THE BATTLE OF THE GODS, AND THE ACTS OF ACHILLES.
Jupiter, upon Achilles' return to the battle, calls a council of the gods, and permits them to assist either party. The terrors of the combat described, when the deities1 are engaged. Apollo encourages ?neas to meet Achilles. After a long conversation, these two heroes encounter; but ?neas is preserved by the assistance of Neptune3. Achilles falls upon the rest of the Trojans, and is upon the point of killing4 Hector, but Apollo conveys him away in a cloud. Achilles pursues the Trojans with a great slaughter5.
The same day continues. The scene is in the field before Troy.
Thus round Pelides breathing war and blood
Greece, sheathed6 in arms, beside her vessels7 stood;
While near impending8 from a neighbouring height,
Troy's black battalions9 wait the shock of fight.
Then Jove to Themis gives command, to call
The gods to council in the starry10 hall:
Swift o'er Olympus' hundred hills she flies,
And summons all the senate of the skies.
These shining on, in long procession come
To Jove's eternal adamantine dome11.
Not one was absent, not a rural power
That haunts the verdant12 gloom, or rosy13 bower14;
Each fair-hair'd dryad of the shady wood,
Each azure15 sister of the silver flood;
All but old Ocean, hoary16 sire! who keeps
His ancient seat beneath the sacred deeps.
On marble thrones, with lucid17 columns crown'd,
(The work of Vulcan,) sat the powers around.
Even he whose trident sways the watery18 reign19
Heard the loud summons, and forsook20 the main,
Assumed his throne amid the bright abodes21,
And question'd thus the sire of men and gods:
"What moves the god who heaven and earth commands,
And grasps the thunder in his awful hands,
[pg 361]
Thus to convene22 the whole ethereal state?
Is Greece and Troy the subject in debate?
Already met, the louring hosts appear,
And death stands ardent23 on the edge of war."
"'Tis true (the cloud-compelling power replies)
This day we call the council of the skies
In care of human race; even Jove's own eye
Sees with regret unhappy mortals die.
Far on Olympus' top in secret state
Ourself will sit, and see the hand of fate
Work out our will. Celestial24 powers! descend25,
And as your minds direct, your succour lend
To either host. Troy soon must lie o'erthrown,
If uncontroll'd Achilles fights alone:
Their troops but lately durst not meet his eyes;
What can they now, if in his rage he rise?
Assist them, gods! or Ilion's sacred wall
May fall this day, though fate forbids the fall."
He said, and fired their heavenly breasts with rage.
On adverse27 parts the warring gods engage:
Heaven's awful queen; and he whose azure round
Girds the vast globe; the maid in arms renown28'd;
Hermes, of profitable arts the sire;
And Vulcan, the black sovereign of the fire:
These to the fleet repair with instant flight;
The vessels tremble as the gods alight.
In aid of Troy, Latona, Phoebus came,
Mars fiery29-helm'd, the laughter-loving dame30,
Xanthus, whose streams in golden currents flow,
And the chaste31 huntress of the silver bow.
Ere yet the gods their various aid employ,
Each Argive bosom32 swell'd with manly33 joy,
While great Achilles (terror of the plain),
Long lost to battle, shone in arms again.
Dreadful he stood in front of all his host;
Pale Troy beheld35, and seem'd already lost;
Her bravest heroes pant with inward fear,
And trembling see another god of war.
But when the powers descending36 swell'd the fight,
Then tumult37 rose: fierce rage and pale affright
Varied38 each face: then Discord39 sounds alarms,
Earth echoes, and the nations rush to arms.
Now through the trembling shores Minerva calls,
And now she thunders from the Grecian walls.
Mars hovering40 o'er his Troy, his terror shrouds41
In gloomy tempests, and a night of clouds:
Now through each Trojan heart he fury pours
With voice divine, from Ilion's topmost towers:
Now shouts to Simois, from her beauteous hill;
The mountain shook, the rapid stream stood still.
[pg 362]
Above, the sire of gods his thunder rolls,
And peals42 on peals redoubled rend43 the poles.
Beneath, stern Neptune shakes the solid ground;
The forests wave, the mountains nod around;
Through all their summits tremble Ida's woods,
And from their sources boil her hundred floods.
Troy's turrets44 totter45 on the rocking plain,
And the toss'd navies beat the heaving main.
Deep in the dismal46 regions of the dead,260
The infernal monarch47 rear'd his horrid48 head,
Leap'd from his throne, lest Neptune's arm should lay
His dark dominions49 open to the day,
And pour in light on Pluto's drear abodes,
Abhorr'd by men, and dreadful even to gods.261
Illustration: THE GODS DESCENDING TO BATTLE.
THE GODS DESCENDING TO BATTLE.
Such war the immortals51 wage; such horrors rend
The world's vast concave, when the gods contend
First silver-shafted Phoebus took the plain
Against blue Neptune, monarch of the main.
The god of arms his giant bulk display'd,
Opposed to Pallas, war's triumphant52 maid.
Against Latona march'd the son of May.
The quiver'd Dian, sister of the day,
(Her golden arrows sounding at her side,)
[pg 363]
Saturnia, majesty53 of heaven, defied.
