Said the elder: “If thou, King, and the Queen, wilt3 but arise and stand in the window, and go forth4 into the hanging gallery thereof, then shall ye know at once what is this rumour5, and therewithal shall ye see a sight meet to rejoice the heart of a king new come into kingship.”
So the King arose and took the Maid by the hand, and went to the window and looked forth; and lo! the great square of the place all thronged7 with folk as thick as they could stand, and the more part of the carles with a weapon in hand, and many armed right gallantly8. Then he went out into the gallery with his Queen, still holding her hand, and his lords and wise men stood behind him. Straightway then arose a cry, and a shout of joy and welcome that rent the very heavens, and the great place was all glittering and strange with the tossing up of spears and the brandishing9 of swords, and the stretching forth of hands.
But the Maid spake softly to King Walter and said: “Here then is the wilderness10 left behind a long way, and here is warding11 and protection against the foes12 of our life and soul. O blessed be thou and thy valiant13 heart!”
But Walter spake nothing, but stood as one in a dream; and yet, if that might be, his longing14 toward her increased manifold.
But down below, amidst of the throng6, stood two neighbours somewhat anigh to the window; and quoth one to the other: “See thou! the new man in the ancient armour15 of the Battle of the Waters, bearing the sword that slew16 the foeman king on the Day of the Doubtful Onset17! Surely this is a sign of good-luck to us all.”
“Yea,” said the second, “he beareth his armour well, and the eyes are bright in the head of him: but hast thou beheld18 well his she-fellow, and what the like of her is?”
“I see her,” said the other, “that she is a fair woman; yet somewhat worse clad than simply. She is in her smock, man, and were it not for the balusters I deem ye should see her barefoot. What is amiss with her?”
“Dost thou not see her,” said the second neighbour, “that she is not only a fair woman, but yet more, one of those lovely ones that draw the heart out of a man’s body, one may scarce say for why? Surely Stark-wall hath cast a lucky net this time. And as to her raiment, I see of her that she is clad in white and wreathed with roses, but that the flesh of her is so wholly pure and sweet that it maketh all her attire19 but a part of her body, and halloweth it, so that it hath the semblance20 of gems21. Alas22, my friend! let us hope that this Queen will fare abroad unseldom amongst the people.”
Thus, then, they spake; but after a while the King and his mate went back into the chamber23, and he gave command that the women of the Queen should come and fetch her away, to attire her in royal array. And thither24 came the fairest of the honourable25 damsels, and were fain of being her waiting-women. Therewithal the King was unarmed, and dight most gloriously, but still he bore the Sword of the King’s Slaying26: and sithence were the King and the Queen brought into the great hall of the palace, and they met on the dais, and kissed before the lords and other folk that thronged the hall. There they ate a morsel27 and drank a cup together while all beheld them; and then they were brought forth, and a white horse of the goodliest, well bedight, brought for each of them, and thereon they mounted and went their ways together, by the lane which the huge throng made for them, to the great church, for the hallowing and the crowning; and they were led by one squire28 alone, and he unarmed; for such was the custom of Stark-wall when a new king should be hallowed: so came they to the great church (for that folk was not miscreant29, so to say), and they entered it, they two alone, and went into the choir30: and when they had stood there a little while wondering at their lot, they heard how the bells fell a-ringing tunefully over their heads; and then drew near the sound of many trumpets31 blowing together, and thereafter the voices of many folk singing; and then were the great doors thrown open, and the bishop32 and his priests came into the church with singing and minstrelsy, and thereafter came the whole throng of the folk, and presently the nave33 of the church was filled by it, as when the water follows the cutting of the dam, and fills up the dyke34. Thereafter came the bishop and his mates into the choir, and came up to the King, and gave him and the Queen the kiss of peace. This was mass sung gloriously; and thereafter was the King anointed and crowned, and great joy was made throughout the church. Afterwards they went back afoot to the palace, they two alone together, with none but the esquire going before to show them the way. And as they went, they passed close beside those two neighbours, whose talk has been told of afore, and the first one, he who had praised the King’s war-array, spake and said: “Truly, neighbour, thou art in the right of it; and now the Queen has been dight duly, and hath a crown on her head, and is clad in white samite done all over with pearls, I see her to be of exceeding goodliness; as goodly, maybe, as the Lord King.”
Quoth the other: “Unto me she seemeth as she did e’en now; she is clad in white, as then she was, and it is by reason of the pure and sweet flesh of her that the pearls shine out and glow, and by the holiness of her body is her rich attire hallowed; but, forsooth, it seemed to me as she went past as though paradise had come anigh to our city, and that all the air breathed of it. So I say, praise be to God and His Hallows who hath suffered her to dwell amongst us!”
Said the first man: “Forsooth, it is well; but knowest thou at all whence she cometh, and of what lineage she may be?”
“Nay,” said the other, “I wot not whence she is; but this I wot full surely, that when she goeth away, they whom she leadeth with her shall be well bestead. Again, of her lineage nought35 know I; but this I know, that they that come of her, to the twentieth generation, shall bless and praise the memory of her, and hallow her name little less than they hallow the name of the Mother of God.”
So spake those two; but the King and Queen came back to the palace, and sat among the lords and at the banquet which was held thereafter, and long was the time of their glory, till the night was far spent and all men must seek to their beds.
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收听单词发音
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1
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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2
smote
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| v.猛打，重击，打击( smite的过去式 ) | |
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3
wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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4
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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5
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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6
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
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7
thronged
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| v.成群，挤满( throng的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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9
brandishing
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| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
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10
wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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11
warding
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| 监护，守护（ward的现在分词形式） | |
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12
foes
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| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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13
valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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14
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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15
armour
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| （=armor）n.盔甲；装甲部队 | |
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16
slew
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| v.（使）旋转；n.大量，许多 | |
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17
onset
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| n.进攻，袭击，开始，突然开始 | |
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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
attire
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| v.穿衣，装扮[同]array；n.衣着；盛装 | |
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20
semblance
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| n.外貌，外表 | |
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gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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22
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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23
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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24
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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25
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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26
slaying
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| 杀戮。 | |
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27
morsel
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| n.一口，一点点 | |
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squire
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| n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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29
miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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30
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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31
trumpets
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| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
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32
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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33
nave
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| n.教堂的中部；本堂 | |
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34
dyke
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| n.堤，水坝，排水沟 | |
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35
nought
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| n.／adj.无，零 | |
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