No saying is a proverb until it has commended itself to a number of men; the wisdom of one is not a proverb, but the wisdom of many. Countless2 fine expressions well suited to become proverbial have perished in the speaking, or lie forgotten in our books. To win wide acceptance and then to keep pace with the jealous years and remain a living word on the lips of the people is an achievement few human thoughts have compassed; for thousands that pass unheeded only one here or there, helped by some happy quality, or perhaps some freak of fortune, is caught from mouth to mouth, approved, repeated and transmitted. Every accepted proverb has therefore survived a searching test, all the more severe because judgment3 is not always passed upon the merits of the case. Popular favour is at the best capricious, and often an admirable saying has died out of use and a{14} worse become famous. But of one thing we can be certain: general recognition is never won except by that which expresses the beliefs, or appeals to the conscience, or touches the affections of average men. However many the defects of any given proverb may happen to be, it is sure to possess some quality of human interest.
In the second place, it is generally true that, although proverbs have a sovereign right to utter commonplace, there is no such thing as a dull proverb. No matter how pedestrian may be its doctrine4, somewhere in its expression will be manifest the “wit of one”—a flash of insight or imagination, a note of pathos5 or power. Of course, many sayings through age and the changes of fashion have lost their savour for us, but—the point is important—even these are not inevitably6 dull. All were once piquant7. If we could but recapture the attitude of the men who made the phrase proverbial, its interest would be felt again. But although it thus appears that proverbs are essentially8 human and generally witty9, the study of them is attended by certain difficulties. It is wise, therefore, to acknowledge at the outset the obstacles that will beset10 our path; to be forewarned is to be forearmed.
Many proverbs have achieved popularity, not on account of what they say, but of the way they say it; the secret of their success has been some spice of originality11 or of humour in their composition. Originality, however, is a tender plant, and nothing fades more quickly than humour. A graphic12 or unexpected metaphor13 will delight the imagination for a little while, but how swiftly and inexorably “familiarity breeds contempt”; a phrase which is itself a case in point. Whenever therefore, in studying the Jewish proverbs, we come upon famous and familiar words, we must endeavour to let the saying for a moment renew its youth, by deliberately14 quickening our sympathy and attention, by counting it certain that words which have not{15} failed through so many centuries to touch the hearts and minds of men deserve from us more than a passing glance of recognition.
Many proverbs speak truth, but a true word can be spoken too often. Every preacher in Christendom knows how little, through much iteration, the words “Hope” and “Love” may convey to his hearers, although most men are conscious that of the realities of Hope and Love they cannot possess too much. So also with the truths expressed in proverbs. For example, many excellent men have lacked only promptitude to win success, and we have need to be warned thereby15; but when the fact is put before us in the words “Procrastination is the thief of time,” what copybook boredom16 rises in our indignant soul! We will not learn the lesson from so stale a teacher. Every effort to indicate the genius of proverbs is attended by this disadvantage of verbal familiarity; and, of course, it is the finest sayings that suffer most. But just here the tragedy of the great European War lends unwelcome aid. The intensity17 of human experience has been raised to a degree not known for centuries; and, as a recent writer in the Spectator admirably puts it, “In all times of distress18 dead truisms come to life. They confront the mind at every turn. We are amazed at the vividness of our thoughts, and confounded at the banality19 of their expression. We imagined that only fools helped themselves out with the musty wisdom of copybooks, but now it seems that even a fool may speak to the purpose. There is nothing so new as trouble, nothing so threadbare as its expression. ‘All is fair in love and war’.... How vividly20 that falsehood has been impressed upon us by our enemies. Yet how dull and indisputable it seemed such a little while ago. Even those of us who have least personal stake in the war grow terribly impatient at its slow movement. Almost every man who buys an afternoon paper thinks of the ‘watched pot.{16}’ How many people have lately known the heart-sickness of ‘hope deferred’? ‘Dying is as natural as living’: that is a dull enough expression of fact, when death is far off: but, when it is near, it cuts like a two-edged sword.”[1] Life for the present generation has verily been transformed; it is both more terrible and more inspiring, more poignant21 in its sorrows, more thrilling in its achievements and its joys: all things are become new. Once we could say glibly22, “The heart knoweth its own bitterness,” using the phrase to point a trivial trouble, but not now; and perhaps never again in our life-time. Thank God, it is not only the sorrowful sayings which rise in our heart with new meaning, but also those which speak of courage and strength, of loyalty23 and faith.
