The penultimate message describes, with occasionally elaborate detail, the encounter between Cavor and the Grand Lunar, who is the ruler or master of the moon. Cavor seems to have sent most of it without interference, but to have been interrupted in the concluding portion. The second came after an interval1 of a week.
The first message begins: "At last I am able to resume this--" it then becomes illegible2 for a space, and after a time resumed in mid-sentence.
The missing words of the following sentence are probably "the crowd." There follows quite clearly: "grew ever denser3 as we drew near the palace of the Grand Lunar--if I may call a series of excavations4 a palace. Everywhere faces stared at me--blank, chitinous gapes5 and masks, eyes peering over tremendous olfactory6 developments, eyes beneath monstrous7 forehead plates; and undergrowth of smaller creatures dodged8 and yelped9, and helmet faces poised10 on sinuous11, long-jointed necks appeared craning over shoulders and beneath armpits. Keeping a welcome space about me marched a cordon12 of stolid13, scuttle-headed guards, who had joined us on our leaving the boat in which we had come along the channels of the Central Sea. The quick-eyed artist with the little brain joined us also, and a thick bunch of lean porter-insects swayed and struggled under the multitude of conveniences that were considered essential to my state. I was carried in a litter during the final stage of our journey. This litter was made of some very ductile14 metal that looked dark to me, meshed15 and woven, and with bars of paler metal, and about me as I advanced there grouped itself a long and complicated procession.
"In front, after the manner of heralds16, marched four trumpet-faced creatures making a devastating17 bray18; and then came squat19, resolute-moving ushers20 before and behind, and on either hand a galaxy21 of learned heads, a sort of animated22 encyclopedia23, who were, Phi-oo explained, to stand about the Grand Lunar for purposes of reference. (Not a thing in lunar science, not a point of view or method of thinking, that these wonderful beings did not carry in their heads!) Followed guards and porters, and then Phi-oo's shivering brain borne also on a litter. Then came Tsi-puff in a slightly less important litter; then myself on a litter of greater elegance24 than any other, and surrounded by my food and drink attendants. More trumpeters came next, splitting the ear with vehement25 outcries, and then several big brains, special correspondents one might well call them, or historiographers, charged with the task of observing and remembering every detail of this epoch-making interview. A company of attendants, bearing and dragging banners and masses of scented26 fungus27 and curious symbols, vanished in the darkness behind. The way was lined by ushers and officers in caparisons that gleamed like steel, and beyond their line, so far as my eyes could pierce the gloom, the heads of that enormous crowd extended.
"I will own that I am still by no means indurated to the peculiar28 effect of the Selenite appearance, and to find myself, as it were, adrift on this broad sea of excited entomology was by no means agreeable. Just for a space I had something very like what I should imagine people mean when they speak of the 'horrors.' It had come to me before in these lunar caverns30, when on occasion I have found myself weaponless and with an undefended back, amidst a crowd of these Selenites, but never quite so vividly31. It is, of course, as absolutely irrational32 a feeling as one could well have, and I hope gradually to subdue33 it. But just for a moment, as I swept forward into the welter of the vast crowd, it was only by gripping my litter tightly and summoning all my will-power that I succeeded in avoiding an outcry or some such manifestation34. It lasted perhaps three minutes; then I had myself in hand again.
"We ascended36 the spiral of a vertical37 way for some time, and then passed through a series of huge halls dome-roofed and elaborately decorated. The approach to the Grand Lunar was certainly contrived38 to give one a vivid impression of his greatness. Each cavern29 one entered seemed greater and more boldly arched than its predecessor39. This effect of progressive size was enhanced by a thin haze40 of faintly phosphorescent blue incense41 that thickened as one advanced, and robbed even the nearer figures of clearness. I seemed to advance continually to something larger, dimmer, and less material.
