Music at the Villa Marina

FOR some abiding¹ central source of power,

Strong-smitten steady chords, ye seem to flow

And, flowing, carry virtue². Far below,

The vain tumultuous passions of the hour

Fleet fast and disappear; and as the sun

Shines on the wake of tempests, there is cast

O’er all the shattered ruins of my past

A strong contentment as of battles won.

And yet I cry in anguish³, as I hear

The long drawn⁴ pageant⁵ of your passage roll

Magnificently forth⁶ into the night.

To yon fair land ye come from, to yon sphere

Of strength and love where now ye shape your flight,

O even wings of music, bear my soul!

Ye have the power, if but ye had the will,

Strong-smitten steady chords in sequence grand,

To bear me forth into that tranquil⁷ land

Where good is no more ravelled up with ill;

Where she and I, remote upon some hill

Or by some quiet river’s windless strand⁸,

May live, and love, and wander hand in hand,

And follow nature simply, and be still.

From this grim world, where, sadly, prisoned, we

Sit bound with others’ heart-strings as with chains,

And, if one moves, all suffer, — to that Goal,

If such a land, if such a sphere, there be,

Thither⁹, from life and all life’s joys and pains,

O even wings of music, bear my soul!

1 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

2 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

3 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

4 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

5 pageant   

n.壮观的游行；露天历史剧

参考例句：

• Our pageant represented scenes from history.我们的露天历史剧上演一幕幕的历史事件。
• The inauguration ceremony of the new President was a splendid pageant.新主席的就职典礼的开始是极其壮观的。

6 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

7 tranquil   

adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的

参考例句：

• The boy disturbed the tranquil surface of the pond with a stick. 那男孩用棍子打破了平静的池面。
• The tranquil beauty of the village scenery is unique. 这乡村景色的宁静是绝无仅有的。

8 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

9 thither   

adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的

参考例句：

• He wandered hither and thither looking for a playmate.他逛来逛去找玩伴。
• He tramped hither and thither.他到处流浪。