There is a third danger against which we require to be on guard. Proverbs cannot be absorbed in quantity. Like pictures in a gallery, they stand on their rights, each demanding a measure of individual attention and a due period for reflection. Many chapters in the Book of Proverbs are unpalatable reading, not because they are prosy, but because they are composed of independent maxims24 connected by no link of logical sequence or even of kindred meaning. To read consecutively25 through a series of these self-contained units is to impose an intolerable strain on the mind. The imagination becomes jaded26, the memory dazed by the march of too swiftly changing images. The disconnected thoughts efface27 one another, leaving behind them only a blurred28 confusion. This will appear the more inevitable29 the more clearly we realise what a proverb is. For consider: not one nor two but countless observations of men and things have gone to the making of a single proverb; it is the conclusion to which a thousand premisses pointed30 the way; it is compressed experience. And further, a proverb usually gives not just the bare inference from{17} experience, but the inference made memorable31 by some touch of fancy in the phrasing. Hence the meaning of a proverb is not always obvious, that it may seem the sharper when perceived. Some curious comparison, some pleasing illustration, is put forward to catch and hold attention until, from the train of thought thus raised, a truth leaps out upon us or a fact of life confronts us, familiar perhaps but now invested with fresh dignity. A proverb is not, as it were, a single sentence out of the book of human life, but is rather the epitome33 of a page or chapter; or, if you please, call it a summary, now of some drama of life, now of an epic34 or lyric35 poem, now again of a moral treatise36. From a literary point of view proverbs are rich, over-rich feeding. They cloy37. There is in the Book of Proverbs a remark that adroitly38 puts the point:
Hast thou found honey?
Eat so much as is convenient for thee
(Pr. 2516).
It follows that frequent quotation39 of proverbs will be apt to fatigue40 the reader, yet the danger is one which cannot wholly be avoided in this volume. Something, however, can be done by setting limitations on the scope of our subject, and in the following pages no attempt will be made to present any systematic41 survey of the whole immense field of Jewish proverbs, ancient, medi?val, and modern. Attention will be given chiefly to two pre-Christian collections—the Book of Proverbs and Ecclesiasticus—and, even so, many good sayings in those books will be left unnoticed. Moreover, proverbs are not quite chaotic42, for all their natural independence. They are like a forest through which many paths conduct; by following now one, now another topic it is possible to penetrate43 in various directions, as inclination44 prompts. But, even so, the peril45 of wearying the reader by over-many proverbs will only be lessened46 not removed; wherefore again—’tis a{18} word of high wisdom—Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is convenient for thee.
Enough of difficulties and dangers! Woe47 to him who goes “supping sorrows with a long spoon”! A happier task, however, does remain, before we set sail upon our quest: we have still to count our blessings48. What are the virtues49 of proverbs? What the interests we may hope to find in our subject?
The proverb does for human life something that science does for the world of Nature: it rouses the unseeing eye and the unheeding ear to the marvel50 of what seems ordinary. As for Nature, most of us who are not scientists are still deplorably blind to her perfections, but popular text-books have so far succeeded that we confess our ignorance with shame, and some are even penitent51 enough to desire that they might grow wiser. We are at least aware that there is nothing in the world not wonderful. We used to pass the spider’s web in our gardens with never a thought, but now—is not Le Fabre whispering to us of “rays equidistant and forming a beautifully regular orb,” of “polygonal lines drawn53 in a curve as geometry understands it.” “Which of us,” says he, pricking54 our human vanity, “would undertake, off-hand, without much preliminary experiment and without measuring instruments to divide a circle into a given quantity of sectors55 of equal width. The spider, though weighted with a wallet and tottering56 on threads shaken by the wind, effects the delicate division without stopping to think.”[2] The astronomer57 does not guard his secrets like the jealous astrologer of old; so that now-a-days many a man who possesses neither the higher mathematics nor a telescope knows more than his eyes can show him of the marvels58 of the stars and the mystery of space. Professor J. A. Thompson writes of The Wonder of Life, and behold59!{19} even he that hath no skill in biology may learn that the barren seashore is a teeming60 world, more strange than fairyland. Science does not make Nature marvellous; she lifts the veil of ignorance from our mind. Proverbs perform the same service for the life of man. Taking the common incidents of experience, they point out their meaning. Perceiving the principles in the recurrent facts of life, they discover and declare that the commonplace is more than merely common. That is a task greater and more difficult than at first sight may appear: as has been well said, “There is no literary function higher than that of giving point to what is ordinary and rescuing a truth from the obscurity of obviousness.”[3] Most men are slow, desperately61 slow, to perceive the significance of the experiences they encounter daily; yet from the iron discipline of these things none of us can escape. They are our life-long schoolmaster, and woe betide the man who from that stern teacher learns nothing or learns amiss. Nor is it sufficient that the facts should be brought before us. As a rule, the truth requires to be pushed home. Ask us not to observe that the reasoning faculties62 of the human being are seriously and sometimes disastrously63 perturbed64 by the impulses of affection; but tell us “Love is blind,” and—perhaps—we shall not forget.
