"Dear mother," said Proserpina, "I shall be very lonely while you are away. May I not run down to the shore, and ask some of the sea nymphs to come up out of the waves and play with me?"
"Yes, child," answered Mother Ceres. "The sea nymphs are good creatures, and will never lead you into any harm. But you must take care not to stray away from them, nor go wandering about the fields by yourself. Young girls without their mothers to take care of them, are very apt to get into mischief8."
The child promised to be as prudent9 as if she were a grown-up woman; and, by the time the winged dragons had whirled the car out of sight, she was already on the shore, calling to the sea nymphs to come and play with her. They knew Proserpina's voice, and were not long in showing their glistening10 faces and sea-green hair above the water, at the bottom of which was their home. They brought along with them a great many beautiful shells; and sitting down on the moist sand, where the surf wave broke over them, they busied themselves in making a necklace, which they hung round Proserpina's neck. By way of showing her gratitude11, the child besought12 them to go with her a little way into the fields, so that they might gather abundance of flowers, with which she would make each of her kind playmates a wreath.
"O, no, dear Proserpina," cried the sea nymphs; "we dare not go with you upon the dry land. We are apt to grow faint, unless at every breath we can snuff up the salt breeze of the ocean. And don't you see how careful we are to let the surf wave break over us every moment or two, so as to keep ourselves comfortably moist? If it were not for that, we should soon look like bunches of uprooted13 seaweed dried in the sun."
THEY BROUGHT ALONG WITH THEM A GREAT MANY BEAUTIFUL SHELLS
"It is a great pity," said Proserpina. "But do you wait for me here, and I will run and gather my apron14 full of flowers, and be back again before the surf wave has broken ten times over you. I long to make you some wreaths that shall be as lovely as this necklace of many-colored shells." "We shall wait, then," answered the sea nymphs. "But, while you are gone, we may as well lie down on a bank of soft sponge, under the water. The air to-day is a little too dry for our comfort. But we will pop up our heads every few minutes to see if you are coming."
The young Proserpina ran quickly to a spot where, only the day before, she had seen a great many flowers. These, however, were now a little past their bloom; and wishing to give her friends the freshest and loveliest blossoms, she strayed farther into the fields, and found some that made her scream with delight. Never had she met with such exquisite16 flowers before—violets so large and fragrant17—roses, with so rich and delicate a blush—such superb hyacinths and such aromatic18 pinks—and many others, some of which seemed to be of new shapes and colors. Two or three times, moreover, she could not help thinking that a tuft of most splendid flowers had suddenly sprouted19 out of the earth before her very eyes, as if on purpose to tempt21 her a few steps farther. Proserpina's apron was soon filled and brimming over with delightful22 blossoms. She was on the point of turning back in order to rejoin the sea nymphs, and sit with them on the moist sands, all twining wreaths together. But, a little farther on, what should she behold23? It was a large shrub24, completely covered with the most magnificent flowers in the world.
"The darlings!" cried Proserpina; and then she thought to herself, "I was looking at that spot only a moment ago. How strange it is that I did not see the flowers!"
The nearer she approached the shrub, the more attractive it looked, until she came quite close to it; and then, although its beauty was richer than words can tell, she hardly knew whether to like it or not. It bore above a hundred flowers of the most brilliant hues25, and each different from the others, but all having a kind of resemblance among themselves, which showed them to be sister blossoms. But there was a deep, glossy27 luster28 on the leaves of the shrub, and on the petals29 of the flowers, that made Proserpina doubt whether they might not be poisonous. To tell you the truth, foolish as it may seem, she was half inclined to turn round and run away.
"What a silly child I am!" thought she, taking courage. "It is really the most beautiful shrub that ever sprang out of the earth. I will pull it up by the roots, and carry it home, and plant it in my mother's garden."
Holding up her apron full of flowers with her left hand, Proserpina seized the large shrub with the other, and pulled, and pulled, but was hardly able to loosen the soil about its roots. What a deep-rooted plant it was! Again the girl pulled with all her might, and observed that the earth began to stir and crack to some distance around the stem. She gave another pull, but relaxed her hold, fancying that there was a rumbling30 sound right beneath her feet. Did the roots extend down into some enchanted31 cavern32? Then, laughing at herself for so childish a notion, she made another effort: up came the shrub, and Proserpina staggered back, holding the stem triumphantly33 in her hand, and gazing at the deep hole which its roots had left in the soil.
Much to her astonishment34, this hole kept spreading wider and wider, and growing deeper and deeper, until it really seemed to have no bottom; and all the while, there came a rumbling noise out of its depths, louder and louder, and nearer and nearer, and sounding like the tramp of horses' hoofs35 and the rattling36 of wheels. Too much frightened to run away she stood straining her eyes into this wonderful cavity, and soon saw a team of four sable37 horses, snorting smoke out of their nostrils38, and tearing their way out of the earth with a splendid golden chariot whirling at their heels. They leaped out of the bottomless hole, chariot and all; and there they were, tossing their black manes, flourishing their black tails, and curvetting with every one of their hoofs off the ground at once, close by the spot where Proserpina stood. In the chariot sat the figure of a man, richly dressed, with a crown on his head, all flaming with diamonds. He was of a noble aspect, and rather handsome, but looked sullen39 and discontented; and he kept rubbing his eyes and shading them with his hand, as if he did not live enough in the sunshine to be very fond of its light.
"Do not be afraid," said he, with as cheerful a smile as he knew how to put on. "Come. Will not you like to ride a little way with me in my beautiful chariot?"
But Proserpina was so alarmed, that she wished for nothing but to get out of his reach. And no wonder. The stranger did not look remarkably41 good natured, in spite of his smile; and as for his voice, its tones were deep and stern, and sounded as much like the rumbling of an earthquake under ground as anything else. As is always the case with children in trouble, Proserpina's first thought was to call for her mother.
"Mother, Mother Ceres!" cried she, all in a tremble. "Come quickly and save me."
But her voice was too faint for her mother to hear. Indeed, it is most probable that Ceres was then a thousand miles off, making the corn grow in some far distant country. Nor could it have availed her poor daughter, even had she been within hearing; for no sooner did Proserpina begin to cry out, than the stranger leaped to the ground, caught the child in his arms, and again mounting the chariot, shook the reins42, and shouted to the four black horses to set off. They immediately broke into so swift a gallop43, that it seemed rather like flying through the air than running along the earth. In a moment, Proserpina lost sight of the pleasant vale of Enna, in which she had always dwelt. Another instant, and even the summit of Mount ?tna had become so blue in the distance, that she could scarcely distinguish it from the smoke that gushed44 out of its crater46. But still the poor child screamed, and scattered47 her apron full of flowers along the way, and left a long cry trailing behind the chariot; and many mothers, to whose ears it came, ran quickly to see if any mischief had befallen their children. But Mother Ceres was a great way off, and could not hear the cry.
"Why should you be so frightened, my pretty child?" said he, trying to soften49 his rough voice. "I promise not to do you any harm. What! You have been gathering50 flowers? Wait till we come to my palace, and I will give you a garden full of prettier flowers than those, all made of pearls, and diamonds, and rubies51. Can you guess who I am? They call my name Pluto52; and I am the king of diamonds and all other precious stones. Every atom of the gold and silver that lies under the earth belongs to me, to say nothing of the copper53 and iron, and of the coal mines, which supply me with abundance of fuel. Do you see this splendid crown upon my head? You may have it for a plaything. O, we shall be very good friends, and you will find me more agreeable than you expect, when once we get out of this troublesome sunshine."
