The sky grew overcast2. Each a night, black storm-clouds swept the wintry sea; and like Sahara caravans3, which leave their sandy wakes— so, thick and fleet, slanted4 the scud5 behind. Through all this rack and mist, ten thousand foam-flaked dromedary-humps uprose.
And now, the air grew nipping cold. The clouds shed off their fleeces; a snow-hillock, each canoe; our beards, white-frosted.
And so, as seated in our shrouds7, we sailed in among great mountain passes of ice-isles; from icy ledges8 scaring shivering seals, and white bears, musical with icicles, jingling9 from their shaggy ermine.
Far and near, in towering ridges11, stretched the glassy Andes; with their own frost, shuddering12 through all their domes14 and pinnacles15. Ice-splinters rattled16 down the cliffs, and seethed17 into the sea.
Broad away, in amphitheaters undermined by currents, whole cities of ice-towers, in crashes, toward one center, fell.—In their earthquakes, Lisbon and Lima never saw the like. Churned and broken in the boiling tide, they swept off amain;—over and over rolling; like porpoises18 to vessels19 tranced in calms, bringing down the gale20.
At last, rounding an antlered headland, that seemed a moose at bay—ere long, we launched upon blue lake-like waters, serene21 as Windermere, or Horicon. Thus, from the boisterous22 storms of youth, we glide23 upon senility.
In far-off, endless vistas25, colonnades26 of water-spouts were seen: all heaven's dome13 upholding on their shafts27: and bright forms gliding28 up and down within. So at Luz, in his strange vision, Jacob saw the angels.
A boundless29 cave of stalactites, it seemed; the cloud-born vapors30 downward spiraling, till they met the whirlpool-column from the sea; then, uniting, over the waters stalked, like ghosts of gods. Or midway sundered—down, sullen31, sunk the watery32 half; and far up into heaven, was drawn33 the vapory. As, at death, we mortals part in twain; our earthy half still here abiding34; but our spirits flying whence they came.
In good time, we gained the thither35 side of great Kolumbo of the South; and sailing on, long waited for the day; and wondered at the darkness.
"What steadfast36 clouds!" cried Yoomy, "yonder! far aloft: that ridge10, with many points; it fades below, but shows a faint white crest37."
"Not clouds, but mountains," said Babbalanja, "the vast spine38, that traverses Kolumbo; spurring off in ribs39, that nestle loamy valleys, veined with silver streams, and silver ores."
It was a long, embattled line of pinnacles. And high posted in the East, those thousand bucklered peaks stood forth40, and breasted back the Dawn. Before their purple bastions bold, Aurora41 long arrayed her spears, and clashed her golden shells. The summons dies away. But now, her lancers charge the steep, and gain its crest a-glow;—their glittering spears and blazoned42 shields triumphant43 in the morn.
But ere that sight, we glided44 on for hours in twilight45; when, on those mountains' farther side, the hunters must have been abroad, morning- glories all astir.
点击收听单词发音
1 mantles | |
vt.&vi.覆盖(mantle的第三人称单数形式) | |
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2 overcast | |
adj.阴天的,阴暗的,愁闷的;v.遮盖,(使)变暗,包边缝;n.覆盖,阴天 | |
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3 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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4 slanted | |
有偏见的; 倾斜的 | |
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5 scud | |
n.疾行;v.疾行 | |
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6 fugitives | |
n.亡命者,逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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7 shrouds | |
n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 );寿衣;遮蔽物;覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 );保密 | |
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8 ledges | |
n.(墙壁,悬崖等)突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 );(平窄的)壁架;横档;(尤指)窗台 | |
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9 jingling | |
叮当声 | |
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10 ridge | |
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭 | |
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11 ridges | |
n.脊( ridge的名词复数 );山脊;脊状突起;大气层的)高压脊 | |
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12 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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13 dome | |
n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
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14 domes | |
n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 );像圆屋顶一样的东西;圆顶体育场 | |
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15 pinnacles | |
顶峰( pinnacle的名词复数 ); 顶点; 尖顶; 小尖塔 | |
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16 rattled | |
慌乱的,恼火的 | |
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17 seethed | |
(液体)沸腾( seethe的过去式和过去分词 ); 激动,大怒; 强压怒火; 生闷气(~with sth|~ at sth) | |
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18 porpoises | |
n.鼠海豚( porpoise的名词复数 ) | |
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19 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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20 gale | |
n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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21 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
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22 boisterous | |
adj.喧闹的,欢闹的 | |
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23 glide | |
n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝 | |
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24 northward | |
adv.向北;n.北方的地区 | |
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25 vistas | |
长条形景色( vista的名词复数 ); 回顾; 展望; (未来可能发生的)一系列情景 | |
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26 colonnades | |
n.石柱廊( colonnade的名词复数 ) | |
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27 shafts | |
n.轴( shaft的名词复数 );(箭、高尔夫球棒等的)杆;通风井;一阵(疼痛、害怕等) | |
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28 gliding | |
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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29 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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30 vapors | |
n.水汽,水蒸气,无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 );自夸者;幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁(症)v.自夸,(使)蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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31 sullen | |
adj.愠怒的,闷闷不乐的,(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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32 watery | |
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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33 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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34 abiding | |
adj.永久的,持久的,不变的 | |
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35 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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36 steadfast | |
adj.固定的,不变的,不动摇的;忠实的;坚贞不移的 | |
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37 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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38 spine | |
n.脊柱,脊椎;(动植物的)刺;书脊 | |
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39 ribs | |
n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 );(船或屋顶等的)肋拱;肋骨状的东西;(织物的)凸条花纹 | |
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40 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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41 aurora | |
n.极光 | |
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42 blazoned | |
v.广布( blazon的过去式和过去分词 );宣布;夸示;装饰 | |
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43 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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44 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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45 twilight | |
n.暮光,黄昏;暮年,晚期,衰落时期 | |
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