He arose and looked about him, and saw where, a hundred yards aloof4, was a thicket5 of small wood, as thorn and elder and whitebeam, all wreathed about with the bines of wayfaring6 tree; it hid a bight of the stream, which turned round about it, and betwixt it and Walter was the grass short and thick, and sweet, and all beset7 with flowers; and he said to himself that it was even such a place as wherein the angels were leading the Blessed in the great painted paradise in the choir8 of the big church at Langton on Holm. But lo! as he looked he cried aloud for joy, for forth9 from the thicket on to the flowery grass came one like to an angel from out of the said picture, white-clad and bare-foot, sweet of flesh, with bright eyes and ruddy cheeks; for it was the Maid herself. So he ran to her, and she abode10 him, holding forth kind hands to him, and smiling, while she wept for joy of the meeting. He threw himself upon her, and spared not to kiss her, her cheeks and her mouth, and her arms and her shoulders, and wheresoever she would suffer it. Till at last she drew aback a little, laughing on him for love, and said: “Forbear now, friend, for it is enough for this time, and tell me how thou hast sped.”
“Ill, ill,” said he.
“What ails11 thee?” she said.
“Hunger,” he said, “and longing12 for thee.”
“Well,” she said, “me thou hast; there is one ill quenched13; take my hand, and we will see to the other one.”
So he took her hand, and to hold it seemed to him sweet beyond measure. But he looked up, and saw a little blue smoke going up into the air from beyond the thicket; and he laughed, for he was weak with hunger, and he said: “Who is at the cooking yonder?”
“Thou shalt see,” she said; and led him therewith into the said thicket and through it, and lo! a fair little grassy14 place, full of flowers, betwixt the bushes and the bight of the stream; and on the little sandy ere, just off the greensward, was a fire of sticks, and beside it two trouts lying, fat and red-flecked.
“Here is the breakfast,” said she; “when it was time to wash the night off me e’en now, I went down the strand15 here into the rippling16 shallow, and saw the bank below it, where the water draws together yonder, and deepens, that it seemed like to hold fish; and whereas I looked to meet thee presently, I groped the bank for them, going softly; and lo thou! Help me now, that we cook them.”
So they roasted them on the red embers, and fell to and ate well, both of them, and drank of the water of the stream out of each other’s hollow hands; and that feast seemed glorious to them, such gladness went with it.
But when they were done with their meat, Walter said to the Maid: “And how didst thou know that thou shouldst see me presently?”
She said, looking on him wistfully: “This needed no wizardry. I lay not so far from thee last night, but that I heard thy voice and knew it.”
Said he, “Why didst thou not come to me then, since thou heardest me bemoaning17 thee?”
She cast her eyes down, and plucked at the flowers and grass, and said: “It was dear to hear thee praising me; I knew not before that I was so sore desired, or that thou hadst taken such note of my body, and found it so dear.”
Then she reddened sorely, and said: “I knew not that aught of me had such beauty as thou didst bewail.”
And she wept for joy. Then she looked on him and smiled, and said: “Wilt thou have the very truth of it? I went close up to thee, and stood there hidden by the bushes and the night. And amidst thy bewailing, I knew that thou wouldst soon fall asleep, and in sooth I out-waked thee.”
Then was she silent again; and he spake not, but looked on her shyly; and she said, reddening yet more: “Furthermore, I must needs tell thee that I feared to go to thee in the dark night, and my heart so yearning18 towards thee.”
And she hung her head adown; but he said: “Is it so indeed, that thou fearest me? Then doth that make me afraid — afraid of thy nay-say. For I was going to entreat19 thee, and say to thee: Beloved, we have now gone through many troubles; let us now take a good reward at once, and wed20 together, here amidst this sweet and pleasant house of the mountains, ere we go further on our way; if indeed we go further at all. For where shall we find any place sweeter or happier than this?”
But she sprang up to her feet, and stood there trembling before him, because of her love; and she said: “Beloved, I have deemed that it were good for us to go seek mankind as they live in the world, and to live amongst them. And as for me, I will tell thee the sooth, to wit, that I long for this sorely. For I feel afraid in the wilderness, and as if I needed help and protection against my Mistress, though she be dead; and I need the comfort of many people, and the throngs21 of the cities. I cannot forget her: it was but last night that I dreamed (I suppose as the dawn grew a-cold) that I was yet under her hand, and she was stripping me for the torment22; so that I woke up panting and crying out. I pray thee be not angry with me for telling thee of my desires; for if thou wouldst not have it so, then here will I abide23 with thee as thy mate, and strive to gather courage.”