"Let me go home!" cried Proserpina. "Let me go home!"
"My home is better than your mother's," answered King Pluto. "It is a palace, all made of gold, with crystal windows; and because there is little or no sunshine thereabouts, the apartments are illuminated54 with diamond lamps. You never saw anything half so magnificent as my throne. If you like, you may sit down on it, and be my little queen, and I will sit on the footstool."
"I don't care for golden palaces and thrones," sobbed55 Proserpina. "O my mother, my mother! Carry me back to my mother!"
But King Pluto, as he called himself, only shouted to his steeds to go faster.
"Pray do not be foolish, Proserpina," said he, in rather a sullen tone. "I offer you my palace and my crown, and all the riches that are under the earth; and you treat me as if I were doing you an injury. The one thing which my palace needs is a merry little maid, to run up stairs and down, and cheer up the rooms with her smile. And this is what you must do for King Pluto."
"Never!" answered Proserpina, looking as miserable56 as she could. "I shall never smile again till you set me down at my mother's door."
But she might just as well have talked to the wind that whistled past them; for Pluto urged on his horses, and went faster than ever. Proserpina continued to cry out, and screamed so long and so loudly, that her poor little voice was almost screamed away; and when it was nothing but a whisper, she happened to cast her eyes over a great, broad field of waving grain—and whom do you think she saw? Who, but Mother Ceres, making the corn grow, and too busy to notice the golden chariot as it went rattling along. The child mustered57 all her strength, and gave one more scream, but was out of sight before Ceres had time to turn her head.
King Pluto had taken a road which now began to grow excessively gloomy. It was bordered on each side with rocks and precipices58, between which the rumbling of the chariot wheels was reverberated59 with a noise like rolling thunder. The trees and bushes that grew in the crevices60 of the rocks had very dismal61 foliage62; and by and by, although it was hardly noon, the air became obscured with a gray twilight63. The black horses had rushed along so swiftly, that they were already beyond the limits of the sunshine. But the duskier it grew, the more did Pluto's visage assume an air of satisfaction. After all, he was not an ill-looking person, especially when he left off twisting his features into a smile that did not belong to them. Proserpina peeped at his face through the gathering dusk, and hoped that he might not be so very wicked as she at first thought him.
"Ah, this twilight is truly refreshing," said King Pluto, "after being so tormented64 with that ugly and impertinent glare of the sun. How much more agreeable is lamplight or torchlight, more particularly when reflected from diamonds! It will be a magnificent sight, when we get to my palace."
"Is it much farther?" asked Proserpina. "And will you carry me back when I have seen it?"
"We will talk of that by and by," answered Pluto. "We are just entering my dominions66. Do you see that tall gateway67 before us? When we pass those gates, we are at home. And there lies my faithful mastiff at the threshold. Cerberus! Cerberus! Come hither, my good dog!"
So saying, Pluto pulled at the reins, and stopped the chariot right between the tall, massive pillars of the gateway. The mastiff of which he had spoken got up from the threshold, and stood on his hinder legs, so as to put his fore15 paws on the chariot wheel. But, my stars, what a strange dog it was! Why, he was a big, rough, ugly-looking monster, with three separate heads, and each of them fiercer than the two others; but fierce as they were, King Pluto patted them all. He seemed as fond of his three-headed dog as if it had been a sweet little spaniel, with silken ears and curly hair. Cerberus, on the other hand, was evidently rejoiced to see his master, and expressed his attachment70, as other dogs do, by wagging his tail at a great rate. Proserpina's eyes being drawn to it by its brisk motion, she saw that this tail was neither more nor less than a live dragon, with fiery71 eyes, and fangs72 that had a very poisonous aspect. And while the three-headed Cerberus was fawning73 so lovingly on King Pluto, there was the dragon tail wagging against its will, and looking as cross and ill natured as you can imagine, on its own separate account.
"Will the dog bite me?" asked Proserpina shrinking closer to Pluto. "What an ugly creature he is!"
"O, never fear," answered her companion. "He never harms people, unless they try to enter my dominions without being sent for, or to get away when I wish to keep them here. Down, Cerberus! Now, my pretty Proserpina, we will drive on."
On went the chariot, and King Pluto seemed greatly pleased to find himself once more in his own kingdom. He drew Proserpina's attention to the rich veins74 of gold that were to be seen among the rocks, and pointed75 to several places where one stroke of a pickaxe would loosen a bushel of diamonds. All along the road, indeed, there were sparkling gems76, which would have been of inestimable value above ground, but which here were reckoned of the meaner sort, and hardly worth a beggar's stooping for.
Not far from the gateway, they came to a bridge, which seemed to be built of iron. Pluto stopped the chariot, and bade Proserpina look at the stream which was gliding77 so lazily beneath it. Never in her life had she beheld78 so torpid79, so black, so muddy-looking a stream: its waters reflected no images of any thing that was on the banks, and it moved as sluggishly80 as if it had quite forgotten which way it ought to flow, and had rather stagnate81 than flow either one way or the other.
"This is the River Lethe," observed King Pluto. "Is it not a very pleasant stream?"
"I think it a very dismal one," said Proserpina.
"It suits my taste, however," answered Pluto, who was apt to be sullen when anybody disagreed with him. "At all events, its water has one very excellent quality; for a single draught82 of it makes people forget every care and sorrow that has hitherto tormented them. Only sip83 a little of it, my dear Proserpina, and you will instantly cease to grieve for your mother, and will have nothing in your memory that can prevent your being perfectly84 happy in my palace. I will send for some, in a golden goblet85, the moment we arrive."
"O, no, no, no!" cried Proserpina, weeping afresh. "I had a thousand times rather be miserable with remembering my mother, than be happy in forgetting her. That dear, dear mother! I never, never will forget her."
"We shall see," said King Pluto. "You do not know what fine times we will have in my palace. Here we are just at the portal. These pillars are solid gold, I assure you."
He alighted from the chariot, and taking Proserpina in his arms, carried her up a lofty flight of steps into the great hall of the palace. It was splendidly illuminated by means of large precious stones, of various hues, which seemed to burn like so many lamps, and glowed with a hundred fold radiance all through the vast apartment. And yet there was a kind of gloom in the midst of this enchanted light; nor was there a single object in the hall that was really agreeable to behold, except the little Proserpina herself, a lovely child, with one earthly flower which she had not let fall from her hand. It is my opinion that even King Pluto had never been happy in his palace and that this was the true reason why he had stolen away Proserpina, in order that he might have something to love, instead of cheating his heart any longer with this tiresome86 magnificence. And though he pretended to dislike the sunshine of the upper world, yet the effect of the child's presence, bedimmed as she was by her tears, was as if a faint and watery87 sunbeam had somehow or other found its way into the enchanted hall.
Pluto now summoned his domestics, and bade them lose no time in preparing a most sumptuous88 banquet, and above all things, not to fail of setting a golden beaker of the water of Lethe by Proserpina's plate.
"I will neither drink that nor anything else," said Proserpina. "Nor will I taste a morsel89 of food, even if you keep me forever in your palace."
"I should be sorry for that," replied King Pluto, patting her cheek; for he really wished to be kind, if he had only known how. "You are a spoiled child, I perceive, my little Proserpina; but when you see the nice things which my cook will make for you, your appetite will quickly come again."
