"ODE
ON THE INTIMATIONS
OF
DISTRUST IN MAN,
IN DISINTERESTED7 ENDEAVORS
CONFIDENCE."
On the floor are many copies, looking as if fluttered down from a balloon. The way they came there was this: A somewhat elderly person, in the quaker dress, [79] had quietly passed through the cabin, and, much in the manner of those railway book-peddlers who precede their proffers9 of sale by a distribution of puffs10, direct or indirect, of the volumes to follow, had, without speaking, handed about the odes, which, for the most part, after a cursory11 glance, had been disrespectfully tossed aside, as no doubt, the moonstruck production of some wandering rhapsodist.
In due time, book under arm, in trips the ruddy man with the traveling-cap, who, lightly moving to and fro, looks animatedly12 about him, with a yearning13 sort of gratulatory affinity14 and longing15, expressive16 of the very soul of sociality; as much as to say, "Oh, boys, would that I were personally acquainted with each mother's son of you, since what a sweet world, to make sweet acquaintance in, is ours, my brothers; yea, and what dear, happy dogs are we all!"
And just as if he had really warbled it forth17, he makes fraternally up to one lounging stranger or another, exchanging with him some pleasant remark.
"Pray, what have you there?" he asked of one newly accosted18, a little, dried-up man, who looked as if he never dined.
"A little ode, rather queer, too," was the reply, "of the same sort you see strewn on the floor here."
"I did not observe them. Let me see;" picking one up and looking it over. "Well now, this is pretty; plaintive19, especially the opening:—
—If it be so, alas for him, indeed. Runs off very smoothly22, sir. Beautiful pathos23. But do you think the sentiment just?"
"As to that," said the little dried-up man, "I think it a kind of queer thing altogether, and yet I am almost ashamed to add, it really has set me to thinking; yes and to feeling. Just now, somehow, I feel as it were trustful and genial. I don't know that ever I felt so much so before. I am naturally numb24 in my sensibilities; but this ode, in its way, works on my numbness25 not unlike a sermon, which, by lamenting26 over my lying dead in trespasses27 and sins, thereby28 stirs me up to be all alive in well-doing."
"Glad to hear it, and hope you will do well, as the doctors say. But who snowed the odes about here?"
"I cannot say; I have not been here long."
"Wasn't an angel, was it? Come, you say you feel genial, let us do as the rest, and have cards."
"Thank you, I never play cards."
"A bottle of wine?"
"Thank you, I never drink wine."
"Cigars?"
"Thank you, I never smoke cigars."
"Tell stories?"
"To speak truly, I hardly think I know one worth telling."
"Seems to me, then, this geniality29 you say you feel waked in you, is as water-power in a land without mills. Come, you had better take a genial hand at the [81] cards. To begin, we will play for as small a sum as you please; just enough to make it interesting."
"Indeed, you must excuse me. Somehow I distrust cards."
"What, distrust cards? Genial cards? Then for once I join with our sad Philomel here:—
'Alas for man, he hath small sense
Of genial trust and confidence.'
Good-bye!"
Sauntering and chatting here and there, again, he with the book at length seems fatigued30, looks round for a seat, and spying a partly-vacant settee drawn31 up against the side, drops down there; soon, like his chance neighbor, who happens to be the good merchant, becoming not a little interested in the scene more immediately before him; a party at whist; two cream-faced, giddy, unpolished youths, the one in a red cravat32, the other in a green, opposed to two bland33, grave, handsome, self-possessed men of middle age, decorously dressed in a sort of professional black, and apparently34 doctors of some eminence35 in the civil law.
By-and-by, after a preliminary scanning of the new comer next him the good merchant, sideways leaning over, whispers behind a crumpled36 copy of the Ode which he holds: "Sir, I don't like the looks of those two, do you?"
"Hardly," was the whispered reply; "those colored cravats37 are not in the best taste, at least not to mine; but my taste is no rule for all."
"You mistake; I mean the other two, and I don't [82] refer to dress, but countenance38. I confess I am not familiar with such gentry39 any further than reading about them in the papers—but those two are—are sharpers, aint they?"