With fiery Vulcan last in battle stands
The sacred flood that rolls on golden sands;
Xanthus his name with those of heavenly birth,
But called Scamander by the sons of earth.
While thus the gods in various league engage,
Achilles glow'd with more than mortal rage:
Hector he sought; in search of Hector turn'd
His eyes around, for Hector only burn'd;
And burst like lightning through the ranks, and vow'd
To glut54 the god of battles with his blood.
?neas was the first who dared to stay;
Apollo wedged him in the warrior55's way,
But swell'd his bosom with undaunted might,
Half-forced and half-persuaded to the fight.
Like young Lycaon, of the royal line,
In voice and aspect, seem'd the power divine;
And bade the chief reflect, how late with scorn
In distant threats he braved the goddess-born.
Then thus the hero of Anchises' strain:
"To meet Pelides you persuade in vain:
Already have I met, nor void of fear
Observed the fury of his flying spear;
From Ida's woods he chased us to the field,
Our force he scattered57, and our herds58 he kill'd;
Lyrnessus, Pedasus in ashes lay;
But (Jove assisting) I survived the day:
Else had I sunk oppress'd in fatal fight
By fierce Achilles and Minerva's might.
Where'er he moved, the goddess shone before,
And bathed his brazen59 lance in hostile gore60.
What mortal man Achilles can sustain?
The immortals guard him through the dreadful plain,
And suffer not his dart61 to fall in vain.
Were God my aid, this arm should check his power,
Though strong in battle as a brazen tower."
To whom the son of Jove: "That god implore62,
And be what great Achilles was before.
From heavenly Venus thou deriv'st thy strain,
And he but from a sister of the main;
An aged2 sea-god father of his line;
But Jove himself the sacred source of thine.
Then lift thy weapon for a noble blow,
Nor fear the vaunting of a mortal foe63."
This said, and spirit breathed into his breast,
Through the thick troops the embolden'd hero press'd:
His venturous act the white-arm'd queen survey'd,
And thus, assembling all the powers, she said:
"Behold65 an action, gods! that claims your care,
Lo great ?neas rushing to the war!
[pg 364]
Against Pelides he directs his course,
Phoebus impels66, and Phoebus gives him force.
Restrain his bold career; at least, to attend
Our favour'd hero, let some power descend.
To guard his life, and add to his renown,
We, the great armament of heaven, came down.
Hereafter let him fall, as Fates design,
That spun67 so short his life's illustrious line:262
But lest some adverse god now cross his way,
Give him to know what powers assist this day:
For how shall mortal stand the dire26 alarms,
When heaven's refulgent68 host appear in arms?"263
Thus she; and thus the god whose force can make
The solid globe's eternal basis shake:
"Against the might of man, so feeble known,
Why should celestial powers exert their own?
Suffice from yonder mount to view the scene,
And leave to war the fates of mortal men.
But if the armipotent, or god of light,
Obstruct69 Achilles, or commence the fight.
Thence on the gods of Troy we swift descend:
Full soon, I doubt not, shall the conflict end;
And these, in ruin and confusion hurl'd,
Yield to our conquering arms the lower world."
Thus having said, the tyrant70 of the sea,
Coerulean Neptune, rose, and led the way.
Advanced upon the field there stood a mound71
Of earth congested, wall'd, and trench'd around;
In elder times to guard Alcides made,
(The work of Trojans, with Minerva's aid,)
What time a vengeful monster of the main
Swept the wide shore, and drove him to the plain.
Here Neptune and the gods of Greece repair,
With clouds encompass'd, and a veil of air:
The adverse powers, around Apollo laid,
Crown the fair hills that silver Simois shade.
In circle close each heavenly party sat,
Intent to form the future scheme of fate;
But mix not yet in fight, though Jove on high
Gives the loud signal, and the heavens reply.
Meanwhile the rushing armies hide the ground;
The trampled72 centre yields a hollow sound:
Steeds cased in mail, and chiefs in armour73 bright,
The gleaming champaign glows with brazen light.
Amid both hosts (a dreadful space) appear,
There great Achilles; bold ?neas, here.
[pg 365]
With towering strides Aeneas first advanced;
The nodding plumage on his helmet danced:
Spread o'er his breast the fencing shield he bore,
And, so he moved, his javelin74 flamed before.
Not so Pelides; furious to engage,
He rush'd impetuous. Such the lion's rage,
Who viewing first his foes75 with scornful eyes,
Though all in arms the peopled city rise,
Stalks careless on, with unregarding pride;
Till at the length, by some brave youth defied,
To his bold spear the savage76 turns alone,
He murmurs77 fury with a hollow groan78;
He grins, he foams79, he rolls his eyes around
Lash'd by his tail his heaving sides resound80;
He calls up all his rage; he grinds his teeth,
Resolved on vengeance81, or resolved on death.
So fierce Achilles on ?neas flies;
So stands ?neas, and his force defies.
Ere yet the stern encounter join'd, begun
The seed of Thetis thus to Venus' son:
"Why comes ?neas through the ranks so far?
Seeks he to meet Achilles' arm in war,
In hope the realms of Priam to enjoy,
And prove his merits to the throne of Troy?
