CHAPTER V.

Leaving Metz, and all its soldiers, ramparts, and ditches far behind, our river, passing through a level country, arrives at Thionville. This town was in the diocese of Trèves, and dependent on the Parliament of Metz. Here Charlemagne had a favourite palace; and here, in a solemn assembly, he parted his vast estates between his three sons.

Its history is like that of Metz, made up of sieges, [66]assaults, and surprises, but of less importance and less interest. It was always a strong place, and at the present day its fortifications, constructed by Vauban and Cormontaigne, are amongst the strongest in Europe: it lies in a level plain, and is uninteresting, though rather picturesque¹.

The Moselle rolls on, and in about twelve miles reaches Sierck, a clean little town, on its right bank; and then we pass from France to Prussia, and our river becomes German, its future beauty beginning to dawn as it approaches Trèves. Two streams here increase the volume of her waters—a smaller one on the left, and the Saar on the right.

There is one peculiar² charm about the banks and neighbourhood of the Moselle, found equally at its source near Bussang, and amidst the German hills, this is, the number and variety of the beautiful wild-flowers with which its whole course teems³, and with which our river is, as it were, garlanded.
MOSELLE FLOWERS.

Where the Mosel1 murmurs⁴ low,

As its waters gently flow

Through the woods and flow’ry dells,

There a wood-nymph hidden dwells.

Hidden she from mortal view,

Yet her footsteps may be traced

Where the night has scattered⁵ dew.

And the boughs⁶ are interlaced.
[67]

If her feet have pressed the ground,

There the blooming flowers are found;

These gifts mark where she has strayed,—

Thus we trace the fairy maid.

The violet and lily grow.

The wild-rose and the tiny pink.

And the brilliant corn-flowers blow.

Hard by the gentle river’s brink⁷;

The foxglove waves its lofty head

Above the trickling⁸ streamlet’s bed;

The wild convolvulus doth twine⁹

Its graceful¹⁰ arms around the vine.

The snapdragon and mignonette.

The clematis and flox,

In ev’ry vale are frequent met;

And springing from the rocks,

The broom, the fern, and sweet red heather.

Profuse¹¹ are found in groups together.

The raspberry, strawberry, and thyme,

Over every hill do climb;

And in ev’ry wild retreat

We find the honeysuckle sweet.

Blackberries, with fruit and thorn,

With the wild hop¹² intertwine;

All these flowers the woods adorn¹³,

And their loveliness combine.

So the wood-nymph’s steps we trace,

As she roams from place to place,

Scattering¹⁴ beauty o’er the ground;

Thus the earth with flowers is crowned.

Only a few of the flowers that we find growing there are enumerated¹⁵ in the above; moreover, they are more beautiful than wild flowers usually are, attaining¹⁶ [68]to great size; the enothera, harebells, and campanulas, with wild geraniums, and a host of others, go to swell¹⁷ the list.

Before the Saar runs in, the red rocks of Trèves appear on the left bank, jutting¹⁸ over the trees, close to the river’s course; then they retire inland, until the old Roman bridge is reached; there they again approach, and from their heights the remnant of old Trèves is spread out, environed by its avenues and studded with its churches and ruins. The river is beneath; and the eight-arched bridge, complete as in the golden days of Rome, clasps the waist of our river as a zone encircling that of a young girl just budding into womanhood.

And so, our graceful woman-stream at Trèves ceases her girlhood and becomes more beautiful, more reflective, and more graceful; the hills draw near, and the vineyards sparkle among the rocks; her handmaidens, the brooks¹⁹, wait at every turn to tend her, increasing her beauty; and following in her train, pass along in glorious procession, the trees bending and the rocks falling back before the might of innocence²⁰ and love.

Strong in innocence, with virgin²¹ bosom²² unsullied, nothing less bright than heaven’s reflection ever having rested there; but mightier²³ still in love,—abounding love,—that causes her to feed the earth and fertilise the soil wherever she passes; so that man, receiving at her hands his daily food, thanks and blesses her, and praises, through her, her Creator.

We, the lookers-on, or lighter²⁴ toilers, should bless her surely not less than the poor vine-dresser or digger [69]of the soil. True, for one she has carved the rock into sunny platforms, and for the other she has left upon the rocks a thick coating of productive earths; but to us she has given that brighter gift of higher value far,—the impress of God’s beneficence, not merely through material food and drink, but through the superior senses which feed the mind.

It is impossible to wander from the source of our Moselle, to muse²⁵ over the rise and fall of the nations and cities on her banks, to look upon her rocks and flowers, to glide²⁶ adown her stream, to stand amidst the ruined walls of her old towers, to watch the seed-time and harvest on her banks, the clustering bunches and the brilliant glow of the wine and corn, with all the lesser²⁷ incidents adorning²⁸ her;—it is impossible to view all these, to ruminate²⁹ and gaze, to live with her and be of her in all her windings³⁰, all her sunshine and refreshing³¹ shade, and not imbibe³² a portion of her spirit; a portion, larger as we look deeper and think more, of her innocence and peace of mind, which, laid up within our hearts, as the corn and wine within the store, will give us at a future time joy and gladness.

