Gliding3 on, suddenly we spied a solitary4 Islander putting out in his canoe from a neighboring cove5.
Drawing near, the stranger informed us, that he was just from the face of the great Pontiff, Hivohitee, who, having dismissed his celestial6 guests, had retired7 to his private sanctuary8. Upon this, Media resolved to land forthwith, and under the guidance of Mohi, proceed inland, and pay a visit to his Holiness.
Quitting the beach, our path penetrated10 into the solitudes11 of the groves12. Skirting the way were tall Casaurinas, a species of cypress13, standing14 motionless in the shadows, as files of mutes at a funeral. But here and there, they were overrun with the adventurous15 vines of the Convolvulus, the Morning-glory of the Tropics, whose tendrils, bruised16 by the twigs17, dropped milk upon the dragon-like scales of the trees.
This vine is of many varieties. Lying perdu, and shunning18 the garish19 sun through the day, one species rises at night with the stars; bursting forth9 in dazzling constellations20 of blossoms, which close at dawn. Others, slumbering21 through the darkness, are up and abroad with their petals22, by peep of morn; and after inhaling23 its breath, again drop their lids in repose24. While a third species, more capricious, refuse to expand at all, unless in the most brilliant sunshine, and upon the very tops of the loftiest trees. Ambitious flowers! that will not blow, unless in high places, with the bright day looking on and admiring.
Here and there, we passed open glades25 in the woods, delicious with the incense26 of violets. Balsamic ferns, stirred by the breeze, fanned all the air with aromas27. These glades were delightful28.
Journeying on, we at length came to a dark glen so deftly29 hidden by the surrounding copses, that were it not for the miasma30 thence wafted31, an ignorant wayfarer32 might pass and repass it, time and again, never dreaming of its vicinity.
Down into the gloom of this glen we descended33. Its sides were mantled35 with noxious36 shrubs37, whose exhalations, half way down, unpleasantly blended with the piny breeze from the uplands. Through its bed ran a brook38, whose incrusted margin39 had a strange metallic40 luster41, from the polluted waters here flowing; their source a sulphur spring, of vile42 flavor and odor, where many invalid43 pilgrims resorted.
The woods all round were haunted by the dismal44 cawings of crows; tap, tap, the black hawk45 whetted46 his bill on the boughs47; each trunk stalked a ghost; and from those trunks, Hevaneva procured48 the wood for his idols49.
Rapidly crossing this place, Yoomy's hands to his ears, old Mohi's to his nostrils50, and Babbalanja vainly trying to walk with closed eyes, we toiled51 among steep, flinty rocks, along a wild, zigzag52 pathway; like a mule-track in the Andes, not so much onward53 as upward; Yoomy above Babbalanja, my lord Media above him, and Braid-Beard, our guide, in the air, above all.
Strown over with cinders54, the vitreous marl seemed tumbled together, as if belched55 from a volcano's throat.
Presently, we came to a tall, slender structure, hidden among the scenic56 projections57 of the cliffs, like a monument in the dark, vaulted58 ways of an abbey. Surrounding it, were five extinct craters59. The air was sultry and still, as if full of spent thunderbolts.
Like a Hindoo pagoda60, this bamboo edifice61 rose story above story; its many angles and points decorated with pearl-shells suspended by cords. But the uppermost story, some ten toises in the air, was closely thatched from apex63 to floor; which summit was gained by a series of ascents64.
What eremite dwelleth here, like St. Stylites at the top of his column?—a question which Mohi seemed all eagerness to have answered.
Dropping upon his knees, he gave a peculiar65 low call: no response. Another: all was silent. Marching up to the pagoda, and again dropping upon his knees, he shook the bamboos till the edifice rocked, and its pearl-shells jingled66, as if a troop of Andalusian mules67, with bells round their necks, were galloping68 along the defile69.
At length the thatch62 aloft was thrown open, and a head was thrust forth. It was that of an old, old man; with steel-gray eyes, hair and beard, and a horrible necklace of jaw-bones.
Now, issuing from the pagoda, Mohi turned about to gain a view of the ghost he had raised; and no sooner did he behold70 it, than with King Media and the rest, he made a marked salutation.
