GRANDMOTHER

GRANDMOTHER is very old; she has many wrinkles , and her hair is quite white; but her eyes, which shine like two stars, and even more beautifully, look at you mildly and pleasantly, and it does you good to look into them. And then she can tell the most wonderful stories; and she has a gown with great flowers worked in it , and it is of heavy silk , and it rustles¹ . Grandmother knows a great deal, for she was a live long before father and mother, that' s quite certain ! Grandmother has a hymn-book with great silver clasps , and she often reads in that book ; in the middle of the book lies a rose , quite flat and dry ; it is not as pretty as the roses she has standing² in the glass, and yet she smiles at it most pleasantly of all, and tears even come into her eyes .

I wonder why Grandmother looks at the withered³ flower in the old book in that way? Do you know? Why, eachtime that Grandmother' s tears fall upon the rose, its colours become fresh again; the rose swells⁴ and fills the whole room with its fragrance⁵; the walls sink as if they were but mist , and all around her is the glorious green wood, where the sunlight streams through the leaves of the trees ; and Grandmother----why , she is young again, a charming maid with yellow curls and full blooming cheeks, pretty and graceful⁶, fresh as any rose; but the eyes, the mild blessed eyes, they have been left to Grandmother. At her side sits a young man, tall and strong: he gives the rose to her, and she smiles; Grandmother cannot smile thus now ! ----yes , now she smiles But now he has passed away , and many thoughts and many forms of the past ; and the handsome young man is gone, and the rose lies in the hymn-book, and Grandmother sits there again, an old woman, and glances down at the withered rose that lies in the book .

Now Grandmother is dead . She had been sitting inher arm-chair, and telling a long, long lovely tale; and she said the tale was told now, and she was tired; and she leaned her head back to sleep awhile . One could hear her breathing as she slept; but it became quieter and more quiet , and her countenance⁷ was full of happiness and peace : it seemed as if a sunshine spread over her features ; and then the people said she was dead .

She was laid in the black coffin⁸; and there she lay shrouded⁹ in the white linen¹⁰ folds , looking beautiful and mild , though her eyes were closed ; but every wrinkle had vanished, and there was a smile around her mouth; her hair was silver-white and venerable; . and we did not feel at all afraid to look on her who had been the dear good Grandmother. And the hymn-book was placed under her head , for she had wished it so , and the rose was still in the old book; and then they buried Grandmother.

On the grave , close by the churchyard wall , they planted a rose tree ; and it was full of roses ; and the nightingale sang over the flowers and over the grave . In the church the finest psalms¹¹ sounded from the organ----the psalms that were written in the old book under the dead one's head. The moon shone down upon the grave, but the dead one was not there . Every child could go safely , even at night, and pluck a rose there by the churchyardwall . A dead person knows more than all we living ones . The dead know what a terror would come upon us , if thestrange thing were to happen that they appeared among us the dead are better than we all; the dead return no more . The earth has been heaped over the coffin , and it is earth that lies in the coffin; and the leaves of the hymn-book are dust , and the rose , with all its recollections, has returned to dust likewise . But above there bloom fresh roses ; the nightingale sings and the organ sounds, and the remembrance lives of the old Grandmother with the mild eyes that always looked young. Eyes can never die Ours will once again behold¹² Grandmother young and beautiful,as when for the first time she kissed the fresh red rose that is now dust in the grave .

1 rustles   

n.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的名词复数 )v.发出沙沙的声音( rustle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A slight breeze rustles the tan grass. 微风拂来，黄褐色的草沙沙作响。 来自互联网

2 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

3 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

4 swells   

增强( swell的第三人称单数 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情）

参考例句：

• The waters were heaving up in great swells. 河水正在急剧上升。
• A barrel swells in the middle. 水桶中部隆起。

5 fragrance   

n.芬芳，香味，香气

参考例句：

• The apple blossoms filled the air with their fragrance.苹果花使空气充满香味。
• The fragrance of lavender filled the room.房间里充满了薰衣草的香味。

6 graceful   

adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的

参考例句：

• His movements on the parallel bars were very graceful.他的双杠动作可帅了!
• The ballet dancer is so graceful.芭蕾舞演员的姿态是如此的优美。

7 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

8 coffin   

n.棺材，灵柩

参考例句：

• When one's coffin is covered,all discussion about him can be settled.盖棺论定。
• The coffin was placed in the grave.那口棺材已安放到坟墓里去了。

9 shrouded   

v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密

参考例句：

• The hills were shrouded in mist . 这些小山被笼罩在薄雾之中。
• The towers were shrouded in mist. 城楼被蒙上薄雾。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 linen   

n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的

参考例句：

• The worker is starching the linen.这名工人正在给亚麻布上浆。
• Fine linen and cotton fabrics were known as well as wool.精细的亚麻织品和棉织品像羊毛一样闻名遐迩。

11 psalms   

n.赞美诗( psalm的名词复数 )；圣诗；圣歌；(中的)

参考例句：

• the Book of Psalms 《〈圣经〉诗篇》
• A verse from Psalms knifed into Pug's mind: "put not your trust in princes." 《诗篇》里有一句话闪过帕格的脑海：“不要相信王侯。” 来自辞典例句

12 behold   

v.看，注视，看到

参考例句：

• The industry of these little ants is wonderful to behold.这些小蚂蚁辛勤劳动的样子看上去真令人惊叹。
• The sunrise at the seaside was quite a sight to behold.海滨日出真是个奇景。