Harvest-time passes, and the vintage ends; but when the long winter comes, their productiveness is present, and the stores laid up are found to be indeed true treasures. 

1 German name for the Moselle.

1 picturesque   

adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的

参考例句：

• You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
• That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。

2 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

3 teems   

v.充满( teem的第三人称单数 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The swamp teems with mosquitoes. 这片沼泽地蚊子多极了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• That book teems with blunders. 那本书错误不少。 来自辞典例句

4 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

5 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

6 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。

7 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

8 trickling   

n.油画底色含油太多而成泡沫状突起v.滴( trickle的现在分词 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动

参考例句：

• Tears were trickling down her cheeks. 眼泪顺着她的面颊流了下来。
• The engine was trickling oil. 发动机在滴油。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 twine   

v.搓，织，编饰；（使）缠绕

参考例句：

• He tied the parcel with twine.他用细绳捆包裹。
• Their cardboard boxes were wrapped and tied neatly with waxed twine.他们的纸板盒用蜡线扎得整整齐齐。

10 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

11 profuse   

adj.很多的，大量的，极其丰富的

参考例句：

• The hostess is profuse in her hospitality.女主人招待得十分周到。
• There was a profuse crop of hair impending over the top of his face.一大绺头发垂在他额头上。

12 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

13 adorn   

vt.使美化，装饰

参考例句：

• She loved to adorn herself with finery.她喜欢穿戴华丽的服饰。
• His watercolour designs adorn a wide range of books.他的水彩设计使许多图书大为生色。

14 scattering   

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

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 enumerated   

v.列举，枚举，数( enumerate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• A spokesperson enumerated the strikers' demands. 发言人列数罢工者的要求。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enumerated the capitals of the 50 states. 他列举了50个州的首府。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 attaining   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的现在分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• Jim is halfway to attaining his pilot's licence. 吉姆就快要拿到飞行员执照了。
• By that time she was attaining to fifty. 那时她已快到五十岁了。

17 swell   

vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强

参考例句：

• The waves had taken on a deep swell.海浪汹涌。
• His injured wrist began to swell.他那受伤的手腕开始肿了。

18 jutting   

v.（使）突出( jut的现在分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出

参考例句：

• The climbers rested on a sheltered ledge jutting out from the cliff. 登山者在悬崖的岩棚上休息。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soldier saw a gun jutting out of some bushes. 那士兵看见丛林中有一枝枪伸出来。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

19 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 innocence   

n.无罪；天真；无害

参考例句：

• There was a touching air of innocence about the boy.这个男孩有一种令人感动的天真神情。
• The accused man proved his innocence of the crime.被告人经证实无罪。

21 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

22 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

23 mightier   

adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其

参考例句：

• But it ever rises up again, stronger, firmer, mightier. 但是，这种组织总是重新产生，并且一次比一次更强大，更坚固，更有力。 来自英汉非文学 - 共产党宣言
• Do you believe that the pen is mightier than the sword? 你相信笔杆的威力大于武力吗？

24 lighter   

n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级

参考例句：

• The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色，色调明朗了一些。
• The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。

25 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

26 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。

27 lesser   

adj.次要的，较小的；adv.较小地，较少地

参考例句：

• Kept some of the lesser players out.不让那些次要的球员参加联赛。
• She has also been affected,but to a lesser degree.她也受到波及，但程度较轻。

28 adorning   

修饰，装饰物

参考例句：

• Many have gems adorning their foreheads, and gold bands on their arms. 许多人在前额上挂着宝石，手臂上戴着金饰。
• The commandments, or rules, are like pure white pearls adorning the wearer. （喻）戒律洁白，可以庄严人身，好像晶莹可爱的宝珠。

29 ruminate   

v.反刍；沉思

参考例句：

• It is worth while to ruminate over his remarks.他的话值得玩味。
• The cow began to ruminate after eating up grass.牛吃完草后开始反刍。

30 windings   

（道路、河流等）蜿蜒的，弯曲的( winding的名词复数 )； 缠绕( wind的现在分词 )； 卷绕； 转动（把手）

参考例句：

• The time harmonics can be considered as voltages of higher frequencies applied to the windings. 时间谐波可以看作是施加在绕组上的较高频率的电压。
• All the vales in their manifold windings shaded by the most delightful forests. 所有的幽谷，都笼罩在繁茂的垂枝下。

31 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

32 imbibe   

v.喝，饮；吸入，吸收

参考例句：

• Plants imbibe nourishment usually through their leaves and roots.植物通常经过叶和根吸收养分。
• I always imbibe fresh air in the woods.我经常在树林里呼吸新鲜空气。