I CANNOT, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely4 where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering. Or, perhaps, I cannot now bring these points to mind, because, in truth, the character of my beloved, her rare learning, her singular yet placid5 cast of beauty, and the thrilling and enthralling6 eloquence7 of her low musical language, made their way into my heart by paces so steadily8 and stealthily progressive that they have been unnoticed and unknown. Yet I believe that I met her first and most frequently in some large, old, decaying city near the Rhine. Of her family — I have surely heard her speak. That it is of a remotely ancient date cannot be doubted. Ligeia! Ligeia! in studies of a nature more than all else adapted to deaden impressions of the outward world, it is by that sweet word alone — by Ligeia — that I bring before mine eyes in fancy the image of her who is no more. And now, while I write, a recollection flashes upon me that I have never known the paternal10 name of her who was my friend and my betrothed11, and who became the partner of my studies, and finally the wife of my bosom12. Was it a playful charge on the part of my Ligeia? or was it a test of my strength of affection, that I should institute no inquiries13 upon this point? or was it rather a caprice of my own — a wildly romantic offering on the shrine14 of the most passionate15 devotion? I but indistinctly recall the fact itself — what wonder that I have utterly forgotten the circumstances which originated or attended it? And, indeed, if ever she, the wan16 and the misty-winged Ashtophet of idolatrous Egypt, presided, as they tell, over marriages ill-omened, then most surely she presided over mine.
There is one dear topic, however, on which my memory falls me not. It is the person of Ligeia. In stature17 she was tall, somewhat slender, and, in her latter days, even emaciated18. I would in vain attempt to portray19 the majesty20, the quiet ease, of her demeanor21, or the incomprehensible lightness and elasticity22 of her footfall. She came and departed as a shadow. I was never made aware of her entrance into my closed study save by the dear music of her low sweet voice, as she placed her marble hand upon my shoulder. In beauty of face no maiden23 ever equalled her. It was the radiance of an opium24-dream — an airy and spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered25 vision about the slumbering26 souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular mould which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors28 of the heathen. “There is no exquisite29 beauty,” says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, without some strangeness in the proportion.” Yet, although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity30 — although I perceived that her loveliness was indeed “exquisite,” and felt that there was much of “strangeness” pervading it, yet I have tried in vain to detect the irregularity and to trace home my own perception of “the strange.” I examined the contour of the lofty and pale forehead — it was faultless — how cold indeed that word when applied31 to a majesty so divine! — the skin rivalling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose32, the gentle prominence33 of the regions above the temples; and then the raven34-black, the glossy35, the luxuriant and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth36 the full force of the Homeric epithet37, “hyacinthine!” I looked at the delicate outlines of the nose — and nowhere but in the graceful38 medallions of the Hebrews had I beheld39 a similar perfection. There were the same luxurious40 smoothness of surface, the same scarcely perceptible tendency to the aquiline41, the same harmoniously42 curved nostrils43 speaking the free spirit. I regarded the sweet mouth. Here was indeed the triumph of all things heavenly — the magnificent turn of the short upper lip — the soft, voluptuous44 slumber27 of the under — the dimples which sported, and the color which spoke45 — the teeth glancing back, with a brilliancy almost startling, every ray of the holy light which fell upon them in her serene46 and placid, yet most exultingly47 radiant of all smiles. I scrutinized48 the formation of the chin — and here, too, I found the gentleness of breadth, the softness and the majesty, the fullness and the spirituality, of the Greek — the contour which the god Apollo revealed but in a dream, to Cleomenes, the son of the Athenian. And then I peered into the large eves of Ligeia.
For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique. It might have been, too, that in these eves of my beloved lay the secret to which Lord Verulam alludes49. They were, I must believe, far larger than the ordinary eyes of our own race. They were even fuller than the fullest of the gazelle eyes of the tribe of the valley of Nourjahad. Yet it was only at intervals50 — in moments of intense excitement — that this peculiarity51 became more than slightly noticeable in Ligeia. And at such moments was her beauty — in my heated fancy thus it appeared perhaps — the beauty of beings either above or apart from the earth — the beauty of the fabulous52 Houri of the Turk. The hue53 of the orbs54 was the most brilliant of black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes9 of great length. The brows, slightly irregular in outline, had the same tint55. The “strangeness,” however, which I found in the eyes, was of a nature distinct from the formation, or the color, or the brilliancy of the features, and must, after all, be referred to the expression. Ah, word of no meaning! behind whose vast latitude56 of mere57 sound we intrench our ignorance of so much of the spiritual. The expression of the eyes of Ligeia! How for long hours have I pondered upon it! How have I, through the whole of a midsummer night, struggled to fathom58 it! What was it — that something more profound than the well of Democritus — which lay far within the pupils of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed59 with a passion to discover. Those eyes! those large, those shining, those divine orbs! they became to me twin stars of Leda, and I to them devoutest of astrologers.