Grant that beneath thy lance Achilles dies,
The partial monarch may refuse the prize;
Sons he has many; those thy pride may quell82:
And 'tis his fault to love those sons too well,
Or, in reward of thy victorious83 hand,
Has Troy proposed some spacious84 tract85 of land
An ample forest, or a fair domain86,
Of hills for vines, and arable87 for grain?
Even this, perhaps, will hardly prove thy lot.
But can Achilles be so soon forgot?
Once (as I think) you saw this brandish'd spear
And then the great ?neas seem'd to fear:
With hearty88 haste from Ida's mount he fled,
Nor, till he reach'd Lyrnessus, turn'd his head.
Her lofty walls not long our progress stay'd;
Those, Pallas, Jove, and we, in ruins laid:
In Grecian chains her captive race were cast;
'Tis true, the great Aeneas fled too fast.
Defrauded89 of my conquest once before,
What then I lost, the gods this day restore.
Go; while thou may'st, avoid the threaten'd fate;
Fools stay to feel it, and are wise too late."
To this Anchises' son: "Such words employ
To one that fears thee, some unwarlike boy;
Such we disdain90; the best may be defied
With mean reproaches, and unmanly pride;
[pg 366]
Unworthy the high race from which we came
Proclaim'd so loudly by the voice of fame:
Each from illustrious fathers draws his line;
Each goddess-born; half human, half divine.
Thetis' this day, or Venus' offspring dies,
And tears shall trickle91 from celestial eyes:
For when two heroes, thus derived92, contend,
'Tis not in words the glorious strife93 can end.
If yet thou further seek to learn my birth
(A tale resounded94 through the spacious earth)
Hear how the glorious origin we prove
From ancient Dardanus, the first from Jove:
Dardania's walls he raised; for Ilion, then,
(The city since of many-languaged men,)
Was not. The natives were content to till
The shady foot of Ida's fountful hill.264
From Dardanus great Erichthonius springs,
The richest, once, of Asia's wealthy kings;
Three thousand mares his spacious pastures bred,
Three thousand foals beside their mothers fed.
Boreas, enamour'd of the sprightly95 train,
Conceal'd his godhead in a flowing mane,
With voice dissembled to his loves he neigh'd,
And coursed the dappled beauties o'er the mead96:
Hence sprung twelve others of unrivall'd kind,
Swift as their mother mares, and father wind.
These lightly skimming, when they swept the plain,
Nor plied97 the grass, nor bent98 the tender grain;
And when along the level seas they flew,265
Scarce on the surface curl'd the briny99 dew.
Such Erichthonius was: from him there came
The sacred Tros, of whom the Trojan name.
Three sons renown'd adorn'd his nuptial100 bed,
Ilus, Assaracus, and Ganymed:
The matchless Ganymed, divinely fair,
Whom heaven, enamour'd, snatch'd to upper air,
To bear the cup of Jove (ethereal guest,
The grace and glory of the ambrosial101 feast).
The two remaining sons the line divide:
First rose Laomedon from Ilus' side;
From him Tithonus, now in cares grown old,
And Priam, bless'd with Hector, brave and bold;
Clytius and Lampus, ever-honour'd pair;
[pg 367]
And Hicetaon, thunderbolt of war.
From great Assaracus sprang Capys, he
Begat Anchises, and Anchises me.
Such is our race: 'tis fortune gives us birth,
But Jove alone endues102 the soul with worth:
He, source of power and might! with boundless103 sway,
All human courage gives, or takes away.
Long in the field of words we may contend,
Reproach is infinite, and knows no end,
Arm'd or with truth or falsehood, right or wrong;
So voluble a weapon is the tongue;
Wounded, we wound; and neither side can fail,
For every man has equal strength to rail:
Women alone, when in the streets they jar,
Perhaps excel us in this wordy war;
Like us they stand, encompass'd with the crowd,
And vent64 their anger impotent and loud.
Cease then—Our business in the field of fight
Is not to question, but to prove our might.
To all those insults thou hast offer'd here,
Receive this answer: 'tis my flying spear."
He spoke104. With all his force the javelin flung,
Fix'd deep, and loudly in the buckler rung.
Far on his outstretch'd arm, Pelides held
(To meet the thundering lance) his dreadful shield,
That trembled as it stuck; nor void of fear
Saw, ere it fell, the immeasurable spear.
His fears were vain; impenetrable charms
Secured the temper of the ethereal arms.
Through two strong plates the point its passage held,
But stopp'd, and rested, by the third repell'd.
Five plates of various metal, various mould,
Composed the shield; of brass105 each outward fold,
Of tin each inward, and the middle gold:
There stuck the lance. Then rising ere he threw,
The forceful spear of great Achilles flew,
And pierced the Dardan shield's extremest bound,
Where the shrill106 brass return'd a sharper sound:
Through the thin verge107 the Pelean weapon glides108,
And the slight covering of expanded hides.
?neas his contracted body bends,
And o'er him high the riven targe extends,
Sees, through its parting plates, the upper air,
And at his back perceives the quivering spear:
A fate so near him, chills his soul with fright;
And swims before his eyes the many-colour'd light.
Achilles, rushing in with dreadful cries,
Draws his broad blade, and at ?neas flies:
?neas rousing as the foe came on,
With force collected, heaves a mighty109 stone:
[pg 368]
A mass enormous! which in modern days
No two of earth's degenerate110 sons could raise.
But ocean's god, whose earthquakes rock the ground.
Saw the distress111, and moved the powers around:
"Lo! on the brink112 of fate ?neas stands,
An instant victim to Achilles' hands;
By Phoebus urged; but Phoebus has bestow'd
His aid in vain: the man o'erpowers the god.
And can ye see this righteous chief atone113
With guiltless blood for vices114 not his own?
To all the gods his constant vows115 were paid;
Sure, though he wars for Troy, he claims our aid.
Fate wills not this; nor thus can Jove resign
The future father of the Dardan line:266
The first great ancestor obtain'd his grace,
And still his love descends116 on all the race:
For Priam now, and Priam's faithless kind,
At length are odious117 to the all-seeing mind;
On great ?neas shall devolve the reign,
And sons succeeding sons the lasting118 line sustain."
The great earth-shaker thus: to whom replies
The imperial goddess with the radiant eyes:
"Good as he is, to immolate119 or spare
The Dardan prince, O Neptune! be thy care;
Pallas and I, by all that gods can bind120,
Have sworn destruction to the Trojan kind;
Not even an instant to protract121 their fate,
Or save one member of the sinking state;
Till her last flame be quench'd with her last gore,
And even her crumbling122 ruins are no more."
The king of ocean to the fight descends,
Through all the whistling darts123 his course he bends,
Swift interposed between the warrior flies,
And casts thick darkness o'er Achilles' eyes.267
From great ?neas' shield the spear he drew,
And at his master's feet the weapon threw.
That done, with force divine he snatch'd on high
The Dardan prince, and bore him through the sky,
Smooth-gliding without step, above the heads
Of warring heroes, and of bounding steeds:
[pg 369]
Till at the battle's utmost verge they light,
Where the slow Caucans close the rear of fight.
The godhead there (his heavenly form confess'd)
With words like these the panting chief address'd:
"What power, O prince! with force inferior far,
Urged thee to meet Achilles' arm in war?
Henceforth beware, nor antedate125 thy doom126,
Defrauding127 fate of all thy fame to come.
But when the day decreed (for come it must)
Shall lay this dreadful hero in the dust,
Let then the furies of that arm be known,
Secure no Grecian force transcends128 thy own."
With that, he left him wondering as he lay,
Then from Achilles chased the mist away:
Sudden, returning with a stream of light,
The scene of war came rushing on his sight.
Then thus, amazed; "What wonders strike my mind!
My spear, that parted on the wings of wind,
Laid here before me! and the Dardan lord,
That fell this instant, vanish'd from my sword!
I thought alone with mortals to contend,
But powers celestial sure this foe defend.
Great as he is, our arms he scarce will try,
Content for once, with all his gods, to fly.
Now then let others bleed." This said, aloud
He vents129 his fury and inflames130 the crowd:
"O Greeks! (he cries, and every rank alarms)
Join battle, man to man, and arms to arms!
'Tis not in me, though favour'd by the sky,
To mow131 whole troops, and make whole armies fly:
No god can singly such a host engage,
Not Mars himself, nor great Minerva's rage.
But whatsoe'er Achilles can inspire,
Whate'er of active force, or acting132 fire;
Whate'er this heart can prompt, or hand obey;
All, all Achilles, Greeks! is yours to-day.
Through yon wide host this arm shall scatter56 fear,
And thin the squadrons with my single spear."
He said: nor less elate with martial133 joy,
The godlike Hector warm'd the troops of Troy:
"Trojans, to war! Think, Hector leads you on;
Nor dread34 the vaunts of Peleus' haughty134 son.
Deeds must decide our fate. E'en these with words
Insult the brave, who tremble at their swords:
The weakest atheist-wretch135 all heaven defies,
But shrinks and shudders136 when the thunder flies.
Nor from yon boaster shall your chief retire,
Not though his heart were steel, his hands were fire;
That fire, that steel, your Hector should withstand,
And brave that vengeful heart, that dreadful hand."
[pg 370]
Thus (breathing rage through all) the hero said;
A wood of lances rises round his head,
Clamours on clamours tempest all the air,
They join, they throng137, they thicken to the war.
But Phoebus warns him from high heaven to shun138
The single fight with Thetis' godlike son;
More safe to combat in the mingled139 band,
Nor tempt140 too near the terrors of his hand.
He hears, obedient to the god of light,
And, plunged141 within the ranks, awaits the fight.
Then fierce Achilles, shouting to the skies,
On Troy's whole force with boundless fury flies.
First falls Iphytion, at his army's head;
Brave was the chief, and brave the host he led;
From great Otrynteus he derived his blood,
His mother was a Nais, of the flood;
Beneath the shades of Tmolus, crown'd with snow,
From Hyde's walls he ruled the lands below.
Fierce as he springs, the sword his head divides:
The parted visage falls on equal sides:
With loud-resounding arms he strikes the plain;
While thus Achilles glories o'er the slain142:
"Lie there, Otryntides! the Trojan earth
Receives thee dead, though Gygae boast thy birth;
Those beauteous fields where Hyllus' waves are roll'd,
And plenteous Hermus swells143 with tides of gold,
Are thine no more."—The insulting hero said,
And left him sleeping in eternal shade.
