1
Thou Mother with thy equal brood,
Thou varied1 chain of different States, yet one identity only,
A special song before I go I'd sing o'er all the rest,
For thee, the future.
I'd sow a seed for thee of endless Nationality,
I'd fashion thy ensemble2 including body and soul,
I'd show away ahead thy real union, and how it may be accomplish'd.
The paths to the house I seek to make,
But leave to those to come the house itself.
Belief I sing, and preparation;
As Life and Nature are not great with reference to the present only,
But greater still from what is yet to come,
Out of that formula for thee I sing.
2
As a strong bird on pinions3 free,
Joyous4, the amplest spaces heavenward cleaving5,
Such be the thought I'd think of thee America,
Such be the recitative I'd bring for thee.
The conceits6 of the poets of other lands I'd bring thee not,
Nor the compliments that have served their turn so long,
Nor rhyme, nor the classics, nor perfume of foreign court or indoor
library;
But an odor I'd bring as from forests of pine in Maine, or breath of
an Illinois prairie,
With open airs of Virginia or Georgia or Tennessee, or from Texas
uplands, or Florida's glades7,
Or the Saguenay's black stream, or the wide blue spread of Huron,
With presentment of Yellowstone's scenes, or Yosemite,
And murmuring under, pervading8 all, I'd bring the rustling9 sea-sound,
That endlessly sounds from the two Great Seas of the world.
And for thy subtler sense subtler refrains dread10 Mother,
Preludes11 of intellect tallying12 these and thee, mind-formulas fitted
for thee, real and sane13 and large as these and thee,
Thou! mounting higher, diving deeper than we knew, thou
transcendental union!
By thee fact to be justified14, blended with thought,
Thought of man justified, blended with God,
Through thy idea, lo, the immortal15 reality!
Through thy reality, lo, the immortal idea!
3
Brain of the New World, what a task is thine,
To formulate16 the Modern—out of the peerless grandeur17 of the modern,
Out of thyself, comprising science, to recast poems, churches, art,
(Recast, may-be discard them, end them—maybe their work is done,
who knows?)
By vision, hand, conception, on the background of the mighty18 past, the dead,
To limn19 with absolute faith the mighty living present.
And yet thou living present brain, heir of the dead, the Old World brain,
Thou that lay folded like an unborn babe within its folds so long,
Thou carefully prepared by it so long—haply thou but unfoldest it,
only maturest it,
It to eventuate in thee—the essence of the by-gone time contain'd in thee,
Its poems, churches, arts, unwitting to themselves, destined20 with
reference to thee;
Thou but the apples, long, long, long a-growing,
The fruit of all the Old ripening21 to-day in thee.
4
Sail, sail thy best, ship of Democracy,
Of value is thy freight, 'tis not the Present only,
The Past is also stored in thee,
Thou holdest not the venture of thyself alone, not of the Western
continent alone,
Earth's resume entire floats on thy keel O ship, is steadied by thy spars,
With thee Time voyages in trust, the antecedent nations sink or
swim with thee,
With all their ancient struggles, martyrs22, heroes, epics23, wars, thou
bear'st the other continents,
Theirs, theirs as much as thine, the destination-port triumphant24;
Steer25 then with good strong hand and wary26 eye O helmsman, thou
carriest great companions,
Venerable priestly Asia sails this day with thee,
And royal feudal27 Europe sails with thee.
5
Beautiful world of new superber birth that rises to my eyes,
Like a limitless golden cloud filling the westernr sky,
Emblem28 of general maternity29 lifted above all,
Sacred shape of the bearer of daughters and sons,
Out of thy teeming30 womb thy giant babes in ceaseless procession issuing,
Acceding31 from such gestation32, taking and giving continual strength
and life,
World of the real—world of the twain in one,
World of the soul, born by the world of the real alone, led to
identity, body, by it alone,
Yet in beginning only, incalculable masses of composite precious materials,
By history's cycles forwarded, by every nation, language, hither sent,
Ready, collected here, a freer, vast, electric world, to be
constructed here,
(The true New World, the world of orbic science, morals, literatures
to come,)
Thou wonder world yet undefined, unform'd, neither do I define thee,
How can I pierce the impenetrable blank of the future?
I feel thy ominous33 greatness evil as well as good,
I watch thee advancing, absorbing the present, transcending34 the past,
I see thy light lighting35, and thy shadow shadowing, as if the entire globe,
But I do not undertake to define thee, hardly to comprehend thee,
I but thee name, thee prophesy36, as now,
I merely thee ejaculate!
Thee in thy future,
Thee in thy only permanent life, career, thy own unloosen'd mind,
thy soaring spirit,
Thee as another equally needed sun, radiant, ablaze37, swift-moving,
fructifying38 all,
Thee risen in potent39 cheerfulness and joy, in endless great hilarity40,
Scattering41 for good the cloud that hung so long, that weigh'd so
long upon the mind of man,
The doubt, suspicion, dread, of gradual, certain decadence42 of man;
Thee in thy larger, saner43 brood of female, male—thee in thy
athletes, moral, spiritual, South, North, West, East,
(To thy immortal breasts, Mother of All, thy every daughter, son,
endear'd alike, forever equal,)
Thee in thy own musicians, singers, artists, unborn yet, but certain,
Thee in thy moral wealth and civilization, (until which thy proudest
material civilization must remain in vain,)
Thee in thy all-supplying, all-enclosing worship—thee in no single
bible, saviour44, merely,
Thy saviours45 countless46, latent within thyself, thy bibles incessant47
within thyself, equal to any, divine as any,
(Thy soaring course thee formulating48, not in thy two great wars, nor
in thy century's visible growth,
But far more in these leaves and chants, thy chants, great Mother!)
Thee in an education grown of thee, in teachers, studies, students,
born of thee,
Thee in thy democratic fetes en-masse, thy high original festivals,
operas, lecturers, preachers,
Thee in thy ultimate, (the preparations only now completed, the
edifice49 on sure foundations tied,)
Thee in thy pinnacles50, intellect, thought, thy topmost rational
joys, thy love and godlike aspiration51,
In thy resplendent coming literati, thy full-lung'd orators52, thy
sacerdotal bards53, kosmic savans,
These! these in thee, (certain to come,) to-day I prophesy.
6
Land tolerating all, accepting all, not for the good alone, all good
for thee,
Land in the realms of God to be a realm unto thyself,
Under the rule of God to be a rule unto thyself.
(Lo, where arise three peerless stars,
To be thy natal54 stars my country, Ensemble, Evolution, Freedom,
Set in the sky of Law.)
Land of unprecedented55 faith, God's faith,
Thy soil, thy very subsoil, all upheav'd,
The general inner earth so long so sedulously56 draped over, now hence
for what it is boldly laid bare,
Open'd by thee to heaven's light for benefit or bale.
Not for success alone,
Not to fair-sail unintermitted always,
The storm shall dash thy face, the murk of war and worse than war
shall cover thee all over,
(Wert capable of war, its tug57 and trials? be capable of peace, its trials,
For the tug and mortal strain of nations come at last in prosperous
peace, not war;)
In many a smiling mask death shall approach beguiling58 thee, thou in
disease shalt swelter,
The livid cancer spread its hideous59 claws, clinging upon thy
breasts, seeking to strike thee deep within,
Consumption of the worst, moral consumption, shall rouge60 thy face
with hectic61,
But thou shalt face thy fortunes, thy diseases, and surmount62 them all,
Whatever they are to-day and whatever through time they may be,
They each and all shall lift and pass away and cease from thee,
While thou, Time's spirals rounding, out of thyself, thyself still
extricating63, fusing,
Equable, natural, mystical union thou, (the mortal with immortal blent,)
Shalt soar toward the fulfilment of the future, the spirit of the
body and the mind,
The soul, its destinies.
The soul, its destinies, the real real,
(Purport of all these apparitions64 of the real;)
In thee America, the soul, its destinies,
Thou globe of globes! thou wonder nebulous!
By many a throe of heat and cold convuls'd, (by these thyself solidifying,)
Thou mental, moral orb—thou New, indeed new, Spiritual World!
The Present holds thee not—for such vast growth as thine,
For such unparallel'd flight as thine, such brood as thine,
The FUTURE only holds thee and can hold thee.
A Paumanok Picture
Two boats with nets lying off the sea-beach, quite still,
Ten fishermen waiting—they discover a thick school of mossbonkers
—they drop the join'd seine-ends in the water,
The boats separate and row off, each on its rounding course to the
beach, enclosing the mossbonkers,
The net is drawn65 in by a windlass by those who stop ashore66,
Some of the fishermen lounge in their boats, others stand
ankle-deep in the water, pois'd on strong legs,
The boats partly drawn up, the water slapping against them,
Strew'd on the sand in heaps and windrows, well out from the water,
the green-back'd spotted67 mossbonkers.
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收听单词发音
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1
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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ensemble
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| n.合奏(唱)组；全套服装；整体，总效果 | |
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pinions
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| v.抓住[捆住]（双臂）( pinion的第三人称单数 ) | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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cleaving
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的现在分词 ) | |
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conceits
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| 高傲( conceit的名词复数 )； 自以为； 巧妙的词语； 别出心裁的比喻 | |
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glades
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| n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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pervading
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
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rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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preludes
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| n.开端( prelude的名词复数 )；序幕；序曲；短篇作品 | |
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tallying
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| v.计算，清点( tally的现在分词 )；加标签（或标记）于；（使）符合；（使）吻合 | |
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13
sane
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| adj.心智健全的，神志清醒的，明智的，稳健的 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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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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formulate
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| v.用公式表示；规划；设计；系统地阐述 | |
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17
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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19
limn
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| v.描画；描述 | |
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20
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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21
ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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22
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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23
epics
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| n.叙事诗( epic的名词复数 )；壮举；惊人之举；史诗般的电影（或书籍） | |
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24
triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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25
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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26
wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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27
feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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28
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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29
maternity
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| n.母性，母道，妇产科病房；adj.孕妇的，母性的 | |
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30
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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31
acceding
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| v.（正式）加入( accede的现在分词 )；答应；（通过财产的添附而）增加；开始任职 | |
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32
gestation
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| n.怀孕；酝酿 | |
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33
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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34
transcending
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| 超出或超越（经验、信念、描写能力等）的范围( transcend的现在分词 )； 优于或胜过… | |
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35
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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36
prophesy
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| v.预言；预示 | |
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37
ablaze
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| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
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38
fructifying
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| v.结果实( fructify的现在分词 )；使结果实，使多产，使土地肥沃 | |
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39
potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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40
hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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41
scattering
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| n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散 | |
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42
decadence
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| n.衰落，颓废 | |
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43
saner
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| adj.心智健全的( sane的比较级 )；神志正常的；明智的；稳健的 | |
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44
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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45
saviours
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| n.救助者( saviour的名词复数 )；救星；救世主；耶稣基督 | |
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46
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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48
formulating
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| v.构想出( formulate的现在分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
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49
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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50
pinnacles
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| 顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 )； 顶点； 尖顶； 小尖塔 | |
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aspiration
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| n.志向，志趣抱负；渴望；(语)送气音；吸出 | |
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orators
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| n.演说者，演讲家( orator的名词复数 ) | |
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53
bards
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| n.诗人( bard的名词复数 ) | |
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54
natal
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| adj.出生的，先天的 | |
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unprecedented
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| adj.无前例的，新奇的 | |
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sedulously
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| ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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beguiling
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| adj.欺骗的，诱人的v.欺骗( beguile的现在分词 )；使陶醉；使高兴；消磨（时间等） | |
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hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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rouge
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| n.胭脂，口红唇膏；v.(在…上)擦口红 | |
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hectic
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| adj.肺病的；消耗热的；发热的；闹哄哄的 | |
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62
surmount
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| vt.克服；置于…顶上 | |
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extricating
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| v.使摆脱困难，脱身( extricate的现在分词 ) | |
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apparitions
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| n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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spotted
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| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
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