“And then, as it were, I fall asleep; and in my sleep is nought, save here and there a wild dream, somedeal lovely, somedeal hideous15: but of this dream is my Mistress a part, and the monster, withal, whose head thou didst cleave16 to-day. But when I am awaken17 from it, then am I verily in this land, and myself, as thou seest me to-day. And the first part of my life here is this, that I am in the pillared ball yonder, half-clad and with bound hands; and the Dwarf18 leadeth me to the Lady, and I hear his horrible croak19 as he sayeth: ‘Lady, will this one do?’ and then the sweet voice of the Lady saying: ‘This one will do; thou shalt have thy reward: now, set thou the token upon her.’ Then I remember the Dwarf dragging me away, and my heart sinking for fear of him: but for that time he did me no more harm than the rivetting upon my leg this iron ring which here thou seest.”
“So from that time forward I have lived in this land, and been the thrall20 of the Lady; and I remember my life here day by day, and no part of it has fallen into the dimness of dreams. Thereof will I tell thee but little: but this I will tell thee, that in spite of my past dreams, or it may be because of them, I had not lost the wisdom which the old woman had erst learned me, and for more wisdom I longed. Maybe this longing shall now make both thee and me happy, but for the passing time it brought me grief. For at first my Mistress was indeed wayward with me, but as any great lady might be with her bought thrall, whiles caressing21 me, and whiles chastising22 me, as her mood went; but she seemed not to be cruel of malice23, or with any set purpose. But so it was (rather little by little than by any great sudden uncovering of my intent), that she came to know that I also had some of the wisdom whereby she lived her queenly life. That was about two years after I was first her thrall, and three weary years have gone by since she began to see in me the enemy of her days. Now why or wherefore I know not, but it seemeth that it would not avail her to slay24 me outright25, or suffer me to die; but nought withheld26 her from piling up griefs and miseries27 on my head. At last she set her servant, the Dwarf, upon me, even he whose head thou clavest to-day. Many things I bore from him whereof it were unseemly for my tongue to tell before thee; but the time came when he exceeded, and I could bear no more; and then I showed him this sharp knife (wherewith I would have thrust me through to the heart if thou hadst not pardoned me e’en now), and I told him that if he forbore me not, I would slay, not him, but myself; and this he might not away with because of the commandment of the Lady, who had given him the word that in any case I must be kept living. And her hand, withal, fear held somewhat hereafter. Yet was there need to me of all my wisdom; for with all this her hatred28 grew, and whiles raged within her so furiously that it overmastered her fear, and at such times she would have put me to death if I had not escaped her by some turn of my lore29.”
“Now further, I shall tell thee that somewhat more than a year ago hither to this land came the King’s Son, the second goodly man, as thou art the third, whom her sorceries have drawn30 hither since I have dwelt here. Forsooth, when he first came, he seemed to us, to me, and yet more to my Lady, to be as beautiful as an angel, and sorely she loved him; and he her, after his fashion: but he was light-minded, and cold-hearted, and in a while he must needs turn his eyes upon me, and offer me his love, which was but foul and unkind as it turned out; for when I nay31-said him, as maybe I had not done save for fear of my Mistress, he had no pity upon me, but spared not to lead me into the trap of her wrath32, and leave me without help, or a good word. But, O friend, in spite of all grief and anguish33, I learned still, and waxed wise, and wiser, abiding34 the day of my deliverance, which has come, and thou art come.”
Therewith she took Walter’s hands and kissed them; but he kissed her face, and her tears wet her lips. Then she went on: “But sithence, months ago, the Lady began to weary of this dastard35, despite of his beauty; and then it was thy turn to be swept into her net; I partly guess how. For on a day in broad daylight, as I was serving my Mistress in the hall, and the Evil Thing, whose head is now cloven, was lying across the threshold of the door, as it were a dream fell upon me, though I strove to cast it off for fear of chastisement36; for the pillared hall wavered, and vanished from my sight, and my feet were treading a rough stone pavement instead of the marble wonder of the hall, and there was the scent37 of the salt sea and of the tackle of ships, and behind me were tall houses, and before me the ships indeed, with their ropes beating and their sails flapping and their masts wavering; and in mine ears was the hale and how of mariners38; things that I had seen and heard in the dimness of my life gone by.”
