Jean passed the turnstiles and entered the palace of glass andiron. He was still pursuing his passion, for he associated thebeing he loved with all manifestations2 of art and luxury. Hemade for the park and went straight to the Egyptian pavilion.
Egypt had filled his dreams from the day when all his thoughtshad been centred on one woman. In the avenue of sphinxes andbefore the painted temple he fell under the glamour3 that womenof olden days and strange lands exercise on the senses,--on thoseof lovers with especial force. The sanctuary4 was venerable inhis eyes, despite the vulgar use it was put to as part of theExhibition. Looking at the jewels of Queen Aahotep, who livedand was lovely in the days of the Patriarchs, he pondered sadlyover all that had been in the world and was no more. He picturedin fancy the black locks that had scented5 this diadem6 with thesphinx's head, the slim brown arms these, beads7 of gold and lapislazuli had touched, the shoulders that had worn these vulture'swings, the peaked bosoms8 these chains and gorgets had confined,the breast that had once communicated its warmth to yonder goldscarab?us with the blue wing-cases, the little royal hand thatonce held that poniard by the hilt wrought9 over with flowersand women's faces. He could not conceive how what was a dream tohim had been a reality for other men. Vainly he tried to followthe lapse10 of ages. He told himself that another living shapewould vanish in its turn, and it would be for nothing then thatit had been so passionately11 desired. The thought saddened andcalmed him. He thought, as he stood before these gewgaws fromthe tomb, of all these men who, in the abyss of bygone time,had in turn loved, coveted12, enjoyed, suffered, whom death hadtaken, hungry or satiated, and made an end of the appetites ofall alike. A placid13 melancholy14 swept over him and held himmotionless, his face buried in his hands.
点击收听单词发音
1 swarming | |
密集( swarm的现在分词 ); 云集; 成群地移动; 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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2 manifestations | |
n.表示,显示(manifestation的复数形式) | |
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3 glamour | |
n.魔力,魅力;vt.迷住 | |
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4 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
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5 scented | |
adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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6 diadem | |
n.王冠,冕 | |
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7 beads | |
n.(空心)小珠子( bead的名词复数 );水珠;珠子项链 | |
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8 bosoms | |
胸部( bosom的名词复数 ); 胸怀; 女衣胸部(或胸襟); 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形 | |
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9 wrought | |
v.引起;以…原料制作;运转;adj.制造的 | |
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10 lapse | |
n.过失,流逝,失效,抛弃信仰,间隔;vi.堕落,停止,失效,流逝;vt.使失效 | |
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11 passionately | |
ad.热烈地,激烈地 | |
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12 coveted | |
adj.令人垂涎的;垂涎的,梦寐以求的v.贪求,觊觎(covet的过去分词);垂涎;贪图 | |
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13 placid | |
adj.安静的,平和的 | |
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14 melancholy | |
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的 | |
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