Proverbs are superlatively human. Suffer the point to have a curious introduction. In certain ancient colleges it is the custom on one Sunday in each year to hold in the chapel65 a service of Commemoration, when the names of all those who were benefactors66 of the college are read aloud. Few ceremonies can convey more impressively the continuity of the generations, the actual unity67 between the shadowy past and the vivid present which seems to us the only real world. The roll may begin far back in the fourteenth or fifteenth{20} centuries, commencing with the names of the Founder68 and a few medi?val Benefactors (some of them famous men), but steadily69 and swiftly the years move onwards as the roll is read, until, listening, we realise that in another moment what is called the past will merge70 into the present. Somehow the magical change takes place; the past is finished, and the record is telling now “the things whereof we too were part,” ending perhaps with the name of one whom we called “friend,” who sat beside us in the chapel—was it only a year ago to-day? On these occasions the lesson is usually taken from a chapter in Ecclesiasticus known as The Praise of Famous Men:—Let us now praise famous men and our fathers that begat us. The Lord manifested in them great glory, even his mighty71 power from the beginning. Such as did bear rule in their kingdoms and were men renowned72 for their power, giving counsel by their understanding; such as have brought tidings in prophecies; leaders of the people by their counsels, and by their understanding men of learning for the people—wise were their words in their instruction; such as sought out musical tunes73, and set forth74 verses in writing; rich men furnished with ability, living peaceably in their habitations: all these were honoured in their generations, and were a glory in their days. There be of them that have left a name behind them, to declare their praises. And some there be which have no memorial; who are perished as though they had not been and are become as though they had not been born. What! even of those who were famous men?... perished as though they had not been and become as though they had not been born. The verdict is too hard. Granting that they missed genius, did they not live nobly, speak wisely, make many beautiful things, do generous deeds, giving of themselves the best they had to give? But ... as though they had not been. Surely they merited some kinder fate than that? And what of the multi{21}tudes of the unrenowned? If the famous are nothing, then the rest of men are less than nothing and vanity, and, dying, they certainly can leave no trace behind them, no word to carry the tale of how once they laboured, loved, hoped, endured. All their exquisite75 human longings76, all their pleasant thinking, must be for ever lost? No! for proverbs are the memorial of ordinary men; their very accents; record of their intimate thoughts and judgments77, their jests and sorrowings, their aspirations78, their philosophy. And this even from distant ages! There are proverbs old as the Iliad. Men of genius have not a monopoly of immortal79 words. Perhaps at the start one man of keen wit was needed to invent the happy phrase or the smart saying, but before it became a proverb countless ordinary folk had to give it their approval. We know that every popular proverb has seemed good to a multitude of men. Essentially therefore it has become their utterance80, and is filled with their personality. And, of course, proverbs are not only a memorial of the unknown dead; they are equally a language of the unknown and unlearned living. The humblest of men experience deep emotions which, however, they cannot articulate for themselves. Proverbs, we repeat, come to the rescue of the unlettered, supplying words to fit their thoughts, unstopping the tongue of the dumb. Just what effects this simple treasury81 of speech has had in history who can calculate, but that it has not been slight is dexterously82 suggested by these words of anger and chagrin83 which Shakespeare makes Coriolanus speak:
“Hang ’em,
They said they were an hungry, sighed forth proverbs;
That hunger broke stone walls, that dogs must eat,
That meat was made for mouths, that the gods sent not
{22}
Poor wretches86! with their “meat was made for mouths.” Doubtless they should have prepared for the most noble Coriolanus a treatise setting forth their preposterous87 economics, and humbly88 praying that in due course their petition might be brought before the Senate. But—“dogs must eat.” Faugh! “No gentleman,” said Lord Chesterfield, “ever uses a proverb.” Perhaps not, in an age of false gentility. But men of genius in many a century have taken note of their rich humanism and their value as a real, though undeveloped, science of life. Aristotle, Bacon, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Cervantes, Hazlitt, Goethe, thought fit to use them. Despite my Lord Chesterfield, let us continue the subject.
