Indeed, it had been plain for several days past that the greatest uneasiness prevailed in Castel Nuovo; the officers of the crown were assembled regularly twice a day, and persons of importance, whose right it was to make their way into the king's apartments, came out evidently bowed down with grief. But although the king's death was regarded as a misfortune that nothing could avert6, yet the whole town, on learning for certain of the approach of his last hour, was affected7 with a sincere grief, easily understood when one learns that the man about to die, after a reign8 of thirty-three years, eight months, and a few days, was Robert of Anjou, the most wise, just, and glorious king who had ever sat on the throne of Sicily. And so he carried with him to the tomb the eulogies9 and regrets of all his subjects.
Soldiers would speak with enthusiasm of the long wars he had waged with Frederic and Peter of Aragon, against Henry VII and Louis of Bavaria; and felt their hearts beat high, remembering the glories of campaigns in Lombardy and Tuscany; priests would gratefully extol11 his constant defence of the papacy against Ghibelline attacks, and the founding of convents, hospitals, and churches throughout his kingdom; in the world of letters he was regarded as the most learned king in Christendom; Petrarch, indeed, would receive the poet's crown from no other hand, and had spent three consecutive13 days answering all the questions that Robert had deigned14 to ask him on every topic of human knowledge. The men of law, astonished by the wisdom of those laws which now enriched the Neapolitan code, had dubbed15 him the Solomon of their day; the nobles applauded him for protecting their ancient privileges, and the people were eloquent16 of his clemency17, piety18, and mildness. In a word, priests and soldiers, philosophers and poets, nobles and peasants, trembled when they thought that the government was to fall into the hands of a foreigner and of a young girl, recalling those words of Robert, who, as he followed in the funeral train of Charles, his only son, turned as he reached the threshold of the church and sobbingly19 exclaimed to his barons20 about him, "This day the crown has fallen from my head: alas21 for me! alas for you!"
Now that the bells were ringing for the dying moments of the good king, every mind was full of these prophetic words: women prayed fervently22 to God; men from all parts of the town bent24 their steps towards the royal palace to get the earliest and most authentic25 news, and after waiting some moments, passed in exchanging sad reflections, were obliged to return as they had come, since nothing that went on in the privacy of the family found its way outside—the castle was plunged26 in complete darkness, the drawbridge was raised as usual, and the guards were at their post.
Yet if our readers care to be present at the death of the nephew of Saint Louis and the grandson of Charles of Anjou, we may conduct them into the chamber27 of the dying man. An alabaster28 lamp suspended from the ceiling serves to light the vast and sombre room, with walls draped in black velvet29 sewn with golden fleur-de-lys. Near the wall which faces the two entrance doors that at this moment are both shut close, there stands beneath a brocaded canopy30 an ebony bed, supported on four twisted columns carved with symbolic31 figures. The king, after a struggle with a violent paroxysm, has fallen swooning in the arms of his confessor and his doctor, who each hold one of his dying hands, feeling his pulse anxiously and exchanging looks of intelligence. At the foot of the bed stands a woman about fifty years of age, her hands clasped, her eyes raised to heaven, in an attitude of resigned grief: this woman is the queen, No tears dim her eyes: her sunken cheek has that waxen yellow tinge32 that one sees on the bodies of saints preserved by miracle. In her look is that mingling33 of calm and suffering that points to a soul at once tried by sorrow and imbued34 with religion. After the lapse35 of an hour, while no movement had disturbed the profound silence which reigned36 about the bed of death, the king trembled slightly; opened his eyes, and endeavoured feebly to raise his head. They thanking the physician and priest with a smile, who had both hastened to arrange his pillows, he begged the queen to come near, and told her in a low voice that he would speak with her a moment alone. The doctor and confessor retired37, deeply bowing, and the king followed them with his eyes up to the moment when one of the doors closed behind them. He passed his hand across his brow, as though seeking to collect his thoughts, and rallying all his forces for the supreme38 effort, pronounced these words:
"What I must say to you, Sancha, has no concern with those two good persons who were here a moment ago: their task is ended. One has done all for my body that human science could teach him, and all that has come of it is that my death is yet a little deferred39; the other has now absolved40 me of all my sins, and assured me of God's forgiveness, yet cannot keep from me those dread41 apparitions42 which in this terrible hour arise before me. Twice have you seen me battling with a superhuman horror. My brow has been bathed in sweat, my limbs rigid43, my cries have been stifled44 by a hand of iron. Has God permitted the Evil Spirit to tempt45 me? Is this remorse46 in phantom47 shape? These two conflicts I have suffered have so subdued48 my strength that I can never endure a third. Listen then, my Sandra, for I have instructions to give you on which perhaps the safety of my soul depends."
"My lord and my master," said the queen in the most gentle accents of submission49, "I am ready to listen to your orders; and should it be that God, in the hidden designs of His providence50, has willed to call you to His glory while we are plunged in grief, your last wishes shall be fulfilled here on earth most scrupulously51 and exactly. But," she added, with all the solicitude52 of a timid soul, "pray suffer me to sprinkle drops of holy water and banish53 the accursed one from this chamber, and let me offer up some part of that service of prayer that you composed in honour of your sainted brother to implore54 God's protection in this hour when we can ill afford to lose it."