Then, sending for the head cook, he gave strict orders that all sorts of delicacies90, such as young people are usually fond of, should be set before Proserpina. He had a secret motive91 in this; for you are to understand, it is a fixed92 law, that, when persons are carried off to the land of magic, if they once taste any food there, they can never get back to their friends. Now, if King Pluto had been cunning enough to offer Proserpina some fruit, or bread and milk, (which was the simple fare to which the child had always been accustomed,) it is very probable that she would soon have been tempted93 to eat it. But he left the matter entirely94 to his cook, who, like all other cooks, considered nothing fit to eat unless it were rich pastry95, or highly-seasoned meat, or spiced sweet cakes—things which Proserpina's mother had never given her, and the smell of which quite took away her appetite, instead of sharpening it.
But my story must now clamber out of King Pluto's dominions, and see what Mother Ceres has been about, since she was bereft97 of her daughter. We had a glimpse of her, while the four black steeds were swiftly whirling along the chariot, in which her beloved Proserpina was so unwillingly98 borne away. You recollect99, too, the loud scream which Proserpina gave, just when the chariot was out of sight.
Of all the child's outcries, this last shriek100 was the only one that reached the ears of Mother Ceres. She had mistaken the rumbling of the chariot wheels for a peal101 of thunder, and imagined that a shower was coming up, and that it would assist her in making the corn grow. But, at the sound of Proserpina's shriek, she started, and looked about in every direction, not knowing whence it came, but feeling almost certain that it was her daughter's voice. It seemed so unaccountable, however, that the girl should have strayed over so many lands and seas, (which she herself could not have traversed without the aid of her winged dragons,) that the good Ceres tried to believe that it must be the child of some other parent, and not her own darling Proserpina, who had uttered this lamentable102 cry. Nevertheless, it troubled her with a vast many tender fears, such as are ready to bestir themselves in every mother's heart, when she finds it necessary to go away from her dear children without leaving them under the care of some maiden103 aunt, or other such faithful guardian104. So she quickly left the field in which she had been so busy; and, as her work was not half done, the grain looked, next day, as if it needed both sun and rain, and as if it were blighted105 in the ear, and had something the matter with its roots.
The pair of dragons must have had very nimble wings; for, in less than an hour, Mother Ceres had alighted at the door of her home, and found it empty. Knowing, however, that the child was fond of sporting on the sea shore, she hastened thither106 as fast as she could, and there beheld the wet faces of the poor sea nymphs peeping over a wave. All this while, the good creatures had been waiting on the bank of sponge, and, once every half minute or so, had popped up their four heads above water, to see if their playmate were yet coming back. When they saw Mother Ceres, they sat down on the crest107 of the surf wave, and let it toss them ashore108 at her feet.
"Where is Proserpina?" cried Ceres. "Where is my child? Tell me, you naughty sea nymphs, have you enticed109 her under the sea?"
"O, no, good Mother Ceres," said the innocent sea nymphs, tossing back their green ringlets, and looking her in the face. "We never should dream of such a thing. Proserpina has been at play with us, it is true; but she left us a long while ago, meaning only to run a little way upon the dry land, and gather some flowers for a wreath. This was early in the day, and we have seen nothing of her since."
Ceres scarcely waited to hear what the nymphs had to say, before she hurried off to make inquiries110 all through the neighborhood. But nobody told her anything that could enable the poor mother to guess what had become of Proserpina. A fisherman, it is true, had noticed her little footprints in the sand, as he went homeward along the beach with a basket of fish; a rustic111 had seen the child stooping to gather flowers; several persons had heard either the rattling of chariot wheels, or the rumble112 of distant thunder; and one old woman, while plucking vervain and catnip, had heard a scream, but supposed it to be some childish nonsense, and therefore did not take the trouble to look up. The stupid people! It took them such a tedious while to tell the nothing that they knew, that it was dark night before Mother Ceres found out that she must seek her daughter elsewhere. So she lighted a torch, and set forth113, resolving never to come back until Proserpina was discovered.
In her haste and trouble of mind, she quite forgot her car and the winged dragons; or, it may be, she thought that she could follow up the search more thoroughly114 on foot. At all events, this was the way in which she began her sorrowful journey, holding her torch before her, and looking carefully at every object along the path. And as it happened, she had not gone far before she found one of the magnificent flowers which grew on the shrub that Proserpina had pulled up.
"Ha!" thought Mother Ceres, examining it by torchlight. "Here is mischief in this flower! The earth did not produce it by any help of mine, nor of its own accord. It is the work of enchantment115, and is therefore poisonous; and perhaps it has poisoned my poor child."
But she put the poisonous flower in her bosom116, not knowing whether she might ever find any other memorial of Proserpina.
All night long, at the door of every cottage and farm house, Ceres knocked, and called up the weary laborers117 to inquire if they had seen her child; and they stood, gaping118 and half asleep, at the threshold, and answered her pityingly, and besought her to come in and rest. At the portal of every palace, too, she made so loud a summons that the menials hurried to throw open the gate, thinking that it must be some great king or queen, who would demand a banquet for supper and a stately chamber119 to repose120 in. And when they saw only a sad and anxious woman, with a torch in her hand and a wreath of withered121 poppies on her head, they spoke68 rudely, and sometimes threatened to set the dogs upon her. But nobody had seen Proserpina, nor could give Mother Ceres the least hint which way to seek her. Thus passed the night; and still she continued her search without sitting down to rest or stopping to take food, or even remembering to put out the torch; although first the rosy122 dawn and then the glad light of the morning sun made its red flame look thin and pale. But I wonder what sort of stuff this torch was made of; for it burned dimly through the day, and, at night was as bright as ever, and never was extinguished by the rain or wind, in all the weary days and nights while Ceres was seeking for Proserpina.
It was not merely of human beings that she asked tidings of her daughter. In the woods and by the streams, she met creatures of another nature, who used, in those old times, to haunt the pleasant and solitary123 places, and were very sociable124 with persons who understood their language and customs, as Mother Ceres did. Sometimes, for instance, she tapped with her finger against the knotted trunk of a majestic125 oak; and immediately its rude bark would cleave126 asunder127, and forth would step a beautiful maiden, who was the hamadryad of the oak, dwelling128 inside of it, and sharing its long life, and rejoicing when its green leaves sported with the breeze. But not one of these leafy damsels had seen Proserpina. Then, going a little farther, Ceres would, perhaps, come to a fountain, gushing129 out of a pebbly130 hollow in the earth, and would dabble131 with her hand in the water. Behold, up through its sandy and pebbly bed, along with the fountain's gush45, a young woman with dripping hair would arise, and stand gazing at Mother Ceres, half out of the water, and undulating up and down with its ever-restless motion. But when the mother asked whether her poor lost child had stopped to drink out of the fountain, the naiad, with weeping eyes, (for these water nymphs had tears to spare for everybody's grief,) would answer "No!" in a murmuring voice, which was just like the murmur132 of the stream.
