“A populous1 solitude2 of bees and birds
And fairy-formed and many-coloured things.”
BYRON.
Was ever a more glorious season for butterflies, and, alas3! be it said, for sand and fruit and other flies of humble4 bearing but questionable5 character?
Light-hearted, purely6 ornamental8 insects, sober and industrious9, ugly, mischievous10, destructive, all have revelled11 — and the butterfly brings the art of inconsequent revelling12 to the acme13 of perfection — in the comparatively dry air, in the glowing skies, and in the succession of serene14 days. Moreover there has been no off-hand, untimely destruction of the nectariferous blossoms of millions of trees and shrubs15. Frail16 as some flowers are, others linger long if unmolested by profane17 winds, offering a protracted18 feast of honey, pure and full-flavoured. The light sprinklings of rain have served to freshen the air and moisten the soil without diluting19 the syrupy richness of floral distillations. All the generous output has been over-proof.
Gaudy20 insects, intoxicated21 and sensuous22, have feasted and flirted23 throughout the hours of daylight, and certain prim24 moths25, sonorous26 of flight, find subtly scented28 blossoms keeping open house for them the livelong night.
Let others vex29 their souls and mutter the oddest sorts of imprecations because the fruit-fly cradles its pampered30 young in the juiciest of their oranges. Me it shall content to watch butterflies sip31 the nerve-shaking nectar of the paper-barks, and in their rowdy flight cut delirious32 scrolls33 against the unsullied sky.
Shall not I, too, glory in the superb season, and its scented tranquillity34? Even though but casual glances are bestowed35 on the dainty settings of the pages on which Nature illustrates36 her brief but brilliant histories, understanding little, if aught, of her deeper mysteries, but thankful for the frankness and unaffectedness of their presentation — shall not I find abundance of sumptuous37 colour and grace of form for my enjoyment38, and for my pondering texts without number?
What more fantastic scene than the love-making of the great green and gold and black Cassandra — that gem39 among Queensland butterflies-when four saucy40 gallants dance attendance on one big, buxom42, sober-hued damsel of the species, and weave about her aerial true lovers’ knots, living chains, festoons, and intricate spirals, displaying each his bravest feathers, and seeking to dazzle the idol43 of the moment with audacious agility44, and the beauty of complex curves and contours fluid as billows?
The red rays of the Umbrella-tree afford a rich setting to the scene. The rival lovers twirl and twist and reel as she — the prude — flits with tremulous wings from red knob to red knob — daintily sampling the spangles of nectar.
Not of these living jewels in general, but of one in particular, were these lines intended to refer — the great high-flying Ulysses, first observed in Australia on this very island over half a century ago. It was but a passing gleam, for the visiting scientist lamented45 that it flew so high over the treetops that he failed to obtain the specimen46. True to name, the Ulysses still flies high, and wide — a lustrous47 royal blue with black trimmings and dandified tails to his wings that answer the dual48 purpose of use and ornament7.
When Ulysses stops in his wanderings for refreshment49 he hides his gorgeous colouring, assuming similitude to a brown, weather-beaten leaf, and then the tails complete the illusion by becoming an idealistic stalk. He is one of the few, among gaily50 painted butterflies that certain birds like and hawk51 for. When in full flight, by swift swerves53 and doubles, he generally manages to evade54 his enemies, but during moments of preoccupation is compelled to adopt a protective disguise.
As the boat floated with the current among the bobbing, slender spindles of the mangroves — youthful plants on a voyage of discovery for new lands — there appeared a brown mottled leaf on the surface. A second glance revealed a dead Ulysses — an adventurous57 creature which had succumbed58 to temporary weakness during a more than usually ambitious maritime59 excursion. Here was a flawless specimen, for the wings of butterflies, in common with the fronds60 of some delicate ferns, have the property of repelling61 water, and do not readily become sodden62, But as I essayed to take it up tenderly the wings boldly opened, displaying just the tone of vivid blue for which the silvery sea was an ideal setting.
