Gabriel had been instructed in the subtle art of political fascination19. He had attended at flower-shows and all social crushes, smiled and chatted to individuals of every shade and temper, shaken hands with mediocrities on every possible occasion, posed perpetually as an amiable20, genial21, and cultured young aristocrat22. He was quite the Galahad of the Primrose23 Dames24. Artistically25 attired26, with an orchid27 in his button-hole, he presented himself at all functions of importance, culling28 possible votes by the magic of a pleasant personality.
The public gayeties that his father had forced upon him had in some measure distracted Gabriel from the melancholy29 realities of his marriage. With his usual amiable apathy30, he acted as ever as the paid vassal31 of his father; his very household existed as a proof of his dependence32 on the parental33 favor. Moreover, there was a certain artificial stimulus34 in political life that pleased him for a season. He met pretty women who flattered him, mediocre35 folk who were “proud to make his acquaintance,” big-wigs who were willing to listen to his opinions and to nod approval when some apt phrase promised well for the spirit of debate. He had been something of an orator37 at Oxford38, where his humanism had partaken of a Mazzinian flavor. Expediency39, however, had warped40 his none too tough convictions into the deformed41 orthodoxy he was supposed to champion. His father’s ambition, also, generous as it was, promised to shed a glamour42 of ease over the common actualities of life.
Ophelia was still at Callydon suffering her self-love to recuperate43 after the first frank criticisms of married life. Gabriel had written to Dr. Glibly44 with regard to his wife’s health, and had received a very sentimental45 reply indited46 on scented47 paper and concluded with a fine flourish of degrees and qualifications. “Mrs. Strong,” wrote the doctor, “was still in that somewhat unstable48 state so common in women at certain eventful periods of life. She needed perfect rest—perfect rest and complete immunity49 from all domestic worries for the time being.” Gabriel could have confessed in his heart of hearts that the doctor’s letter was no black and dismal50 document. John Strong himself had questioned Gabriel as to his wife’s somewhat lengthy51 absence from home. “It would be well,” he said, “for Ophelia to partner her husband during the coming summer season, and to back him in his social duties, like the handsome and fashionable woman that she was.” Gabriel had spread Dr. Glibly’s letter for his father’s edification, but had offered no explanation as to the causes that had led to Ophelia’s “state of nervous prostration52.” Nature could take the blame, and the sentiments woven through the affair were not such as Gabriel cared to trust to the parental conscience.
Despite the light of publicity54 that was gathering55 about his person, Gabriel appeared blind to the vast inconsistencies of his life. He drifted as he had ever done in a dream-ship on a sea of dreams. A face shone ever before his eyes, a face wistful as the sky at dawn. Two lives seemed to go forth56 from him like divergent highways: the one into smoke and turmoil57, dust and all weariness; the other into green and brilliant deeps, unutterable shadow-lands of delight, vales of golden rest, hills where the red winds made music. Romance ran beneath his mundane58 being like a caverned river gorgeous with subterranean59 fire. There were two worlds within him, two creeds61, two gods. He served both, strove to harmonize each, and heard not the peril62 prophetic upon the lips of fate.
It is difficult for a man whose thoughts are of the purest to comprehend the distorted image his deeds may create in the minds of others. The world is ever ready to suspect evil. Let a man act the Christ and he will assuredly be in danger of being dubbed63 “devil.” Fleshliness covers the eyes of the multitude with scales of crimson64 glass, and snow is tinted65 red by the gaze of the unclean.
Some such innocence66 of thought rendered Gabriel ingenuously68 blind to the sinister69 developments that might arise from his attitude towards the child of the hills. His love for her was as spiritual as moonlight—clear, calm, and infinitely70 pure. Even the splendid medi?val imagery that gemmed71 the very thought of her was hallowed to him as with a radiant glow of gold. The wings of angels, brilliant as sun-smitten snow, seemed to breathe and beat above her head. He was honest as the light in his love for her. He would as soon have shamed his homage72 by any baser feeling as have taken sacramental wine with the lips of a bacchanal.
Letters had passed between the two, and they had met more than once in secret since the March day when they had taken the oath together. A great love is always a pure love. With the multitude, contact engenders73 disenchantment, possession breeds indifference74. Schopenhauer has said that Petrarch’s sonnets75 would have ceased abruptly76 if Laura had surrendered herself to his song. Apply the cynicism to the mere77 sexual instinct and there is truth in the gibe78. The greatest love is that which is fated to brave tempests. To such a mind as Gabriel’s the starlike unapproachableness of the girl rendered her the more mysterious and divine. To him love imprisoned79 behind bars of gold was a rhapsody of exultation80 and despair.
