TERCE
In which Adso, listening to the “Dies irae,” has a dream, or vision, howsoever you may choose to define it.
William took his leave of Nicholas and went up to the scriptorium. By now I had seen my fill of the treasure and decided1 to go into the church and pray for Malachi’s soul. I had never loved that man, who frightened me; and I will not deny that for a long time I believed him guilty of all the crimes. But now I had learned that he was perhaps a poor wretch3, oppressed by unfulfilled passions, an earthenware4 vessel5 among vessels6 of iron, surly because bewildered, silent and evasive because conscious he had nothing to say. I felt a certain remorse8 toward him, and I thought that praying for his super?natural destiny might allay9 my feelings of guilt2.
The church was now illuminated10 by a faint and livid glow, dominated by the poor man’s corpse11, and inhabit?ed by the monotone murmur12 of the monks14 reciting the office of the dead.
In the monastery15 of Melk I had several times witnessed a brother’s decease. It was not what I could call a happy occasion, but still it seemed to me serene16, governed by calm and by a sense of rightness. The monks took turns in the dying man’s cell, comforting him with good words, and each in his heart considered how the dying man was fortunate, because he was about to conclude a virtuous17 life and would soon join the choir18 of angels in that bliss19 without end. And a part of this serenity20, the odor of that pious21 envy, was conveyed to the dying man, who in the end died serenely22. How different the deaths of the past few days! Finally I had seen at close hand how a victim of the diabolical23 scorpions24 of the finis Africae died, and certainly Venantius and Berengar had also died like that, seeking relief in water, their faces already wasted as Malachi’s had been.
I sat at the back of the church, huddled26 down to combat the chill. As I felt a bit of warmth, I moved my lips to join the chorus of the praying brothers. I followed them almost without being aware of what my lips were saying, while my head nodded and my eyes wanted to close. Long minutes went by; I believe I fell asleep and woke up at least three or four times. Then the choir began to chant the “Dies irae.” … The chanting affected27 me like a narcotic28. I went completely to sleep. Or perhaps, rather than slumber29, I fell into an exhausted30, agitated31 doze32, bent33 double, like an infant still in its’ mother’s womb. And in that fog of the soul, finding myself as if in a region not of this world, I had a vision, or dream, if you prefer to call it that.
I was descending35 some narrow steps into a low passage, as if I were entering the treasure crypt, but, continuing to descend34, I arrived in a broader crypt, which was the kitchen of the Aedificium. It was certainly the kitchen, but there was a bustle36 among not only ovens and pots, but also bellows37 and hammers, as if Nicholas’s smiths had assembled there as well. Everything glowed red from the stoves and cauldrons, and boiling pots gave off steam while huge bubbles rose to their surfaces and popped suddenly with a dull, repeated sound. The cooks turned spits in the air, as the novices38, who had all gathered, leaped up to snatch the chickens and the other fowl40 impaled41 on those red-hot irons. But nearby the smiths hammered so powerfully that the whole air was deafened42, and clouds of sparks rose from the anvils43, mingling44 with those belching45 from the two ovens.
I could not understand whether I was in hell or in such a paradise as Salvatore might have conceived, dripping with juices and throbbing46 with sausages. But I had no time to wonder where I was, because in rushed a swarm47 of little men, dwarfs48 with huge pot-shaped heads; sweeping49 me away, they thrust me to the thresh?old of the refectory, forcing me to enter.
The hall was bedecked for a feast. Great tapestries50 and banners hung on the walls, but the images adorning51 them were not those usually displayed for the edifica?tion of the faithful or the celebration of the glories of kings. They seemed inspired, on the contrary, by Adelmo’s marginalia, and they reproduced his less awful and more comical images: hares dancing around the tree of plenty, rivers filled with fish that flung themselves spontaneously into frying pans held out by monkeys dressed as cook-bishops, monsters with fat bellies52 skip?ping around steaming kettles.
In the center of the table was the abbot, in feast-day dress, with a great vestment of embroidered53 purple, holding his fork like a scepter. Beside him, Jorge drank from a great mug of wine, and Remigio, dressed like Bernard Gui, held a book shaped like a scorpion25, virtuously54 reading the lives of the saints and passages from the Gospels, but they were stories about Jesus joking with the apostle, reminding him that he was a stone and on that shameless stone that rolled over the plain he would build his church, or the story of Saint Jerome commenting on the Bible and saying that God wanted to bare Jerusalem’s behind. And at every sen?tence the cellarer read, Jorge laughed, pounded his fist on the table, and shouted, “You shall be the next abbot, by God’s belly55!” Those were his very words, may the Lord forgive me.