It was sad to be weary and to fail; to experience gradual but inevitable63 collapse64; to flop65 helplessly to the water to drown; but the lightest touch of the hand of man was a fate less endurable — too, frightful66 by far to submit to without a struggle. So, with a grand effort the great insect rose; and the sea, reluctant to part with such a rare jewel, retained in brown, dust-like feathers the pattern of the mottling of the under surface of the wings. What finicking dilettantism67 — was ever such “antic, lisping, affecting fantastico?”— that rough Neptune68, who in blind fury bombards the stubborn beaches with blocks of coral, should be delicately susceptible69 to the downy print of a butterfly’s wings!
Though languid and weary, the butterfly was resolute70 in the enjoyment of the sweetness of life, Its flight, usually bold, free, and aspiring71, was now clumsy, wavering, erratic72. Three-quarters of a mile away was an islet. Some comely73 instinct guided it thitherwards, sometimes staggering low over the water, sometimes flitting splendidly high until distance and the glowing sky absorbed it.
My, course lay past the islet, and I stood in the boat that I might see the coral patches slipping past beneath, the shoals of tiny fish, and the swift-flying terns, the broad shield of the sea, and the purple mountains. Close to the islet what I took to be the tip of a shark’s fin27 appeared. It seemed to be cutting quick circles, rising and dipping as does the dorsal74 fin when a shark is closely following, or actually bolting its prey75. As the boat approached, the insignia of a voracious76 shark changed to the spent Ulysses, making forlorn and ineffectual efforts to rise. Once again, however, the fearsome presence of man inspired a virile77 impulse. Ulysses rose, flapping wildly and unsteadily but with gallant41 purpose. The islet was barely twenty yards away. Would the brave and lovely emblem78 of gaiety reach it and rest? It rose higher and higher in lurching spirals, and having gained the necessary elevation79, swooped80 superbly for the sanctuary81 of the tree-lined beach.
Rest and safety at last! But at that moment ironic82 Fate — having twice averted83 drowning, twice waved off the hand of man — flashed out in the guise55 of a twittering wood swallow. In the last stage of exhaustion84 no evading85 swerve52 was possible.
Two blue wings on the snow-white coral marked where the wanderings of Ulysses had ended, while at the corner of the little cove56 a dozen heedless Cassandras rioted amongst the rays of the umbrella-tree in curves and swoops86 of giddy flight.
点击收听单词发音
1 populous | |
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 questionable | |
adj.可疑的,有问题的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 purely | |
adv.纯粹地,完全地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 ornament | |
v.装饰,美化;n.装饰,装饰物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 ornamental | |
adj.装饰的;作装饰用的;n.装饰品;观赏植物 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 industrious | |
adj.勤劳的,刻苦的,奋发的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 mischievous | |
adj.调皮的,恶作剧的,有害的,伤人的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 revelled | |
v.作乐( revel的过去式和过去分词 );狂欢;着迷;陶醉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 revelling | |
v.作乐( revel的现在分词 );狂欢;着迷;陶醉 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 acme | |
n.顶点,极点 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 shrubs | |
灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 frail | |
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 profane | |
adj.亵神的,亵渎的;vt.亵渎,玷污 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 protracted | |
adj.拖延的;延长的v.拖延“protract”的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 diluting | |
稀释,冲淡( dilute的现在分词 ); 削弱,使降低效果 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 gaudy | |
adj.华而不实的;俗丽的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 intoxicated | |
喝醉的,极其兴奋的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 sensuous | |
adj.激发美感的;感官的,感觉上的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 flirted | |
v.调情,打情骂俏( flirt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 prim | |
adj.拘泥形式的,一本正经的;n.循规蹈矩,整洁;adv.循规蹈矩地,整洁地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 moths | |
n.蛾( moth的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 sonorous | |
adj.响亮的,回响的;adv.圆润低沉地;感人地;n.感人,堂皇 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 fin | |
n.鳍;(飞机的)安定翼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 scented | |
adj.有香味的;洒香水的;有气味的v.嗅到(scent的过去分词) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 vex | |
vt.使烦恼,使苦恼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 pampered | |
adj.饮食过量的,饮食奢侈的v.纵容,宠,娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 sip | |