Joan’s letters were quaint36 and ingenuous67 to a degree. She wrote in a bold, round hand, her words being the frank type of her thoughts—thoughts that shimmered81 with an intense perception of the splendor82 of nature. She approached life in her free and elemental fashion. Facts had no pedantic83 and foreordained significance for her. She had the air of an angel treading an unknown earth and marvelling84 at the inconsistencies thereof. Nor had she any knowledge of the doctrine85 of original sin.
“I am a mere child,” she wrote, “but it seems to me as though a man and a woman might make the earth a great garden, radiant with goodness as with flowers. This Bible that you gave me has been much with me of late. I had never read the book before. I cannot see why sin should enter into life. To me it seems inexplicable86, an anomalous87 creation. What can sin give to men that it has such hold over them? To be true to truth seems to me as natural as to breathe or to sleep.”
And again:
“If we could all remain mere children! Youth is the key of joy. Age often seems to cover it with rust53 so that it can no longer unlock the treasures of life. You say that it is impossible to retain the innocence of childhood because of the utter hideousness88 of one’s elders. The ‘little ones’ are doomed89 to be ‘offended’ by experience. Why, then, should we not be bold enough to disregard those whom we despise?”
And again:
“I think I could die for an ideal. Whether we are immortal90 or no, I cannot see why a good man should fear death. If immortality91 proves real, then he is assured of heaven. If death be the end, then he but falls into an eternal sleep and is none the wiser. I could say to my soul, ‘I have lived my best, now let me sleep.’ The notion of doing one’s duty in order to bribe92 God does not please me.”
Gabriel was perhaps more personal in his statements. He found the girl’s heart a pure spring into which he might pour his thoughts, where they glistened93 like gems94 in a crystal setting.
“You are my great proof of immortality,” he wrote. “I cannot believe that such a soul as yours can end in dust. It would be blasphemy95 against the divine instinct. Your spirit can never die.”
Also:
“You have become a religion to me. In your eyes I see God and the heavens opened. Tell me, is there sin in such a creed60?”
And again:
“You are like a great light in my heart; may your glory never cease from my soul. Through you I am transfigured; in your voice Eternity96 speaks to me.”
Joan carried Gabriel’s letters in her bosom97 in a case of green silk. They lay warm and still against her heart. She read them often, for they were like the words of a new world to her, eloquent98 and lovely.
点击收听单词发音
1 electorate | |
n.全体选民;选区 | |
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2 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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3 premier | |
adj.首要的;n.总理,首相 | |
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4 patriotic | |
adj.爱国的,有爱国心的 | |
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5 boroughs | |
(尤指大伦敦的)行政区( borough的名词复数 ); 议会中有代表的市镇 | |
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6 squandered | |
v.(指钱,财产等)浪费,乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7 prospective | |
adj.预期的,未来的,前瞻性的 | |
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8 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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9 contrived | |
adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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10 benevolent | |
adj.仁慈的,乐善好施的 | |
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11 subscribed | |
v.捐助( subscribe的过去式和过去分词 );签署,题词;订阅;同意 | |
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12 prodigality | |
n.浪费,挥霍 | |
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13 racing | |
n.竞赛,赛马;adj.竞赛用的,赛马用的 | |
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14 lavish | |
adj.无节制的;浪费的;vt.慷慨地给予,挥霍 | |
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15 consummate | |
adj.完美的;v.成婚;使完美 [反]baffle | |
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16 beheld | |
v.看,注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 );瞧;看呀;(叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现)哎哟 | |
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17 carving | |
n.雕刻品,雕花 | |
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18 niche | |
n.壁龛;合适的职务(环境、位置等) | |
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19 fascination | |
n.令人着迷的事物,魅力,迷恋 | |
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20 amiable | |
adj.和蔼可亲的,友善的,亲切的 | |
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21 genial | |
adj.亲切的,和蔼的,愉快的,脾气好的 | |
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22 aristocrat | |
n.贵族,有贵族气派的人,上层人物 | |
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23 primrose | |
n.樱草,最佳部分, | |
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24 dames | |
n.(在英国)夫人(一种封号),夫人(爵士妻子的称号)( dame的名词复数 );女人 | |
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25 artistically | |
adv.艺术性地 | |
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26 attired | |
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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27 orchid | |
n.兰花,淡紫色 | |
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28 culling | |
n.选择,大批物品中剔出劣质货v.挑选,剔除( cull的现在分词 ) | |
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29 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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30 apathy | |
n.漠不关心,无动于衷;冷淡 | |
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31 vassal | |
n.附庸的;属下;adj.奴仆的 | |
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32 dependence | |
n.依靠,依赖;信任,信赖;隶属 | |
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33 parental | |
adj.父母的;父的;母的 | |
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34 stimulus | |
n.刺激,刺激物,促进因素,引起兴奋的事物 | |
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35 mediocre | |
adj.平常的,普通的 | |
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36 quaint | |
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的 | |