At a merry signal from the abbot, the procession of virgins57 entered. It was a radiant line of richly dressed females, in whose midst I thought at first I could discern my mother; then I realized my error, because it was certainly the maiden58 terrible as an army with banners. Except that she wore a crown of white pearls on her head, a double strand60, and two cascades61 of pearls fell on either side of her face, mingling with two other rows which hung on her bosom62, and from each pearl hung a diamond as big as a plum. Further, from both ears descended63 rows of blue pearls, which joined to become a choker at the base of her neck, white and erect64 as a tower of Lebanon. The cloak was murex?-colored, and in her hand she had a diamond-studded golden goblet65 in which I knew, I cannot say how, was contained the lethal66 unguent67 one day stolen from Severinus. This woman, fair as the dawn, was followed by other female forms. One was clothed in a white embroidered mantle68 over a dark dress adorned69 with a double stole of gold embroidered in wild flowers; the second wore a cloak of yellow damask on a pale-pink dress dotted with green leaves, and with two great spun70 squares in the form of a dark labyrinth71; and the third had an emerald dress interwoven with little red animals, and she bore in her hands a white embroidered stole; I did not observe the clothing of the others, because I was trying to understand who they were, to be accompa?nying the maiden, who now resembled the Virgin56 Mary; and as if each bore in her hand a scroll72, or as if a scroll came from each woman’s mouth, I knew they were Ruth, Sarah, Susanna, and other women of Scripture73.
At this point the abbot cried, “Come on in, you whoresons!” and into the refectory came another array of sacred personages, in austere74 and splendid dress, whom I recognized clearly; and in the center of the group was one seated on a throne who was our Lord but at the same time He was Adam, dressed in a purple cloak with a great diadem75, red and white with rubies76 and pearls, holding the cloak on His shoulders, and on His head a crown similar to the maiden’s, in His hand a larger goblet, brimming with pig’s blood. Other most holy personages of whom I will speak, all familiar to me, surrounded him, along with a host of the King of France’s archers77, dressed either in green or in red, with a pale-emerald shield on which the monogram78 of Christ stood out. The chief of this band went to pay homage79 to the abbot, extending the goblet to him. At which point the abbot said, “Age primum et septimum de quatuor,” and all chanted, “In finibus Africae, amen.” Then all sederunt.
When the two facing hosts had thus dispersed80, at an order from Abbot Solomon the tables began to be laid, James and Andrew brought a bale of hay, Adam settled himself in the center, Eve lay down on a leaf, Cain entered dragging a plow81, Abel came with a pail to milk Brunellus, Noah made a triumphal entry rowing the ark, Abraham sat under a tree, Isaac lay on the gold altar of the church, Moses crouched82 on a stone, Daniel appeared on a catafalque in Malachi’s arms, Tobias stretched out on a bed, Joseph threw himself on a bushel, Benjamin reclined on a sack, and there were others still, but here the vision grew confused. David stood on a mound83, John on the floor, Pharaoh on the sand (naturally, I said to myself, but why?), Lazarus on the table, Jesus on the edge of the well, Zaccheus on the boughs84 of a tree, Matthew on a stool, Raab on stubble, Ruth on straw, Thecla on the window sill (from outside, Adelmo’s pale face appeared, as he warned her it was possible to fall down, down the cliff), Susanna in the garden, Judas among the graves, Peter on the throne, James on a net, Elias on a saddle, Rachel on a bundle. And Paul the apostle, putting down his sword, listened to Esau complain, while job moaned on the dungheap and Rebecca rushed to his aid with a garment and Judith with a blanket, Hagar with a shroud85, and some novices carried a large steaming pot from which leaped Venantius of Salvemec, all red, as he began to distribute pig’s-blood puddings.
