DEATH AND ODYSSEUS

 In the Olympian courts Love laughed at Death, because he was unsightly, and because She couldn't help it, and because he never did anything worth doing, and because She would.

 

And Death hated being laughed at, and used to brood¹ apart thinking only of his wrongs and of what he could do to end this intolerable treatment.

 

But one day Death appeared in the courts with an air and They all noticed it. "What are you up to now?" said Love. And Death with some solemnity said to Her: "I am going to frighten Odysseus"; and drawing about him his grey traveller's cloak² went out through the windy door with his jowl turned earthwards.

 

And he came soon to Ithaca and the hall that Athene knew, and opened the door and saw there famous Odysseus, with his white locks bending close over the fire, trying to warm his hands.

 

And the wind through the open door blew bitterly on Odysseus.

 

And Death came up behind him, and suddenly shouted.

 

And Odysseus went on warming his pale hands.

 

Then Death came close and began to mouth at him. And after a while Odysseus turned and spoke³. And "Well, old servant," he said, "have your masters been kind to you since I made you work for me round Ilion?"

 

And Death for some while stood mute⁴, for he thought of the laughter of Love.

 

Then "Come now," said Odysseus, "lend me your shoulder," and he leaning heavily on that bony joint⁵, they went together through the open door.

1 brood   

n.同窝幼鸟一个家庭的孩子；v.孵蛋，闷想

参考例句：

• The hen brought off a brood of young.母鸡孵出了一窝小鸡。
• It is time for hens to brood.该是母鸡孵蛋的时候了。

2 cloak   

n.斗蓬，披风，掩饰，幌子；vt.掩盖，掩饰

参考例句：

• The snow covered up the fields with a white cloak.积雪给田野盖上了一件白色的外衣。
• She threw a heavy woollen cloak over her shoulders.她把一件厚重的羊毛斗篷披在肩上。

3 spoke   

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

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 mute   

n.哑子，默音字母，弱音器；adj.哑的，无声的，沉默的；vt.减音，减弱；vi.（鸟）排泄

参考例句：

• He is mute on the subject of social system.他对社会制度的问题保持沉默。
• Her daughter was mute after a serious illness.她的女儿在一场重病之后失去了说话能力。

5 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。