The rolling wheels of Greece the body tore,
And dash'd their axles with no vulgar gore.
Demoleon next, Antenor's offspring, laid
Breathless in dust, the price of rashness paid.
The impatient steel with full-descending sway
Forced through his brazen helm its furious way,
Resistless drove the batter'd skull144 before,
And dash'd and mingled all the brains with gore.
This sees Hippodamas, and seized with fright,
Deserts his chariot for a swifter flight:
The lance arrests him: an ignoble145 wound
The panting Trojan rivets146 to the ground.
He groans147 away his soul: not louder roars,
At Neptune's shrine148 on Helice's high shores,
The victim bull; the rocks re-bellow round,
And ocean listens to the grateful sound.
Then fell on Polydore his vengeful rage,268
The youngest hope of Priam's stooping age:
(Whose feet for swiftness in the race surpass'd:)
[pg 371]
Of all his sons, the dearest, and the last.
To the forbidden field he takes his flight,
In the first folly149 of a youthful knight150,
To vaunt his swiftness wheels around the plain,
But vaunts not long, with all his swiftness slain:
Struck where the crossing belts unite behind,
And golden rings the double back-plate join'd
Forth124 through the navel burst the thrilling steel;
And on his knees with piercing shrieks151 he fell;
The rushing entrails pour'd upon the ground
His hands collect; and darkness wraps him round.
When Hector view'd, all ghastly in his gore,
Thus sadly slain the unhappy Polydore,
A cloud of sorrow overcast152 his sight,
His soul no longer brook'd the distant fight:
Full in Achilles' dreadful front he came,
And shook his javelin like a waving flame.
The son of Peleus sees, with joy possess'd,
His heart high-bounding in his rising breast.
"And, lo! the man on whom black fates attend;
The man, that slew153 Achilles, is his friend!
No more shall Hector's and Pelides' spear
Turn from each other in the walks of war."—
Then with revengeful eyes he scann'd him o'er:
"Come, and receive thy fate!" He spake no more.
Hector, undaunted, thus: "Such words employ
To one that dreads154 thee, some unwarlike boy:
Such we could give, defying and defied,
Mean intercourse155 of obloquy156 and pride!
I know thy force to mine superior far;
But heaven alone confers success in war:
Mean as I am, the gods may guide my dart,
And give it entrance in a braver heart."
Then parts the lance: but Pallas' heavenly breath
Far from Achilles wafts157 the winged death:
The bidden dart again to Hector flies,
And at the feet of its great master lies.
Achilles closes with his hated foe,
His heart and eyes with flaming fury glow:
But present to his aid, Apollo shrouds
The favour'd hero in a veil of clouds.
Thrice struck Pelides with indignant heart,
Thrice in impassive air he plunged the dart;
The spear a fourth time buried in the cloud.
He foams with fury, and exclaims aloud:
"Wretch! thou hast 'scaped again; once more thy flight
Has saved thee, and the partial god of light.
But long thou shalt not thy just fate withstand,
If any power assist Achilles' hand.
Fly then inglorious! but thy flight this day
[pg 372]
Whole hecatombs of Trojan ghosts shall pay."
With that, he gluts158 his rage on numbers slain:
Then Dryops tumbled to the ensanguined plain,
Pierced through the neck: he left him panting there,
And stopp'd Demuchus, great Philetor's heir.
Gigantic chief! deep gash'd the enormous blade,
And for the soul an ample passage made.
Laoganus and Dardanus expire,
The valiant160 sons of an unhappy sire;
Both in one instant from the chariot hurl'd,
Sunk in one instant to the nether161 world:
This difference only their sad fates afford
That one the spear destroy'd, and one the sword.
Nor less unpitied, young Alastor bleeds;
In vain his youth, in vain his beauty pleads;
In vain he begs thee, with a suppliant's moan,
To spare a form, an age so like thy own!
Unhappy boy! no prayer, no moving art,
E'er bent that fierce, inexorable heart!
While yet he trembled at his knees, and cried,
The ruthless falchion oped his tender side;
The panting liver pours a flood of gore
That drowns his bosom till he pants no more.
Through Mulius' head then drove the impetuous spear:
The warrior falls, transfix'd from ear to ear.
Thy life, Echeclus! next the sword bereaves163,
Deep though the front the ponderous164 falchion cleaves165;
Warm'd in the brain the smoking weapon lies,
The purple death comes floating o'er his eyes.
Then brave Deucalion died: the dart was flung
Where the knit nerves the pliant162 elbow strung;
He dropp'd his arm, an unassisting weight,
And stood all impotent, expecting fate:
Full on his neck the falling falchion sped,
From his broad shoulders hew'd his crested166 head:
Forth from the bone the spinal167 marrow168 flies,
And, sunk in dust, the corpse169 extended lies.
Rhigmas, whose race from fruitful Thracia came,
(The son of Pierus, an illustrious name,)
Succeeds to fate: the spear his belly170 rends171;
Prone172 from his car the thundering chief descends.
The squire173, who saw expiring on the ground
His prostrate174 master, rein'd the steeds around;
His back, scarce turn'd, the Pelian javelin gored175,
And stretch'd the servant o'er his dying lord.
