The boy Mohammed had applied3 himself sedulously4 to commerce after his return home; and had actually been seen by Shaykh Nur sitting in a shop and selling small curiosities. With my plenary consent I was made over to Abdullah, his brother. On the morning of the 15th Zu’l Hijjah (19th Sept.) he hired two asses5, and accompanied me as guide to the holy places.
Mounting our animals, we followed the road before described to the Jannat al-Ma’ala, the sacred cemetery6 of Meccah. A rough wall, with a poor gateway7, encloses a patch of barren and grim-looking ground, at the foot of the chain which bounds the city’s western suburb, and below Al-Akabah, the gap through which Khalid bin8 Walid entered Meccah with the triumphant9 Prophet.4 Inside are a few ignoble10, whitewashed11 domes13: all are of modern construction, for here, as at Al-Bakia, further north, the Wahhabis indulged their levelling propensities14.5 The rest of the ground shows some small enclosures belonging to particular houses — equivalent to our family vaults15 — and the ruins of humble16 tombs, lying in confusion, whilst a few parched17 aloes spring from between the bricks and stones.6
The cemetery is celebrated18 in local history: here the body of Abdullah bin Zubayr was exposed by order of Hajjaj bin Yusuf; and the number of saints buried in it has been so numerous, that even in the twelfth century many had fallen into oblivion. It is visited by the citizens on Fridays, and by women on Thursdays, to prevent that meeting of sexes which in the East is so detrimental19 to public decorum. I shall be sparing in my description of the Ma’ala ceremonies, as the prayers, prostrations, and supplications are almost identical with those performed at Al-Bakia.
After a long supplication20, pronounced standing21 at the doorway22, we entered, and sauntered about the burial-ground. On the left of the road stood an enclosure, which, according to Abdullah, belonged to his family. The door and stone slabs23, being valuable to the poor, had been removed, and the graves of his forefathers24 appeared to have been invaded by the jackal. He sighed, recited a Fatihah with tears in his eyes, and hurried me away from the spot.
The first dome12 which we visited covered the remains25 of Abd al-Rahman, the son of Abu Bakr, one of the Worthies26 of Al-Islam, equally respected by Sunni and by Shi’ah. The tomb was a simple catafalque, spread with the usual cloth. After performing our devotions at this grave, and distributing a few piastres to guardians28 and beggars, we crossed the main path, and found ourselves at the door of the cupola, beneath which sleeps the venerable Khadijah, Mohammed’s first wife. The tomb was covered with a green cloth, and the walls of the little building were decorated with written specimens29 of religious poetry. A little beyond it, we were shown into another dome, the resting-place of Sitt Aminah, the Prophet’s mother.7 Burckhardt chronicles its ill-usage by the fanatic30 Wahhabis: it has now been rebuilt in that frugal31 style that characterizes the architecture of Al-Hijaz. An exceedingly garrulous32 old woman came to the door, invited us in, and superintended our devotions; at the end of which she sprinkled rosewater upon my face. When asked for a cool draught33, she handed me a metal saucer, whose contents smelt34 strongly of mastic, earnestly directing me to drink it in a sitting posture35. This tomb she informed us is the property of a single woman, who visits it every evening, receives the contributions of the Faithful, prays, sweeps the pavement, and dusts the furniture. We left five piastres for this respectable maiden36, and gratified the officious crone with another shilling. She repaid us by signalling to some score of beggars that a rich pilgrim had entered the Ma’ala, and their importunities fairly drove me out of the hallowed walls.
Leaving the Jannat al-Ma’ala, we returned towards the town, and halted on the left side of the road, at a mean building called the Masjid al-Jinn (of the Genii). Here was revealed the seventy-second chapter of the Koran, called after the name of the mysterious fire-drakes who paid fealty37 to the Prophet. Descending38 a flight of steps — for this Mosque39, like all ancient localities at Meccah, is as much below as above ground — we entered a small apartment containing water-pots for drinking and all the appurtenances of ablution. In it is shown the Mauza al-Khatt (place of the writing), where Mohammed wrote a letter to Abu Mas’ud after the homage40 of the Jinnis. A second and interior flight of stone steps led to another diminutive41 oratory42, where the Prophet used to pray and receive the archangel Gabriel. Having performed a pair of bows, which caused the perspiration43 to burst forth44 as if in a Russian bath, I paid a few piastres, and issued from the building with much satisfaction.
We had some difficulty in urging our donkeys through the crowded street, called the Zukak al-Hajar. Presently we arrived at the Bayt al-Nabi, the Prophet’s old house, in which he lived with the Sitt Khadijah. Here, says Burckhardt, the Lady Fatimah first saw the light8; and here, according to Ibn Jubayr, Hasan and Hosayn were born. Dismounting at the entrance, we descended45 a deep flight of steps, and found ourselves in a spacious46 hall, vaulted47, and of better appearance than most of the sacred edifices48 at Meccah. In the centre, and well railed round, stood a closet of rich green and gold stuffs, in shape not unlike an umbrella-tent. A surly porter guarded the closed door, which some respectable people vainly attempted to open by honeyed words: a whisper from Abdullah solved the difficulty. I was directed to lie at full length upon my stomach, and to kiss a black-looking stone — said to be the lower half of the Lady Fatimah’s quern9 — fixed50 at the bottom of a basin of the same material. Thence we repaired to a corner, and recited a two-bow at the place where the Prophet used to pray the Sunnat and the Nafilah, or supererogatory devotions.10
Again remounting, we proceeded at a leisurely51 pace homewards, and on the way passed through the principal slave-market. It is a large street roofed with matting, and full of coffee-houses. The merchandise sat in rows, parallel with the walls. The prettiest girls occupied the highest benches, below were the plainer sort, and lowest of all the boys. They were all gaily52 dressed in pink and other light-coloured muslins, with transparent53 veils over their heads; and, whether from the effect of such unusual splendour, or from the re-action succeeding to their terrible land-journey and sea-voyage, they appeared perfectly54 happy, laughing loudly, talking unknown tongues, and quizzing purchasers, even during the delicate operation of purchasing. There were some pretty Gallas, douce-looking Abyssinians, and Africans of various degrees of hideousness55, from the half-Arab Somal to the baboon-like Sawahili. The highest price of which I could hear was £60. And here I matured a resolve to strike, if favoured by fortune, a death-blow at a trade which is eating into the vitals of industry in Eastern Africa. The reflection was pleasant — the idea that the humble Haji, contemplating56 the scene from his donkey, might become the instrument of the total abolition57 of this pernicious traffic.11 What would have become of that pilgrim had the crowd in the slave-market guessed his intentions?
Passing through the large bazar, called the Suk al-Layl, I saw the palace of Mohammed bin Aun, quondam Prince of Meccah. It has a certain look of rude magnificence, the effect of huge hanging balconies scattered58 in profusion59 over lofty walls, claire-voies of brickwork, and courses of various-coloured stone. The owner is highly popular among the Badawin, and feared by the citizens on account of his fierce looks, courage, and treachery. They described him to me as vir bonus, bene strangulando peritus; but Mr. Cole, who knew him personally, gave him a high character for generosity60 and freedom from fanaticism61. He seems to have some idea of the state which should “hedge in” a ruler. His palaces at Meccah, and that now turned into a Wakalah at Jeddah, are the only places in the country that can be called princely. He is now a state prisoner at Constantinople, and the Badawin pray in vain for his return.12
The other places of pious visitation at Meccah are briefly62 these:—
1. Natak al-Nabi, a small oratory in the Zukak al-Hajar. It derives63 its name from the following circumstance.
As the Prophet was knocking at the door of Abu Bakr’s shop, a stone gave him God-speed, and told him that the master was not at home. The wonderful mineral is of a reddish-black colour, about a foot in dimension, and fixed in the wall somewhat higher than a man’s head. There are servants attached to it, and the street sides are spread, as usual, with the napkins of importunate64 beggars.
2. Maulid al-Nabi, or the Prophet’s birthplace.13 It is a little chapel65 in the Suk al-Layl, not far from Mohammed bin Aun’s palace. It is below the present level of the ground, and in the centre is a kind of tent, concealing66, it is said, a hole in the floor upon which Aminah sat to be delivered.
3. In the quarter “Sha’ab Ali,” near the Maulid al-Nabi, is the birthplace of Ali, another oratory below the ground. Here, as in the former place, a Maulid and a Ziyarah are held on the anniversary of the Lion’s birth.
4. Near Khadijah’s house and the Natak al-Nabi is a place called Al-Muttaka, from a stone against which the Prophet leaned when worn out with fatigue67. It is much visited by devotees; and some declare that on one occasion, when the Father of Lies appeared to the Prophet in the form of an elderly man, and tempted49 him to sin by asserting that the Mosque-prayers were over, this stone, disclosing the fraud, caused the Fiend to flee.
5. Maulid Hamzah, a little building at the old Bab Umrah, near the Shabayki cemetery. Here was the Bazan, or channel down which the Ayn Hunayn ran into the Birkat Majid. Many authorities doubt that Hamzah was born at this place.14
The reader must now be as tired of “Pious Visitations” as I was.
Before leaving Meccah I was urgently invited to dine by old Ali bin Ya Sin, the Zemzemi; a proof that he entertained inordinate68 expectations, excited, it appeared, by the boy Mohammed, for the simple purpose of exalting69 his own dignity. One day we were hurriedly summoned about three P.M. to the senior’s house, a large building in the Zukak al-Hajar. We found it full of pilgrims, amongst whom we had no trouble to recognise our fellow-travellers, the quarrelsome old Arnaut and his impudent70 slave-boy. Ali met us upon the staircase, and conducted us into an upper room, where we sat upon diwans, and with pipes and coffee prepared for dinner. Presently the semicircle arose to receive a eunuch, who lodged71 somewhere in the house. He was a person of importance, being the guardian27 of some dames72 of high degree at Cairo and Constantinople: the highest place and the best pipe were unhesitatingly offered to and accepted by him. He sat down with dignity, answered diplomatically certain mysterious questions about the dames, and applied his blubber lips to a handsome mouthpiece of lemon-coloured amber73. It was a fair lesson of humility74 for a man to find himself ranked beneath this high-shouldered, spindle-shanked, beardless bit of neutrality; and as such I took it duly to heart.
The dinner was served up in a Sini, a plated copper75 tray about six feet in circumference76, and handsomely ornamented77 with arabesques78 and inscriptions79. Under this was the usual Kursi, or stool, composed of mother-o’-pearl facets80 set in sandal-wood; and upon it a well-tinned and clean-looking service of the same material as the Sini. We began with a variety of stews81 — stews with spinach82, stews with Bamiyah (hibiscus), and rich vegetable stews. These being removed, we dipped hands in Biryani, a meat pillaw, abounding83 in clarified butter; Kimah, finely chopped meat; Warak Mahshi, vine leaves filled with chopped and spiced mutton, and folded into small triangles; Kabab, or bits of roti spitted in mouthfuls upon a splinter of wood; together with a Salatah of the crispest cucumber, and various dishes of water-melon cut up into squares.
Bread was represented by the Eastern scone84, but it was of superior flavour, and far better than the ill-famed Chapati of India. Our drink was water perfumed with mastic. After the meat came a Kunafah, fine vermicelli sweetened with honey, and sprinkled with powdered white sugar; several stews of apples and quinces; Muhallibah, a thin jelly made of rice, flour, milk, starch85, and a little perfume; together with squares of Rahah,15 a confiture highly prized in these regions, because it comes from Constantinople. Fruits were then placed upon the table; plates full of pomegranate grains and dates of the finest flavour.16 The dinner concluded with a pillaw of rice and butter, for the easier discussion of which we were provided with carved wooden spoons.
Arabs ignore the delightful86 French art of prolonging a dinner. After washing your hands, you sit down, throw an embroidered87 napkin over your knees, and with a “Bismillah,” by way of grace, plunge88 your hand into the attractive dish, changing ad libitum, occasionally sucking your finger-tips as boys do lollipops89, and varying that diversion by cramming90 a chosen morsel91 into a friend’s mouth. When your hunger is satisfied, you do not sit for your companions; you exclaim “Al Hamd!” edge away from the tray, wash your hands and mouth with soap, display signs of repletion92, otherwise you will be pressed to eat more, seize your pipe, sip93 your coffee, and take your “Kayf.” Nor is it customary, in these lands, to sit together after dinner — the evening prayer cuts short the seance. Before we rose to take leave of Ali bin Ya Sin, a boy ran into the room, and displayed those infantine civilities which in the East are equivalent to begging a present. I slipped a dollar into his hand; at the sight of which he, veritable little Meccan, could not contain his joy. “The Riyal!” he exclaimed; “the Riyal! look, grandpa’, the good Effendi has given me a Riyal!” The old gentleman’s eyes twinkled with emotion: he saw how easily the coin had slipped from my fingers, and he fondly hoped that he had not seen the last piece. “Verily thou art a good young man!” he ejaculated, adding fervently94, as prayers cost nothing, “May Allah further all thy desires.” A gentle patting of the back evidenced his high approval.
I never saw old Ali after that evening, but entrusted95 to the boy Mohammed what was considered a just equivalent for his services.
点击收听单词发音
1 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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2 ascend | |
vi.渐渐上升,升高;vt.攀登,登上 | |
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3 applied | |
adj.应用的;v.应用,适用 | |
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4 sedulously | |
ad.孜孜不倦地 | |
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5 asses | |
n. 驴,愚蠢的人,臀部 adv. (常用作后置)用于贬损或骂人 | |
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6 cemetery | |
n.坟墓,墓地,坟场 | |
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7 gateway | |
n.大门口,出入口,途径,方法 | |
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8 bin | |
n.箱柜;vt.放入箱内;[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件 | |
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9 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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10 ignoble | |
adj.不光彩的,卑鄙的;可耻的 | |
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11 whitewashed | |
粉饰,美化,掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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12 dome | |
n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
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13 domes | |
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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14 propensities | |
n.倾向,习性( propensity的名词复数 ) | |
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15 vaults | |
n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 );地下室;撑物跳高;墓穴 | |
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16 humble | |
adj.谦卑的,恭顺的;地位低下的;v.降低,贬低 | |
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17 parched | |
adj.焦干的;极渴的;v.(使)焦干 | |
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18 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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19 detrimental | |
adj.损害的,造成伤害的 | |
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20 supplication | |
n.恳求,祈愿,哀求 | |
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21 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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22 doorway | |
n.门口,(喻)入门;门路,途径 | |
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23 slabs | |
n.厚板,平板,厚片( slab的名词复数 );厚胶片 | |
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24 forefathers | |
n.祖先,先人;祖先,祖宗( forefather的名词复数 );列祖列宗;前人 | |
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25 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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26 worthies | |
应得某事物( worthy的名词复数 ); 值得做某事; 可尊敬的; 有(某人或事物)的典型特征 | |
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27 guardian | |
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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28 guardians | |
监护人( guardian的名词复数 ); 保护者,维护者 | |
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29 specimens | |
n.样品( specimen的名词复数 );范例;(化验的)抽样;某种类型的人 | |
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30 fanatic | |
n.狂热者,入迷者;adj.狂热入迷的 | |
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31 frugal | |
adj.节俭的,节约的,少量的,微量的 | |
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32 garrulous | |
adj.唠叨的,多话的 | |
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33 draught | |
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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34 smelt | |
v.熔解,熔炼;n.银白鱼,胡瓜鱼 | |
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35 posture | |
n.姿势,姿态,心态,态度;v.作出某种姿势 | |
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36 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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37 fealty | |
n.忠贞,忠节 | |
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38 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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39 mosque | |
n.清真寺 | |
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40 homage | |
n.尊敬,敬意,崇敬 | |
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41 diminutive | |
adj.小巧可爱的,小的 | |
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42 oratory | |
n.演讲术;词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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43 perspiration | |
n.汗水;出汗 | |
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44 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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45 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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46 spacious | |
adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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47 vaulted | |
adj.拱状的 | |
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48 edifices | |
n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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49 tempted | |
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 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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51 leisurely | |
adj.悠闲的;从容的,慢慢的 | |
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52 gaily | |
adv.欢乐地,高兴地 | |
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53 transparent | |
adj.明显的,无疑的;透明的 | |
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54 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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55 hideousness | |
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56 contemplating | |
深思,细想,仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 ); 注视,凝视; 考虑接受(发生某事的可能性); 深思熟虑,沉思,苦思冥想 | |
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57 abolition | |
n.废除,取消 | |
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58 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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59 profusion | |
n.挥霍;丰富 | |
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60 generosity | |
n.大度,慷慨,慷慨的行为 | |
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61 fanaticism | |
n.狂热,盲信 | |
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62 briefly | |
adv.简单地,简短地 | |
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63 derives | |
v.得到( derive的第三人称单数 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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64 importunate | |
adj.强求的;纠缠不休的 | |
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65 chapel | |
n.小教堂,殡仪馆 | |
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66 concealing | |
v.隐藏,隐瞒,遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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67 fatigue | |
n.疲劳,劳累 | |
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68 inordinate | |
adj.无节制的;过度的 | |
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69 exalting | |
a.令人激动的,令人喜悦的 | |
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70 impudent | |
adj.鲁莽的,卑鄙的,厚颜无耻的 | |
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71 lodged | |
v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 );暂住;埋入;(权利、权威等)归属 | |
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72 dames | |
n.(在英国)夫人(一种封号),夫人(爵士妻子的称号)( dame的名词复数 );女人 | |
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73 amber | |
n.琥珀;琥珀色;adj.琥珀制的 | |
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74 humility | |
n.谦逊,谦恭 | |
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75 copper | |
n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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76 circumference | |
n.圆周,周长,圆周线 | |
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77 ornamented | |
adj.花式字体的v.装饰,点缀,美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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78 arabesques | |
n.阿拉伯式花饰( arabesque的名词复数 );错综图饰;阿拉伯图案;阿拉贝斯克芭蕾舞姿(独脚站立,手前伸,另一脚一手向后伸) | |
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79 inscriptions | |
(作者)题词( inscription的名词复数 ); 献词; 碑文; 证劵持有人的登记 | |
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80 facets | |
n.(宝石或首饰的)小平面( facet的名词复数 );(事物的)面;方面 | |
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81 stews | |
n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 );烦恼,焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 );煨;思考;担忧 | |
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82 spinach | |
n.菠菜 | |
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83 abounding | |
adj.丰富的,大量的v.大量存在,充满,富于( abound的现在分词 ) | |
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84 scone | |
n.圆饼,甜饼,司康饼 | |
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85 starch | |
n.淀粉;vt.给...上浆 | |
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86 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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87 embroidered | |
adj.绣花的 | |
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88 plunge | |
v.跳入,(使)投入,(使)陷入;猛冲 | |
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89 lollipops | |
n.棒糖,棒棒糖( lollipop的名词复数 );(用交通指挥牌让车辆暂停以便儿童安全通过马路的)交通纠察 | |
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90 cramming | |
n.塞满,填鸭式的用功v.塞入( cram的现在分词 );填塞;塞满;(为考试而)死记硬背功课 | |
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91 morsel | |
n.一口,一点点 | |
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92 repletion | |
n.充满,吃饱 | |
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93 sip | |
v.小口地喝,抿,呷;n.一小口的量 | |
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94 fervently | |
adv.热烈地,热情地,强烈地 | |
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95 entrusted | |
v.委托,托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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