Twelfth Night.
Matilda, not dreaming of visitors, tripped into the apartment in a dress of forest green, with a small quiver by her side, and a bow and arrow in her hand. Her hair, black and glossy3 as the raven’s wing, curled like wandering clusters of dark ripe grapes under the edge of her round bonnet4; and a plume5 of black feathers fell back negligently6 above it, with an almost horizontal inclination7, that seemed the habitual8 effect of rapid motion against the wind. Her black eyes sparkled like sunbeams on a river: a clear, deep, liquid radiance, the reflection of ethereal fire — tempered, not subdued9, in the medium of its living and gentle mirror. Her lips were half opened to speak as she entered the apartment; and with a smile of recognition to the friar, and a courtesy to the stranger knight10, she approached the baron11 and said, “You are late at your breakfast, father.”
“I am not at breakfast,” said the baron. “I have been at supper: my last night’s supper; for I had none.”
“I am sorry,” said Matilda, “you should have gone to bed supperless.”
“I did not go to bed supperless,” said the baron: “I did not go to bed at all: and what are you doing with that green dress and that bow and arrow?”
“I am going a-hunting,” said Matilda.
“A-hunting!” said the baron. “What, I warrant you, to meet with the earl, and slip your neck into the same noose13?”
“No,” said Matilda: “I am not going out of our own woods today.”
“How do I know that?” said the baron. “What surety have I of that?”
“Here is the friar,” said Matilda. “He will be surety.”
“Not he,” said the baron: “he will undertake nothing but where the devil is a party concerned.”
“Yes, I will,” said the friar: “I will undertake any thing for the lady Matilda.”
“No matter for that,” said the baron: “she shall not go hunting to day.”
“Why, father,” said Matilda, “if you coop me up here in this odious14 castle, I shall pine and die like a lonely swan on a pool.
“No,” said the baron, “the lonely swan does not die on the pool. If there be a river at hand, she flies to the river, and finds her a mate; and so shall not you.”
“But,” said Matilda, “you may send with me any, or as many, of your grooms15 as you will.”
“My grooms,” said the baron, “are all false knaves16. There is not a rascal18 among them but loves you better than me. Villains19 that I feed and clothe.”
“Surely,” said Matilda, “it is not villany to love me: if it be, I should be sorry my father were an honest man.” The baron relaxed his muscles into a smile. “Or my lover either,” added Matilda. The baron looked grim again.
“For your lover,” said the baron, “you may give God thanks of him. He is as arrant12 a knave17 as ever poached.”
“What, for hunting the king’s deer?” said Matilda. “Have I not heard you rail at the forest laws by the hour?”
“Did you ever hear me,” said the baron, “rail myself out of house and land? If I had done that, then were I a knave.”
“My lover,” said Matilda, “is a brave man, and a true man, and a generous man, and a young man, and a handsome man; aye, and an honest man too.”
“How can he be an honest man,” said the baron, “when he has neither house nor land, which are the better part of a man?”
“They are but the husk of a man,” said Matilda, “the worthless coat of the chesnut: the man himself is the kernel20.”
“The man is the grape stone,” said the baron, “and the pulp21 of the melon. The house and land are the true substantial fruit, and all that give him savour and value.”
“He will never want house or land,” said Matilda, “while the meeting boughs22 weave a green roof in the wood, and the free range of the hart marks out the bounds of the forest.”
“Vert and venison! vert and venison!” exclaimed the baron. “Treason and flat rebellion. Confound your smiling face! what makes you look so good-humoured? What! you think I can’t look at you, and be in a passion? You think so, do you? We shall see. Have you no fear in talking thus, when here is the king’s liegeman come to take us all into custody23, and confiscate24 our goods and chattels25?”
“Nay, Lord Fitzwater,” said Sir Ralph, “you wrong me in your report. My visit is one of courtesy and excuse, not of menace and authority.”
“There it is,” said the baron: “every one takes a pleasure in contradicting me. Here is this courteous26 knight, who has not opened his mouth three times since he has been in my house except to take in provision, cuts me short in my story with a flat denial.”
“Oh! I cry you mercy, sir knight,” said Matilda; “I did not mark you before. I am your debtor27 for no slight favour, and so is my liege lord.”
“Her liege lord!” exclaimed the baron, taking large strides across the chamber28.
“Pardon me, gentle lady,” said Sir Ralph. “Had I known you before yesterday, I would have cut off my right hand ere it should have been raised to do you displeasure.
“Oh sir,” said Matilda, “a good man may be forced on an ill office: but I can distinguish the man from his duty.” She presented to him her hand, which he kissed respectfully, and simultaneously29 with the contact thirty-two invisible arrows plunged30 at once into his heart, one from every point of the compass of his pericardia.
“Well, father,” added Matilda, “I must go to the woods.”
“Must you?” said the baron; “I say you must not.”
“But I am going,” said Matilda
“But I will have up the drawbridge,” said the baron.
“But I will swim the moat,” said Matilda.
“But I will secure the gates,” said the baron.
“But I will leap from the battlement,” said Matilda.
“But I will lock you in an upper chamber,” said the baron.
“But I will shred31 the tapestry,” said Matilda, “and let myself down.”
“But I will lock you in a turret,” said the baron, “where you shall only see light through a loophole.”
“But through that loophole,” said Matilda, “will I take my flight, like a young eagle from its eerie32; and, father, while I go out freely, I will return willingly: but if once I slip out through a loop-hole ——” She paused a moment, and then added, singing —
The love that follows fain
Will never its faith betray:
But the faith that is held in a chain
Will never be found again,
If a single link give way.
The melody acted irresistibly33 on the harmonious34 propensities35 of the friar, who accordingly sang in his turn —
For hark! hark! hark! The dog doth bark,
That watches the wild deer’s lair37.
The hunter awakes at the peep of the dawn,
But the lair it is empty, the deer it is gone,
And the hunter knows not where.
Matilda and the friar then sang together —
Then follow, oh follow! the hounds do cry: The red sun flames in the eastern sky:
The stag bounds over the hollow.
He that lingers in spirit, or loiters in hall,
Shall see us no more till the evening fall,
And no voice but the echo shall answer his call:
Then follow, oh follow, follow:
Follow, oh follow, follow!
During the process of this harmony, the baron’s eyes wandered from his daughter to the friar, and from the friar to his daughter again, with an alternate expression of anger differently modified: when he looked on the friar, it was anger without qualification; when he looked on his daughter it was still anger, but tempered by an expression of involuntary admiration38 and pleasure. These rapid fluctuations39 of the baron’s physiognomy — the habitual, reckless, resolute40 merriment in the jovial41 face of the friar — and the cheerful, elastic42 spirits that played on the lips and sparkled in the eyes of Matilda — would have presented a very amusing combination to Sir Ralph, if one of the three images in the group had not absorbed his total attention with feelings of intense delight very nearly allied43 to pain. The baron’s wrath44 was somewhat counteracted45 by the reflection that his daughter’s good spirits seemed to show that they would naturally rise triumphant46 over all disappointments; and he had had sufficient experience of her humour to know that she might sometimes be led, but never could be driven. Then, too, he was always delighted to hear her sing, though he was not at all pleased in this instance with the subject of her song. Still he would have endured the subject for the sake of the melody of the treble, but his mind was not sufficiently47 attuned48 to unison50 to relish51 the harmony of the bass52. The friar’s accompaniment put him out of all patience, and —“So,” he exclaimed, “this is the way, you teach my daughter to renounce53 the devil, is it? A hunting friar, truly! Who ever heard before of a hunting friar? A profane54, roaring, bawling55, bumper-bibbing, neck-breaking, catch-singing friar?”
“Under favour, bold baron,” said the friar; but the friar was warm with canary, and in his singing vein56; and he could not go on in plain unmusical prose. He therefore sang in a new tune49 —
Though I be now a grey, grey friar,
Yet I was once a hale young knight:
The cry of my dogs was the only choir57
In which my spirit did take delight.
Little I recked of matin bell,
But drowned its toll58 with my clanging horn:
And the only beads59 I loved to tell
Were the beads of dew on the spangled thorn.
The baron was going to storm, but the friar paused, and Matilda sang in repetition —
Little I reck of matin bell,
But drown its toll with my clanging horn:
And the only beads I love to tell
Are the beads of dew on the spangled thorn.
And then she and the friar sang the four lines together, and rang the changes upon them alternately.
Little I reck of matin bell,
sang the friar.
“A precious friar,” said the baron.
But drown its toll with my clanging horn, sang Matilda.
“More shame for you,” said the baron.
And the only beads I love to tell
Are the beads of dew on the spangled thorn,
sang Matilda and the friar together.
“Penitent and confessor,” said the baron: “a hopeful pair truly.”
The friar went on —
An archer60 keen I was withal,
As ever did lean on greenwood tree;
And could make the fleetest roebuck fall,
A good three hundred yards from me.
Though changeful time, with hand severe,
Has made me now these joys forego,
Yet my heart bounds whene’er I hear
Yoicks! hark away! and tally61 ho!
Matilda chimed in as before.
“Are you mad?” said the baron. “Are you insane? Are you possessed62? What do you mean? What in the devil’s name do you both mean?”
Yoicks! hark away! and tally ho!
roared the friar.
The baron’s pent-up wrath had accumulated like the waters above the dam of an overshot mill. The pond-head of his passion being now filled to the utmost limit of its capacity, and beginning to overflow63 in the quivering of his lips and the flashing of his eyes, he pulled up all the flash-boards at once, and gave loose to the full torrent64 of his indignation, by seizing, like furious Ajax, not a messy stone more than two modern men could raise, but a vast dish of beef more than fifty ancient yeomen could eat, and whirled it like a coit, in terrorem, over the head of the friar, to the extremity65 of the apartment,
Where it on oaken floor did settle, With mighty66 din36 of ponderous67 metal.
“Nay father,” said Matilda, taking the baron’s hand, “do not harm the friar: he means not to offend you. My gaiety never before displeased68 you. Least of all should it do so now, when I have need of all my spirits to outweigh69 the severity of my fortune.”
As she spoke70 the last words, tears started into her eyes, which, as if ashamed of the involuntary betraying of her feelings, she turned away to conceal71. The baron was subdued at once. He kissed his daughter, held out his hand to the friar, and said, “Sing on, in God’s name, and crack away the flasks72 till your voice swims in canary.” Then turning to Sir Ralph, he said, “You see how it is, sir knight. Matilda is my daughter; but she has me in leading-strings, that is the truth of it.”
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1
squeak
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| n.吱吱声，逃脱；v.（发出）吱吱叫，侥幸通过；（俚）告密 | |
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2
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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3
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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4
bonnet
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| n.无边女帽；童帽 | |
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plume
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| n.羽毛；v.整理羽毛，骚首弄姿，用羽毛装饰 | |
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6
negligently
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7
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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8
habitual
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| adj.习惯性的；通常的，惯常的 | |
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9
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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10
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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baron
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| n.男爵；(商业界等)巨头，大王 | |
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12
arrant
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| adj.极端的；最大的 | |
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13
noose
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| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
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14
odious
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| adj.可憎的，讨厌的 | |
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15
grooms
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| n.新郎( groom的名词复数 )；马夫v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的第三人称单数 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗 | |
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16
knaves
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| n.恶棍，无赖( knave的名词复数 )；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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17
knave
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| n.流氓；（纸牌中的）杰克 | |
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18
rascal
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| n.流氓；不诚实的人 | |
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19
villains
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| n.恶棍( villain的名词复数 )；罪犯；（小说、戏剧等中的）反面人物；淘气鬼 | |
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20
kernel
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| n.(果实的)核，仁；(问题)的中心，核心 | |
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21
pulp
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| n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆 | |
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22
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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23
custody
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| n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留 | |
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24
confiscate
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| v.没收(私人财产)，把…充公 | |
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25
chattels
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| n.动产，奴隶( chattel的名词复数 ) | |
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26
courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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27
debtor
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| n.借方，债务人 | |
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28
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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29
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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30
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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31
shred
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| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
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32
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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33
irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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34
harmonious
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| adj.和睦的，调和的，和谐的，协调的 | |
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35
propensities
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| n.倾向，习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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36
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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37
lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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38
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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39
fluctuations
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| 波动，涨落，起伏( fluctuation的名词复数 ) | |
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40
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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41
jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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42
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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43
allied
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| adj.协约国的；同盟国的 | |
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44
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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45
counteracted
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| 对抗，抵消( counteract的过去式 ) | |
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46
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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47
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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48
attuned
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| v.使协调( attune的过去式和过去分词 )；调音 | |
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49
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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50
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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51
relish
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| n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味 | |
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52
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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53
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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54
profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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55
bawling
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| v.大叫，大喊( bawl的现在分词 )；放声大哭；大声叫出；叫卖（货物） | |
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56
vein
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| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
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57
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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58
toll
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| n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟) | |
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59
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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60
archer
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| n.射手，弓箭手 | |
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61
tally
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| n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致 | |
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62
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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63
overflow
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| v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出 | |
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64
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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65
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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66
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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67
ponderous
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| adj.沉重的，笨重的，(文章)冗长的 | |
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68
displeased
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| a.不快的 | |
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69
outweigh
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| vt.比...更重，...更重要 | |
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70
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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71
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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72
flasks
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| n.瓶，长颈瓶， 烧瓶( flask的名词复数 ) | |
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