The refectory was now becoming more and more crowded, and all were eating at full tilt86; Jonas brought some gourds87 to the table, Isaiah some vegetables, Ezekiel blackberries, Zaccheus sycamore flowers, Adam lemons, Daniel lupins, Pharaoh peppers, Cain cardoons, Eve figs88, Rachel apples, Anamas some plums as big as diamonds, Leah onions, Aaron olives, Joseph an egg, Noah grapes, Simeon peach pits, while Jesus was sing?ing the “Dies irae” and gaily89 poured over all the dishes some vinegar that he squeezed from a little sponge he had taken from the spear of one of the King of France’s archers.
At this point Jorge, having removed his vitra ad legendum, lighted a burning bush; Sarah had provided kindling90 for it, Jephtha had brought it, Isaac had unloaded it, Joseph had carved it, and while Jacob opened the well and Daniel sat down beside the lake, the servants brought water, Noah wine, Hagar a wineskin, Abraham a calf91 that Raab tied to a stake while Jesus held out the rope and Elijah bound its feet. Then Absalom hung. him by his hair, Peter held out his sword, Cain killed him, Herod shed his blood, Shem threw away his giblets and dung, Jacob added the oil, Molessadon the salt; Antiochus put him on the fire, Rebecca cooked him, and Eve first tasted him and was taken sick, but Adam said not to give it a thought and slapped Severinus on the back as he suggested adding aromatic92 herbs. Then Jesus broke the bread and passed around some fishes, Jacob shouted because Esau had eaten all the pottage, Isaac was devouring93 a roast kid, and Jonah a boiled whale, and Jesus fasted for forty days and forty nights.
Meanwhile, all came in and out bringing choice game of every shape and color, of which Benjamin always kept the biggest share and Mary the choicest morsel94, while Martha complained of always having to wash the dishes. Then they divided up the calf, which had mean?while grown very big, and John was given the head, Abessalom the brain, Aaron the tongue, Sampson the jaw95, Peter the ear, Holofernes the head, Leah the rump, Saul the neck, Jonah the belly, Tobias the gall96, Eve the rib59, Mary the breast, Elizabeth the vulva, Moses the tail, Lot the legs, and Ezekiel the bones. All the while, Jesus was devouring a donkey, Saint Francis a wolf, Abel a lamb, Eve a moray, the Baptist a locust97, Pharaoh an octopus98 (naturally, I said to myself, but why?), and David was eating Spanish fly, flinging him?self on the maiden nigra sed formosa while Sampson bit into a lion’s behind and Thecla fled screaming, pursued by a hairy black spider.
All were obviously drunk by now, and some slipped on the wine, some fell into the jars with only their legs sticking out, crossed like two stakes, and all of Jesus’s fingers were black as he handed out pages of books saying’: Take this and eat, these are the riddles99 of Synphosius, including the one about the fish that is the son of God and your Saviour100.
Sprawled101 on his back, Adam gulped102, and the wine came from ‘his rib, Noah cursed Ham in his sleep, Holofernes snored, all unsuspecting, Jonah slept soundly, Peter kept watch till cockcrow, and Jesus woke with a start, hearing Bernard Gui and Bertrand del Poggetto plotting to burn the maiden; and he shouted: Father, if it be thy will, let this chalice103 pass from me! And some poured badly and some drank well, some died laughing and some laughed dying, some bore vases and some drank from another’s cup. Susanna shouted that she would never grant her beautiful white body to the cellarer and to Salvatore for a miserable104 beef heart, Pilate wandered around the refectory like a lost soul asking for water to wash his hands, and Fra Dolcino, with his plumed105 hat, brought the water, then opened his garment, snickering, and displayed his pudenda red with blood, while Cain taunted106 him and embraced the beautiful Margaret of Trent: and Dolcino fell to weep?ing and went to rest his head on’ the shoulder of Bernard Gui, calling him Angelic Pope, Ubertino con7?soled him with a tree of life, Michael of Cesena with a gold purse, the Marys sprinkled him with unguents, and Adam convinced him to bite into a freshly plucked apple.
And then the vaults107 of the Aedificium opened and from the heavens descended Roger Bacon on a flying machine, unico homine regente. Then David played his lyre, Salome danced with her seven veils, and at the fall of each veil she blew one of the seven trumpets108 and showed one of the seven seals, until only the amicta sole remained. Everyone said there had never been such a jolly abbey, and Berengar pulled up everyone’s habit, man and woman, kissing them all on the anus.
Then it was that the abbot flew into a rage, because, he said, he had organized such a lovely feast and nobody was giving him anything; so they all outdid one another in bringing him gifts and treasures, a bull, a lamb, a lion, a camel, a stag, a calf, a mare109, a chariot of the sun, the chin of Saint Eubanus, the tail of Saint Ubertina, the uterus of Saint Venantia, the neck of Saint Burgosina engraved110 like a goblet at the age of twelve, and a copy of the Pentagonum Salomonis. But the abbot started yelling that they were trying to distract his attention with their behavior, and in fact they were looting the treasure crypt, where we all were, and a most precious book had been stolen which spoke111 of scorpions and the seven trumpets, and he called the King of France’s archers to search all the suspects. And, to everyone’s shame, the archers found a multicolored cloth on Hagar, a gold seal on Rachel, a silver mirror in Thecla’s bosom, a siphon under Benjamin’s arm, a silk coverlet among Judith’s clothes, a spear in Longinus’s hand, and a neighbor’s wife in the arms of Abimelech. But the worst was when they found a black rooster on the girl, black and beautiful she was, like a cat of the same color, and they called her a witch and a Pseudo Apostle, so all flung themselves on her, to punish her. The Baptist decapitated her, Abel cut her open, Adam drove her out, Nebuchadnezzar wrote zodiacal signs on her breast with a fiery112 hand, Elijah carried her off in a fiery chariot, Noah plunged113 her in water, Lot changed her into a pillar of salt, Susanna accused her of lust114, Joseph betrayed her with another woman, Ananias stuck her into a furnace, Sampson chained her up, Paul flagellated her, Peter crucified her head down, Stephen stoned her, Lawrence burned her on a grate, Bar?tholomew skinned her, Judas denounced her, the cellar?er burned her, and Peter denied everything. Then they all were on that body, flinging excrement115 on her, farting in her face, urinating on her head, vomiting116 on her bosom, tearing out her hair, whipping her buttocks with glowing torches. The girl’s body, once so beautiful and sweet, was now lacerated, torn into fragments that were scattered117 among the glass cases and gold-and?-crystal reliquaries of the crypt. Or, rather, it was not the body of the girl that went to fill the crypt, it was the fragments of the crypt that, whirling, gradually com?posed to form the girl’s body, now something mineral, and then again decomposed118 and scattered, sacred dust of segments accumulated by insane blasphemy119. It was now as if a single immense body had, in the course of millennia120, dissolved into its parts, and these parts had been arranged to occupy the whole crypt, more splen?did than the ossarium of the dead monks but not unlike it, and as if the substantial form of man’s very body, the masterpiece of creation, had shattered into plural121 and separate accidental forms, thus becoming the image of its own opposite, form no longer ideal but earthly, of dust and stinking122 fragments, capable of signifying only death and destruction. ...
Now I could no longer find the banqueters or the gifts they had brought, it was as if all the guests of the symposium124 were now in the crypt, each mummified in its own residue125, each the diaphanous126 synecdoche of itself, Rachel as a bone, Daniel as a tooth, Sampson as a jaw, Jesus as a shred127 of purple garment. As if, at the end of the banquet, the feast transformed into the girl’s slaughter128, it had become the universal slaughter, and here I was seeing its final result, the bodies (no, the whole terrestrial and sublunar body of those ravenous130 and thirsting feasters) transformed into a single dead body, lacerated and tormented131 like Dolcino’s body after his torture, transformed into a loathsome132 and resplend?ent treasure, stretched out to its full extent like the hide of a skinned and hung animal, which still contained, however, petrified133, the leather sinews, the viscera, and all the organs, and even the features of the face. The skin with each of its folds, wrinkles, and scars, with its velvety134 plains, its forest of hairs, the dermis135, the bosom, the pudenda, having become a sumptuous136 damask, and the breasts, the nails, the horny formations under the heel, the threads of the lashes137, the watery138 substance of the eyes, the flesh of the lips, the thin spine139 of the back, the architecture of the bones, everything reduced to sandy powder, though nothing had lost its own form or respective placement, the legs emptied and limp as a boot, their flesh lying flat like a chasuble with all the scarlet140 embroidery141 of the veins142, the engraved pile of the viscera, the intense and mucous143 ruby144 of the heart, the pearly file of even teeth arranged like a necklace, with the tongue as a pink-and-blue pendant, the fingers in a row like tapers145, the seal of the navel reknotting the threads of the unrolled carpet of the belly ... From every corner of the crypt, now I was grinned at, whispered to, bidden to death by this macrobody divided among glass cases and reliquaries and yet reconstructed in its vast and irrational146 whole, and it was the same body that at the supper had eaten and tumbled obscenely but here, instead, appeared to me fixed147 in the intangibility of its deaf and blind ruin. And Ubertino, seizing me by the arm, digging his nails into my flesh, whispered to me: “You see, it is the same thing, what first triumphed in its folly148 and took delight in its jesting now is here, punished and rewarded, liberated149 from the seduction of the passions, rigidified by eternity150, consigned151 to the eternal frost that is to preserve and purify it, saved from corruption152 through the triumph of corruption, because nothing more can reduce to dust that which is already dust and mineral substance, mors est quies viatoris, finis est omnis laboris. ...”
But suddenly Salvatore entered the crypt, glowing like a devil, and cried, “Fool! Can’t you see this is the great Lyotard? What are you afraid of, my little master? Here is the cheese in batter153!” And suddenly the crypt was bright with reddish flashes and it was again the kitchen, but not so much a kitchen as the inside of a great womb, mucous and viscid, and in the center an animal black as a raven129 and with a thousand hands was chained to a huge grate, and it extended those limbs to snatch everybody around it, and as the peasant when thirsty squeezes a bunch of grapes, so that great beast squeezed those it had snatched so that its hands broke them all, the legs of some, the heads of others, and then it sated itself, belching a fire that seemed to stink123 more than sulphur. But, wondrous154 mystery, that scene no longer instilled155 fear in me, and I was surprised to see that I could watch easily that “good devil” (so I thought) who after all was none other than Salvatore, because now I knew all about the mortal human body, its sufferings and its corruption, and I feared nothing any more. In fact, in the light of that flame, which now seemed mild and convivial156, I saw again all the guests of the supper, now restored to their original forms, sing?ing and declaring, that everything was beginning again, and among them was the maiden, whole and most beautiful, who said to me, “it is nothing, it is nothing, you will see: I shall be even more beautiful than before; just let me go for a moment and burn on the pyre, then we shall meet again here!” And she displayed to me, God have mercy on me, her vulva, into which I entered, and I found myself in a beautiful cave, which seemed the happy valley of the golden age, dewy with waters and fruits and trees that bore cheeses in batter. And all were thanking the abbot for the lovely feast, and they showed him their affection and good humor by push?ing him, kicking him, tearing his clothes, laying him on the ground, striking his rod with rods, as he laughed and begged them to stop tickling157 him. And, riding mounts whose nostrils158 emitted clouds of brimstone, the Friars of the Poor Life entered, carrying at their belts purses full of gold with which they transformed wolves into lambs and lambs into wolves and crowned them emperor with the approval of the assembly, of the people, who sang praises of God’s infinite omnipotence159. “Ut cachinnis dissolvatur, torqueatur rictibus!” Jesus shouted, waving his crown of thorns. Pope John came in, cursing the confusion and saying, “At this rate I don’t know where it all will end!” But everyone mocked him and, led by the abbot, went out with the pigs to hunt truffles in the forest. í was about to follow them when in a corner I saw William, emerging from the labyrinth and carrying in his hand the magnet, which pulled him rapidly northward160. “Do not leave me, master!” I shouted. “I, too, want to see what is in the finis Africae!”
“You have already seen it!” William answered, far away by now. And I woke up as the last words of the funeral chant were ending in the church:
Lacrimosa dies illa
qua resurget ex favilla
iudicandus homo reus:
huic ergo parce deus!
Pie Iesu domine
dona eis requiem161.
A sign that my vision, rapid like all visions, if it had not lasted the space of an “amen,” as the saying goes, had lasted almost the length of a “Dies irae.”
AFTER TERCE
In which William explains Adso’s dream to him.
Dazed, I came out through the main door and dis?covered a little crowd there. The Franciscans were leaving, and William had come down to say good-bye to them.
I joined in the farewells, the fraternal embraces. Then I asked William when the others would be leaving, with the prisoners. He told me they had already left, half an hour before, while we were in the treasure crypt, or perhaps, I thought, when I was dreaming.
For a moment I was aghast, then I recovered myself. Better so. I would not have been able to bear the sight of the condemned162 (I meant the poor wretched cellarer and Salvatore ... and, of course, I also meant the girl) being dragged off, far away and forever. And besides, I was still so upset by my dream that my feelings seemed numb163.
As the caravan164 of Minorites headed for the gate, to leave the abbey, William and I remained in front of the church, both melancholy165, though for different reasons. Then I decided to tell my master my dream. Though the vision had been multiform and illogical, I remem?bered it with. amazing clarity, image by image, action by action, word by word. And so I narrated166 it, omitting nothing, because I knew that dreams are often mysteri?ous messages in which learned people can read distinct prophecies.
William listened to me in silence, then asked me, “Do you know what you have dreamed?”
“Exactly what I told you …” I replied, at a loss.
“Of course, I realize that. But do you know that to a great extent what you tell me has already been written? You have added people and events of these past few days to a picture already familiar to you, because you have read the story of your dream somewhere, or it was told you as a boy, in school, in the convent. It is the Coena Cypriani.”
I remained puzzled briefly167. Then I remembered. He was right! Perhaps I had forgotten the title, but what adult monk13 or unruly young novice39 has not smiled or laughed over the various visions, in prose or rhyme, of this story, which belongs to the tradition of the paschal season and the ioca monachorum? Though the work is banned or execrated168 by the more austere among novice masters, there is still not a convent in which the monks have not whispered it to one another, variously con?densed and revised, while some piously169 copied it, de?claring that behind a veil of mirth it concealed170 secret moral lessons, and others encouraged its circulation because, they said, through its jesting, the young could more easily commit to memory certain episodes of sacred history. A verse version had been written for Pope John VIII, with the inscription171 “I loved to jest; accept me, dear Pope John, in my jesting. And, if you wish, you can also laugh.” And it was said that Charles the Bald himself had staged it, in the guise172 of a comic sacred mystery, in a rhymed version to entertain his dignitaries at supper.
And how many scoldings had I received from my masters when, with my companions, I recited passages from it! I remembered an old friar at Melk who used to say that a, virtuous man like Cyprian could not have written such an indecent thing, such a sacrilegious parody173 of Scripture, worthier174 of an infidel and a buf?foon than of a holy martyr175. ... For years I had forgot?ten those childish jokes. Why on this day had the Coena reappeared so vividly176 in my dream? I had always thought that dreams were divine messages, or at worst absurd stammerings of the sleeping memory about things that had happened during the clay. I was now realizing that one can also dream books, and therefore dream of dreams.
“I should like to be Artemidorus to interpret your dream correctly,” William said. “But it seems to me that even without Artemidorus’s learning it is easy to under?stand what happened. In these past days, my poor boy, you have experienced a series of events in which every upright rule seems to have been destroyed. And this morning, in your sleeping mind, there returned the memory of a kind of comedy in which, albeit177 with other intentions, the world is described upside down. You inserted into that work your most recent memories, your anxieties, your fears. From the marginalia of Adelmo you went on to relive a great carnival178 where everything seems to proceed in the wrong direction, and yet, as in the Coena, each does what he really did in life. And finally you asked yourself, in the dream, which world is the false one, and what it means to walk head down. Your dream no longer distinguished179 what is down and what is up, where life is and where death. Your dream cast doubt on the teachings you have received.”
“My dream,” I said virtuously, “not I. But dreams are not divine messages, then; they are diabolical ravings, and they contain no truth!”
“I don’t know, Adso,” William said. “We already have so many truths in our possession that if the day came when someone insisted on deriving180 a truth even from our dreams, then the day of the Antichrist would truly be at hand. And yet, the more I think of your dream, the more revealing it seems to me. Perhaps not to you, but to me. Forgive me if I use your dream in order to work out my hypotheses; I know, it is a base action, it should not be done. ... But I believe that your sleeping soul understood more things than I have in six days, and awake. ...”
“Truly?”
“Truly. Or perhaps not. I find your dream revealing because it coincides with one of my hypotheses. But you have given me great help. Thank you.”
“But what was there in my dream that interests you so much? It made no sense, like all dreams!”
“It had another sense like all dreams, and visions. It must be read as an allegory, or an analogy. ...”
“Like Scripture?”
“A dream is a scripture, and many scriptures181 are nothing but dreams.”
收听单词发音 |
1
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
wretch
|
|
| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
earthenware
|
|
| n.土器，陶器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
con
|
|
| n.反对的观点，反对者，反对票，肺病；vt.精读，学习，默记；adv.反对地，从反面；adj.欺诈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
remorse
|
|
| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
allay
|
|
| v.消除，减轻(恐惧、怀疑等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
illuminated
|
|
| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
corpse
|
|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
monk
|
|
| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
monks
|
|
| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
monastery
|
|
| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
virtuous
|
|
| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
choir
|
|
| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
bliss
|
|
| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
serenity
|
|
| n.宁静，沉着，晴朗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
pious
|
|
| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
serenely
|
|
| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
diabolical
|
|
| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
scorpions
|
|
| n.蝎子( scorpion的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
scorpion
|
|
| n.蝎子，心黑的人，蝎子鞭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
huddled
|
|
| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
affected
|
|
| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
narcotic
|
|
| n.麻醉药，镇静剂；adj.麻醉的，催眠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
slumber
|
|
| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
agitated
|
|
| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
doze
|
|
| v.打瞌睡；n.打盹，假寐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
descend
|
|
| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
descending
|
|
| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
bustle
|
|
| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
bellows
|
|
| n.风箱；发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的名词复数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的第三人称单数 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
novices
|
|
| n.新手( novice的名词复数 )；初学修士（或修女）；（修会等的）初学生；尚未赢过大赛的赛马 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
novice
|
|
| adj.新手的，生手的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
fowl
|
|
| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
impaled
|
|
| 钉在尖桩上( impale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
deafened
|
|
| 使聋( deafen的过去式和过去分词 )； 使隔音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
anvils
|
|
| n.（铁）砧( anvil的名词复数 )；砧骨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
44
mingling
|
|
| adj.混合的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
belching
|
|
| n. 喷出，打嗝 动词belch的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
throbbing
|
|
| a. 跳动的,悸动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
swarm
|
|
| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
dwarfs
|
|
| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
tapestries
|
|
| n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
adorning
|
|
| 修饰，装饰物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
bellies
|
|
| n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
embroidered
|
|
| adj．绣花的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
virtuously
|
|
| 合乎道德地，善良地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
virgin
|
|
| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
virgins
|
|
| 处女，童男( virgin的名词复数 )； 童贞玛利亚（耶稣之母） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
maiden
|
|
| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
rib
|
|
| n.肋骨，肋状物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
strand
|
|
| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
cascades
|
|
| 倾泻( cascade的名词复数 )； 小瀑布（尤指一连串瀑布中的一支）； 瀑布状物； 倾泻（或涌出）的东西 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
bosom
|
|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
descended
|
|
| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
goblet
|
|
| n.高脚酒杯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
lethal
|
|
| adj.致死的；毁灭性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
unguent
|
|
| n.（药）膏；润滑剂；滑油 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
mantle
|
|
| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
adorned
|
|
| [计]被修饰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
spun
|
|
| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
labyrinth
|
|
| n.迷宫；难解的事物；迷路 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
scroll
|
|
| n.卷轴，纸卷；(石刻上的)漩涡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
scripture
|
|
| n.经文，圣书，手稿；Scripture:(常用复数)《圣经》，《圣经》中的一段 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
austere
|
|
| adj.艰苦的；朴素的，朴实无华的；严峻的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
diadem
|
|
| n.王冠，冕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
rubies
|
|
| 红宝石( ruby的名词复数 )； 红宝石色，深红色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
archers
|
|
| n.弓箭手，射箭运动员( archer的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
monogram
|
|
| n.字母组合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
homage
|
|
| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
dispersed
|
|
| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
plow
|
|
| n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
crouched
|
|
| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
mound
|
|
| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
boughs
|
|
| 大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
shroud
|
|
| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
tilt
|
|
| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
gourds
|
|
| n.葫芦( gourd的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
figs
|
|
| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
gaily
|
|
| adv.欢乐地，高兴地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
kindling
|
|
| n. 点火, 可燃物 动词kindle的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
calf
|
|
| n.小牛，犊，幼仔，小牛皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
aromatic
|
|
| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
devouring
|
|
| 吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
morsel
|
|
| n.一口，一点点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
jaw
|
|
| n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
gall
|
|
| v.使烦恼，使焦躁，难堪；n.磨难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
locust
|
|
| n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
octopus
|
|
| n.章鱼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
riddles
|
|
| n.谜（语）( riddle的名词复数 )；猜不透的难题，难解之谜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
saviour
|
|
| n.拯救者，救星 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
sprawled
|
|
| v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
gulped
|
|
| v.狼吞虎咽地吃，吞咽( gulp的过去式和过去分词 )；大口地吸（气）；哽住 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
chalice
|
|
| n.圣餐杯；金杯毒酒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
plumed
|
|
| 饰有羽毛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
taunted
|
|
| 嘲讽( taunt的过去式和过去分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
vaults
|
|
| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
trumpets
|
|
| 喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
mare
|
|
| n.母马，母驴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
engraved
|
|
| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
fiery
|
|
| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
plunged
|
|
| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
lust
|
|
| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
excrement
|
|
| n.排泄物，粪便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
vomiting
|
|
| 吐 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
decomposed
|
|
| 已分解的，已腐烂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
blasphemy
|
|
| n.亵渎，渎神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
millennia
|
|
| n.一千年，千禧年 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
plural
|
|
| n.复数；复数形式；adj.复数的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
stinking
|
|
| adj.臭的，烂醉的，讨厌的v.散发出恶臭( stink的现在分词 )；发臭味；名声臭；糟透 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
stink
|
|
| vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
symposium
|
|
| n.讨论会，专题报告会；专题论文集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
residue
|
|
| n.残余，剩余，残渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
diaphanous
|
|
| adj.(布)精致的，半透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
shred
|
|
| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
slaughter
|
|
| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
raven
|
|
| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
ravenous
|
|
| adj.极饿的，贪婪的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
tormented
|
|
| 饱受折磨的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
loathsome
|
|
| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
petrified
|
|
| adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
velvety
|
|
| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
dermis
|
|
| n.真皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
sumptuous
|
|
| adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
lashes
|
|
| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
watery
|
|
| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
spine
|
|
| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
scarlet
|
|
| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
embroidery
|
|
| n.绣花，刺绣；绣制品 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
veins
|
|
| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
mucous
|
|
| adj. 黏液的，似黏液的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
ruby
|
|
| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
tapers
|
|
| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
irrational
|
|
| adj.无理性的，失去理性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
liberated
|
|
| a.无拘束的，放纵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
eternity
|
|
| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
consigned
|
|
| v.把…置于（令人不快的境地）( consign的过去式和过去分词 )；把…托付给；把…托人代售；丟弃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
corruption
|
|
| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
batter
|
|
| v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
wondrous
|
|
| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
instilled
|
|
| v.逐渐使某人获得（某种可取的品质），逐步灌输( instill的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
convivial
|
|
| adj.狂欢的，欢乐的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
tickling
|
|
| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
omnipotence
|
|
| n.全能，万能，无限威力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
northward
|
|
| adv.向北；n.北方的地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
requiem
|
|
| n.安魂曲，安灵曲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
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： |
|
|
|
|
163
numb
|
|
| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
caravan
|
|
| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
narrated
|
|
| v.故事( narrate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
briefly
|
|
| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
execrated
|
|
| v.憎恶( execrate的过去式和过去分词 )；厌恶；诅咒；咒骂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
piously
|
|
| adv.虔诚地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
inscription
|
|
| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
guise
|
|
| n.外表，伪装的姿态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
parody
|
|
| n.打油诗文，诙谐的改编诗文，拙劣的模仿；v.拙劣模仿，作模仿诗文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
worthier
|
|
| 应得某事物( worthy的比较级 )； 值得做某事； 可尊敬的； 有（某人或事物）的典型特征 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
martyr
|
|
| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
vividly
|
|
| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
albeit
|
|
| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
carnival
|
|
| n.嘉年华会，狂欢，狂欢节，巡回表演 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
deriving
|
|
| v.得到( derive的现在分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
scriptures
|
|
| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |