THE PLAYTHING OF THE STORMThe Northern sun had taken another aspect and changed its colour,opening the new day by a sinister1 morn. Completely free from its veil,it gave forth2 its grand rays, crossing the sky in fitful flashes,foretelling nasty weather. During the past few days it had been toofine to last. The winds blew upon that swarm3 of boats, as if to clearthe sea of them; and they began to disperse4 and flee, like an army putto rout5, before the warning written in the air, beyond possibility tomisread. Harder and harder it blew, making men and ships quake alike.
And the still tiny waves began to run one after another and to melttogether; at first they were frosted over with white foam6 spread outin patches; and then, with a whizzing sound, arose smoke as thoughthey burned and scorched7, and the whistling grew louder every moment.
Fish-catching was no longer thought of; it was their work on deck. Thefishing lines had been drawn8 in, and all hurried to make sail and someto seek for shelter in the fjords, while yet others preferred to roundthe southern point of Iceland, finding it safer to stand for the opensea, with the free space about them, and run before the stern wind.
They could still see each other a while: here and there, above thetrough of the sea, sails wagged as poor wearied birds fleeing; themasts tipped, but ever and anon righted, like the weighted pithfigures that similarly resume an erect9 attitude when released afterbeing blown down.
The illimitable cloudy roof, erstwhile compacted towards the westernhorizon, in an island form, began to break up on high and send itsfragments over the surface. It seemed indestructible, for vainly didthe winds stretch it, pull and toss it asunder10, continually tearingaway dark strips, which they waved over the pale yellow sky, graduallybecoming intensely and icily livid. Ever more strongly grew the windthat threw all things in turmoil11.
The cruiser had departed for shelter at Iceland; some fishers aloneremained upon the seething12 sea, which now took an ill-boding look anda dreadful colour. All hastily made preparations for bad weather.
Between one and another the distance grew greater, till some were lostsight of.
The waves, curling up in scrolls13, continued to run after each other,to reassemble and climb on one another, and between them the hollowsdeepened.
In a few hours, everything was belaboured and overthrown14 in theseregions that had been so calm the day before, and instead of the pastsilence, the uproar15 was deafening16. The present agitation17 was adissolving view, unconscientious and useless, and quicklyaccomplished. What was the object of it all? What a mystery of blinddestruction it was!
The clouds continued to stream out on high, out of the westcontinually, racing18 and darkening all. A few yellow clefts19 remained,through which the sun shot its rays in volleys. And the now greenishwater was striped more thickly with snowy froth.
By midday the /Marie/ was made completely snug20 for dirty weather: herhatches battened down, and her sails storm-reefed; she bounded lightlyand elastic21; for all the horrid22 confusion, she seemed to be playinglike the porpoises23, also amused in storms. With her foresail taken in,she simply scudded24 before the wind.
It had become quite dark overhead, where stretched the heavilycrushing vault25. Studded with shapeless gloomy spots, it appeared a setdome, unless a steadier gaze ascertained27 that everything was in thefull rush of motion; endless gray veils were drawn along, unceasinglyfollowed by others, from the profundities28 of the sky-line--draperiesof darkness, pulled from a never-ending roll.