As when a flame the winding176 valley fills,
And runs on crackling shrubs177 between the hills;
Then o'er the stubble up the mountain flies,
Fires the high woods, and blazes to the skies,
This way and that, the spreading torrent178 roars:
[pg 373]
So sweeps the hero through the wasted shores;
Around him wide, immense destruction pours
And earth is deluged179 with the sanguine159 showers
As with autumnal harvests cover'd o'er,
And thick bestrewn, lies Ceres' sacred floor;
When round and round, with never-wearied pain,
The trampling180 steers181 beat out the unnumber'd grain:
So the fierce coursers, as the chariot rolls,
Tread down whole ranks, and crush out heroes' souls,
Dash'd from their hoofs182 while o'er the dead they fly,
Black, bloody183 drops the smoking chariot dye:
The spiky184 wheels through heaps of carnage tore;
And thick the groaning185 axles dropp'd with gore.
High o'er the scene of death Achilles stood,
All grim with dust, all horrible in blood:
Yet still insatiate, still with rage on flame;
Such is the lust50 of never-dying fame!
Illustration: CENTAUR186.
CENTAUR.
点击收听单词发音
1 deities | |
n.神,女神( deity的名词复数 );神祗;神灵;神明 | |
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2 aged | |
adj.年老的,陈年的 | |
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3 Neptune | |
n.海王星 | |
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4 killing | |
n.巨额利润;突然赚大钱,发大财 | |
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5 slaughter | |
n.屠杀,屠宰;vt.屠杀,宰杀 | |
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6 sheathed | |
adj.雕塑像下半身包在鞘中的;覆盖的;铠装的;装鞘了的v.将(刀、剑等)插入鞘( sheathe的过去式和过去分词 );包,覆盖 | |
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7 vessels | |
n.血管( vessel的名词复数 );船;容器;(具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的)人 | |
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8 impending | |
a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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9 battalions | |
n.(陆军的)一营(大约有一千兵士)( battalion的名词复数 );协同作战的部队;军队;(组织在一起工作的)队伍 | |
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10 starry | |
adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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11 dome | |
n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
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12 verdant | |
adj.翠绿的,青翠的,生疏的,不老练的 | |
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13 rosy | |
adj.美好的,乐观的,玫瑰色的 | |
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14 bower | |
n.凉亭,树荫下凉快之处;闺房;v.荫蔽 | |
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15 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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16 hoary | |
adj.古老的;鬓发斑白的 | |
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17 lucid | |
adj.明白易懂的,清晰的,头脑清楚的 | |
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18 watery | |
adj.有水的,水汪汪的;湿的,湿润的 | |
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19 reign | |
n.统治时期,统治,支配,盛行;v.占优势 | |
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20 forsook | |
forsake的过去式 | |
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21 abodes | |
住所( abode的名词复数 ); 公寓; (在某地的)暂住; 逗留 | |
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22 convene | |
v.集合,召集,召唤,聚集,集合 | |
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23 ardent | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,强烈的,烈性的 | |
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24 celestial | |
adj.天体的;天上的 | |
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25 descend | |
vt./vi.传下来,下来,下降 | |
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26 dire | |
adj.可怕的,悲惨的,阴惨的,极端的 | |
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27 adverse | |
adj.不利的;有害的;敌对的,不友好的 | |
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28 renown | |
n.声誉,名望 | |
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29 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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30 dame | |
n.女士 | |
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31 chaste | |
adj.贞洁的;有道德的;善良的;简朴的 | |
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32 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
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33 manly | |
adj.有男子气概的;adv.男子般地,果断地 | |
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34 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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35 beheld | |
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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36 descending | |
n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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37 tumult | |
n.喧哗;激动,混乱;吵闹 | |
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38 varied | |
adj.多样的,多变化的 | |
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39 discord | |
n.不和,意见不合,争论,(音乐)不和谐 | |
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40 hovering | |
鸟( hover的现在分词 ); 靠近(某事物); (人)徘徊; 犹豫 | |
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41 shrouds | |
n.裹尸布( shroud的名词复数 );寿衣;遮蔽物;覆盖物v.隐瞒( shroud的第三人称单数 );保密 | |
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42 peals | |
n.(声音大而持续或重复的)洪亮的响声( peal的名词复数 );隆隆声;洪亮的钟声;钟乐v.(使)(钟等)鸣响,(雷等)发出隆隆声( peal的第三人称单数 ) | |
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43 rend | |
vt.把…撕开,割裂;把…揪下来,强行夺取 | |
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44 turrets | |
(六角)转台( turret的名词复数 ); (战舰和坦克等上的)转动炮塔; (摄影机等上的)镜头转台; (旧时攻城用的)塔车 | |
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45 totter | |
v.蹒跚, 摇摇欲坠;n.蹒跚的步子 | |
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46 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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47 monarch | |
n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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48 horrid | |
adj.可怕的;令人惊恐的;恐怖的;极讨厌的 | |
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49 dominions | |
统治权( dominion的名词复数 ); 领土; 疆土; 版图 | |
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50 lust | |
n.性(淫)欲;渴(欲)望;vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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51 immortals | |
不朽的人物( immortal的名词复数 ); 永生不朽者 | |
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52 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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53 majesty | |
n.雄伟,壮丽,庄严,威严;最高权威,王权 | |
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54 glut | |
n.存货过多,供过于求;v.狼吞虎咽 | |
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55 warrior | |
n.勇士,武士,斗士 | |
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56 scatter | |
vt.撒,驱散,散开;散布/播;vi.分散,消散 | |
