SPEED, fleetly speed, thou courser bold, and track the desert’s trackless way. Beneath thee is the boundless2 earth, above thee is the boundless heaven, an iron soil and brazen3 sky. Speed, swiftly speed, thou courser bold, and track the desert’s trackless way. Ah! dost thou deem these salty plains6 lead to thy Yemen’s happy groves4, and dost thou scent5 on the hot breeze the spicy6 breath of Araby? A sweet delusion7, noble steed, for this briny8 wilderness9 leads not to the happy groves of Yemen, and the breath thou scentest on the coming breeze is not the spicy breath of Araby.
The day has died, the stars have risen, with all the splendour of a desert sky, and now the Night descending10 brings solace11 on her dewy wings to the fainting form and pallid12 cheek of the youthful Hebrew Prince.
Still the courser onward13 rushes, still his mighty14 heart supports him. Season and space, the glowing soil, the burning ray, yield to the tempest of his frame, the thunder of his nerves, and lightning of his veins15.
Food or water they have none. No genial16 fount, no graceful17 tree, rise with their pleasant company. Never a beast or bird is there, in that hoary18 desert bare. Nothing breaks the almighty19 stillness. Even the jackal’s felon20 cry might seem a soothing21 melody. A grey wild rat, with snowy whiskers, out of a withered22 bramble stealing, with a youthful snake in its ivory teeth, in the moonlight grins with glee. This is their sole society.
Morn comes, the fresh and fragrant23 morn, for which even the guilty sigh. Morn comes, and all is visible. And light falls like a signet on the earth, and its face is turned like wax beneath a seal. Before them and also on their right was the sandy desert; but in the night they had approached much nearer to the mountainous chain, which bounded the desert on the left, and whither Alroy had at first guided the steed.
The mountains were a chain of the mighty Elburz; and, as the sun rose from behind a lofty peak, the horse suddenly stopped and neighed, as if asking for water. But Alroy, himself exhausted24, could only soothe25 him with caresses26. And the horse, full of courage, understood his master, and neighed again more cheerfully.
For an hour or two the Prince and his faithful companion proceeded slowly, but, as the day advanced, the heat became so oppressive, and the desire to drink so overwhelming, that Alroy again urged on the steed towards the mountains, where he knew that he should find a well. The courser dashed willingly forward, and seemed to share his master’s desire to quit the arid27 and exhausting wilderness.
More than once the unhappy fugitive28 debated whether he should not allow himself to drop from his seat and die; no torture that could await him at Hamadan but seemed preferable to the prolonged and inexpressible anguish29 which he now endured. As he rushed along, leaning on his bearer’s neck, he perceived a patch of the desert that seemed of a darker colour than the surrounding sand. Here, he believed, might perhaps be found water. He tried to check the steed, but with difficulty he succeeded, and with still greater difficulty dismounted. He knelt down, and feebly raked up the sand with his hands. It was moist. He nearly fainted over his fruitless labour. At length, when he had dug about a foot deep, there bubbled up some water. He dashed in his hand, but it was salt as the ocean. When the horse saw the water his ears rose, but, when he smelt30 it, he turned away his head, and neighed most piteously.
‘Alas31, poor beast!’ exclaimed Alroy, ‘I am the occasion of thy suffering, I, who would be a kind master to thee, if the world would let me. Oh, that we were once more by my own fair fountain! The thought is madness. And Miriam too! I fear I am sadly tender-hearted.’ He leant against his horse’s back, with a feeling of utter exhaustion32, and burst into hysteric sobs33.
And the steed softly moaned, and turned its head, and gently rubbed its face against his arm, as if to solace him in his suffering. And strange, but Alroy was relieved by having given way to his emotion, and, charmed with the fondness of the faithful horse, he leant down and took water, and threw it over its feet to cool them, and wiped the foam34 from its face, and washed it, and the horse again neighed.
And now Alroy tried to remount, but his strength failed him, and the horse immediately knelt down and received him. And the moment that the Prince was in his seat, the horse rose, and again proceeded at a rapid pace in their old direction. Towards sunset they were within a few miles of the broken and rocky ground into which the mountains descended35; and afar off Alroy recognised the cupola of the long-expected well. With re-animated courage and rallied energies he patted his courser’s neck, and pointed36 in the direction of the cupola, and the horse pricked37 up its ears, and increased its pace.
Just us the sun set, they reached the well. Alroy jumped off the horse, and would have led it to the fountain, but the animal would not advance. It stood shivering with a glassy eye, and then with a groan38 fell down and died.
Night brings rest; night brings solace; rest to the weary, solace to the sad. And to the desperate night brings despair.
