双语调查：女诗人遭受精神疾病折磨

　　Kaufman has also studied poets and mental illness. "What I found was pretty consistent with the death finding actually, female poets were much more likely to suffer from mental illness (e.g., be hospotalised, commit suicide, attempt suicide) than any other kind of writers and other eminent women," he said. "I've dubbed this the 'Sylvia Plath Effect'."

　　考夫曼也对诗人和精神疾病之间的关系进行了研究，他说：“实际上，我在这方面的发现与死亡研究的结论相当一致。跟其他类型的作家和杰出女性相比，女诗人遭受精神疾病折磨(比如被送入精神病院、自杀或企图自杀)的可能性要大得多。我称这种现象为‘西尔维亚·普拉斯效应’。”

　　There could also be a more benign explanation for poets' early demise, "Poets produce twice as much of their lifetime output in their twenties as novelists do," he said. So when a budding novelist dies young, few people may notice. "A great novelist or non-fiction writer who dies at 28 may not have yet produced her or his magnum opus." Kaufman said poets should not worry, but should perhaps look after their health. "The fact that a Sylvia Plath may die young does not necessarily mean an Introduction to Poetry class should carry a warning that poems may be hazardous to one's health," he said.

　　诗人的早逝也可能有一个更为美好的解释，考夫曼说：“诗人20多岁时的著作在其毕生著作中所占的比例是小说家的两倍。”因此，没什么人能注意到渐露峥嵘的小说家过早离世的事情。“如果一位伟大的小说家或非虚构作家在28岁去世，那他或她可能还没有写出自己的代表作。”考夫曼说，诗人们用不着为此担心，不过也许该保重身体。“像西尔维亚·普拉斯这样的诗人可能英年早逝，但这并不等于我们应该在诗歌欣赏课上发出这样的警告：诗歌可能有害健康。”

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