Autumn Song

 I

 

Shortly we will plunge¹ within the frigid² gloom,

Farewell swift summer brightness; all too short--

I hear already sounding with a death-like boom

The wood that falls upon the pavement of the court.

 

The whole of winter enters in my Being--pain,

Hate, honor, labour hard and forced--and dread³,

And like the northern sun upon its polar plane

My heart will soon be but a stone, iced and red.

 

I listen trembling unto every log that falls,

The scaffold, which they build, has not a duller sound,

My spirits waver, like the trembling tower walls

that shake--with every echoing blow the builders pound.

 

Meeseemeth--as to these monotonous⁴ blows I sway,

They nail for one a coffin⁵ lid, or sound a knell--

For whom? Autumn now--and summer yesterday!

This strange mysterious noise betokens⁶ a farewell.

 

 

 

II

 

I love within your oblong eyes the verdant⁷ rays,

My sweet! but bitter everything to-day meseems:

And nought--your love, the boudoir, nor the flickering⁸ blaze,

Can replace the sun that o'er the screen streams.

 

And yet bemother and caress⁹ me, tender heart!

Even me the thankless and the worthless one;

Beloved or sister--unto me the sweets impart

Of a glorious autumn or a sinking sun.

 

Ephemeral task! the beckoning¹⁰ the beckoning empty tomb is set!

Oh grant me--as upon your knees my head I lay,

(Because the white and torrid summer I regret),

To taste the parted season's mild and amber¹¹ ray.

1 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

2 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

3 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

4 monotonous   

adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的

参考例句：

• She thought life in the small town was monotonous.她觉得小镇上的生活单调而乏味。
• His articles are fixed in form and monotonous in content.他的文章千篇一律，一个调调儿。

5 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

6 betokens   

v.预示，表示( betoken的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• His smile betokens his satisfaction. 他的微笑表示他满意了。 来自辞典例句

7 verdant   

adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的

参考例句：

• Children are playing on the verdant lawn.孩子们在绿茵茵的草坪上嬉戏玩耍。
• The verdant mountain forest turns red gradually in the autumn wind.苍翠的山林在秋风中渐渐变红了。

8 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

9 caress   

vt./n.爱抚，抚摸

参考例句：

• She gave the child a loving caress.她疼爱地抚摸着孩子。
• She feasted on the caress of the hot spring.她尽情享受着温泉的抚爱。

10 beckoning   

adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• An even more beautiful future is beckoning us on. 一个更加美好的未来在召唤我们继续前进。 来自辞典例句
• He saw a youth of great radiance beckoning to him. 他看见一个丰神飘逸的少年向他招手。 来自辞典例句

11 amber   

n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的

参考例句：

• Would you like an amber necklace for your birthday?你过生日想要一条琥珀项链吗？
• This is a piece of little amber stones.这是一块小小的琥珀化石。