"I must confess that all this multitude made me feel extremely shabby and unworthy. I was unshaven and unkempt; I had brought no razor; I had a coarse beard over my mouth. On earth I have always been inclined to despise any attention to my person beyond a proper care for cleanliness; but under the exceptional circumstances in which I found myself, representing, as I did, my planet and my kind, and depending very largely upon the attractiveness of my appearance for a proper reception, I could have given much for something a little more artistic42 and dignified43 than the husks I wore. I had been so serene44 in the belief that the moon was uninhabited as to overlook such precautions altogether. As it was I was dressed in a flannel45 jacket, knickerbockers, and golfing stockings, stained with every sort of dirt the moon offered, slippers46 (of which the left heel was wanting), and a blanket, through a hole in which I thrust my head. (These clothes, indeed, I still wear.) Sharp bristles47 are anything but an improvement to my cast of features, and there was an unmended tear at the knee of my knickerbockers that showed conspicuously48 as I squatted49 in my litter; my right stocking, too, persisted in getting about my ankle. I am fully50 alive to the injustice51 my appearance did humanity, and if by any expedient52 I could have improvised53 something a little out of the way and imposing54 I would have done so. But I could hit upon nothing. I did what I could with my blanket--folding it somewhat after the fashion of a toga, and for the rest I sat as upright as the swaying of my litter permitted.
"Imagine the largest hall you have ever been in, imperfectly lit with blue light and obscured by a gray-blue fog, surging with metallic56 or livid-gray creatures of such a mad diversity as I have hinted. Imagine this hall to end in an open archway beyond which is a still larger hall, and beyond this yet another and still larger one, and so on. At the end of the vista57, dimly seen, a flight of steps, like the steps of Ara Coeli at Rome, ascend35 out of sight. Higher and higher these steps appear to go as one draws nearer their base. But at last I came under a huge archway and beheld58 the summit of these steps, and upon it the Grand Lunar exalted59 on his throne.
"He was seated in what was relatively60 a blaze of incandescent61 blue. This, and the darkness about him gave him an effect of floating in a blue-black void. He seemed a small, self-luminous cloud at first, brooding on his sombre throne; his brain case must have measured many yards in diameter. For some reason that I cannot fathom62 a number of blue search-lights radiated from behind the throne on which he sat, and immediately encircling him was a halo. About him, and little and indistinct in this glow, a number of body-servants sustained and supported him, and overshadowed and standing63 in a huge semicircle beneath him were his intellectual subordinates, his remembrancers and computators and searchers and servants, and all the distinguished64 insects of the court of the moon. Still lower stood ushers and messengers, and then all down the countless65 steps of the throne were guards, and at the base, enormous, various, indistinct, vanishing at last into an absolute black, a vast swaying multitude of the minor66 dignitaries of the moon. Their feet made a perpetual scraping whisper on the rocky floor, as their limbs moved with a rustling67 murmur68.
"As I entered the penultimate hall the music rose and expanded into an imperial magnificence of sound, and the shrieks69 of the news-bearers died away....
"I entered the last and greatest hall....
"My procession opened out like a fan. My ushers and guards went right and left, and the three litters bearing myself and Phi-oo and Tsi-puff marched across a shiny darkness of floor to the foot of the giant stairs. Then began a vast throbbing70 hum, that mingled71 with the music. The two Selenites dismounted, but I was bidden remain seated--I imagine as a special honour. The music ceased, but not that humming, and by a simultaneous movement of ten thousand respectful heads my attention was directed to the enhaloed supreme72 intelligence that hovered73 above me.
"At first as I peered into the radiating glow this quintessential brain looked very much like an opaque74, featureless bladder with dim, undulating ghosts of convolutions writhing75 visibly within. Then beneath its enormity and just above the edge of the throne one saw with a start minute elfin eyes peering out of the glow. No face, but eyes, as if they peered through holes. At first I could see no more than these two staring little eyes, and then below I distinguished the little dwarfed76 body and its insect-jointed limbs shrivelled and white. The eyes stared down at me with a strange intensity77, and the lower part of the swollen78 globe was wrinkled. Ineffectual-looking little hand-tentacles steadied this shape on the throne....
"It was great. It was pitiful. One forgot the hall and the crowd.
"I ascended the staircase by jerks. It seemed to me that this darkly glowing brain case above us spread over me, and took more and more of the whole effect into itself as I drew nearer. The tiers of attendants and helpers grouped about their master seemed to dwindle79 and fade into the night. I saw that shadowy attendants were busy spraying that great brain with a cooling spray, and patting and sustaining it. For my own part, I sat gripping my swaying litter and staring at the Grand Lunar, unable to turn my gaze aside. And at last, as I reached a little landing that was separated only by ten steps or so from the supreme seat, the woven splendour of the music reached a climax80 and ceased, and I was left naked, as it were, in that vastness, beneath the still scrutiny81 of the Grand Lunar's eyes.
