“Who are you? and what is your errand?” asked the porter at the gate.
“Our errand is to the king, and he will know who we are when he sees us,” was the answer.
When Siegfried was told of the strange men who waited below, and of the strange way in which they had answered the porter’s question, he asked,—
“From what country seem they to have come? For surely their dress and manners will betray something of that matter to you. Are they South-land folk, or East-land folk? Are they from the mountains, or from the sea?”
“They belong to none of the neighbor-lands,” answered the earl who had brought the word to the king. “No such men live upon our borders. They seem to have come from a far-off land; for they are travel-worn, and their sea-stained clothing betokens2 a people from the south. They are tall and dark, and their hair is black, and they look much like those Rhineland warriors3 who came hither with our lady the queen. And they carry a blood-red banner with a golden dragon painted upon it.”
“Oh, they must be from Burgundy!” cried the queen, who had overheard these words. And she went at once to the window to see the strangers, who were waiting in the courtyard below.
There, indeed, she saw thirty tall Burgundians, clad in the gay costume of Rhineland, now faded and worn with long travel. But all save one were young, and strangers to Kriemhild. That one was their leader,—an old man with a kind face, and a right noble bearing.
“See!” said the queen to Siegfried: “there is our brave captain Gere, who, ever since my childhood, has been the trustiest man in my brother Gunther’s household. Those men are from the fatherland, and they bring tidings from the dear old Burgundian home.”
“Welcome are they to our Nibelungen Land!” cried the delighted king.
And he ordered that the strangers should be brought into the castle, and that the most sumptuous4 rooms should be allotted5 to them, and a plenteous meal prepared, and every thing done to entertain them in a style befitting messengers from Kriemhild’s fatherland. Then Gere, the trusty captain, was led into the presence of the king and queen. Right gladly did they welcome him, and many were the questions they asked about their kin-folk, and the old Rhineland home.
“Tell us, good Gere,” said Siegfried, “what is thy message from our friends; for we are anxious to know whether they are well and happy, or whether some ill luck has overtaken them. If any harm threatens them, they have but to speak, and I, with my sword and my treasures, will hasten to their help.”
“They are all well,” answered the captain. “No ill has befallen them, and no harm threatens them. Peace rules all the land; and fair weather and sunshine have filled the people’s barns, and made their hearts glad. And thus it has been ever since Gunther brought to his dwelling the warrior-maiden Brunhild to be his queen. And this is my errand and the message that I bring: King Gunther, blessed with happiness, intends to hold a grand high-tide of joy and thanksgiving at the time of the harvest-moon. And nothing is wanting to complete the gladness of that time, but the sight of you and the peerless Kriemhild in your old places at the feast. And it is to invite you to this festival of rejoicing that I have come, at the king’s command, to Nibelungen Land.”
Siegfried sat a moment in silence, and then thoughtfully answered,—
“It is a long, long journey from this land to Burgundy, and many dangers beset6 the road; and my own people would sadly miss me while away, and I know not what mishaps7 might befall.”
Then Gere spoke8 of the queen-mother Ute, now grown old and feeble, who wished once more, ere death called her hence, to see her daughter Kriemhild. And he told how all the people, both high and low, yearned9 for another sight of the radiant hero who in former days had blessed their land with his presence and his noble deeds. And his persuasive10 words had much weight with Siegfried, who said at length,—
“Tarry a few days yet for my answer. I will talk with my friends and the Nibelungen earls; and what they think best, that will I do.”
For nine days, then, waited Gere at Siegfried’s hall; but still the king put off his answer.
“Wait until to-morrow,” he said each day, for his heart whispered dim forebodings.
At length, as midsummer was fast drawing near, the impatient captain could stay no longer; and he bade his followers11 make ready to go back forthwith to Burgundy. When the queen saw that they were ready to take their leave, and that Gere could wait no longer upon the king’s pleasure, she urged her husband to say to Gunther that they would come to his harvest festival. And the lords and noble earl-folk added their persuasions12 to hers.
