I sprang from him shuddering14, then halted and faced him. The hideous15 creature crept toward me, cringing16 and fawning17, making signs of humble18 goodwill19 and servile obeisance20. Again I recoiled— wrathfully, loathingly, turned my face homeward, and fled on. I thought I had baffled his chase, when, just at the mouth of the thicket, he dropped from a bough21 in my path close behind me. Before I could turn, some dark muffling22 substance fell between my sight and the sun, and I felt a fierce strain at my throat. But the words of Ayesha had warned me; with one rapid hand I seized the noose23 before it could tighten24 too closely, with the other I tore the bandage away from my eyes, and, wheeling round on the dastardly foe25, struck him down with one spurn26 of my foot. His hand, as he fell, relaxed its hold on the noose; I freed my throat from the knot, and sprang from the copse into the broad sunlit plain. I saw no more of the armed men or the Strangler. Panting and breathless, I paused at last before the fence, fragrant27 with blossoms, that divided my home from the solitude28.
The windows of Lilian's room were darkened; all within the house seemed still.
Darkened and silenced home, with the light and sounds of the jocund29 day all around it. Was there yet hope in the Universe for me? All to which I had trusted Hope had broken down; the anchors I had forged for her hold in the beds of the ocean, her stay from the drifts of the storm, had snapped like the reeds which pierce the side that leans on the barb30 of their points, and confides31 in the strength of their stems. No hope in the baffled resources of recognized knowledge! No hope in the daring adventures of Mind into regions unknown; vain alike the calm lore13 of the practiced physician, and the magical arts of the fated Enchanter! I had fled from the commonplace teachings of Nature, to explore in her Shadowland marvels32 at variance33 with reason. Made brave by the grandeur34 of love, I had opposed without quailing35 the stride of the Demon36, and my hope, when fruition seemed nearest, had been trodden into dust by the hoofs37 of the beast! And yet, all the while, I had scorned, as a dream, more wild than the word of a sorcerer, the hope that the old man and the child, the wise and the ignorant, took from their souls as inborn38. Man and fiend had alike failed a mind, not ignoble39, not skill-less, not abjectly40 craven; alike failed a heart not feeble and selfish, not dead to the hero's devotion, willing to shed every drop of its blood for a something more dear than an animal's life for itself! What remained—what remained for man's hope?—man's mind and man's heart thus exhausting their all with no other result but despair! What remained but the mystery of mysteries, so clear to the sunrise of childhood, the sunset of age, only dimmed by the clouds which collect round the noon of our manhood? Where yet was Hope found? In the soul; in its every-day impulse to supplicate41 comfort and light, from the Giver of soul, wherever the heart is afflicted42, the mind is obscured.
Then the words of Ayesha rushed over me: "What mourner can be consoled, if the dead die forever?" Through every pulse of my frame throbbed43 that dread44 question; all Nature around seemed to murmur45 it. And suddenly, as by a flash from heaven, the grand truth in Faber's grand reasoning shone on me, and lighted up all, within and without. Man alone, of all earthly creatures, asks, "Can the dead die forever?" and the instinct that urges the question is God's answer to man. No instinct is given in vain.
And born with the instinct of soul is the instinct that leads the soul from the seen to the unseen, from time to eternity46, from the torrent47 that foams48 toward the Ocean of Death, to the source of its stream, far aloft from the Ocean.
"Know thyself," said the Pythian of old. "That precept49 descended from Heaven." Know thyself! Is that maxim50 wise? If so, know thy soul. But never yet did man come to the thorough conviction of soul but what he acknowledged the sovereign necessity of prayer. In my awe51, in my rapture52, all my thoughts seemed enlarged and illumed and exalted53. I prayed—all my soul seemed one prayer. All my past, with its pride and presumption54 and folly55, grew distinct as the form of a penitent56, kneeling for pardon before setting forth on the pilgrimage vowed57 to a shrine58. And, sure now, in the deeps of a soul first revealed to myself, that the Dead do not die forever, my human love soared beyond its brief trial of terror and sorrow. Daring not to ask from Heaven's wisdom that Lilian, for my sake, might not yet pass away from the earth, I prayed that my soul might be fitted to bear with submission59 whatever my Maker60 might ordain61. And if surviving her—without whom no beam from yon material sun could ever warm into joy a morrow in human life—so to guide my steps that they might rejoin her at last, and in rejoining, regain62 forever!
How trivial now became the weird63 riddle64, that, a little while before, had been clothed in so solemn an awe! What mattered it to the vast interests involved in the clear recognition of Soul and Hereafter, whether or not my bodily sense, for a moment, obscured the face of the Nature I should one day behold65 as a spirit? Doubtless the sights and the sounds which had haunted the last gloomy night, the calm reason of Faber would strip of their magical seemings; the Eyes in the space and the Foot in the circle might be those of no terrible Demons66, but of the wild's savage67 children whom I had seen, halting, curious and mute, in the light of the morning. The tremor68 of the ground (if not, as heretofore, explicable by the illusory impression of my own treacherous69 senses) might be but the natural effect of elements struggling yet under a soil unmistakably charred70 by volcanoes. The luminous71 atoms dissolved in the caldron might as little be fraught72 with a vital elixir73 as are the splendors74 of naphtha or phosphor. As it was, the weird rite75 had no magic result. The magician was not rent limb from limb by the fiends. By causes as natural as ever extinguished life's spark in the frail76 lamp of clay, he had died out of sight—under the black veil.
What mattered henceforth to Faith, in its far grander questions and answers, whether Reason, in Faber, or Fancy, in me, supplied the more probable guess at a hieroglyph77 which, if construed78 aright, was but a word of small mark in the mystical language of Nature? If all the arts of enchantment79 recorded by Fable80 were attested81 by facts which Sages82 were forced to acknowledge, Sages would sooner or later find some cause for such portents—not supernatural. But what Sage83, without cause supernatural, both without and within him, can guess at the wonders he views in the growth of a blade of grass, or the tints84 on an insect's wing? Whatever art Man can achieve in his progress through time, Man's reason, in time, can suffice to explain. But the wonders of God? These belong to the Infinite; and these, O Immortal85! will but develop new wonder on wonder, though thy sight be a spirit's, and thy leisure to track and to solve an eternity.
As I raised my face from my clasped hands, my eyes fell full upon a form standing86 in the open doorway87. There, where on the night in which Lilian's long struggle for reason and life had begun, the Luminous Shadow had been beheld in the doubtful light of a dying moon and a yet hazy88 dawn; there, on the threshold, gathering89 round her bright locks the aureole of the glorious sun, stood Amy, the blessed child! And as I gazed, drawing nearer and nearer to the silenced house, and that Image of Peace on its threshold, I felt that Hope met me at the door—Hope in the child's steadfast90 eyes, Hope in the child's welcoming smile!
"I was at watch for you," whispered Amy. "All is well."
"She lives still—she lives! Thank God, thank God!"
"She lives—she will recover!" said another voice, as my head sunk on Faber's shoulder. "For some hours in the night her sleep was disturbed, convulsed. I feared, then, the worst. Suddenly, just before the dawn, she called out aloud, still in sleep:
"'The cold and dark shadow has passed away from me and from Allen— passed away from us both forever!'
"And from that moment the fever left her; the breathing became soft, the pulse steady, and the color stole gradually back to her cheek. The crisis is past. Nature's benign91 Disposer has permitted Nature to restore your life's gentle partner, heart to heart, mind to mind—"
"And soul to soul," I cried in my solemn joy. "Above as below, soul to soul!" Then, at a sign from Faber, the child took me by the hand and led me up the stairs into Lilian's room.
Again those dear arms closed around me in wifelike and holy love, and those true lips kissed away my tears—even as now, at the distance of years from that happy morn, while I write the last words of this Strange Story, the same faithful arms close around me, the same tender lips kiss away my tears.
点击收听单词发音
1 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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2 groves | |
树丛,小树林( grove的名词复数 ) | |
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3 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 | |
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4 erased | |
v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 );抹去;清除 | |
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5 wrecks | |
n.沉船( wreck的名词复数 );(事故中)遭严重毁坏的汽车(或飞机等);(身体或精神上)受到严重损伤的人;状况非常糟糕的车辆(或建筑物等)v.毁坏[毁灭]某物( wreck的第三人称单数 );使(船舶)失事,使遇难,使下沉 | |
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6 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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7 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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8 goad | |
n.刺棒,刺痛物;激励;vt.激励,刺激 | |
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9 impatience | |
n.不耐烦,急躁 | |
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10 outstripped | |
v.做得比…更好,(在赛跑等中)超过( outstrip的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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11 thicket | |
n.灌木丛,树林 | |
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12 rife | |
adj.(指坏事情)充斥的,流行的,普遍的 | |
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13 lore | |
n.传说;学问,经验,知识 | |
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14 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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15 hideous | |
adj.丑陋的,可憎的,可怕的,恐怖的 | |
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16 cringing | |
adj.谄媚,奉承 | |
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17 fawning | |
adj.乞怜的,奉承的v.(尤指狗等)跳过来往人身上蹭以示亲热( fawn的现在分词 );巴结;讨好 | |
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18 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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19 goodwill | |
n.善意,亲善,信誉,声誉 | |
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20 obeisance | |
n.鞠躬,敬礼 | |
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21 bough | |
n.大树枝,主枝 | |
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22 muffling | |
v.压抑,捂住( muffle的现在分词 );用厚厚的衣帽包着(自己) | |
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23 noose | |
n.绳套,绞索(刑);v.用套索捉;使落入圈套;处以绞刑 | |
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24 tighten | |
v.(使)变紧;(使)绷紧 | |
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25 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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26 spurn | |
v.拒绝,摈弃;n.轻视的拒绝;踢开 | |
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27 fragrant | |
adj.芬香的,馥郁的,愉快的 | |
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28 solitude | |
n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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29 jocund | |
adj.快乐的,高兴的 | |
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30 barb | |
n.(鱼钩等的)倒钩,倒刺 | |
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31 confides | |
v.吐露(秘密,心事等)( confide的第三人称单数 );(向某人)吐露(隐私、秘密等) | |
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32 marvels | |
n.奇迹( marvel的名词复数 );令人惊奇的事物(或事例);不平凡的成果;成就v.惊奇,对…感到惊奇( marvel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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33 variance | |
n.矛盾,不同 | |
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34 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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35 quailing | |
害怕,发抖,畏缩( quail的现在分词 ) | |
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36 demon | |
n.魔鬼,恶魔 | |
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37 hoofs | |
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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38 inborn | |
adj.天生的,生来的,先天的 | |
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39 ignoble | |
adj.不光彩的,卑鄙的;可耻的 | |
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40 abjectly | |
凄惨地; 绝望地; 糟透地; 悲惨地 | |
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41 supplicate | |
v.恳求;adv.祈求地,哀求地,恳求地 | |
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42 afflicted | |
使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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43 throbbed | |
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动 | |
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44 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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45 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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46 eternity | |
n.不朽,来世;永恒,无穷 | |
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47 torrent | |
n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 | |
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48 foams | |
n.泡沫,泡沫材料( foam的名词复数 ) | |
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49 precept | |
n.戒律;格言 | |
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50 maxim | |
n.格言,箴言 | |
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51 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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52 rapture | |
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜 | |
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53 exalted | |
adj.(地位等)高的,崇高的;尊贵的,高尚的 | |
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54 presumption | |
n.推测,可能性,冒昧,放肆,[法律]推定 | |
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55 folly | |
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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56 penitent | |
adj.后悔的;n.后悔者;忏悔者 | |
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57 vowed | |
起誓,发誓(vow的过去式与过去分词形式) | |
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58 shrine | |
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
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59 submission | |
n.服从,投降;温顺,谦虚;提出 | |
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60 maker | |
n.制造者,制造商 | |
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61 ordain | |
vi.颁发命令;vt.命令,授以圣职,注定,任命 | |
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62 regain | |
vt.重新获得,收复,恢复 | |
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63 weird | |
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的 | |
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64 riddle | |
n.谜,谜语,粗筛;vt.解谜,给…出谜,筛,检查,鉴定,非难,充满于;vi.出谜 | |
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65 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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66 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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67 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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68 tremor | |
n.震动,颤动,战栗,兴奋,地震 | |
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69 treacherous | |
adj.不可靠的,有暗藏的危险的;adj.背叛的,背信弃义的 | |
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70 charred | |
v.把…烧成炭( char的过去式);烧焦 | |
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71 luminous | |
adj.发光的,发亮的;光明的;明白易懂的;有启发的 | |
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72 fraught | |
adj.充满…的,伴有(危险等)的;忧虑的 | |
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73 elixir | |
n.长生不老药,万能药 | |
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74 splendors | |
n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 );壮丽;光辉;显赫 | |
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75 rite | |
n.典礼,惯例,习俗 | |
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76 frail | |
adj.身体虚弱的;易损坏的 | |
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77 hieroglyph | |
n.象形文字, 图画文字 | |
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78 construed | |
v.解释(陈述、行为等)( construe的过去式和过去分词 );翻译,作句法分析 | |
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79 enchantment | |
n.迷惑,妖术,魅力 | |
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80 fable | |
n.寓言;童话;神话 | |
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81 attested | |
adj.经检验证明无病的,经检验证明无菌的v.证明( attest的过去式和过去分词 );证实;声称…属实;使宣誓 | |
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82 sages | |
n.圣人( sage的名词复数 );智者;哲人;鼠尾草(可用作调料) | |
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83 sage | |
n.圣人,哲人;adj.贤明的,明智的 | |
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84 tints | |
色彩( tint的名词复数 ); 带白的颜色; (淡色)染发剂; 痕迹 | |
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85 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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86 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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87 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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88 hazy | |
adj.有薄雾的,朦胧的;不肯定的,模糊的 | |
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89 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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90 steadfast | |
adj.固定的,不变的,不动摇的;忠实的;坚贞不移的 | |
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91 benign | |
adj.善良的,慈祥的;良性的,无危险的 | |
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