BERTHA’S CHRISTMAS VISION.

 It was the night before Christmas. Snow was falling without; and the wind dashed the cold flakes¹, in eddying² whirls, into the faces of those wayfarers³ whom business or pleasure kept out thus late. They drew their warm garments more closely about them, and hurried onward⁴; little heeding⁵ the pelting⁶ of the storm while the vision of a cheerful hearth⁷ and a merry family circle danced before their eyes and warmed their hearts. Merry St. Nicholas, too, the patron saint of children, was abroad. It was a busy night with him. Thousands of parcels[56] must be made up, and showered down as many chimneys into expectant stockings, before the morrow’s dawn. So he gives the reins⁸ to his coursers, and speeds swiftly along,—

 

“through forest and brake;

Through deep, drifting snow; over river and lake;

Over hill, over dale, where the keen northern blast,

With fierce, angry moaning, drives fearfully past.”

In a large and pleasant room sat little Bertha, gazing thoughtfully into the fire. The fire crackled and burnt; and shadows, cast by its flickering⁹ light, danced on the wall. But little Bertha’s thoughts were far away, and she heeded¹⁰ them not. For many weeks, she had been looking forward to this very night; and now she was trying to conjecture¹¹ what gifts good St. Nicholas had in store for her. At length she grew weary of conjecture, took a lamp from the table, and went up stairs to bed. It was a neat little chamber¹²; and the counterpane on[57] Bertha’s bed rivalled in whiteness the falling snow without. Bertha looked out of the window, against the panes¹³ of which the snow was beating noisily.

 

“It is a cold night,” thought she. “St. Nicholas will have a hard time of it. What if he should not come at all?”

 

Bertha’s apprehensions¹⁴ were soon dispelled¹⁵; for, as she looked out, the sound of silvery bells came nearer and nearer, till at length it paused under her window, and, a moment afterwards, was heard in an opposite direction. Bertha rubbed her eyes, and strove to distinguish the sleigh from which these sounds proceeded; but she could distinguish nothing.

 

“Can it be St. Nicholas?” thought she.

 

Even as she spoke¹⁶, mingling¹⁷ with the sound of the retreating bells, she thought she could distinguish the words of a song. She listened attentively¹⁸; and these were the words which the wind bore to her:—

 

[58]

 

“The path I have chosen

Is covered with snow;

The streams are all frozen;

Yet onward I go.

“I glide¹⁹ o’er the mountain,

And skim o’er the lea;

I pass by the fountain;

Yet no eye can see—

“My form or my shadow

On snow-drift or mound²⁰,

On hill-top or meadow,

Or frost-spangled ground.

“While sleigh-bells are ringing

Upon the highway,

And glad parties singing

So thoughtless and gay,—

“I pass through and over

Each hamlet and hall

Ere mortals discover

Who gave them a call.

“I pause but to count o’er

The gifts for each one,

And then quickly mount o’er

The stile. I am gone!”

[59]

 

“That must certainly be Santa Claus,” thought Bertha. So she carefully hung up her stockings before the fire, and went to bed. She soon became tired of waiting for St. Nicholas to come; and, in a few minutes, she was asleep. But the thoughts of Christmas had taken fast hold of her mind, and, as she slept, shaped themselves into the following dream:—

 

She thought, that, as she was lying awake in her chamber, there appeared suddenly before her three figures, clad in white. Slowly they advanced, hand in hand, till they stood before her bedside. Then, with united voices, they chanted the following lines:—

 

“Maiden²¹, from the fields of air

We have winged our rapid flight,

Bringing gifts both rich and rare,

On this frosty Christmas night.

Guard them ever: they will be

Of exceeding worth to thee.”

[60]

 

They ceased; and Bertha, in great astonishment²², inquired,—

 

“What! are you St. Nicholas? Or,” she added, recollecting²³ herself, “perhaps you are his sisters?”

 

The visitors resumed their chant:—

 

“Maiden, no! Thy Christmas saint

Beareth gifts of mortal taint²⁴:

At the touch of sure decay

They shall vanish quite away.

Those we bear are not of earth:

Theirs has been a higher birth.”

The visitors ceased; and one of their number, coming forward, commenced anew:—

 

“I am Faith. To thee I bear

Childlike trust and confidence

In the ever-watchful care

Of our Father’s providence²⁵.

Maiden, one of sisters three,

This the gift I bear to thee.”

[61]

 

The second came forward, and repeated:—

 

“I am Hope. When darksome clouds

Gather round thy earthly way,

And Misfortune’s shadowy veil

Intercepts²⁶ the light of day,

I will come on wings of light:

Clouds and mist shall straightway fly,

And reveal the golden gates

Of a happier home on high.

Maiden, one of sisters three,

This the gift I bear to thee.”

Smiling graciously on the wondering Bertha, Hope drew back, and gave place to her sister, who commenced as follows:—

 

“I am Charity. Let me

Ever on thy steps attend,

And, as long as life shall last,

Be thy counsellor and friend.

In thy bosom²⁷ I would sow

Seeds of gentleness and love,

And, a resident of earth,

Fit thee for a home above.

Maiden, last of sisters three,

This the gift I bear to thee.”

[62]

 

Again the sisters joined hands, and, with united voices, chanted, as at first,—

 

“Maiden, from the fields of air

We have winged our rapid flight,

Bringing gifts both rich and rare,

On this frosty Christmas night.

Faith and Hope and Charity!

Earthly maiden, sisters three,

These the gifts we bear to thee.”

Their voices died away, and they were gone. Bertha opened her eyes, and, lo! it was all a vision that had come to her on this Christmas night. The morning sun was shining brightly through the window-panes. Noisily over the frozen snow dashed the sleighs; and their bells rang a merry peal²⁸ in honor of Christmas Day. Bertha glanced at the well-filled stockings that hung in front of the fire, and then she knew that St. Nicholas had been there with his budget of gifts; and the words sung by the sisters came into her mind:—

 

[63]

 

“Maiden, no! Thy Christmas saint

Beareth gifts of mortal taint.

Those we bear are not of earth:

Theirs has been a higher birth.”

“I will not forget the gifts of the good sisters,” she murmured softly. “Doubtless it is my heavenly Father who has sent them to me.”

 

So it was that little Bertha, attended by the three sisters, walked peacefully and happily through life.

 

The ways of God’s providence, so dark and mysterious to many, became plain and clear to her; for she saw with the eye of Faith. Clouds sometimes gathered about her path; but Hope waved her wand, and they were at once dispelled. Jealousy²⁹ and envy and angry thoughts disturbed her not; for her heart was filled with the heavenly spirit of Charity.

 

Would that we all might be blessed with Bertha’s Christmas vision!

1 flakes   

小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人

参考例句：

• It's snowing in great flakes. 天下着鹅毛大雪。
• It is snowing in great flakes. 正值大雪纷飞。

2 eddying   

涡流，涡流的形成

参考例句：

• The Rhine flowed on, swirling and eddying, at six or seven miles an hour. 莱茵河不断以每小时六、七哩的速度，滔滔滚流，波涛起伏。

3 wayfarers   

n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Days have been when wayfarers came here to wash their weary feet. 从前曾有过路人到这里来洗疲乏的脚。 来自互联网
• You are the way and the wayfarers. 你们是道路，也是行路者。 来自互联网

4 onward   

adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先

参考例句：

• The Yellow River surges onward like ten thousand horses galloping.黄河以万马奔腾之势滚滚向前。
• He followed in the steps of forerunners and marched onward.他跟随着先辈的足迹前进。

5 heeding   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This come of heeding people who say one thing and mean another! 有些人嘴里一回事，心里又是一回事，今天这个下场都是听信了这种人的话的结果。 来自辞典例句
• Her dwarfish spouse still smoked his cigar and drank his rum without heeding her. 她那矮老公还在吸他的雪茄，喝他的蔗酒，睬也不睬她。 来自辞典例句

6 pelting   

微不足道的，无价值的，盛怒的

参考例句：

• The rain came pelting down. 倾盆大雨劈头盖脸地浇了下来。
• Hailstones of abuse were pelting him. 阵阵辱骂冰雹般地向他袭来。

7 hearth   

n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面

参考例句：

• She came and sat in a chair before the hearth.她走过来，在炉子前面的椅子上坐下。
• She comes to the hearth,and switches on the electric light there.她走到壁炉那里，打开电灯。

8 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：

• She pulled gently on the reins. 她轻轻地拉着缰绳。
• The government has imposed strict reins on the import of luxury goods. 政府对奢侈品的进口有严格的控制手段。

9 flickering   

adj.闪烁的，摇曳的，一闪一闪的

参考例句：

• The crisp autumn wind is flickering away. 清爽的秋风正在吹拂。
• The lights keep flickering. 灯光忽明忽暗。

10 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 conjecture   

n./v.推测，猜测

参考例句：

• She felt it no use to conjecture his motives.她觉得猜想他的动机是没有用的。
• This conjecture is not supported by any real evidence.这种推测未被任何确切的证据所证实。

12 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

13 panes   

窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The sun caught the panes and flashed back at him. 阳光照到窗玻璃上，又反射到他身上。
• The window-panes are dim with steam. 玻璃窗上蒙上了一层蒸汽。

14 apprehensions   

疑惧

参考例句：

• He stood in a mixture of desire and apprehensions. 他怀着渴望和恐惧交加的心情伫立着。
• But subsequent cases have removed many of these apprehensions. 然而，随后的案例又消除了许多类似的忧虑。

15 dispelled   

v.驱散，赶跑( dispel的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His speech dispelled any fears about his health. 他的发言消除了人们对他身体健康的担心。
• The sun soon dispelled the thick fog. 太阳很快驱散了浓雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

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：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

17 mingling   

adj.混合的

参考例句：

• There was a spring of bitterness mingling with that fountain of sweets. 在这个甜蜜的源泉中间，已经掺和进苦涩的山水了。
• The mingling of inconsequence belongs to us all. 这场矛盾混和物是我们大家所共有的。

18 attentively   

adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神

参考例句：

• She listened attentively while I poured out my problems. 我倾吐心中的烦恼时，她一直在注意听。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She listened attentively and set down every word he said. 她专心听着，把他说的话一字不漏地记下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 glide   

n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝

参考例句：

• We stood in silence watching the snake glide effortlessly.我们噤若寒蝉地站着，眼看那条蛇逍遥自在地游来游去。
• So graceful was the ballerina that she just seemed to glide.那芭蕾舞女演员翩跹起舞，宛如滑翔。

20 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。

21 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

22 astonishment   

n.惊奇，惊异

参考例句：

• They heard him give a loud shout of astonishment.他们听见他惊奇地大叫一声。
• I was filled with astonishment at her strange action.我对她的奇怪举动不胜惊异。

23 recollecting   

v.记起，想起( recollect的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Once wound could heal slowly, my Bo Hui was recollecting. 曾经的伤口会慢慢地愈合，我卜会甾回忆。 来自互联网
• I am afraid of recollecting the life of past in the school. 我不敢回忆我在校过去的生活。 来自互联网

24 taint   

n.污点；感染；腐坏；v.使感染；污染

参考例句：

• Everything possible should be done to free them from the economic taint.应尽可能把他们从经济的腐蚀中解脱出来。
• Moral taint has spread among young people.道德的败坏在年轻人之间蔓延。

25 providence   

n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝

参考例句：

• It is tempting Providence to go in that old boat.乘那艘旧船前往是冒大险。
• To act as you have done is to fly in the face of Providence.照你的所作所为那样去行事，是违背上帝的意志的。

26 intercepts   

（数学）截距( intercept的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• It intercepts a portion of the light impinging on the photocell. 它遮住一部分照射在光电管上的光。
• The pelletfilter intercepts the particulate matter. 颗粒过滤器将颗粒物进行拦截。

27 bosom   

n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的

参考例句：

• She drew a little book from her bosom.她从怀里取出一本小册子。
• A dark jealousy stirred in his bosom.他内心生出一阵恶毒的嫉妒。

28 peal   

n.钟声；v.鸣响

参考例句：

• The bells of the cathedral rang out their loud peal.大教堂响起了响亮的钟声。
• A sudden peal of thunder leaves no time to cover the ears.迅雷不及掩耳。

29 jealousy   

n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌

参考例句：

• Some women have a disposition to jealousy.有些女人生性爱妒忌。
• I can't support your jealousy any longer.我再也无法忍受你的嫉妒了。