“And there was I, and the Dwarf before me, and the Lady after me, going over the gangway aboard of a tall ship, and she gathered way and was gotten out of the haven39, and straightway I saw the mariners cast abroad their ancient.”
Quoth Walter: “What then! Sawest thou the blazon40 thereon, of a wolf-like beast ramping41 up against a maiden? And that might well have been thou.”
She said: “Yea, so it was; but refrain thee, that I may tell on my tale! The ship and the sea vanished away, but I was not back in the hall of the Golden House; and again were we three in the street of the self-same town which we had but just left; but somewhat dim was my vision thereof, and I saw little save the door of a goodly house before me, and speedily it died out, and we were again in the pillared hall, wherein my thralldom was made manifest.”
“Maiden,” said Walter, “one question I would ask thee; to wit, didst thou see me on the quay42 by the ships?”
“Nay,” she said, “there were many folk about, but they were all as images of the aliens to me. Now hearken further: three months thereafter came the dream upon me again, when we were all three together in the Pillared Hall; and again was the vision somewhat dim. Once more we were in the street of a busy town, but all unlike to that other one, and there were men standing43 together on our right hands by the door of a house.”
“Yea, yea,” quoth Walter; “and, forsooth, one of them was who but I.”
“Refrain thee, beloved!” she said; “for my tale draweth to its ending, and I would have thee hearken heedfully: for maybe thou shalt once again deem my deed past pardon. Some twenty days after this last dream, I had some leisure from my Mistress’s service, so I went to disport44 me by the Well of the Oak-tree (or forsooth she might have set in my mind the thought of going there, that I might meet thee and give her some occasion against me); and I sat thereby45, nowise loving the earth, but sick at heart, because of late the King’s Son had been more than ever instant with me to yield him my body, threatening me else with casting me into all that the worst could do to me of torments46 and shames day by day. I say my heart failed me, and I was wellnigh brought to the point of yea-saying his desires, that I might take the chance of something befalling me that were less bad than the worst. But here must I tell thee a thing, and pray thee to take it to heart. This, more than aught else, had given me strength to nay-say that dastard, that my wisdom both hath been, and now is, the wisdom of a wise maid, and not of a woman, and all the might thereof shall I lose with my maidenhead. Evil wilt47 thou think of me then, for all I was tried so sore, that I was at point to cast it all away, so wretchedly as I shrank from the horror of the Lady’s wrath.”
“But there as I sat pondering these things, I saw a man coming, and thought no otherwise thereof but that it was the King’s Son, till I saw the stranger drawing near, and his golden hair, and his grey eyes; and then I heard his voice, and his kindness pierced my heart, and I knew that my friend had come to see me; and O, friend, these tears are for the sweetness of that past hour!”
Said Walter: “I came to see my friend, I also. Now have I noted48 what thou badest me; and I will forbear all as thou commandest me, till we be safe out of the desert and far away from all evil things; but wilt thou ban me from all caresses49?”
She laughed amidst of her tears, and said: “O, nay, poor lad, if thou wilt be but wise.”
Then she leaned toward him, and took his face betwixt her hands and kissed him oft, and the tears started in his eyes for love and pity of her.
Then she said: “Alas, friend! even yet mayst thou doom50 me guilty, and all thy love may turn away from me, when I have told thee all that I have done for the sake of thee and me. O, if then there might be some chastisement for the guilty woman, and not mere52 sundering53!”
“Fear nothing, sweetling,” said he; “for indeed I deem that already I know partly what thou hast done.”
She sighed, and said: “I will tell thee next, that I banned thy kissing and caressing of me till to-day because I knew that my Mistress would surely know if a man, if thou, hadst so much as touched a finger of mine in love, it was to try me herein that on the morning of the hunting she kissed and embraced me, till I almost died thereof, and showed thee my shoulder and my limbs; and to try thee withal, if thine eye should glister or thy cheek flush thereat; for indeed she was raging in jealousy54 of thee. Next, my friend, even whiles we were talking together at the Well of the Rock, I was pondering on what we should do to escape from this land of lies. Maybe thou wilt say: Why didst thou not take my hand and flee with me as we fled to-day? Friend, it is most true, that were she not dead we had not escaped thus far. For her trackers would have followed us, set on by her, and brought us back to an evil fate. Therefore I tell thee that from the first I did plot the death of those two, the Dwarf and the Mistress. For no otherwise mightest thou live, or I escape from death in life. But as to the dastard who threatened me with a thrall’s pains, I heeded55 him nought to live or die, for well I knew that thy valiant sword, yea, or thy bare hands, would speedily tame him. Now first I knew that I must make a show of yielding to the King’s Son; and somewhat how I did therein, thou knowest. But no night and no time did I give him to bed me, till after I had met thee as thou wentest to the Golden House, before the adventure of fetching the lion’s skin; and up to that time I had scarce known what to do, save ever to bid thee, with sore grief and pain, to yield thee to the wicked woman’s desire. But as we spake together there by the stream, and I saw that the Evil Thing (whose head thou clavest e’en now) was spying on us, then amidst the sickness of terror which ever came over me whensoever I thought of him, and much more when I saw him (ah! he is dead now!), it came flashing into my mind how I might destroy my enemy. Therefore I made the Dwarf my messenger to her, by bidding thee to my bed in such wise that he might hear it. And wot thou well, that he speedily carried her the tidings. Meanwhile I hastened to lie to the King’s Son, and all privily56 bade him come to me and not thee. And thereafter, by dint57 of waiting and watching, and taking the only chance that there was, I met thee as thou camest back from fetching the skin of the lion that never was, and gave thee that warning, or else had we been undone58 indeed.”
Said Walter: “Was the lion of her making or of thine then?”
She said: “Of hers: why should I deal with such a matter?”
“Yea,” said Walter, “but she verily swooned, and she was verily wroth with the Enemy.”
The Maid smiled, and said: “If her lie was not like very sooth, then had she not been the crafts-master that I knew her: one may lie otherwise than with the tongue alone: yet indeed her wrath against the Enemy was nought feigned59; for the Enemy was even I, and in these latter days never did her wrath leave me. But to go on with my tale.”
“Now doubt thou not, that, when thou camest into the hall yester eve, the Mistress knew of thy counterfeit60 tryst61 with me, and meant nought but death for thee; yet first would she have thee in her arms again, therefore did she make much of thee at table (and that was partly for my torment6 also), and therefore did she make that tryst with thee, and deemed doubtless that thou wouldst not dare to forgo2 it, even if thou shouldst go to me thereafter.”
“Now I had trained that dastard to me as I have told thee, but I gave him a sleepy draught62, so that when I came to the bed he might not move toward me nor open his eyes: but I lay down beside him, so that the Lady might know that my body had been there; for well had she wotted if it had not. Then as there I lay I cast over him thy shape, so that none might have known but that thou wert lying by my side, and there, trembling, I abode63 what should befall. Thus I passed through the hour whenas thou shouldest have been at her chamber64, and the time of my tryst with thee was come as the Mistress would be deeming; so that I looked for her speedily, and my heart well-nigh failed me for fear of her cruelty.”
“Presently then I heard a stirring in her chamber, and I slipped from out the bed, and hid me behind the hangings, and was like to die for fear of her; and lo, presently she came stealing in softly, holding a lamp in one hand and a knife in the other. And I tell thee of a sooth that I also had a sharp knife in my hand to defend my life if need were. She held the lamp up above her head before she drew near to the bed-side, and I heard her mutter: ‘She is not there then! but she shall be taken.’ Then she went up to the bed and stooped over it, and laid her hand on the place where I had lain; and therewith her eyes turned to that false image of thee lying there, and she fell a-trembling and shaking, and the lamp fell to the ground and was quenched65 (but there was bright moonlight in the room, and still I could see what betid). But she uttered a noise like the low roar of a wild beast, and I saw her arm and hand rise up, and the flashing of the steel beneath the hand, and then down came the hand and the steel, and I went nigh to swooning lest perchance I had wrought66 over well, and thine image were thy very self. The dastard died without a groan67: why should I lament68 him? I cannot. But the Lady drew him toward her, and snatched the clothes from off his shoulders and breast, and fell a-gibbering sounds mostly without meaning, but broken here and there with words. Then I heard her say: ‘I shall forget; I shall forget; and the new days shall come.’ Then was there silence of her a little, and thereafter she cried out in a terrible voice: ‘O no, no, no! I cannot forget; I cannot forget;’ and she raised a great wailing69 cry that filled all the night with horror (didst thou not hear it?), and caught up the knife from the bed and thrust it into her breast, and fell down a dead heap over the bed and on to the man whom she had slain70. And then I thought of thee, and joy smote71 across my terror; how shall I gainsay72 it? And I fled away to thee, and I took thine hands in mine, thy dear hands, and we fled away together. Shall we be still together?”
