The palace of the Sun stood reared aloft on columns, glittering with gold and precious stones, while polished ivory formed the ceilings, and silver the doors. The workmanship surpassed the material;[7] for upon the walls Vulcan had represented earth, sea, and skies, with their inhabitants. In the sea were the nymphs, some sporting in the waves, some riding on the backs of fishes, while others sat upon the rocks and dried their sea-green hair. Their faces were not all alike, nor yet unlike,—but such as sisters’ ought to be.[8] The earth had its towns and forests and rivers and rustic4 divinities. Over all was carved the likeness5 of the glorious heaven; and on the silver doors the twelve signs of the zodiac, six on each side.
Clymene’s son advanced up the steep ascent6, and entered the halls of his disputed father. He approached the paternal7 presence, but stopped at a distance, for the light was more than he could bear. Ph?bus, arrayed in a purple vesture, sat on a throne, which glittered as with diamonds. On his right hand and his left stood the Day, the Month, and the Year, and, at regular intervals8, the Hours. Spring stood with her head crowned with flowers, and Summer, with garment cast aside, and a garland formed of spears of ripened9 grain, and Autumn, with his feet stained with grape-juice, and icy Winter, with his hair stiffened10 with hoar frost. Surrounded by these attendants, the Sun, with the eye that sees everything, beheld11 the youth dazzled with the novelty and splendor12 of the scene, and inquired the purpose of his errand. The youth replied, “O light of the boundless13 world, Ph?bus, my father,—if you permit me to use that name,—give me some proof, I beseech14 you, by which I may be known as yours.” He ceased; and his father, laying aside the beams that shone all around his head, bade him approach, and embracing him, said, “My son, you deserve not to be disowned, and I confirm what your mother has told you. To put an end to your doubts, ask what you will, the gift shall be yours. I call to witness that dreadful lake, which I never saw, but which we gods swear by in our most solemn engagements.” Pha?ton immediately asked to be permitted for one day to drive the chariot of the sun. The father repented15 of his promise; thrice and four times he shook his radiant head in warning. “I have spoken rashly,” said he; “this only request I would fain deny. I beg you to withdraw it. It is not a safe boon17, nor one, my Pha?ton, suited to your youth and strength. Your lot is mortal, and you ask what is beyond a mortal’s power. In your ignorance you aspire18 to do that which not even the gods themselves may do. None but myself may drive the flaming car of day. Not even Jupiter, whose terrible right arm hurls19 the thunderbolts. The first part of the way is steep, and such as the horses when fresh in the morning can hardly climb; the middle is high up in the heavens, whence I myself can scarcely, without alarm, look down and behold the earth and sea stretched beneath me. The last part of the road descends20 rapidly, and requires most careful driving. Tethys, who is waiting to receive me, often trembles for me lest I should fall headlong. Add to all this, the heaven is all the time turning round and carrying the stars with it. I have to be perpetually on my guard lest that movement, which sweeps everything else along, should hurry me also away. Suppose I should lend you the chariot, what would you do? Could you keep your course while the sphere was revolving21 under you? Perhaps you think that there are forests and cities, the abodes22 of gods, and palaces and temples on the way. On the contrary, the road is through the midst of frightful23 monsters. You pass by the horns of the Bull, in front of the Archer24, and near the Lion’s jaws25, and where the Scorpion26 stretches its arms in one direction and the Crab27 in another. Nor will you find it easy to guide those horses, with their breasts full of fire that they breathe forth from their mouths and nostrils28. I can scarcely govern them myself, when they are unruly and resist the reins29. Beware, my son, lest I be the donor30 of a fatal gift; recall your request while yet you may. Do you ask me for a proof that you are sprung from my blood? I give you a proof in my fears for you. Look at my face—I would that you could look into my breast, you would there see all a father’s anxiety. Finally,” he continued, “look round the world and choose whatever you will of what earth or sea contains most precious—ask it and fear no refusal. This only I pray you not to urge. It is not honor, but destruction you seek. Why do you hang round my neck and still entreat31 me? You shall have it if you persist,—the oath is sworn and must be kept,—but I beg you to choose more wisely.”