Presently, the eremite pointed71 to where Yoomy was standing; and waved his hand upward; when Mohi informed the minstrel, that it was St. Stylites' pleasure, that he should pay him a visit.
Wondering what was to come, Yoomy proceeded to mount; and at last arriving toward the top of the pagoda, was met by an opening, from which an encouraging arm assisted him to gain the ultimate landing.
Here, all was murky72 enough; for the aperture73 from which the head of the apparition74 had been thrust, was now closed; and what little twilight75 there was, came up through the opening in the floor.
In this dismal seclusion76, silently the hermit confronted the minstrel; his gray hair, eyes, and beard all gleaming, as if streaked77 with phosphorus; while his ghastly gorget grinned hideously78, with all its jaws79.
Mutely Yoomy waited to be addressed; but hearing no sound, and becoming alive to the strangeness of his situation, he meditated80 whether it would not be well to subside81 out of sight, even as he had come—through the floor. An intention which the eremite must have anticipated; for of a sudden, something was slid over the opening; and the apparition seating itself thereupon, the twain were in darkness complete.
Shut up thus, with an inscrutable stranger posted at the only aperture of escape, poor Yoomy fell into something like a panic; hardly knowing what step to take next. As for endeavoring to force his way out, it was alarming to think of; for aught he knew, the eremite, availing himself of the gloom, might be bristling82 all over with javelin83 points.
At last, the silence was broken.
"What see you, mortal?"
"I dwell in it. But what else see you, mortal?"
"The dim gleaming of thy gorget."
"But that is not me. What else dost thou see?"
"Nothing."
And with that, the passage-way opened, and groping through the twilight, Yoomy obeyed the mandate86, and retreated; full of vexation at his enigmatical reception.
On his alighting, Mohi inquired whether the hermit was not a wonderful personage.
But thinking some sage85 waggery lurked87 in the question; and at present too indignant to enter into details, the minstrel made some impatient reply; and winding88 through a defile, the party resumed its journey.
Straggling behind, to survey the strange plants and flowers in his path, Yoomy became so absorbed, as almost to forget the scene in the pagoda; yet every moment expected to be nearing the stately abode89 of the Pontiff.
But suddenly, the scene around grew familiar; the path seemed that which had been followed just after leaving the canoes; and at length, the place of debarkation90 was in sight.
Surprised that the object of our visit should have been thus abandoned, the minstrel ran forward, and sought an explanation.
Whereupon, Mohi lifted his hands in amazement91; exclaiming at the blindness of the eyes, which had beheld92 the supreme93 Pontiff of Maramma, without knowing it.
The old hermit was no other than the dread94 Hivohitee; the pagoda, the inmost oracle95 of the isle96.
点击收听单词发音
1 hermit | |
n.隐士,修道者;隐居 | |
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2 confidential | |
adj.秘(机)密的,表示信任的,担任机密工作的 | |
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3 gliding | |
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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4 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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5 cove | |
n.小海湾,小峡谷 | |
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6 celestial | |
adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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7 retired | |
adj.隐退的,退休的,退役的 | |
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8 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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9 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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10 penetrated | |
adj. 击穿的,鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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11 solitudes | |
n.独居( solitude的名词复数 );孤独;荒僻的地方;人迹罕至的地方 | |
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12 groves | |
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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13 cypress | |
n.柏树 | |
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14 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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15 adventurous | |
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
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16 bruised | |
[医]青肿的,瘀紫的 | |
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17 twigs | |
细枝,嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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18 shunning | |
v.避开,回避,避免( shun的现在分词 ) | |
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19 garish | |
adj.华丽而俗气的,华而不实的 | |
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20 constellations | |
n.星座( constellation的名词复数 );一群杰出人物;一系列(相关的想法、事物);一群(相关的人) | |
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21 slumbering | |
微睡,睡眠(slumber的现在分词形式) | |
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22 petals | |
n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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23 inhaling | |
v.吸入( inhale的现在分词 ) | |
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24 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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25 glades | |
n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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26 incense | |
v.激怒;n.香,焚香时的烟,香气 | |
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27 aromas | |
n.芳香( aroma的名词复数 );气味;风味;韵味 | |
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28 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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29 deftly | |
adv.灵巧地,熟练地,敏捷地 | |
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30 miasma | |
n.毒气;不良气氛 | |
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31 wafted | |
v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32 wayfarer | |
n.旅人 | |
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33 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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34 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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35 mantled | |
