THE MAGIC RING

Charlemagne was king of France and emperor of Germany. He had married a beautiful eastern princess, whose name was Frastrada. His love for her was so great that his only thought was to give her happiness. All wondered at his devotion, but none suspected the cause.

Frastrada had a wonderful gold ring. On it were inscribed¹ mystic signs. Frastrada wore the ring continually, and it was this magic talisman² that had worked such a charm.

But the new queen did not long enjoy her power. A great illness overtook her. During this time she thought often of the magic treasure and feared it would pass into other hands. So she slipped the ring from her finger into her mouth and quietly breathed her last.

[77]The Emperor was quite overcome with grief. He refused to have the queen taken to the cathedral, but stayed constantly by her side.

In vain the councilors and courtiers plead with him. In vain Turpin, the prime minister, told him that the people had need of him. He refused to leave the chamber³ where the queen lay, or to partake of food. At last he fell asleep at his post.

Turpin felt convinced that the queen possessed⁴ some charm, so he stole noiselessly to her bedside. After some time he found the ring. He concealed⁵ it in his own clothing, and sat down to wait for Charlemagne to awaken⁷.

Soon the Emperor opened his eyes. He turned from the queen with a shudder⁸.

“Turpin, my faithful friend!” he cried, as he threw himself in the arms of the prime minister. “Your presence is like balm to my wounded heart! You shall remain by my side forever!”

[78]From that time on, Turpin was forced to accompany Charlemagne wherever he went. The courtiers wondered at Turpin’s influence. Many of them were quite jealous. As for poor Turpin, he was wearied beyond all expression. He could find no rest either by night or by day. Vainly he sought for some plan by which he might rid himself of the troublesome gem⁹.

At length it happened that Charlemagne and Turpin set out from the palace of Ingelheim on a journey to the north. They camped one night in a great forest. While his master lay asleep Turpin left the camp and wandered out into the moonlight alone. Not once before, since he had found the ring, had he been free from the Emperor.

His heart swelled¹⁰ with a feeling of relief as he plunged¹¹ into the pathless forest. On and on he wandered, trying to think of some way to rid himself of the troublesome[79] ring. Like Frastrada, he did not want anyone else to come into possession of it and thus get such an influence over the Emperor.

After long wandering he found himself at the opening of a beautiful glade¹². Before him lay a quiet pool embosomed in the dark woods. The moonlight flooded the retired¹³ spot and shone like silver over the deep and quiet waters.

Turpin was lost in admiration¹⁴. He sat down on a stone and feasted his eyes in silence on the peaceful beauty of the scene. Soon the thought of the magic ring came to disturb his happiness.

“What shall I do with it?” he groaned¹⁵.

He drew it from its hiding place in his breast and examined it closely.

“Ah!” he muttered, “what is this I see?”

He noticed by the pale light of the moon that the ring bore something else beside the strange signs. On it was the image[80] of a tiny swan. He looked at it in amazement¹⁶; for he had never seen the swan before.

He started up, then stopped suddenly.

“Why not?” he asked himself. “Those deep and quiet waters would soon close over and conceal⁶ the ring forever.”

A moment later the jewel flashed beneath the rays of the moon. A slight splash was borne along by the night air. Ever widening ripples¹⁷ broke the mirror-like surface of the pool. In the distance a snowy swan appeared sailing with stately calm over the ruffled¹⁸ waters.

Delighted to be rid of the hateful jewel, Turpin now made his way back to the tent. Charlemagne was awake and greeted him as in the days of old. The charm was broken.

The morning sun rose bright and clear. The Emperor, however, became restless. He proposed that they tarry in the spot another day and hunt in the forest. Turpin agreed, and soon the forest echoes[81] were awakened¹⁹ by the clangor of the hunting horns.

A royal stag was started from covert²⁰. Closely the huntsmen and hounds followed it. At last, panting and exhausted²¹, it was brought to bay in a remote glade,—the very place which Turpin had visited the night before.

Charlemagne had been foremost in the chase all the morning. Now he sat motionless in his saddle, gazing in spellbound admiration at the sunny stretch of water. He observed the reflection of the blue sky, and the swans gliding²² over its smooth surface.

“Ah! how beautiful!” he exclaimed. “I would fain linger here forever.”

Then he dismounted and threw himself down upon the smooth grass by the edge of the pool. There he remained in dreamy content all day long.

At last the shadows began to lengthen²³. The glow of the setting sun was reflected in the miniature lake. Charlemagne was[82] so enchanted²⁴ with the scene that he vowed²⁶ to build a castle there. The vow²⁵ was kept, and the structure that arose was the beginning of Charlemagne’s capital and favorite city, Aix-la-Chapelle.

When many years had passed, death came to the great Emperor. He was laid at rest in the cathedral vault²⁷, not far from the spot he loved so well.

Strangers visiting Aix-la-Chapelle are told not to visit the magic pool by moonlight. At the mystic hour when Turpin dropped the ring into the quiet waters, the spell recovers all its former powers. Accordingly, should any one visit it at that time, his longing²⁸ heart would always lead him back to the charmed spot, however far away he might be wandering in the wide world.

1 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 talisman   

n.避邪物，护身符

参考例句：

• It was like a talisman worn in bosom.它就象佩在胸前的护身符一样。
• Dress was the one unfailling talisman and charm used for keeping all things in their places.冠是当作保持品位和秩序的一种万应灵符。

3 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

4 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

5 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

6 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

7 awaken   

vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起

参考例句：

• Old people awaken early in the morning.老年人早晨醒得早。
• Please awaken me at six.请于六点叫醒我。

8 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

9 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。

10 swelled   

增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The infection swelled his hand. 由于感染，他的手肿了起来。
• After the heavy rain the river swelled. 大雨过后，河水猛涨。

11 plunged   

v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• The train derailed and plunged into the river. 火车脱轨栽进了河里。
• She lost her balance and plunged 100 feet to her death. 她没有站稳，从100英尺的高处跌下摔死了。

12 glade   

n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地

参考例句：

• In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
• The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。

13 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

14 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

15 groaned   

v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦

参考例句：

• He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
• The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 amazement   

n.惊奇，惊讶

参考例句：

• All those around him looked at him with amazement.周围的人都对他投射出惊异的眼光。
• He looked at me in blank amazement.他带着迷茫惊诧的神情望着我。

17 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

18 ruffled   

adj. 有褶饰边的, 起皱的 动词ruffle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She ruffled his hair affectionately. 她情意绵绵地拨弄着他的头发。
• All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management's feathers. 所有这些关于罢工的闲言碎语显然让管理层很不高兴。

19 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

20 covert   

adj.隐藏的；暗地里的

参考例句：

• We should learn to fight with enemy in an overt and covert way.我们应学会同敌人做公开和隐蔽的斗争。
• The army carried out covert surveillance of the building for several months.军队对这座建筑物进行了数月的秘密监视。

21 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

22 gliding   

v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的

参考例句：

• Swans went gliding past. 天鹅滑行而过。
• The weather forecast has put a question mark against the chance of doing any gliding tomorrow. 天气预报对明天是否能举行滑翔表示怀疑。

23 lengthen   

vt.使伸长，延长

参考例句：

• He asked the tailor to lengthen his coat.他请裁缝把他的外衣放长些。
• The teacher told her to lengthen her paper out.老师让她把论文加长。

24 enchanted   

adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• She was enchanted by the flowers you sent her. 她非常喜欢你送给她的花。
• He was enchanted by the idea. 他为这个主意而欣喜若狂。

25 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

26 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。

27 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

28 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。