The moon has sunk to early rest; but a thousand stars are in the sky. The mighty mountains rise severe in the clear and silent air. In the forest all is still. The tired wind no longer roams, but has lightly dropped on its leafy couch, and sleeps like man. Silent all but the fountain’s drip. And by the fountain’s side a youth is lying.
Suddenly a creature steals through the black and broken rocks. Ha, ha! the jackal smells from afar the rich corruption39 of the courser’s clay. Suddenly and silently it steals, and stops, and smells. Brave banqueting I ween to-night for all that goodly company. Jackal, and fox, and marten-cat, haste ye now, ere morning’s break shall call the vulture to his feast and rob you of your prey40.
The jackal lapped the courser’s blood, and moaned with exquisite41 delight. And in a moment, a faint bark was heard in the distance. And the jackal peeled the flesh from one of the ribs42, and again burst into a shriek43 of mournful ecstasy44.
Hark, their quick tramp! First six, and then three, galloping45 with ungodly glee. And a marten-cat came rushing down from the woods; but the jackals, fierce in their number, drove her away, and there she stood without the circle, panting, beautiful, and baffled, with her white teeth and glossy46 skin, and sparkling eyes of rabid rage.7
Suddenly as one of the half-gorged jackals retired48 from the main corpse49, dragging along a stray member by some still palpitating nerves, the marten-cat made a spring at her enemy, carried off his prey, and rushed into the woods.
Her wild scream of triumph woke a lion from his lair50. His mighty form, black as ebony, moved on a distant eminence51, his tail flowed like a serpent. He roared, and the jackals trembled, and immediately ceased from their banquet, turning their heads in the direction of their sovereign’s voice. He advanced; he stalked towards them. They retired; he bent52 his head, examined the carcass with condescending53 curiosity, and instantly quitted it with royal disdain54. The jackals again collected around their garbage. The lion advanced to the fountain to drink. He beheld55 a man. His mane rose, his tail was wildly agitated56, he bent over the sleeping Prince, he uttered an awful roar, which awoke Alroy.
He awoke; his gaze met the flaming eyes of the enormous beast fixed57 upon him with a blended feeling of desire and surprise. He awoke, and from a swoon; but the dreamless trance had refreshed the exhausted energies of the desolate58 wanderer; in an instant he collected his senses, remembered all that had passed, and comprehended his present situation. He returned the lion a glance as imperious, and fierce, and scrutinsing, as his own. For a moment, their flashing orbs59 vied in regal rivalry60; but at length the spirit of the mere61 animal yielded to the genius of the man. The lion, cowed, slunk away, stalked with haughty62 timidity through the rocks, and then sprang into the forest.
Morn breaks; a silver light is shed over the blue and starry63 sky. Pleasant to feel is the breath of dawn. Night brings repose64, but day brings joy.
The carol of a lonely bird singing in the wilderness! A lonely bird that sings with glee! Sunny and sweet, and light and clear, its airy notes float through the sky, and trill with innocent revelry.
The lonely youth on the lonely bird upgazes from the fountain’s side. High in the air it proudly floats, balancing its crimson65 wings, and its snowy tail, long, delicate, and thin, shines like a sparkling meteor in the sun.
The carol of a lonely bird singing in the wilderness! Suddenly it downward dashes, and thrice with circling grace it flies around the head of the Hebrew Prince. Then by his side it gently drops a bunch of fresh and fragrant dates.
‘Tis gone, ‘tis gone! that cheerful stranger, gone to the palmy land it loves; gone like a bright and pleasant dream. A moment since and it was there, glancing in the sunny air, and now the sky is without a guest. Alas, alas! no more is heard the carol of that lonely bird singing in the wilderness.
‘As thou didst feed Elijah, so also hast thou fed me, God of my fathers!’ And Alroy arose, and he took his turban and unfolded it, and knelt and prayed. And then he ate of the dates, and drank of the fountain, and, full of confidence in the God of Israel, the descendant of David pursued his flight.
He now commenced the ascent66 of the mountainous chain, a wearisome and painful toil67. Two hours past noon he reached the summit of the first ridge68, and looked over a wild and chaotic69 waste full of precipices71 and ravines, and dark unfathomable gorges72. The surrounding hills were ploughed in all directions by the courses of dried-up cataracts73, and here and there a few savage74 goats browsed75 on an occasional patch of lean and sour pasture. This waste extended for many miles; the distance formed by a more elevated range of mountains, and beyond these, high in the blue sky, rose the loftiest peaks of Elburz,8 shining with sharp glaciers76 of eternal snow.
It was apparent that Alroy was no stranger in the scene of his flight. He had never hesitated as to his course, and now, after having rested for a short time on the summit, he descended towards the left by a natural but intricate path, until his progress was arrested by a black ravine. Scarcely half a dozen yards divided him from the opposite precipice70 by which it was formed, but the gulf77 beneath, no one could shoot a glance at its invisible termination without drawing back with a cold shudder78.
The Prince knelt down and examined the surrounding ground with great care. At length he raised a small square stone which covered a metallic79 plate, and, taking from his vest a carnelian talisman80 covered with strange characters, he knocked thrice upon the plate with the signet. A low solemn murmur81 sounded around. Presently the plate flew off, and Alroy pulled forth82 several yards of an iron chain, which he threw over to the opposite precipice. The chain fastened without difficulty to the rock, and was evidently constrained83 by some magnetic influence. The Prince, seizing the chain with both his hands, now swung across the ravine. As he landed, the chain parted from the rock, swiftly disappeared down the opposite aperture84, and its covering closed with the same low, solemn murmur as before.
Alroy proceeded for about a hundred paces through a natural cloister85 of basalt until he arrived at a large uncovered court of the same formation, which a stranger might easily have been excused for believing to have been formed and smoothed by art. In its centre bubbled up a perpetual spring, icy cold; the stream had worn a channel through the pavement, and might be traced for some time wandering among the rocks, until at length it leaped from a precipice into a gorge47 below, in a gauzy shower of variegated86 spray. Crossing the court, Alroy now entered a vast cavern87.
The cavern was nearly circular in form, lighted from a large aperture in the top. Yet a burning lamp, in a distant and murky88 corner, indicated that its inhabitant did not trust merely to this natural source of the great blessing89 of existence. In the centre of the cave was a circular and brazen table, sculptured with strange characters and mysterious figures: near it was a couch, on which lay several volumes.9 Suspended from the walls were a shield, some bows and arrows, and other arms.
As the Prince of the Captivity90 knelt down and kissed the vacant couch, a figure advanced from the extremity91 of the cavern into the light. He was a man of middle age, considerably92 above the common height, with a remarkably93 athletic94 frame, and a strongly-marked but majestic95 countenance96. His black beard descended to his waist, over a dark red robe, encircled by a black girdle embroidered97 with yellow characters, like those sculptured on the brazen table. Black also was his turban, and black his large and luminous98 eye.
The stranger advanced so softly, that Alroy did not perceive him, until the Prince again rose.
‘Jabaster!’ exclaimed the Prince.
‘Sacred seed of David,’ answered the Cabalist,10 ‘thou art expected. I read of thee in the stars last night. They spoke99 of trouble.’
‘Trouble or triumph, Time must prove which it is, great master. At present I am a fugitive and exhausted. The bloodhounds track me, but methinks I have baffled them now. I have slain100 an Ishmaelite.’
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1
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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2
boundless
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| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
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brazen
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| adj.厚脸皮的，无耻的，坚硬的 | |
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groves
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| 树丛，小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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spicy
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| adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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briny
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| adj.盐水的；很咸的；n.海洋 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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solace
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| n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和 | |
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pallid
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| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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genial
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| adj.亲切的，和蔼的，愉快的，脾气好的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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felon
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| n.重罪犯；adj.残忍的 | |
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soothing
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| adj.慰藉的；使人宽心的；镇静的 | |
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withered
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| adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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arid
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| adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的 | |
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fugitive
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| adj.逃亡的，易逝的；n.逃犯，逃亡者 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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ribs
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| 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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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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45
galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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corpse
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| n.尸体，死尸 | |
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lair
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| n.野兽的巢穴；躲藏处 | |
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51
eminence
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| n.卓越，显赫；高地，高处；名家 | |
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52
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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condescending
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| adj.谦逊的,故意屈尊的 | |
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disdain
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| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
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55
beheld
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| 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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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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ascent
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| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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gorges
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| n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕 | |
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cataracts
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| n.大瀑布( cataract的名词复数 )；白内障 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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browsed
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| v.吃草( browse的过去式和过去分词 )；随意翻阅；（在商店里）随便看看；（在计算机上）浏览信息 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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talisman
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| n.避邪物，护身符 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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constrained
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| adj.束缚的,节制的 | |
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aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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cloister
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| n.修道院；v.隐退，使与世隔绝 | |
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variegated
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| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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murky
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| adj.黑暗的，朦胧的；adv.阴暗地，混浊地；n.阴暗；昏暗 | |
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blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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luminous
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| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
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spoke
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| 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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slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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