Often, likewise, she encountered fauns, who looked like sunburnt country people, except that they had hairy ears, and little horns upon their foreheads, and the hinder legs of goats, on which they gambolled133 merrily about the woods and fields. They were a frolicsome134 kind of creature, but grew as sad as their cheerful dispositions135 would allow, when Ceres inquired for her daughter, and they had no good news to tell. But sometimes she came suddenly upon a rude gang of satyrs, who had faces like monkeys, and horses' tails behind them, and who were generally dancing in a very boisterous137 manner, with shouts of noisy laughter. When she stopped to question them, they would only laugh the louder, and make new merriment out of the lone2 woman's distress138. How unkind of those ugly satyrs! And once, while crossing a solitary sheep pasture, she saw a personage named Pan, seated at the foot of a tall rock, and making music on a shepherd's flute139. He, too, had horns, and hairy ears, and goat's feet; but, being acquainted with Mother Ceres, he answered her question as civilly as he knew how, and invited her to taste some milk and honey out of a wooden bowl. But neither could Pan tell her what had become of Proserpina, any better than the rest of these wild people.
And thus Mother Ceres went wandering about for nine long days and nights, finding no trace of Proserpina, unless it were now and then a withered flower; and these she picked up and put into her bosom, because she fancied that they might have fallen from her poor child's hand. All day she travelled onward140 through the hot sun; and at night, again, the flame of the torch would redden and gleam along the pathway, and she continued her search by its light, without ever sitting down to rest.
On the tenth day, she chanced to espy141 the mouth of a cavern, within which (though it was bright noon everywhere else) there would have been only a dusky twilight; but it so happened that a torch was burning there. It flickered142, and struggled with the duskiness, but could not half light up the gloomy cavern with all its melancholy143 glimmer144. Ceres was resolved to leave no spot without a search; so she peeped into the entrance of the cave, and lighted it up a little more, by holding her own torch before her. In so doing, she caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a woman, sitting on the brown leaves of the last autumn, a great heap of which had been swept into the cave by the wind. This woman (if woman it were) was by no means so beautiful as many of her sex; for her head, they tell me, was shaped very much like a dog's, and, by way of ornament145, she wore a wreath of snakes around it. But Mother Ceres, the moment she saw her, knew that this was an odd kind of a person, who put all her enjoyment146 in being miserable, and never would have a word to say to other people, unless they were as melancholy and wretched as she herself delighted to be.
So she peeped into the entrance of the cave.
"I am wretched enough now," thought poor Ceres, "to talk with this melancholy Hecate, were she ten times sadder than ever she was yet."
So she stepped into the cave, and sat down on the withered leaves by the dog-headed woman's side. In all the world, since her daughter's loss, she had found no other companion.
"O Hecate," said she, "if ever you lose a daughter, you will know what sorrow is. Tell me, for pity's sake, have you seen my poor child Proserpina pass by the mouth of your cavern?"
"No," answered Hecate, in a cracked voice, and sighing betwixt every word or two; "no, Mother Ceres, I have seen nothing of your daughter. But my ears, you must know, are made in such a way, that all cries of distress and affright, all over the world, are pretty sure to find their way to them; and nine days ago, as I sat in my cave, making myself very miserable, I heard the voice of a young girl, shrieking147 as if in great distress. Something terrible has happened to the child, you may rest assured. As well as I could judge, a dragon, or some other cruel monster was carrying her away."
"You kill me by saying so," cried Ceres, almost ready to faint. "Where was the sound, and which way did it seem to go?"
"It passed very swiftly along," said Hecate, "and, at the same time, there was a heavy rumbling of wheels towards the eastward148. I can tell you nothing more, except that, in my honest opinion, you will never see your daughter again. The best advice I can give you is, to take up your abode149 in this cavern, where we will be the two most wretched women in the world."
"Not yet, dark Hecate," replied Ceres. "But do you first come with your torch, and help me to seek for my lost child. And when there shall be no more hope of finding her, (if that black day is ordained150 to come,) then, if you will give me room to fling myself down, either on these withered leaves or on the naked rock, I will show you what it is to be miserable. But, until I know that she has perished from the face of the earth, I will not allow myself space even to grieve."
The dismal Hecate did not much like the idea of going abroad into the sunny world. But then she reflected that the sorrow of the disconsolate151 Ceres would be like a gloomy twilight round about them both, let the sun shine ever so brightly, and that therefore she might enjoy her bad spirits quite as well as if she were to stay in the cave. So she finally consented to go, and they set out together, both carrying torches, although it was broad daylight and clear sunshine. The torchlight seemed to make a gloom; so that the people whom they met, along the road, could not very distinctly see their figures; and, indeed, if they once caught a glimpse of Hecate, with the wreath of snakes round her forehead, they generally thought it prudent to run away, without waiting for a second glance.
As the pair travelled along in this woe-begone manner, a thought struck Ceres.
"There is one person," she exclaimed, "who must have seen my poor child, and can doubtless tell what has become of her. Why did not I think of him before? It is Ph?bus."
"What," said Hecate, "the young man that always sits in the sunshine? O, pray do not think of going near him. He is a gay, light, frivolous152 young fellow, and will only smile in your face. And besides, there is such a glare of the sun about him, that he will quite blind my poor eyes, which I have almost wept away already."
"You have promised to be my companion," answered Ceres. "Come, let us make haste, or the sunshine will be gone, and Ph?bus along with it."
Accordingly they went along in quest of Ph?bus, both of them sighing grievously, and Hecate, to say the truth, making a great deal worse lamentation153 than Ceres; for all the pleasure she had, you know, lay in being miserable and therefore she made the most of it. By and by, after a pretty long journey, they arrived at the sunniest spot in the whole world. There they beheld a beautiful young man, with long, curling ringlets, which seemed to be made of golden sunbeams; his garments were like light summer clouds; and the expression of his face so exceedingly vivid, that Hecate held her hands before her eyes, muttering that he ought to wear a black veil. Ph?bus (for this was the very person whom they were seeking) had a lyre in his hands, and was making its chords tremble with sweet music; at the same time singing a most exquisite song, which he had recently composed. For, besides a great many other accomplishments154, this young man was renowned155 for his admirable poetry.
They arrived at the sunniest spot in the world.
As Ceres and her dismal companion approached him, Ph?bus smiled on them so cheerfully that Hecate's wreath of snakes gave a spiteful hiss156, and Hecate heartily157 wished herself back in her cave. But as for Ceres, she was too earnest in her grief either to know or care whether Ph?bus smiled or frowned.
"Ph?bus!" exclaimed she, "I am in great trouble, and have come to you for assistance. Can you tell me what has become of my dear child Proserpina?"
"Proserpina! Proserpina, did you call her name?" answered Ph?bus, endeavoring to recollect, for there was such a continual flow of pleasant ideas in his mind that he was apt to forget what had happened no longer than yesterday. "Ah, yes, I remember her now. A very lovely child indeed. I am happy to tell you, my dear madam, that I did see the little Proserpina not many days ago. You may make yourself perfectly easy about her. She is safe, and in excellent hands."
"O, where is my dear child?" cried Ceres, clasping her hands and flinging herself at his feet.
"Why," said Ph?bus,—and as he spoke, he kept touching158 his lyre so as to make a thread of music run in and out among his words,—"as the little damsel was gathering flowers, (and she has really a very exquisite taste for flowers,) she was suddenly snatched up by King Pluto, and carried off to his dominions. I have never been in that part of the universe; but the royal palace, I am told, is built in a very noble style of architecture, and of the most splendid and costly159 materials. Gold, diamonds, pearls, and all manner of precious stones, will be your daughter's ordinary playthings. I recommend to you, my dear lady, to give yourself no uneasiness. Proserpina's sense of beauty will be duly gratified, and, even in spite of the lack of sunshine, she will lead a very enviable life."
"Hush160! Say not such a word!" answered Ceres, indignantly. "What is there to gratify her heart? What are all the splendors161 you speak of, without affection? I must have her back again. Will you go with me, Ph?bus, to demand my daughter of this wicked Pluto?"
"Pray excuse me," replied Ph?bus, with an elegant obeisance162. "I certainly wish you success, and regret that my own affairs are so immediately pressing that I cannot have the pleasure of attending you. Besides, I am not upon the best of terms with King Pluto. To tell you the truth, his three-headed mastiff would never let me pass the gateway; for I should be compelled to take a sheaf of sunbeams along with me, and those, you know, are forbidden things in Pluto's kingdom."
"Ah, Ph?bus," said Ceres, with bitter meaning in her words, "you have a harp96 instead of a heart. Farewell."
"Will not you stay a moment," asked Ph?bus, "and hear me turn the pretty and touching story of Proserpina into extemporary verses?"
But Ceres shook her head, and hastened away, along with Hecate. Ph?bus (who, as I have told you, was an exquisite poet) forthwith began to make an ode about the poor mother's grief; and, if we were to judge of his sensibility by this beautiful production, he must have been endowed with a very tender heart. But when a poet gets into the habit of using his heartstrings to make chords for his lyre, he may thrum upon them as much as he will, without any great pain to himself. Accordingly, though Ph?bus sang a very sad song, he was as merry all the while as were the sunbeams amid which he dwelt.
Poor Mother Ceres had now found out what had become of her daughter, but was not a whit163 happier than before. Her case, on the contrary, looked more desperate than ever. As long as Proserpina was above ground, there might have been hopes of regaining164 her. But now that the poor child was shut up within the iron gates of the king of the mines, at the threshold of which lay the three-headed Cerberus, there seemed no possibility of her ever making her escape. The dismal Hecate, who loved to take the darkest view of things, told Ceres that she had better come with her to the cavern, and spend the rest of her life in being miserable. Ceres answered that Hecate was welcome to go back thither herself, but that, for her part, she would wander about the earth in quest of the entrance to King Pluto's dominions. And Hecate took her at her word, and hurried back to her beloved cave, frightening a great many little children with a glimpse of her dog's face, as she went.
Poor Mother Ceres! It is melancholy to think of her, pursuing her toilsome way, all alone, and holding up that never-dying torch, the flame of which seemed an emblem165 of the grief and hope that burned together in her heart. So much did she suffer, that, though her aspect had been quite youthful when her troubles began, she grew to look like an elderly person in a very brief time. She cared not how she was dressed, nor had she ever thought of flinging away the wreath of withered poppies, which she put on the very morning of Proserpina's disappearance166. She roamed about in so wild a way, and with her hair so dishevelled, that people took her for some distracted creature, and never dreamed that this was Mother Ceres, who had the oversight167 of every seed which the husbandman planted. Nowadays, however, she gave herself no trouble about seed time nor harvest, but left the farmers to take care of their own affairs, and the crops to fade or flourish, as the case might be. There was nothing, now, in which Ceres seemed to feel an interest, unless when she saw children at play, or gathering flowers along the wayside. Then, indeed, she would stand and gaze at them with tears in her eyes. The children, too, appeared to have a sympathy with her grief, and would cluster themselves in a little group about her knees, and look up wistfully in her face; and Ceres, after giving them a kiss all round, would lead them to their homes, and advise their mothers never to let them stray out of sight.
"For if they do," said she, "it may happen to you, as it has to me, that the iron-hearted King Pluto will take a liking168 to your darlings, and snatch them up in his chariot, and carry them away."
One day, during her pilgrimage in quest of the entrance to Pluto's kingdom, she came to the palace of King Celeus, who reigned169 at Eleusis. Ascending170 a lofty flight of steps, she entered the portal, and found the royal household in very great alarm about the queen's baby. The infant, it seems, was sickly, (being troubled with its teeth, I suppose,) and would take no food, and was all the time moaning with pain. The queen—her name was Metanira—was desirous of finding a nurse; and when she beheld a woman of matronly aspect coming up the steps, she thought in her own mind, that here was the very person whom she needed. So Queen Metanira ran to the door, with the poor wailing171 baby in her arms, and besought Ceres to take charge of it, or, at least, to tell her what would do it good.
"Will you trust the child entirely to me?" asked Ceres.
"Yes, and gladly too," answered the queen, "if you will devote all your time to him. For I can see that you have been a mother."
"You are right," said Ceres. "I once had a child of my own. Well, I will be the nurse of this poor, sickly boy. But beware, I warn you, that you do not interfere172 with any kind of treatment which I may judge proper for him. If you do so, the poor infant must suffer for his mother's folly173."
Then she kissed the child, and it seemed to do him good, for he smiled and nestled closely into her bosom.
So Mother Ceres set her torch in a corner, (where it kept burning all the while,) and took up her abode in the palace of King Celeus, as nurse to the little Prince Demopho?n. She treated him as if he were her own child, and allowed neither the king nor the queen to say whether he should be bathed in warm or cold water, or what he should eat, or how often he should take the air, or when he should be put to bed. You would hardly believe me, if I were to tell how quickly the baby prince got rid of his ailments174, and grew fat, and rosy, and strong, and how he had two rows of ivory teeth in less time than any other little fellow, before or since. Instead of the palest, and wretchedest, and puniest175 imp65 in the world, (as his own mother confessed him to be, when Ceres first took him in charge,) he was now a strapping176 baby, crowing, laughing, kicking up his heels, and rolling from one end of the room to the other. All the good women of the neighborhood crowded to the palace, and held up their hands, in unutterable amazement177, at the beauty and wholesomeness178 of this darling little prince. Their wonder was the greater, because he was never seen to taste any food; not even so much as a cup of milk.
"Pray, nurse," the queen kept saying, "how it is that you make the child thrive so?"
"I was a mother once," Ceres always replied; "and having nursed my own child, I know what other children need."
But Queen Metanira, as was very natural, had a great curiosity to know precisely179 what the nurse did to her child. One night, therefore, she hid herself in the chamber where Ceres and the little prince were accustomed to sleep. There was a fire in the chimney, and it had now crumbled180 into great coals and embers, which lay glowing on the hearth181, with a blaze flickering182 up now and then, and flinging a warm and ruddy light upon the walls. Ceres sat before the hearth with the child in her lap, and the fire-light making her shadow dance upon the ceiling overhead. She undressed the little prince, and bathed him all over with some fragrant liquid out of a vase. The next thing that she did was to rake back the red embers, and make a hollow place among them, just where the backlog183 had been. At last, while the baby was crowing, and clapping its fat little hands, and laughing in the nurse's face, (just as you may have seen your little brother or sister do before going into its warm bath,) Ceres suddenly laid him, all naked as he was, in the hollow among the red-hot embers. She then raked the ashes over him, and turned quietly away.
You may imagine, if you can, how Queen Metanira shrieked184, thinking nothing less than that her dear child would be burned to a cinder185. She burst forth from her hiding-place, and running to the hearth, raked open the fire, and snatched up poor little Prince Demopho?n out of his bed of live coals, one of which he was gripping in each of his fists. He immediately set up a grievous cry, as babies are apt to do, when rudely startled out of a sound sleep. To the queen's astonishment and joy, she could perceive no token of the child's being injured by the hot fire in which he had lain. She now turned to Mother Ceres, and asked her to explain the mystery.