“Send word back to the Burgundian king,” said they, “that you will go, as he desires. We will see to it that no harm comes to your kingdom while you are away.”
So Siegfried called Gere and his comrades into the ball, and loaded them with costly13 gifts such as they had never before seen, and bade them say to their master that he gladly accepted the kind invitation he had sent, and that, ere the harvest high-tide began, he and Kriemhild would be with him in Burgundy.
And the messengers went back with all speed, and told what wondrous14 things they had seen in Nibelungen Land, and in what great splendor15 Siegfried lived. And, when they showed the rare presents which had been given them, all joined in praising the goodness and greatness of the hero-king. But old chief Hagen frowned darkly as he said,—
“It is little wonder that he can do such things, for the Shining Hoard16 of Andvari is his. If we had such a treasure, we, too, might live in more than kingly grandeur17.”
Early in the month of roses, Siegfried and his peerless queen, with a retinue18 of more than a thousand warriors and many fair ladies, started on their long and toilsome journey to the South-land. And the folk who went with them to the city gates bade them mane tearful farewells, and returned to their homes, feeling that the sunshine had gone forever from the Nibelungen Land. But the sky was blue and cloudless, and the breezes warm and mild, and glad was the song of the reapers19 as adown the seaward highway the kingly company rode. Two days they rode through Mist Land, to the shore of the peaceful sea. Ten days they sailed on the waters. And the winds were soft and gentle; and the waves slept in the sunlight, or merrily danced in their wake. But each day, far behind them, there followed a storm-cloud, dark as night, and the pleasant shores of Mist Land were hidden forever behind it. Five days they rode through the Lowlands, and glad were the Lowland folk with sight of their hero-king. Two days through the silent greenwood, and one o’er the barren moor21, and three amid vineyards and fields, and between orchards22 fruitful and fair, they rode. And on the four and twentieth day they came in sight of the quiet town, and the tall gray towers, where dwelt the Burgundian kings. And a great company on horseback, with flashing shields and fine-wrought garments and nodding plumes23, came out to meet them. It was King Gernot and a thousand of the best men and fairest women in Burgundy; and they welcomed Siegfried and Kriemhild and their Nibelungen-folk to the fair land of the Rhine. And then they turned, and rode back with them to the castle. And, as the company passed through the pleasant streets of the town, the people stood by the wayside, anxious to catch sight of the radiant Siegfried on his sunbright steed, and of the peerless Kriemhild, riding on a palfrey by his side. And young girls strewed24 roses in their pathway, and hung garlands upon their horses; and every one shouted, “Hail to the conquering hero! Hail to the matchless queen!”
When they reached the castle, King Gunther and Giselher met them, and ushered25 them into the old familiar halls, where a right hearty26 welcome greeted them from all the kingly household. And none seemed more glad in this happy hour than Brunhild the warrior-queen, now more gloriously beautiful than even in the days of yore.
When the harvest-moon began to shine full and bright, lighting27 up the whole world from evening till morn with its soft radiance, the gay festival so long looked forward to began. And care and anxiety, and the fatigues28 of the long journey, were forgotten amid the endless round of pleasure which for twelve days enlivened the whole of Burgundy. And the chiefest honors were everywhere paid to Siegfried the hero-king, and to Kriemhild the peerless queen of beauty.
Then Queen Brunhild called to mind, how, on a time, it had been told her in Isenland that Siegfried was but the liegeman and vassal29 of King Gunther; and she wondered why such honor should be paid to an underling, and why the king himself should treat him with so much respect. And as she thought of this, and of the high praises with which every one spoke of Kriemhild, her mind became filled with jealous broodings. And soon her bitter jealousy30 was turned to deadly hate; for she remembered then, how, in the days long past, a noble youth, more beautiful and more glorious than the world would ever see again, had awakened32 her from the deep sleep that Odin’s thorn had given; and she remembered how Gunther had won her by deeds of strength and skill which he never afterwards could even imitate; and she thought how grand indeed was Kriemhild’s husband compared with her own weak and wavering and commonplace lord. And her soul was filled with sorrow and bitterness and deepest misery33, when, putting these thoughts together, she believed that she had in some way been duped and cheated into becoming Gunther’s wife.