He ended; but the youth rejected all admonition and held to his demand. So, having resisted as long as he could, Ph?bus at last led the way to where stood the lofty chariot.
It was of gold, the gift of Vulcan; the axle was of gold, the pole and wheels of gold, the spokes32 of silver. Along the seat were rows of chrysolites and diamonds which reflected all around the brightness of the sun. While the daring youth gazed in admiration33, the early Dawn threw open the purple doors of the east, and showed the pathway strewn with roses. The stars withdrew, marshalled by the Day-star, which last of all retired34 also. The father, when he saw the earth beginning to glow, and the Moon preparing to retire, ordered the Hours to harness up the horses. They obeyed, and led forth from the lofty stalls the steeds full fed with ambrosia35, and attached the reins. Then the father bathed the face of his son with a powerful unguent36, and made him capable of enduring the brightness of the flame. He set the rays on his head, and, with a foreboding sigh, said, “If, my son, you will in this at least heed37 my advice, spare the whip and hold tight the reins. They go fast enough of their own accord; the labor is to hold them in. You are not to take the straight road directly between the five circles, but turn off to the left. Keep within the limit of the middle zone, and avoid the northern and the southern alike. You will see the marks of the wheels, and they will serve to guide you. And, that the skies and the earth may each receive their due share of heat, go not too high, or you will burn the heavenly dwellings38, nor too low, or you will set the earth on fire; the middle course is safest and best.[9] And now I leave you to your chance, which I hope will plan better for you than you have done for yourself. Night is passing out of the western gates and we can delay no longer. Take the reins; but if at last your heart fails you, and you will benefit by my advice, stay where you are in safety, and suffer me to light and warm the earth.” The agile39 youth sprang into the chariot, stood erect40, and grasped the reins with delight, pouring out thanks to his reluctant parent.
Meanwhile the horses fill the air with their snortings and fiery41 breath, and stamp the ground impatient. Now the bars are let down, and the boundless plain of the universe lies open before them. They dart42 forward and cleave43 the opposing clouds, and outrun the morning breezes which started from the same eastern goal. The steeds soon perceived that the load they drew was lighter44 than usual; and as a ship without ballast is tossed hither and thither45 on the sea, so the chariot, without its accustomed weight, was dashed about as if empty. They rush headlong and leave the travelled road. He is alarmed, and knows not how to guide them; nor, if he knew, has he the power. Then, for the first time, the Great and Little Bear were scorched46 with heat, and would fain, if it were possible, have plunged47 into the water; and the Serpent which lies coiled up round the north pole, torpid48 and harmless, grew warm, and with warmth felt its rage revive. Bo?tes, they say, fled away, though encumbered49 with his plough, and all unused to rapid motion.
When hapless Pha?ton looked down upon the earth, now spreading in vast extent beneath him, he grew pale and his knees shook with terror. In spite of the glare all around him, the sight of his eyes grew dim. He wished he had never touched his father’s horses, never learned his parentage, never prevailed in his request. He is borne along like a vessel50 that flies before a tempest, when the pilot can do no more and betakes himself to his prayers. What shall he do? Much of the heavenly road is left behind, but more remains51 before. He turns his eyes from one direction to the other; now to the goal whence he began his course, now to the realms of sunset which he is not destined52 to reach. He loses his self-command, and knows not what to do,—whether to draw tight the reins or throw them loose; he forgets the names of the horses. He sees with terror the monstrous53 forms scattered54 over the surface of heaven. Here the Scorpion extended his two great arms, with his tail and crooked55 claws stretching over two signs of the zodiac. When the boy beheld him, reeking56 with poison and menacing with his fangs57, his courage failed, and the reins fell from his hands. The horses, when they felt them loose on their backs, dashed headlong, and unrestrained went off into unknown regions of the sky, in among the stars, hurling58 the chariot over pathless places, now up in high heaven, now down almost to the earth. The moon saw with astonishment59 her brother’s chariot running beneath her own. The clouds begin to smoke, and the mountain tops take fire; the fields are parched60 with heat, the plants wither61, the trees with their leafy branches burn, the harvest is ablaze62! But these are small things. Great cities perished, with their walls and towers; whole nations with their people were consumed to ashes! The forest-clad mountains burned, Athos and Taurus and Tmolus and ?te; Ida, once celebrated63 for fountains, but now all dry; the Muses’ mountain Helicon, and H?mus; ?tna, with fires within and without, and Parnassus, with his two peaks, and Rhodope, forced at last to part with his snowy crown. Her cold climate was no protection to Scythia, Caucasus burned, and Ossa and Pindus, and, greater than both, Olympus; the Alps high in air, and the Apennines crowned with clouds.