There is no point, among the many incomprehensible anomalies of the science of mind, more thrillingly exciting than the fact — never, I believe, noticed in the schools — that, in our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge60 of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember. And thus how frequently, in my intense scrutiny61 of Ligeia’s eyes, have I felt approaching the full knowledge of their expression — felt it approaching — yet not quite be mine — and so at length entirely62 depart! And (strange, oh strangest mystery of all!) I found, in the commonest objects of the universe, a circle of analogies to theat expression. I mean to say that, subsequently to the period when Ligeia’s beauty passed into my spirit, there dwelling63 as in a shrine, I derived64, from many existences in the material world, a sentiment such as I felt always aroused within me by her large and luminous65 orbs. Yet not the more could I define that sentiment, or analyze66, or even steadily view it. I recognized it, let me repeat, sometimes in the survey of a rapidly-growing vine — in the contemplation of a moth67, a butterfly, a chrysalis, a stream of running water. I have felt it in the ocean; in the falling of a meteor. I have felt it in the glances of unusually aged68 people. And there are one or two stars in heaven — (one especially, a star of the sixth magnitude, double and changeable, to be found near the large star in Lyra) in a telescopic scrutiny of which I have been made aware of the feeling. I have been filled with it by certain sounds from stringed instruments, and not unfrequently by passages from books. Among innumerable other instances, I well remember something in a volume of Joseph Glanvill, which (perhaps merely from its quaintness69 — who shall say?) never failed to inspire me with the sentiment; — “And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will.”
Length of years, and subsequent reflection, have enabled me to trace, indeed, some remote connection between this passage in the English moralist and a portion of the character of Ligeia. An intensity70 in thought, action, or speech, was possibly, in her, a result, or at least an index, of that gigantic volition71 which, during our long intercourse72, failed to give other and more immediate73 evidence of its existence. Of all the women whom I have ever known, she, the outwardly calm, the ever-placid Ligeia, was the most violently a prey74 to the tumultuous vultures of stern passion. And of such passion I could form no estimate, save by the miraculous76 expansion of those eyes which at once so delighted and appalled77 me — by the almost magical melody, modulation79, distinctness and placidity80 of her very low voice — and by the fierce energy (rendered doubly effective by contrast with her manner of utterance81) of the wild words which she habitually82 uttered.
I have spoken of the learning of Ligeia: it was immense — such as I have never known in woman. In the classical tongues was she deeply proficient83, and as far as my own acquaintance extended in regard to the modern dialects of Europe, I have never known her at fault. Indeed upon any theme of the most admired, because simply the most abstruse84 of the boasted erudition of the academy, have I ever found Ligeia at fault? How singularly — how thrillingly, this one point in the nature of my wife has forced itself, at this late period only, upon my attention! I said her knowledge was such as I have never known in woman — but where breathes the man who has traversed, and successfully, all the wide areas of moral, physical, and mathematical science? I saw not then what I now clearly perceive, that the acquisitions of Ligeia were gigantic, were astounding86; yet I was sufficiently87 aware of her infinite supremacy88 to resign myself, with a child-like confidence, to her guidance through the chaotic89 world of metaphysical investigation90 at which I was most busily occupied during the earlier years of our marriage. With how vast a triumph — with how vivid a delight — with how much of all that is ethereal in hope — did I feel, as she bent91 over me in studies but little sought — but less known — that delicious vista92 by slow degrees expanding before me, down whose long, gorgeous, and all untrodden path, I might at length pass onward93 to the goal of a wisdom too divinely precious not to be forbidden!