The /Marie/ fled faster and faster before the wind; and time fled also--before some invisible and mysterious power. The gale29, the sea, the/Marie/, and the clouds were all lashed30 into one great madness ofhasty flight towards the same point. The fastest of all was the wind;then the huge seething billows, heavier and slower, toiling31 after;and, lastly, the smack32, dragged into the general whirl. The wavestracked her down with their white crests33, tumbling onward34 in continualmotion, and she--though always being caught up to and outrun--stillmanaged to elude35 them by means of the eddying36 waters she spurned37 inher wake, upon which they vented38 their fury. In this similitude offlight the sensation particularly experienced was of buoyancy, thedelight of being carried along without effort or trouble, in a springysort of way. The /Marie/ mounted over the waves without any shaking,as if the wind had lifted her clean up; and her subsequent descent wasa slide. She almost slid backward, though, at times, the mountainslowering before her as if continuing to run, and then she suddenlyfound herself dropped into one of the measureless hollows that evadedher also; without injury she sounded its horrible depths, amid a loudsplashing of water, which did not even sprinkle her decks, but wasblown on and on like everything else, evaporating in finer and finerspray until it was thinned away to nothing. In the trough it wasdarker, and when each wave had passed the men looked behind them tosee if the next to appear were higher; it came upon them with furiouscontortions, and curling crests, over its transparent39 emerald body,seeming to shriek40: "Only let me catch you, and I'll swallow youwhole!"But this never came to pass, for, as a feather, the billows softlybore them up and then down so gently; they felt it pass under them,with all its boiling surf and thunderous roar. And so on continually,but the sea getting heavier and heavier. One after another rushed thewaves, more and more gigantic, like a long chain of mountains, withyawning valleys. And the madness of all this movement, under the ever-darkening sky, accelerated the height of the intolerable clamour.
Yann and Sylvestre stood at the helm, still singing, "Jean Francois deNantes"; intoxicated41 with the quiver of speed, they sang out loudly,laughing at their inability to hear themselves in this prodigiouswrath of the wind.
"I say, lads, does it smell musty up here too?" called out Guermeur tothem, passing his bearded face up through the half-open hatchway, likeJack-in-the-box.
Oh, no! it certainly did not smell musty on deck. They were not at allfrightened, being quite conscious of what men can cope with, havingfaith in the strength of their barkey and their arms. And theyfurthermore relied upon the protection of that china Virgin42, which hadvoyaged forty years to Iceland, and so often had danced the dance ofthis day, smiling perpetually between her branches of artificialflowers.
Generally speaking, they could not see far around them; a few hundredyards off, all seemed entombed in the fearfully big billows, withtheir frothing crests shutting out the view. They felt as if in anenclosure, continually altering shape; and, besides, all things seemeddrowned in the aqueous smoke, which fled before them like a cloud withthe greatest rapidity over the heaving surface. But from time to timea gleam of sunlight pierced through the north-west sky, through whicha squall threatened; a shuddering43 light would appear from above, arather spun-out dimness, making the dome26 of the heavens denser45 thanbefore, and feebly lighting46 up the surge. This new light was sad tobehold; far-off glimpses as they were, that gave too strong anunderstanding that the same chaos47 and the same fury lay on all sides,even far, far behind the seemingly void horizon; there was no limit toits expanse of storm, and they stood alone in its midst!
A tremendous tumult48 arose all about, like the prelude49 of anapocalypse, spreading the terror of the ultimate end of the earth. Andamidst it thousands of voices could be heard above, shrieking,bellowing, calling, as from a great distance. It was only the wind,the great motive50 breath of all this disorder51, the voice of theinvisible power ruling all. Then came other voices, nearer and lessindefinite, threatening destruction, and making the water shudder44 andhiss as if on burning coals; the disturbance52 increased in terror.
Notwithstanding their flight, the sea began to gain on them, to "burythem up," as they phrased it: first the spray fell down on them frombehind, and masses of water thrown with such violence as to breakeverything in their course. The waves were ever increasing, and thetempest tore off their ridges53 and hurled54 them, too, upon the poop,like a demon's game of snowballing, till dashed to atoms on thebulwarks. Heavier masses fell on the planks55 with a hammering sound,till the /Marie/ shivered throughout, as if in pain. Nothing could bedistinguished over the side, because of the screen of creamy foam; andwhen the winds soughed more loudly, this foam formed into whirlingspouts, like the dust of the way in summer time. At length a heavyrain fell crossways, and soon straight up and down, and how all theseelements of destruction yelled together, clashed and interlocked, notongue can tell.
Yann and Sylvestre stuck staunchly to the helm, covered with theirwaterproofs, hard and shiny as sharkskin; they had firmly secured themat the throat by tarred strings56, and likewise at wrists and ankles toprevent the water from running in, and the rain only poured off them;when it fell too heavily, they arched their backs, and held all themore stoutly57, not to be thrown over the board. Their cheeks burned,and every minute their breath was beaten out or stopped.
After each sea was shipped and rushed over, they exchanged glances,grinning at the crust of salt settled in their beards.
In the long run though, this became tiresome58, an unceasing fury, whichalways promised a worse visitation. The fury of men and beasts soonfalls and dies away; but the fury of lifeless things, without cause orobject, is as mysterious as life and death, and has to be borne forvery long.
"Jean Francois de Nantes;Jean Francois,Jean Francois!"Through their pale lips still came the refrain of the old song, but asfrom a speaking automaton59, unconsciously taken up from time to time.
The excess of motion and uproar had made them dumb, and despite theiryouth their smiles were insincere, and their teeth chattered60 withcold; their eyes, half-closed under their raw, throbbing61 eyelids,remained glazed62 in terror. Lashed to the helm, like marble caryatides,they only moved their numbed63 blue hands, almost without thinking, bysheer muscular habit. With their hair streaming and mouths contracted,they had become changed, all the primitive64 wildness in man appearingagain. They could not see one another truly, but still were aware ofbeing companioned. In the instants of greatest danger, each time thata fresh mountain of water rose behind them, came to overtower them,and crash horribly against their boat, one of their hands would moveas if involuntarily, to form the sign of the cross. They no morethought of Gaud than of any other woman, or any marrying. The travailwas lasting65 too long, and they had no thoughts left. The intoxicationof noise, cold, and fatigue66 drowned all in their brain. They weremerely two pillars of stiffened67 human flesh, held up by the helm; twostrong beasts, cowering68, but determined69 they would not be overwhelmed.
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1
sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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disperse
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| vi.使分散；使消失；vt.分散；驱散 | |
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rout
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| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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scorched
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| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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turmoil
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| n.骚乱，混乱，动乱 | |
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seething
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| 沸腾的，火热的 | |
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scrolls
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| n.（常用于录写正式文件的）纸卷( scroll的名词复数 )；卷轴；涡卷形（装饰）；卷形花纹v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的第三人称单数 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
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overthrown
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| adj. 打翻的，推倒的，倾覆的 动词overthrow的过去分词 | |
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uproar
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| n.骚动，喧嚣，鼎沸 | |
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deafening
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| adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式 | |
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agitation
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| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
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racing
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| n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的 | |
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clefts
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| n.裂缝( cleft的名词复数 )；裂口；cleave的过去式和过去分词；进退维谷 | |
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snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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porpoises
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| n.鼠海豚( porpoise的名词复数 ) | |
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scudded
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| v.（尤指船、舰或云彩）笔直、高速而平稳地移动( scud的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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ascertained
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| v.弄清，确定，查明( ascertain的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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profundities
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| n.深奥，深刻，深厚( profundity的名词复数 )；堂奥 | |
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gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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toiling
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的现在分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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smack
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| vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍 | |
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crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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elude
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| v.躲避，困惑 | |
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eddying
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| 涡流，涡流的形成 | |
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spurned
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| v.一脚踢开，拒绝接受( spurn的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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vented
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| 表达，发泄（感情，尤指愤怒）( vent的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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shriek
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| v./n.尖叫，叫喊 | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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43
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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45
denser
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| adj. 不易看透的, 密集的, 浓厚的, 愚钝的 | |
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lighting
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| n.照明，光线的明暗，舞台灯光 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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48
tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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prelude
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| n.序言，前兆，序曲 | |
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50
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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52
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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53
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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54
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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strings
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| n.弦 | |
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57
stoutly
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| adv.牢固地，粗壮的 | |
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tiresome
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| adj.令人疲劳的，令人厌倦的 | |
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automaton
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| n.自动机器，机器人 | |
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60
chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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throbbing
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| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
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62
glazed
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| adj.光滑的，像玻璃的；上过釉的；呆滞无神的v.装玻璃( glaze的过去式)；上釉于，上光；（目光）变得呆滞无神 | |
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numbed
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| v.使麻木，使麻痹( numb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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lasting
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| adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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stiffened
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| 加强的 | |
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68
cowering
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| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的现在分词 ) | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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