There are many reasons why such fabulous8 beings should retain an abnormally firm hold on the soil of these parts, and looking at the matter closely, we find no less than three distinct sources of superstition:
First, there is what may be called the indigenous9 superstition of the country, the scenery of which is particularly adapted to serve as background to all sorts of supernatural beings. There are innumerable caverns10 whose depths seem made to harbor whole legions of evil spirits; forest glades11, fit only for fairy folk on moonlight nights; solitary12 lakes, which instinctively13 call up visions of water-sprites; golden treasures lying hidden in mountain chasms—all of which things have gradually insinuated14 themselves into the minds of the oldest inhabitants, the Roumanians, so that these people, by nature imaginative and poetically15 inclined, have built up for themselves, out of the surrounding{189} materials, a whole code of fanciful superstition, to which they adhere as closely as to their religion itself.
Secondly16, there is here the imported superstition—that is to say, the old German customs and beliefs brought hither by the Saxon colonists17 from their native land, and, like many other things, preserved here in greater perfection than in the original country.
Thirdly, there is the influence of the wandering superstition of the gypsy tribes, themselves a race of fortune-tellers and witches, whose ambulatory caravans18 cover the country as with a net-work, and whose less vagrant19 members fill up the suburbs of towns and villages.
All these kinds of superstition have twined and intermingled, acted and reacted upon each other, so that in many cases it becomes a difficult matter to determine the exact parentage of some particular belief or custom; but in a general way the three sources I have named may be admitted as a rough sort of classification in dealing20 with the principal superstitions here afloat.
Few races offer such an interesting field for research in their folk-lore as the Roumanians, in whose traditions we find side by side elements of Celtic, Slav, and Roman mythology—a subject well worth a closer attention than it has hitherto received. The existence of the Celtic element has been explained by the assumption (believed by many historians to be well founded), that as the present Roumanians are a mixed race originating in the fusion21 of Romans with Dacians, so were these latter themselves a complex nationality composed of Slav and Celtic ingredients.
The spirit of evil—or, not to put too fine a point on it, the devil—plays a conspicuous22 part in the Roumanian code of superstition, and such designations as Gaura Draculuj[34] (devil’s hole), Gregyna Draculuj (devil’s garden), Jadu Draculuj (devil’s abyss), frequently found attached to rocks, caverns, and heights, attest23 that these people believe themselves to be surrounded on all sides by whole legions of evil spirits. These devils are furthermore assisted by ismejus (another sort of dragon), witches, and goblins, and to each of these dangerous beings are ascribed particular powers on particular days and{190} at certain places. Many and curious are therefore the means by which the Roumanians endeavor to counteract24 these baleful influences; and a whole complicated study, about as laborious26 as the mastering of an unknown language, is required in order to teach an unfortunate peasant to steer27 clear of the dangers by which he supposes himself to be beset28 on all sides. The bringing up of a common domestic cow is apparently29 as difficult a task as the rearing of any “dear gazelle,” and even the well-doing of a simple turnip30 or potato about as precarious31 as that of the most tender exotic plant.
Of the seven days of the week, Wednesday (Miercuri) and Friday (Vinere) are considered suspicious days, on which it is not allowed to use needle or scissors, or to bake bread; neither is it wise to sow flax on these days. No bargain should ever be concluded on a Friday; and Venus (here called Paraschiva), to whom the Friday is sacred, punishes all infractions of this rule by causing conflagrations32.
Tuesday, however—or Marti, named from Mars, the bloody34 god of war—is a decidedly unlucky day, on which spinning is utterly35 prohibited; and even such seemingly harmless actions as washing the hands and combing the hair are not unattended by danger. About sunset on Tuesday the evil spirit of that day is at its fullest force, and many people refrain from leaving their huts between sunset and midnight. “May the mar33 sara (spirit of Tuesday evening) carry you off!” is here equivalent to saying, “May the devil take you!”
It must not, however, be supposed that Monday, Thursday, and Saturday are unconditionally36 lucky days, on which the Roumanian is at liberty to do as he pleases. Thus every well-informed Roumanian matron knows that she may wash on Thursday and spin on Saturday, but that it would be a fatal mistake to reverse the order of these proceedings37; and though Thursday is a lucky day for marriage,[35] and is on that account mostly chosen for weddings, it is proportionately unfavorable to agriculture. In many places it is considered unsafe to work in the fields on all Thursdays between Easter and Pentecost, for it is believed that if these days be not kept as days of rest, ravaging38 hail-storms will be the inevitable39 consequence. Many of the more enlightened Roumanian popas have preached in vain against this belief; and some years ago the inhabitants of a village presented an{191} official complaint to the bishop40, requesting the removal of their popa, on the ground that he not only gave scandal by working on the prohibited days, but had actually caused them serious material damage by the hail-storms his sinful behavior had provoked. This respect of the Thursday would seem to be the result of a deeply rooted, though now unconscious, worship of Jupiter (Joi), who gives his name to the day.
To different hours of the day are likewise ascribed different influences, favorable or the reverse. Thus it is always considered unlucky to look at one’s self in the mirror after sunset; neither is it wise to sweep dust over the threshold in the evening, or to restore a whip borrowed of a neighbor. The exact hour of noon is precarious, because of the evil spirit Pripolniza;[36] and so is midnight, because of the miase nopte (night spirit); and it is safer to remain in-doors at these hours. If, however, some misguided peasant does happen to leave his home at midnight, and espies41 (as very likely he may) a flaming dragon in the sky, he need not necessarily give himself up as lost, for if he have the presence of mind to stick a fork into the ground alongside of him, the fiery42 monster will thereby43 be prevented from carrying him off.
The advent44 of the new moon is always more or less fraught45 with danger, and nothing may be sown or planted at that time.
The Oriental Church has an abnormal number of feast-days, to each of which peculiar3 customs and superstitions are attached, a few of which may here find place.
On New-year’s Day it is customary for the Roumanian to interrogate46 his fate by placing a leaf of evergreen47 on the freshly swept and heated hearth-stone. If the leaf takes a gyratory movement, he will be lucky; but if it shrivels up where it lies, then he may expect misfortune during the coming year.[37] To insure the welfare of the cattle, it is advisable to place a gold or silver piece in the water-trough out of which they drink for the first time on New-year’s morning.
The Feast of the Epiphany, or Three Kings (tre crai), is one of the oldest festivals, and was solemnized by the Oriental Church as{192} early as the second century. On this day, which popular belief regards as the coldest in the winter, the blessing48 of the waters, known as the Feast of the Jordan or Bobetasu (baptism), takes place. The priests, attired49 in full vestments, proceed to the shore of the nearest river or lake, and there bless the waters, which have been unclosed by cutting a Greek cross, some six to eight feet long, in the ice. Every pious50 Roumanian is careful to fill a bottle with this consecrated51 water before the surface freezes over again, and keeps it tightly corked52 and sealed up, as a remedy in case of illness. On this day the principal food in most Roumanian houses consists of a sort of jelly; and in the evening the popa, coming to each house in order to bless the cattle, which he does by sprinkling holy-water with a bunch of wild basil-weed,[38] finds a table with food and drink awaiting him, from which a dish of boiled plums must never be wanting.
He who dies on that day is considered particularly lucky, for he will be sure to go straight to heaven, the gate of which is believed to stand open all day, in memory of the descent of the Holy Ghost at the baptism of Christ.
The Feast of St. Theodore, January 11th (corresponding to our 23d of January), is a day of rest for the girls, those transgressing53 this rule being liable to be carried off by the saint, who sometimes appears in the shape of a beautiful youth, sometimes in that of a terrible monster. No decent girl should leave her house unescorted on this day, for fear of the terrible Theodore.[39] In some districts youths and maidens55 choose this day for swearing friendship, which bonds are inaugurated by a tree being hung over with little circular cakes, and danced round with songs and music, after which each cake is broken in two and divided between a youth and a maiden54.[40]
On the Wednesday in Holy Week the Easter loaves and cakes are baked, which next day are blessed, and some of the hallowed crumbs56 mixed up with the cows’ fodder57. Woe58 to the woman who indulges in a nap to-day; for the whole year she will not be able to shake off her drowsiness59. In the evening the young men bind60 as many wreaths as{193} there are persons in their family, and each of these, marked with the name of an individual, is thrown up on the roof, the wreaths which fall to the ground indicating those who will die that year.