How poignant94, then, must have been the grief with which, after some years, I beheld my well-grounded expectations take wings to themselves and fly away! Without Ligeia I was but as a child groping benighted95. Her presence, her readings alone, rendered vividly96 luminous the many mysteries of the transcendentalism in which we were immersed. Wanting the radiant lustre97 of her eyes, letters, lambent and golden, grew duller than Saturnian lead. And now those eyes shone less and less frequently upon the pages over which I pored. Ligeia grew ill. The wild eyes blazed with a too — too glorious effulgence98; the pale fingers became of the transparent99 waxen hue of the grave, and the blue veins100 upon the lofty forehead swelled101 and sank impetuously with the tides of the gentle emotion. I saw that she must die — and I struggled desperately102 in spirit with the grim Azrael. And the struggles of the passionate wife were, to my astonishment103, even more energetic than my own. There had been much in her stern nature to impress me with the belief that, to her, death would have come without its terrors; — but not so. Words are impotent to convey any just idea of the fierceness of resistance with which she wrestled104 with the Shadow. I groaned105 in anguish106 at the pitiable spectacle. would have soothed107 — I would have reasoned; but, in the intensity of her wild desire for life, — for life — but for life — solace108 and reason were the uttermost folly109. Yet not until the last instance, amid the most convulsive writhings of her fierce spirit, was shaken the external placidity of her demeanor. Her voice grew more gentle — grew more low — yet I would not wish to dwell upon the wild meaning of the quietly uttered words. My brain reeled as I hearkened entranced, to a melody more than mortal — to assumptions and aspirations111 which mortality had never before known.
That she loved me I should not have doubted; and I might have been easily aware that, in a bosom such as hers, love would have reigned112 no ordinary passion. But in death only, was I fully85 impressed with the strength of her affection. For long hours, detaining my hand, would she pour out before me the overflowing113 of a heart whose more than passionate devotion amounted to idolatry. How had I deserved to be so blessed by such confessions114? — how had I deserved to be so cursed with the removal of my beloved in the hour of her making them, But upon this subject I cannot bear to dilate115. Let me say only, that in Ligeia’s more than womanly abandonment to a love, alas116! all unmerited, all unworthily bestowed117, I at length recognized the principle of her longing118 with so wildly earnest a desire for the life which was now fleeing so rapidly away. It is this wild longing — it is this eager vehemence119 of desire for life — but for life — that I have no power to portray — no utterance capable of expressing.
At high noon of the night in which she departed, beckoning120 me, peremptorily121, to her side, she bade me repeat certain verses composed by herself not many days before. I obeyed her. — They were these:
Lo! ’tis a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!
An angel throng122, bewinged, bedight
In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
A play of hopes and fears,
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
The music of the spheres.
Mimes123, in the form of God on high,
Mutter and mumble124 low,
And hither and thither125 fly —
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro,
Flapping from out their Condor126 wings
Invisible Wo!
That motley drama! — oh, be sure
It shall not be forgot!
With its Phantom127 chased forever more,
By a crowd that seize it not,
Through a circle that ever returneth in
To the self-same spot,
And much of Madness and more of Sin
And Horror the soul of the plot.
But see, amid the mimic128 rout129,
A crawling shape intrude130!
A blood-red thing that writhes131 from out
The scenic132 solitude133!
It writhes! — it writhes! — with mortal pangs134
The mimes become its food,
And the seraphs sob135 at vermin fangs136
In human gore137 imbued138.
Out — out are the lights — out all!
And over each quivering form,
The curtain, a funeral pall78,
Comes down with the rush of a storm,
And the angels, all pallid139 and wan,
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, “Man,”
And its hero the Conqueror140 Worm.
“O God!” half shrieked141 Ligeia, leaping to her feet and extending her arms aloft with a spasmodic movement, as I made an end of these lines — “O God! O Divine Father! — shall these things be undeviatingly so? — shall this Conqueror be not once conquered? Are we not part and parcel in Thee? Who — who knoweth the mysteries of the will with its vigor? Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will.”
And now, as if exhausted142 with emotion, she suffered her white arms to fall, and returned solemnly to her bed of death. And as she breathed her last sighs, there came mingled143 with them a low murmur144 from her lips. I bent to them my ear and distinguished145, again, the concluding words of the passage in Glanvill — “Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will.”
She died; — and I, crushed into the very dust with sorrow, could no longer endure the lonely desolation of my dwelling in the dim and decaying city by the Rhine. I had no lack of what the world calls wealth. Ligeia had brought me far more, very far more than ordinarily falls to the lot of mortals. After a few months, therefore, of weary and aimless wandering, I purchased, and put in some repair, an abbey, which I shall not name, in one of the wildest and least frequented portions of fair England. The gloomy and dreary146 grandeur147 of the building, the almost savage148 aspect of the domain149, the many melancholy150 and time-honored memories connected with both, had much in unison151 with the feelings of utter abandonment which had driven me into that remote and unsocial region of the country. Yet although the external abbey, with its verdant152 decay hanging about it, suffered but little alteration153, I gave way, with a child-like perversity154, and perchance with a faint hope of alleviating155 my sorrows, to a display of more than regal magnificence within. — For such follies156, even in childhood, I had imbibed157 a taste and now they came back to me as if in the dotage158 of grief. Alas, I feel how much even of incipient159 madness might have been discovered in the gorgeous and fantastic draperies, in the solemn carvings160 of Egypt, in the wild cornices and furniture, in the Bedlam161 patterns of the carpets of tufted gold! I had become a bounden slave in the trammels of opium, and my labors and my orders had taken a coloring from my dreams. But these absurdities162 must not pause to detail. Let me speak only of that one chamber163, ever accursed, whither in a moment of mental alienation164, I led from the altar as my bride — as the successor of the unforgotten Ligeia — the fair-haired and blue-eyed Lady Rowena Trevanion, of Tremaine.
There is no individual portion of the architecture and decoration of that bridal chamber which is not now visibly before me. Where were the souls of the haughty165 family of the bride, when, through thirst of gold, they permitted to pass the threshold of an apartment so bedecked, a maiden and a daughter so beloved? I have said that I minutely remember the details of the chamber — yet I am sadly forgetful on topics of deep moment — and here there was no system, no keeping, in the fantastic display, to take hold upon the memory. The room lay in a high turret166 of the castellated abbey, was pentagonal in shape, and of capacious size. Occupying the whole southern face of the pentagon was the sole window — an immense sheet of unbroken glass from Venice — a single pane167, and tinted168 of a leaden hue, so that the rays of either the sun or moon, passing through it, fell with a ghastly lustre on the objects within. Over the upper portion of this huge window, extended the trellice-work of an aged vine, which clambered up the massy walls of the turret. The ceiling, of gloomy-looking oak, was excessively lofty, vaulted169, and elaborately fretted170 with the wildest and most grotesque171 specimens172 of a semi-Gothic, semi-Druidical device. From out the most central recess173 of this melancholy vaulting174, depended, by a single chain of gold with long links, a huge censer of the same metal, Saracenic in pattern, and with many perforations so contrived175 that there writhed176 in and out of them, as if endued177 with a serpent vitality178, a continual succession of parti-colored fires.
Some few ottomans and golden candelabra, of Eastern figure, were in various stations about — and there was the couch, too — bridal couch — of an Indian model, and low, and sculptured of solid ebony, with a pall-like canopy179 above. In each of the angles of the chamber stood on end a gigantic sarcophagus of black granite180, from the tombs of the kings over against Luxor, with their aged lids full of immemorial sculpture. But in the draping of the apartment lay, alas! the chief phantasy of all. The lofty walls, gigantic in height — even unproportionably so — were hung from summit to foot, in vast folds, with a heavy and massive-looking tapestry181 — tapestry of a material which was found alike as a carpet on the floor, as a covering for the ottomans and the ebony bed, as a canopy for the bed, and as the gorgeous volutes of the curtains which partially182 shaded the window. The material was the richest cloth of gold. It was spotted183 all over, at irregular intervals, with arabesque184 figures, about a foot in diameter, and wrought185 upon the cloth in patterns of the most jetty black. But these figures partook of the true character of the arabesque only when regarded from a single point of view. By a contrivance now common, and indeed traceable to a very remote period of antiquity186, they were made changeable in aspect. To one entering the room, they bore the appearance of simple monstrosities; but upon a farther advance, this appearance gradually departed; and step by step, as the visitor moved his station in the chamber, he saw himself surrounded by an endless succession of the ghastly forms which belong to the superstition187 of the Norman, or arise in the guilty slumbers188 of the monk189. The phantasmagoric effect was vastly heightened by the artificial introduction of a strong continual current of wind behind the draperies — giving a hideous190 and uneasy animation191 to the whole.