Then Pha?ton beheld the world on fire, and felt the heat intolerable. The air he breathed was like the air of a furnace and full of burning ashes, and the smoke was of a pitchy darkness. He dashed forward he knew not whither. Then, it is believed, the people of ?thiopia became black by the blood being forced so suddenly to the surface, and the Libyan desert was dried up to the condition in which it remains to this day. The Nymphs of the fountains, with dishevelled hair, mourned their waters, nor were the rivers safe beneath their banks: Tanais smoked, and Caicus, Xanthus, and Meander64; Babylonian Euphrates and Ganges, Tagus with golden sands, and Ca?ster where the swans resort. Nile fled away and hid his head in the desert, and there it still remains concealed65. Where he used to discharge his waters through seven mouths into the sea, there seven dry channels alone remained. The earth cracked open, and through the chinks light broke into Tartarus, and frightened the king of shadows and his queen. The sea shrank up. Where before was water, it became a dry plain; and the mountains that lie beneath the waves lifted up their heads and became islands. The fishes sought the lowest depths, and the dolphins no longer ventured as usual to sport on the surface. Even Nereus, and his wife Doris, with the Nereids, their daughters, sought the deepest caves for refuge. Thrice Neptune66 essayed to raise his head above the surface, and thrice was driven back by the heat. Earth, surrounded as she was by waters, yet with head and shoulders bare, screening her face with her hand, looked up to heaven, and with a husky voice called on Jupiter:
“O ruler of the gods, if I have deserved this treatment, and it is your will that I perish with fire, why withhold67 your thunderbolts? Let me at least fall by your hand. Is this the reward of my fertility, of my obedient service? Is it for this that I have supplied herbage for cattle, and fruits for men, and frankincense for your altars? But if I am unworthy of regard, what has my brother Ocean done to deserve such a fate? If neither of us can excite your pity, think, I pray you, of your own heaven, and behold how both the poles are smoking which sustain your palace, which must fall if they be destroyed. Atlas68 faints, and scarce holds up his burden. If sea, earth, and heaven perish, we fall into ancient Chaos69. Save what yet remains to us from the devouring70 flame. O, take thought for our deliverance in this awful moment!”
Thus spoke16 Earth, and overcome with heat and thirst, could say no more. Then Jupiter omnipotent71, calling to witness all the gods, including him who had lent the chariot, and showing them that all was lost unless speedy remedy were applied72, mounted the lofty tower from whence he diffuses73 clouds over the earth, and hurls the forked lightnings. But at that time not a cloud was to be found to interpose for a screen to earth, nor was a shower remaining unexhausted. He thundered, and brandishing74 a lightning bolt in his right hand launched it against the charioteer, and struck him at the same moment from his seat and from existence! Pha?ton, with his hair on fire, fell headlong, like a shooting star which marks the heavens with its brightness as it falls, and Eridanus, the great river, received him and cooled his burning frame. The Italian Naiads reared a tomb for him, and inscribed75 these words upon the stone:
“Driver of Ph?bus’ chariot. Pha?ton,
Struck by Jove’s thunder, rests beneath this stone.
He could not rule his father’s car of fire,
Yet was it much so nobly to aspire.”[10]
His sisters, the Heliades, as they lamented76 his fate, were turned into poplar trees, on the banks of the river, and their tears, which continued to flow, became amber77 as they dropped into the stream.
Milman, in his poem of “Samor,” makes the following allusion78 to Pha?ton’s story:
“As when the palsied universe aghast
Lay . . . mute and still,
When drove, so poets sing, the Sun-born youth
Devious79 through Heaven’s affrighted signs his sire’s
Ill-granted chariot. Him the Thunderer hurled80
From th’ empyrean headlong to the gulf81
Of the half-parched Eridanus, where weep
Even now the sister trees their amber tears
O’er Pha?ton untimely dead.”