Then opening a richly bound book, she read with fervent23 devotion certain verses of the office that Robert had written in a very pure Latin for his brother Louis, Bishop55 of Toulouse, which was in use in the Church as late as the time of the Council of Trent.
Soothed56 by the charm of the prayers he had himself composed, the king was near forgetting the object of the interview he had so solemnly and eagerly demanded and letting himself lapse into a state of vague melancholy57, he murmured in a subdued voice, "Yes, yes, you are right; pray for me, for you too are a saint, and I am but a poor sinful man."
"Say not so, my lord," interrupted Dona Sancha; "you are the greatest, wisest, and most just king who has ever sat upon the throne of Naples."
"But the throne is usurped," replied Robert in a voice of gloom; "you know that the kingdom belonged to my elder brother, Charles Martel; and since Charles was on the throne of Hungary, which he inherited from his mother, the kingdom of Naples devolved by right upon his eldest58 son, Carobert, and not on me, who am the third in rank of the family. And I have suffered myself to be crowned in my nephew's stead, though he was the only lawful59-king; I have put the younger branch in the place of the elder, and for thirty-three years I have stifled the reproaches of my conscience. True, I have won battles, made laws, founded churches; but a single word serves to give the lie to all the pompous60 titles showered upon me by the people's admiration61, and this one word rings out clearer in my ears than all the flattery of courtiers, all the songs of poets, all the orations62 of the crowd:—I am an usurper63!"
"Be not unjust towards yourself, my lord, and bear in mind that if you did not abdicate64 in favour of the rightful heir, it was because you wished to save the people from the worst misfortunes. Moreover," continued the queen, with that air of profound conviction that an unanswerable argument inspires, "you have remained king by the consent and authority of our Holy Father the sovereign pontiff, who disposes of the throne as a fief belonging to the Church."
"I have long quieted my scruples65 thus," replied the dying man, "and the pope's authority has kept me silent; but whatever security one may pretend to feel in one's lifetime, there yet comes a dreadful solemn hour when all illusions needs must vanish: this hour for me has come, and now I must appear before God, the one unfailing judge."
"If His justice cannot fail, is not His mercy infinite?" pursued the queen, with the glow of sacred inspiration. "Even if there were good reason for the fear that has shaken your soul, what fault could not be effaced66 by a repentance67 so noble? Have you not repaired the wrong you may have done your nephew Carobert, by bringing his younger son Andre to your kingdom and marrying him to Joan, your poor Charles's elder daughter? Will not they inherit your crown?"
"Alas!" cried Robert, with a deep sigh, "God is punishing me perhaps for thinking too late of this just reparation. O my good and noble Sandra, you touch a chord which vibrates sadly in my heart, and you anticipate the unhappy confidence I was about to make. I feel a gloomy presentiment68—and in the hour of death presentiment is prophecy—that the two sons of my nephew, Louis, who has been King of Hungary since his father died, and Andre, whom I desired to make King of Naples, will prove the scourge69 of my family. Ever since Andre set foot in our castle, a strange fatality70 has pursued and overturned my projects. I had hoped that if Andre and Joan were brought up together a tender intimacy71 would arise between the two children; and that the beauty of our skies, our civilisation72, and the attractions of our court would end by softening73 whatever rudeness there might be in the young Hungarian's character; but in spite of my efforts all has tended to cause coldness, and even aversion, between the bridal pair. Joan, scarcely fifteen, is far ahead of her age. Gifted with a brilliant and mobile mind, a noble and lofty character, a lively and glowing fancy, now free and frolicsome74 as a child, now grave and proud as a queen, trustful and simple as a young girl, passionate75 and sensitive as a woman, she presents the most striking contrast to Andre, who, after a stay of ten years at our court, is wilder, more gloomy, more intractable than ever. His cold, regular features, impassive countenance76, and indifference77 to every pleasure that his wife appears to love, all this has raised between him and Joan a barrier of indifference, even of antipathy78. To the tenderest effusion his reply is no more than a scornful smile or a frown, and he never seems happier than when on a pretext79 of the chase he can escape from the court. These, then, are the two, man and wife, on whose heads my crown shall rest, who in a short space will find themselves exposed to every passion whose dull growl80 is now heard below a deceptive81 calm, but which only awaits the moment when I breathe my last, to burst forth82 upon them."
"O my God, my God!" the queen kept repeating in her grief: her arms fell by her side, like the arms of a statue weeping by a tomb.
