“怎样过你的一生”。
4. 多个形容词修饰：one wild and precious life 中 one 强调“仅此一次”，wild 和 precious 用 and 并列，层层叠加情感。

词汇

• precious /ˈpreʃəs/ adj.

  珍贵的、宝贵的

  搭配：precious time / precious memories / precious metal

  Don't waste your precious time on things you don't care about.

• wild /waɪld/ adj.

  狂野的、不受拘束的（这里指生命自由奔放、充满可能）

  搭配：wild idea / go wild / in the wild

  He had a wild idea: building his own keyboard from scratch.

• plan to do /plæn tə duː/ phrase

  打算做某事

  搭配：plan to do sth / plan on doing sth / make plans for

  I plan to read one English article every day.

• do with /duː wɪð/ phrasal verb

  处理、利用、拿……怎么办

  搭配：What should I do with ...? / have nothing to do with

  What will you do with your free weekend?

笔记

小练习：用 What is it (that) ... 改写这两个问题，让语气更强调——① What do you want? ② Why did you leave? 参考答案：① What is it (that) you want? ② Why is it (that) you left?

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