"Indeed, sir, I would not find fault; I am little given that way: but certainly, to say the least, these two youths can hardly be adepts41, while the opposed couple may be even more."
"You would not hint that the colored cravats would be so bungling42 as to lose, and the dark cravats so dextrous as to cheat?—Sour imaginations, my dear sir. Dismiss them. To little purpose have you read the Ode you have there. Years and experience, I trust, have not sophisticated you. A fresh and liberal construction would teach us to regard those four players—indeed, this whole cabin-full of players—as playing at games in which every player plays fair, and not a player but shall win."
"Now, you hardly mean that; because games in which all may win, such games remain as yet in this world uninvented, I think."
"Come, come," luxuriously43 laying himself back, and casting a free glance upon the players, "fares all paid; digestion44 sound; care, toil45, penury46, grief, unknown; lounging on this sofa, with waistband relaxed, why not be cheerfully resigned to one's fate, nor peevishly47 pick holes in the blessed fate of the world?"
Upon this, the good merchant, after staring long and [83] hard, and then rubbing his forehead, fell into meditation48, at first uneasy, but at last composed, and in the end, once more addressed his companion: "Well, I see it's good to out with one's private thoughts now and then. Somehow, I don't know why, a certain misty49 suspiciousness seems inseparable from most of one's private notions about some men and some things; but once out with these misty notions, and their mere50 contact with other men's soon dissipates, or, at least, modifies them."
"You think I have done you good, then? may be, I have. But don't thank me, don't thank me. If by words, casually51 delivered in the social hour, I do any good to right or left, it is but involuntary influence—locust-tree sweetening the herbage under it; no merit at all; mere wholesome52 accident, of a wholesome nature.—Don't you see?"
Another stare from the good merchant, and both were silent again.
Finding his book, hitherto resting on his lap, rather irksome there, the owner now places it edgewise on the settee, between himself and neighbor; in so doing, chancing to expose the lettering on the back—"Black Rapids Coal Company"—which the good merchant, scrupulously53 honorable, had much ado to avoid reading, so directly would it have fallen under his eye, had he not conscientiously54 averted55 it. On a sudden, as if just reminded of something, the stranger starts up, and moves away, in his haste leaving his book; which the merchant observing, without delay takes it up, and, [84] hurrying after, civilly returns it; in which act he could not avoid catching56 sight by an involuntary glance of part of the lettering.
"Thank you, thank you, my good sir," said the other, receiving the volume, and was resuming his retreat, when the merchant spoke57: "Excuse me, but are you not in some way connected with the—the Coal Company I have heard of?"
"There is more than one Coal Company that may be heard of, my good sir," smiled the other, pausing with an expression of painful impatience58, disinterestedly59 mastered.
"But you are connected with one in particular.—The 'Black Rapids,' are you not?"
"How did you find that out?"
"Who is your informant, pray," somewhat coldly.
"A—a person by the name of Ringman."
"Don't know him. But, doubtless, there are plenty who know our Company, whom our Company does not know; in the same way that one may know an individual, yet be unknown to him.—Known this Ringman long? Old friend, I suppose.—But pardon, I must leave you."
"Stay, sir, that—that stock."
"Stock?"
"Yes, it's a little irregular, perhaps, but——"
"Dear me, you don't think of doing any business with me, do you? In my official capacity I have not [85] been authenticated61 to you. This transfer-book, now," holding it up so as to bring the lettering in sight, "how do you know that it may not be a bogus one? And I, being personally a stranger to you, how can you have confidence in me?"
"Because," knowingly smiled the good merchant, "if you were other than I have confidence that you are, hardly would you challenge distrust that way."
"But you have not examined my book."
"What need to, if already I believe that it is what it is lettered to be?"
"But you had better. It might suggest doubts."
"Doubts, may be, it might suggest, but not knowledge; for how, by examining the book, should I think I knew any more than I now think I do; since, if it be the true book, I think it so already; and since if it be otherwise, then I have never seen the true one, and don't know what that ought to look like."
"Your logic62 I will not criticize, but your confidence I admire, and earnestly, too, jocose63 as was the method I took to draw it out. Enough, we will go to yonder table, and if there be any business which, either in my private or official capacity, I can help you do, pray command me."
点击收听单词发音
1 divans | |
n.(可作床用的)矮沙发( divan的名词复数 );(波斯或其他东方诗人的)诗集 | |
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2 spotted | |
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的 | |
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3 brag | |
v./n.吹牛,自夸;adj.第一流的 | |
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4 anonymous | |
adj.无名的;匿名的;无特色的 | |
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5 unwillingly | |
adv.不情愿地 | |
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6 repulses | |
v.击退( repulse的第三人称单数 );驳斥;拒绝 | |
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7 disinterested | |
adj.不关心的,不感兴趣的 | |
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8 procure | |
vt.获得,取得,促成;vi.拉皮条 | |
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9 proffers | |
v.提供,贡献,提出( proffer的第三人称单数 ) | |
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10 puffs | |
n.吸( puff的名词复数 );(烟斗或香烟的)一吸;一缕(烟、蒸汽等);(呼吸或风的)呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 );喷着汽(或烟)移动;吹嘘;吹捧 | |
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11 cursory | |
adj.粗略的;草率的;匆促的 | |
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12 animatedly | |
adv.栩栩如生地,活跃地 | |
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13 yearning | |
a.渴望的;向往的;怀念的 | |
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14 affinity | |
n.亲和力,密切关系 | |
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15 longing | |
n.(for)渴望 | |
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16 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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17 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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18 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
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19 plaintive | |
adj.可怜的,伤心的 | |
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20 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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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 smoothly | |
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地 | |
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23 pathos | |
n.哀婉,悲怆 | |
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24 numb | |
adj.麻木的,失去感觉的;v.使麻木 | |
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25 numbness | |
n.无感觉,麻木,惊呆 | |
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26 lamenting | |
adj.悲伤的,悲哀的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的现在分词 ) | |
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27 trespasses | |
罪过( trespass的名词复数 ); 非法进入 | |
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28 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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29 geniality | |
n.和蔼,诚恳;愉快 | |
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30 fatigued | |
adj. 疲乏的 | |
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31 drawn | |
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的 | |
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32 cravat | |
n.领巾,领结;v.使穿有领结的服装,使结领结 | |
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33 bland | |
adj.淡而无味的,温和的,无刺激性的 | |
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34 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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35 eminence | |
n.卓越,显赫;高地,高处;名家 | |
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36 crumpled | |
adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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37 cravats | |
n.(系在衬衫衣领里面的)男式围巾( cravat的名词复数 ) | |
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38 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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39 gentry | |
n.绅士阶级,上层阶级 | |
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40 captious | |
adj.难讨好的,吹毛求疵的 | |
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41 adepts | |
n.专家,能手( adept的名词复数 ) | |
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42 bungling | |
adj.笨拙的,粗劣的v.搞糟,完不成( bungle的现在分词 );笨手笨脚地做;失败;完不成 | |
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43 luxuriously | |
adv.奢侈地,豪华地 | |
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44 digestion | |
n.消化,吸收 | |
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45 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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46 penury | |
n.贫穷,拮据 | |
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47 peevishly | |
adv.暴躁地 | |
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48 meditation | |
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录 | |
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49 misty | |
adj.雾蒙蒙的,有雾的 | |
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50 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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51 casually | |
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地 | |
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52 wholesome | |
adj.适合;卫生的;有益健康的;显示身心健康的 | |
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53 scrupulously | |
adv.一丝不苟地;小心翼翼地,多顾虑地 | |
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54 conscientiously | |
adv.凭良心地;认真地,负责尽职地;老老实实 | |
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55 averted | |
防止,避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 ); 转移 | |
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56 catching | |
adj.易传染的,有魅力的,迷人的,接住 | |
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57 spoke | |
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说 | |
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58 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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59 disinterestedly | |
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60 tempting | |
a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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61 authenticated | |
v.证明是真实的、可靠的或有效的( authenticate的过去式和过去分词 );鉴定,使生效 | |
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62 logic | |
n.逻辑(学);逻辑性 | |
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63 jocose | |
adj.开玩笑的,滑稽的 | |
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