In the beautiful lines of Walter Savage82 Landor, descriptive of the Sea-shell, there is an allusion to the Sun’s palace and chariot. The water-nymph says:
“. . . I have sinuous83 shells of pearly hue84
Within, and things that lustre85 have imbibed86
In the sun’s palace porch, where when unyoked
His chariot wheel stands midway on the wave.
Shake one and it awakens87; then apply
Its polished lip to your attentive88 ear,
And it remembers its august abodes,
And murmurs89 as the ocean murmurs there.”
—Gebir, Book I.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
labor
|
|
| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
rustic
|
|
| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
likeness
|
|
| n.相像，相似（之处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
ascent
|
|
| n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
paternal
|
|
| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
intervals
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ripened
|
|
| v.成熟，使熟( ripen的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
stiffened
|
|
| 加强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
beheld
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
splendor
|
|
| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
boundless
|
|
| adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
beseech
|
|
| v.祈求，恳求 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
repented
|
|
| 对（自己的所为）感到懊悔或忏悔( repent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
spoke
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
boon
|
|
| n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
aspire
|
|
| vi.(to，after)渴望，追求，有志于 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
hurls
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
descends
|
|
| v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 )；下去；下降；下斜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
revolving
|
|
| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
abodes
|
|
| 住所( abode的名词复数 )； 公寓； （在某地的）暂住； 逗留 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
frightful
|
|
| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
archer
|
|
| n.射手，弓箭手 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
jaws
|
|
| n.口部；嘴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
crab
|
|
| n.螃蟹，偏航，脾气乖戾的人，酸苹果；vi.捕蟹，偏航，发牢骚；vt.使偏航，发脾气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
reins
|
|
| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
donor
|
|
| n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
entreat
|
|
| v.恳求，恳请 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
spokes
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条( spoke的名词复数 )；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
admiration
|
|
| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
retired
|
|
| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
ambrosia
|
|
| n.神的食物；蜂食 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
unguent
|
|
| n.（药）膏；润滑剂；滑油 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
heed
|
|
| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
dwellings
|
|
| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
agile
|
|
| adj.敏捷的，灵活的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
fiery
|
|
| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
dart
|
|
| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
cleave
|
|
| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
lighter
|
|
| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
thither
|
|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
scorched
|
|
| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
torpid
|
|
| adj.麻痹的，麻木的，迟钝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
encumbered
|
|
| v.妨碍，阻碍，拖累( encumber的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
destined
|
|
| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
monstrous
|
|
| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
reeking
|
|
| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
hurling
|
|
| n.爱尔兰式曲棍球v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的现在分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
parched
|
|
| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
wither
|
|
| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
ablaze
|
|
| adj.着火的，燃烧的；闪耀的，灯火辉煌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
celebrated
|
|
| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
meander
|
|
| n.河流的曲折，漫步，迂回旅行；v.缓慢而弯曲地流动，漫谈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
Neptune
|
|
| n.海王星 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
withhold
|
|
| v.拒绝，不给；使停止，阻挡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
atlas
|
|
| n.地图册，图表集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
chaos
|
|
| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
devouring
|
|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
omnipotent
|
|
| adj.全能的，万能的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
applied
|
|
| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
diffuses
|
|
| （使光）模糊，漫射，漫散( diffuse的第三人称单数 )； （使）扩散； （使）弥漫； （使）传播 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
brandishing
|
|
| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
inscribed
|
|
| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
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： |
|
|
|
|
77
amber
|
|
| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
allusion
|
|
| n.暗示，间接提示 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
devious
|
|
| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
hurled
|
|
| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
gulf
|
|
| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
savage
|
|
| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
sinuous
|
|
| adj.蜿蜒的，迂回的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
lustre
|
|
| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
imbibed
|
|
| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
awakens
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的第三人称单数 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
attentive
|
|
| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
murmurs
|
|
| n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 )；低语声；怨言；嘀咕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |