SENECA
‘When I awoke, he was standing1 by my pallet. ‘Arise,’ said he, ‘eat and drink, that thy strength may return unto thee.’ He pointed2 to a small table as he spoke3, which was covered with food of the plainest kind, and dressed with the utmost simplicity4. Yet he seemed to think an apology was necessary for the indulgence of this temperate5 fare. ‘I myself,’ said he, ‘eat not the flesh of any animal, save on the new moons and the feasts, yet the days of the years of my life have been one hundred and seven; sixty of which have been passed in the chamber6 where thou sawest me. Rarely do I ascend8 to the upper chamber of this house, save on occasions like this, or peradventure to pray, with my window open towards the east, for the turning away wrath9 from Jacob, and the turning again the captivity10 of Zion. Well saith the ethnic11 leach12,
‘Aer exclusus confert ad longevitatem.’
Such hath been my life, as I tell thee. The light of heaven hath been hidden from mine eyes, and the voice of man is as the voice of a stranger in mine ears, save those of some of mine own nation, who weep for the affliction of Israel; yet the silver cord is not loosed, nor the golden bowl broken; and though mine eye be waxing dim, my natural force is not abated13.’ (As he spoke, my eyes hung in reverence14 on the hoary15 majesty17 of his patriarchal figure, and I felt as if I beheld18 an embodied19 representation of the old law in all its stern simplicity — the unbending grandeur20, and primeval antiquity21.) ‘Hast thou eaten, and art full? Arise, then, and follow me.’
‘We descended22 to the vault24, where I found the lamp was always burning. And Adonijah, pointing to the parchments that lay on the table, said, ‘This is the matter wherein I need thy help; the collection and transcription whereof hath been the labour of more than half a life, prolonged beyond the bounds allotted25 to mortality; but,’ pointing to his sunk and blood-shot eyes, ‘those that look out of the windows begin to be darkened, and I feel that I need help from the quick hand and clear eye of youth. Wherefore, it being certified26 unto me by our brother, that thou wert a youth who couldst handle the pen of a scribe, and, moreover, wast in need of a city of refuge, and a strong wall of defence, against the laying-in-wait of thy brethren round about thee, I was willing that thou shouldst come under my roof, and eat of such things as I set before thee, and such as thy soul desireth, excepting only the abominable27 things forbidden in the law of the prophet; and shouldst, moreover, receive wages as an hired servant.’
‘You will perhaps smile, Sir; but even in my wretched situation, I felt a slight but painful flush tinge28 my cheek, at the thought of a Christian29, and a peer of Spain, becoming the amanuensis of a Jew for hire. Adonijah continued, ‘Then, when my task is completed, then will I be gathered to my fathers, trusting surely in the Hope of Israel, that mine eyes shall ‘behold30 the King in his beauty, — they shall see the land that is very far off.’ And peradventure,’ he added, in a voice that grief rendered solemn, mellow31, and tremulous, ‘peradventure there shall I meet in bliss32, those with whom I parted in woe33 — even thou, Zachariah, the son of my loins, and thou, Leah, the wife of my bosom34;’ apostrophizing two of the silent skeletons that stood near. ‘And in the presence of the God of our fathers, the redeemed35 of Zion shall meet — and meet as those who are to part no more for ever and ever.’ At these words, he closed his eyes, lifted up his hands, and appeared to be absorbed in mental prayer. Grief had perhaps subdued36 my prejudices — it had certainly softened37 my heart — and at this moment I half-believed that a Jew might find entrance and adoption39 amid the family and fold of the blessed. This sentiment operated on my human sympathies, and I inquired, with unfeigned anxiety, after the fate of Solomon the Jew, whose misfortune in harbouring me had exposed him to the visit of the Inquisitors. ‘Be at peace,’ said Adonijah, waving his bony and wrinkled hand, as if dismissing a subject below his present feelings, ‘our brother Solomon is in no peril40 of death; neither shall his goods be taken for a spoil. If our adversaries41 are mighty42 in power, so are we mighty also to deal with them by our wealth or our wisdom. Thy flight they never can trace, thy existence on the face of the earth shall also be unknown to them, so thou wilt43 hearken to me, and heed44 my words.’
‘I could not speak, but my expression of mute and imploring45 anxiety spoke for me. ‘Thou didst use words,’ said Adonijah, ‘last night, whereof, though I remember not all the purport46, the sound yet maketh mine ears to tingle47; even mine, which have not vibrated to such sounds for four times the space of thy youthful years. Thou saidst thou wert beset48 by a power that tempted49 thee to renounce51 the Most High, whom Jew and Christian alike profess52 to worship; and that thou didst declare, that were the fires kindled53 around thee, thou wouldst spit at the tempter, and trample54 on the offer, though thy foot pressed the coal which the sons of Dominick were lighting55 beneath its naked sole.’ — ‘I did,’ I cried, ‘I did — and I would — So help me God in mine extremity56.’