"Foolish woman," answered Ceres, "did you not promise to intrust this poor infant entirely to me? You little know the mischief you have done him. Had you left him to my care, he would have grown up like a child of celestial186 birth, endowed with superhuman strength and intelligence, and would have lived forever. Do you imagine that earthly children are to become immortal187 without being tempered to it in the fiercest heat of the fire? But you have ruined your own son. For though he will be a strong man and a hero in his day, yet, on account of your folly, he will grow old, and finally die, like the sons of other women. The weak tenderness of his mother has cost the poor boy an immortality188. Farewell."
Saying these words, she kissed the little Prince Demopho?n, and sighed to think what he had lost, and took her departure without heeding189 Queen Metanira, who entreated190 her to remain, and cover up the child among the hot embers as often as she pleased. Poor baby! He never slept so warmly again.
While she dwelt in the king's palace, Mother Ceres had been so continually occupied with taking care of the young prince, that her heart was a little lightened of its grief for Proserpina. But now, having nothing else to busy herself about, she became just as wretched as before. At length, in her despair, she came to the dreadful resolution that not a stalk of grain, nor a blade of grass, nor a potato, nor a turnip191, nor any other vegetable that was good for man or beast to eat, should be suffered to grow until her daughter were restored. She even forbade the flowers to bloom, lest somebody's heart should be cheered by their beauty.
Now as not so much as a head of asparagus ever presumed to poke69 itself out of the ground, without the especial permission of Ceres, you may conceive what a terrible calamity192 had here fallen upon the earth. The husbandmen ploughed and planted as usual; but there lay the rich black furrows193, all as barren as a desert of sand. The pastures looked as brown in the sweet month of June as ever they did in chill November. The rich man's broad acres and the cottager's small garden patch were equally blighted. Every little girl's flower bed showed nothing but dry stalks. The old people shook their white heads, and said that the earth had grown aged194 like themselves, and was no longer capable of wearing the warm smile of summer on its face. It was really piteous to see the poor, starving cattle and sheep, how they followed behind Ceres, lowing and bleating195, as if their instinct taught them to expect help from her; and everybody that was acquainted with her power besought her to have mercy on the human race, and, at all events, to let the grass grow. But Mother Ceres, though naturally of an affectionate disposition136, was now inexorable.
"Never," said she. "If the earth is ever again to see any verdure it must first grow along the path which my daughter will tread in coming back to me."
Finally, as there seemed to be no other remedy, our old friend Quicksilver was sent post haste to King Pluto, in hopes that he might be persuaded to undo196 the mischief he had done, and to set everything right again, by giving up Proserpina. Quicksilver accordingly made the best of his way to the great gate, took a flying leap right over the three-headed mastiff, and stood at the door of the palace in an inconceivably short time. The servants knew him both by his face and garb197; for his short cloak, and his winged cap and shoes, and his snaky staff had often been seen thereabouts in times gone by. He requested to be shown immediately into the king's presence; and Pluto, who heard his voice from the top of the stairs, and who loved to recreate himself with Quicksilver's merry talk, called out to him to come up. And while they settle their business together, we must inquire what Proserpina has been doing ever since we saw her last.
The child had declared as you may remember, that she would not taste a mouthful of food as long as she should be compelled to remain in King Pluto's palace. How she contrived198 to maintain her resolution, and at the same time to keep herself tolerably plump and rosy, is more than I can explain; but some young ladies, I am given to understand, possess the faculty199 of living on air, and Proserpina seems to have possessed200 it too. At any rate, it was now six months since she left the outside earth; and not a morsel, so far as the attendants were able to testify, had yet passed between her teeth. This was the more creditable to Proserpina inasmuch as King Pluto had caused her to be tempted day after day, with all manner of sweetmeats, and richly-preserved fruits, and delicacies of every sort, such as young people are generally most fond of. But her good mother had often told her of the hurtfulness of these things; and for that reason alone, if there had been no other, she would have resolutely201 refused to taste them.
All this time, being of a cheerful and active disposition, the little damsel was not quite so unhappy as you may have supposed. The immense palace had a thousand rooms, and was full of beautiful and wonderful objects. There was a never-ceasing gloom, it is true, which had hid itself among the innumerable pillars, gliding before the child as she wandered among them, and treading stealthily behind her in the echo of her footsteps. Neither was all the dazzle of the precious stones, which flamed with their own light, worth one gleam of natural sunshine; nor could the most brilliant of the many-colored gems, which Proserpina had for playthings, vie with the simple beauty of the flowers she used to gather. But still, wherever the girl went, among those gilded202 halls and chambers203, it seemed as if she carried nature and sunshine along with her and as if she scattered dewy blossoms on her right hand and on her left. After Proserpina came, the palace was no longer the same abode of stately artifice204 and dismal magnificence that it had before been. The inhabitants all felt this, and King Pluto more than any of them.
"My own little Proserpina," he used to say, "I wish you could like me a little better. We gloomy and cloudy-natured persons have often as warm hearts, at bottom, as those of a more cheerful character. If you would only stay with me of your own accord, it would make me happier than the possession of a hundred such palaces as this."
"Ah," said Proserpina, "you should have tried to make me like you before carrying me off. And the best thing you can now do is, to let me go again. Then I might remember you sometimes, and think that you were as kind as you knew how to be. Perhaps, too, one day or other, I might come back, and pay you a visit."
"No, no," answered Pluto, with his gloomy smile, "I will not trust you for that. You are too fond of living in the broad daylight, and gathering flowers. What an idle and childish taste that is! Are not these gems, which I have ordered to be dug for you, and which are richer than any in my crown—are they not prettier than a violet?"
"Not half so pretty," said Proserpina, snatching the gems from Pluto's hand, and flinging them to the other end of the hall. "O my sweet violets, shall I never see you again?"
And then she burst into tears. But young people's tears have very little saltness or acidity205 in them, and do not inflame206 the eyes so much as those of grown persons; so that it is not to be wondered at, if, a few moments afterwards, Proserpina was sporting through the hall almost as merrily as she and the four sea nymphs had sported along the edge of the surf wave. King Pluto gazed after her, and wished that he too, was a child. And little Proserpina, when she turned about, and beheld this great king standing207 in his splendid hall, and looking so grand, and so melancholy, and so lonesome, was smitten208 with a kind of pity. She ran back to him, and, for the first time in all her life, put her small, soft hand in his.
"I love you a little," whispered she, looking up in his face.
"Do you, indeed, my dear child?" cried Pluto bending his dark face down to kiss her; but Proserpina shrank away from the kiss, for though his features were noble, they were very dusky and grim. "Well, I have not deserved it of you, after keeping you a prisoner for so many months, and starving you, besides. Are you not terribly hungry? Is there nothing which I can get you to eat?"
In asking this question, the king of the mines had a very cunning purpose; for, you will recollect, if Proserpina tasted a morsel of food in his dominions, she would never afterwards be at liberty to quit them.
"No indeed," said Proserpina. "Your head cook is always baking, and stewing209, and roasting, and rolling out paste, and contriving210 one dish or another, which he imagines may be to my liking. But he might just as well save himself the trouble, poor, fat little man that he is. I have no appetite for anything in the world, unless it were a slice of bread, of my mother's own baking, or a little fruit out of her garden."