Skin diseases are cured by taking a bath on Good Friday in a stream or river which flows towards the east. This will not only cure the patient, but prevent the disease recurring61 within the year.[41]
In the night preceding Easter Sunday witches and demons are abroad, and hidden treasures are said to betray their site by a glowing flame. No God-fearing peasant will, however, allow himself to be tempted62 by the hope of such riches, which he cannot on that day appropriate without sin. He must not omit to attend the midnight church-service, and his devotion will be rewarded by the mystic qualities attached to the wax candle he has carried in his hand, and which, when lighted hereafter during a thunder-storm, will keep the lightning from striking his house.
The greatest luck which can befall a mortal is to be born on Easter Sunday, and this luck is increased if the birth take place at mid-day when the bells are ringing; but it is not lucky to die on that day.
Egg-shells are glued up against the doors in memory of the Israelites, who anointed the door-posts with the lambs’ blood at their flight from Egypt; and the wooden spoon with which the Easter eggs have been removed from the boiling pot is carefully treasured up by each shepherd, for, worn in his belt, it gives him the power to distinguish the witches who seek to molest63 his flocks. Witches may also be descried64 by the man who on Easter Monday takes up his stand on a bridge above running water, remaining there from sunrise to sunset.
Perhaps the most important day in the Roumanian’s year is that of St. George, April 24th (May 6th), the eve of which is said to be still frequently kept up by occult meetings taking place at night in lonely caverns or within ruined walls, and where all the ceremonies usual to the celebration of a witches’ Sabbath are put into practice. This night is the great one to beware of witches, to counteract whose influence square-cut blocks of turf (to which are sometimes added thorny65 branches) are placed in front of each door and window.[42] This is supposed effectually to bar their entrance to house or stables; but for still greater precaution it is usual for the peasants to keep watch all night{194} near the sleeping cattle. This same night is likewise the best one for seeking treasures.
The Feast of St. George, being the day when most flocks are first driven out to pasture, is in a special manner the feast of all shepherds and cow-herds, and on this day only is it allowed for the Roumanian shepherd to count his flocks and assure himself of the exact number of sheep—these numbers being, in general, but approximately guessed at and vaguely66 described. Thus, when interrogated67 as to the number of his master’s sheep, the Roumanian shepherd will probably inform you that they are as numerous as the stars of heaven, or as the daisies which dot the meadows.
The custom of throwing up wreaths on to the roof, as described above, is in some districts practised on the Feast of St. John the Baptist, June 24th (July 6th), instead of on the Wednesday in Holy Week. This is the day when the sun, having reached its zenith, begins its backward course (according to the people) with a trembling, dancing movement, in the same way as the sun is said to dance on Easter Sunday. The gate-way of each house is decorated with a wreath of field-flowers; and at night fires lighted on the mountain heights are supposed to keep away evil spirits from the flocks. This custom of the St. John fires is, however, to be found in many other countries, and is undoubtedly68 a remnant of the old sun-worship practised by Greeks, Romans, Scandinavians, Celts, Slavs, Indians, Parsees, etc.
The Feast of St. Elias, July 20th (August 1st), is a very unlucky day, on which the lightning may be expected to strike.[43] Every year—so we are told in an ancient legend—St. Elias appears in heaven before the throne of the Almighty69, and humbly70 inquires when his feast-day is to be. He is invariably put off with divers71 excuses, being sometimes told that his feast-day has not yet come, sometimes that the date for it is already past. At this the saint grows angry, and wishing to punish the human race for thus forgetting him, he hurls72 down his thunderbolts upon the earth.
The Feast of St. Spiridion, December 13th (January 24th), is an ominous73 day, especially for housewives; and this saint often destroys those who desecrate74 his feast by manual labor25.
{195}
That the cattle are endowed with speech during the Christmas night is a general belief, but it is not considered wise to pry75 upon them, or try to overhear what they say, as the listener will rarely overhear any good. This night is likewise favorable to the discovery of hidden treasures, and the man who has courage to conjure76 up the evil one will be sure to see him if he call upon him at midnight. Three burning coals placed on the threshold will prevent the devil from carrying him off.
A round cake baked at Christmas goes by the name of the rota (wheel), and is probably symbolic77 of the sun’s rotation78.
The girl whose thoughts are turned towards love and matrimony has many approved methods of testing her fate on the new-year’s night. First of all, she may, by cracking her finger-joints, accurately79 ascertain80 the number of her admirers; also a fresh-laid egg broken into a glass of water will give much clew to the events in store for her by the shape it assumes; and a swine’s bristle81 stuck in a straw and thrown on the heated hearth-stone is reliable as a talisman82 which disperses83 love or jealousy84.[44] To form a conjecture85 as to the figure and build of her future husband, she is recommended to throw an armful of firewood as far as she can backward over her shoulder; the piece which has gone farthest will be the image of her intended, according as the stick happens to be long or short, broad or slender, straight or crooked.
Another such game is to place on the table a row of earthen pots upside down. Under each of these is concealed86 something different—as corn, salt, wool, coals, or money—and the girl is desired to make her choice; thus money stands for a rich husband, and wool for an old one; corn signifies an agriculturist, and salt connubial87 happiness; but coals are prophetic of misfortune.
If these general indications do not suffice, and the maiden desire to see the reflection of her bridegroom’s face in the water, she has only to step naked at midnight into the nearest lake or river; or if she not unnaturally88 shrink from this chilly89 oracle90, let her take her stand on the more congenial dunghill, with a piece of Christmas cake in her mouth, and, as the clock strikes twelve, listen attentively91 for the first sound of a dog’s bark which reaches her ear. From whichever side it proceeds will also come the expected suitor.
It is likewise on the last day of the year that the agriculturist seeks a prognostic of the weather for the coming year, by making what is called the onion calendar, which consists in putting salt into twelve hollowed-out onions and giving to each the name of a month. Those onions in which the salt has melted by the following morning will be rainy months.
点击收听单词发音
1 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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2 superstitions | |
迷信,迷信行为( superstition的名词复数 ) | |
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3 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
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4 crooked | |
adj.弯曲的;不诚实的,狡猾的,不正当的 | |
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5 delusion | |
n.谬见,欺骗,幻觉,迷惑 | |
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6 persistently | |
ad.坚持地;固执地 | |
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7 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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8 fabulous | |
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的 | |
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9 indigenous | |
adj.土产的,土生土长的,本地的 | |
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10 caverns | |
大山洞,大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 ) | |
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11 glades | |
n.林中空地( glade的名词复数 ) | |
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12 solitary | |
adj.孤独的,独立的,荒凉的;n.隐士 | |
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13 instinctively | |
adv.本能地 | |
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14 insinuated | |
v.暗示( insinuate的过去式和过去分词 );巧妙或迂回地潜入;(使)缓慢进入;慢慢伸入 | |
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15 poetically | |
adv.有诗意地,用韵文 | |
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16 secondly | |
adv.第二,其次 | |
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17 colonists | |
n.殖民地开拓者,移民,殖民地居民( colonist的名词复数 ) | |
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18 caravans | |
(可供居住的)拖车(通常由机动车拖行)( caravan的名词复数 ); 篷车; (穿过沙漠地带的)旅行队(如商队) | |
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19 vagrant | |
n.流浪者,游民;adj.流浪的,漂泊不定的 | |
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20 dealing | |
n.经商方法,待人态度 | |
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21 fusion | |
n.溶化;熔解;熔化状态,熔和;熔接 | |
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22 conspicuous | |
adj.明眼的,惹人注目的;炫耀的,摆阔气的 | |
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23 attest | |
vt.证明,证实;表明 | |
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24 counteract | |
vt.对…起反作用,对抗,抵消 | |
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25 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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26 laborious | |
adj.吃力的,努力的,不流畅 | |
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27 steer | |
vt.驾驶,为…操舵;引导;vi.驾驶 | |
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28 beset | |
v.镶嵌;困扰,包围 | |
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29 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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30 turnip | |
n.萝卜,芜菁 | |
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31 precarious | |
adj.不安定的,靠不住的;根据不足的 | |
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32 conflagrations | |
n.大火(灾)( conflagration的名词复数 ) | |
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33 mar | |
vt.破坏,毁坏,弄糟 | |
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34 bloody | |
adj.非常的的;流血的;残忍的;adv.很;vt.血染 | |