‘Adonijah paused for a moment, as if considering whether this were a burst of passion, or a proof of mental energy. He seemed at last inclined to believe it the latter, though all men of far-advanced age are apt to distrust any marks of emotion as a demonstration57 rather of weakness than of sincerity58. ‘Then,’ said he, after a long and solemn pause, ‘then thou shall know the secret that hath been a burthen to the soul of Adonijah, even as his hopeless solitude59 is a burthen to the soul of him who traverseth the desert, none accompanying him with step, or cheering him with voice. From my youth upward, even until now, have I laboured, and behold the time of my deliverance is at hand; yea, and shall be accomplished60 speedily.
‘In the days of my childhood, a rumour61 reached mine ears, even mine, of a being sent abroad on the earth to tempt50 Jew and Nazarene, and even the disciples62 of Mohammed, whose name is accursed in the mouth of our nation, with offers of deliverance at their utmost need and extremity, so they would do that which my lips dare not utter, even though there be no ear to receive it but thine. Thou shudderest — well, then, thou art sincere, at least, in thy faith of errors. I listened to the tale, and mine ears received it, even as the soul of the thirsty drinketh in rivers of water, for my mind was full of the vain fantasies of the Gentile fables63, and I longed, in the perverseness64 of my spirit, to see, yea, and to consort65 with, yea, and to deal with, the evil one in his strength. Like our fathers in the wilderness66, I despised angel’s food, and lusted67 after forbidden meats, even the meats of the Egyptian sorcerers. And my presumption68 was rebuked69 as thou seest:— childless, wifeless, friendless, at the last period of an existence prolonged beyond the bounds of nature, am I now left, and, save thee alone, without one to record its events. I will not trouble thee now with the tale of my eventful life, farther than to tell thee, that the skeletons thou tremblest to behold, were once clothed in flesh far fairer than thine. They are those of my wife and child, whose history thou must not now hear — but those of the two others thou must both hear and relate.’ And he pointed to the two other skeletons opposite, in their upright cases. ‘Oh my return to my country, even Spain, if a Jew can be said to have a country, I set myself down on this seat, and, lighted by this lamp, I took in my hand the pen of a scribe, and vowed70 by a vow71, that this lamp should not expire, nor this seat be forsaken72, nor this vault untenanted, until that the record is written in a book, and sealed as with the king’s signet. But, behold, I was traced by those who are keen of scent73, and quick of pursuit, even the sons of Dominick. And they seized me, and laid my feet fast in the bonds; but my writings they could not read, because they were traced in a character unknown to this idolatrous people. And behold, after a space they set me free, finding no cause of offence in me; and they bade me depart, and trouble them no more. Then vowed I a vow unto the God of Israel, who had delivered me from their thraldom75, that none but he who could read these characters should ever transcribe76 them. Moreover, I prayed, and said, O Lord God of Israel! who knowest that we are the sheep of thy fold, and our enemies as wolves round about us, and as lions who roar for their evening prey77, grant, that a Nazarene escaped from their hands, and fleeing unto us, even as a bird chased from her nest, may put to shame the weapons of the mighty, and laugh them to scorn. Grant also, Lord God of Jacob, that he may be exposed to the snare78 of the enemy, even as those of whom I have written, and that he may spit at it with his mouth, and spurn79 at it with his feet, and trample on the ensnarer, even as they have trampled80; and then shall my soul, even mine, have peace at the last. Thus I prayed — and my prayer was heard, for behold, thou art here.’
‘As I heard these words, a horrid81 foreboding, like a night-mare of the heart, hung heavily on me. I looked alternately at the withering83 speaker, and the hopeless task. To bear about that horrible secret inurned in my heart, was not that enough? but to be compelled to scatter84 its ashes abroad, and to rake into the dust of others for the same purpose of unhallowed exposure, revolted me beyond feeling and utterance85. As my eye fell listlessly on the manuscripts, I saw they contained only the Spanish language written in the Greek characters — a mode of writing that, I easily conceived, must have been as unintelligible86 to the officers of the Inquisition, as the Hieroglyphics88 of the Egyptian priests. Their ignorance, sheltered by their pride, and that still more strongly fortified89 by the impenetrable secresy attached to their most minute proceedings90, made them hesitate to entrust91 to any one the circumstance of their being in possession of manuscript which they could not decypher. So they returned the papers to Adonijah, and, in his own language, ‘Behold, he abode92 in safety.’ But to me this was a task of horror unspeakable. I felt myself as an added link to the chain, the end of which, held by an invisible hand, was drawing me to perdition; and I was now to become the recorder of my own condemnation93.