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57 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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58 herds | |
兽群( herd的名词复数 ); 牧群; 人群; 群众 | |
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59 brazen | |
adj.厚脸皮的,无耻的,坚硬的 | |
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60 gore | |
n.凝血,血污;v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破;缝以补裆;顶 | |
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61 dart | |
v.猛冲,投掷;n.飞镖,猛冲 | |
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62 implore | |
vt.乞求,恳求,哀求 | |
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63 foe | |
n.敌人,仇敌 | |
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64 vent | |
n.通风口,排放口;开衩;vt.表达,发泄 | |
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65 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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66 impels | |
v.推动、推进或敦促某人做某事( impel的第三人称单数 ) | |
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67 spun | |
v.纺,杜撰,急转身 | |
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68 refulgent | |
adj.辉煌的,灿烂的 | |
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69 obstruct | |
v.阻隔,阻塞(道路、通道等);n.阻碍物,障碍物 | |
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70 tyrant | |
n.暴君,专制的君主,残暴的人 | |
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71 mound | |
n.土墩,堤,小山;v.筑堤,用土堆防卫 | |
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72 trampled | |
踩( trample的过去式和过去分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
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73 armour | |
(=armor)n.盔甲;装甲部队 | |
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74 javelin | |
n.标枪,投枪 | |
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75 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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76 savage | |
adj.野蛮的;凶恶的,残暴的;n.未开化的人 | |
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77 murmurs | |
n.低沉、连续而不清的声音( murmur的名词复数 );低语声;怨言;嘀咕 | |
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78 groan | |
vi./n.呻吟,抱怨;(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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79 foams | |
n.泡沫,泡沫材料( foam的名词复数 ) | |
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80 resound | |
v.回响 | |
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81 vengeance | |
n.报复,报仇,复仇 | |
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82 quell | |
v.压制,平息,减轻 | |
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83 victorious | |
adj.胜利的,得胜的 | |
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84 spacious | |
adj.广阔的,宽敞的 | |
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85 tract | |
n.传单,小册子,大片(土地或森林) | |
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86 domain | |
n.(活动等)领域,范围;领地,势力范围 | |
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87 arable | |
adj.可耕的,适合种植的 | |
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88 hearty | |
adj.热情友好的;衷心的;尽情的,纵情的 | |
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89 defrauded | |
v.诈取,骗取( defraud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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90 disdain | |
n.鄙视,轻视;v.轻视,鄙视,不屑 | |
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91 trickle | |
vi.淌,滴,流出,慢慢移动,逐渐消散 | |
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92 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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93 strife | |
n.争吵,冲突,倾轧,竞争 | |
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94 resounded | |
v.(指声音等)回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 );产生回响;(指某处)回荡着声音 | |
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95 sprightly | |
adj.愉快的,活泼的 | |
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96 mead | |
n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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97 plied | |
v.使用(工具)( ply的过去式和过去分词 );经常供应(食物、饮料);固定往来;经营生意 | |
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98 bent | |
n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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99 briny | |
adj.盐水的;很咸的;n.海洋 | |
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100 nuptial | |
adj.婚姻的,婚礼的 | |
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101 ambrosial | |
adj.美味的 | |
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102 endues | |
v.授予,赋予(特性、才能等)( endue的第三人称单数 ) | |
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103 boundless | |
adj.无限的;无边无际的;巨大的 | |
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104 spoke | |
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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105 brass | |
n.黄铜;黄铜器,铜管乐器 | |
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106 shrill | |
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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107 verge | |
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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108 glides | |
n.滑行( glide的名词复数 );滑音;音渡;过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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109 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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110 degenerate | |
v.退步,堕落;adj.退步的,堕落的;n.堕落者 | |
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111 distress | |
n.苦恼,痛苦,不舒适;不幸;vt.使悲痛 | |
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112 brink | |
n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘,边沿 | |
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113 atone | |
v.赎罪,补偿 | |
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114 vices | |
缺陷( vice的名词复数 ); 恶习; 不道德行为; 台钳 | |
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115 vows | |
誓言( vow的名词复数 ); 郑重宣布,许愿 | |
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116 descends | |
v.下来( descend的第三人称单数 );下去;下降;下斜 | |
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117 odious | |
adj.可憎的,讨厌的 | |
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118 lasting | |
adj.永久的,永恒的;vbl.持续,维持 | |
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119 immolate | |
v.牺牲 | |
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120 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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121 protract | |
v.延长,拖长 | |
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122 crumbling | |
adj.摇摇欲坠的 | |
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123 darts | |
n.掷飞镖游戏;飞镖( dart的名词复数 );急驰,飞奔v.投掷,投射( dart的第三人称单数 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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124 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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125 antedate | |
vt.填早...的日期,早干,先干 | |
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126 doom | |
n.厄运,劫数;v.注定,命定 | |
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127 defrauding | |
v.诈取,骗取( defraud的现在分词 ) | |
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128 transcends | |
超出或超越(经验、信念、描写能力等)的范围( transcend的第三人称单数 ); 优于或胜过… | |
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129 vents | |
(气体、液体等进出的)孔、口( vent的名词复数 ); (鸟、鱼、爬行动物或小哺乳动物的)肛门; 大衣等的)衩口; 开衩 | |
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130 inflames | |
v.(使)变红,发怒,过热( inflame的第三人称单数 ) | |
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131 mow | |
v.割(草、麦等),扫射,皱眉;n.草堆,谷物堆 | |
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132 acting | |
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的 | |
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133 martial | |
adj.战争的,军事的,尚武的,威武的 | |
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134 haughty | |
adj.傲慢的,高傲的 | |
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135 wretch | |
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 | |
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136 shudders | |
n.颤动,打颤,战栗( shudder的名词复数 )v.战栗( shudder的第三人称单数 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
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137 throng | |
n.人群,群众;v.拥挤,群集 | |
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138 shun | |
vt.避开,回避,避免 | |
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139 mingled | |
混合,混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 ); 混进,与…交往[联系] | |
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140 tempt | |
vt.引诱,勾引,吸引,引起…的兴趣 | |
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141 plunged | |
v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 );暴跌;骤降;突降 | |
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142 slain | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的过去分词 ); (slay的过去分词) | |
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143 swells | |
增强( swell的第三人称单数 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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144 skull | |
n.头骨;颅骨 | |
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145 ignoble | |
adj.不光彩的,卑鄙的;可耻的 | |
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146 rivets | |
铆钉( rivet的名词复数 ) | |
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147 groans | |
n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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148 shrine | |
n.圣地,神龛,庙;v.将...置于神龛内,把...奉为神圣 | |
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149 folly | |
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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150 knight | |
n.骑士,武士;爵士 | |
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151 shrieks | |
n.尖叫声( shriek的名词复数 )v.尖叫( shriek的第三人称单数 ) | |
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152 overcast | |
adj.阴天的,阴暗的,愁闷的;v.遮盖,(使)变暗,包边缝;n.覆盖,阴天 | |
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153 slew | |
v.(使)旋转;n.大量,许多 | |
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154 dreads | |
n.恐惧,畏惧( dread的名词复数 );令人恐惧的事物v.害怕,恐惧,担心( dread的第三人称单数 ) | |
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155 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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156 obloquy | |
n.斥责,大骂 | |
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157 wafts | |
n.空中飘来的气味,一阵气味( waft的名词复数 );摇转风扇v.吹送,飘送,(使)浮动( waft的第三人称单数 ) | |
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158 gluts | |
n.供过于求( glut的名词复数 );过量供应;放纵;尽量v.吃得过多( glut的第三人称单数 );(对胃口、欲望等)纵情满足;使厌腻;塞满 | |
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159 sanguine | |
adj.充满希望的,乐观的,血红色的 | |
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160 valiant | |
adj.勇敢的,英勇的;n.勇士,勇敢的人 | |
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161 nether | |
adj.下部的,下面的;n.阴间;下层社会 | |
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162 pliant | |
adj.顺从的;可弯曲的 | |
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163 bereaves | |
v.使失去(希望、生命等)( bereave的第三人称单数 );(尤指死亡)使丧失(亲人、朋友等);使孤寂;抢走(财物) | |
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164 ponderous | |
adj.沉重的,笨重的,(文章)冗长的 | |
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165 cleaves | |
v.劈开,剁开,割开( cleave的第三人称单数 ) | |
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166 crested | |
adj.有顶饰的,有纹章的,有冠毛的v.到达山顶(或浪峰)( crest的过去式和过去分词 );到达洪峰,达到顶点 | |
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167 spinal | |
adj.针的,尖刺的,尖刺状突起的;adj.脊骨的,脊髓的 | |
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168 marrow | |
n.骨髓;精华;活力 | |
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169 corpse | |
n.尸体,死尸 | |
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170 belly | |
n.肚子,腹部;(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分,膛 | |
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171 rends | |
v.撕碎( rend的第三人称单数 );分裂;(因愤怒、痛苦等而)揪扯(衣服或头发等);(声音等)刺破 | |
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172 prone | |
adj.(to)易于…的,很可能…的;俯卧的 | |
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173 squire | |
n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅 | |
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174 prostrate | |
v.拜倒,平卧,衰竭;adj.拜倒的,平卧的,衰竭的 | |
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175 gored | |
v.(动物)用角撞伤,用牙刺破( gore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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176 winding | |
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈 | |
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177 shrubs | |
灌木( shrub的名词复数 ) | |
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178 torrent | |
n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 | |
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179 deluged | |
v.使淹没( deluge的过去式和过去分词 );淹没;被洪水般涌来的事物所淹没;穷于应付 | |
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180 trampling | |
踩( trample的现在分词 ); 践踏; 无视; 侵犯 | |
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181 steers | |
n.阉公牛,肉用公牛( steer的名词复数 )v.驾驶( steer的第三人称单数 );操纵;控制;引导 | |
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182 hoofs | |
n.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.(兽的)蹄,马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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183 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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184 spiky | |
adj.长而尖的,大钉似的 | |
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185 groaning | |
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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186 centaur | |
n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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