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 delirious | |
adj.不省人事的,神智昏迷的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
33 scrolls | |
n.(常用于录写正式文件的)纸卷( scroll的名词复数 );卷轴;涡卷形(装饰);卷形花纹v.(电脑屏幕上)从上到下移动(资料等),卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 );(似卷轴般)卷起;(像展开卷轴般地)将文字显示于屏幕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 tranquillity | |
n. 平静, 安静 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 bestowed | |
赠给,授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 illustrates | |
给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 ); 说明; 表明; (用示例、图画等)说明 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 sumptuous | |
adj.豪华的,奢侈的,华丽的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 gem | |
n.宝石,珠宝;受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 saucy | |
adj.无礼的;俊俏的;活泼的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 buxom | |
adj.(妇女)丰满的,有健康美的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 idol | |
n.偶像,红人,宠儿 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 agility | |
n.敏捷,活泼 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 lamented | |
adj.被哀悼的,令人遗憾的v.(为…)哀悼,痛哭,悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 specimen | |
n.样本,标本 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 lustrous | |
adj.有光泽的;光辉的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 dual | |
adj.双的;二重的,二元的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 refreshment | |
n.恢复,精神爽快,提神之事物;(复数)refreshments:点心,茶点 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 gaily | |
adv.欢乐地,高兴地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 hawk | |
n.鹰,骗子;鹰派成员 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 swerve | |
v.突然转向,背离;n.转向,弯曲,背离 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 swerves | |
n.(使)改变方向,改变目的( swerve的名词复数 )v.(使)改变方向,改变目的( swerve的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 evade | |
vt.逃避,回避;避开,躲避 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 guise | |
n.外表,伪装的姿态 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 cove | |
n.小海湾,小峡谷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 adventurous | |
adj.爱冒险的;惊心动魄的,惊险的,刺激的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
58 succumbed | |
不再抵抗(诱惑、疾病、攻击等)( succumb的过去式和过去分词 ); 屈从; 被压垮; 死 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
59 maritime | |
adj.海的,海事的,航海的,近海的,沿海的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
60 fronds | |
n.蕨类或棕榈类植物的叶子( frond的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
61 repelling | |
v.击退( repel的现在分词 );使厌恶;排斥;推开 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
62 sodden | |
adj.浑身湿透的;v.使浸透;使呆头呆脑 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
63 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
64 collapse | |
vi.累倒;昏倒;倒塌;塌陷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
65 flop | |
n.失败(者),扑通一声;vi.笨重地行动,沉重地落下 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
66 frightful | |
adj.可怕的;讨厌的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
67 dilettantism | |
n.业余的艺术爱好,浅涉文艺,浅薄涉猎 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
68 Neptune | |
n.海王星 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
69 susceptible | |
adj.过敏的,敏感的;易动感情的,易受感动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
70 resolute | |
adj.坚决的,果敢的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
71 aspiring | |
adj.有志气的;有抱负的;高耸的v.渴望;追求 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
72 erratic | |
adj.古怪的,反复无常的,不稳定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
73 comely | |
adj.漂亮的,合宜的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
74 dorsal | |
adj.背部的,背脊的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
75 prey | |
n.被掠食者,牺牲者,掠食;v.捕食,掠夺,折磨 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
76 voracious | |
adj.狼吞虎咽的,贪婪的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
77 virile | |
adj.男性的;有男性生殖力的;有男子气概的;强有力的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
78 emblem | |
n.象征,标志;徽章 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
79 elevation | |
n.高度;海拔;高地;上升;提高 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
80 swooped | |
俯冲,猛冲( swoop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
81 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
82 ironic | |
adj.讽刺的,有讽刺意味的,出乎意料的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
83 averted | |
防止,避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 ); 转移 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
84 exhaustion | |
n.耗尽枯竭,疲惫,筋疲力尽,竭尽,详尽无遗的论述 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
85 evading | |
逃避( evade的现在分词 ); 避开; 回避; 想不出 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
86 swoops | |
猛扑,突然下降( swoop的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |