There was a steep climb till we had reached the top of the water-fall, and then we found ourselves in a second valley, larger and wider than the first, and of a totally different character. Here were neither moss2 nor ferns, neither beech3 nor pine woods—only a deep and lonely valley shut in by pointed4 rocks on either side, and thickly strewn throughout with massive bowlder-stones, each of which would seem to mark the resting-place of a giant. The only form of vegetation here visible, besides the short scraggy grass sprouting6 in detached patches betwixt the stones, were the stunted7 irregular fir-bushes (called krummholz), which, blown by ever-recurring gales8 into all sorts of fantastic shapes, resemble as many wizened9 goblins playing at hide-and-seek among the giant tombstones, crawling and creeping into every hollow which can afford them shelter from the inclemency10 of the winter storm; for now we have entered a third kingdom, and the reign11 of the pine-tree is at an end. Having once overpassed the height of 1800 metres (5905? feet), above which fir-trees do not thrive, these once stalwart and overbearing giants have degenerated12 to the misshapen and crooked13 goblins we see.
Yet here again we are forced to acknowledge this new metamorphosis to be but another step in the scale of loveliness. We had been enchanted14 by the beech woods, ravished by the pine forest, yet now all at once we feel that with the desolate15 wildness of these upper regions a yet higher note of beauty has been struck; for here Nature, seeming to disdain16 such toilet artifices17 as trees or ferns or cunningly tinted18 mosses19, like a classical statue, boldly reveals herself in her glorious{373} nudity, with naught20 to distract the eye from the perfection of her sublime21 curves.
Something of the charm of this desolate stony22 valley lay no doubt, for me, in its marked resemblance to Scottish scenery, recalling to my mind some of the wilder parts of Arran, the upper half of Glen Rosa, or portions of Glen Sannox, seen long ago but never forgotten; and for a moment I experienced the pleasurable sensation of recognizing the face of a beloved old friend in a strange picture-gallery.
The fierce barking of dogs aroused me from my comparisons, and now for the first time I perceived that at one place the large loose stones had been piled together so as to form a rude sort of hovel or cavern23, the headquarters of some shepherds come hither to find pasture for their flocks during the brief mountain summer.
We approached the stina, as these bergeries are called, and made acquaintance with the shepherd, some of the gentlemen at my request cross-questioning him as to his habits and occupation. He was ready enough to enter into conversation with us and our guide, seemingly rejoiced at the sight of other human beings after a long period of isolation24. We learned from him that the shepherds are in the habit of coming up here each summer about the end of June, to remain till the middle of September, after which date snow may be expected to set in, and the shepherd, proceeding25 southward as the year advances, leads his flocks into Wallachia and Moldavia to pass the winter. These flocks are not the property of one individual, but each village inhabitant has his particular sheep marked with his own sign. All the mountain pastures in these parts belong to a Count T——, who receives forty-five kreuzers (about 9d.) per sheep for its summer pasturage.
This particular flock consisted of about eight hundred head, herded26 by four shepherds only, and six or eight large wolf-dogs. The men receive thirty florins (￡2 10s.) yearly wages, besides a pair of sandals each, and a certain proportion of food, principally maize-flour, to be cooked into mamaliga, and whatever cheese and sheep’s milk they require. These wages are considered high enough in these parts, but the work required is hard and fatiguing27. The whole day the shepherd must creep along the crags with his flock, at places where scarce a goat could obtain footing, and at night he must sleep in the open air whatever be the weather, ready to spring up at the slightest alarm of wolf or bear.
“When did you last see a bear?” inquired our interpreter of the solitary28 shepherd.
“This very night, dommu” (master), he replied, “the ursu came prowling about the camp, and had to be driven away by the dogs. Most nights he does come, and four of my sheep has he carried off this year. Not one of our dogs but has been torn or wounded by him in turn.”
“And where are your sheep at present?” was the next question, as we looked round at the deserted29 camp.
The man pointed upward and uttered a shrill30, unearthly cry, which presently was repeated as by an echo coming from the topmost ledges31 of the crags overhead; and there, looking up to where the jagged peaks were sharply defined against the blue sky, we could see the white sheep clinging all over the face of the precipitous cliffs like patches of new-fallen snow. It was wonderful to see how these seemingly senseless animals obey the slightest call of their shepherd, who by the inflections of his voice alone guides them in whatever direction he pleases; and it is almost incredible that out of a flock of eight hundred sheep the shepherd should be able to recognize and identify each separate animal.
When we came to see those sheep at close quarters later in the day, we were surprised at the whiteness and fine quality of their wool—each single animal looking as though it had been freshly washed and carefully combed out, like the favorite poodle of some fine lady, and presenting therein a striking contrast to the flocks down below on the plains, whose appearance is dirty and unkempt. This superior toilet of the mountain sheep seems due to the constant mists and vapors32 ever flitting to and fro in these upper regions, which thus enact33 the parts of cleansing34 spirits; but why, when they are about it, do not these benevolent35 kobolds wash the shepherd as well?
