PRAYER FOR PEACE

Now these were visions in the night of war:
I prayed for peace; God, answering my prayer, Sent down a grievous plague on humankind, A black and tumorous¹ plague that softly slew² Till nations and their armies were no more— And there was perfect peace ... But I awoke, wroth with high God and prayer.
I prayed for peace; God, answering my prayer, Decreed the Truce³ of Life:—Wings in the sky Fluttered and fell; the quick, bright ocean things Sank to the ooze⁴; the footprints in the woods Vanished; the freed brute⁵ from the abattoir⁶ Starved on green pastures; and within the blood The death-work at the root of living ceased; And men gnawed⁷ clods and stones, blasphemed and died— And there was perfect peace ... But I awoke, wroth with high God and prayer.
I prayed for peace; God, answering my prayer, Bowed the free neck beneath a yoke⁸ of steel, Dumbed the free voice that springs in lyric⁹ speech, Killed the free art that glows on all mankind, And made one iron nation lord of earth, Which in the monstrous¹⁰ matrix of its will Moulded a spawn¹¹ of slaves. There was One Might— And there was perfect peace ... But I awoke, wroth with high God and prayer.
I prayed for peace; God, answering my prayer, Palsied all flesh with bitter fear of death. The shuddering¹² slayers fled to town and field Beset¹³ with carrion¹⁴ visions, foul¹⁵ decay. And sickening taints¹⁶ of air that made the earth One charnel of the shrivelled lines of war. And through all flesh that omnipresent fear Became the strangling fingers of a hand That choked aspiring¹⁷ thought and brave belief And love of loveliness and selfless deed Till flesh was all, flesh wallowing, styed in fear, In festering fear that stank¹⁸ beyond the stars— And there was perfect peace ... But I awoke, wroth with high God and prayer.
I prayed for peace; God, answering my prayer, Spake very softly of forgotten things, Spake very softly old remembered words Sweet as young starlight. Rose to heaven again The mystic challenge of the Nazarene, That deathless affirmation:—Man in God And God in man willing the God to be ... And there was war and peace, and peace and war, Full year and lean, joy, anguish¹⁹, life and death, Doing their work on the evolving soul, The soul of man in God and God in man. For death is nothing in the sum of things, And life is nothing in the sum of things, And flesh is nothing in the sum of things, But man in God is all and God in man, Will merged²⁰ in will, love immanent in love, Moving through visioned vistas²¹ to one goal— The goal of man in God and God in man, And of all life in God and God in life— The far fruition of our earthly prayer, “Thy will be done!” ... There is no other peace!

William Samuel Johnson.

1 tumorous   

肿胀的； 肿瘤性的； 浮华的； 浮夸的

参考例句：

• Younger patients with non-tumorous nipple discharge should be followed up. 年轻的非肿瘤性乳头溢液患者应随访。
• Methods: Seven patients with mandibular tumor were treated with pr ompt autotransplantation of boliled tumorous mandibule. 方法：对7例下颌骨肿瘤患者施行了煮沸自体下颌肿瘤骨立即再植术。

2 slew   

v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多

参考例句：

• He slewed the car against the side of the building.他的车滑到了大楼的一侧，抵住了。
• They dealt with a slew of other issues.他们处理了大量的其他问题。

3 truce   

n.休战，(争执，烦恼等的)缓和；v.以停战结束

参考例句：

• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。
• She had thought of flying out to breathe the fresh air in an interval of truce.她想跑出去呼吸一下休战期间的新鲜空气。

4 ooze   

n.软泥，渗出物；vi.渗出，泄漏；vt.慢慢渗出，流露

参考例句：

• Soon layer of oceanic ooze began to accumulate above the old hard layer.不久后海洋软泥层开始在老的硬地层上堆积。
• Drip or ooze systems are common for pot watering.滴灌和渗灌系统一般也用于盆栽灌水。

5 brute   

n.野兽，兽性

参考例句：

• The aggressor troops are not many degrees removed from the brute.侵略军简直象一群野兽。
• That dog is a dangerous brute.It bites people.那条狗是危险的畜牲，它咬人。

6 abattoir   

n.屠宰场，角斗场

参考例句：

• The sheep were driven to the local abattoir.羊被赶到当地的屠宰场。
• It was surreal meeting her at the abattoir.竟然会在屠宰场里遇见她，真离奇。

7 gnawed   

咬( gnaw的过去式和过去分词 )； （长时间） 折磨某人； （使）苦恼； （长时间）危害某事物

参考例句：

• His attitude towards her gnawed away at her confidence. 他对她的态度一直在削弱她的自尊心。
• The root of this dead tree has been gnawed away by ants. 这棵死树根被蚂蚁唼了。

8 yoke   

n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶

参考例句：

• An ass and an ox,fastened to the same yoke,were drawing a wagon.驴子和公牛一起套在轭上拉车。
• The defeated army passed under the yoke.败军在轭门下通过。

9 lyric   

n.抒情诗，歌词；adj.抒情的

参考例句：

• This is a good example of Shelley's lyric poetry.这首诗是雪莱抒情诗的范例。
• His earlier work announced a lyric talent of the first order.他的早期作品显露了一流的抒情才华。

10 monstrous   

adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的

参考例句：

• The smoke began to whirl and grew into a monstrous column.浓烟开始盘旋上升，形成了一个巨大的烟柱。
• Your behaviour in class is monstrous!你在课堂上的行为真是丢人！

11 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

12 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

13 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

14 carrion   

n.腐肉

参考例句：

• A crow of bloodthirsty ants is attracted by the carrion.一群嗜血的蚂蚁被腐肉所吸引。
• Vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill.兀鹫通常以腐肉和公路上的死伤动物为食。

15 foul   

adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规

参考例句：

• Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
• What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！

16 taints   

n.变质( taint的名词复数 )；污染；玷污；丑陋或腐败的迹象v.使变质( taint的第三人称单数 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• Meat taints readily in hot weather. 天气炎热，肉容易变味。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This disease of money and greed taints other people. 别人会为了贪财争赃而丧心病狂。 来自辞典例句

17 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

18 stank   

n. (英)坝，堰，池塘 动词stink的过去式

参考例句：

• Her breath stank of garlic. 她嘴里有股大蒜味。
• The place stank of decayed fish. 那地方有烂鱼的臭味。

19 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

20 merged   

（使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中

参考例句：

• Turf wars are inevitable when two departments are merged. 两个部门合并时总免不了争争权限。
• The small shops were merged into a large market. 那些小商店合并成为一个大商场。

21 vistas   

长条形景色( vista的名词复数 )； 回顾； 展望； （未来可能发生的）一系列情景

参考例句：

• This new job could open up whole new vistas for her. 这项新工作可能给她开辟全新的前景。
• The picture is small but It'shows broad vistas. 画幅虽然不大，所表现的天地却十分广阔。