"He was scrutinising the first man he had ever seen....
"My eyes dropped at last from his greatness to the ant figures in the blue mist about him, and then down the steps to the massed Selenites, still and expectant in their thousands, packed on the floor below. Once again an unreasonable82 horror reached out towards me.... And passed.
"After the pause came the salutation. I was assisted from my litter, and stood awkwardly while a number of curious and no doubt deeply symbolical83 gestures were vicariously performed for me by two slender officials. The encyclopaedic galaxy of the learned that had accompanied me to the entrance of the last hall appeared two steps above me and left and right of me, in readiness for the Grand Lunar's need, and Phi-oo's pale brain placed itself about half-way up to the throne in such a position as to communicate easily between us without turning his back on either the Grand Lunar or myself. Tsi-puff took up position behind him. Dexterous84 ushers sidled sideways towards me, keeping a full face to the Presence. I seated myself Turkish fashion, and Phi-oo and Tsi-puff also knelt down above me. There came a pause. The eyes of the nearer court went from me to the Grand Lunar and came back to me, and a hissing85 and piping of expectation passed across the hidden multitudes below and ceased.
"That humming ceased.
"For the first and last time in my experience the moon was silent.
"I became aware of a faint wheezy noise. The Grand Lunar was addressing me. It was like the rubbing of a finger upon a pane86 of glass.
"I watched him attentively87 for a time, and then glanced at the alert Phi-oo. I felt amidst these slender beings ridiculously thick and fleshy and solid; my head all jaw88 and black hair. My eyes went back to the Grand Lunar. He had ceased; his attendants were busy, and his shining superfices was glistening89 and running with cooling spray.
"Phi-oo meditated90 through an interval. He consulted Tsi-puff. Then he began piping his recognisable English--at first a little nervously91, so that he was not very clear.
"'M'm--the Grand Lunar--wished to say--wishes to say--he gathers you are--m'm--men--that you are a man from the planet earth. He wishes to say that he welcomes you--welcomes you--and wishes to learn--learn, if I may use the word--the state of your world, and the reason why you came to this.'
"He paused. I was about to reply when he resumed. He proceeded to remarks of which the drift was not very clear, though I am inclined to think they were intended to be complimentary92. He told me that the earth was to the moon what the sun is to the earth, and that the Selenites desired very greatly to learn about the earth and men. He then told me no doubt in compliment also, the relative magnitude and diameter of earth and moon, and the perpetual wonder and speculation93 with which the Selenites had regarded our planet. I meditated with downcast eyes, and decided94 to reply that men too had wondered what might lie in the moon, and had judged it dead, little recking of such magnificence as I had seen that day. The Grand Lunar, in token of recognition, caused his long blue rays to rotate in a very confusing manner, and all about the great hall ran the pipings and whisperings and rustlings of the report of what I had said. He then proceeded to put to Phi-oo a number of inquiries95 which were easier to answer.
"He understood, he explained, that we lived on the surface of the earth, that our air and sea were outside the globe; the latter part, indeed, he already knew from his astronomical96 specialists. He was very anxious to have more detailed97 information of what he called this extraordinary state of affairs, for from the solidity of the earth there had always been a disposition98 regard it as uninhabitable. He endeavoured first to ascertain99 the extremes of temperature to which we earth beings were exposed, and he was deeply interested by my descriptive treatment of clouds and rain. His imagination was assisted by the fact that the lunar atmosphere in the outer galleries of the night side is not infrequently very foggy. He seemed inclined to marvel100 that we did not find the sunlight too intense for our eyes, and was interested in my attempt to explain that the sky was tempered to a bluish colour through the refraction of the air, though I doubt if he clearly understood that. I explained how the iris101 of the human eyes can contract the pupil and save the delicate internal structure from the excess of sunlight, and was allowed to approach within a few feet of the Presence in order that this structure might be seen. This led to a comparison of the lunar and terrestrial eyes. The former is not only excessively sensitive to such light as men can see, but it can also _see_ heat, and every difference in temperature within the moon renders objects visible to it.
