每日英语 · 2026-10-25
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will / To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Alfred, Lord Tennyson · Ulysses · 1842 · 诗作《尤利西斯》最后两行，年迈的奥德修斯决心再次出海远航
译文
虽被时光与命运磨去了力气，意志却依然坚强——去奋斗，去探寻，去发现，永不屈服。
语法
- 这两行出自一个长句的结尾，完整骨架是 "...that which we are, we are; / One equal temper of heroic hearts, / Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will / To strive..."。这里的 Made weak... 和 strong in will... 都是修饰前面 heroic hearts 的后置成分，本身不是完整句子，没有自己的谓语。
- Made weak by time and fate 是过去分词短语，表被动：(hearts that are) made weak by time and fate，“被时光和命运变得虚弱”。结构是 make + 宾语 + 形容词（make sb weak）的被动形式，by 引出动作的施加者。
- but 连接两个并列成分：过去分词短语 made weak... 和形容词短语 strong in will...，形成“身体弱、意志强”的鲜明对比。strong in sth 表示“在某方面强”。
- To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield 是四个并列的不定式，作 will 的后置定语，说明是“做什么的意志”（will to do sth）。注意否定不定式的写法是 not to do，not 放在 to 前面。四个动词节奏层层推进，最后用否定收尾，力量感很强。
词汇
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strive /straɪv/ v.（strove, striven）
奋斗，努力争取
搭配：strive for sth / strive to do sth / strive against sth
We strive to keep the firmware small and reliable.
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yield /jiːld/ v. / n.
屈服，让步（句中义）；也有“产出、产量”的意思
搭配：yield to pressure / yield results / a high yield
She refused to yield to pressure from her boss.
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will /wɪl/ n.
意志，决心
搭配：strong will / the will to do sth / against one's will / willpower
He has the will to finish what he starts.
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fate /feɪt/ n.
命运，天命
搭配：by fate / a twist of fate / decide sb's fate / tempt fate
By a twist of fate, they met again ten years later.
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seek /siːk/ v.（sought, sought）
寻找，探求
搭配：seek advice / seek help / seek to do sth
If you're stuck, don't be afraid to seek help.
笔记
小练习：模仿 "strong in will to strive" 的结构，用 "strong in + 名词 + to do" 写一句描述自己的话，比如 "Tired in body, but strong in will to finish this project." 另外记住：不定式的否定，规范写法是把 not 放在 to 前面，即 not to do。