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37 orator | |
n.演说者,演讲者,雄辩家 | |
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38 Oxford | |
n.牛津(英国城市) | |
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39 expediency | |
n.适宜;方便;合算;利己 | |
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40 warped | |
adj.反常的;乖戾的;(变)弯曲的;变形的v.弄弯,变歪( warp的过去式和过去分词 );使(行为等)不合情理,使乖戾, | |
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41 deformed | |
adj.畸形的;变形的;丑的,破相了的 | |
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42 glamour | |
n.魔力,魅力;vt.迷住 | |
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43 recuperate | |
v.恢复 | |
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44 glibly | |
adv.流利地,流畅地;满口 | |
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45 sentimental | |
adj.多愁善感的,感伤的 | |
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46 indited | |
v.写(文章,信等)创作,赋诗,创作( indite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47 scented | |
adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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48 unstable | |
adj.不稳定的,易变的 | |
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49 immunity | |
n.优惠;免除;豁免,豁免权 | |
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50 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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51 lengthy | |
adj.漫长的,冗长的 | |
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52 prostration | |
n. 平伏, 跪倒, 疲劳 | |
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53 rust | |
n.锈;v.生锈;(脑子)衰退 | |
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54 publicity | |
n.众所周知,闻名;宣传,广告 | |
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55 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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56 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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57 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
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58 mundane | |
adj.平凡的;尘世的;宇宙的 | |
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59 subterranean | |
adj.地下的,地表下的 | |
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60 creed | |
n.信条;信念,纲领 | |
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61 creeds | |
(尤指宗教)信条,教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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62 peril | |
n.(严重的)危险;危险的事物 | |
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63 dubbed | |
v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 );把…称为;配音;复制 | |
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64 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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65 tinted | |
adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
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66 innocence | |
n.无罪;天真;无害 | |
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67 ingenuous | |
adj.纯朴的,单纯的;天真的;坦率的 | |
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68 ingenuously | |
adv.率直地,正直地 | |
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69 sinister | |
adj.不吉利的,凶恶的,左边的 | |
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70 infinitely | |
adv.无限地,无穷地 | |
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71 gemmed | |
点缀(gem的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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72 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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73 engenders | |
v.产生(某形势或状况),造成,引起( engender的第三人称单数 ) | |
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74 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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75 sonnets | |
n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 ) | |
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76 abruptly | |
adv.突然地,出其不意地 | |
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77 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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78 gibe | |
n.讥笑;嘲弄 | |
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79 imprisoned | |
下狱,监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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80 exultation | |
n.狂喜,得意 | |
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81 shimmered | |
v.闪闪发光,发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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82 splendor | |
n.光彩;壮丽,华丽;显赫,辉煌 | |
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83 pedantic | |
adj.卖弄学问的;迂腐的 | |
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84 marvelling | |
v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的现在分词 ) | |
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85 doctrine | |
n.教义;主义;学说 | |
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86 inexplicable | |
adj.无法解释的,难理解的 | |
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87 anomalous | |
adj.反常的;不规则的 | |
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88 hideousness | |
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89 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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90 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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91 immortality | |
n.不死,不朽 | |
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92 bribe | |
n.贿赂;v.向…行贿,买通 | |
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93 glistened | |
v.湿物闪耀,闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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94 gems | |
growth; economy; management; and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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95 blasphemy | |
n.亵渎,渎神 | |
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96 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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97 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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98 eloquent | |
adj.雄辩的,口才流利的;明白显示出的 | |
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