"The iris was quite a new organ to the Grand Lunar. For a time he amused himself by flashing his rays into my face and watching my pupils contract. As a consequence, I was dazzled and blinded for some little time....
"But in spite of that discomfort102 I found something reassuring103 by insensible degrees in the rationality of this business of question and answer. I could shut my eyes, think of my answer, and almost forget that the the Grand Lunar has no face....
"When I had descended105 again to my proper place the Grand Lunar asked how we sheltered ourselves from heat and storms, and I expounded106 to him the arts of building and furnishing. Here we wandered into misunderstandings and cross-purposes, due largely, I must admit, to the looseness of my expressions. For a long time I had great difficulty in making him understand the nature of a house. To him and his attendant Selenites it seemed, no doubt, the most whimsical thing in the world that men should build houses when they might descend104 into excavations, and an additional complication was introduced by the attempt I made to explain that men had originally begun their homes in caves, and that they were now taking their railways and many establishments beneath the surface. Here I think a desire for intellectual completeness betrayed me. There was also a considerable tangle107 due to an equally unwise attempt on my part to explain about mines. Dismissing this topic at last in an incomplete state, the Grand Lunar inquired what we did with the interior of our globe.
"A tide of twittering and piping swept into the remotest corners of that great assembly then it was last made clear that we men know absolutely nothing of the contents of the world upon which the immemorial generations of our ancestors had been evolved. Three times had I to repeat that of all the 4000 miles of distance between the earth and its centre men knew only to the depth of a mile, and that very vaguely108. I understood the Grand Lunar to ask why had I come to the moon seeing we had scarcely touched our own planet yet, but he did not trouble me at that time to proceed to an explanation, being too anxious to pursue the details of this mad inversion109 of all his ideas.
"He reverted110 to the question of weather, and I tried to describe the perpetually changing sky, and snow, and frost and hurricanes. 'But when the night comes,' he asked, 'is it not cold?'
"I told him it was colder than by day.
"'And does not your atmosphere freeze?'
"I told him not; that it was never cold enough for that, because our nights were so short.
"'Not even liquefy?'
"I was about to say 'No,' but then it occurred to me that one part at least of our atmosphere, the water vapour of it, does sometimes liquefy and form dew, and sometimes freeze and form frost--a process perfectly55 analogous111 to the freezing of all the external atmosphere of the moon during its longer night. I made myself clear on this point, and from that the Grand Lunar went on to speak with me of sleep. For the need of sleep that comes so regularly every twenty-four hours to all things is part also of our earthly inheritance. On the moon they rest only at rare intervals112, and after exceptional exertions113. Then I tried to describe to him the soft splendours of a summer night, and from that I passed to a description of those animals that prowl by night and sleep by day. I told him of lions and tigers, and here it seemed as though we had come to a deadlock114. For, save in their waters, there are no creatures in the moon not absolutely domestic and subject to his will, and so it has been for immemorial years. They have monstrous water creatures, but no evil beasts, and the idea of anything strong and large existing 'outside' in the night is very difficult for them...."
[The record is here too broken to transcribe115 for the space of perhaps twenty words or more.]
"He talked with his attendants, as I suppose, upon the strange superficiality and unreasonableness116 of (man) who lives on the mere117 surface of a world, a creature of waves and winds, and all the chances of space, who cannot even unite to overcome the beasts that prey118 upon his kind, and yet who dares to invade another planet. During this aside I sat thinking, and then at his desire I told him of the different sorts of men. He searched me with questions. 'And for all sorts of work you have the same sort of men. But who thinks? Who governs?'
"I gave him an outline of the democratic method.
"When I had done he ordered cooling sprays upon his brow, and then requested me to repeat my explanation conceiving something had miscarried.
"'Do they not do different things, then?' said Phi-oo.
"Some, I admitted, were thinkers and some officials; some hunted, some were mechanics, some artists, some toilers. 'But _all_ rule,' I said.
"'And have they not different shapes to fit them to their different duties?'
"'None that you can see,' I said, 'except perhaps, for clothes. Their minds perhaps differ a little,' I reflected.
