Analysis of the Images of Nightingale in English Poems and Cuckoo in Chinese PoemsAbstractFor English poems or Chinese poems, an image is one of the basic elements which form the poetic arts. It is the soul of a poem. In nature, nightingale and cuckoo are two kinds of the most common bird images in English and Chinese poems. There are similarities and differences between them. The cuckoo in Chinese poems and the nightingale in English poems usually appear as grievous images. Both of them originate in their sad legends and, they symbolize mournful emotion in poems. And differences between them can be described from two sides. First, the nightingale sometimes also represents happiness while the cuckoo shows grief all the time. Second, they have different relationship with poetic schools. By reading and comparing, readers can deeply understand cuckoo and nightingales symbolized meaning and emotional tone. Key words: poetic image; nightingale; cuckoo, differences and similarities摘要无论是对英诗，还是对汉诗来说，意象是构成诗的艺术的基本条件之一。它是诗歌的灵魂。在自然界中，夜莺和杜鹃分别是英诗和汉诗中最常见的两种鸟类意象。然而它们之间既包含了相似性，又具有差别性。英诗中的夜莺和汉诗中的杜鹃通常都以悲伤凄凉的意象出现。一方面它们都来源于忧伤的传说；另一方面它们在诗中都象征一种忧伤的情感。而它们之间的差异性也可以从两个方面阐述。一是夜莺有时也象征一种快乐，而杜鹃则一直是忧伤的代表；二是它们与诗歌流派之间的关系是不同的。通过研究比较，读者能够更加深刻了解夜莺与杜鹃的象征意义和情感基调。关键词： 诗歌意象；夜莺；杜鹃；异同ContentsAcknowledgements.iiAbstract (English).iiiAbstract (Chinese).iv1. Introduction.12. Significance of Using Images in Poems.23. Similarities and Differences of the Images of Nightingale in English Poems and Cuckoo in Chinese Poems.43.1 Similarities Between the Images of Nightingale and Cuckoo.43.1.1 Coming from Grievous Legends53.1.2 Symbolizing the Sad Feelings73.2 Differences Between the Images of Nightingale and Cuckoo9 3.2.1 The Happy Image of Nightingale.10 3.2.2 The Different Relationship Between the Images and the Schools.11 4. Conclusion.13Bibliography.141. IntroductionIn all ages, poetry is an important part of literature both in China and the western world, and is one of the most ancient literary forms. In poems, an image is an essential and creative device to express poets feelings. Every poet must be cautious about choosing the image, because it maybe influences the result that whether a poem is successful or not.In the history of global culture, the image is a vital concept for poetry. Therefore, a large number of scholars have researched poetic images. Most of them study poetic image as a whole, such as what is a poetic image, what is origin of images, how to apply to images, what is the theory of the poetic images, and so on. They can research poetic images from the point view of aesthetics, and analyze the connection between poetic images and culture. And then they also compare the similarities and differences between Chinese poems and English poems when poets choose poetic images. In general, scholars discuss poetic images from a wide scope. Besides, a few of scholars have already researched some kind of specific images. For example, what cultural meaning the image of snake reflects in English poems. And what conception the moon reveals in Chinese poems, etc. However, few scholars have compared one image in Chinese poems with another similar image in English poems. This situation implies that it is not all-sided for poetic image research nowadays. As birds in nature, the nightingale in English poems and the cuckoo in Chinese poems are great and important bird images. Many scholars have studied respectively the two images. Some analyze the similarities and differences of the cuckoo image in English culture and Chinese culture. And some just interpret the nightingale image in “Ode to a Nightingale”. However, few researchers compare the cuckoo in Chinese with the nightingale in English poems. After studied, it can be seen that there are some similarities and differences between them. They are both grievous images and originate in mournful legends. But the nightingale is sometimes regarded as a joyful image in English poems while the cuckoo always represents grief in Chinese poems. Second, they have different relationship with poetic scholars.2. Significance of Using Images in PoemsThe poetic image is a hot topic in Chinese and west poetic researchers, and it is a difficult point in poetry. The poets of imagism are skillful in using images to create poems and express their thoughts. In fact, they use Chinese approach to produce poems for their reference. As the origin of the theory of poetic imagery, China has a key position in producing poems via images. Poetry theorists devote th