‘As I turned over the leaves with a trembling hand, the towering form of Adonijah seemed dilated94 with preternatural emotion. ‘And what dost thou tremble at, child of the dust?’ he exclaimed, ‘if thou hast been tempted, so have they — if they are at rest, so shall thou be. There is not a pang95 of soul or body thou hast undergone, or canst undergo, that they have not suffered before thy birth was dreamt of. Boy, thy hand trembles over pages it is unworthy to touch, yet still I must employ thee, for I need thee. Miserable97 link of necessity, that binds98 together minds so uncongenial! I would that the ocean were my ink, and the rock my page, and mine arm, even mine, the pen that should write thereon letters that should last like those on the written mountains for ever and ever — even the mount of Sinai, and those that still bear the record, ‘Israel hath passed the flood.’1 As he spoke, I again turned over the manuscripts. ‘Does thy hand tremble still?’ said Adonijah; ‘and dost thou still hesitate to record the story of those whose destiny a link, wondrous99, invisible, and indissoluble, has bound to thine. Behold, there are those near thee, who, though they have no longer a tongue, speak to thee with that eloquence100 which is stronger than all the eloquence of living tongues. Behold, there are those around thee, whose mute and motionless arms of bone plead to thee as no arms of flesh ever pleaded. Behold, there are those who, being speechless, yet speak — who, being dead, are yet alive — who, though in the abyss of eternity101, are yet around thee, and call on thee, as with a mortal voice. Hear them! — take the pen in thine hand, and write.’ I took the pen in my hand, but could not write a line. Adonijah, in a transport of ecstasy102, snatching a skeleton from its receptacle, placed it before me. ‘Tell him thy story thyself, peradventure he will believe thee, and record it.’ And supporting the skeleton with one hand, he pointed with the other, as bleached103 and bony as that of the dead, to the manuscript that lay before me.
1 Written mountains, i.e. rocks inscribed104 with characters recordative of some remarkable105 event, are well known to every oriental traveller. I think it is in the notes of Dr Coke, on the book of Exodus106, that I have met with the circumstance alluded107 to above. A rock near the Red Sea is said once to have borne the inscription108, ‘Israel hath passed the flood.’
‘It was a night of storms in the world above us; and, far below the surface of the earth as we were, the murmur109 of the winds, sighing through the passages, came on my ear like the voices of the departed, — like the pleadings of the dead. Involuntarily I fixed110 my eye on the manuscript I was to copy, and never withdrew till I had finished its extraordinary contents.’
Tale of the Indians
‘There is an island in the Indian sea, not many leagues from the mouth of the Hoogly, which, from the peculiarity111 of its situation and internal circumstances, long remained unknown to Europeans, and unvisited by the natives of the contiguous islands, except on remarkable occasions. It is surrounded by shallows that render the approach of any vessel113 of weight impracticable, and fortified by rocks that threatened danger to the slight canoes of the natives, but it was rendered still more formidable by the terrors with which superstition114 had invested it. There was a tradition that the first temple to the black goddess Seeva,1 had been erected115 there; and her hideous116 idol74, with its collar of human sculls, forked tongues darting117 from its twenty serpent mouths, and seated on a matted coil of adders118, had there first received the bloody119 homage120 of the mutilated limbs and immolated121 infants of her worshippers.
1 Vide Maurice’s Indian Antiquities122.
‘The temple had been overthrown123, and the island half depopulated, by an earthquake, that agitated124 all the shores of India. It was rebuilt, however, by the zeal125 of the worshippers, who again began to re-visit the island, when a tufaun of fury unparalleled even in those fierce latitudes126, burst over the devoted127 spot. The pagoda128 was burnt to ashes by the lightning; the inhabitants, their dwellings130, and their plantations131, swept away as with the besom of destruction, and not a trace of humanity, cultivation132, or life, remained in the desolate133 isle134. The devotees consulted their imagination for the cause of these calamities135; and, while seated under the shade of their cocoa-trees they told their long strings136 of coloured beads138, they ascribed it to the wrath of the goddess Seeva at the increasing popularity of the worship of Juggernaut. They asserted that her image had been seen ascending139 amid the blaze of lightning that consumed her shrine140 and blasted her worshippers as they clung to it for protection, and firmly believed she had withdrawn141 to some happier isle, where she might enjoy her feast of flesh, and draught142 of blood, unmolested by the worship of a rival deity143. So the island remained desolate, and without inhabitant for years.
‘The crews of European vessels144, assured by the natives that there was neither animal, or vegetable, or water, to be found on its surface, forbore to visit; and the Indian of other isles145, as he passed it in his canoe, threw a glance of melancholy146 fear at its desolation, and flung something overboard to propitiate147 the wrath of Seeva.
