But the business of man’s life is not mere12 pastime; and none knew this truth better than the wise old king, Siegmund.
“All work is noble,” said he to Siegfried; “and he who yearns13 to win fame must not shun14 toil15. Even princes should know how to earn a livelihood16 by the labor18 of their hands.”
And so, while Siegfried was still a young lad, his father sent him to live with a smith called Mimer19, whose smithy was among the hills not far from the great forest. For in those early times the work of the smith was looked upon as the most worthy20 of all trades,—a trade which the gods themselves were not ashamed to follow. And this smith Mimer was a wonderful master,—the wisest and most cunning that the world had ever seen. Men said that he was akin21 to the dwarf22-folk who had ruled the earth in the early days, and who were learned in every lore23, and skilled in every craft; and they said that he was so exceeding old that no one could remember the day when he came to dwell in the land of Siegmund’s fathers. And some said, too, that he was the keeper of a wonderful well, or flowing spring, the waters of which imparted wisdom and far-seeing knowledge to all who drank of them.
To Mimer’s school, then, where he would be taught to work skilfully24 and to think wisely, Siegfried was sent, to be in all respects like the other pupils there. A coarse blue blouse, and heavy leggings, and a leathern apron25, took the place of the costly clothing which he had worn in his father’s dwelling26. His feet were incased in awkward wooden shoes, and his head was covered with a wolf-skin cap. The dainty bed, with its downy pillows, wherein every night his mother had been wont27, with gentle care, to see him safely covered, was given up for a rude heap of straw in a corner of the smithy. And the rich food to which he had been used gave place to the coarsest and humblest fare. But the lad did not complain. The days which he passed in the smithy were mirthful and happy; and the sound of his hammer rang cheerfully, and the sparks from his forge flew briskly, from morning till night.
And a wonderful smith he became. No one could do more work than he, and none wrought29 with greater skill. The heaviest chains and the strongest bolts, for prison or for treasure-house, were but as toys in his stout30 hands, so easily and quickly did he beat them into shape. And he was alike cunning in work of the most delicate and brittle31 kind. Ornaments32 of gold and silver, studded with the rarest jewels, were fashioned into beautiful forms by his deft33 fingers. And among all of Mimer’s apprentices35 none learned the master’s lore so readily, nor gained the master’s favor more.
One morning the master, Mimer, came to the smithy with a troubled look upon his face. It was clear that something had gone amiss; and what it was the apprentices soon learned from the smith himself. Never, until lately, had any one questioned Mimer’s right to be called the foremost smith in all the world; but now a rival had come forward. An unknown upstart—one Amilias, in Burgundy-land—had made a suit of armor, which, he boasted, no stroke of sword could dint36, and no blow of spear could scratch; and he had sent a challenge to all other smiths, both in the Rhine country and elsewhere, to equal that piece of workmanship, or else acknowledge themselves his underlings and vassals37. For many days had Mimer himself toiled38, alone and vainly, trying to forge a sword whose edge the boasted armor of Amilias could not foil; and now, in despair, he came to ask the help of his pupils and apprentices.
“Who among you is skilful enough to forge such a sword?” he asked.
One after another, the pupils shook their heads. And Veliant, the foreman of the apprentices, said, “I have heard much about that wonderful armor, and its extreme hardness, and I doubt if any skill can make a sword with edge so sharp and true as to cut into it. The best that can be done is to try to make another war-coat whose temper shall equal that of Amilias’s armor.”
Then the lad Siegfried quickly said, “I will make such a sword as you want,—a blade that no war-coat can foil. Give me but leave to try!”
The other pupils laughed in scorn, but Mimer checked them. “You hear how this boy can talk: we will see what he can do. He is the king’s son, and we know that he has uncommon40 talent. He shall make the sword; but if, upon trial, it fail, I will make him rue39 the day.”
Then Siegfried went to his task. And for seven days and seven nights the sparks never stopped flying from his forge; and the ringing of his anvil41, and the hissing43 of the hot metal as he tempered it, were heard continuously. On the eighth day the sword was fashioned, and Siegfried brought it to Mimer.
The smith felt the razor-edge of the bright weapon, and said, “This seems, indeed, a fair fire-edge. Let us make a trial of its keenness.”
Then a thread of wool as light as thistle-down was thrown upon water, and, as it floated there, Mimer struck it with the sword. The glittering blade cleft44 the slender thread in twain, and the pieces floated undisturbed upon the surface of the liquid.
“Well done!” cried the delighted smith. “Never have I seen a keener edge. If its temper is as true as its sharpness would lead us to believe, it will indeed serve me well.”
But Siegfried took the sword again, and broke it into many pieces; and for three days he welded it in a white-hot fire, and tempered it with milk and oatmeal. Then, in sight of Mimer and the sneering46 apprentices, he cast a light ball of fine-spun wool upon the flowing water of the brook47; and it was caught in the swift eddies48 of the stream, and whirled about until it met the bared blade of the sword, which was held in Mimer’s hands. And it was parted as easily and clean as the rippling49 water, and not the smallest thread was moved out of its place.
Then back to the smithy Siegfried went again; and his forge glowed with a brighter fire, and his hammer rang upon the anvil with a cheerier sound, than ever before. But he suffered none to come near, and no one ever knew what witchery he used. But some of his fellow-pupils afterwards told how, in the dusky twilight50, they had seen a one-eyed man, long-bearded, and clad in a cloud-gray kirtle, and wearing a sky-blue hood17, talking with Siegfried at the smithy door. And they said that the stranger’s face was at once pleasant and fearful to look upon, and that his one eye shone in the gloaming like the evening star, and that, when he had placed in Siegfried’s hands bright shards51, like pieces of a broken sword, he faded suddenly from their sight, and was seen no more.
For seven weeks the lad wrought day and night at his forge; and then, pale and haggard, but with a pleased smile upon his face, he stood before Mimer, with the gleaming sword in his hands. “It is finished,” he said. “Behold the glittering terror!—the blade Balmung. Let us try its edge, and prove its temper once again, that so we may know whether you can place your trust in it.”
And Mimer looked long at the ruddy hilts of the weapon, and at the mystic runes that were scored upon its sides, and at the keen edge, which gleamed like a ray of sunlight in the gathering52 gloom of the evening. But no word came from his lips, and his eyes were dim and dazed; and he seemed as one lost in thoughts of days long past and gone.
Siegfried raised the blade high over his head; and the gleaming edge flashed hither and thither53, like the lightning’s play when Thor rides over the storm-clouds. Then suddenly it fell upon the master’s anvil, and the great block of iron was cleft in two; but the bright blade was no whit45 dulled by the stroke, and the line of light which marked the edge was brighter than before.
Then to the flowing brook they went; and a great pack of wool, the fleeces of ten sheep, was brought, and thrown upon the swirling54 water. As the stream bore the bundle downwards55, Mimer held the sword in its way. And the whole was divided as easily and as clean as the woollen ball or the slender woollen thread had been cleft before.
“Now, indeed,” cried Mimer, “I no longer fear to meet that upstart, Amilias. If his war-coat can withstand the stroke of such a sword as Balmung, then I shall not be ashamed to be his underling. But, if this good blade is what it seems to be, it will not fail me; and I, Mimer the Old, shall still be called the wisest and greatest of smiths.”
And he sent word at once to Amilias, in Burgundy-land, to meet him on a day, and settle forever the question as to which of the two should be the master, and which the underling. And heralds56 proclaimed it in every town and dwelling. When the time which had been set drew near, Mimer, bearing the sword Balmung, and followed by all his pupils and apprentices, wended his way towards the place of meeting. Through the forest they went, and then along the banks of the sluggish57 river, for many a league, to the height of land which marked the line between King Siegmund’s country and the country of the Burgundians. It was in this place, midway between the shops of Mimer and Amilias, that the great trial of metal and of skill was to be made. And here were already gathered great numbers of people from the Lowlands and from Burgundy, anxiously waiting for the coming of the champions. On the one side were the wise old Siegmund and his gentle queen, and their train of knights58 and courtiers and fair ladies. On the other side were the three Burgundian kings, Gunther, Gernot, and Giselher, and a mighty59 retinue60 of warriors61, led by grim old Hagen, the uncle of the kings, and the wariest62 chief in all Rhineland.
When every thing was in readiness for the contest, Amilias, clad in his boasted war-coat, went up to the top of the hill, and sat upon a great rock, and waited for Mimer’s coming. As he sat there, he looked, to the people below, like some great castle-tower; for he was almost a giant in size, and his coat of mail, so skilfully wrought, was so huge that twenty men of common mould might have found shelter, or hidden themselves, within it. As the smith Mimer, so dwarfish63 in stature64, toiled up the steep hillside, Amilias smiled to see him; for he felt no fear of the slender, gleaming blade that was to try the metal of his war-coat. And already a shout of expectant triumph went up from the throats of the Burgundian hosts, so sure were they of their champion’s success.
But Mimer’s friends waited in breathless silence, hoping, and yet fearing. Only King Siegmund whispered to his queen, and said, “Knowledge is stronger than brute65 force. The smallest dwarf who has drunk from the well of the Knowing One may safely meet the stoutest66 giant in battle.”
When Mimer reached the top of the hill, Amilias folded his huge arms, and smiled again; for he felt that this contest was mere play for him, and that Mimer was already as good as beaten, and his thrall67. The smith paused a moment to take breath, and as he stood by the side of his foe68 he looked to those below like a mere black speck69 close beside a steel-gray castle-tower.
“Are you ready?” asked the smith.
“Ready,” answered Amilias. “Strike!”
Mimer raised the beaming blade in the air, and for a moment the lightning seemed to play around his head. The muscles on his short, brawny70 arms, stood out like great ropes; and then Balmung, descending71, cleft the air from right to left. The waiting lookers-on in the plain below thought to hear the noise of clashing steel; but they listened in vain, for no sound came to their ears, save a sharp hiss42 like that which red-hot iron gives when plunged72 into a tank of cold water. The huge Amilias sat unmoved, with his arms still folded upon his breast; but the smile had faded from his face.
“How do you feel now?” asked Mimer in a half-mocking tone.
“Rather strangely, as if cold iron had touched me,” faintly answered the upstart.
“Shake thyself!” cried Mimer.
Amilias did so, and, lo! he fell in two halves; for the sword had cut sheer through the vaunted war-coat, and cleft in twain the great body incased within. Down tumbled the giant head and the still folded arms, and they rolled with thundering noise to the foot of the hill, and fell with a fearful splash into the deep waters of the river; and there, fathoms73 down, they may even now be seen, when the water is clear, lying like great gray rocks among the sand and gravel74 below. The rest of the body, with the armor which incased it, still sat upright in its place; and to this day travellers sailing down the river are shown on moonlit evenings the luckless armor of Amilias on the high hill-top. In the dim, uncertain light, one easily fancies it to be the ivy75 covered ruins of some old castle of feudal76 times.
The master, Mimer, sheathed77 his sword, and walked slowly down the hillside to the plain, where his friends welcomed him with glad cheers and shouts of joy. But the Burgundians, baffled, and feeling vexed78, turned silently homeward, nor cast a single look back to the scene of their disappointment and their ill-fated champion’s defeat.
And Siegfried went again with the master and his fellows to the smoky smithy, to his roaring bellows79 and ringing anvil, and to his coarse fare, and rude, hard bed, and to a life of labor. And while all men praised Mimer and his knowing skill, and the fiery80 edge of the sunbeam blade, no one knew that it was the boy Siegfried who had wrought that piece of workmanship.
But after a while it was whispered around that not Mimer, but one of his pupils, had forged the sword. And, when the master was asked what truth there was in this story, his eyes twinkled, and the corners of his mouth twitched81 strangely, and he made no answer. But Veliant, the foreman of the smithy, and the greatest of boasters said, “It was I who forged the fire-edge of the blade Balmung.” And, although none denied the truth of what he said, but few who knew what sort of a man he was believed his story. And this is the reason, my children, that, in the ancient songs and stories which tell of this wondrous82 sword, it is said by most that Mimer, and by a few that Veliant, forged its blade. But I prefer to believe that it was made by Siegfried, the hero who afterwards wielded83 it in so many adventures. Be this as it may, however, blind hate and jealousy84 were from this time uppermost in the coarse and selfish mind of Veliant; and he sought how he might drive the lad away from the smithy in disgrace. “This boy has done what no one else could do,” said he. “He may yet do greater deeds, and set himself up as the master smith of the world, and then we shall all have to humble28 ourselves before him as his underlings and thralls85.”
And he nursed this thought, and brooded over the hatred86 which he felt towards the blameless boy; but he did not dare to harm him, for fear of their master, Mimer. And Siegfried busied himself at his forge, where the sparks flew as briskly and as merrily as ever before, and his bellows roared from early morning till late at evening. Nor did the foreman’s unkindness trouble him for a moment, for he knew that the master’s heart was warm towards him.
Oftentimes, when the day’s work was done, Siegfried sat with Mimer by the glowing light of the furnace-fire, and listened to the sweet tales which the master told of the deeds of the early days, when the world was young, and the dwarf-folk and the giants had a name and a place upon earth. And one night, as they thus sat, the master talked of Odin the All-Father, and of the gods who dwell with him in Asgard, and of the puny87 men-folk whom they protect and befriend, until his words grew full of bitterness, and his soul of a fierce longing88 for something he dared not name. And the lad’s heart was stirred with a strange uneasiness, and he said,—
“Tell me, I pray, dear master, something about my own kin1, my father’s fathers,—those mighty kings, who, I have heard said, were the bravest and best of men.”
Then the smith seemed pleased again. And his eyes grew brighter, and lost their far-away look; and a smile played among the wrinkles of his swarthy face, as he told a tale of old King Volsung and of the deeds of the Volsung kings:—
“Long years ago, before the evil days had dawned, King Volsung ruled over all the land which lies between the sea and the country of the Goths. The days were golden; and the good Frey dropped peace and plenty everywhere, and men went in and out and feared no wrong. King Volsung had a dwelling in the midst of fertile fields and fruitful gardens. Fairer than any dream was that dwelling. The roof was thatched with gold, and red turrets89 and towers rose above. The great feast-hall was long and high, and its walls were hung with sun-bright shields; and the door-nails were of silver. In the middle of the hall stood the pride of the Volsungs,—a tree whose blossoms filled the air with fragrance90, and whose green branches, thrusting themselves through the ceiling, covered the roof with fair foliage91. It was Odin’s tree, and King Volsung had planted it there with his own hands.
“On a day in winter King Volsung held a great feast in his hall in honor of Siggeir, the King of the Goths, who was his guest. And the fires blazed bright in the broad chimneys, and music and mirth went round. But in the midst of the merry-making the guests were startled by a sudden peal92 of thunder, which seemed to come from the cloudless sky, and which made the shields upon the walls rattle93 and ring. In wonder they looked around. A strange man stood in the doorway94, and laughed, but said not a word. And they noticed that he wore no shoes upon his feet, but that a cloud-gray cloak was thrown over his shoulders, and a blue hood was drawn95 down over his head. His face was half-hidden by a heavy beard; and he had but one eye, which twinkled and glowed like a burning coal. And all the guests sat moveless in their seats, so awed96 were they in the presence of him who stood at the door; for they knew that he was none other than Odin the All-Father, the king of gods and men. He spoke97 not a word, but straight into the hall he strode, and he paused not until he stood beneath the blossoming branches of the tree. Then, forth98 from beneath his cloud-gray cloak, he drew a gleaming sword, and struck the blade deep into the wood,—so deep that nothing but the hilt was left in sight. And, turning to the awe-struck guests, he said, ‘A blade of mighty worth have I hidden in this tree. Never have the earth-folk wrought better steel, nor has any man ever wielded a more trusty sword. Whoever there is among you brave enough and strong enough to draw it forth from the wood, he shall have it as a gift from Odin.’ Then slowly to the door he strode again, and no one saw him any more.
“And after he had gone, the Volsungs and their guests sat a long time silent, fearing to stir, lest the vision should prove a dream. But at last the old king arose, and cried, ‘Come, guests and kinsmen99, and set your hands to the ruddy hilt! Odin’s gift stays, waiting for its fated owner. Let us see which one of you is the favored of the All-Father.’ First Siggeir, the King of the Goths, and his earls, the Volsungs’ guests, tried their hands. But the blade stuck fast; and the stoutest man among them failed to move it. Then King Volsung, laughing, seized the hilt, and drew with all his strength; but the sword held still in the wood of Odin’s tree. And one by one the nine sons of Volsung tugged100 and strained in vain; and each was greeted with shouts and laughter, as, ashamed and beaten, he wended to his seat again. Then, at last, Sigmund, the youngest son, stood up, and laid his hand upon the ruddy hilt, scarce thinking to try what all had failed to do. When, lo! the blade came out of the tree as if therein it had all along lain loose. And Sigmund raised it high over his head, and shook it, and the bright flame that leaped from its edge lit up the hall like the lightning’s gleaming; and the Volsungs and their guests rent the air with cheers and shouts of gladness. For no one among all the men of the mid-world was more worthy of Odin’s gift than young Sigmund the brave.”
But the rest of Mimer’s story would be too long to tell you now; for he and his young apprentice34 sat for hours by the dying coals, and talked of Siegfried’s kinfolk,—the Volsung kings of old. And he told how Siggeir, the Goth king, was wedded101 to Signy the fair, the only daughter of Volsung, and the pride of the old king’s heart; and how he carried her with him to his home in the land of the Goths; and how he coveted102 Sigmund’s sword, and plotted to gain it by guile103; and how, through presence of friendship, he invited the Volsung kings to visit him in Gothland, as the guests of himself and Signy; and how he betrayed and slew104 them, save Sigmund alone, who escaped, and for long years lived an outlaw105 in the land of his treacherous106 foe. And then he told how Sigmund afterwards came back to his own country of the Volsungs; and how his people welcomed him, and he became a mighty king, such as the world had never known before; and how, when he had grown old, and full of years and honors, he went out with his earls and fighting-men to battle against the hosts of King Lyngi the Mighty; and how, in the midst of the fight, when his sword had hewn down numbers of the foe, and the end of the strife and victory seemed near, an old man, one eyed and bearded, and wearing a cloud-gray cloak, stood up before him in the din9, and his sword was broken in pieces, and he fell dead on the heap of the slain107. And, when Mimer had finished his tale, his dark face seemed to grow darker, and his twinkling eyes grew brighter, as he cried out in a tone of despair and hopeless yearning,—
“Oh, past are those days of old and the worthy deeds of the brave! And these are the days of the home-stayers,—of the wise, but feeble-hearted. Yet the Norns have spoken; and it must be that another hero shall arise of the Volsung blood, and he shall restore the name and the fame of his kin of the early days. And he shall be my bane; and in him shall the race of heroes have an end.”
Siegfried’s heart was strangely stirred within him as he hearkened to this story of ancient times and to the fateful words of the master, and for a long time he sat in silent thought; and neither he nor Mimer moved, or spoke again, until the darkness of the night had begun to fade, and the gray light of morning to steal into the smithy. Then, as if moved by a sudden impulse, he turned to the master, and said,—
“You speak of the Norns, dear master, and of their foretelling108; but your words are vague, and their meaning very broad. When shall that hero come? and who shall he be? and what deeds shall be his doing?”
“Alas!” answered Mimer, “I know not, save that he shall be of the Volsung race, and that my fate is linked with his.”
“And why do you not know?” returned Siegfried. “Are you not that old Mimer, in whom it is said the garnered109 wisdom of the world is stored? Is there not truth in the old story that even Odin pawned110 one of his eyes for a single draught111 from your fountain of knowledge? And is the possessor of so much wisdom unable to look into the future with clearness and certainty?”
“Alas!” answered Mimer again, and his words came hard and slow, “I am not that Mimer, of whom old stories tell, who gave wisdom to the All-Father in exchange for an eye. He is one of the giants, and he still watches his fountain in far-off Jotunheim. I claim kinship with the dwarfs112, and am sometimes known as an elf, sometimes as a wood-sprite. Men have called me Mimer because of my wisdom and skill, and the learning which I impart to my pupils. Could I but drink from the fountain of the real Mimer, then the wisdom of the world would in truth be mine, and the secrets of the future would be no longer hidden. But I must wait, as I have long waited, for the day and the deed and the doom113 that the Norns have foretold114.”
And the old strange look of longing came again into his eyes, and the wrinkles on his swarthy face seemed to deepen with agony, as he arose, and left the smithy. And Siegfried sat alone before the smouldering fire, and pondered upon what he had heard.
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1
kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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2
prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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3
thrift
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| adj.节约，节俭；n.节俭，节约 | |
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4
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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skilful
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| (=skillful)adj.灵巧的，熟练的 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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8
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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yearns
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的第三人称单数 ) | |
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shun
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| vt.避开，回避，避免 | |
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15
toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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livelihood
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| n.生计，谋生之道 | |
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hood
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| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
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labor
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| 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 | |
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mimer
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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akin
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| adj.同族的，类似的 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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skilfully
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| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
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apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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ornaments
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| n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 ) | |
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deft
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| adj.灵巧的，熟练的（a deft hand 能手） | |
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apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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35
apprentices
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| 学徒，徒弟( apprentice的名词复数 ) | |
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36
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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37
vassals
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| n.奴仆( vassal的名词复数 )；（封建时代）诸侯；从属者；下属 | |
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38
toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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39
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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40
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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41
anvil
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| n.铁钻 | |
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42
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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43
hissing
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| n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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44
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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45
whit
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| n.一点，丝毫 | |
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46
sneering
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| 嘲笑的，轻蔑的 | |
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47
brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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48
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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49
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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50
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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51
shards
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| n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 ) | |
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52
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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53
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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54
swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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55
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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56
heralds
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| n.使者( herald的名词复数 )；预报者；预兆；传令官v.预示( herald的第三人称单数 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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57
sluggish
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| adj.懒惰的，迟钝的，无精打采的 | |
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58
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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59
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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60
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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61
warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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62
wariest
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| 谨慎的，小心翼翼的( wary的最高级 ) | |
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63
dwarfish
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| a.像侏儒的，矮小的 | |
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64
stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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brute
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| n.野兽，兽性 | |
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stoutest
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| 粗壮的( stout的最高级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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thrall
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| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
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foe
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| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒，小污点，小斑点 | |
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brawny
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| adj.强壮的 | |
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71
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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72
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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73
fathoms
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| 英寻( fathom的名词复数 ) | |
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74
gravel
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| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
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75
ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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feudal
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| adj.封建的，封地的，领地的 | |
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sheathed
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| adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的；覆盖的；铠装的；装鞘了的v.将（刀、剑等）插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 )；包，覆盖 | |
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vexed
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| adj.争论不休的；（指问题等）棘手的；争论不休的问题；烦恼的v.使烦恼( vex的过去式和过去分词 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论 | |
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79
bellows
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| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
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fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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81
twitched
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| vt.& vi.（使）抽动，（使）颤动（twitch的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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82
wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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83
wielded
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| 手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的过去式和过去分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响） | |
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84
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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85
thralls
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| n.奴隶( thrall的名词复数 )；奴役；奴隶制；奴隶般受支配的人 | |
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86
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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87
puny
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| adj.微不足道的，弱小的 | |
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88
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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89
turrets
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| （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 | |
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90
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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91
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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92
peal
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| n.钟声；v.鸣响 | |
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93
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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94
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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95
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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96
awed
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| adj.充满敬畏的，表示敬畏的v.使敬畏，使惊惧( awe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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97
spoke
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| 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 | |
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98
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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99
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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100
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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101
wedded
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| adj.正式结婚的；渴望…的，执著于…的v.嫁，娶，（与…）结婚( wed的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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102
coveted
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| adj.令人垂涎的；垂涎的，梦寐以求的v.贪求，觊觎(covet的过去分词)；垂涎；贪图 | |
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103
guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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104
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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105
outlaw
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| n.歹徒，亡命之徒；vt.宣布…为不合法 | |
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106
treacherous
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| 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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107
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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108
foretelling
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的现在分词 ) | |
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109
garnered
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| v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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110
pawned
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| v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保 | |
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111
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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112
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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113
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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114
foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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