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35 utterly | |
adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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36 unconditionally | |
adv.无条件地 | |
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37 proceedings | |
n.进程,过程,议程;诉讼(程序);公报 | |
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38 ravaging | |
毁坏( ravage的现在分词 ); 蹂躏; 劫掠; 抢劫 | |
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39 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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40 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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41 espies | |
v.看到( espy的第三人称单数 ) | |
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42 fiery | |
adj.燃烧着的,火红的;暴躁的;激烈的 | |
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43 thereby | |
adv.因此,从而 | |
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44 advent | |
n.(重要事件等的)到来,来临 | |
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45 fraught | |
adj.充满…的,伴有(危险等)的;忧虑的 | |
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46 interrogate | |
vt.讯问,审问,盘问 | |
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47 evergreen | |
n.常青树;adj.四季常青的 | |
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48 blessing | |
n.祈神赐福;祷告;祝福,祝愿 | |
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49 attired | |
adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服,使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
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51 consecrated | |
adj.神圣的,被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣,给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 );奉献 | |
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52 corked | |
adj.带木塞气味的,塞着瓶塞的v.用瓶塞塞住( cork的过去式 ) | |
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53 transgressing | |
v.超越( transgress的现在分词 );越过;违反;违背 | |
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54 maiden | |
n.少女,处女;adj.未婚的,纯洁的,无经验的 | |
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55 maidens | |
处女( maiden的名词复数 ); 少女; 未婚女子; (板球运动)未得分的一轮投球 | |
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56 crumbs | |
int. (表示惊讶)哎呀 n. 碎屑 名词crumb的复数形式 | |
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57 fodder | |
n.草料;炮灰 | |
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58 woe | |
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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59 drowsiness | |
n.睡意;嗜睡 | |
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60 bind | |
vt.捆,包扎;装订;约束;使凝固;vi.变硬 | |
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61 recurring | |
adj.往复的,再次发生的 | |
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62 tempted | |
v.怂恿(某人)干不正当的事;冒…的险(tempt的过去分词) | |
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63 molest | |
vt.骚扰,干扰,调戏 | |
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64 descried | |
adj.被注意到的,被发现的,被看到的 | |
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65 thorny | |
adj.多刺的,棘手的 | |
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66 vaguely | |
adv.含糊地,暖昧地 | |
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67 interrogated | |
v.询问( interrogate的过去式和过去分词 );审问;(在计算机或其他机器上)查询 | |
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68 undoubtedly | |
adv.确实地,无疑地 | |
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69 almighty | |
adj.全能的,万能的;很大的,很强的 | |
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70 humbly | |
adv. 恭顺地,谦卑地 | |
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71 divers | |
adj.不同的;种种的 | |
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72 hurls | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的第三人称单数 );大声叫骂 | |
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73 ominous | |
adj.不祥的,不吉的,预兆的,预示的 | |
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74 desecrate | |
v.供俗用,亵渎,污辱 | |
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75 pry | |
vi.窥(刺)探,打听;vt.撬动(开,起) | |
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76 conjure | |
v.恳求,祈求;变魔术,变戏法 | |
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77 symbolic | |
adj.象征性的,符号的,象征主义的 | |
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78 rotation | |
n.旋转;循环,轮流 | |
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79 accurately | |
adv.准确地,精确地 | |
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80 ascertain | |
vt.发现,确定,查明,弄清 | |
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81 bristle | |
v.(毛发)直立,气势汹汹,发怒;n.硬毛发 | |
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82 talisman | |
n.避邪物,护身符 | |
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83 disperses | |
v.(使)分散( disperse的第三人称单数 );疏散;驱散;散布 | |
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84 jealousy | |
n.妒忌,嫉妒,猜忌 | |
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85 conjecture | |
n./v.推测,猜测 | |
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86 concealed | |
a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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87 connubial | |
adj.婚姻的,夫妇的 | |
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88 unnaturally | |
adv.违反习俗地;不自然地;勉强地;不近人情地 | |
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89 chilly | |
adj.凉快的,寒冷的 | |
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90 oracle | |
n.神谕,神谕处,预言 | |
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91 attentively | |
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 | |
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