XIX Now, even as the full moon

 Now, even as the full moon might rise

Ere daylight doth to darkness fall,

Sudden I saw with still surprise

Within that shining city-wall,

The streets full-thronged in wondrous¹ wise,

Silent, with never a herald's call,

With virgins² in the selfsame guise³

As my beloved, sweet and small.

Each head was crowned with coronal,

Pearl-wrought, and every robe was white;

On each breast bound, imperial,

The Pearl of Price with great delight.

With great delight together going

On glassy golden streets they tread;

To a hundred thousand swiftly growing,

And all alike were they garmented:

The gladdest face who could be knowing?

The Lamb did proudly pass ahead,

His seven horns of clear red gold glowing,

His robes like pearls high valuèd.

On toward the throne their way they thread,

None crowded in that band so bright,

But mild as maidens⁴ when mass is said,

So fared they forth⁵ with great delight.

The great delight His coming gave,

It were too much for me to tell.

When He approached the Elders grave,

Prone⁶ there before His feet they fell;

Legions of summoned angels brave

Swayed censers of the sweetest smell;

With music like a mighty⁷ wave,

All sang in praise of that gay Jewel.

The hymn⁸ might strike through earth to hell

That with joy those hosts of heaven recite;

To praise the Lamb I liked full well,

Amid the group in great delight.

Delighted, I would fain devise

His loveliness, with mind intent:

First was He, blithest, best to prize,

Of all on whom man's speech is spent;

So nobly white His draperies,

Such grace His simple glances lent;

But a wide, wet wound my gaze descries⁹

Beneath His heart, through His skin rent;

Down His white side the blood was sent.

Alas¹⁰! I thought, what scorn or spite

Could any human heart have bent¹¹

In such a deed to take delight?

The Lamb's delight might no man doubt,

Though that wide wound His hurt displayed,

From His fair face looked lovely out

Glad glances, glorious, unafraid,

I looked upon His shining rout¹²,

With fullest life so bright arrayed,

My little queen there moved about,

I had thought beside me in the glade¹³.

Ah Lord! how much of mirth she made!

Among her peers she was so white!

The stream I surely needs must wade¹⁴,

For longing¹⁵ love, in great delight.

1 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

2 virgins   

处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母）

参考例句：

• They were both virgins when they met and married. 他们从相识到结婚前都未曾经历男女之事。
• Men want virgins as concubines. 人家买姨太太的要整货。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

3 guise   

n.外表，伪装的姿态

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors.他们假装成视察员进了学校。
• The thief came into the house under the guise of a repairman.那小偷扮成个修理匠进了屋子。

4 maidens   

处女( maiden的名词复数 )； 少女； 未婚女子； （板球运动）未得分的一轮投球

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• Transplantation is not always successful in the matter of flowers or maidens. 花儿移栽往往并不成功，少女们换了环境也是如此。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

5 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。

6 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

7 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。

8 hymn   

n.赞美诗，圣歌，颂歌

参考例句：

• They sang a hymn of praise to God.他们唱着圣歌，赞美上帝。
• The choir has sung only two verses of the last hymn.合唱团只唱了最后一首赞美诗的两个段落。

9 descries   

v.被看到的，被发现的，被注意到的( descried的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Looking out over the sea, she descries an indistinct object floating in the water. 她向海面望去发现水面上模模糊糊漂着一样东西。 来自辞典例句

10 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

11 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

12 rout   

n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮

参考例句：

• The enemy was put to rout all along the line.敌人已全线崩溃。
• The people's army put all to rout wherever they went.人民军队所向披靡。

13 glade   

n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地

参考例句：

• In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
• The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。

14 wade   

v.跋涉，涉水；n.跋涉

参考例句：

• We had to wade through the river to the opposite bank.我们只好涉水过河到对岸。
• We cannot but wade across the river.我们只好趟水过去。

15 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。