When at last the gay feast was ended, and most of the guests had gone to their homes, she sought her husband, and thus broached34 the matter to him.
“Often have I asked you,” said she, “why your sister Kriemhild was given in marriage to a vassal, and as often have you put me off with vague excuses. Often, too, have I wondered why your vassal, Siegfried, has never paid you tribute for the lands which he holds from you, and why he has never come to render you homage35. Now he is here in your castle; but he sets himself up, not as your vassal, but as your peer. I pray you, tell me what such strange things mean. Was an underling and a vassal ever known before to put himself upon a level with his liege lord?”
Gunther was greatly troubled, and he knew not what to say; for he feared to tell the queen how they had deceived her when he had won the games at Isenstein, and how the truth had ever since been kept hidden from her.
“Ask me not to explain this matter further than I have already done,” he answered. “It is enough that Siegfried is the greatest of all my vassals36, and that his lands are broader even than my own. He has helped me out of many straits, and has added much to the greatness and strength of my kingdom: for this reason he has never been asked to pay us tribute, and for this reason we grant him highest honors.”
But this answer failed to satisfy the queen.
“Is it not the first duty of a vassal,” she asked, “to help his liege lord in every undertaking37? If so, Siegfried has but done his duty, and you owe him nothing. But you have not told me all. You have deceived me, and you would fain deceive me again. You have a secret, and I will find it out.”
The king made no answer, but walked silently and thoughtfully away.
It happened one evening, not long thereafter, that the two queens sat together at an upper window, and looked down upon a company of men in the courtyard below. Among them were the noblest earl-folk of Burgundy, and Gunther the king, and Siegfried. But Siegfried towered above all the rest; and he moved like a god among men.
“See my noble Siegfried!” cried Kriemhild in her pride. “How grandly he stands there! What a type of manly38 beauty and strength! No one cares to look at other men when he is near.”
“He maybe handsome,” answered Brunhild sadly; “and, for aught I know, he may be noble. But what is all that by the side of kingly power? Were he but the peer of your brother Gunther, then you might well boast.”
“He is the peer of Gunther,” returned Kriemhild. “And not only his peer, but more; for he stands as high above him in kingly power and worth as in bodily stature39.”
“How can that be?” asked Brunhild, growing angry. “For, when Gunther so gallantly40 won me at Isenstein, he told me that Siegfried was his vassal; and often since that time I have heard the same. And even your husband told me that Gunther was his liege lord.”
Queen Kriemhild laughed at these words, and answered, “I tell you again that Siegfried is a king far nobler and richer and higher than any other king on earth. Think you that my brothers would have given me to a mere41 vassal to be his wife?”
Then Brunhild, full of wrath42, replied, “Your husband is Gunther’s vassal and my own, and he shall do homage to us as the humblest and meanest of our underlings. He shall not go from this place until he has paid all the tribute that has so long been due from him. Then we shall see who is the vassal, and who is the lord.”
“Nay,” answered Kriemhild. “It shall not be. No tribute was ever due; and, if homage is to be paid, it is rather Gunther who must pay it.”
“It shall be settled once for all!” cried Brunhild, now boiling over with rage. “I will know the truth. If Siegfried is not our vassal, then I have been duped; and I will have revenge.”
“It is well,” was the mild answer. “Let it be settled, once for all; and then, mayhap, we shall know who it was who really won the games at Isenstein, and you for Gunther’s wife.”
And the two queens parted in wrath.[EN#31]
Kriemhild’s anger was as fleeting43 as an April cloud, which does but threaten, and then passes away in tears and sunshine. But Brunhild’s was like the dread44 winter storm that sweeps down from Niflheim, and brings ruin and death in its wake. She felt that she had been cruelly wronged in some way, and that her life had been wrecked45, and she rested not until she had learned the truth.
It was Hagen who at last told her the story of the cruel deceit that had made her Gunther’s wife; and then her wrath and her shame knew no bounds.
“Woe betide the day!” she cried,—“woe betide the day that brought me to Rhineland, and made me the wife of a weakling and coward, and the jest of him who might have done nobler things!”
Hagen smiled. He had long waited for this day.
“It was Siegfried, and Siegfried alone, who plotted to deceive you,” he said. “Had it not been for him, you might still have been the happy maiden-queen of Isenland. And now he laughs at you, and urges his queen, Kriemhild, to scorn you as she would an underling.”
“I know it, I know it,” returned the queen in distress47. “And yet how grandly noble is the man! How he rushed through the flames to awaken31 me, when no one else could save! How brave, how handsome,—and yet he has been my bane. I can have no peace while he lives.”
Hagen smiled again, and a strange light gleamed from his dark eye. Then he said, “Truly handsome and brave is he, but a viler48 traitor49 was never born. He even now plots to seize this kingdom, and to add it to his domain50. Why else should he bring so great a retinue of Nibelungen warriors to Burgundy? I will see King Gunther at once, and we will put an end to his wicked projects.”
“Do even so, good Hagen,” said Brunhild. “Take him from my path, and bring low the haughty51 pride of his wife, and I shall be content.”
“That I will do!” cried Hagen. “That I will do! Gunther is and shall be the king without a peer; and no one shall dare dispute the worth and the queenly beauty of his wife.”
Then the wily chief sought Gunther, and with cunning words poisoned his weak mind. The feeble old king was easily made to believe that Siegfried was plotting against his life, and seeking to wrest52 the kingdom from him. And he forgot the many kind favors he had received at the hero’s hand. He no longer remembered how Siegfried had slain53 the terror of the Glittering Heath, and freed the Burgundians from many a fear; and how he had routed the warlike hosts of the North-land, and made prisoners of their kings; and how he had brought his voyage to Isenland to a happy and successful ending. He forgot, also, that Siegfried was his sister’s husband. He had ears and mind only for Hagen’s wily words.
“While this man lives,” said the dark-browed chief, “none of us are safe. See how the people follow him! Hear how they shout at his coming! They look upon him as a god, and upon Gunther as a nobody. If we are wise, we shall rid ourselves of so dangerous a man.”
“It is but a week until he takes his leave of us, and goes back to his own home in Nibelungen Land. Watch him carefully until that time, but do him no harm. When he is once gone, he shall never come back again,” said the king. But he spoke thus, not because of any kind feelings towards Siegfried, but rather because he feared the Nibelungen hero.
“He has no thought of going at that time,” answered Hagen. “He speaks of it, only to hide his wicked and traitorous54 plots. Instead of going home, his plans will then be ready for action, and it will be too late for us to save ourselves. Still, if you will not believe me, take your own course. You have been warned.”
The cunning chief arose to leave the room; but Gunther, now thoroughly55 frightened, stopped him.
“Hagen,” he said, “you have always been my friend, and the words which you say are wise. Save us and our kingdom now, in whatsoever56 way you may deem best. I know not what to do.”
Then the weak king and the warrior-chief talked long together in low, hoarse57 whispers. And, when they parted, shame and guilt58 were stamped in plain lines on Gunther’s face, from which they were nevermore erased59; and he dared not lift his gaze from the floor, fearing that his eyes would betray him, if seen by any more pure-hearted than he. But a smile of triumph played under the lurking60 gleams of Hagen’s eye; and he walked erect61 and bold, as if he had done a praiseworthy deed.
That night a storm came sweeping62 down from the North, and the cold rain fell in torrents63; and great hailstones pattered on the roofs and towers of the castle, and cruelly pelted64 the cattle in the fields, and the birds in the friendly shelter of the trees. And old Thor fought bravely with the Storm-giants; and all night long the rattle65 of his chariot-wheels, and the heavy strokes of his dread hammer, were heard resounding66 through the heavens. In his lonely chamber67 Hagen sat and rubbed his hands together, and grimly smiled.
“The time so long waited for has come at last,” he said.
But the guilty king, unable to sleep, walked restlessly to and fro, and trembled with fear at every sound of the storm-gust without.
When day dawned at last, a sad scene met the eyes of all beholders. The earth was covered with the broken branches of leafy trees; the flowers and shrubs68 were beaten pitilessly to the ground; and here and there lay the dead bodies of little feathered songsters, who, the day before, had made the woods glad with their music.
The sun had scarcely risen above this sorrowful scene, gilding69 the gray towers and turrets70 and the drooping71 trees with the promise of better things, than a strange confusion was noticed outside of the castle-gates. Thirty and two horsemen wearing the livery of the North-lands stood there, and asked to be led to the Burgundian kings.
“Who are you? and what is your errand?” asked the gate-keeper.
“We come as heralds72 and messengers from Leudiger and Leudigast, the mighty73 kings of the North,” they answered. “But our errand we can tell to no man save to Gunther your king, or to his brothers Gernot and Giselher.”
Then they were led by the king’s command into the council-hall, where sat Gunther, Gernot, and the noble Giselher; and behind them stood their uncle and chief, brave old Hagen.
“What message bring you from our old friends Leudiger and Leudigast?” asked Gunther of the strangers.
“Call them not your friends,” answered the chief of the company. “We bring you this message from our liege lords, whom you may well count as enemies. Many years ago they were sorely beaten in battle, and suffered much hurt at your hands. And they vowed74 then to avenge75 the injury, and to wipe out the disgrace you had caused them, just so soon as they were strong enough to do so. Now they are ready, with fifty thousand men, to march into your country. And they swear to lay waste your lands, and to burn your towns and villages and all your castles, unless you at once acknowledge yourselves their vassals, and agree to pay them tribute. This is the kings’ message. And we were further ordered not to wait for an answer, but to carry back to them without delay your reply, whether you will agree to their terms or no.”
“Send for Siegfried,” whispered the chief.
It was done. And soon the hero came into the hall. His kingly grace and warlike bearing were such that Gunther dared not raise his guilty eyes from the ground; and Hagen’s furtive77 glances were, for the moment, freighted with fear and shame. The message of the heralds was repeated to Siegfried; and Gunther said,—
“Most noble friend, you hear what word these traitorous kings dare send us. Now, we remember, that, long years ago, you led us against them, and gave us a glorious victory. We remember, too, how, by your counsel, their lives were spared, and they were sent home with costly gifts. It is thus they repay our kindness. What answer shall we send them?”
“Say that we will fight,” answered Siegfried at once. “I will lead my brave Nibelungens against them, and they shall learn how serious a thing it is to break an oath, or to return treason for kindness.”
The news soon spread through all the town and through the country-side, that Leudiger and Leudigast, with fifty thousand men, were marching into Burgundy, and destroying every thing in their way. And great flight and confusion prevailed. Men and women hurried hither and thither78 in dismay. Soldiers busily sharpened their weapons, and burnished79 their armor, ready for the fray80. Little children were seen cowering81 at every sound, and anxious faces were found everywhere.
When Queen Kriemhild saw the busy tumult82, and heard the shouts and cries in the street and the courtyard, and learned the cause of it all, she was greatly troubled, and went at once to seek Siegfried. When she found him, she drew him aside, and besought83 him not to take part in the war which threatened, but to hasten with all speed back to their own loved Nibelungen Land.
“And why would my noble queen wish me thus to play the part of a coward, and to leave my friends when they most need my help?” asked Siegfried in surprise.
