How glorious a morning! The new-born clouds all dappled with gold, and streaked2 with violet; the sun in high spirits; and the pleasant air cooled overnight by the blending circumambient fountains, forever playing all round the reef; the lagoon3 within, the coral-rimmed basin, into which they poured, subsiding4, hereabouts, into green tranquillity5.
But what monsters of canoes! Would they devour6 an innocent voyager? their great black prows7 curling aloft, and thrown back like trunks of elephants; a dark, snaky length behind, like the sea-serpent's train.
The prow8 of the foremost terminated in a large, open, shark's mouth, garnished9 with ten rows of pearly human teeth, curiously10 inserted into the sculptured wood. The gunwale was ornamented11 with rows of rich spotted12 Leopard13 and Tiger-shells; here and there, varied14 by others, flat and round, and spirally traced; gay serpents petrified15 in coils. These were imbedded in a grooved16 margin17, by means of a resinous18 compound, exhaling19 such spices, that the canoes were odoriferous as the Indian chests of the Maldives.
The likeness20 of the foremost canoe to an elephant, was helped by a sort of canopied21 Howdah in its stern, of heavy, russet-dyed tappa, tasselled at the corners with long bunches of cocoanut fibres, stained red. These swayed to and fro, like the fox-tails on a Tuscarora robe.
But what is this, in the head of the canoe, just under the shark's mouth? A grinning little imp23 of an image; a ring in its nose; cowrie shells jingling24 at its ears; with an abominable25 leer, like that of Silenus reeling on his ass22. It was taking its ease; cosily26 smoking a pipe; its bowl, a duodecimo edition of the face of the smoker27. This image looked sternward; everlastingly28 mocking us.
Of these canoes, it may be well to state, that although during our stay in Odo, so many barges29 and shallops had touched there, nothing similar to Media's had been seen. But inquiring whence his sea- equipage came, we were thereupon taught to reverence30 the same as antiquities31 and heir-looms; claw-keeled, dragon-prowed crafts of a bygone generation; at present, superseded32 in general use by the more swan-like canoes, significant of the advanced stage of marine33 architecture in Mardi. No sooner was this known, than what had seemed almost hideous34 in my eyes, became merely grotesque35. Nor could I help being greatly delighted with the good old family pride of our host.
The upper corners of our sails displayed the family crest36 of Media; three upright boars' tusks37, in an heraldic field argent. A fierce device: Whom rends38 he?
All things in readiness, we glided39 away: the multitude waving adieu; and our flotilla disposed in the following order.
First went the royal Elephant, carrying Media, myself, Jarl, and Samoa; Mohi the Teller40 of Legends, Babbalanja, and Yoomy, and six vivacious41 paddlers; their broad paddle-blades carved with the royal boars' tusks, the same tattooed42 on their chests for a livery.
And thus, as Media had promised, we voyaged in state. To crown all, seated sideways in the high, open shark's-mouth of our prow was a little dwarf43 of a boy, one of Media's pages, a red conch-shell, bugle-wise suspended at his side. Among various other offices, it was the duty of little Vee-Vee to announce the advent44 of his master, upon drawing near to the islands in our route. Two short bars, projecting from one side of the prow, furnished him the means of ascent45 to his perch46.
As we gained the open lagoon with bellied47 sails, and paddles playing, a sheaf of foam48 borne upright at our prow; Yoomy, standing49 where the spicy50 spray flew over him, stretched forth51 his hand and cried—"The dawn of day is passed, and Mardi lies all before us: all her isles52, and all her lakes; all her stores of good and evil. Storms may come, our barks may drown. But blow before us, all ye winds; give us a lively blast, good clarion53; rally round us all our wits; and be this voyage full gayly sailed, for Yillah will yet be found."
点击收听单词发音
1 isle | |
n.小岛,岛 | |
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2 streaked | |
adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹 | |
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3 lagoon | |
n.泻湖,咸水湖 | |
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4 subsiding | |
v.(土地)下陷(因在地下采矿)( subside的现在分词 );减弱;下降至较低或正常水平;一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
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5 tranquillity | |
n. 平静, 安静 | |
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6 devour | |
v.吞没;贪婪地注视或谛听,贪读;使着迷 | |
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7 prows | |
n.船首( prow的名词复数 ) | |
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8 prow | |
n.(飞机)机头,船头 | |
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9 garnished | |
v.给(上餐桌的食物)加装饰( garnish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 curiously | |
adv.有求知欲地;好问地;奇特地 | |
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11 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 spotted | |
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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13 leopard | |
n.豹 | |
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14 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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15 petrified | |
adj.惊呆的;目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆,使惊呆;变僵硬;使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
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16 grooved | |
v.沟( groove的过去式和过去分词 );槽;老一套;(某种)音乐节奏 | |
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17 margin | |
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘 | |
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18 resinous | |
adj.树脂的,树脂质的,树脂制的 | |
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19 exhaling | |
v.呼出,发散出( exhale的现在分词 );吐出(肺中的空气、烟等),呼气 | |
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20 likeness | |
n.相像,相似(之处) | |
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21 canopied | |
adj. 遮有天篷的 | |
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22 ass | |
n.驴;傻瓜,蠢笨的人 | |
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23 imp | |
n.顽童 | |
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24 jingling | |
叮当声 | |
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25 abominable | |
adj.可厌的,令人憎恶的 | |
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26 cosily | |
adv.舒适地,惬意地 | |
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27 smoker | |
n.吸烟者,吸烟车厢,吸烟室 | |
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28 everlastingly | |
永久地,持久地 | |
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29 barges | |
驳船( barge的名词复数 ) | |
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30 reverence | |
n.敬畏,尊敬,尊严;Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称;v.尊敬,敬畏,崇敬 | |
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31 antiquities | |
n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 );古迹;古人们;古代的风俗习惯 | |
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32 superseded | |
[医]被代替的,废弃的 | |
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33 marine | |
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵 | |
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34 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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35 grotesque | |
adj.怪诞的,丑陋的;n.怪诞的图案,怪人(物) | |
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36 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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37 tusks | |
n.(象等动物的)长牙( tusk的名词复数 );獠牙;尖形物;尖头 | |
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38 rends | |
v.撕碎( rend的第三人称单数 );分裂;(因愤怒、痛苦等而)揪扯(衣服或头发等);(声音等)刺破 | |
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39 glided | |
v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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40 teller | |
n.银行出纳员;(选举)计票员 | |
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41 vivacious | |
adj.活泼的,快活的 | |
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42 tattooed | |
v.刺青,文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 );连续有节奏地敲击;作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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43 dwarf | |
n.矮子,侏儒,矮小的动植物;vt.使…矮小 | |
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44 advent | |
n.(重要事件等的)到来,来临 | |
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45 ascent | |
n.(声望或地位)提高;上升,升高;登高 | |
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46 perch | |
n.栖木,高位,杆;v.栖息,就位,位于 | |
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47 bellied | |
adj.有腹的,大肚子的 | |
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48 foam | |
v./n.泡沫,起泡沫 | |
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49 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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50 spicy | |
adj.加香料的;辛辣的,有风味的 | |
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51 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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52 isles | |
岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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53 clarion | |
n.尖音小号声;尖音小号 | |
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