BOOK THREE — The Church of the Servant-girls

  Was it for this—that prayers like these

      Should spend themselves about thy feet,

  And with hard, over-labored knees

      Kneeling, these slaves of men should beat

  Bosoms¹ too lean to suckle sons

  And fruitless as their orisons?

 

 Was it for this—that men should make

     Thy name a fetter² on men's necks,

  Poor men made poorer for thy sake,

      And women withered³ out of sex?

  Was it for this—that slaves should be—

Thy word was passed to set men free?                          Swinburne.

 

1 bosoms   

胸部( bosom的名词复数 )； 胸怀； 女衣胸部（或胸襟）； 和爱护自己的人在一起的情形

参考例句：

• How beautifully gold brooches glitter on the bosoms of our patriotic women! 金光闪闪的别针佩在我国爱国妇女的胸前，多美呀！
• Let us seek out some desolate shade, and there weep our sad bosoms empty. 我们寻个僻静的地方，去痛哭一场吧。

2 fetter   

n./vt.脚镣，束缚

参考例句：

• This does not mean that we wish to fetter the trade union movement.这并不意味着我们想限制工会运动。
• Reform will be deepened to remove the institutional obstacles that fetter the development of productive forces.继续深化改革，突破束缚生产力发展的体制性障碍。

3 withered   

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

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。