In the third place, proverbs are like a mirror in which the facts and ideals of society may be discerned. This is so obvious a truth that its importance may be under-estimated until it is realised how clear and detailed89 the reflection is. Proverbs prefer the concrete to the abstract. They contain many allusions[4] that are like windows opening on to the land of their birth and offering glimpses of its life and scenery—the rain and the sunshine ripening90 its fields and vineyards; the valleys and mountains, the open country, the villages, and towns. The activities and interests of the inhabitants are still more clearly disclosed. Manners and morals are laid bare, all the more faithfully because the witness is often unintentional. “Proverbs,” said Bacon, “reveal the genius, wit, and character of a nation.” In them Humanity, all reticence91 forgotten, seems to have cried its thoughts from the housetops and proclaimed its hidden motives92 in the market-place. Suppose that almost all other evidence for the history of Italy or{23} Spain were blotted93 out but the national sayings were left us, there would still be rich material for reconstructing an outline of the characteristics and not a little of the fortunes of those peoples. In respect of national disposition94 how terribly would the lust32 for vengeance95 appear as the besetting96 sin of Italy: Revenge is a morsel97 fit for God—Revenge being an hundred years old has still its sucking teeth. From the copious98 store of Spanish proverbs could be substantiated100 such facts as the Moorish101 occupation of Spain, the power and pride of her medi?val chivalry102, and the immense influence for good and evil which the Church of Rome has wielded103 in the length and breadth of the country.
Archbishop Trench104 lays stress upon this quality of proverbs. Speaking of Burchardt’s Arabic Proverbs of the Modern Egyptians, he remarks,[5] “In other books others describe the modern Egyptians, but here they unconsciously describe themselves. The selfishness, the utter extinction105 of all public spirit, the servility, which no longer as with an inward shame creeps into men’s lives but utters itself as the avowed106 law of their lives, the sense of the oppression of the strong, of the insecurity of the weak, and generally the whole character of life, alike outward and inward, as poor, mean, sordid107, and ignoble108 ... all this, as we study these documents, rises up before us in truest, though in painfullest, outline. Thus, only in a land where rulers, being evil themselves, feel all goodness to be their instinctive109 foe110, where they punish but never reward, could a proverb like the following, Do no good and thou shalt find no evil, ever have come to the birth”: altogether a black picture of Mohammedan society. It is a healthier, happier scene that the Jewish proverbs will unfold to us.{24}
The last general characteristic of proverbs, to which we need pay attention, is their inexhaustible variety. The world is their province. Religion and ethics111, politics, commerce, agriculture, handicrafts, riches and poverty, diligence and idleness, hope and contentment, unrest and despair, laughter and tears, pride and humility112, love and hatred113: what is there you can name that we cannot set you a proverb to match it? Proverbs enter the palace unsummoned, take stock of his Majesty114, and then inform the world what they think of his doings. They sit with my Lord Justice on the bench, and he shall hear further of the matter if he judge with respect of persons. But lo and behold! they also keep company with highwaymen and thieves, and the tricks of most trades are to them no secret. Proverbs are at home with men of every degree: they dine at the rich man’s table, they beg with Lazarus by the gate; and shrewdly do they analyse the world from both points of view. Chiefly, however, they have dwelt in a myriad115 normal homes, where neither riches nor poverty is given, but where a hard day’s work, a sufficient meal, and a warm fire in the evening have loosened tongues and opened hearts. Whereupon these unconscionable guests proceed to criticise116 the family. They interfere117 between husband and wife, parents and children, and teach all of them manners with an unsparing frankness. They play with the children, counsel their parents, and dream dreams with the old. Again, proverbs are both country-dwellers and town-dwellers. Have they not observed the ways of wind and water, sunshine and silvery starlight, seen the trees grow green and the seeds spring into life, the flowers bloom and the harvest ingathered? Yet also they have spent the whole year in the city, walking its streets early and late, strolling through the markets and bargaining in the shops. Ubiquitous proverbs! There is nothing beyond their reach, nothing hid from their eyes.{25}
The advantages of this abundant variety are clear. Almost any topic of human interest will find sufficient illustration in proverbs. Frequently a saying will be found useful from more than one standpoint: vary the topic and the same material may appear in new and unexpected guise118. On the other hand, whatever subject be chosen, a serious difficulty will be encountered. As soon as the proverbs bearing upon it have been gathered together, an extreme confusion of opinion will be apparent. The trumpet119 gives a most uncertain sound! Thus, let ethics be our starting-point. Many, no doubt, will be the maxims that breathe an easy, practical morality, and these, being careful not to be righteous overmuch, may seem tolerably compatible one with another; but then in violent contrast will be some that soar to the very heavens, and some also that surely emanate120 from hell. These will suffice from the devil’s forge: Dead men tell no tales—Every man has his price—or this Italian proverb, Wait time and place for thy revenge, for swift revenge is poor revenge. For the heavenly, here are two from ancient Greece, The best is always arduous[6]—Friends have their all in common[7]; or this tender English one, The way to heaven is by Weeping-Cross, or this strong Scottish phrase, The grace of God is gear enough[8]. Verily, proverbs do battle one against another. Trench quotes the following: The noblest vengeance is to forgive compared with the infamous121 He who cannot avenge122 himself is weak, he who will not is vile123. Penny wise pound foolish is cried in our one ear; Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves in the other. Could anything be more disconcerting to our hope of investigating the ethical124 system of proverbs? But in like manner their social teaching at first{26} sight seems a wilderness125 of contradiction, their theology a babel of conflicting tongues. The natural perplexity thus occasioned can, however, be resolved very simply. Two points must be kept in mind. First, that when with rough and ready justice men are classified as pious99 or wicked, clever or stupid, generous or miserly, hopeful or despondent126, rich or poor, young or old, wise or ignorant, and so forth, these terms do represent real distinctions between persons, although perhaps no one category suffices fully52 to describe any given individual; and second, that a proverb necessarily expresses a sentiment shared by a number of people. It follows that what we ought to seek in proverbs is not one point of view but many. We shall find the attitude of various classes and types of men. We shall see life as it appears now in the eyes of the just and the merciful, now of the evil and the cunning. Here in one group of sayings will be the way the world looks to a lazy man, here again are the convictions of the unscrupulously shrewd. Here is some complacent127 merchant’s view of social questions, here the exhortations128 of an idealistic soul. When once this fact about proverbs is recognised, the difficulty of their contradictoriness129 instantly is removed. Instead of feeling that they speak in hesitating accents, we discover that they are answering our questions, not with one, but with many voices, far from uncertain in their tone. The confusion vanishes. We find ourselves listening to the speech of men who, differing sometimes profoundly one from another, have sharply defined ideas, and can utter their thoughts with brevity, force, and wit.
It will be seen that our object is wide and deep, and that there are many avenues of approach to it. One road, however, would seem to be impossible—proverbs as literature. That an occasional popular saying would have some touch of literary value, is, of course, to be expected. But a winged word now and then, a lovely image flitting once in a{27} while across the plains, will not justify130 the topic, “Proverbs as literature.” The individual proverb failing, what hope is there that a collection of them will come nearer the mark? Suppose the very best of our English proverbs were gathered together, there might be much to interest, amuse, or edify131 our minds, but literature such an assemblage would assuredly not be. The vital element of unity would be lacking. As well string the interjections and conjunctions of our language into verse, and call the result a poem! And yet the incredible has happened. Once a collection of proverbs was so made as to be literature—but where and when must be left for the next chapter to relate.
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inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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judgment
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| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
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doctrine
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| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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piquant
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| adj.辛辣的，开胃的，令人兴奋的 | |
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essentially
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| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
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witty
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| adj.机智的，风趣的 | |
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beset
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originality
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graphic
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| adj.生动的，形象的，绘画的，文字的，图表的 | |
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metaphor
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| n.隐喻，暗喻 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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boredom
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| n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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banality
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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poignant
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| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
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glibly
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loyalty
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maxims
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| n.格言，座右铭( maxim的名词复数 ) | |
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consecutively
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jaded
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efface
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| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
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blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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memorable
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| adj.值得回忆的，难忘的，特别的，显著的 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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epitome
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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lyric
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treatise
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cloy
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adroitly
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quotation
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| n.引文，引语，语录；报价，牌价，行情 | |
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40
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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41
systematic
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| adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的 | |
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42
chaotic
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| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
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43
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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44
inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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45
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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46
lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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47
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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48
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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49
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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50
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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51
penitent
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| adj.后悔的；n.后悔者；忏悔者 | |
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52
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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53
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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54
pricking
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| 刺，刺痕，刺痛感 | |
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55
sectors
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| n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形 | |
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56
tottering
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| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
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57
astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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58
marvels
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| n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 )；令人惊奇的事物（或事例）；不平凡的成果；成就v.惊奇，对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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59
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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60
teeming
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| adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注 | |
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61
desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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62
faculties
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| n.能力( faculty的名词复数 )；全体教职员；技巧；院 | |
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63
disastrously
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| ad.灾难性地 | |
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64
perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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65
chapel
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| n.小教堂，殡仪馆 | |
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66
benefactors
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| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
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unity
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| n.团结，联合，统一；和睦，协调 | |
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68
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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merge
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| v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体 | |
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71
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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72
renowned
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| adj.著名的，有名望的，声誉鹊起的 | |
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73
tunes
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| n.曲调，曲子( tune的名词复数 )v.调音( tune的第三人称单数 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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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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longings
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| 渴望，盼望( longing的名词复数 ) | |
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judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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aspirations
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| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的；永生的，不死的；神的 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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81
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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82
dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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83
chagrin
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| n.懊恼；气愤；委屈 | |
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84
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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86
wretches
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| n.不幸的人( wretch的名词复数 )；可怜的人；恶棍；坏蛋 | |
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87
preposterous
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| adj.荒谬的，可笑的 | |
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88
humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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89
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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ripening
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| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的现在分词 )；熟化；熟成 | |
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reticence
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| n.沉默，含蓄 | |
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92
motives
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| n.动机，目的( motive的名词复数 ) | |
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93
blotted
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| 涂污( blot的过去式和过去分词 )； （用吸墨纸）吸干 | |
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94
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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95
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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96
besetting
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| adj.不断攻击的v.困扰( beset的现在分词 )；不断围攻；镶；嵌 | |
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97
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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98
copious
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| adj.丰富的，大量的 | |
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99
pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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100
substantiated
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| v.用事实支持（某主张、说法等），证明，证实( substantiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
moorish
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| adj.沼地的，荒野的，生[住]在沼地的 | |
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102
chivalry
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| n.骑士气概，侠义；（男人）对女人彬彬有礼，献殷勤 | |
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103
wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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104
trench
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| n./v.(挖)沟，(挖)战壕 | |
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105
extinction
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| n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种 | |
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106
avowed
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| adj.公开声明的，承认的v.公开声明，承认( avow的过去式和过去分词) | |
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107
sordid
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| adj.肮脏的，不干净的，卑鄙的，暗淡的 | |
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108
ignoble
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| adj.不光彩的，卑鄙的；可耻的 | |
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109
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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110
foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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111
ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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112
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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113
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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114
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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115
myriad
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| adj.无数的；n.无数，极大数量 | |
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116
criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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117
interfere
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| v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰 | |
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118
guise
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| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
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119
trumpet
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| n.喇叭，喇叭声；v.吹喇叭，吹嘘 | |
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120
emanate
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| v.发自，来自，出自 | |
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121
infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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122
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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123
vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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124
ethical
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| adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的 | |
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125
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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126
despondent
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| adj.失望的，沮丧的，泄气的 | |
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127
complacent
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| adj.自满的；自鸣得意的 | |
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128
exhortations
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| n.敦促( exhortation的名词复数 )；极力推荐；（正式的）演讲；（宗教仪式中的）劝诫 | |
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129
contradictoriness
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| 矛盾性 | |
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130
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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131
edify
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| v.陶冶；教化；启发 | |
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