CHAPTER XVI: THOSE THREE GO THEIR WAYS TO THE EDGE OF THE GLITTERING PLAIN

 So the evening wore merrily; and they made Hallblithe lie in an ingle of the tent on a fair bed, and he was weary, and slept thereon like a child.  But in the morning early they waked him; and while they were breaking their fast they began to speak to him of his departure, and asked him if he had an inkling of the way whereby he should get him gone, and he said: “If I escape it must needs be by way of the mountains that wall the land about till they come down to the sea.  For on the sea is no ship and no haven¹; and well I wot that no man of the land durst or can ferry me over to the land of my kindred, or otherwhere without the Glittering Plain.  Tell me therefore (and I ask no more of you), is there any rumour² or memory of a way that cleaveth yonder mighty⁴ wall of rock to other lands?”

 

Said the damsel: “There is more than a memory or a rumour: there is a road through the mountains known to all men.  For at whiles the earthly pilgrims come into the Glittering Plain thereby⁵; and yet but seldom, so many are the griefs and perils⁶ which beset⁷ the wayfarers⁸ on that road.  Whereof thou hadst far better bethink thee in time, and abide⁹ here and be happy with us and others who long sore to make thee happy.”

 

“Nay,” said Hallblithe, “there is nought¹⁰ to do but tell me of the way, and I will depart at once, blessing¹¹ you.”

 

Said the Sea-eagle: “More than that at least will we do.  May I lose the bliss¹² whereto I have attained¹³, if I go not with thee to the very edge of the land of the Glittering Plain.  Shall it not be so, sweetheart?”

 

“Yea, at least we may do that,” said the damsel; and she hung her head as if she were ashamed, and said: “And that is all that thou wilt¹⁴ get from us at most.”

 

Said Hallblithe: “It is enough, and I asked not so much.”

 

Then the damsel busied herself, and set meat and drink in two wallets, and took one herself and gave the other to the Sea-eagle, and said: “We will be thy porters, O Spearman, and will give thee a full wallet from the last house by the Desert of Dread¹⁵, for when thou hast entered therein, thou mayst well find victual hard to come by: and now let us linger no more since the road is dear to thee.”

 

So they set forth¹⁶ on foot, for in that land men were slow to feel weariness; and turning about the hill of Wood-end, they passed by some broken country, and came at even to a house at the entrance of a long valley, with high and steeply-sloping sides, which seemed, as it were, to cleave³ the dale country wherein they had fared aforetime.  At that house they slept well-guested by its folk, and the next morning took their way down the valley, and the folk of the house stood at the door to watch their departure; for they had told the wayfarers that they had fared but a little way thitherward and knew of no folk who had used that road.

 

So those three fared down the valley southward all day, ever mounting higher as they went.  The way was pleasant and easy, for they went over fair, smooth, grassy¹⁷ lawns betwixt the hill-sides, beside a clear rattling¹⁸ stream that ran northward¹⁹; at whiles were clumps²⁰ of tall trees, oak for the most part, and at whiles thickets²² of thorn and eglantine and other such trees: so that they could rest well shaded when they would.

 

They passed by no house of men, nor came to any such in the even, but lay down to sleep in a thicket²¹ of thorn and eglantine, and rested well, and on the morrow they rose up betimes and went on their ways.

 

This second day as they went, the hill-sides on either hand grew lower, till at last they died out into a wide plain, beyond which in the southern offing the mountains rose huge and bare.  This plain also was grassy and beset with trees and thickets here and there.  Hereon they saw wild deer enough, as hart and buck²³, and roebuck and swine: withal a lion came out of a brake hard by them as they went, and stood gazing on them, so that Hallblithe looked to his weapons, and the Sea-eagle took up a big stone to fight with, being weaponless; but the damsel laughed, and tripped on her way lightly with girt-up gown, and the beast gave no more heed²⁴ to them.

 

Easy and smooth was their way over this pleasant wilderness²⁵, and clear to see, though but little used, and before nightfall, after they had gone a long way, they came to a house.  It was not large nor high, but was built very strongly and fairly of good ashlar: its door was shut, and on the jamb thereof hung a slug-horn.  The damsel, who seemed to know what to do, set her mouth to the horn, and blew a blast; and in a little while the door was opened, and a big man clad in red scarlet²⁶ stood therein: he had no weapons, but was somewhat surly of aspect: he spake not, but stood abiding²⁷ the word: so the damsel took it up and said: “Art thou not the Warden²⁸ of the Uttermost House?”

 

He said: “I am.”

 

Said the damsel: “May we guest here to-night?”

 

He said: “The house lieth open to you with all that it hath of victual and plenishing: take what ye will, and use what ye will.”

