Part 3 In The Shadow Chapter 9

When Yann was on deck, he looked around him with sleep-laden eyes,over the familiar circle of the sea. That night the illimitableimmensity showed itself in its most astonishingly simple aspects, inneutral tints¹, giving only the impression of depth. This horizon,which indicated no recognisable region of the earth, or even anygeological age, must have looked so many times the same since theorigin of time, that, gazing upon it, one saw nothing save theeternity of things that exist and cannot help existing.

　　It was not the dead of night, for a patch of light, which seemed toooze from no particular point, dimly lit up the scene. The wind sobbedas usual its aimless wail². All was gray, a fickle³ gray, which fadedbefore the fixed⁴ gaze. The sea, during its mysterious rest, hid itselfunder feeble tints without a name.

　　Above floated scattered⁵ clouds; they had assumed various shapes, for,without form, things cannot exist; in the darkness they had blendedtogether, so as to form one single vast veiling.

　　But in one particular spot of the sky, low down on the waters, theyseemed a dark-veined marble, the streaks⁶ clearly defined although verydistant; a tender drawing, as if traced by some dreamy hand--somechance effect, not meant to be viewed for long, and indeed hasteningto die away. Even that alone, in the midst of this broad grandeur,appeared to mean something; one might think that the sad, undefinedthought of the nothingness around was written there; and the sightinvoluntarily remained fixed upon it.

　　Yann's dazzled eyes grew accustomed to the outside darkness, and gazedmore and more steadily⁷ upon that veining⁸ in the sky; it had now takenthe shape of a kneeling figure with arms outstretched. He began tolook upon it as a human shadow rendered gigantic by the distanceitself.

　　In his mind, where his indefinite dreams and primitive⁹ beliefs stilllingered, the ominous¹⁰ shadow, crushed beneath the gloomy sky, slowlycoalesced with the thought of his dead brother, as if it were a lasttoken from him.

　　He was used to such strange associations of ideas, that thrive in theminds of children. But words, vague as they may be, are still tooprecise to express those feelings; one would need that uncertainlanguage that comes in dreams, of which upon awakening¹¹, one retainsmerely enigmatical, senseless fragments.

　　Looking upon the cloud, he felt a deep anguish¹², full of unknownmystery, that froze his very soul; he understood full well now thathis poor little brother would never more be seen; sorrow, which hadbeen some time penetrating¹³ the hard, rough rind of his heart, nowgushed in and brimmed it over. He beheld¹⁴ Sylvestre again with his softchildish eyes; at the thought of embracing him no more, a veil fellbetween his eyelids¹⁵ and his eyes, against his will; and, at first, hecould not rightly understand what it was--never having wept in all hismanhood. But the tears began to fall heavily and swiftly down hischeeks, and then sobs¹⁶ rent his deep chest.

　　He went on with his fishing, losing no time and speaking to no one,and his two mates, though hearing him in the deep silence, pretendednot to do so, for fear of irritating him, knowing him to be so haughtyand reserved.

　　In his opinion death was the end of it all. Out of respect he oftenjoined in the family prayers for the dead, but he believed in noafter-life of the soul. Between themselves, in their long talks, thesailors all said the same, in a blunt taken-for-granted way, as awell-known fact; but it did not stop them from believing in ghosts,having a vague fear of graveyards¹⁷, and an unlimited¹⁸ confidence inprotecting saints and images, and above all a deep respect for theconsecrated earth around the churches.

　　So Yann himself feared to be swallowed up by the sea, as if it wouldannihilate him, and the thought of Sylvestre, so far away on the otherside of the earth, made his sorrow more dark and desperate. With hiscontempt for his fellows, he had no shame or constraint¹⁹ in weeping, nomore than if he were alone.

　　Around the boat the chaos²⁰ grew whiter, although it was only twoo'clock, and at the same time it appeared to spread farther, hollowingin a fearful manner. With that kind of rising dawn, eyes opened wider,and the awakened²¹ mind could conceive better the immensity of distance,as the boundaries of visible space receded²² and widened away.

　　The pale aurora²³ increased, seeming to come in tiny jets with slightshocks; eternal things seemed to light up by sheer transparency, as ifwhite-flamed lamps had slowly been raised up behind the shapeless grayclouds, and held there with mysterious care, for fear of disturbingthe calm, even rest of the sea. Below the horizon that colossal²⁴ whitelamp was the sun, which dragged itself along without strength, beforetaking its leisurely²⁵ ascent²⁶, which began in the dawn's eye above theocean.

　　On this day, the usual rosy²⁷ tints were not seen; all remained pale andmournful. On board the gray ship, Yann wept alone. The tears of thefierce elder brother, together with the melancholy²⁸ of this surroundingwaste, were as mourning, worn in honour of the poor, obscure, younghero, upon these seas of Iceland, where half his life had been passed.

　　When the full light of day appeared, Yann abruptly²⁹ wiped his eyes withhis sleeve and ceased weeping. That grief was over now. He seemedcompletely absorbed by the work of the fishery, and by the monotonousroutine of substantial deeds, as if he never had thought of anythingelse.

　　The catching³⁰ went on apace, and there were scant³¹ hands for the work.

　　Around about the fishers, in the immense depths, a transformationscene was taking place. The grand opening out of the infinitude, thatgreat wonder of the morning, had finished, and the distance seemed todiminish and close in around them. How was it that before the sea hadseemed so boundless³²!

　　The horizon was quite clear now, and more space seemed necessary. Thevoid filled in with flecks³³ and streamers that floated above, somevague as mist, others with visibly jagged edges. They fell softly amidan utter silence, like snowy gauze, but fell on all sides together, sothat below them suffocation³⁴ set in swiftly; it took away the breath tosee the air so thickened.

　　It was the first of the August fogs that was rising. In a few momentsthe winding-sheet became universally dense³⁵; all around the /Marie/ awhite damp lay under the light, and in it the mast faded anddisappeared.

　　"Here's the cursed fog now, for sure," grumbled³⁶ the men. They had longago made the acquaintance of that compulsory³⁷ companion of the secondpart of the fishing season; but it also announced its end and the timefor returning to Brittany.

　　It condensed into fine, sparkling drops in their beards, and shoneupon their weather-beaten faces. Looking athwart ship to one another,they appeared dim as ghosts; and by comparison, nearer objects wereseen more clearly under the colourless light. They took care not toinhale the air too deeply, for a feeling of chill and wet penetratedthe lungs.

　　But the fishing was going on briskly, so that they had no time left tochatter, and they only thought of their lines. Every moment big heavyfish were drawn³⁸ in on deck, and slapped down with a smack³⁹ like a whip-crack; there they wriggled⁴⁰ about angrily, flapping their tails on thedeck, scattering⁴¹ plenty of sea-water about, and silvery scales too, inthe course of their death-struggle. The sailor who split them openwith his long knife, sometimes cut his own fingers, in his haste, sothat his warm blood mingled⁴² with the brine.

1 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：

• leaves with red and gold autumn tints 金秋时节略呈红黄色的树叶
• The whole countryside glowed with autumn tints. 乡间处处呈现出灿烂的秋色。

2 wail   

vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸

参考例句：

• Somewhere in the audience an old woman's voice began plaintive wail.观众席里，一位老太太伤心地哭起来。
• One of the small children began to wail with terror.小孩中的一个吓得大哭起来。

3 fickle   

adj.(爱情或友谊上)易变的，不坚定的

参考例句：

• Fluctuating prices usually base on a fickle public's demand.物价的波动往往是由于群众需求的不稳定而引起的。
• The weather is so fickle in summer.夏日的天气如此多变。

4 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。

5 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

6 streaks   

n.（与周围有所不同的）条纹( streak的名词复数 )；（通常指不好的）特征（倾向）；（不断经历成功或失败的）一段时期v.快速移动( streak的第三人称单数 )；使布满条纹

参考例句：

• streaks of grey in her hair 她头上的绺绺白发
• Bacon has streaks of fat and streaks of lean. 咸肉中有几层肥的和几层瘦的。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

7 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

8 veining   

n.脉络分布；矿脉

参考例句：

• Art is a mirror reflects the era veining of the current society.艺术是社会的镜子，反映出当今社会的时代脉络。
• It retraces the four periods of our culture industry to make clear its development veining.通过对我国文化产业发展四个阶段的回顾，以期厘清其发展脉络。

9 primitive   

adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物

参考例句：

• It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
• His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。

10 ominous   

adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的

参考例句：

• Those black clouds look ominous for our picnic.那些乌云对我们的野餐来说是个不祥之兆。
• There was an ominous silence at the other end of the phone.电话那头出现了不祥的沉默。

11 awakening   

n.觉醒，醒悟 adj.觉醒中的；唤醒的

参考例句：

• the awakening of interest in the environment 对环境产生的兴趣
• People are gradually awakening to their rights. 人们正逐渐意识到自己的权利。

12 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。

13 penetrating   

adj.（声音）响亮的，尖锐的adj.（气味）刺激的adj.（思想）敏锐的，有洞察力的

参考例句：

• He had an extraordinarily penetrating gaze. 他的目光有股异乎寻常的洞察力。
• He examined the man with a penetrating gaze. 他以锐利的目光仔细观察了那个人。

14 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

参考例句：

• His eyes had never beheld such opulence. 他从未见过这样的财富。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The soul beheld its features in the mirror of the passing moment. 灵魂在逝去的瞬间的镜子中看到了自己的模样。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

15 eyelids   

n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色

参考例句：

• She was so tired, her eyelids were beginning to droop. 她太疲倦了，眼睑开始往下垂。
• Her eyelids drooped as if she were on the verge of sleep. 她眼睑低垂好像快要睡着的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

17 graveyards   

墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所

参考例句：

• He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
• "And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学

18 unlimited   

adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• There is no safety in unlimited technological hubris.在技术方面自以为是会很危险。

19 constraint   

n.(on)约束，限制；限制(或约束)性的事物

参考例句：

• The boy felt constraint in her presence.那男孩在她面前感到局促不安。
• The lack of capital is major constraint on activities in the informal sector.资本短缺也是影响非正规部门生产经营的一个重要制约因素。

20 chaos   

n.混乱，无秩序

参考例句：

• After the failure of electricity supply the city was in chaos.停电后，城市一片混乱。
• The typhoon left chaos behind it.台风后一片混乱。

21 awakened   

v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到

参考例句：

• She awakened to the sound of birds singing. 她醒来听到鸟的叫声。
• The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation. 公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 receded   

v.逐渐远离( recede的过去式和过去分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• The floodwaters have now receded. 洪水现已消退。
• The sound of the truck receded into the distance. 卡车的声音渐渐在远处消失了。

23 aurora   

n.极光

参考例句：

• The aurora is one of nature's most awesome spectacles.极光是自然界最可畏的奇观之一。
• Over the polar regions we should see aurora.在极地高空,我们会看到极光。

24 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

25 leisurely   

adj.悠闲的；从容的，慢慢的

参考例句：

• We walked in a leisurely manner,looking in all the windows.我们慢悠悠地走着，看遍所有的橱窗。
• He had a leisurely breakfast and drove cheerfully to work.他从容的吃了早餐，高兴的开车去工作。

26 ascent   

n.(声望或地位)提高；上升，升高；登高

参考例句：

• His rapid ascent in the social scale was surprising.他的社会地位提高之迅速令人吃惊。
• Burke pushed the button and the elevator began its slow ascent.伯克按动电钮，电梯开始缓慢上升。

27 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

28 melancholy   

n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
• He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过，他感到很郁闷。

29 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

30 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

31 scant   

adj.不充分的，不足的；v.减缩，限制，忽略

参考例句：

• Don't scant the butter when you make a cake.做糕饼时不要吝惜奶油。
• Many mothers pay scant attention to their own needs when their children are small.孩子们小的时候，许多母亲都忽视自己的需求。

32 boundless   

adj.无限的；无边无际的；巨大的

参考例句：

• The boundless woods were sleeping in the deep repose of nature.无边无际的森林在大自然静寂的怀抱中酣睡着。
• His gratitude and devotion to the Party was boundless.他对党无限感激、无限忠诚。

33 flecks   

n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍

参考例句：

• His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。
• I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 suffocation   

n.窒息

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• The room was hot to suffocation. 房间热得闷人。 来自辞典例句

35 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

36 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

37 compulsory   

n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的

参考例句：

• Is English a compulsory subject?英语是必修课吗？
• Compulsory schooling ends at sixteen.义务教育至16岁为止。

38 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

39 smack   

vt.拍，打，掴；咂嘴；vi.含有…意味；n.拍

参考例句：

• She gave him a smack on the face.她打了他一个嘴巴。
• I gave the fly a smack with the magazine.我用杂志拍了一下苍蝇。

40 wriggled   

v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）

参考例句：

• He wriggled uncomfortably on the chair. 他坐在椅子上不舒服地扭动着身体。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A snake wriggled across the road. 一条蛇蜿蜒爬过道路。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

41 scattering   

n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

42 mingled   

混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系]

参考例句：

• The sounds of laughter and singing mingled in the evening air. 笑声和歌声交织在夜空中。
• The man and the woman mingled as everyone started to relax. 当大家开始放松的时候，这一男一女就开始交往了。