THE MARQUIS de La Taillade-Espinasse was thrilled with his new perfume. It was staggering, he said, even for the discoverer of the fluidum letale, to note what a striking influence on the general condition of an individual such a trivial and ephemeral item as perfume could have as a result of its being either earth-bound or earth-removed in origin. Grenouille, who but a few hours before had lain pale and near swooning, now appeared as fresh and rosy1 as any healthy man his age could. Why-even with all the qualifications appropriate to a man of his rank and limited education-one might almost say that he had gained something very like a personality. In any case, he, Taillade-Espinasse, would discuss the case in the chapter on vital dietetics2 in his soon-to-be-published treatise3 on the theory of the fluidum letale. But first he wished to anoint his own body with this new perfume. Grenouille handed him both flacons of conventional floral scent4, and the marquis sprinkled himself with it. He seemed highly gratified by the effect. He confessed that after years of being oppressed by the leaden scent of violets, a mere5 dab6 of this made him feel as if he had sprouted7 floral wings; and if he was not mistaken, the beastly pain in his knee was already subsiding8, likewise the buzzing in his ears. All in all he felt buoyant, revitalized, and several years younger. He approached Grenouille, embraced him, and called him “my fluidal brother,” adding that this was in no way a form of social address, but rather a purely9 spiritual one in conspectu universalitatis fluidi letalis, before which-and before which alone!-all men were equal. Also-and this he said as he disengaged himself from Grenouille, in a most friendly disengagement, without the least revulsion, almost as if he were disengaging himself from an equal-he was planning soon to found an international lodge10 that stood above all social rank and the goal of which would be utterly11 to vanquish12 the fluidum letale and replace it in the shortest possible time with purest fluidum vitale-and even now he promised to win Grenouille over as the first proselyte. Then he had him write the formula for the floral perfume on a slip of paper, pocketed it, and presented Grenouille with fifty louis d’or.
Precisely13 one week after the first lecture, the marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse once again presented his ward14 in the great hall of the university. The crush was monstrous15. All Montpellier had come, not just scientific Montpellier, but also and in particular social Montpellier, among whom were many Sadies desirous of seeing the fabled16 caveman. And although Taillade’s enemies, primarily the champions of the Friends of the University Botanical Gardens and members of the Society for the Advancement17 of Agriculture, had mobilized all their supporters, the exhibition was a scintillating18 success. In order to remind his audience of Grenouille’s condition of only the week before, Taillade-Espinasse first circulated drawings depicting19 the caveman in all his ugliness and depravity. He then had them lead in the new Gre-nouille dressed in a handsome velvet20 blue coat and silk shirt, rouged21, powdered, and coiffed; and merely by the way he walked, so erect22 and with dainty steps and an elegant swing of the hips23, by the way he climbed to the dais without anyone’s assistance, bowing deeply and nodding with a smile now to one side now to the other, he silenced every skeptic24 and critic. Even the friends of the university’s botanical garden were embarrassedly speechless. The change was too egregious25, the apparent miracle too overwhelming: where but a week ago had cowered26 a drudge27, a brutalized beast, there now stood a truly civilized28, properly proportioned human being. An almost prayerful mood spread through the hall, and as Taillade-Espinasse commenced his lecture, perfect silence reigned29. He once again set forth30 his all too familiar theory about earth’sfluidum letale, explained how and with what mechanical and dietetic means he had driven it from the body of his exhibit, replacing it withfluidum vitale. Finally he demanded of all those present, friend and foe31 alike, that in the face of such overwhelming evidence they abandon their opposition32 to this new doctrine33 and make common cause with him, Taillade-Espinasse, against the evilfluidum and open themselves to the beneficial fluidum vitale. At this he spread his arms wide, cast his eyes heavenwards-and many learned men did likewise, and women wept.
Grenouille stood at the dais but did not listen. He watched with great satisfaction the effect of a totally different fluid, a much realer one: his own. As was appropriate for the size of the great hall, he had doused34 himself with perfume, and no sooner had he climbed the dais than the aura of his scent began to radiate powerfully from him. He saw-literally saw with his own eyes!-how it captured the spectators sitting closest, was transmitted to those farther back, and finally reached the last rows and the gallery. And whomever it captured-and Grenouille’s heart leapt for joy within him-was visibly changed. Under the sway of the odor, but without their being aware of it, people’s facial expressions, their airs, their emotions were altered. Those who at first had gawked at him out of pure amazement35 now gazed at him with a milder eye; those who had made a point of leaning back in their seats with furrowed36 critical brows and mouths markedly turned down at the corners now leaned forward more relaxed and with a look of childlike ease on their faces. And as his odor reached them, even the faces of the timorous37, frightened, and hypersensitive souls who had borne the sight of his former self with horror and beheld38 his present state with due misgiving39 now showed traces of amity40, indeed of sympathy.
At lecturer’s end the entire assemblage rose to its feet and broke into frenetic cheering. “Long live the fluidum vitale! Long live Taillade-Espinasse! Hurrah41 for the fluidal theory! Down with orthodox medicine!”-such were the cries of the learned folk of Montpellier, the most important university town in the south of France, and the marquis de La Taillade-Espinasse experienced the greatest hour of his life.
Grenouille, however, having climbed down from the dais to mingle42 among the crowd, knew that these ovations43 were in reality meant for him, for him alone, Jean-Baptiste Grenouille-although not one of those cheering in the hall suspected anything of the sort.
收听单词发音 |
1
rosy
|
|
| adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
dietetics
|
|
| n.营养学 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
treatise
|
|
| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
scent
|
|
| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
dab
|
|
| v.轻触，轻拍，轻涂；n.(颜料等的)轻涂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
sprouted
|
|
| v.发芽( sprout的过去式和过去分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
subsiding
|
|
| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的现在分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
purely
|
|
| adv.纯粹地，完全地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
lodge
|
|
| v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
vanquish
|
|
| v.征服，战胜；克服；抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
ward
|
|
| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
monstrous
|
|
| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
fabled
|
|
| adj.寓言中的，虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
advancement
|
|
| n.前进，促进，提升 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
scintillating
|
|
| adj．才气横溢的,闪闪发光的; 闪烁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
depicting
|
|
| 描绘，描画( depict的现在分词 )； 描述 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
velvet
|
|
| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
rouged
|
|
| 胭脂，口红( rouge的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
erect
|
|
| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
hips
|
|
| abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
skeptic
|
|
| n.怀疑者，怀疑论者，无神论者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
egregious
|
|
| adj.非常的，过分的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
cowered
|
|
| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
drudge
|
|
| n.劳碌的人；v.做苦工，操劳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
civilized
|
|
| a.有教养的，文雅的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
reigned
|
|
| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
foe
|
|
| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
opposition
|
|
| n.反对，敌对 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
doctrine
|
|
| n.教义；主义；学说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
doused
|
|
| v.浇水在…上( douse的过去式和过去分词 )；熄灯[火] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
furrowed
|
|
| v.犁田，开沟( furrow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
timorous
|
|
| adj.胆怯的，胆小的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
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： |
|
|
|
|
39
misgiving
|
|
| n.疑虑，担忧，害怕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
amity
|
|
| n.友好关系 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
hurrah
|
|
| int.好哇，万岁，乌拉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
mingle
|
|
| vt.使混合，使相混；vi.混合起来；相交往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
ovations
|
|
| n.热烈欢迎( ovation的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |