The materials for the history of an odd episode in Ambrose Meyrick’s life are to be found in a sort of collection he made under the title “Concerning Gaiety.” The episode in question dates from about the middle of his eighteenth year.
“I do not know”— he says —“how it all happened. I had been leading two eager lives. On the outside I was playing games and going up in the school with a rush, and in the inside I was being gathered more and more into the sanctuaries1 of immortal2 things. All life was transfigured for me into a radiant glory, into a quickening and catholic sacrament; and, the fooleries of the school apart, I had more and more the sense that I was a participant in a splendid and significant ritual. I think I was beginning to be a little impatient with the outward signs: I think I had a feeling that it was a pity that one had to drink wine out of a cup, a pity that kernels4 seemed to imply shells. I wanted, in my heart, to know nothing but the wine itself flowing gloriously from vague, invisible fountains, to know the things ‘that really are’ in their naked beauty, without their various and elaborate draperies. I doubt whether Ruskin understood the motive5 of the monk6 who walked amidst the mountains with his eyes cast down lest he might see the depths and heights about him. Ruskin calls this a narrow asceticism7; perhaps it was rather the result of a very subtle aestheticism. The monk’s inner vision might be fixed10 with such rapture11 on certain invisible heights and depths, that he feared lest the sight of their visible counterparts might disturb his ecstasy12. It is probable, I think, that there is a point where the ascetic8 principle and the aesthetic9 become one and the same. The Indian fakir who distorts his limbs and lies on spikes13 is at the one extreme, the men of the Italian Renaissance14 were at the other. In each case the true line is distorted and awry15, for neither system attains16 either sanctity or beauty in the highest. The fakir dwells in surfaces, and the Renaissance artist dwelt in surfaces; in neither case is there the inexpressible radiance of the invisible world shining through the surfaces. A cup of Cellini’s work is no doubt very lovely; but it is not beautiful in the same way as the old Celtic cups are beautiful.
“I think I was in some danger of going wrong at the time I am talking about. I was altogether too impatient of surfaces. Heaven forbid the notion that I was ever in danger of being in any sense of the word a Protestant; but perhaps I was rather inclined to the fundamental heresy17 on which Protestantism builds its objection to what is called Ritual. I suppose this heresy is really Manichee; it is a charge of corruption18 and evil made against the visible universe, which is affirmed to be not ‘very good,’ but ‘very bad’— or, at all events, too bad to be used as the vehicle of spiritual truth. It is extraordinary by the way, that the thinking Protestant does not perceive that this principle damns all creeds19 and all Bibles and all teaching quite as effectually as it damns candles and chasubles — unless, indeed, the Protestant thinks that the logical understanding is a competent vehicle of Eternal Truth, and that God can be properly and adequately defined and explained in human speech. If he thinks that, he is an ass22. Incense23, vestments, candles, all ceremonies, processions, rites24 — all these things are miserably26 inadequate27; but they do not abound28 in the horrible pitfalls29, misapprehensions, errors which are inseparable from speech of men used as an expression of the Church. In a savage31 dance there may be a vast deal more of the truth than in many of the hymns33 in our hymn32-books.
“After all, as Martinez said, we must even be content with what we have, whether it be censers or syllogisms, or both. The way of the censer is certainly the safer, as I have said; I suppose because the ruin of the external universe is not nearly so deep nor so virulent34 as the ruin of men. A flower, a piece of gold, no doubt approach their archetypes — what they were meant to be — much more nearly than man does; hence their appeal is purer than the speech or the reasoning of men.
“But in those days at Lupton my head was full of certain sentences which I had lit upon somewhere or other — I believe they must have been translations from some Eastern book. I knew about a dozen of these maxims36; all I can remember now are:
“If you desire to be inebriated37: abstain38 from wine.”
“If you desire beauty: look not on beautiful things.”
“If you desire to see: let your eyes be blindfolded39.”
“If you desire love: refrain from the Beloved.”
“I expect the paradox40 of these sayings pleased me. One must allow that if one has the inborn41 appetite of the somewhat subtle, of the truth not too crudely and barely expressed, there is no such atmosphere as that of a Public School for sharpening this appetite to an edge of ravening42, indiscriminate hunger. Think of our friend the Colonel, who is by way of being a fin21 gourmet43; imagine him fixed in a boarding-house where the meals are a repeating cycle of Irish Stew45, Boiled Rabbit, Cold Mutton and Salt Cod46 (without oyster47 or any other sause)! Then let him out and place him in the Café Anglais. With what a fierce relish48 would he set tooth into curious and sought-out dishes! It must be remembered that I listened every Sunday in every term to one of the Doctor’s sermons, and it is really not strange that I gave an eager ear to the voice of Persian Wisdom— as I think the book was called. At any rate, I kept Nelly Foran at a distance for nine or ten months, and when I saw a splendid sunset I averted49 my eyes. I longed for a love purely50 spiritual, for a sunset of vision.
“I caught glimpses, too, I think, of a much more profound askesis than this. I suppose you have the askesis in its simplest, most rationalised form in the Case of Bill the Engine-driver — I forget in what great work of Theologia Moralis I found the instance; perhaps Bill was really Quidam in the original, and his occupation stated as that of Nauarchus. At all events, Bill is fond of four-ale; but he had perceived that two pots of this beverage51 consumed before a professional journey tended to make him rather sleepy, rather less alert, than he might be in the execution of his very responsible duties. Hence Bill, considering this, wisely contents himself with one pot before mounting on his cab. He has deprived himself of a sensible good in order that an equally sensible but greater good may be secured — in order that he and the passengers may run no risks on the journey. Next to this simple asceticism comes, I suppose, the ordinary discipline of the Church — the abandonment of sensible goods to secure spiritual ends, the turning away from the type to the prototype, from the sight of the eyes to the vision of the soul. For in the true asceticism, whatever its degree, there is always action to a certain end, to a perceived good. Does the self-tormenting fakir act from this motive? I don’t know; but if he does not, his discipline is not asceticism at all, but folly52, and impious folly, too. If he mortifies53 himself merely for the sake of mortifying55 himself; then he defiles56 and blasphemes the Temple. This in parenthesis57.
“But, as I say, I had a very dim and distant glimpse of another region of the askesis. Mystics will understand me when I say that there are moments when the Dark Night of the Soul is seen to be brighter than her brightest day; there are moments when it is necessary to drive away even the angels that there may be place for the Highest. One may ascend58 into regions so remote from the common concerns of life that it becomes difficult to procure59 the help of analogy, even in the terms and processes of the Arts. But suppose a painter — I need not say that I mean an artist — who is visited by an idea so wonderful, so super-exalted60 in its beauty that he recognises his impotence; he knows that no pigments61 and no technique can do anything but grossly parody62 his vision. Well, he will show his greatness by not attempting to paint that vision: he will write on a bare canvass63 vidit anima sed non pinxit manus. And I am sure that there are many romances which have never been written. It was a highly paradoxical, even a dangerous philosophy that affirmed God to be rather Non–Ens than Ens; but there are moods in which one appreciates the thought.
“I think I caught, as I say, a distant vision of that Night which excels the Day in its splendour. It began with the eyes turned away from the sunset, with lips that refused kisses. Then there came a command to the heart to cease from longing64 for the dear land of Gwent, to cease from that aching desire that had never died for so many years for the sight of the old land and those hills and woods of most sweet and anguished65 memory. I remember once, when I was a great lout66 of sixteen, I went to see the Lupton Fair. I always liked the great booths and caravans67 and merry-go-rounds, all a blaze of barbaric green and red and gold, flaming and glowing in the middle of the trampled68, sodden69 field against a background of Lupton and wet, grey autumn sky. There were country folk then who wore smock-frocks and looked like men in them, too. One saw scores of these brave fellows at the Fair: dull, good Jutes with flaxen hair that was almost white, and with broad pink faces. I liked to see them in the white robe and the curious embroidery70; they were a note of wholesomeness71, an embassage from the old English village life to our filthy72 ‘industrial centre.’ It was odd to see how they stared about them; they wondered, I think, at the beastliness of the place, and yet, poor fellows, they felt bound to admire the evidence of so much money. Yes, they were of Old England; they savoured of the long, bending, broad village street, the gable ends, the grave fronts of old mellow73 bricks, the thatched roofs here and there, the bulging74 window of the ‘village shop,’ the old church in decorous, somewhat dull perpendicular75 among the elms, and, above all, the old tavern76 — that excellent abode77 of honest mirth and honest beer, relic78 of the time when there were men, and men who lived. Lupton is very far removed from Hardy79’s land, and yet as I think of these country-folk in their smock-frocks all the essence of Hardy is distilled80 for me; I see the village street all white in snow, a light gleaming very rarely from an upper window, and presently, amid ringing bells, one hears the carol-singers begin:
‘Remember Adam’s fall,
O thou man.’
“And I love to look at the whirl of the merry-go-rounds, at the people sitting with grave enjoyment81 on those absurd horses as they circle round and round till one’s eyes were dazed. Drums beat and thundered, strange horns blew raucous82 calls from all quarters, and the mechanical music to which those horses revolved83 belched84 and blazed and rattled85 out its everlasting86 monotony, checked now and again by the shriek87 of the steam whistle, groaning88 into silence for a while: then the tune89 clanged out once more, and the horses whirled round and round.
“But on this Fair Day of which I am speaking I left the booths and the golden, gleaming merry-go-rounds for the next field, where horses were excited to brief madness and short energy. I had scarcely taken up my stand when a man close by me raised his voice to a genial90 shout as he saw a friend a little way off. And he spoke91 with the beloved accent of Gwent, with those tones that come to me more ravishing, more enchanting92 than all the music in the world. I had not heard them for years of weary exile! Just a phrase or two of common greeting in those chanting accents: the Fair passed away, was whirled into nothingness, its shouting voices, the charging of horses, drum and trumpet93, clanging, metallic94 music — it rushed down into the abyss. There was the silence that follows a great peal35 of thunder; it was early morning and I was standing20 in a well-remembered valley, beside the blossoming thorn bush, looking far away to the wooded hills that kept the East, above the course of the shining river. I was, I say, a great lout of sixteen, but the tears flooded my eyes, my heart swelled95 with its longing.
“Now, it seemed, I was to quell96 such thoughts as these, to desire no more the fervent97 sunlight on the mountain, or the sweet scent98 of the dusk about the runnings of the brook99. I had been very fond of ‘going for walks’— walks of the imagination. I was afraid, I suppose, that unless by constant meditation100 I renewed the shape of the old land in my mind, its image might become a blurred101 and fading picture; I should forget little by little the ways of those deep, winding102 lanes that took courses that were almost subterranean103 over hill and vale, by woodside and waterside, narrow, cavernous, leaf-vaulted; cool in the greatest heats of summer. And the wandering paths that crossed the fields, that led one down into places hidden and remote, into still depths where no one save myself ever seemed to enter, that sometimes ended with a certain solemnity at a broken stile in a hedgerow grown into a thicket104 — within a plum tree returning to the savage life of the wood, a forest, perhaps, of blue lupins, and a great wild rose about the ruined walls of a house — all these ways I must keep in mind as if they were mysteries and great secrets, as indeed they were. So I strolled in memory through the Pageant105 of Gwent: ‘lest I should forget the region of the flowers, lest I should become unmindful of the wells and the floods.’
“But the time came, as I say, when it was represented to me that all this was an indulgence which, for a season at least, must be pretermitted. With an effort I voided my soul of memory and desire and weeping; when the idols106 of doomed107 Twyn–Barlwm, and great Mynydd Maen, and the silver esses of the Usk appeared before me, I cast them out; I would not meditate108 white Caerleon shining across the river. I endured, I think, the severest pains. De Quincey, that admirable artist, that searcher into secrets and master of mysteries, has described my pains for me under the figure of the Opium110 Eater breaking the bonds of his vice111. How often, when the abominations of Lupton, its sham112 energies, its sham morals, its sham enthusiasms, all its battalia of cant3 surged and beat upon me, have I been sorely tempted113 to yield, to suffer no more the press of folly, but to steal away by a secret path I knew, to dwell in a secure valley where the foolish could never trouble me. Sometimes I ‘fell,’ as I drank deep then of the magic well-water, and went astray in the green dells and avenues of the wildwood. Still I struggled to refrain my heart from these things, to keep my spirit under the severe discipline of abstention; and with a constant effort I succeeded more and more.
“But there was a yet deeper depth in this process of catharsis. I have said that sometimes one must expel the angels that God may have room; and now the strict ordinance114 was given that I should sever109 myself from that great dream of Celtic sanctity that for me had always been the dream, the innermost shrine115 in which I could take refuge, the house of sovran medicaments where all the wounds of soul and body were healed. One does not wish to be harsh; we must admit, I suppose, that moderate, sensible Anglicanism must have something in it — since the absolute sham cannot very well continue to exist. Let us say, then, that it is highly favourable116 to a respectable and moral life, that it encourages a temperate117 and well-regulated spirit of devotion. It was certainly a very excellent and (according to her lights) devout118 woman who, in her version of the Anima Christi altered ‘inebriate me’ to ‘purify me,’ and it was a good cleric who hated the Vulgate reading, calix meus inebrians. My father had always instructed me that we must conform outwardly, and bear with Dearly Beloved Brethren; while we celebrated119 in our hearts the Ancient Mass of the Britons, and waited for Cadwaladr to return. I reverenced121 his teaching, I still reverence120 it, and agree that we must conform; but in my heart I have always doubted whether moderate Anglicanism be Christianity in any sense, whether it even deserves to be called a religion at all. I do not doubt, of course, that many truly religious people have professed122 it: I speak of the system, and of the atmosphere which emanates123 from it. And when the Public School ethos is added to this — well, the resultant teaching comes pretty much to the dogma that Heaven and the Head are strict allies. One must not degenerate124 into ecclesiastical controversy125; I merely want to say that I never dreamed of looking for religion in our Chapel126 services. No doubt the Te Deum was still the Te Deum, but the noblest of hymns is degraded, obscured, defiled127, made ridiculous, if you marry it to a tune that would disgrace a penny gaff. Personally, I think that the airs on the piano-organs are much more reverend compositions than Anglican chants, and I am sure that many popular hymn tunes128 are vastly inferior in solemnity to ’E Dunno where ‘e are.
“No; the religion that led me and drew me and compelled me was that wonderful and doubtful mythos of the Celtic Church. It was the study — nay129, more than the study, the enthusiasm — of my father’s life; and as I was literally130 baptized with water from a Holy Well, so spiritually the great legend of the Saints and their amazing lives had tinged131 all my dearest aspirations132, had become to me the glowing vestment of the Great Mystery. One may sometimes be deeply interested in the matter of a tale while one is wearied or sickened by the manner of it; one may have to embrace the bright divinity on the horrid133 lips of the serpent of Cos. Or, on the other hand, the manner — the style — may be admirable, and the matter a mere54 nothing but a ground for the embroidery. But for me the Celtic Mythos was the Perfect Thing, the King’s Daughter: Omnis gloria ejus fili? Regis ab, intus, in fimbriis aureis circumamicta varietatibus. I have learned much more of this great mystery since those days — I have seen, that is, how entirely134, how absolutely my boyhood’s faith was justified135; but even then with but little knowledge I was rapt at the thought of this marvellous knight136-errantry, of this Christianity which was not a moral code, with some sort of metaphorical137 Heaven held out as a reward for its due observance, but a great mystical adventure into the unknown sanctity. Imagine a Bishop138 of the Established Church getting into a boat without oar44 or sails! Imagine him, if you can, doing anything remotely analagous to such an action. Conceive the late Archbishop Tait going apart into the chapel at Lambeth for three days and three nights; then you may well conceive the people in the opposite bank being dazzled with the blinding supernatural light poured forth139 from the chapel windows. Of course, the end of the Celtic Church was ruin and confusion — but Don Quixote failed and fell, while Sancho Panza lived a fat, prosperous peasant. He inherited, I think, a considerable sum from the knight, and was, no doubt, a good deal looked up to in the village.
“Yes; the Celtic Church was the Company of the Great Errantry, of the Great Mystery, and, though all the history of it seems but a dim and shadowy splendour, its burning rose-red lamp yet glows for a few, and from my earliest childhood I was indoctrinated in the great Rite25 of Cor-arbennic. When I was still very young I had been humoured with the sight of a wonderful Relic of the Saints — never shall I forget that experience of the holy magic of sanctity. Every little wood, every rock and fountain, and every running stream of Gwent were hallowed for me by some mystical and entrancing legend, and the thought of this High Spiritual City and its Blessed Congregation could, in a moment, exercise and drive forth from me all the ugly and foolish and gibbering spectres that made up the life of that ugly and foolish place where I was imprisoned140.
“Now, with a sorrowful farewell, I bade good-bye for a brief time (as I hoped it would be) to this golden legend; my heart was emptied of its treasures and its curious shows, and the lights on the altars were put out, and the images were strictly141 veiled. Hushed was the chanting in the Sovereign and Perpetual Choir142, hidden were the High Hallows of the Saints, no more did I follow them to their cells in the wild hills, no more did I look from the rocks in the west and see them set forth for Avalon. Alas143!
“A great silence seemed to fall upon me, the silence of the depths beneath the earth. And with the silence there was darkness. Only in a hidden place there was reserved the one taper144 — the Light of Conformity145, of a perfect submission146, that from the very excess of sorrow and deprivation147 drew its secret but quintessential joy. I am reminded, now that I look back upon this great purgation of the soul, of the story that I once read of the Arabic Alchemist. He came to the Caliph Haroun with a strange and extravagant148 proposal. Haroun sat in all his splendour, his viziers, his chamberlains, his great officers about him, in his golden court which displayed all the wonders and superfluities of the East. He gave judgment149; the wicked were punished, the virtuous150 were rewarded; God’s name was exalted, the Prophet was venerated151. There came before the Commander of the Faithful a poor old man in the poor and ragged152 robes of a wandering poet; he was oppressed by the weight of his years, and his entrance was like the entrance of misery153. So wretched was his appearance that one of the chamberlains, who was well acquainted with the poets, could not help quoting the well-known verses:
“‘Between the main and a drop of rain the difference seen is nothing great.
The sun so bright and the taper’s light are alike and one save in pomp and state.
In the grain of sand and in all the land what may ye arraign154 as disparate?
A crust of bread and a King’s board spread will hunger’s lust155 alike abate156.
With the smallest blade or with host arrayed the Ruler may quench157 his gall158 and hate.
A stone in a box and a quarry159 of rocks may be shown to be of an equal freight.
With a sentence bold or with gold untold160 the lover may hold or capture his mate.
The King and the Bard161 may alike be debarred from the fold of the Lord Compassionate162.’”
“The Commander of the Faithful praised God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, the King of the Day of Judgment, and caused the chamberlain to be handsomely rewarded. He then enquired163 of the old man for what reason he came before him, and the beggar (as, indeed, he seemed) informed the Caliph that he had for many years prosecuted164 his studies in magic, alchemy, astrology and geomancy and all other curious and surprising arts, in Spain, Grand Cairo, the land of the Moors165, India, China, in various Cities of the Infidels; in fact, in every quarter of the world where magicians were to be found. In proof of his proficiency166 he produced a little box which he carried about him for the purpose of his geomantic operations and asked anyone who was willing to stand forth, that he might hear his whole life, past, present and future. The Caliph ordered one of his officers to submit himself to this ordeal167, and the beggar having made the points in the sand, and having erected168 the figure according to the rules of the geomantic art, immediately informed the officer of all the most hidden transactions in which he had been engaged, including several matters which this officer thought had been secrets locked in his own breast. He also foretold169 his death in a year’s time from a certain herb, and so it fell out, for he was strangled with a hempen170 cord by order of the Caliph. In the meantime, the Commander of the Faithful and all about him were astonished, and the Beggar Magician was ordered to proceed with his story. He spoke at great length, and everyone remarked the elegance171 and propriety172 of his diction, which was wanting in no refinement173 of classical eloquence174. But the sum of his speech was this — that he had discovered the greatest wonder of the whole world, the name of which he declared was Asrar, and by this talisman175 he said that the Caliph might make himself more renowned176 than all the kings that had ever reigned177 on the earth, not excepting King Solomon, the son of David. This was the method of the operation which the beggar proposed. The Commander of the Faithful was to gather together all the wealth of his entire kingdom, omitting nothing that could possibly be discovered; and while this was being done the magician said that he would construct a furnace of peculiar178 shape in which all these splendours and magnificences and treasures of the world must be consumed in a certain fire of art, prepared with wisdom. And at last, he continued, after the operation had endured many days, the fire being all the while most curiously179 governed, there would remain but one drop no larger than a pearl, but glorious as the sun to the moon and all the starry180 heavens and the wonders of the compassionate; and with this drop the Caliph Haroun might heal all the sorrows of the universe. Both the Commander of the Faithful and all his viziers and officers were stupefied by this proposal, and most of the assemblage considered the beggar to be a madman. The Caliph, however, asked him to return the next day in order that his plans might receive more mature consideration.
“The beggar prostrated181 himself and went forth from the hall of audience, but he returned no more, nor could it be discovered that he had been seen again by anyone.
“‘But one drop no larger than a pearl,’ and ‘where there is Nothing there is All.’ I have often thought of those sentences in looking back on that time when, as Chesson said, I was one of those ‘light-hearted and yet sturdy and reliable young fellows to whose hands the honour and safety of England might one day be committed.’ I cast all the treasures I possessed182 into the alembic; again and again they were rectified183 by the heat of the fire ‘most curiously governed’; I saw the ‘engendering of the Crow’ black as pitch, the flight of the Dove with Silver Wings, and at last Sol rose red and glorious, and I fell down and gave thanks to heaven for this most wonderful gift, the ‘Sun blessed of the Fire.’ I had dispossessed myself of all, and I found that I possessed all; I had thrown away all the money in my purse, and I was richer than I had ever been; I had died, and I had found a new life in the land of the living.
“It is curious that I should now have to explain the pertinency184 of all that I have written to the title of this Note — concerning Gaiety. It should not be necessary. The chain of thought is almost painfully obvious. But I am afraid it is necessary.
“Well: I once read an interesting article in the daily paper. It was written apropos185 of some Shakespearean celebrations or other, and its purport186 was that modern England was ever so much happier than medi?val or Elizabethian England. It is possible that an acute logician187 might find something to say on this thesis; but my interest lay in the following passages, which I quote:
“‘Merrie England,’ with its maypoles and its Whitsun Ales, and its Shrove-tide jousts188 and junketings is dead for us, from the religious point of view. The England that has survived is, after all, a greater England still. It is Puritan England. . . . The spirit has gone. Surely it is useless to revive the form. Wherefore should the May Queen be “holy, wise, and fair,” if not to symbolise the Virgin189 Mary? And as for Shrove-tide, too, what point in jollity without a fast to follow?’
“The article is not over-illuminating, but I think the writer had caught a glimpse of the truth that there is a deep relation between Mirth and Sanctity; that no real mirth is possible without the apprehension30 of the mysteries as its antecedent. The fast and the feast are complementary terms. He is right; there is no point in jollity unless there is a fast or something of the nature of a fast to follow — though, of course, there is nothing to hinder the most advanced thinker from drinking as much fusel-oil and raw Russian spirit as he likes. But the result of this course is not real mirth or jollity; it is perhaps more essentially190 dismal191 than a ‘Tea’ amongst the Protestant Dissenters192. And, on the other hand, true gaiety is only possible to those who have fasted; and now perhaps it will be seen that I have been describing the preparations for a light-hearted festival.
“The cloud passed away from me, the restrictions193 and inhibitions were suddenly removed, and I woke up one morning in dancing, bubbling spirits, every drop of blood in my body racing194 with new life, my nerves tingling195 and thrilling with energy. I laughed as I awoke; I was conscious that I was to engage in a strange and fantastic adventure, though I had not the remotest notion of what it was to be.”
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sanctuaries
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| n.避难所( sanctuary的名词复数 )；庇护；圣所；庇护所 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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cant
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| n.斜穿，黑话，猛扔 | |
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kernels
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| 谷粒( kernel的名词复数 )； 仁； 核； 要点 | |
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motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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asceticism
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| n.禁欲主义 | |
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ascetic
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| adj.禁欲的；严肃的 | |
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aesthetic
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| adj.美学的，审美的，有美感 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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spikes
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| n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划 | |
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renaissance
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| n.复活，复兴，文艺复兴 | |
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awry
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| adj.扭曲的，错的 | |
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attains
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的第三人称单数 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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heresy
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| n.异端邪说；异教 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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creeds
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| （尤指宗教）信条，教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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21
fin
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| n.鳍；(飞机的)安定翼 | |
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22
ass
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| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
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23
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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25
rite
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| n.典礼，惯例，习俗 | |
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26
miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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28
abound
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| vi.大量存在；(in，with)充满，富于 | |
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29
pitfalls
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| （捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误 | |
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30
apprehension
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| n.理解，领悟；逮捕，拘捕；忧虑 | |
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31
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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32
hymn
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌 | |
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33
hymns
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| n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌( hymn的名词复数 ) | |
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34
virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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35
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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36
maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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37
inebriated
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| adj.酒醉的 | |
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38
abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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39
blindfolded
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| v.（尤指用布）挡住（某人）的视线( blindfold的过去式 )；蒙住（某人）的眼睛；使不理解；蒙骗 | |
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40
paradox
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| n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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41
inborn
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| adj.天生的，生来的，先天的 | |
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42
ravening
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| a.贪婪而饥饿的 | |
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43
gourmet
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| n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的 | |
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44
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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45
stew
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| n.炖汤，焖，烦恼；v.炖汤，焖，忧虑 | |
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46
cod
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| n.鳕鱼；v.愚弄；哄骗 | |
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47
oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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48
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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49
averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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50
purely
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| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
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51
beverage
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| n.(水，酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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52
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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53
mortifies
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| v.使受辱( mortify的第三人称单数 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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54
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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55
mortifying
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| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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56
defiles
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| v.玷污( defile的第三人称单数 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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57
parenthesis
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| n.圆括号，插入语，插曲，间歇，停歇 | |
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58
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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59
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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60
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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61
pigments
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| n.（粉状）颜料( pigment的名词复数 )；天然色素 | |
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62
parody
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| n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文 | |
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63
canvass
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| v.招徕顾客，兜售；游说；详细检查，讨论 | |
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64
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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65
anguished
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| adj.极其痛苦的v.使极度痛苦(anguish的过去式) | |
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66
lout
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| n.粗鄙的人；举止粗鲁的人 | |
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67
caravans
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| （可供居住的）拖车（通常由机动车拖行）( caravan的名词复数 )； 篷车； （穿过沙漠地带的）旅行队（如商队） | |
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68
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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69
sodden
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| adj.浑身湿透的；v.使浸透；使呆头呆脑 | |
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70
embroidery
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| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
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71
wholesomeness
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| 卫生性 | |
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72
filthy
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| adj.卑劣的；恶劣的，肮脏的 | |
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73
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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74
bulging
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| 膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱 | |
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75
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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76
tavern
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| n.小旅馆，客栈；小酒店 | |
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77
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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78
relic
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| n.神圣的遗物，遗迹，纪念物 | |
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79
hardy
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| adj.勇敢的，果断的，吃苦的；耐寒的 | |
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80
distilled
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| adj.由蒸馏得来的v.蒸馏( distil的过去式和过去分词 )；从…提取精华 | |
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81
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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82
raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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83
revolved
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的过去式和过去分词 )；细想 | |
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84
belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
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85
rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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86
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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87
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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88
groaning
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| adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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89
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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90
genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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91
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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92
enchanting
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| a.讨人喜欢的 | |
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93
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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94
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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95
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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96
quell
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| v.压制，平息，减轻 | |
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97
fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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98
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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99
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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100
meditation
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| n.熟虑，（尤指宗教的）默想，沉思，（pl.）冥想录 | |
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101
blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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102
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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103
subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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104
thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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105
pageant
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| n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧 | |
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106
idols
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| 偶像( idol的名词复数 )； 受崇拜的人或物； 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物； 神像 | |
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107
doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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108
meditate
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| v.想，考虑，（尤指宗教上的）沉思，冥想 | |
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109
sever
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| v.切开，割开；断绝，中断 | |
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110
opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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111
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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112
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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113
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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114
ordinance
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| n.法令；条令；条例 | |
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115
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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116
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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117
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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118
devout
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| adj.虔诚的，虔敬的，衷心的 (n.devoutness) | |
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119
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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120
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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121
reverenced
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| v.尊敬，崇敬( reverence的过去式和过去分词 )；敬礼 | |
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122
professed
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| 公开声称的，伪称的，已立誓信教的 | |
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123
emanates
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的第三人称单数 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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124
degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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125
controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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126
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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127
defiled
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| v.玷污( defile的过去式和过去分词 )；污染；弄脏；纵列行进 | |
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128
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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129
nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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130
literally
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| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
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131
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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132
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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133
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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134
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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135
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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136
knight
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| n.骑士，武士；爵士 | |
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137
metaphorical
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| a.隐喻的，比喻的 | |
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138
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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139
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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140
imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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141
strictly
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| adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地 | |
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142
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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143
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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144
taper
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| n.小蜡烛，尖细，渐弱；adj.尖细的；v.逐渐变小 | |
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145
conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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146
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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147
deprivation
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| n.匮乏；丧失；夺去，贫困 | |
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148
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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149
judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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150
virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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151
venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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152
ragged
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| adj.衣衫褴褛的，粗糙的，刺耳的 | |
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153
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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154
arraign
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| v.提讯；控告 | |
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155
lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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156
abate
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| vi.(风势，疼痛等)减弱，减轻，减退 | |
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157
quench
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| vt.熄灭，扑灭；压制 | |
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158
gall
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| v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难 | |
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159
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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160
untold
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| adj.数不清的，无数的 | |
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161
bard
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| n.吟游诗人 | |
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162
compassionate
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| adj.有同情心的，表示同情的 | |
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163
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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164
prosecuted
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| a.被起诉的 | |
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165
moors
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| v.停泊，系泊（船只）( moor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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166
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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167
ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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168
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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169
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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170
hempen
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| adj. 大麻制的, 大麻的 | |
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171
elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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172
propriety
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| n.正当行为；正当；适当 | |
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173
refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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174
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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175
talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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176
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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177
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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178
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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179
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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180
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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181
prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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182
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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183
rectified
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| [医]矫正的，调整的 | |
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184
pertinency
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| 有关性，相关性，针对性； 切合性 | |
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185
apropos
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| adv.恰好地；adj.恰当的；关于 | |
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186
purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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187
logician
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| n.逻辑学家 | |
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188
jousts
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| （骑士）骑着马用长矛打斗( joust的名词复数 )； 格斗，竞争 | |
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189
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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190
essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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191
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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192
dissenters
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| n.持异议者，持不同意见者( dissenter的名词复数 ) | |
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193
restrictions
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| 约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则） | |
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194
racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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195
tingling
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 ) | |
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