Besides the dogs, there is usually a donkey attached to each shepherd’s establishment. It serves to carry the packs of cheese and milk, or the heavy bunda (sheepskin coat) of the shepherd, and follows the flock about wherever its legs permit. On this occasion we met the inevitable36 ass5 some few hundred yards farther up the valley, standing37 on one of the giant tombstones, and with head thrown back, loudly braying38 up in the direction of the mountain heights. He, too, had caught sight of his beloved sheep scrambling39 so far out of reach up there, and weary of his loneliness, was thus passionately40 entreating41 his eight hundred sweethearts to return to his faithful side.
Two hours more up the lonely valley brought us to our destination. There was one last rocky wall to be overcome, and, having scaled it, we stood with panting breath before the Bulea See, a curiously42 suggestive little loch, dark greenish-blue in color, which nestles in the stony chalice43 formed by the rocks around.
Nothing but gray bowlder-stones lying here cast about; no plant save the deadly monk’s-hood growing rank in thick, short tufts of deep sapphire44 hue45; no sign of life but one solitary falcon46 soaring overhead, and some scattered47 feathers lying strewn at the water’s edge.[81]
The brooding melancholy48 of this solitary spot has a charm all its own. This would be the place, indeed, for a life-sick man to come and end his days, and if there be such a thing as a voluptuous49 suicide, methinks these were the proper surroundings for it. Death must come so swiftly and so surely in those still green waters, which have such an insinuating50 glitter; no danger here of being saved and brought back to unwelcome life by a meddlesome51 log of floating wood, or the officious arm of an out-stretched branch. Everything here seems to breathe of the very spirit of suicide; the cold green waters, the deadly monk’s-hood, the hovering52 falcon, all seem to agree, “This is the end of life—come here and die!”
But let the hapless wretch53 bent54 on leaving this world beware of looking round once more before executing his resolve, for if he but turn and gaze again at the magnificent panorama55 at his feet, he will assuredly be violently recalled to life.
I do not recollect56 having seen any single view which in its glorious variety ever impressed me as much as what I saw that day, looking from the platform beside the Bulea See; neither a framed-in picture nor yet a bird’s-eye view, it rather gave me the feeling as though I were standing at the head of a giant staircase whose balustrades are formed by the nicked-out peaks of the crags on either side, and whose separate steps present as many gradations of variegated57 beauty.
Close to our feet lay the stony valley we had just been traversing, with its gigantic tombstones and wizened dwarf58 bushes, and the flashing crest59 of the water-fall, just visible, like a silver thread, at the farthest point. Then, after a sudden drop of several hundred feet, our{376} eye lights upon the pine valley, with the shelter-hut where we had passed the previous night. With a telescope we could just make out the place of the camp-fire and the figures of some grazing horses. Of the third step of this giant ladder—namely, the beech forest—we could see only the billowy tops of the close-grown trees, a mass of waving green, touched here and there by the hand of autumn into russet and golden tints60; then far, far below lay stretched the smiling plain, streaked61 with occasional dark patches we knew to be forests, and sundry62 white dots we guessed at as villages, and the serpentine63 curves of the river Alt, winding64 like a golden ribbon between them.
A long bank of clouds which had been hovering over the plain now sank down, gradually obscuring that part of the view, but not for long. This was but another freak of nature, one more turn in the kaleidoscope; for now the mist has sunk so low that the plain itself appears above it, and we behold65 the landscape framed in the clouds, like a delusive66 Fata Morgana.
This is indeed a picture never to weary of, and after gazing at it for ten ecstatic minutes, I defy the life-sick man to turn away and carry out his suicidal intentions. The cold green waters have lost their attraction for him, and the spell of the deadly monk’s-hood is broken; for another voice whispers in his ear, and it tells him of life and of hope: a few minutes ago he had felt like a condemned67 criminal in sight of his grave, but now, with this glorious world at his feet, he is fain to think himself monarch68 of all he beholds69.
The giant’s ladder contains one more step, for by scrambling up the rocks at one side of the loch one may reach the crest of the mountains, and walking there for hours on the confines of Roumania, gain an extensive view into both countries.
This is what some of the gentlemen of our party did, in hopes of coming across chamois; while the rest of us remained below, well content with what we had achieved, settling down, not to suicide, but to such healthier, if more commonplace, pursuits as luncheon70 and sketching71. At least the luncheon was eaten and the sketch72 was begun; but beginning and finishing are two very different things in these regions, and one cannot reckon without the mountain-sprites, who were this day mischievously73 inclined.
A tiny white cloudlet, snowy and innocent-looking as a tuft of swan’s-down, had meanwhile detached itself from the bank of clouds below the plain, and was speeding aloft in our direction. Incredibly{377} fast this mountain-sprite ascended74 the giant staircase—gliding over the space it had taken us three hours to traverse in not the tenth part of that time; jumping two steps at once, it seemed in its malicious75 haste to spoil our pleasure. Now it has reached the terrace where we are sitting; we feel its cold breath on our cheek, and in another minute it has thrown its moist filmy veil over the scene. The lake at our side has disappeared; we cannot see ten paces in front, and we shiver under the warm wraps we just now despised.
The mist, which feels at first like a soft, invisible rain, gradually becomes harder and more prickly; there is a sharp, rattling76 sound in the air, and we realize that we are sitting in a hail-storm, from which we vainly try to escape by dodging77 under the overhanging rocks.
As quickly as it came it is gone again, for scarce ten minutes later the sun shone out triumphant78, dispersing79 the ill-natured vapors. Yet a little longer will the sun lord it up here as master, and come victorious80 out of all such combats; but these impish cloudlets are the outrunners of the army of the dread81 ice-king, and will return again day by day in greater numbers, soon to be no more driven away from these regions.
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
situated
|
|
| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
moss
|
|
| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
beech
|
|
| n.山毛榉；adj.山毛榉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
ass
|
|
| n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
sprouting
|
|
| v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
stunted
|
|
| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
gales
|
|
| 龙猫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
wizened
|
|
| adj.凋谢的；枯槁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
inclemency
|
|
| n.险恶，严酷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
reign
|
|
| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
degenerated
|
|
| 衰退，堕落，退化( degenerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
crooked
|
|
| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
enchanted
|
|
| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
desolate
|
|
| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
disdain
|
|
| n.鄙视，轻视；v.轻视，鄙视，不屑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
artifices
|
|
| n.灵巧( artifice的名词复数 )；诡计；巧妙办法；虚伪行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
tinted
|
|
| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
mosses
|
|
| n. 藓类, 苔藓植物 名词moss的复数形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
naught
|
|
| n.无，零 [=nought] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
sublime
|
|
| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
stony
|
|
| adj.石头的，多石头的，冷酷的，无情的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
cavern
|
|
| n.洞穴，大山洞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
isolation
|
|
| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
proceeding
|
|
| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
herded
|
|
| 群集，纠结( herd的过去式和过去分词 )； 放牧； （使）向…移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
fatiguing
|
|
| a.使人劳累的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
solitary
|
|
| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
ledges
|
|
| n.（墙壁，悬崖等）突出的狭长部分( ledge的名词复数 )；（平窄的）壁架；横档；（尤指）窗台 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
vapors
|
|
| n.水汽，水蒸气，无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 )；自夸者；幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁（症）v.自夸，（使）蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
enact
|
|
| vt.制定(法律)；上演，扮演 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
cleansing
|
|
| n. 净化(垃圾) adj. 清洁用的 动词cleanse的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
benevolent
|
|
| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
inevitable
|
|
| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
braying
|
|
| v.发出驴叫似的声音( bray的现在分词 )；发嘟嘟声；粗声粗气地讲话（或大笑）；猛击 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
scrambling
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
passionately
|
|
| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
entreating
|
|
| 恳求，乞求( entreat的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
curiously
|
|
| adv.有求知欲地；好问地；奇特地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
chalice
|
|
| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
sapphire
|
|
| n.青玉，蓝宝石；adj.天蓝色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
falcon
|
|
| n.隼，猎鹰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
voluptuous
|
|
| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
insinuating
|
|
| adj.曲意巴结的，暗示的v.暗示( insinuate的现在分词 )；巧妙或迂回地潜入；（使）缓慢进入；慢慢伸入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
meddlesome
|
|
| adj.爱管闲事的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
panorama
|
|
| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
recollect
|
|
| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
variegated
|
|
| adj.斑驳的，杂色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
dwarf
|
|
| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
crest
|
|
| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
tints
|
|
| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
streaked
|
|
| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
sundry
|
|
| adj.各式各样的，种种的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
serpentine
|
|
| adj.蜿蜒的，弯曲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
winding
|
|
| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
behold
|
|
| v.看，注视，看到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
delusive
|
|
| adj.欺骗的，妄想的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
condemned
|
|
| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
monarch
|
|
| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
beholds
|
|
| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
luncheon
|
|
| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
sketching
|
|
| n.草图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
sketch
|
|
| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
mischievously
|
|
| adv.有害地；淘气地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
ascended
|
|
| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
malicious
|
|
| adj.有恶意的，心怀恶意的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
rattling
|
|
| adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
dodging
|
|
| n.避开，闪过，音调改变v.闪躲( dodge的现在分词 )；回避 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
triumphant
|
|
| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
dispersing
|
|
| adj. 分散的 动词disperse的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
victorious
|
|
| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |