“THE SPELL OF A GENTLE WORD.”

’Twas night, and the cool and perfumed breeze,
Breath’d soft mid¹ the boughs² of the waving trees,
Or low to the wild wood-flowers it sigh’d,
While the tiny buds to its tones replied;
But when the gay music of fairy-glee,
In the clear, calm midnight rose merrily,
And a thousand glancing beings of air,
Like countless³ gems⁵ held their revels⁶ there,
It fled from the woods and the flowers away,
And stole to a silent room, where lay
A dying girl:—
Her mournful eyes
Look’d out from their tears on the dark’ning skies,
Where a single star in its glory shone,
Like a haughty⁷ heart, bereft⁸ and lone⁹.
[130]
Round the marble brow waved the clust’ring hair,
And the tiny hands were clasp’d as in pray’r;
She spoke¹⁰, and each low and trembling word
Was sad as the wail¹¹ of the widow’d bird.
“Oh! sweet is the spell that the zephyr¹² flings
As it sweeps o’er the wild harp’s silvery strings¹³;
And soft is the murmur¹⁴’d minstrelsy
Of the flashing waves on the summer sea;
And the rain drops breathe, as they near the earth,
A gladsome chorus of joy and mirth;
The blue-bells ring ever in tones of glee,
And a pleasant sound hath the humming bee;
And though strangely sad is the spirit’s sigh,
When the crimson¹⁵ clouds leave the evening sky,
Yet when sunbeams burst on the sleeping flowers,
With visions of streamlets and fragrant¹⁶ bowers¹⁷,
With a flush of joy on their petals¹⁸ bright,
They ope with a chorus of wild delight.
The gem⁴ that gleams on the velvet¹⁹ vest,
That shelters each slumbering²⁰ floweret’s breast,
And has whisper’d all night of its home on high,
Where its sisters dwell in the beaming sky,
Takes a sweeter tone when the dawning day
Bids it leave the earth on its heavenward way;
The dancing brook²¹ murmurs²² a joyous²³ tale,
Of the leafy wood and mossy vale;
[131]
And have ye not heard, when the shades of night
Hung dark o’er the earth, and the stars were bright,
A soft, sweet tone like the violet’s song,
Or the lay of the waves as they glide²⁴ along?
But no! it is sweeter than they, by far,
’Tis the spirit-strain of some wand’ring star.
But softer than music of star or sea,
Than dew drops’ murmur, or hum of the bee,
Than the tale of the brook, or the song of the bird,
Is the mystic spell of a gentle word;
It falls on the heart as a summer shower
On the fading leaves of the thirsting flower;
Like a beam of hope, with its cheering ray,
It lightens the gloom of life’s weary way;
And when the darkness of death draws near,
And the spirit shrinks from a nameless fear,
It tells the soul of a radiant shore,
Where sorrow and sighing are known no more.
But I am alone;—no loved one is nigh
To bend kindly²⁵ o’er me and pray e’er I die:
I hear the clear song of the joyous bird,
But I listen in vain for one gentle word.”
Then an aged²⁶ man with his locks of snow,
Press’d an earnest kiss on her fever’d brow;
She had knelt with him oft at the hour of prayer,
In her childhood’s home, when the world seem’d fair,
[132]
And a thousand flow’rs on her path were shed;—
But now, when they all were faded and dead,
And her heart was sad, and her soul most drear,
And death hover’d o’er her, he only was near.
“My child!”—he said—“though none o’er thee may weep,
Fear not, for the angels a vigil shall keep
By thy lowly grave, and a requiem²⁷ sing
For the bud that died in its blossoming.
Yon star that is shining so brightly above,
Would tell thee a tale of God’s merciful love;
For e’en as it glows through the darkness of night,
Thy spirit shall beam in the land of light;
Thy mother, my dear one, awaits thee on high,
She would welcome her child to her home in the sky.”
“My mother!” she murmur’d—a sweet smile play’d
Round the tiny mouth, while the cool breeze stray’d
’Mid the clustering curls on that low, pale brow,
And breath’d on the cheek of stainless²⁸ snow;
But the dark eye was closed—the maiden²⁹ ne’er stirred—
Her spirit had passed with that gentle word.
 

1 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

2 boughs   

大树枝( bough的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The green boughs glittered with all their pearls of dew. 绿枝上闪烁着露珠的光彩。
• A breeze sighed in the higher boughs. 微风在高高的树枝上叹息着。

3 countless   

adj.无数的，多得不计其数的

参考例句：

• In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
• I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。

4 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

5 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

6 revels   

n.作乐( revel的名词复数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉v.作乐( revel的第三人称单数 )；狂欢；着迷；陶醉

参考例句：

• Christmas revels with feasting and dancing were common in England. 圣诞节的狂欢歌舞在英国是很常见的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dickens openly revels in the book's rich physical detail and high-hearted conflict. 狄更斯对该书中丰富多彩的具体细节描写和勇敢的争斗公开表示欣赏。 来自辞典例句

7 haughty   

adj.傲慢的，高傲的

参考例句：

• He gave me a haughty look and walked away.他向我摆出傲慢的表情后走开。
• They were displeased with her haughty airs.他们讨厌她高傲的派头。

8 bereft   

adj.被剥夺的

参考例句：

• The place seemed to be utterly bereft of human life.这个地方似乎根本没有人烟。
• She was bereft of happiness.她失去了幸福。

9 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

10 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

11 wail   

vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸

参考例句：

• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
• One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

12 zephyr   

n.和风，微风

参考例句：

• I feel very comfortable in the zephyr from the sea.从海上吹来的和风令我非常惬意。
• Zephyr,the West Wind,blew away the clouds so that Apollo,the sun god,could shine and made this flower bloom.西风之神吹散了云朵，太阳神阿波罗得以照耀它并使它开花。

13 strings   

n.弦

参考例句：

• He sat on the bed,idly plucking the strings of his guitar.他坐在床上，随意地拨着吉他的弦。
• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。

14 murmur   

n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言

参考例句：

• They paid the extra taxes without a murmur.他们毫无怨言地交了附加税。
• There was a low murmur of conversation in the hall.大厅里有窃窃私语声。

15 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

16 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

17 bowers   

n.（女子的）卧室( bower的名词复数 )；船首锚；阴凉处；鞠躬的人

参考例句：

• If Mr Bowers is right, low government-bond yields could lose their appeal and equities could rebound. 如果鲍尔斯先生的预计是对的，那么低收益的国债将会失去吸引力同时股价将会反弹。 来自互联网

18 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

20 slumbering   

微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• It was quiet. All the other inhabitants of the slums were slumbering. 贫民窟里的人已经睡眠静了。
• Then soft music filled the air and soothed the slumbering heroes. 接着，空中响起了柔和的乐声，抚慰着安睡的英雄。

21 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

22 murmurs   

n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕

参考例句：

• They spoke in low murmurs. 他们低声说着话。 来自辞典例句
• They are more superficial, more distinctly heard than murmurs. 它们听起来比心脏杂音更为浅表而清楚。 来自辞典例句

23 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

24 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

25 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

26 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

27 requiem   

n.安魂曲，安灵曲

参考例句：

• I will sing a requiem for the land walkers.我会给陆地上走的人唱首安魂曲。
• The Requiem is on the list for today's concert.《安魂曲》是这次音乐会的演出曲目之一。

28 stainless   

adj.无瑕疵的，不锈的

参考例句：

• I have a set of stainless knives and forks.我有一套不锈钢刀叉。
• Before the recent political scandal,her reputation had been stainless.在最近的政治丑闻之前，她的名声是无懈可击的。

29 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。