"'Their minds must differ a great deal,' said the Grand Lunar, 'or they would all want to do the same things.'
"In order to bring myself into a closer harmony with his preconceptions, I said that his surmise119 was right. 'It was all hidden in the brain,' I said; 'but the difference was there. Perhaps if one could see the minds and souls of men they would be as varied120 and unequal as the Selenites. There were great men and small men, men who could reach out far and wide, men who could go swiftly; noisy, trumpet-minded men, and men who could remember without thinking....'"
[The record is indistinct for three words.]
"He interrupted me to recall me to my previous statements. 'But you said all men rule?' he pressed.
"'To a certain extent,' I said, and made, I fear, a denser fog with my explanation.
"He reached out to a salient fact. 'Do you mean,' asked, 'that there is no Grand Earthly?'
"I thought of several people, but assured him finally there was none. I explained that such autocrats121 and emperors as we had tried upon earth had usually ended in drink, or vice122, or violence, and that the large and influential123 section of the people of the earth to which I belonged, the Anglo-Saxons, did not mean to try that sort of thing again. At which the Grand Lunar was even more amazed.
"'But how do you keep even such wisdom as you have?' he asked; and I explained to him the way we helped our limited"
[A word omitted here, probably "brains."]
"with libraries of books. I explained to him how our science was growing by the united labours of innumerable little men, and on that he made no comment save that it was evident we had mastered much in spite of our social savagery124, or we could not have come to the moon. Yet the contrast was very marked. With knowledge the Selenites grew and changed; mankind stored their knowledge about them and remained brutes--equipped. He said this..."
[Here there is a short piece of the record indistinct.]
"He then caused me to describe how we went about this earth of ours, and I described to him our railways and ships. For a time he could not understand that we had had the use of steam only one hundred years, but when he did he was clearly amazed. (I may mention as a singular thing, that the Selenites use years to count by, just as we do on earth, though I can make nothing of their numeral system. That, however, does not matter, because Phi-oo understands ours.) From that I went on to tell him that mankind had dwelt in cities only for nine or ten thousand years, and that we were still not united in one brotherhood125, but under many different forms of government. This astonished the Grand Lunar very much, when it was made clear to him. At first he thought we referred merely to administrative126 areas.
"'Our States and Empires are still the rawest sketches127 of what order will some day be,' I said, and so I came to tell him...."
[At this point a length of record that probably represents thirty or forty words is totally illegible.]
"The Grand Lunar was greatly impressed by the folly128 of men in clinging to the inconvenience of diverse tongues. 'They want to communicate, and yet not to communicate,' he said, and then for a long time he questioned me closely concerning war.
"He was at first perplexed129 and incredulous. 'You mean to say,' he asked, seeking confirmation130, 'that you run about over the surface of your world--this world, whose riches you have scarcely begun to scrape--killing131 one another for beasts to eat?'
"I told him that was perfectly correct.
"He asked for particulars to assist his imagination.
"'But do not ships and your poor little cities get injured?' he asked, and I found the waste of property and conveniences seemed to impress him almost as much as the killing. 'Tell me more,' said the Grand Lunar; 'make me see pictures. I cannot conceive these things.'
"And so, for a space, though something loath132, I told him the story of earthly War.
"I told him of the first orders and ceremonies of war, of warnings and ultimatums133, and the marshalling and marching of troops. I gave him an idea of manoeuvres and positions and battle joined. I told him of sieges and assaults, of starvation and hardship in trenches134, and of sentinels freezing in the snow. I told him of routs135 and surprises, and desperate last stands and faint hopes, and the pitiless pursuit of fugitives136 and the dead upon the field. I told, too, of the past, of invasions and massacres137, of the Huns and Tartars, and the wars of Mahomet and the Caliphs, and of the Crusades. And as I went on, and Phi-oo translated, and the Selenites cooed and murmured in a steadily138 intensified139 emotion.
"I told them an ironclad could fire a shot of a ton twelve miles, and go through 20 feet of iron--and how we could steer140 torpedoes141 under water. I went on to describe a Maxim142 gun in action, and what I could imagine of the Battle of Colenso. The Grand Lunar was so incredulous that he interrupted the translation of what I had said in order to have my verification of my account. They particularly doubted my description of the men cheering and rejoicing as they went into battle.
