MY CASTLE.

 “I have a beautiful castle,

With towers and battlements fair;

And many a banner, with gay device,

Floats in the outer air.

“The walls are of solid silver;

The towers are of massive gold;

And the lights that stream from the windows

A royal scene unfold.

“Ah! could you but enter my castle,

With its pomp of regal sheen,

You would say that it far surpasses

The Palace of Aladeen;—

[35]

“Could you but enter as I do,

And pace through the vaulted¹ hall,

And mark the stately columns,

And the pictures on the wall;—

“With the costly² gems³ about them,

That send their light afar,

With a chaste⁴ and softened⁵ splendor⁶,

Like the light of a distant star!”

“And where is this wonderful castle,

With its rich emblazonings,

Whose pomp so far surpasses

The homes of the greatest kings?”

“Come out with me at morning,

And lie in the meadow-grass,

And lift your eyes to the ether blue,

And you will see it pass.

“There! can you not see the battlements;

And the turrets⁷ stately and high,

Whose lofty summits are tipped with clouds,

And lost in the arching sky?”

[36]

“Dear friend, you are only dreaming;

Your castle so stately and fair

Is only a fanciful structure,—

A castle in the air.”

“Perchance you are right. I know not

If a phantom⁸ it may be;

But yet, in my inmost heart, I feel

That it lives, and lives for me;—

“For, when clouds and darkness are round me,

And my heart is heavy with care,

I steal me away from the noisy crowd,

To dwell in my castle fair.

“There are servants to do my bidding;

There are servants to heed⁹ my call;

And I, with a master’s air of pride,

May pace through the vaulted hall.

“And I envy not the monarchs¹¹

With cities under their sway;

For am I not, in my own right,

A monarch¹⁰ as proud as they?

[37]

“What matter, then, if to others

My castle a phantom may be,

Since I feel, in the depth of my own heart,

That it is not so to me?”

1 vaulted   

adj.拱状的

参考例句：

• She vaulted over the gate and ran up the path. 她用手一撑跃过栅栏门沿着小路跑去。
• The formal living room has a fireplace and vaulted ceilings. 正式的客厅有一个壁炉和拱形天花板。

2 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

3 gems   

growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长

参考例句：

• a crown studded with gems 镶有宝石的皇冠
• The apt citations and poetic gems have adorned his speeches. 贴切的引语和珠玑般的诗句为他的演说词增添文采。

4 chaste   

adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的

参考例句：

• Comparatively speaking,I like chaste poetry better.相比较而言，我更喜欢朴实无华的诗。
• Tess was a chaste young girl.苔丝是一个善良的少女。

5 softened   

（使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰

参考例句：

• His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
• The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。

6 splendor   

n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌

参考例句：

• Never in his life had he gazed on such splendor.他生平从没有见过如此辉煌壮丽的场面。
• All the splendor in the world is not worth a good friend.人世间所有的荣华富贵不如一个好朋友。

7 turrets   

（六角）转台( turret的名词复数 )； （战舰和坦克等上的）转动炮塔； （摄影机等上的）镜头转台； （旧时攻城用的）塔车

参考例句：

• The Northampton's three turrets thundered out white smoke and pale fire. “诺思安普敦号”三座炮塔轰隆隆地冒出白烟和淡淡的火光。
• If I can get to the gun turrets, I'll have a chance. 如果我能走到炮塔那里，我就会赢得脱险的机会。

8 phantom   

n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的

参考例句：

• I found myself staring at her as if she were a phantom.我发现自己瞪大眼睛看着她，好像她是一个幽灵。
• He is only a phantom of a king.他只是有名无实的国王。

9 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

10 monarch   

n.帝王，君主，最高统治者

参考例句：

• The monarch's role is purely ceremonial.君主纯粹是个礼仪职位。
• I think myself happier now than the greatest monarch upon earth.我觉得这个时候比世界上什么帝王都快乐。

11 monarchs   

君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Monarchs ruled England for centuries. 世袭君主统治英格兰有许多世纪。
• Serving six monarchs of his native Great Britain, he has served all men's freedom and dignity. 他在大不列颠本国为六位君王服务，也为全人类的自由和尊严服务。 来自演讲部分