雷丁监狱之歌

《雷丁监狱之歌》（The Ballad of Reading Gaol）是奥斯卡·王尔德的一首诗歌，写于1897年5月19日他自英国雷丁监狱释放，到达法国滨海塞纳省大伯尔纳瓦尔（Berneval-le-Grand）之后。王尔德在1895年因被控与其他男子犯有严重猥亵罪，被判处两年劳役，被关押在雷丁。

王尔德在1897年中，与罗伯特·罗斯住在大伯尔纳瓦尔时写下了这首诗。这首诗讲述了皇家骑兵卫队30岁^[1]^[2]的骑兵伍尔德里奇在温莎附近的克莱尔，割断妻子劳拉·艾伦的喉咙^[3]，而在1896年7月7日星期二处以绞刑的故事。

完成的诗歌于1898年2月13日由史密瑟斯出版，^[4] 署名 "C.3.3."是王尔德囚室的代号。当时王尔德臭名昭著，他的名字不宜出现在在封面上。直到1899年6月第7次印刷，人们才知道C.3.3实际上就是王尔德。第一版出版了800本，一周内售罄，史密瑟斯宣布将在一周内发行第二版；第二版于2月24日出版，共1000册，销量也很好。3月4日印刷了第三版，99本由作者签名，同一天印刷了第四版，共1200本。第五版1000册于3月17日出版，第六版于1898年5月21日出版，共1000册。第七版于1899年6月23日出版，将奥斯卡·王尔德的名字放在方括号中，放在C.3.3的下面。^[5]^[6] 这首诗为他余生带来了微薄的收入。

参考

^ And I, May I Say Nothing?. the OSScholars. [22 May 2006]. （原始内容存档于15 June 2006）.
^ GRO Register of Deaths: SEP qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Charles Thomas aged 30 Reading 2c 210
^ GRO Register of Deaths: JUN qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Laura Ellen aged 23 Windsor 2c 241
^ Mason, Stuart, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde (1914, London) page 408. "Stuart Mason" was the pen-name of rare book dealer Christopher Sclater Millard (1872–1927), who had been Robert Ross's secretary. His Bibliography of the Poems of Oscar Wilde (1907, London) has some details about the Ballad that do not appear in his larger 1914 book. Although the announced date of publication was 13 February, that was a Sunday so the book was not actually available for purchase until the next day, ibid pages 408–409. The first edition consisted of 800 copies on Van Gelder Dutch handmade paper, selling for 2 shillings 6 pence, and 30 copies printed on Japanese vellum for 21 shillings (one guinea).
^ Mason, Stuart (1914; new ed. 1972) Bibliography of Oscar Wilde. Rota pub; Haskell House Pub ISBN 0-8383-1378-7 pgs. 408–423
^ Ellmann, Richard (1988). Oscar Wilde. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-394-75984-5 pg 526

[osschol-1] And I, May I Say Nothing?. the OSScholars. [22 May 2006]. （原始内容存档于15 June 2006）.

[death-2] GRO Register of Deaths: SEP qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Charles Thomas aged 30 Reading 2c 210

[wife-3] GRO Register of Deaths: JUN qtr 1896 Wooldridge, Laura Ellen aged 23 Windsor 2c 241

[4] Mason, Stuart, Bibliography of Oscar Wilde (1914, London) page 408. "Stuart Mason" was the pen-name of rare book dealer Christopher Sclater Millard (1872–1927), who had been Robert Ross's secretary. His Bibliography of the Poems of Oscar Wilde (1907, London) has some details about the Ballad that do not appear in his larger 1914 book. Although the announced date of publication was 13 February, that was a Sunday so the book was not actually available for purchase until the next day, ibid pages 408–409. The first edition consisted of 800 copies on Van Gelder Dutch handmade paper, selling for 2 shillings 6 pence, and 30 copies printed on Japanese vellum for 21 shillings (one guinea).

[5] Mason, Stuart (1914; new ed. 1972) Bibliography of Oscar Wilde. Rota pub; Haskell House Pub ISBN 0-8383-1378-7 pgs. 408–423

[6] Ellmann, Richard (1988). Oscar Wilde. New York: Vintage Books. ISBN 978-0-394-75984-5 pg 526

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