"'But surely they do not like it!' translated Phi-oo.
"I assured them men of my race considered battle the most glorious experience of life, at which the whole assembly was stricken with amazement143.
"'But what good is this war?' asked the Grand Lunar, sticking to his theme.
"'Oh! as for _good_!' said I; 'it thins the population!'
"'But why should there be a need--?'
"There came a pause, the cooling sprays impinged upon his brow, and then he spoke144 again."
[At this point a series of undulations that have been apparent as a perplexing complication as far back as Cavor's description of the silence that fell before the first speaking of the Grand Lunar become confusingly predominant in the record. These undulations are evidently the result of radiations proceeding145 from a lunar source, and their persistent146 approximation to the alternating signals of Cavor is curiously147 suggestive of some operator deliberately148 seeking to mix them in with his message and render it illegible. At first they are small and regular, so that with a little care and the loss of very few words we have been able to disentangle Cavor's message; then they become broad and larger, then suddenly they are irregular, with an irregularity that gives the effect at last of some one scribbling149 through a line of writing. For a long time nothing can be made of this madly zigzagging150 trace; then quite abruptly151 the interruption ceases, leaves a few words clear, and then resumes and continues for the rest of the message, completely obliterating152 whatever Cavor was attempting to transmit. Why, if this is indeed a deliberate intervention153, the Selenites should have preferred to let Cavor go on transmitting his message in happy ignorance of their obliteration154 of its record, when it was clearly quite in their power and much more easy and convenient for them to stop his proceedings155 at any time, is a problem to which I can contribute nothing. The thing seems to have happened so, and that is all I can say. This last rag of his description of the Grand Lunar begins in mid-sentence.]
"...interrogated156 me very closely upon my secret. I was able in a little while to get to an understanding with them, and at last to elucidate157 what has been a puzzle to me ever since I realised the vastness of their science, namely, how it is they themselves have never discovered 'Cavorite.' I find they know of it as a theoretical substance, but they have always regarded it as a practical impossibility, because for some reason there is no helium in the moon, and helium..."
[Across the last letters of helium slashes158 the resumption of that obliterating trace. Note that word "secret," for that, and that alone, I base my interpretation159 of the message that follows, the last message, as both Mr. Wendigee and myself now believe it to be, that he is ever likely to send us.]
收听单词发音 |
1
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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illegible
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| adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的 | |
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denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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excavations
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| n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹 | |
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gapes
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| v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的第三人称单数 )；张开，张大 | |
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olfactory
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| adj.嗅觉的 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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yelped
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| v.发出短而尖的叫声( yelp的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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poised
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| a.摆好姿势不动的 | |
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sinuous
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| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
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cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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13
stolid
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| adj.无动于衷的，感情麻木的 | |
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14
ductile
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| adj.易延展的，柔软的 | |
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15
meshed
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| 有孔的，有孔眼的，啮合的 | |
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heralds
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| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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bray
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| n.驴叫声, 喇叭声；v.驴叫 | |
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19
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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ushers
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| n.引座员( usher的名词复数 )；招待员；门房；助理教员v.引，领，陪同( usher的第三人称单数 ) | |
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galaxy
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| n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物) | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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encyclopedia
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| n.百科全书 | |
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elegance
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| n.优雅；优美，雅致；精致，巧妙 | |
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vehement
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| adj.感情强烈的；热烈的；(人)有强烈感情的 | |
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scented
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| adj.有香味的；洒香水的；有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
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fungus
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| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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cavern
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| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
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caverns
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| 大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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vividly
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| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
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irrational
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| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
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subdue
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| vt.制服，使顺从，征服；抑制，克制 | |
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34
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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35
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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36
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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39
predecessor
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| n.前辈，前任 | |
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40
haze
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| n.霾，烟雾；懵懂，迷糊；vi.(over)变模糊 | |
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41
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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artistic
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| adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的 | |
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43
dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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44
serene
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| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
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45
flannel
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| n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服 | |
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46
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 | |
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47
bristles
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| 短而硬的毛发，刷子毛( bristle的名词复数 ) | |
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48
conspicuously
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| ad.明显地，惹人注目地 | |
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49
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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50
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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51
injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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52
expedient
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| adj.有用的，有利的；n.紧急的办法，权宜之计 | |
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53
improvised
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| a.即席而作的,即兴的 | |
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54
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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56
metallic
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| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
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57
vista
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| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
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58
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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59
exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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60
relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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61
incandescent
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| adj.遇热发光的， 白炽的，感情强烈的 | |
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62
fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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63
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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64
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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65
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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66
minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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67
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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68
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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69
shrieks
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| n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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70
throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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71
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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72
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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73
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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74
opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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75