披着斗篷的,覆盖着的 | |
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36 noxious | |
adj.有害的,有毒的;使道德败坏的,讨厌的 | |
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37 shrubs | |
灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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38 brook | |
n.小河,溪;v.忍受,容让 | |
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39 margin | |
n.页边空白;差额;余地,余裕;边,边缘 | |
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40 metallic | |
adj.金属的;金属制的;含金属的;产金属的;像金属的 | |
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41 luster | |
n.光辉;光泽,光亮;荣誉 | |
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42 vile | |
adj.卑鄙的,可耻的,邪恶的;坏透的 | |
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43 invalid | |
n.病人,伤残人;adj.有病的,伤残的;无效的 | |
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44 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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45 hawk | |
n.鹰,骗子;鹰派成员 | |
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46 whetted | |
v.(在石头上)磨(刀、斧等)( whet的过去式和过去分词 );引起,刺激(食欲、欲望、兴趣等) | |
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47 boughs | |
大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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48 procured | |
v.(努力)取得, (设法)获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 );拉皮条 | |
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49 idols | |
偶像( idol的名词复数 ); 受崇拜的人或物; 受到热爱和崇拜的人或物; 神像 | |
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50 nostrils | |
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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51 toiled | |
长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 ); 艰难缓慢地移动,跋涉 | |
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52 zigzag | |
n.曲折,之字形;adj.曲折的,锯齿形的;adv.曲折地,成锯齿形地;vt.使曲折;vi.曲折前行 | |
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53 onward | |
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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54 cinders | |
n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 );炭渣;煤渣路;煤渣跑道 | |
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55 belched | |
v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 );喷出,吐出;打(嗝);嗳(气) | |
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56 scenic | |
adj.自然景色的,景色优美的 | |
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57 projections | |
预测( projection的名词复数 ); 投影; 投掷; 突起物 | |
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58 vaulted | |
adj.拱状的 | |
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59 craters | |
n.火山口( crater的名词复数 );弹坑等 | |
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60 pagoda | |
n.宝塔(尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔),(印度教或佛教的)塔式庙宇 | |
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61 edifice | |
n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿,教室) | |
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62 thatch | |
vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部;n.茅草(屋) | |
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63 apex | |
n.顶点,最高点 | |
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64 ascents | |
n.上升( ascent的名词复数 );(身份、地位等的)提高;上坡路;攀登 | |
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65 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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66 jingled | |
喝醉的 | |
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67 mules | |
骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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68 galloping | |
adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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69 defile | |
v.弄污,弄脏;n.(山间)小道 | |
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70 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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71 pointed | |
adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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72 murky | |
adj.黑暗的,朦胧的;adv.阴暗地,混浊地;n.阴暗;昏暗 | |
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73 aperture | |
n.孔,隙,窄的缺口 | |
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74 apparition | |
n.幽灵,神奇的现象 | |
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75 twilight | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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76 seclusion | |
n.隐遁,隔离 | |
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77 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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78 hideously | |
adv.可怕地,非常讨厌地 | |
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79 jaws | |
n.口部;嘴 | |
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80 meditated | |
深思,沉思,冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 ); 内心策划,考虑 | |
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81 subside | |
vi.平静,平息;下沉,塌陷,沉降 | |
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82 bristling | |
a.竖立的 | |
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83 javelin | |
n.标枪,投枪 | |
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84 audacity | |
n.大胆,卤莽,无礼 | |
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85 sage | |
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的 | |
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86 mandate | |
n.托管地;命令,指示 | |
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87 lurked | |
vi.潜伏,埋伏(lurk的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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88 winding | |
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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89 abode | |
n.住处,住所 | |
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90 debarkation | |
n.下车,下船,登陆 | |
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91 amazement | |
n.惊奇,惊讶 | |
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92 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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93 supreme | |
adj.极度的,最重要的;至高的,最高的 | |
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94 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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95 oracle | |
n.神谕,神谕处,预言 | |
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96 isle | |
n.小岛,岛 | |
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