He spoke73 slowly, and touched her not, and she, forbearing all sobbing74 and weeping, sat looking wistfully on him. He said: “I think thou hast told me all; and whether thy guile75 slew76 her, or her own evil heart, she was slain last night who lay in mine arms the night before. It was ill, and ill done of me, for I loved not her, but thee, and I wished for her death that I might be with thee. Thou wottest this, and still thou lovest me, it may be overweeningly. What have I to say then? If there be any guilt51 of guile, I also was in the guile; and if there be any guilt of murder, I also was in the murder. Thus we say to each other; and to God and his Hallows we say: ‘We two have conspired77 to slay the woman who tormented78 one of us, and would have slain the other; and if we have done amiss therein, then shall we two together pay the penalty; for in this have we done as one body and one soul.’”
Therewith he put his arms about her and kissed her, but soberly and friendly, as if he would comfort her. And thereafter he said to her: “Maybe to-morrow, in the sunlight, I will ask thee of this woman, what she verily was; but now let her be. And thou, thou art over-wearied, and I bid thee sleep.”
So he went about and gathered of bracken a great heap for her bed, and did his coat thereover, and led her thereto, and she lay down meekly79, and smiled and crossed her arms over her bosom80, and presently fell asleep. But as for him, he watched by the fire-side till dawn began to glimmer81, and then he also laid him down and slept.
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1
shards
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| n.（玻璃、金属或其他硬物的）尖利的碎片( shard的名词复数 ) | |
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forgo
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| v.放弃，抛弃 | |
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3
waning
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| adj.（月亮）渐亏的，逐渐减弱或变小的n.月亏v.衰落( wane的现在分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
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4
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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8
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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smitten
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| 猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去分词 ) | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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11
divers
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| adj.不同的；种种的 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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13
doughty
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| adj.勇猛的，坚强的 | |
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14
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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15
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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16
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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awaken
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| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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croak
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| vi.嘎嘎叫，发牢骚 | |
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thrall
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| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
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caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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chastising
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| v.严惩（某人）（尤指责打）( chastise的现在分词 ) | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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outright
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| adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的 | |
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26
withheld
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| withhold过去式及过去分词 | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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nay
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| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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abiding
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| adj.永久的，持久的，不变的 | |
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dastard
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| n.卑怯之人，懦夫；adj.怯懦的，畏缩的 | |
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chastisement
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| n.惩罚 | |
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scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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haven
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| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
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blazon
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| n.纹章，装饰；精确描绘；v.广布；宣布 | |
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41
ramping
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| 土堤斜坡( ramp的现在分词 )； 斜道； 斜路； （装车或上下飞机的）活动梯 | |
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42
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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43
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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44
disport
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| v.嬉戏，玩 | |
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45
thereby
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| adv.因此，从而 | |
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46
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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47
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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48
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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49
caresses
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| 爱抚，抚摸( caress的名词复数 ) | |
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50
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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51
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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52
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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53
sundering
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| v.隔开，分开( sunder的现在分词 ) | |
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54
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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55
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
privily
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| adv.暗中，秘密地 | |
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57
dint
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| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
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58
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 | |
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59
feigned
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| a.假装的，不真诚的 | |
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60
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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61
tryst
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| n.约会；v.与…幽会 | |
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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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63
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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65
quenched
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| 解（渴）( quench的过去式和过去分词 )； 终止（某事物）； （用水）扑灭（火焰等）； 将（热物体）放入水中急速冷却 | |
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66
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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68
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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69
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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70
slain
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| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
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71
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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gainsay
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| v.否认，反驳 | |
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73
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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74
sobbing
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| <主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的 | |
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guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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76
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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77
conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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78
tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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79
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
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80
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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