‘The Island, thus left to itself, became vigorously luxuriant, as some neglected children improve in health and strength, while pampered148 darlings die under excessive nurture149. Flowers bloomed, and foliage150 thickened, without a hand to pluck, a step to trace, or a lip to taste them, when some fishermen, (who had been driven by a strong current toward the isle, and worked with oar16 and sail in vain to avoid its dreaded151 shore), after making a thousand prayers to propitiate Seeva, were compelled to approach within an oar’s length of it; and, on their return in unexpected safety, reported they had heard sounds so exquisite152, that some other goddess, milder than Seeva, must have fixed on that spot for her residence. The younger fishermen added to this account, that they had beheld a female figure of supernatural loveliness, glide153 and disappear amid the foliage which now luxuriantly overshadowed the rocks; and, in the spirit of Indian devotees, they hesitated not to call this delicious vision an incarnated154 emanation of Vishnu, in a lovelier form than ever he had appeared before, — at least far beyond that which he assumed, when he made one of his avatars in the figure of a tiger.
‘The inhabitants of the islands, as superstitious155 as they were imaginative, deified the vision of the isles after their manner. The old devotees, while invoking156 her, stuck close to the bloody rites157 of Seeva and Haree, and muttered many a horrid vow over their beads, which they took care to render effectual by striking sharp reeds into their arms, and tinging158 every bead137 with blood as they spoke. The young women rowed their light canoes as near as they dared to the haunted isle, making vows159 to Camdeo,1 and sending their paper vessels, lit with wax, and filled with flowers, towards its coast, where they hoped their darling deity was about to fix his residence. The young men also, at least those who were in love and fond of music, rowed close to the island to solicit160 the god Krishnoo2 to sanctify it by his presence; and not knowing what to offer to the deity, they sung their wild airs standing high on the prow161 of the canoe, and at last threw a figure of wax, with a kind of lyre in its hand, towards the shore of the desolate isle.
1 The Cupid of the Indian mythology162.
2 The Indian Apollo.
‘For many a night these canoes might be seen glancing past each other over the darkened sea, like shooting stars of the deep, with their lighted paper lanthorns, and their offerings of flowers and fruits, left by some trembling hand on the sands, or hung by a bolder one in baskets of cane163 on the rocks; and still the simple islanders felt joy and devotion united in this ‘voluntary humility164.’ It was observed, however, that the worshippers departed with very different impressions of the object of their adoration165. The women all clung to their oars166 in breathless admiration167 of the sweet sounds that issued from the isle; and when that ceased they departed, murmuring over in their huts those ‘notes angelical,’ to which their own language furnished no appropriate sounds. The men rested long on their oars, to catch a glimpse of the form which, by the report of the fishermen, wandered there; and, when disappointed, they rowed home sadly.
‘Gradually the isle lost its bad character for terror; and in spite of some old devotees, who told their blood-discoloured beads, and talked of Seeva and Haree, and even held burning splinters of wood to their scorched168 hands, and stuck sharp pieces of iron, which they had purchased or stolen from the crews of European vessels, in the most fleshy and sensitive parts of their bodies, — and, moreover, talked of suspending themselves from trees with the head downwards169, till they were consumed by insects, or calcined by the sun, or rendered delirious170 by their position, — in spite of all this, which must have been very affecting, the young people went on their own way, — the girls offering their wreaths to Camdeo, and the youths invoking Krishnoo, till the devotees, in despair, vowed to visit this accursed island, which had set every body mad, and find out how the unknown deity was to be recognised and propitiated171; and whether flowers, and fruits, and love-vows, and the beatings of young hearts, were to be substituted for the orthodox and legitimate172 offering of nails grown into the hands till they appeared through their backs, and setons of ropes inserted into the sides, on which the religionist danced his dance of agony, till the ropes or his patience failed. In a word, they were determined173 to find out what this deity was, who demanded no suffering from her worshippers, — and they fulfilled their resolution in a manner worthy96 of their purpose.
‘One hundred and forty beings, crippled by the austerities of their religion, unable to manage sail or oar, embarked174 in a canoe to reach what they called the accursed isle. The natives, intoxicated175 with the belief of their sanctity, stripped themselves naked, to push their boat through the surf, and then, making their salams, implored176 them to use oars at least. The devotees, all too intent on their beads, and too well satisfied of their importance in the eyes of their favourite deities177, to admit a doubt of their safety, set off in triumph, — and the consequence may be easily conjectured178. The boat soon filled and sunk, and the crew perished without a single sigh of lamentation179, except that they had not feasted the alligators180 in the sacred waters of the Ganges, or perished at least under the shadow of the domes182 of the holy city of Benares, in either of which cases their salvation183 must have been unquestionable.
