From her long swoon Zarah awoke with a sensation of indescribable horror. The cold drops stood on her brow, and there was a painful tightness at her heart. The poor girl could not at once recall what had happened, but knew that it was something dreadful. The first image that rose up in her mind was that of the expiring Abishai: Zarah shuddered1, trembled, raised herself by an effort to a sitting posture2, and wildly gazing around her, exclaimed, "Where am I? what can have happened?"
The place in which the maiden3 found herself was almost quite dark, but as she glanced upwards4 she could see pale stars gleaming in through a small and heavily-barred window. She knew that she must be in a Syrian prison. Pressing both her hands to her forehead, the young captive recalled the terrible scene of which she had been a witness. "Oh, God be praised that beloved Hadassah was not there!"
Zarah repeated again and again to herself, as if to strengthen her grasp on the only consolation5 which at first offered itself to her soul. "Abishai's fate is awful--awful!" Zarah shuddered with mingled6 compassion7 and horror. "But oh, it is better, far better for him--my poor kinsman--that he did not fall into the hands of the enemy alive, as I have done! That would have been more awful still!"
Zarah was no high-spirited heroine, but a timid, gentle, loving girl, subject to fears, shrinking from danger, peculiarly sensitive to pain whether physical or mental. Though related both to Solomona and Hadassah, Zarah had neither the calm fortitude8 of the one, nor the exalted9 spirituality of the other; she deemed herself alike incapable10 of uttering the inspired words of a prophetess, or showing the firm endurance of a martyr11.
And it was a martyr's trial that was now looming12 before the imprisoned13 maiden: she would, like Solomona and her sons, have to renounce14 either her faith or her life. To Zarah this was a terrible alternative, for though, but a few hours previously15 the poor maiden had longed for death to come and release her from sorrow, the idea of its approach, heralded16 by such tortures as Hebrew captives had had to undergo, was unspeakably dreadful to the tender spirit of Zarah.
"Oh, I fear that I shall never endure to the end; my courage will give way; I shall disgrace myself, my country, my race, and draw on myself the wrath17 of my God!" exclaimed Zarah, starting up in terror, after rehearsing to herself the ordeal18 to which her faith was likely to be exposed. "Woe19 is me!--what shall I do--what shall I do--is there no way of escape?" Those massive stone walls, those thick iron bars were sufficient answer to the question. Zarah leant against the wall, and raised her clasped hands towards the glimpse of sky seen between those dark bars.
"Oh, my God, have mercy upon me!" she cried; "feeble, utterly20 helpless in myself, I cast myself upon Thee! Thou hast said, When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned. Carry the weak lamb in Thy bosom21; let me feel beneath the everlasting22 arms!" The tears were flowing fast down Zarah's cheeks as she sobbed23 forth24 her almost inarticulate prayer: "I ask not to be saved from death--not even from torture--if it be Thy will that I should endure it; but oh, save me from falling away from Thee; save me from denying my faith, and breaking the heart of my mother!---And I shall surely be saved!" said Zarah more calmly, her faith gaining strength from the exercise of prayer. "Perhaps the Lord will make the pain tolerable--He to whom all things are possible can do so--or He may even send an angel to protect me, as He sent His bright and holy ones to guard Elisha." The imagination of Zarah pictured a being with glorious wings flying down to her rescue, with a countenance25 resembling that of Lycidas--to her the type of perfect beauty. "Or the Lord may raise up some earthly friend," continued Zarah. Then fancy again pictured a Lycidas, but this time wanting the wings. The maiden stopped her weeping, and dashed the limpid26 drops from her eyes. A gleam of brightness seemed to illumine the dark prospect27 before her. How eagerly do we listen to the voice of hope, even if it be but the echo of a wish, an echo thrown back from the cold hard rock which can only repeat the utterance28 of our own heart's desires; it comes back to us like music! Zarah's prison would have been far more dreary29 to the maiden, her approaching trial far more dreadful, had she known the fact that Lycidas had gone to Bethlehem, and had heard nothing of the peril30 of her whom he loved.
In the same unconsciousness of Zarah's imminent31 peril, another, to whom she was dearer than the sight of the eyes or the breath of life, lay extended on the ground in sleep, many miles from Jerusalem, with no pillow but that stalwart arm, around which was still twined a slight flaxen strand32. A monarch33 might have envied the dream which made the features of the sleeper34 relax into an expression of happiness which, when waking, they seldom indeed wore. Maccabeus, lying on the parched35 dry earth, was in thought seated in an Eden of flowers, with Zarah at his side, her small hand clasped in his own. She was listening with bashful smile and downcast eyes to words such as the warrior36 had never breathed to her, save in his dreams. All was peace within and without, peace deepening into rapture37, even as the sky above appeared almost dark from the intensity38 of its blue! Such was the Hebrew's dream of Zarah! How different the dream from the actual reality! Had Maccabeus known the actual position of the helpless girl, to guard whom from the slightest wrong he would so willingly have shed his life's blood, even that heart which had never yet quelled39 in the face of peril would have known for once keenest anguish40 of fear!
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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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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upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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compassion
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| n.同情，怜悯 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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exalted
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| adj.(地位等)高的，崇高的；尊贵的，高尚的 | |
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incapable
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| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
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martyr
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| n.烈士，殉难者；vt.杀害，折磨，牺牲 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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imprisoned
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| 下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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heralded
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| v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要） | |
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wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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ordeal
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| n.苦难经历，（尤指对品格、耐力的）严峻考验 | |
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woe
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| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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everlasting
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| adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的 | |
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sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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limpid
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| adj.清澈的，透明的 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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utterance
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| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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strand
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| vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地） | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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sleeper
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| n.睡眠者，卧车，卧铺 | |
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parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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intensity
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| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
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quelled
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| v.（用武力）制止，结束，镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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anguish
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| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
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