Two Loves
To “The Sphinx”
Two loves I have of comfort and despair
That like two spirits do suggest me still,
My better angel is a man right fair,
My worse a woman tempting3 me to ill. — Shakespeare.
I dreamed I stood upon a little hill,
And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed
Like a waste garden, flowering at its will
With flowers and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed
Black and unruffled; there were white lilies
A few, and crocuses, and violets
Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries
Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets
Blue eyes of shy pervenche winked4 in the sun.
And there were curious flowers, before unknown,
Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades
Of Nature’s wilful5 moods; and here a one
That had drunk in the transitory tone
Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades
Of grass that in an hundred springs had been
Slowly but exquisitely6 nurtured7 by the stars,
And watered with the scented8 dew long cupped
In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen
Only God’s glory, for never a sunrise mars
The luminous9 air of heaven. Beyond, abrupt10,
A gray stone wall, o’ergrown with velvet11 moss12
Uprose. And gazing I stood long, all mazed13
To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair.
And as I stood and marvelled14, lo! across
The garden came a youth, one hand he raised
To shield him from the sun, his wind-tossed hair
Was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore
A purple bunch of bursting grapes, his eyes
Were clear as crystal, naked all was he,
White as the snow on pathless mountains frore,
Red were his lips as red wine-spilth that dyes
A marble floor, his brow chalcedony.
And he came near me, with his lips uncurled
And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth,
And gave me grapes to eat, and said, “Sweet friend,
Come, I will show thee shadows of the world
And images of life. See, from the south
Comes the pale pageant15 that hath never an end.”
And lo! within the garden of my dream
I saw two walking on a shining plain
Of golden light. The one did joyous16 seem
And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain
Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids
And joyous love of comely17 girl and boy;
His eyes were bright, and ‘mid the dancing blades
Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy.
And in his hands he held an ivory lute18,
With strings19 of gold that were as maidens’ hair,
And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute20,
And round his neck three chains of roses were.
But he that was his comrade walked aside;
He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes
Were strange with wondrous21 brightness, staring wide
With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs
That moved me, and his cheeks were wan22 and white
Like pallid23 lilies, and his lips were red
Like poppies, and his hands he clenched24 tight,
And yet again unclenched, and his head
Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death.
A purple robe he wore, o’erwrought in gold
With the device of a great snake, whose breath
Was fiery25 flame: which when I did behold26
I fell a-weeping and I cried, “Sweet youth
Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove
These pleasant realms? I pray thee speak me sooth
What is thy name?” He said, “My name is Love.”
Then straight the first did turn himself to me
And cried, “He lieth, for his name is Shame,
But I am Love, and I was wont28 to be
Alone in this fair garden, till he came
Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill
The hearts of boy and girl with mutual29 flame.”
Then sighing said the other, “Have thy will,
I am the Love that dare not speak its name.”
LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS.
September, 1892.
In Praise of Shame
Unto my bed last night, methought there came
Our lady of strange dreams, and from an urn27
She poured live fire, so that mine eyes did burn
At sight of it. Anon the floating flame
Took many shapes, and one cried, “I am Shame
That walks with Love, I am most wise to turn
Cold lips and limbs to fire; therefore discern
And see my loveliness, and praise my name.”
And afterward30, in radiant garments dressed,
With sound of flutes31 and laughing of glad lips,
A pomp of all the passions passed along,
All the night through; till the white phantom32 ships
Of dawn sailed in. Whereat I said this song,
“Of all sweet passions Shame is loveliest.”
LORD ALFRED DOUGLAS.
点击收听单词发音
1 prosecution | |
n.起诉,告发,检举,执行,经营 | |
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2 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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3 tempting | |
a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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4 winked | |
v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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5 wilful | |
adj.任性的,故意的 | |
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6 exquisitely | |
adv.精致地;强烈地;剧烈地;异常地 | |
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7 nurtured | |
养育( nurture的过去式和过去分词 ); 培育; 滋长; 助长 | |
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8 scented | |
adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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9 luminous | |
adj.发光的,发亮的;光明的;明白易懂的;有启发的 | |
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10 abrupt | |
adj.突然的,意外的;唐突的,鲁莽的 | |
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11 velvet | |
n.丝绒,天鹅绒;adj.丝绒制的,柔软的 | |
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12 moss | |
n.苔,藓,地衣 | |
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13 mazed | |
迷惘的,困惑的 | |
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14 marvelled | |
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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15 pageant | |
n.壮观的游行;露天历史剧 | |
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16 joyous | |
adj.充满快乐的;令人高兴的 | |
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17 comely | |
adj.漂亮的,合宜的 | |
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18 lute | |
n.琵琶,鲁特琴 | |
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19 strings | |
n.弦 | |
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20 flute | |
n.长笛;v.吹笛 | |
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21 wondrous | |
adj.令人惊奇的,奇妙的;adv.惊人地;异乎寻常地;令人惊叹地 | |
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22 wan | |
(wide area network)广域网 | |
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23 pallid | |
adj.苍白的,呆板的 | |
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24 clenched | |
v.紧握,抓紧,咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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26 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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27 urn | |
n.(有座脚的)瓮;坟墓;骨灰瓮 | |
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28 wont | |
adj.习惯于;v.习惯;n.习惯 | |
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29 mutual | |
adj.相互的,彼此的;共同的,共有的 | |
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30 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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31 flutes | |
长笛( flute的名词复数 ); 细长香槟杯(形似长笛) | |
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32 phantom | |
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的 | |
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