"I SHALL NOT TOUCH IT I ASSURE YOU", SAID SHE
When Pluto heard this, he began to see that he had mistaken the best method of tempting211 Proserpina to eat. The cook's made dishes and artificial dainties were not half so delicious, in the good child's opinion, as the simple fare to which Mother Ceres had accustomed her. Wondering that he had never thought of it before, the king now sent one of his trusty attendants, with a large basket, to get some of the finest and juiciest pears, peaches, and plums which could anywhere be found in the upper world. Unfortunately, however, this was during the time when Ceres had forbidden any fruits or vegetables to grow; and, after seeking all over the earth, King Pluto's servant found only a single pomegranate, and that so dried up as to be not worth eating. Nevertheless, since there was no better to be had, he brought this dry, old, withered pomegranate home to the palace, put it on a magnificent golden salver, and carried it up to Proserpina. Now, it happened, curiously212 enough, that, just as the servant was bringing the pomegranate into the back door of the palace our friend Quicksilver had gone up the front steps, on his errand to get Proserpina away from King Pluto.
As soon as Proserpina saw the pomegranate on the golden salver, she told the servant he had better take it away again.
"I shall not touch it, I assure you," said she. "If I were ever so hungry, I should never think of eating such a miserable, dry pomegranate as that."
"It is the only one in the world," said the servant.
He set down the golden salver, with the wizened213 pomegranate upon it, and left the room. When he was gone, Proserpina could not help coming close to the table, and looking at this poor specimen214 of dried fruit with a great deal of eagerness; for, to say the truth, on seeing something that suited her taste, she felt all the six months' appetite taking possession of her at once. To be sure, it was a very wretched-looking pomegranate, and seemed to have no more juice in it than an oyster215 shell. But there was no choice of such things in King Pluto's palace. This was the first fruit she had seen there, and the last she was ever likely to see; and unless she ate it up immediately, it would grow drier than it already was, and be wholly unfit to eat.
"At least, I may smell it," thought Proserpina.
So she took up the pomegranate, and applied216 it to her nose; and somehow or other, being in such close neighborhood to her mouth, the fruit found its way into that little red cave. Dear me! what an everlasting217 pity! Before Proserpina knew what she was about, her teeth had actually bitten it, of their own accord. Just as this fatal deed was done, the door of the apartment opened, and in came King Pluto, followed by Quicksilver, who had been urging him to let his little prisoner go. At the first noise of their entrance, Proserpina withdrew the pomegranate from her mouth. But Quicksilver (whose eyes were very keen, and his wits the sharpest that ever anybody had) perceived that the child was a little confused; and seeing the empty salver, he suspected that she had been taking a sly nibble218 of something or other. As for honest Pluto, he never guessed at the secret.
"My little Proserpina," said the king, sitting down, and affectionately drawing her between his knees, "here is Quicksilver, who tells me that a great many misfortunes have befallen innocent people on account of my detaining you in my dominions. To confess the truth, I myself had already reflected that it was an unjustifiable act to take you away from your good mother. But, then, you must consider, my dear child, that this vast palace is apt to be gloomy, (although the precious stones certainly shine very bright,) and that I am not of the most cheerful disposition, and that therefore it was a natural thing enough to seek for the society of some merrier creature than myself. I hoped you would take my crown for a plaything, and me—ah, you laugh, naughty Proserpina—me, grim as I am, for a playmate. It was a silly expectation."
"Not so extremely silly," whispered Proserpina. "You have really amused me very much sometimes."
"Thank you," said King Pluto, rather dryly. "But I can see, plainly enough, that you think my palace a dusky prison, and me the iron-hearted keeper of it. And an iron heart I should surely have, if I could detain you here any longer, my poor child, when it is now six months since you tasted food. I give you your liberty. Go with Quicksilver. Hasten home to your dear mother."
Now, although you may not have supposed it, Proserpina found it impossible to take leave of poor King Pluto without some regrets, and a good deal of compunction for not telling him about the pomegranate. She even shed a tear or two, thinking how lonely and cheerless the great palace would seem to him, with all its ugly glare of artificial light, after she herself—his one little ray of natural sunshine, whom he had stolen, to be sure, but only because he valued her so much—after she should have departed. I know not how many kind things she might have said to the disconsolate king of the mines, had not Quicksilver hurried her away.
"Come along quickly," whispered he in her ear, "or his majesty219 may change his royal mind. And take care, above all things, that you say nothing of what was brought you on the golden salver."
In a very short time, they had passed the great gateway, (leaving the three-headed Cerberus, barking, and yelping220, and growling221, with threefold din1, behind them,) and emerged upon the surface of the earth. It was delightful to behold, as Proserpina hastened along, how the path grew verdant222 behind and on either side of her. Wherever she set her blessed foot, there was at once a dewy flower. The violets gushed up along the wayside. The grass and the grain began to sprout20 with tenfold vigor223 and luxuriance, to make up for the dreary224 months that had been wasted in barrenness. The starved cattle immediately set to work grazing, after their long fast, and ate enormously, all day, and got up at midnight to eat more. But I can assure you it was a busy time of year with the farmers, when they found the summer coming upon them with such a rush. Nor must I forget to say, that all the birds in the whole world hopped225 about upon the newly-blossoming trees, and sang together, in a prodigious226 ecstasy227 of joy.
Mother Ceres had returned to her deserted228 home, and was sitting disconsolately229 on the doorstep, with her torch burning in her hand. She had been idly watching the flame for some moments past, when, all at once, it flickered and went out.
"What does this mean?" thought she. "It was an enchanted torch and should have kept burning till my child came back."
Lifting her eyes she was surprised to see a sudden verdure flashing over the brown and barren fields, exactly as you may have observed a golden hue26 gleaming far and wide across the landscape, from the just risen sun.
"Does the earth disobey me?" exclaimed Mother Ceres, indignantly. "Does it presume to be green, when I have bidden it be barren, until my daughter shall be restored to my arms?"
"Then open your arms, dear mother," cried a well-known voice, "and take your little daughter into them."
And Proserpina came running, and flung herself upon her mother's bosom. Their mutual230 transport is not to be described. The grief of their separation had caused both of them to shed a great many tears; and now they shed a great many more, because their joy could not so well express itself in any other way.
When their hearts had grown a little more quiet, Mother Ceres looked anxiously at Proserpina.
"My child," said she, "did you taste any food while you were in King Pluto's palace?"
"Dearest mother," answered Proserpina, "I will tell you the whole truth. Until this very morning, not a morsel of food had passed my lips. But to-day, they brought me a pomegranate, (a very dry one it was, and all shrivelled up, till there was little left of it but seeds and skin,) and having seen no fruit for so long a time, and being faint with hunger, I was tempted just to bite it. The instant I tasted it, King Pluto and Quicksilver came into the room. I had not swallowed a morsel; but—dear mother, I hope it was no harm—but six of the pomegranate seeds, I am afraid, remained in my mouth."
"Ah, unfortunate child, and miserable me!" exclaimed Ceres. "For each of those six pomegranate seeds you must spend one month of every year in King Pluto's palace. You are but half restored to your mother. Only six months with me, and six with that good-for-nothing King of Darkness!"