 

They thanked him; but he heeded²⁹ not their thanks, and withdrew him from them.  So they entered and found the table laid in a fair hall of stone carven and painted very goodly; so they ate and drank therein, and Hallblithe was of good heart, and the Sea-eagle and his mate were merry, though they looked softly and shyly on Hallblithe because of the sundering³⁰ anigh; and they saw no man in the house save the man in scarlet, who went and came about his business, paying no heed to them.  So when the night was deep they lay down in the shut-bed off the hall, and slept, and the hours were tidingless to them until they woke in the morning.

 

On the morrow they arose and broke their fast, and thereafter the damsel spake to the man in scarlet and said: “May we fill our wallets with victual for the way?”

 

Said the Warden: “There lieth the meat.”

 

So they filled their wallets, while the man looked on; and they came to the door when they were ready, and he unlocked it to them, saying no word.  But when they turned their faces towards the mountains he spake at last, and stayed them at the first step.  Quoth he: “Whither away?  Ye take the wrong road!”

 

Said Hallblithe: “Nay, for we go toward the mountains and the edge of the Glittering Plain.”

 

“Ye shall do ill to go thither,” said the Warden, “and I bid you forbear.”

 

“O Warden of the Uttermost House, wherefore should we forbear?” said the Sea-eagle.

 

Said the scarlet man: “Because my charge is to further those who would go inward to the King, and to stay those who would go outward from the King.”

 

“How then if we go outward despite thy bidding?” said the Sea-eagle, “wilt thou then hinder us perforce?”

 

“How may I,” said the man, “since thy fellow hath weapons?”

 

“Go we forth, then,” said the Sea-eagle.

 

“Yea,” said the damsel, “we will go forth.  And know, O Warden, that this weaponed man only is of mind to fare over the edge of the Glittering Plain; but we twain shall come back hither again, and fare inwards.”

 

Said the Warden: “Nought is it to me what ye will do when you are past this house.  Nor shall any man who goeth out of this garth toward the mountains ever come back inwards save he cometh in the company of new-corners to the Glittering Plain.”

 

“Who shall hinder him?” said the Sea-eagle.

 

“The King,” said the Warden.

 

Then there was silence awhile, and the man said:

 

“Now do as ye will.”  And therewith he turned back into the house and shut the door.

 

But the Sea-eagle and the damsel stood gazing on one another, and at Hallblithe; and the damsel was downcast and pale; but the Sea-eagle cried out:

 

“Forward now, O Hallblithe, since thou willest it, and we will go with thee and share whatever may befall thee; yea, right up to the very edge of the Glittering Plain.  And thou, O beloved, why dost thou delay?  Why dost thou stand as if thy fair feet were grown to the grass?”

 

But the damsel gave a lamentable³¹ cry, and cast herself down on the ground, and knelt before the Sea-eagle, and took him by the knees, and said betwixt sobbing³² and weeping: “O my lord and love, I pray thee to forbear, and the Spearman, our friend, shall pardon us.  For if thou goest, I shall never see thee more, since my heart will not serve me to go with thee.  O forbear!  I pray thee!”

 

And she grovelled³³ on the earth before him; and the Sea-eagle waxed red, and would have spoken but Hallblithe cut his speech across, and said “Friends, be at peace!  For this is the minute that sunders³⁴ us.  Get ye back at once to the heart of the Glittering Plain, and live there and be happy; and take my blessing and thanks for the love and help that ye have given me.  For your going forward with me should destroy you and profit me nothing.  It would be but as the host bringing his guests one field beyond his garth, when their goal is the ends of the earth; and if there were a lion in the path, why should he perish for courtesy’s sake?”

 

Therewith he stooped down to the damsel, and lifted her up and kissed her face; and he cast his arms about the Sea-eagle and said to him: “Farewell, shipmate!”

 

Then the damsel gave him the wallet of victual, and bade him farewell, weeping sorely; and he looked kindly³⁵ on them for a moment of time, and then turned away from them and fared on toward the mountains, striding with great strides, holding his head aloft.  But they looked no more on him, having no will to eke³⁶ their sorrow, but went their ways back again without delay.

1 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

2 rumour   

n.谣言，谣传，传闻

参考例句：

• I should like to know who put that rumour about.我想知道是谁散布了那谣言。
• There has been a rumour mill on him for years.几年来，一直有谣言产生，对他进行中伤。

3 cleave   

v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋

参考例句：

• It examines how the decision to quit gold or to cleave to it affected trade policies.论文分析了放弃或坚持金本位是如何影响贸易政策的。
• Those who cleave to the latter view include many conservative American politicians.坚持后一种观点的大多是美国的保守派政客。

4 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

5 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

6 perils   

极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境）

参考例句：

• The commander bade his men be undaunted in the face of perils. 指挥员命令他的战士要临危不惧。
• With how many more perils and disasters would he load himself? 他还要再冒多少风险和遭受多少灾难？

7 beset   

v.镶嵌；困扰，包围

参考例句：

• She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
• The plan was beset with difficulties from the beginning.这项计划自开始就困难重重。