In halls such as these — in a bridal chamber such as this — I passed, with the Lady of Tremaine, the unhallowed hours of the first month of our marriage — passed them with but little disquietude. That my wife dreaded192 the fierce moodiness193 of my temper — that she shunned194 me and loved me but little — I could not help perceiving; but it gave me rather pleasure than otherwise. I loathed195 her with a hatred196 belonging more to demon197 than to man. My memory flew back, (oh, with what intensity of regret!) to Ligeia, the beloved, the august, the beautiful, the entombed. I revelled198 in recollections of her purity, of her wisdom, of her lofty, her ethereal nature, of her passionate, her idolatrous love. Now, then, did my spirit fully and freely burn with more than all the fires of her own. In the excitement of my opium dreams (for I was habitually fettered199 in the shackles200 of the drug) I would call aloud upon her name, during the silence of the night, or among the sheltered recesses201 of the glens by day, as if, through the wild eagerness, the solemn passion, the consuming ardor202 of my longing for the departed, I could restore her to the pathway she had abandoned — ah, could it be forever? — upon the earth.
About the commencement of the second month of the marriage, the Lady Rowena was attacked with sudden illness, from which her recovery was slow. The fever which consumed her rendered her nights uneasy; and in her perturbed203 state of half-slumber, she spoke of sounds, and of motions, in and about the chamber of the turret, which I concluded had no origin save in the distemper of her fancy, or perhaps in the phantasmagoric influences of the chamber itself. She became at length convalescent — finally well. Yet but a brief period elapsed, ere a second more violent disorder204 again threw her upon a bed of suffering; and from this attack her frame, at all times feeble, never altogether recovered. Her illnesses were, after this epoch205, of alarming character, and of more alarming recurrence206, defying alike the knowledge and the great exertions207 of her physicians. With the increase of the chronic209 disease which had thus, apparently210, taken too sure hold upon her constitution to be eradicated211 by human means, I could not fall to observe a similar increase in the nervous irritation212 of her temperament213, and in her excitability by trivial causes of fear. She spoke again, and now more frequently and pertinaciously214, of the sounds — of the slight sounds — and of the unusual motions among the tapestries215, to which she had formerly216 alluded217.
One night, near the closing in of September, she pressed this distressing218 subject with more than usual emphasis upon my attention. She had just awakened219 from an unquiet slumber, and I had been watching, with feelings half of anxiety, half of vague terror, the workings of her emaciated countenance220. I sat by the side of her ebony bed, upon one of the ottomans of India. She partly arose, and spoke, in an earnest low whisper, of sounds which she then heard, but which I could not hear — of motions which she then saw, but which I could not perceive. The wind was rushing hurriedly behind the tapestries, and I wished to show her (what, let me confess it, I could not all believe) that those almost inarticulate breathings, and those very gentle variations of the figures upon the wall, were but the natural effects of that customary rushing of the wind. But a deadly pallor, overspreading her face, had proved to me that my exertions to reassure221 her would be fruitless. She appeared to be fainting, and no attendants were within call. I remembered where was deposited a decanter of light wine which had been ordered by her physicians, and hastened across the chamber to procure222 it. But, as I stepped beneath the light of the censer, two circumstances of a startling nature attracted my attention. I had felt that some palpable although invisible object had passed lightly by my person; and I saw that there lay upon the golden carpet, in the very middle of the rich lustre thrown from the censer, a shadow — a faint, indefinite shadow of angelic aspect — such as might be fancied for the shadow of a shade. But I was wild with the excitement of an immoderate dose of opium, and heeded223 these things but little, nor spoke of them to Rowena. Having found the wine, I recrossed the chamber, and poured out a gobletful, which I held to the lips of the fainting lady. She had now partially recovered, however, and took the vessel225 herself, while I sank upon an ottoman near me, with my eyes fastened upon her person. It was then that I became distinctly aware of a gentle footfall upon the carpet, and near the couch; and in a second thereafter, as Rowena was in the act of raising the wine to her lips, I saw, or may have dreamed that I saw, fall within the goblet224, as if from some invisible spring in the atmosphere of the room, three or four large drops of a brilliant and ruby226 colored fluid. If this I saw — not so Rowena. She swallowed the wine unhesitatingly, and I forbore to speak to her of a circumstance which must, after all, I considered, have been but the suggestion of a vivid imagination, rendered morbidly227 active by the terror of the lady, by the opium, and by the hour.
Yet I cannot conceal228 it from my own perception that, immediately subsequent to the fall of the ruby-drops, a rapid change for the worse took place in the disorder of my wife; so that, on the third subsequent night, the hands of her menials prepared her for the tomb, and on the fourth, I sat alone, with her shrouded229 body, in that fantastic chamber which had received her as my bride. — Wild visions, opium-engendered, flitted, shadow-like, before me. I gazed with unquiet eye upon the sarcophagi in the angles of the room, upon the varying figures of the drapery, and upon the writhing110 of the parti-colored fires in the censer overhead. My eyes then fell, as I called to mind the circumstances of a former night, to the spot beneath the glare of the censer where I had seen the faint traces of the shadow. It was there, however, no longer; and breathing with greater freedom, I turned my glances to the pallid and rigid230 figure upon the bed. Then rushed upon me a thousand memories of Ligeia — and then came back upon my heart, with the turbulent violence of a flood, the whole of that unutterable wo with which I had regarded her thus enshrouded. The night waned231; and still, with a bosom full of bitter thoughts of the one only and supremely232 beloved, I remained gazing upon the body of Rowena.
It might have been midnight, or perhaps earlier, or later, for I had taken no note of time, when a sob, low, gentle, but very distinct, startled me from my revery. — I felt that it came from the bed of ebony — the bed of death. I listened in an agony of superstitious233 terror — but there was no repetition of the sound. I strained my vision to detect any motion in the corpse234 — but there was not the slightest perceptible. Yet I could not have been deceived. I had heard the noise, however faint, and my soul was awakened within me. I resolutely235 and perseveringly236 kept my attention riveted237 upon the body. Many minutes elapsed before any circumstance occurred tending to throw light upon the mystery. At length it became evident that a slight, a very feeble, and barely noticeable tinge238 of color had flushed up within the cheeks, and along the sunken small veins of the eyelids239. Through a species of unutterable horror and awe241, for which the language of mortality has no sufficiently energetic expression, I felt my heart cease to beat, my limbs grow rigid where I sat. Yet a sense of duty finally operated to restore my self-possession. I could no longer doubt that we had been precipitate242 in our preparations — that Rowena still lived. It was necessary that some immediate exertion208 be made; yet turret was altogether apart from the portion of the abbey tenanted by the servants — there were none within call — I had no means of summoning them to my aid without leaving the room for many minutes — and this I could not venture to do. I therefore struggled alone in my endeavors to call back the spirit ill hovering244. In a short period it was certain, however, that a relapse had taken place; the color disappeared from both eyelid240 and cheek, leaving a wanness245 even more than that of marble; the lips became doubly shrivelled and pinched up in the ghastly expression of death; a repulsive246 clamminess and coldness overspread rapidly the surface of the body; and all the usual rigorous illness immediately supervened. I fell back with a shudder247 upon the couch from which I had been so startlingly aroused, and again gave myself up to passionate waking visions of Ligeia.
An hour thus elapsed when (could it be possible?) I was a second time aware of some vague sound issuing from the region of the bed. I listened — in extremity248 of horror. The sound came again — it was a sigh. Rushing to the corpse, I saw — distinctly saw — a tremor249 upon the lips. In a minute afterward250 they relaxed, disclosing a bright line of the pearly teeth. Amazement251 now struggled in my bosom with the profound awe which had hitherto reigned there alone. I felt that my vision grew dim, that my reason wandered; and it was only by a violent effort that I at length succeeded in nerving myself to the task which duty thus once more had pointed252 out. There was now a partial glow upon the forehead and upon the cheek and throat; a perceptible warmth pervaded253 the whole frame; there was even a slight pulsation254 at the heart. The lady lived; and with redoubled ardor I betook myself to the task of restoration. I chafed255 and bathed the temples and the hands, and used every exertion which experience, and no little. medical reading, could suggest. But in vain. Suddenly, the color fled, the pulsation ceased, the lips resumed the expression of the dead, and, in an instant afterward, the whole body took upon itself the icy chilliness256, the livid hue, the intense rigidity257, the sunken outline, and all the loathsome258 peculiarities259 of that which has been, for many days, a tenant243 of the tomb.
And again I sunk into visions of Ligeia — and again, (what marvel260 that I shudder while I write,) again there reached my ears a low sob from the region of the ebony bed. But why shall I minutely detail the unspeakable horrors of that night? Why shall I pause to relate how, time after time, until near the period of the gray dawn, this hideous drama of revivification was repeated; how each terrific relapse was only into a sterner and apparently more irredeemable death; how each agony wore the aspect of a struggle with some invisible foe261; and how each struggle was succeeded by I know not what of wild change in the personal appearance of the corpse? Let me hurry to a conclusion.
The greater part of the fearful night had worn away, and she who had been dead, once again stirred — and now more vigorously than hitherto, although arousing from a dissolution more appalling262 in its utter hopelessness than any. I had long ceased to struggle or to move, and remained sitting rigidly263 upon the ottoman, a helpless prey to a whirl of violent emotions, of which extreme awe was perhaps the least terrible, the least consuming. The corpse, I repeat, stirred, and now more vigorously than before. The hues264 of life flushed up with unwonted energy into the countenance — the limbs relaxed — and, save that the eyelids were yet pressed heavily together, and that the bandages and draperies of the grave still imparted their charnel character to the figure, I might have dreamed that Rowena had indeed shaken off, utterly, the fetters265 of Death. But if this idea was not, even then, altogether adopted, I could at least doubt no longer, when, arising from the bed, tottering266, with feeble steps, with closed eyes, and with the manner of one bewildered in a dream, the thing that was enshrouded advanced boldly and palpably into the middle of the apartment.
I trembled not — I stirred not — for a crowd of unutterable fancies connected with the air, the stature, the demeanor of the figure, rushing hurriedly through my brain, had paralyzed — had chilled me into stone. I stirred not — but gazed upon the apparition267. There was a mad disorder in my thoughts — a tumult75 unappeasable. Could it, indeed, be the living Rowena who confronted me? Could it indeed be Rowena at all — the fair-haired, the blue-eyed Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine? Why, why should I doubt it? The bandage lay heavily about the mouth — but then might it not be the mouth of the breathing Lady of Tremaine? And the cheeks-there were the roses as in her noon of life — yes, these might indeed be the fair cheeks of the living Lady of Tremaine. And the chin, with its dimples, as in health, might it not be hers? — but had she then grown taller since her malady268? What inexpressible madness seized me with that thought? One bound, and I had reached her feet! Shrinking from my touch, she let fall from her head, unloosened, the ghastly cerements which had confined it, and there streamed forth, into the rushing atmosphere of the chamber, huge masses of long and dishevelled hair; it was blacker than the raven wings of the midnight! And now slowly opened the eyes of the figure which stood before me. “Here then, at least,” I shrieked aloud, “can I never — can I never be mistaken — these are the full, and the black, and the wild eyes — of my lost love — of the lady — of the LADY Ligeia.”
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1
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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placid
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| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
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enthralling
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| 迷人的 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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lashes
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| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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10
paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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betrothed
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| n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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14
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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15
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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16
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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18
emaciated
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| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
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19
portray
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| v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等) | |
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majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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elasticity
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| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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24
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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25
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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26
slumbering
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| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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28
labors
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| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
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29
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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33
prominence
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| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
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34
raven
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| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
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35
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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epithet
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| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
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38
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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39
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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40
luxurious
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| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
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41
aquiline
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| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
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42
harmoniously
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| 和谐地，调和地 | |
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43
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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44
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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45
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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46
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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47
exultingly
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| 兴高采烈地，得意地 | |
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48
scrutinized
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| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
alludes
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| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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51
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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52
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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53
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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54
orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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55
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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56
latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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57
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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58
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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60
verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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61
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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62
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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63
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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64
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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65
luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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66
analyze
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| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
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67
moth
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| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
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68
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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69
quaintness
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| n.离奇有趣，古怪的事物 | |
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70
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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71
volition
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| n.意志；决意 | |
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72
intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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73
immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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74
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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75
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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76
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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77
appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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78
pall
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| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
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79
modulation
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| n.调制 | |
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80
placidity
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| n.平静，安静，温和 | |
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81
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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82
habitually
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| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
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83
proficient
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| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
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84
abstruse
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| adj.深奥的，难解的 | |
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85
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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86
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
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87
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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88
supremacy
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| n.至上；至高权力 | |
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89
chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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91
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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92
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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benighted
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| adj.蒙昧的 | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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97
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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effulgence
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| n.光辉 | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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100
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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101
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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102
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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103
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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104
wrestled
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| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
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105
groaned
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| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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106
anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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107
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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108
solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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109
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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110
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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111
aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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112
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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113
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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114
confessions
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| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
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115
dilate
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| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
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116
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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117
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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118
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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119
vehemence
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| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
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120
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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121
peremptorily
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| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
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122
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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123
mimes
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| n.指手画脚( mime的名词复数 )；做手势；哑剧；哑剧演员v.指手画脚地表演，用哑剧的形式表演( mime的第三人称单数 ) | |
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124
mumble
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| n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝 | |
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125
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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126
condor
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| n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币 | |
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127
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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128
mimic
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| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
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129
rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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130
intrude
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| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
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131
writhes
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的第三人称单数 ) | |
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132
scenic
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| adj.自然景色的，景色优美的 | |
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133
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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134
pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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135
sob
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| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
