Caesar knew already who Lazarus was, and was prepared to meet him. He was a courageous9 man; he felt his power was invincible10, and in the fateful encounter with the man “wonderfully raised from the dead” he refused to lean on other men’s weak help. Man to man, face to face, he met Lazarus.
“Do not fix your gaze on me, Lazarus,” he commanded. “I have heard that your head is like the head of Medusa, and turns into stone all upon whom you look. But I should like to have a close look at you, and to talk to you before I turn into stone,” he added in a spirit of playfulness that concealed11 his real misgivings12.
Approaching him, he examined closely Lazarus’ face and his strange festive13 clothes. Though his eyes were sharp and keen, he was deceived by the skilful14 counterfeit15.
“Well, your appearance is not terrible, venerable sir. But all the worse for men, when the terrible takes on such a venerable and pleasant appearance. Now let us talk.”
Augustus sat down, and as much by glance as by words began the discussion. “Why did you not salute16 me when you entered?”
Lazarus answered indifferently: “I did not know it was necessary.”
“No.”
Augustus nodded approvingly. “That is good. I do not like the Christians18. They shake the tree of life, forbidding it to bear fruit, and they scatter19 to the wind its fragrant20 blossoms. But who are you?”
With some effort Lazarus answered: “I was dead.”
“I heard about that. But who are you now?”
Lazarus’ answer came slowly. Finally he said again, listlessly and indistinctly: “I was dead.”
“Listen to me, stranger,” said the Emperor sharply, giving expression to what had been in his mind before. “My empire is an empire of the living; my people are a people of the living and not of the dead. You are superfluous21 here. I do not know who you are, I do not know what you have seen There, but if you lie, I hate your lies, and if you tell the truth, I hate your truth. In my heart I feel the pulse of life; in my hands I feel power, and my proud thoughts, like eagles, fly through space. Behind my back, under the protection of my authority, under the shadow of the laws I have created, men live and labour and rejoice. Do you hear this divine harmony of life? Do you hear the war cry that men hurl6 into the face of the future, challenging it to strife22?”
Augustus extended his arms reverently23 and solemnly cried out: “Blessed art thou, Great Divine Life!”
But Lazarus was silent, and the Emperor continued more severely24: “You are not wanted here. Pitiful remnant, half devoured25 of death, you fill men with distress26 and aversion to life. Like a caterpillar27 on the fields, you are gnawing28 away at the full seed of joy, exuding29 the slime of despair and sorrow. Your truth is like a rusted30 sword in the hands of a night assassin, and I shall condemn31 you to death as an assassin. But first I want to look into your eyes. Mayhap only cowards fear them, and brave men are spurred on to struggle and victory. Then will you merit not death but a reward. Look at me, Lazarus.”
At first it seemed to divine Augustus as if a friend were looking at him, so soft, so alluring32, so gently fascinating was the gaze of Lazarus. It promised not horror but quiet rest, and the Infinite dwelt there as a fond mistress, a compassionate33 sister, a mother. And ever stronger grew its gentle embrace, until he felt, as it were, the breath of a mouth hungry for kisses... Then it seemed as if iron bones protruded34 in a ravenous35 grip, and closed upon him in an iron band; and cold nails touched his heart, and slowly, slowly sank into it.
“It pains me,” said divine Augustus, growing pale; “but look, Lazarus, look!”
Ponderous36 gates, shutting off eternity37, appeared to be slowly swinging open, and through the growing aperture38 poured in, coldly and calmly, the awful horror of the Infinite. Boundless39 Emptiness and Boundless Gloom entered like two shadows, extinguishing the sun, removing the ground from under the feet, and the cover from over the head. And the pain in his icy heart ceased.
“Look at me, look at me, Lazarus!” commanded Augustus, staggering...
Time ceased and the beginning of things came perilously40 near to the end. The throne of Augustus, so recently erected41, fell to pieces, and emptiness took the place of the throne and of Augustus. Rome fell silently into ruins. A new city rose in its place, and it too was erased42 by emptiness. Like phantom43 giants, cities, kingdoms, and countries swiftly fell and disappeared into emptiness—swallowed up in the black maw of the Infinite...
“Cease,” commanded the Emperor. Already the accent of indifference44 was in his voice. His arms hung powerless, and his eagle eyes flashed and were dimmed again, struggling against overwhelming darkness.
These words of despair saved him. He thought of the people, whose shield he was destined46 to be, and a sharp, redeeming47 pang48 pierced his dull heart. He thought of them doomed49 to perish, and he was filled with anguish51. First they seemed bright shadows in the gloom of the Infinite.—How terrible! Then they appeared as fragile vessels52 with life-agitated blood, and hearts that knew both sorrow and great joy.—And he thought of them with tenderness.
And so thinking and feeling, inclining the scales now to the side of life, now to the side of death, he slowly returned to life, to find in its suffering and joy a refuge from the gloom, emptiness and fear of the Infinite.
“No, you did not kill me, Lazarus,” said he firmly. “But I will kill you. Go!”
Evening came and divine Augustus partook of food and drink with great joy. But there were moments when his raised arm would remain suspended in the air, and the light of his shining, eager eyes was dimmed. It seemed as if an icy wave of horror washed against his feet. He was vanquished53 but not killed, and coldly awaited his doom50, like a black shadow. His nights were haunted by horror, but the bright days still brought him the joys, as well as the sorrows, of life.
Next day, by order of the Emperor, they burned out Lazarus’ eyes with hot irons and sent him home. Even Augustus dared not kill him.
Lazarus returned to the desert and the desert received him with the breath of the hissing54 wind and the ardour of the glowing sun. Again he sat on the stone with matted beard uplifted; and two black holes, where the eyes had once been, looked dull and horrible at the sky. In the distance the Holy City surged and roared restlessly, but near him all was deserted55 and still. No one approached the place where Lazarus, miraculously56 raised from the dead, passed his last days, for his neighbours had long since abandoned their homes. His cursed knowledge, driven by the hot irons from his eyes deep into the brain, lay there in ambush57; as if from ambush it might spring out upon men with a thousand unseen eyes. No one dared to look at Lazarus.
And in the evening, when the sun, swollen58 crimson59 and growing larger, bent60 its way toward the west, blind Lazarus slowly groped after it. He stumbled against stones and fell; corpulent and feeble, he rose heavily and walked on; and against the red curtain of sunset his dark form and outstretched arms gave him the semblance of a cross.
It happened once that he went and never returned. Thus ended the second life of Lazarus, who for three days had been in the mysterious thraldom61 of death and then was miraculously raised from the dead.
点击收听单词发音
1 stolidly | |
adv.迟钝地,神经麻木地 | |
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2 semblance | |
n.外貌,外表 | |
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3 throngs | |
n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群,挤满( throng的第三人称单数 ) | |
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4 gaily | |
adv.欢乐地,高兴地 | |
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5 haughty | |
adj.傲慢的,高傲的 | |
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6 hurl | |
vt.猛投,力掷,声叫骂 | |
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7 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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8 penetrating | |
adj.(声音)响亮的,尖锐的adj.(气味)刺激的adj.(思想)敏锐的,有洞察力的 | |
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9 courageous | |
adj.勇敢的,有胆量的 | |
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10 invincible | |
adj.不可征服的,难以制服的 | |
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11 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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12 misgivings | |
n.疑虑,担忧,害怕;疑虑,担心,恐惧( misgiving的名词复数 );疑惧 | |
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13 festive | |
adj.欢宴的,节日的 | |
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14 skilful | |
(=skillful)adj.灵巧的,熟练的 | |
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15 counterfeit | |
vt.伪造,仿造;adj.伪造的,假冒的 | |
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16 salute | |
vi.行礼,致意,问候,放礼炮;vt.向…致意,迎接,赞扬;n.招呼,敬礼,礼炮 | |
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17 Christian | |
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒 | |
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18 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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19 scatter | |
vt.撒,驱散,散开;散布/播;vi.分散,消散 | |
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20 fragrant | |
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的 | |
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21 superfluous | |
adj.过多的,过剩的,多余的 | |
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22 strife | |
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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23 reverently | |
adv.虔诚地 | |
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24 severely | |
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地 | |
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25 devoured | |
吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 ); 耗尽; 津津有味地看; 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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26 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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27 caterpillar | |
n.毛虫,蝴蝶的幼虫 | |
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28 gnawing | |
a.痛苦的,折磨人的 | |
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29 exuding | |
v.缓慢流出,渗出,分泌出( exude的现在分词 );流露出对(某物)的神态或感情 | |
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30 rusted | |
v.(使)生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31 condemn | |
vt.谴责,指责;宣判(罪犯),判刑 | |
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32 alluring | |
adj.吸引人的,迷人的 | |
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33 compassionate | |
adj.有同情心的,表示同情的 | |
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34 protruded | |
v.(使某物)伸出,(使某物)突出( protrude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35 ravenous | |
adj.极饿的,贪婪的 | |
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36 ponderous | |
adj.沉重的,笨重的,(文章)冗长的 | |
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37 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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38 aperture | |
n.孔,隙,窄的缺口 | |
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39 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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40 perilously | |
adv.充满危险地,危机四伏地 | |
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41 ERECTED | |
adj. 直立的,竖立的,笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立,建立 | |
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42 erased | |
v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;清除 | |
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43 phantom | |
n.幻影,虚位,幽灵;adj.错觉的,幻影的,幽灵的 | |
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44 indifference | |
n.不感兴趣,不关心,冷淡,不在乎 | |
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45 drowsily | |
adv.睡地,懒洋洋地,昏昏欲睡地 | |
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46 destined | |
adj.命中注定的;(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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47 redeeming | |
补偿的,弥补的 | |
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48 pang | |
n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷 | |
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49 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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50 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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51 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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52 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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53 vanquished | |
v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 );战胜;克服;抑制 | |
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54 hissing | |
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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55 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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56 miraculously | |
ad.奇迹般地 | |
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57 ambush | |
n.埋伏(地点);伏兵;v.埋伏;伏击 | |
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58 swollen | |
adj.肿大的,水涨的;v.使变大,肿胀 | |
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59 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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60 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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61 thraldom | |
n.奴隶的身份,奴役,束缚 | |
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