8 wayfarers   

n.旅人，（尤指）徒步旅行者( wayfarer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Days have been when wayfarers came here to wash their weary feet. 从前曾有过路人到这里来洗疲乏的脚。 来自互联网
• You are the way and the wayfarers. 你们是道路，也是行路者。 来自互联网

9 abide   

vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受

参考例句：

• You must abide by the results of your mistakes.你必须承担你的错误所造成的后果。
• If you join the club,you have to abide by its rules.如果你参加俱乐部，你就得遵守它的规章。

10 nought   

n.／adj.无，零

参考例句：

• We must bring their schemes to nought.我们必须使他们的阴谋彻底破产。
• One minus one leaves nought.一减一等于零。

11 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

12 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

13 attained   

（通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况）

参考例句：

• She has attained the degree of Master of Arts. 她已获得文学硕士学位。
• Lu Hsun attained a high position in the republic of letters. 鲁迅在文坛上获得崇高的地位。

14 wilt   

v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱

参考例句：

• Golden roses do not wilt and will never need to be watered.金色的玫瑰不枯萎绝也不需要浇水。
• Several sleepless nights made him wilt.数个不眠之夜使他憔悴。

15 dread   

vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧

参考例句：

• We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
• Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。

16 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

17 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

18 rattling   

adj. 格格作响的, 活泼的, 很好的 adv. 极其, 很, 非常 动词rattle的现在分词

参考例句：

• This book is a rattling good read. 这是一本非常好的读物。
• At that same instant,a deafening explosion set the windows rattling. 正在这时，一声震耳欲聋的爆炸突然袭来，把窗玻璃震得当当地响。

19 northward   

adv.向北；n.北方的地区

参考例句：

• He pointed his boat northward.他将船驶向北方。
• I would have a chance to head northward quickly.我就很快有机会去北方了。

20 clumps   

n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声

参考例句：

• These plants quickly form dense clumps. 这些植物很快形成了浓密的树丛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The bulbs were over. All that remained of them were clumps of brown leaves. 这些鳞茎死了，剩下的只是一丛丛的黃叶子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 thicket   

n.灌木丛，树林

参考例句：

• A thicket makes good cover for animals to hide in.丛林是动物的良好隐蔽处。
• We were now at the margin of the thicket.我们现在已经来到了丛林的边缘。

22 thickets   

n.灌木丛( thicket的名词复数 )；丛状物

参考例句：

• Small trees became thinly scattered among less dense thickets. 小树稀稀朗朗地立在树林里。 来自辞典例句
• The entire surface is covered with dense thickets. 所有的地面盖满了密密层层的灌木丛。 来自辞典例句

23 buck   

n.雄鹿，雄兔；v.马离地跳跃

参考例句：

• The boy bent curiously to the skeleton of the buck.这个男孩好奇地弯下身去看鹿的骸骨。
• The female deer attracts the buck with high-pitched sounds.雌鹿以尖声吸引雄鹿。

24 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。

25 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

26 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

27 abiding   

adj.永久的，持久的，不变的

参考例句：

• He had an abiding love of the English countryside.他永远热爱英国的乡村。
• He has a genuine and abiding love of the craft.他对这门手艺有着真挚持久的热爱。

28 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

29 heeded   

v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She countered that her advice had not been heeded. 她反驳说她的建议未被重视。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I heeded my doctor's advice and stopped smoking. 我听从医生的劝告，把烟戒了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

30 sundering   

v.隔开，分开( sunder的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Where were now her discreet plans for sundering their lives for ever? 现在，她那个考虑周到的永远斩断他们之间生活联系的计划哪里去了呢？ 来自辞典例句

31 lamentable   

adj.令人惋惜的，悔恨的

参考例句：

• This lamentable state of affairs lasted until 1947.这一令人遗憾的事态一直持续至1947年。
• His practice of inebriation was lamentable.他的酗酒常闹得别人束手无策。

32 sobbing   

<主方>Ⅰ adj.湿透的

参考例句：

• I heard a child sobbing loudly. 我听见有个孩子在呜呜地哭。
• Her eyes were red with recent sobbing. 她的眼睛因刚哭过而发红。

33 grovelled   

v.卑躬屈节，奴颜婢膝( grovel的过去式和过去分词 )；趴

参考例句：

• We grovelled around the club on our knees. 我们趴在俱乐部的地上四处找。 来自辞典例句
• The dog grovelled before his master when he saw the whip. 那狗看到鞭子，便匍匐在主人面前。 来自辞典例句

34 sunders   

v.隔开，分开( sunder的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• This means that Devastate always deals the most damage with 5 Sunders on the target. 这意味着毁灭打击总是在5破之后产生最大的伤害。 来自互联网

35 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

36 eke   

v.勉强度日，节约使用

参考例句：

• They had to eke out a livinga tiny income.他们不得不靠微薄收入勉强度日。
• We must try to eke out our water supply.我们必须尽量节约用水。