In no place were the tidings of the rising at Modin received with greater exultation1 than in the lonely dwelling2 of Hadassah. The Hebrew widow could hardly refrain from taking down the timbrel from the wall, and bursting, like Miriam, into song. "Sing unto the Lord, for He hath triumphed gloriously! He hath dashed to pieces the enemy!"
Constant information of what was occurring, every rumour3, true or false, whether of victory or of failure, was brought to Hadassah by her son-in-law, Abishai, who little dreamed that every word which he uttered was overheard by the wounded Athenian, from whom he was divided but by the partitioning curtain!
In one of his visits to Hadassah, Abishai told how Judas had in the mountains raised a standard, which bore the inscription4, "Who is like unto Thee among the gods, O Jehovah!"
"It is said," observed Abishai, "that from the initial letters of this inscription the word MACCABEUS is formed, and that by this new title Judas is commonly called; it is a name which the Syrians will soon have cause to dread5."
"It is a well-chosen name!" cried Hadassah. "Let the Asmonean be called Makke-baiah (a conqueror6 in the Lord), for doubtless the God whom he serves will give to him the victory!"
The triumphant7 joy of the patriotic8 Hadassah received a painful check when she heard some time afterwards from Abishai of the grievous sacrifice of the lives of a thousand faithful Hebrews, who had taken refuge in a cave at no great distance from Jerusalem. Being attacked there on the Sabbath-day by the Syrians, these Hebrews had actually let themselves be slaughtered9 without resistance, rather than incur10 sin (as they thought) by breaking the Fourth Commandment! Grieved at this waste of precious life, it was a relief to Hadassah to learn that such a sacrifice to a mistaken sense of duty would not be repeated; for when the tidings had reached Mattathias and his sons, they had bitterly mourned for their slaughtered countrymen, and had said one to another, "If we all do as our brethren have done, and fight not for our lives and laws, against the heathen, they will quickly root us out of the earth." A decree, therefore, was sent forth11 from the camp in the mountains, that to Hebrews attacked on the Sabbath-day, self-defence was lawful12 and right.
In the meantime, under the care of Hadassah, the wounds of Lycidas were gradually healing. Never to any man had confinement13 and suffering been more sweetened, for was he not near to Zarah; did he not hear the soft music of her voice, breathe the same air, even see her light form gliding14 past the entrance of his hiding-place, though the maiden15 never entered it? The necessity of concealing17 the presence of Lycidas, above all from the blood-thirsty Abishai, compelled the closing during the daytime of the door at the back of the dwelling which opened on the small piece of ground behind. Peasants or travellers would occasionally, though rarely, come to fill their pitchers18 or slake19 their thirst at the little fountain gushing20 from the hill, and had the door of what Lycidas playfully called his "den16" been open, there would have been nothing to prevent strangers from seeing or entering within. The whole ventilation of the confined space occupied by the invalid21 depended therefore during the day-time on its communication with the front room, which might be called the only public apartment, and in which not only food was now prepared and taken, and the occasional guest received, but in which the Hebrew ladies pursued their daily avocations22. Here Zarah would pursue her homely23 occupation of spinning, and Hadassah copy out on rolls of vellum portions from the Law and the Prophets. This latter occupation was fraught24 with peril25; and had Hadassah been discovered in the act of transcribing26 from the sacred pages, it might have cost her her life. Antiochus had eagerly sought to destroy all copies of the Scriptures27, or to profane28 them by having vile29 pictures painted on the margins30. To possess--far more to copy out--God's Holy Word was now a capital offence. But the faith of Hadassah seemed to raise her above all personal fear; the peril connected with her pious31 labours made her but more earnestly pursue them. The presence of the young Gentile in her dwelling was a source of far greater uneasiness to the widow, than any danger which threatened herself.
Had Hadassah been able to seclude32 her patient entirely33, she would willingly have discharged the duties of hospitality towards him; but such seclusion34 the scanty35 accommodation of her dwelling would have rendered impossible, even had Lycidas been willing to submit to perfect isolation36. But this was by no means the case. Not only did he require the curtain frequently to be drawn37 back to enable him freely to breathe; but the Greek, as his strength increased, was eager to be seen as well as to see, and to speak as well as to listen. No anxious warnings of danger to be apprehended38 from the sudden entrance of Abishai could prevent Lycidas from dragging his languid limbs beyond the limits which the curtain defined, and joining in social converse39. Lycidas resolutely40 shut his eyes to the fact that, to his hostess at least, his presence was unwelcome. He deceived himself into the belief that he was rather repaying the kindness which he had received, by lightening the dulness of the secluded41 lives led by the Hebrew ladies. The young Athenian drew forth for their amusement all the rich stores of his cultivated mind. Now he recited wondrous42 tales of other lands; now gave vivid descriptions of adventures of his own; poetry flowed spontaneously from his lips like a stream--now sparkling with fancy, now deepening into pathos43; Lycidas had in Athens been compared to Apollo, as much for his mental gifts as his singular personal beauty.
To the brilliant conversation of the stranger, so unlike what she ever had heard before, Zarah listened with innocent pleasure. She was ever obedient to her aged44 relative, and often did Hadassah's bidding in the upper rooms of the dwelling, even when it seemed to the maiden that she was sent on needless errands; but the light form, in its simple blue garment, with the long linen45 veil thrown back from the graceful46 head, was always returning to the apartment, to which it was drawn by a new and powerful attraction. If Hadassah sometimes appeared irritable47 and imperious towards the fair young being whom she loved, it was because her mind was disturbed, her rest broken by anxieties which she could impart to no one. The aged lady scarcely knew which evil she most dreaded48: the discovery of Lycidas by Abishai--a discovery which would inevitably49 stain her threshold with blood--or the long sojourn50 under her roof of the dangerous stranger, whom she had unwillingly51 admitted, and now more unwillingly retained in her home.
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exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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inscription
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| n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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incur
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| vt.招致，蒙受，遭遇 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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confinement
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| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
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gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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den
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| n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室 | |
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concealing
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| v.隐藏，隐瞒，遮住( conceal的现在分词 ) | |
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pitchers
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| 大水罐( pitcher的名词复数 ) | |
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slake
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| v.解渴，使平息 | |
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gushing
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| adj.迸出的；涌出的；喷出的；过分热情的v.喷，涌( gush的现在分词 )；滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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invalid
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| n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的 | |
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avocations
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| n.业余爱好，嗜好( avocation的名词复数 )；职业 | |
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homely
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| adj.家常的，简朴的；不漂亮的 | |
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fraught
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| adj.充满…的，伴有(危险等)的；忧虑的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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transcribing
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| （用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的现在分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音） | |
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scriptures
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| 经文，圣典( scripture的名词复数 )； 经典 | |
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profane
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| adj.亵神的，亵渎的；vt.亵渎，玷污 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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margins
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| 边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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seclude
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| vi.使隔离，使孤立，使隐退 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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seclusion
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| n.隐遁，隔离 | |
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scanty
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| adj.缺乏的，仅有的，节省的，狭小的，不够的 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离 | |
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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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apprehended
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的过去式和过去分词 )； 理解 | |
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converse
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| vi.谈话，谈天，闲聊；adv.相反的，相反 | |
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resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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41
secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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wondrous
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| adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地 | |
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pathos
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| n.哀婉，悲怆 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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46
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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47
irritable
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| adj.急躁的；过敏的；易怒的 | |
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48
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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49
inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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50
sojourn
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| v./n.旅居，寄居；逗留 | |
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51
unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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