“I would not have you play the coward,” answered Kriemhild, and hot tears stood in her eyes. “But some unseen danger overhangs. There are other traitors84 than Leudiger and Leudigast, and men to be more feared than they. Last night I dreamed a fearful dream, and it follows me still. I dreamed that you hunted in the forest, and that two wild boars attacked you. The grass and the flowers were stained with your gore85, and the cruel tusks86 of the beasts tore you in pieces, and no one came to your help. And I cried out in my distress, and awoke; and the storm-clouds roared and threatened, and the hail pattered on the roof, and the wind and rain beat against the windowpanes. Then I slept again, and another dream, as fearful as the first, came to me. I dreamed that you rode in the forest, and that music sprang up in your footsteps, and all things living called you blessed, but that suddenly two mountains rose up from the ground, and their high granite87 crags toppled over, and fell upon you, and buried you from my sight forever. Then I awoke again, and my heart has ever since been heavy with fearful forebodings. I know that some dread evil threatens us; yet, what it is, I cannot tell. But go not out against the North-kings. Our Nibelungen-folk wait too long for your coming.”
Siegfried gayly laughed at his queen’s fears, and said, “The woof of every man’s fate has been woven by the Norns, and neither he nor his foes88 can change it. When his hour comes, then he must go to meet his destiny.”
Then he led her gently back to her room in the castle, and bade her a loving farewell, saying, “When the foes of our Burgundian hosts are put to flight, and there is no longer need for us here, then will we hasten back to Nibelungen Land. Have patience and hope for a few days only, and all will yet be well. Forget your foolish dreams, and think only of my glad return.”
It was arranged, that, in the march against the North-kings, Siegfried with his Nibelungens should take the lead; while Hagen, with a picked company of fighting-men, should bring up the rear. Every one was eager to join in the undertaking; and no one, save King Gunther and his cunning counsellor, and Ortwin and Dankwart, knew that the pretended heralds from the North-kings were not heralds at all, but merely the false tools of wicked Hagen. For the whole was but a well-planned plot, as we shall see, to entrap89 unwary, trusting Siegfried.
Soon all things were in readiness for the march; but, as the day was now well spent, it was agreed, that, at early dawn of the morrow, the little army should set out. And every one went home to put his affairs in order, and to rest for the night.
Late that evening old Hagen went to bid Siegfried’s queen good-by. Kriemhild had tried hard to drown her gloomy fears, and to forget her sad, foreboding dreams; but it was all in vain, for deep anxiety still rested heavily upon her mind. Yet she welcomed her dark-browed uncle with the kindest words.
“How glad I am,” she said, “that my husband is here to help my kinsfolk in this their time of need! I know right well, that, with him to lead, you shall win. But, dear uncle, remember, when you are in the battle, that we have always loved you, and that Siegfried has done many kindnesses to the Burgundians; and, if any danger threaten him, turn it aside, I pray you, for Kriemhild’s sake. I know that I merit Queen Brunhild’s anger, because of the sharp words I lately spoke to her; but let not my husband suffer blame for that which is my fault alone.”
“Kriemhild,” answered Hagen, “no one shall suffer blame,—neither Siegfried nor yourself. We are all forgetful, and sometimes speak hasty words; but that which we say in angry thoughtlessness should not be cherished up against us. There is no one who thinks more highly of Siegfried than I, and there is nothing I would not do to serve him.”
“I should not fear for him,” said she, “if he were not so bold and reckless. When he is in the battle, he never thinks of his own safety. And I tremble lest at some time he may dare too much, and meet his death. If you knew every thing, as I do, you would fear for him too.”
“What is it?” asked Hagen, trying to hide his eagerness,—“what is it that gives you cause for fear? Tell me all about it, and then I will know the better how to shield him from danger. I will lay down my life for his sake.”
Then Kriemhild, trusting in her uncle’s word, and forgetful of every caution, told him the secret of the dragon’s blood, and of Siegfried’s strange bath, and of the mischief-working lime-leaf.
“And now,” she added, “since I know that there is one spot which a deadly weapon might reach, I am in constant fear that the spear of an enemy may, perchance, strike him there. Is there not some way of shielding that spot?”
“There is,” answered Hagen. “Make some mark, or put some sign, upon his coat, that I may know where that spot is. And, when the battle rages, I will ride close behind him, and ward20 off every threatened stroke.”
And Kriemhild joyfully90 promised that she would at once embroider91 a silken lime-leaf on the hero’s coat, just over the fatal spot. And Hagen, well pleased, bade her farewell, and went away.
Without delay the chief sought the weak-minded Gunther, and to him he related all that the trustful Kriemhild had told him. And, until the midnight hour, the two plotters sat in the king’s bed-chamber, and laid their cunning plans. Both thought it best, now they had learned the fatal secret, to give up the sham46 march against the North-kings, and to seek by other and easier means to lure92 Siegfried to his death.
“The chiefs will be much displeased,” said Gunther. “For all will come, ready to march at the rising of the sun. What shall we do to please them, and make them more ready to change their plans?”
Hagen thought a moment, and then the grim smile that was wont to break the dark lines of his face when he was pleased spread over his features.
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dwelling
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betokens
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| v.预示，表示( betoken的第三人称单数 ) | |
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warriors
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| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
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sumptuous
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| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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beset
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mishaps
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| n.轻微的事故，小的意外( mishap的名词复数 ) | |
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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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yearned
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| 渴望，切盼，向往( yearn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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persuasive
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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costly
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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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15
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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16
hoard
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| n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积 | |
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17
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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18
retinue
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| n.侍从；随员 | |
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19
reapers
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| n.收割者，收获者( reaper的名词复数 )；收割机 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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21
moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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22
orchards
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| （通常指围起来的）果园( orchard的名词复数 ) | |
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23
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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24
strewed
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| v.撒在…上( strew的过去式和过去分词 )；散落于；点缀；撒满 | |
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ushered
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| v.引，领，陪同( usher的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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28
fatigues
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| n.疲劳( fatigue的名词复数 )；杂役；厌倦；（士兵穿的）工作服 | |
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29
vassal
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| n.附庸的；属下；adj.奴仆的 | |
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30
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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31
awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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33
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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34
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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35
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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36
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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37
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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38
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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stature
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| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
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40
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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41
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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42
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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45
wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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46
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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viler
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| adj.卑鄙的( vile的比较级 )；可耻的；极坏的；非常讨厌的 | |
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49
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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50
domain
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| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
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51
haughty
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| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
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52
wrest
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| n.扭，拧，猛夺；v.夺取，猛扭，歪曲 | |
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53
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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54
traitorous
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| adj. 叛国的, 不忠的, 背信弃义的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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57
hoarse
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| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
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58
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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59
erased
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| v.擦掉( erase的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；清除 | |
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60
lurking
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| 潜在 | |
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61
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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63
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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pelted
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| （连续地）投掷( pelt的过去式和过去分词 )； 连续抨击； 攻击； 剥去…的皮 | |
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65
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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66
resounding
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| adj. 响亮的 | |
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67
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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shrubs
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| 灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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69
gilding
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| n.贴金箔，镀金 | |
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70
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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71
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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72
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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73
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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74
vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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75
avenge
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| v.为...复仇，为...报仇 | |
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76
wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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77
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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78
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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79
burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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80
fray
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| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
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81
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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82
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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83
besought
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| v.恳求，乞求（某事物）( beseech的过去式和过去分词 )；(beseech的过去式与过去分词) | |
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84
traitors
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| 卖国贼( traitor的名词复数 )； 叛徒； 背叛者； 背信弃义的人 | |
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85
gore
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| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
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86
tusks
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| n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头 | |
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87
granite
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| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
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88
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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89
entrap
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| v.以网或陷阱捕捉，使陷入圈套 | |
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90
joyfully
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| adv. 喜悦地, 高兴地 | |
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91
embroider
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| v.刺绣于(布)上；给…添枝加叶，润饰 | |
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92
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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93
hoarsely
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| adv.嘶哑地 | |
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