XX Delight that flooded eye and ear

 Delight that flooded eye and ear

My mortal mind beatified;

When I saw her, I must reach my dear,

Though she beyond the brook¹ abide².

Nothing, I thought, could keep me here,

No crippling blow hold my strength tied;

I would plunge³, whatever interfere⁴,

And swim the stream, though there I died.

But ere the water I had tried,

Even as I would my vow⁵ fulfill⁶,

From my purpose I was turned aside;

It was not to my Prince's will.

My wilful⁷ purpose pleased not Him,

That I with headlong zeal⁸ essayed;

Though I was rash of thought and limb,

Yet suddenly my deed was stayed.

As I sprang forward to the brim,

The action in my dreaming made

Me waken in my arbour trim.

My head upon the mound⁹ was laid

Where my pearl to the grass once strayed.

I stretched my body, frightened, chill,

And, sighing, to myself I said:

"Now all be to the Prince's will."

Against my will was I exiled

From that bright region, fair and fain,

From that life, glad and undefiled,

And longing¹⁰ dulled my sense again;

I swooned in sorrow for the child,

Needs must my heart cry and complain:

"O Pearl, dear was thy counsel mild,

In this true vision of my brain!

If very truth divide us twain;

If thou goest crowned, secure from ill,

Well for me in my prison-pain

That thou art to the Prince's will."

To the Prince's will had my heart bent¹¹,

And sought but what to me was given,

Held fast to that, with true intent,

As my Pearl prayed me out of heaven;

Did I to God my thoughts present,

More in His mysteries had I thriven.

But a man will seek more than is sent,

Till from his hand his hope be riven.

Thus from my joy was I forth¹² driven,

From the life upon that holy hill.

Oh, fools, that with the Lord have striven,

Or proffered¹³ gifts against his will!

The Prince's will to serve aright

The Christian¹⁴ may full well divine;

For I have found Him, day and night,

A God, a Lord, a Friend in fine.

Upon this mound my soul hath sight,

Where I for piteous sorrow pine;

My Pearl to God I pledge and plight¹⁵,

With Christ's dear blessing¹⁶ and with mine,—

His, who, in form of bread and wine,

The priest doth daily show us still.

His servants may we be, or shine,

Pure pearls, according to his will.

1 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

2 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

3 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。

4 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

5 vow   

n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓

参考例句：

• My parents are under a vow to go to church every Sunday.我父母许愿，每星期日都去做礼拜。
• I am under a vow to drink no wine.我已立誓戒酒。

6 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

7 wilful   

adj.任性的，故意的

参考例句：

• A wilful fault has no excuse and deserves no pardon.不能宽恕故意犯下的错误。
• He later accused reporters of wilful distortion and bias.他后来指责记者有意歪曲事实并带有偏见。

8 zeal   

n.热心，热情，热忱

参考例句：

• Revolutionary zeal caught them up,and they joined the army.革命热情激励他们，于是他们从军了。
• They worked with great zeal to finish the project.他们热情高涨地工作，以期完成这个项目。

9 mound   

n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫

参考例句：

• The explorers climbed a mound to survey the land around them.勘探者爬上土丘去勘测周围的土地。
• The mound can be used as our screen.这个土丘可做我们的掩蔽物。

10 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。

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 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。

13 proffered   

v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She proffered her cheek to kiss. 她伸过自己的面颊让人亲吻。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He rose and proffered a silver box full of cigarettes. 他站起身，伸手递过一个装满香烟的银盒子。 来自辞典例句

14 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

15 plight   

n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定

参考例句：

• The leader was much concerned over the plight of the refugees.那位领袖对难民的困境很担忧。
• She was in a most helpless plight.她真不知如何是好。

16 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。