"Do not speak so harshly of poor King Pluto," said Proserpina, kissing her mother. "He has some very good qualities; and I really think I can bear to spend six months in his palace, if he will only let me spend the other six with you. He certainly did very wrong to carry me off; but then, as he says, it was but a dismal sort of life for him, to live in that great gloomy place, all alone; and it has made a wonderful change in his spirits to have a little girl to run up stairs and down. There is some comfort in making him so happy; and so, upon the whole, dearest mother, let us be thankful that he is not to keep me the whole year round."
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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lone
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barley
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uncommonly
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ripen
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noted
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drawn
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mischief
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prudent
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glistening
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gratitude
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12
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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13
uprooted
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| v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园 | |
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14
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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15
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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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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17
fragrant
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| adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的 | |
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18
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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19
sprouted
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| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
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20
sprout
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| n.芽，萌芽；vt.使发芽，摘去芽；vi.长芽，抽条 | |
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21
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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22
delightful
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| adj.令人高兴的，使人快乐的 | |
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23
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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24
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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25
hues
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| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
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26
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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27
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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28
luster
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| n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉 | |
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29
petals
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| n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 ) | |
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30
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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31
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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32
cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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33
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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34
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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35
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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36
rattling
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| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
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37
sable
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| n.黑貂；adj.黑色的 | |
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38
nostrils
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| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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39
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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40
beckoned
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| v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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42
reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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43
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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44
gushed
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| v.喷，涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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45
gush
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| v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发 | |
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46
crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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47
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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48
soothe
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| v.安慰；使平静；使减轻；缓和；奉承 | |
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49
soften
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| v.(使)变柔软；(使)变柔和 | |
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50
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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51
rubies
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| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
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52
Pluto
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| n.冥王星 | |
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53
copper
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| n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的 | |
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54
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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55
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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56
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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57
mustered
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| v.集合，召集，集结（尤指部队）( muster的过去式和过去分词 )；（自他人处）搜集某事物；聚集；激发 | |
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58
precipices
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| n.悬崖，峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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59
reverberated
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| 回响，回荡( reverberate的过去式和过去分词 )； 使反响，使回荡，使反射 | |
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60
crevices
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| n.（尤指岩石的）裂缝，缺口( crevice的名词复数 ) | |
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61
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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62
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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63
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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64
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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65
imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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66
dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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67
gateway
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| n.大门口，出入口，途径，方法 | |
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68
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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69
poke
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| n.刺，戳，袋；vt.拨开，刺，戳；vi.戳，刺，捅，搜索，伸出，行动散慢 | |
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70
attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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71
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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72
fangs
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| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
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73
fawning
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| adj.乞怜的，奉承的v.（尤指狗等）跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 )；巴结；讨好 | |
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74
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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75
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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76
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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77
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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78
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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79
torpid
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| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
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80
sluggishly
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| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
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81
stagnate
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| v.停止 | |
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82
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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83
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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84
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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85
goblet
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| n.高脚酒杯 | |
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86
tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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87
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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88
sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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89
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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90
delicacies
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| n.棘手( delicacy的名词复数 )；精致；精美的食物；周到 | |
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91
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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92
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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93
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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94
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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95
pastry
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| n.油酥面团，酥皮糕点 | |
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96
harp
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| n.竖琴；天琴座 | |
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97
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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98
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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99
recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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100
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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101
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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102
lamentable
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| adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的 | |
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103
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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104
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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105
blighted
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| adj.枯萎的，摧毁的 | |
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106
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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107
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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108
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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109
enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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111
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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112
rumble
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| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
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113
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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114
thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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115
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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116
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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117
laborers
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| n.体力劳动者，工人( laborer的名词复数 )；（熟练工人的）辅助工 | |
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118
gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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119
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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120
repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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121
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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122
rosy
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| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
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123
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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124
sociable
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| adj.好交际的，友好的，合群的 | |
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125
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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126
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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127
asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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128
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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129
gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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130
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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131
dabble
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| v.涉足，浅赏 | |
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132
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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133
gambolled
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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134
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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135
dispositions
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| 安排( disposition的名词复数 )； 倾向； （财产、金钱的）处置； 气质 | |
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136
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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137
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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138
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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139
flute
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| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
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140
onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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141
espy
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| v.（从远处等）突然看到 | |
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142
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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143
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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144
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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145
ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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146
enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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147
shrieking
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| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
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148
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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149
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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150
ordained
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| v.任命（某人）为牧师( ordain的过去式和过去分词 )；授予（某人）圣职；（上帝、法律等）命令；判定 | |
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151
disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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152
frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的；轻率的 | |
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153
lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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154
accomplishments
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| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
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155
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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156
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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157
heartily
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| adv.衷心地，诚恳地，十分，很 | |
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158
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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159
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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160
hush
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| int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静 | |
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161
splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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162
obeisance
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| n.鞠躬，敬礼 | |
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163
whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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164
regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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165
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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166
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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167
oversight
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| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
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168
liking
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| n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 | |
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169
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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170
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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171
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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172
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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173
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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174
ailments
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| 疾病（尤指慢性病），不适( ailment的名词复数 ) | |
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175
puniest
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| adj.小于一般尺寸的( puny的最高级 )；微不足道的；弱小的；微弱的 | |
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176
strapping
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| adj. 魁伟的, 身材高大健壮的 n. 皮绳或皮带的材料, 裹伤胶带, 皮鞭 动词strap的现在分词形式 | |
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177
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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178
wholesomeness
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| 卫生性 | |
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179
precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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180
crumbled
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| （把…）弄碎， （使）碎成细屑( crumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 衰落； 坍塌； 损坏 | |
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181
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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182
flickering
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| adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的 | |
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183
backlog
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| n.积压未办之事 | |
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184
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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185
cinder
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| n.余烬，矿渣 | |
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186
celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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187
immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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188
immortality
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| n.不死，不朽 | |
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189
heeding
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 ) | |
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190
entreated
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| 恳求，乞求( entreat的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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191
turnip
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| n.萝卜，芜菁 | |
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192
calamity
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| n.灾害，祸患，不幸事件 | |
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193
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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194
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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195
bleating
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| v.（羊，小牛）叫( bleat的现在分词 )；哭诉；发出羊叫似的声音；轻声诉说 | |
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196
undo
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| vt.解开，松开；取消，撤销 | |
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197
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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198
contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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199
faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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200
possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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201
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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202
gilded
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| a.镀金的，富有的 | |
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203
chambers
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| n.房间( chamber的名词复数 )；（议会的）议院；卧室；会议厅 | |
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204
artifice
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| n.妙计，高明的手段；狡诈，诡计 | |
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205
acidity
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| n.酸度，酸性 | |
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206
inflame
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| v.使燃烧；使极度激动；使发炎 | |
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207
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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208
smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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209
stewing
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| 炖 | |
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210
contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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211
tempting
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| a.诱人的, 吸引人的 | |
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212
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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213
wizened
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| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
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214
specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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215
oyster
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| n.牡蛎；沉默寡言的人 | |
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216
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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217
everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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218
nibble
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| n.轻咬，啃；v.一点点地咬，慢慢啃，吹毛求疵 | |
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219
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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220
yelping
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的现在分词 ) | |
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221
growling
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| n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼 | |
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222
verdant
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| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
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223
vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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224
dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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225
hopped
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| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
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226
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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227
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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228
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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229
disconsolately
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| adv.悲伤地，愁闷地；哭丧着脸 | |
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230
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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