EPILOGUE

 Come back, Little Katharines, still for a time to our glamour-world,

Ere our ship’s prow¹ touches the daylight shore,

And her sails are furled.

The sun has gone on his way o’er the mountain’s rim²;

The mighty³ Earth-shadow creeps slowly up from the East,

And the heavens grow dim.

See, in the soft gloaming the stars steal forth⁴ into sight,

Till over the dun Earth-plain broods the deep blue vault⁵

Of the jeweled night.

They are there, dear hearts; each one of our Star Folk blest

Faithful and motionless stands, borne on by the firmament’s

Ceaseless roll to the West.

They listen, they wait, expectant. For what? In the vast,

Deep hush⁶ of the night their heart-beats throb⁷ in the stars.

At last,—

In the Northern heavens a gleam of wavering light

Floats upward—dies. Then again—pulsing up, ever stronger,

More bright.

With the first, faint gleam, a shadow of sound—a sigh

As a breath over harp-strings—sets trembling the stars

As it passes through Earth and Sky.

(Too fine for our bodily ears, little sisters, but clear

231To the blessed to whom all beauty is one. Only look;

You shall hear!)

Fuller toned now, and deeper, as broadening pennons of light

Uprush from below the horizon; the heavens are alive—

Filled with splendor⁸ the night!

What do the Star People see that is hid from our eyes,

Where the ramparts of hills rise black in the North

’Gainst the flame of the skies?

Ranks beyond ranks of radiant Spirits! They stand

In dazzling circles;—a golden censer swinging

From each one’s hand.

From the Shining Ones’ censers, soft swinging, there float and ascend⁹

Streams of pure radiance; and one with their rhythm, the deep

Swelling¹⁰ harmonies blend.

Like music heard faintly in dreams—first afar—it draws near,

Till the triumphant¹¹ chant sweeps into the Star People’s hearts;

Then, joyous¹² and clear:—

“The Heavens declare the glory—” There follows a gush¹³,

A bursting in spray of the sound, as it pours like a wave

In its o’erwhelming rush!

The splendor ineffable¹⁴ blinds them; their hearts fill with awe¹⁵

And reverence—they know not for what; all the Power that they know

Is their Law.

232Yet Law is obedient to this Nameless One,

Whose glory all Creation sings; and shall be

While the Ages run!

“Might, Power, Dominion—” Still the censers swing;

The Heavens declare, in light upsurging still,

The glory of the King.

May not the Star Folk, little sisters mine,

Faint shadows though they be—and still obedient

To Law divine—

Declare His glory, Whom they may not know;

And in the Northern Lights His worship see,

As we below?

The End

1 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

2 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

3 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

4 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

5 vault   

n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室

参考例句：

• The vault of this cathedral is very high.这座天主教堂的拱顶非常高。
• The old patrician was buried in the family vault.这位老贵族埋在家族的墓地里。

6 hush   

int.嘘，别出声；n.沉默，静寂；v.使安静

参考例句：

• A hush fell over the onlookers.旁观者们突然静了下来。
• Do hush up the scandal!不要把这丑事声张出去！

7 throb   

v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动

参考例句：

• She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
• The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。

8 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

9 ascend   

vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上

参考例句：

• We watched the airplane ascend higher and higher.我们看着飞机逐渐升高。
• We ascend in the order of time and of development.我们按时间和发展顺序向上溯。

10 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

11 triumphant   

adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的

参考例句：

• The army made a triumphant entry into the enemy's capital.部队胜利地进入了敌方首都。
• There was a positively triumphant note in her voice.她的声音里带有一种极为得意的语气。

12 joyous   

adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的

参考例句：

• The lively dance heightened the joyous atmosphere of the scene.轻快的舞蹈给这场戏渲染了欢乐气氛。
• They conveyed the joyous news to us soon.他们把这一佳音很快地传递给我们。

13 gush   

v.喷，涌；滔滔不绝(说话)；n.喷，涌流；迸发

参考例句：

• There was a gush of blood from the wound.血从伤口流出。
• There was a gush of blood as the arrow was pulled out from the arm.当从手臂上拔出箭来时，一股鲜血涌了出来。

14 ineffable   

adj.无法表达的，不可言喻的

参考例句：

• The beauty of a sunset is ineffable.日落的美是难以形容的。
• She sighed a sigh of ineffable satisfaction,as if her cup of happiness were now full.她发出了一声说不出多么满意的叹息，仿佛她的幸福之杯已经斟满了。

15 awe   

n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧

参考例句：

• The sight filled us with awe.这景色使我们大为惊叹。
• The approaching tornado struck awe in our hearts.正在逼近的龙卷风使我们惊恐万分。