He rose up and kissed her face, and said: “Nay, I had in sooth no mind to abide here for ever; I meant but that we should feast a while here, and then depart: sooth it is, that if thou dreadest the wilderness, somewhat I dread24 the city.”
She turned pale, and said: “Thou shalt have thy will, my friend, if it must be so. But bethink thee we be not yet at our journey’s end, and may have many things and much strife25 to endure, before we be at peace and in welfare. Now shall I tell thee — did I not before? — that while I am a maid untouched, my wisdom, and somedeal of might, abideth with me, and only so long. Therefore I entreat thee, let us go now, side by side, out of this fair valley, even as we are, so that my wisdom and might may help thee at need. For, my friend, I would not that our lives be short, so much of joy as hath now come into them.”
“Yea, beloved,” he said, “let us on straightway then, and shorten the while that sundereth us.”
“Love,” she said, “thou shalt pardon me one time for all. But this is to be said, that I know somewhat of the haps26 that lie a little way ahead of us; partly by my lore27, and partly by what I learned of this land of the wild folk whiles thou wert lying asleep that morning.”
So they left that pleasant place by the water, and came into the open valley, and went their ways through the pass; and it soon became stony28 again, as they mounted the bent29 which went up from out the dale. And when they came to the brow of the said bent, they had a sight of the open country lying fair and joyous30 in the sunshine, and amidst of it, against the blue hills, the walls and towers of a great city.
Then said the Maid: “O, dear friend, lo you! is not that our abode that lieth yonder, and is so beauteous? Dwell not our friends there, and our protection against uncouth31 wights, and mere32 evil things in guileful33 shapes? O city, I bid thee hail!”
But Walter looked on her, and smiled somewhat; and said: “I rejoice in thy joy. But there be evil things in yonder city also, though they be not fays nor devils, or it is like to no city that I wot of. And in every city shall foes35 grow up to us without rhyme or reason, and life therein shall be tangled36 unto us.”
“Yea,” she said; “but in the wilderness amongst the devils, what was to be done by manly38 might or valiancy? There hadst thou to fall back upon the guile34 and wizardry which I had filched39 from my very foes. But when we come down yonder, then shall thy valiancy prevail to cleave40 the tangle37 for us. Or at the least, it shall leave a tale of thee behind, and I shall worship thee.”
He laughed, and his face grew brighter: “Mastery mows41 the meadow,” quoth he, “and one man is of little might against many. But I promise thee I shall not be slothful before thee.”
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1
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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2
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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3
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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6
wayfaring
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| adj.旅行的n.徒步旅行 | |
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7
beset
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| v.镶嵌；困扰，包围 | |
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8
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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9
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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10
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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11
ails
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| v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 )；感到不舒服；处境困难；境况不佳 | |
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12
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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13
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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14
grassy
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| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
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15
strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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16
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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17
bemoaning
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| v.为（某人或某事）抱怨( bemoan的现在分词 )；悲悼；为…恸哭；哀叹 | |
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18
yearning
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| a.渴望的；向往的；怀念的 | |
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19
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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20
wed
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| v.娶，嫁，与…结婚 | |
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21
throngs
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| n.人群( throng的名词复数 )v.成群，挤满( throng的第三人称单数 ) | |
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22
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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23
abide
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| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
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24
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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25
strife
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| n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争 | |
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26
haps
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| n.粗厚毛披巾；偶然，机会，运气( hap的名词复数 ) | |
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27
lore
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| n.传说；学问，经验，知识 | |
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28
stony
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| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
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29
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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30
joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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31
uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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32
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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33
guileful
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| adj.狡诈的，诡计多端的 | |
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34
guile
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| n.诈术 | |
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35
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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36
tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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37
tangle
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| n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱 | |
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38
manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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39
filched
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| v.偷（尤指小的或不贵重的物品）( filch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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40
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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41
mows
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| v.刈，割( mow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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