‘This circumstance, apparently184 so untoward185, operated favourably186 on the popularity of the new worship. The old system lost ground every day. Hands, instead of being scorched over the fire, were employed only in gathering187 flowers. Nails (with which it was the custom of the devotees to lard their persons) actually fell in price; and a man might sit at his ease on his hams with as safe a conscience, and as fair a character, as if fourscore of them occupied the interval188 between. On the other hand, fruits were every day scattered189 on the shores of the favourite isle; flowers, too, blushed on its rocks, in all the dazzling luxuriance of colouring with which the Flora190 of the East delights to array herself. There was that brilliant and superb lily, which, to this day, illustrates191 the comparison between it and Solomon, who, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of them. There was the rose unfolding its ‘paradise of leaves,’ and the scarlet192 blossom of the bombex, which an English traveller has voluptuously193 described as banqueting the eye with ‘its mass of vegetable splendour’ unparalleled. And the female votarists at last began to imitate some of ‘those sounds and sweet airs’ that every breeze seemed to waft195 to their ears, with increasing strength of melody, as they floated in their canoes round this isle of enchantment196.
‘At length one circumstance occurred that put its sanctity of character, and that of its inmate197, out of all doubt. A young Indian who had in vain offered to his beloved the mystical bouquet198, in which the arrangement of the flowers is made to express love, rowed his canoe to the island, to learn his fate from its supposed inhabitant; and as he rowed, composed a song, which expressed that his mistress despised him, as if he were a Paria, but that he would love her though he were descended from the head of Brahma; — that her skin was more polished than the marble steps by which you descend23 to the tank of a Rajah, and her eyes brighter than any whose glances were watched by presumptuous199 strangers through the rents of the embroidered200 purdah1 of a Nawaub; — that she was loftier in his eyes than the black pagoda of Juggernaut, and more brilliant than the trident of the temple of Mahadeva, when it sparkled in the beams of the moon. And as both these objects were visible to his eyes from the shore, as he rowed on in the soft and glorious serenity201 of an Indian night, no wonder they found a place in his verse. Finally, he promised, that if she was propitious202 to his suit, he would build her a hut, raised four feet above the ground to avoid the serpents; — that her dwelling129 should be overshadowed by the boughs203 of the tamarind; and that while she slept, he would drive the musquitoes from her with a fan, composed of the leaves of the first flowers which she accepted as a testimony204 of his passion.
1 The curtain behind which women are concealed205.
‘It so happened, that the same night, the young female, whose reserve had been the result of any thing but indifference206, attended by two of her companions, rowed her canoe to the same spot, with the view of discovering whether the vows of her lover were sincere. They arrived about the same time; and though it was now twilight207, and the superstition of these timid beings gave a darker tinge to the shadows that surrounded them, they ventured to land; and, bearing their baskets of flowers in trembling hands, advanced to hang them on the ruins of the pagoda, amid which it was presumed the new goddess had fixed her abode. They proceeded, not without difficulty, through thickets208 of flowers that had sprung spontaneously in the uncultivated soil — not without fear that a tiger might spring on them at every step, till they recollected209 that those animals chose generally the large jungles for their retreat, and seldom harboured amid flowers. Still less was the alligator181 to be dreaded, amid the narrow streams that they could cross without tinging their ancles with its pure water. The tamarind, the cocoa, and the palm-tree, shed their blossoms, and exhaled210 their odours, and waved their leaves, over the head of the trembling votarist194 as she approached the ruin of the pagoda. It had been a massive square building, erected amid rocks, that, by a caprice of nature not uncommon211 in the Indian isles, occupied its centre, and appeared the consequence of some volcanic212 explosion. The earthquake that had overthrown it, had mingled213 the rocks and ruins together in a shapeless and deformed214 mass, which seemed to bear alike the traces of the impotence of art and nature, when prostrated215 by the power that has formed and can annihilate216 both. There were pillars, wrought217 with singular characters, heaped amid stones that bore no impress but that of some fearful and violent action of nature, that seemed to say, Mortals, write your lines with the chisel218, I write my hieroglyphics in fire. There were the disjointed piles of stones carved into the form of snakes, on which the hideous idol of Seeva had once been seated; and close to them the rose was bursting through the earth which occupied the fissures219 of the rock, as if nature preached a milder theology, and deputed her darling flower as her missionary220 to her children. The idol itself had fallen, and lay in fragments. The horrid mouth was still visible, into which human hearts had been formerly221 inserted. But now, the beautiful peacocks, with their rain-bow trains and arched necks, were feeding their young amid the branches of the tamarind that overhung the blackened fragments. The young Indians advanced with diminished fear, for there was neither sight or sound to inspire the fear that attends the approach to the presence of a spiritual being — all was calm, still, and dark. Yet their feet trod with involuntary lightness as they advanced to these ruins, which combined the devastations of nature with those of the human passions, perhaps more bloody and wild than the former. Near the ruins there had formerly been a tank, as is usual, near the pagodas222, both for the purposes of refreshment223 and purification; but the steps were now broken, and the water was stagnated224. The young Indians, however, took up a few drops, invoked225 the ‘goddess of the isle,’ and approached the only remaining arch. The exterior226 front of this building had been constructed of stone, but its interior had been hollowed out of the rock; and its recesses227 resembled, in some degree, those in the island of Elephanta. There were monstrous228 figures carved in stone, some adhering to the rock, others detached from it, all frowning in their shapeless and gigantic hideousness229, and giving to the eye of superstition the terrible representation of ‘gods of stone.’
‘Two of the young votarists, who were distinguished230 for their courage, advanced and performed a kind of wild dance before the ruins of the ancient gods, as they called them, and invoked (as they might) the new resident of the isle to be propitious to the vows of their companion, who advanced to hang her wreath of flowers round the broken remains231 of an idol half-defaced and half-hidden among the fragments of stone, but clustered over with that rich vegetation which seems, in oriental countries, to announce the eternal triumph of nature amid the ruins of art. Every year renews the rose, but what year shall see a pyramid rebuilt? As the young Indian hung her wreath on the shapeless stone, a voice murmured, ‘There is a withered232 flower there.’ — ‘Yes — yes — there is,’ answered the votarist, ‘and that withered flower is an emblem233 of my heart. I have cherished many roses, but suffered one to wither82 that was the sweetest to me of all the wreath. Wilt thou revive him for me, unknown goddess, and my wreath shall no longer be a dishonour234 to thy shrine?’ — ‘Wilt thou revive the rose by placing it in the warmth of thy bosom,’ said the young lover, appearing from behind the fragments of rock and ruin that had sheltered him, and from which he had uttered his oracular reply, and listened with delight to the emblematical235 but intelligible87 language of his beloved. ‘Wilt thou revive the rose?’ he asked, in the triumph of love, as he clasped her to his bosom. The young Indian, yielding at once to love and superstition, seemed half-melting in his embrace, when, in a moment, she uttered a wild shriek236, repelled237 him with all her strength, and crouched238 in an uncouth239 posture240 of fear, while she pointed with one quivering hand to a figure that appeared, at that moment, in the perspective of that tumultuous and indefinite heap of stone. The lover, unalarmed by the shriek of his mistress, was advancing to catch her in his arms, when his eye fell on the object that had struck hers, and he sunk on his face to the earth, in mute adoration.
‘The form was that of a female, but such as they had never before beheld, for her skin was perfectly241 white, (at least in their eyes, who had never seen any but the dark-red tint242 of the natives of the Bengalese islands). Her drapery (as well as they could see) consisted only of flowers, whose rich colours and fantastic grouping harmonized well with the peacock’s feathers twined among them, and altogether composed a feathery fan of wild drapery, which, in truth, beseemed an ‘island goddess.’ Her long hair, of a colour they had never beheld before, pale auburn, flowed to her feet, and was fantastically entwined with the flowers and the feathers that formed her dress. On her head was a coronal of shells, of hue243 and lustre244 unknown except in the Indian seas — the purple and the green vied with the amethyst245, and the emerald. On her white bare shoulder a loxia was perched, and round her neck was hung a string of their pearl — like eggs, so pure and pellucid246, that the first sovereign in Europe might have exchanged her richest necklace of pearls for them. Her arms and feet were perfectly bare, and her step had a goddess-like rapidity and lightness, that affected247 the imagination of the Indians as much as the extraordinary colour of her skin and hair. The young lovers sunk in awe7 before this vision as it passed before their eyes. While they prostrated themselves, a delicious sound trembled on their ears. The beautiful vision spoke to them, but it was in a language they did not understand; and this confirming their belief that it was the language of the gods, they prostrated themselves to her again. At that moment, the loxia, springing from her shoulder, came fluttering towards them. ‘He is going to seek for fire-flies to light his cell,’1 said the Indians to each other. But the bird, who, with an intelligence peculiar112 to his species, understood and adopted the predilection248 of the fair being he belonged to, for the fresh flowers in which he saw her arrayed every day, darted249 at the withered rose-bud in the wreath of the young Indian; and, striking his slender beak250 through it, laid it at her feet. The omen38 was interpreted auspiciously251 by the lovers, and, bending once more to the earth, they rowed back to their island, but no longer in separate canoes. The lover steered252 that of his mistress, while she sat beside him in silence; and the young couple who accompanied them chaunted verses in praise of the white goddess, and the island sacred to her and to lovers.’
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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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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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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5
temperate
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| adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的 | |
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6
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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7
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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8
ascend
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| vi.渐渐上升，升高；vt.攀登，登上 | |
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9
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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10
captivity
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| n.囚禁；被俘；束缚 | |
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ethnic
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| adj.人种的，种族的，异教徒的 | |
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12
leach
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| v.分离，过滤掉；n.过滤；过滤器 | |
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13
abated
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| 减少( abate的过去式和过去分词 )； 减去； 降价； 撤消（诉讼） | |
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14
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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15
hoary
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| adj.古老的；鬓发斑白的 | |
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16
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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17
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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18
beheld
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| 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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19
embodied
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| v.表现( embody的过去式和过去分词 )；象征；包括；包含 | |
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20
grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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21
antiquity
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| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
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22
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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23
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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24
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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25
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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26
certified
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| a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的 | |
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27
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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28
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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29
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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30
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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31
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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32
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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33
woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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34
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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35
redeemed
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| adj. 可赎回的，可救赎的 动词redeem的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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36
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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37
softened
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| （使）变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 )； 缓解打击； 缓和； 安慰 | |
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38
omen
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| n.征兆，预兆；vt.预示 | |
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39
adoption
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| n.采用，采纳，通过；收养 | |
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40
peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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41
adversaries
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| n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 ) | |
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42
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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43
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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44
heed
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| v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心 | |
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45
imploring
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| 恳求的，哀求的 | |
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46
purport
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| n.意义，要旨，大要；v.意味著，做为...要旨，要领是... | |
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47
tingle
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| vi.感到刺痛，感到激动；n.刺痛，激动 | |
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48
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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49
tempted
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| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
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50
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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51
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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52
profess
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| v.声称，冒称，以...为业，正式接受入教，表明信仰 | |
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53
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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54
trample
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| vt.踩，践踏；无视，伤害，侵犯 | |
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55
lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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56
extremity
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| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
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57
demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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58
sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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59
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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60
accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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61
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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62
disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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63
fables
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| n.寓言( fable的名词复数 )；神话，传说 | |
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64
perverseness
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| n. 乖张, 倔强, 顽固 | |
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65
consort
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| v.相伴；结交 | |
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66
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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67
lusted
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| 贪求（lust的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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68
presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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69
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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70
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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71
vow
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| n.誓(言)，誓约；v.起誓，立誓 | |
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72
Forsaken
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| adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词 | |
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73
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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74
idol
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| n.偶像，红人，宠儿 | |
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75
thraldom
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| n.奴隶的身份，奴役，束缚 | |
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76
transcribe
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| v.抄写，誉写；改编(乐曲)；复制，转录 | |
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77
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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78
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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79
spurn
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| v.拒绝，摈弃；n.轻视的拒绝；踢开 | |
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80
trampled
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| 踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 )； 践踏； 无视； 侵犯 | |
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81
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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82
wither
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| vt.使凋谢，使衰退，(用眼神气势等)使畏缩；vi.枯萎，衰退，消亡 | |
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83
withering
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| 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的 | |
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84
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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85
utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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86
unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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87
intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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88
hieroglyphics
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| n.pl.象形文字 | |
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89
fortified
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| adj. 加强的 | |
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90
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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91
entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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92
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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93
condemnation
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| n.谴责; 定罪 | |
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94
dilated
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| adj.加宽的，扩大的v.（使某物）扩大，膨胀，张大( dilate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
pang
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| n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷 | |
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96
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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97
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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98
binds
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| v.约束( bind的第三人称单数 )；装订；捆绑；（用长布条）缠绕 | |
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99
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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100
eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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101
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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102
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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103
bleached
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| 漂白的，晒白的，颜色变浅的 | |
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104
inscribed
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| v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接 | |
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105
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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106
exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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107
alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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108
inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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109
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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110
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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111
peculiarity
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| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
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112
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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113
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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114
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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115
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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116
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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117
darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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118
adders
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| n.加法器，（欧洲产）蝰蛇（小毒蛇），（北美产无毒的）猪鼻蛇( adder的名词复数 ) | |
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119
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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120
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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121
immolated
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| v.宰杀…作祭品( immolate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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122
antiquities
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| n.古老( antiquity的名词复数 )；古迹；古人们；古代的风俗习惯 | |
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123
overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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124
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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125
zeal
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| n.热心，热情，热忱 | |
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126
latitudes
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| 纬度 | |
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127
devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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128
pagoda
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| n.宝塔（尤指印度和远东的多层宝塔），（印度教或佛教的）塔式庙宇 | |
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129
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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130
dwellings
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| n.住处，处所( dwelling的名词复数 ) | |
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131
plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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132
cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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133
desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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134
isle
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| n.小岛，岛 | |
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135
calamities
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| n.灾祸，灾难( calamity的名词复数 )；不幸之事 | |
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136
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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137
bead
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| n.念珠；(pl.)珠子项链；水珠 | |
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138
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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139
ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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140
shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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141
withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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142
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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143
deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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144
vessels
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| 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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145
isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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146
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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147
propitiate
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| v.慰解，劝解 | |
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148
pampered
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| adj.饮食过量的，饮食奢侈的v.纵容，宠，娇养( pamper的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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149
nurture
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| n.养育，照顾，教育；滋养，营养品；vt.养育，给与营养物，教养，扶持 | |
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150
foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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151
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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152
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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153
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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154
incarnated
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| v.赋予（思想、精神等）以人的形体( incarnate的过去式和过去分词 )；使人格化；体现；使具体化 | |
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155
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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156
invoking
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| v.援引( invoke的现在分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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157
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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158
tinging
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的现在分词 ) | |
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159
vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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160
solicit
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| vi.勾引；乞求；vt.请求，乞求；招揽(生意) | |
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161
prow
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| n.(飞机)机头，船头 | |
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162
mythology
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| n.神话，神话学，神话集 | |
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163
cane
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| n.手杖，细长的茎，藤条；v.以杖击，以藤编制的 | |
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164
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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165
adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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166
oars
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| n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 ) | |
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167
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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168
scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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169
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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170
delirious
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| adj.不省人事的，神智昏迷的 | |
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171
propitiated
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| v.劝解，抚慰，使息怒( propitiate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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172
legitimate
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| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
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173
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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174
embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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175
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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176
implored
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| 恳求或乞求（某人）( implore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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177
deities
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| n.神，女神( deity的名词复数 )；神祗；神灵；神明 | |
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178
conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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179
lamentation
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| n.悲叹，哀悼 | |
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180
alligators
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| n.短吻鳄( alligator的名词复数 ) | |
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181
alligator
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| n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼) | |
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182
domes
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| n.圆屋顶( dome的名词复数 )；像圆屋顶一样的东西；圆顶体育场 | |
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183
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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184
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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185
untoward
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| adj.不利的，不幸的，困难重重的 | |
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186
favourably
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| adv. 善意地，赞成地 =favorably | |
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187
gathering
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| n.集会，聚会，聚集 | |
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188
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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189
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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190
flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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191
illustrates
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| 给…加插图( illustrate的第三人称单数 )； 说明； 表明； （用示例、图画等）说明 | |
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192
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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193
voluptuously
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| adv.风骚地，体态丰满地 | |
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194
votarist
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| n.崇拜者，拥护者 | |
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195
waft
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| v.飘浮，飘荡；n.一股；一阵微风；飘荡 | |
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196
enchantment
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| n.迷惑，妖术，魅力 | |
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197
inmate
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| n.被收容者；(房屋等的)居住人；住院人 | |
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198
bouquet
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| n.花束，酒香 | |
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199
presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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200
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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201
serenity
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| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
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202
propitious
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| adj.吉利的；顺利的 | |
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203
boughs
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| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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204
testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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205
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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206
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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207
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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208
thickets
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| n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物 | |
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209
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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210
exhaled
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| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
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211
uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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212
volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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213
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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214
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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215
prostrated
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| v.使俯伏，使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 )；（指疾病、天气等）使某人无能为力 | |
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216
annihilate
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| v.使无效；毁灭；取消 | |
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217
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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218
chisel
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| n.凿子；v.用凿子刻，雕，凿 | |
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219
fissures
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| n.狭长裂缝或裂隙( fissure的名词复数 )；裂伤；分歧；分裂v.裂开( fissure的第三人称单数 ) | |
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220
missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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221
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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222
pagodas
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| 塔，宝塔( pagoda的名词复数 ) | |
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223
refreshment
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| n.恢复，精神爽快，提神之事物；（复数）refreshments:点心，茶点 | |
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224
stagnated
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| v.停滞，不流动，不发展( stagnate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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225
invoked
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| v.援引( invoke的过去式和过去分词 )；行使（权利等）；祈求救助；恳求 | |
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226
exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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227
recesses
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| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
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228
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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229
hideousness
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230
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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231
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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232
withered
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| 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 | |
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233
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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234
dishonour
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| n./vt.拒付（支票、汇票、票据等）；vt.凌辱，使丢脸；n.不名誉，耻辱，不光彩 | |
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235
emblematical
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| adj.标志的，象征的，典型的 | |
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236
shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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237
repelled
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| v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开 | |
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238
crouched
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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239
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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240
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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241
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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242
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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243
hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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244
lustre
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| n.光亮，光泽；荣誉 | |
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245
amethyst
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| n.紫水晶 | |
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246
pellucid
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| adj.透明的，简单的 | |
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247
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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248
predilection
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| n.偏好 | |
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249
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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250
beak
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| n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻 | |
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251
auspiciously
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| adv.吉利； 繁荣昌盛； 前途顺利； 吉祥 | |
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252
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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