writhing
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| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
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76
dwarfed
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| vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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77
intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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78
swollen
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| adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀 | |
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79
dwindle
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| v.逐渐变小（或减少） | |
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80
climax
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| n.顶点；高潮；v.(使)达到顶点 | |
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81
scrutiny
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| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
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82
unreasonable
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| adj.不讲道理的，不合情理的，过度的 | |
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83
symbolical
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| a.象征性的 | |
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84
dexterous
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| adj.灵敏的；灵巧的 | |
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85
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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86
pane
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| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
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87
attentively
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| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
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88
jaw
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| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
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89
glistening
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| adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 ) | |
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90
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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91
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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92
complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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93
speculation
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| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
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94
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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95
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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96
astronomical
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| adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的 | |
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97
detailed
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| adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的 | |
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98
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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99
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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100
marvel
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| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
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101
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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102
discomfort
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| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
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103
reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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104
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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105
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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106
expounded
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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107
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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108
vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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109
inversion
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| n.反向，倒转，倒置 | |
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110
reverted
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| 恢复( revert的过去式和过去分词 )； 重提； 回到…上； 归还 | |
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111
analogous
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| adj.相似的；类似的 | |
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112
intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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113
exertions
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| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
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114
deadlock
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| n.僵局，僵持 | |
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115
transcribe
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| v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录 | |
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116
unreasonableness
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| 无理性； 横逆 | |
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117
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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118
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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119
surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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120
varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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121
autocrats
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| n.独裁统治者( autocrat的名词复数 )；独断专行的人 | |
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122
vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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123
influential
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| adj.有影响的，有权势的 | |
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124
savagery
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| n.野性 | |
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125
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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126
administrative
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| adj.行政的，管理的 | |
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127
sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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128
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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129
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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130
confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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131
killing
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| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
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132
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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133
ultimatums
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| 最后通牒( ultimatum的名词复数 ) | |
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134
trenches
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| 深沟，地沟( trench的名词复数 )； 战壕 | |
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135
routs
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| n.打垮，赶跑( rout的名词复数 )；（体育）打败对方v.打垮，赶跑( rout的第三人称单数 )；（体育）打败对方 | |
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136
fugitives
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| n.亡命者，逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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137
massacres
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| 大屠杀( massacre的名词复数 )； 惨败 | |
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138
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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139
intensified
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| v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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140
steer
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| vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶 | |
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141
torpedoes
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| 鱼雷( torpedo的名词复数 )； 油井爆破筒； 刺客； 掼炮 | |
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142
maxim
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| n.格言，箴言 | |
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143
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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144
spoke
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| 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 | |
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145
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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146
persistent
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| adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的 | |
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147
curiously
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| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
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148
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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149
scribbling
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| n.乱涂[写]胡[乱]写的文章[作品]v.潦草的书写( scribble的现在分词 )；乱画；草草地写；匆匆记下 | |
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150
zigzagging
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| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
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151
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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152
obliterating
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| v.除去( obliterate的现在分词 )；涂去；擦掉；彻底破坏或毁灭 | |
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153
intervention
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| n.介入，干涉，干预 | |
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154
obliteration
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| n.涂去，删除；管腔闭合 | |
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155
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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156
interrogated
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| v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 )；审问；（在计算机或其他机器上）查询 | |
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157
elucidate
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| v.阐明，说明 | |
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158
slashes
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| n.（用刀等）砍( slash的名词复数 )；（长而窄的）伤口；斜杠；撒尿v.挥砍( slash的第三人称单数 )；鞭打；割破；削减 | |
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159
interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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