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136
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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137
gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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138
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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139
pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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140
conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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141
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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142
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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143
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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144
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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145
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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146
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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147
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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148
savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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149
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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150
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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151
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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152
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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153
alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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154
perversity
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| n.任性；刚愎自用 | |
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155
alleviating
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| 减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 ) | |
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156
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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157
imbibed
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| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
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158
dotage
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| n.年老体衰；年老昏聩 | |
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159
incipient
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| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
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160
carvings
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| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
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161
bedlam
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| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
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162
absurdities
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| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
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163
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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164
alienation
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| n.疏远；离间；异化 | |
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165
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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166
turret
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| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
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167
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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168
tinted
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| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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169
vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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170
fretted
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| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
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171
grotesque
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| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
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172
specimens
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| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
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173
recess
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| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
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174
vaulting
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|
| n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构 | |
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175
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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176
writhed
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177
endued
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| v.授予，赋予（特性、才能等）( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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178
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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179
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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180
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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181
tapestry
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| n.挂毯，丰富多采的画面 | |
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182
partially
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| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
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183
spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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184
arabesque
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| n.阿拉伯式花饰；adj.阿拉伯式图案的 | |
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185
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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186
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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187
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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188
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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189
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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190
hideous
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|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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191
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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192
dreaded
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|
| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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193
moodiness
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| n.喜怒无常；喜怒无常，闷闷不乐；情绪 | |
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194
shunned
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| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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195
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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196
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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197
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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198
revelled
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| v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉 | |
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199
fettered
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| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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200
shackles
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| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
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201
recesses
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|
| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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202
ardor
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| n.热情，狂热 | |
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203
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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204
disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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205
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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206
recurrence
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| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
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207
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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208
exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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209
chronic
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| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
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210
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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211
eradicated
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| 画着根的 | |
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212
irritation
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| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
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213
temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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214
pertinaciously
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| adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地 | |
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215
tapestries
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| n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 ) | |
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216
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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217
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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218
distressing
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| a.使人痛苦的 | |
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219
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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220
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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221
reassure
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| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
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222
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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223
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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224
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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225
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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226
ruby
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| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
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227
morbidly
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| adv.病态地 | |
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228
conceal
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
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229
shrouded
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| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
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230
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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231
waned
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| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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232
supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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233
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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234
corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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235
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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236
perseveringly
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| 坚定地 | |
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237
riveted
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| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
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238
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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239
eyelids
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| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
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240
eyelid
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| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
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241
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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242
precipitate
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| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
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243
tenant
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| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
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244
hovering
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| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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245
wanness
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| n.虚弱 | |
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246
repulsive
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| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
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247
shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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248
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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249
tremor
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| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
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250
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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251
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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252
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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253
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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254
pulsation
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| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
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255
chafed
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| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
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256
chilliness
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| n.寒冷，寒意，严寒 | |
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257
rigidity
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| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
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258
loathsome
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| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
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259
peculiarities
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| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
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260
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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261
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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262
appalling
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| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
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263
rigidly
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| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
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264
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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265
fetters
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| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
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266
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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267
apparition
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| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
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268
malady
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| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
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