"Listen, Dona Sandra. I know that your heart has never clung to earthly vanities, and that you only wait till God has called me to Himself to withdraw to the convent of Santa Maria delta83 Croce, founded by yourself in the hope that you might there end your days. Far be it from me to dissuade84 you from your sacred vocation85, when I am myself descending86 into the tomb and am conscious of the nothingness of all human greatness. Only grant me one year of widowhood before you pass on to your bridal with the Lord, one year in which you will watch over Joan and her husband, to keep from them all the dangers that threaten. Already the woman who was the seneschal's wife and her son have too much influence over our grand-daughter; be specially88 careful, and amid the many interests, intrigues89, and temptations that will surround the young queen, distrust particularly the affection of Bertrand d'Artois, the beauty of Louis of Tarentum; and the ambition of Charles of Durazzo."
The king paused, exhausted90 by the effort of speaking; then turning on his wife a supplicating91 glance and extending his thin wasted hand, he added in a scarcely audible voice:
"I promise, my lord."
"And now," said Robert, whose face at these words took on a new animation93, "call my confessor and the physician and summon the family, for the hour is at hand, and soon I shall not have the strength to speak my last words."
A few moments later the priest and the doctor re-entered the room, their faces bathed, in tears. The king thanked them warmly for their care of him in his last illness, and begged them help to dress him in the coarse garb94 of a Franciscan monk95, that God, as he said, seeing him die in poverty, humility96, and penitence97, might the more easily grant him pardon. The confessor and doctor placed upon his naked feet the sandals worn by mendicant98 friars, robed him in a Franciscan frock, and tied the rope about his waist. Stretched thus upon his bed, his brow surmounted99 by his scanty100 locks, with his long white beard, and his hands crossed upon his breast, the King of Naples looked like one of those aged10 anchorites who spend their lives in mortifying101 the flesh, and whose souls, absorbed in heavenly contemplation, glide102 insensibly from out their last ecstasy103 into eternal bliss104. Some time he lay thus with closed eyes, putting up a silent prayer to God; then he bade them light the spacious105 room as for a great solemnity, and gave a sign to the two persons who stood, one at the head, the other at the foot of the bed. The two folding doors opened, and the whole of the royal family, with the queen at their head and the chief barons following, took their places in silence around the dying king to hear his last wishes.
His eyes turned toward Joan, who stood next him on his right hand, with an indescribable look of tenderness and grief. She was of a beauty so unusual and so marvellous, that her grandfather was fascinated by the dazzling sight, and mistook her for an angel that God had sent to console him on his deathbed. The pure lines of her fine profile, her great black liquid eyes, her noble brow uncovered, her hair shining like the raven's wing, her delicate mouth, the whole effect of this beautiful face on the mind of those who beheld106 her was that of a deep melancholy and sweetness, impressing itself once and for ever. Tall and slender, but without the excessive thinness of some young girls, her movements had that careless supple107 grace that recall the waving of a flower stalk in the breeze. But in spite of all these smiling and innocent graces one could yet discern in Robert's heiress a will firm and resolute108 to brave every obstacle, and the dark rings that circled her fine eyes plainly showed that her heart was already agitated109 by passions beyond her years.
Beside Joan stood her younger sister, Marie, who was twelve or thirteen years of age, the second daughter of Charles, Duke of Calabria, who had died before her birth, and whose mother, Marie of Valois, had unhappily been lost to her from her cradle. Exceedingly pretty and shy, she seemed distressed110 by such an assembly of great personages, and quietly drew near to the widow of the grand seneschal, Philippa, surnamed the Catanese, the princesses' governess, whom they honoured as a mother. Behind the princesses and beside this lady stood her son, Robert of Cabane, a handsome young man, proud and upright, who with his left hand played with his slight moustache while he secretly cast on Joan a glance of audacious boldness. The group was completed by Dona Cancha, the young chamberwoman to the princesses, and by the Count of Terlizzi, who exchanged with her many a furtive111 look and many an open smile. The second group was composed of Andre, Joan's husband, and Friar Robert, tutor to the young prince, who had come with him from Budapesth, and never left him for a minute. Andre was at this time perhaps eighteen years old: at first sight one was struck by the extreme regularity112 of his features, his handsome, noble face, and abundant fair hair; but among all these Italian faces, with their vivid animation, his countenance lacked expression, his eyes seemed dull, and something hard and icy in his looks revealed his wild character and foreign extraction. His tutor's portrait Petrarch has drawn113 for us: crimson114 face, hair and beard red, figure short and crooked115; proud in poverty, rich and miserly; like a second Diogenes, with hideous116 and deformed117 limbs barely concealed118 beneath his friar's frock.
In the third group stood the widow of Philip, Prince of Tarentum, the king's brother, honoured at the court of Naples with the title of Empress of Constantinople, a style inherited by her as the granddaughter of Baldwin II. Anyone accustomed to sound the depths of the human heart would at one glance have perceived that this woman under her ghastly pallor concealed an implacable hatred120, a venomous jealousy121, and an all-devouring ambition. She had her three sons about her—Robert, Philip, and Louis, the youngest. Had the king chosen out from among his nephews the handsomest, bravest, and most generous, there can be no doubt that Louis of Tarentum would have obtained the crown. At the age of twenty-three he had already excelled the cavaliers of most renown122 in feats123 of arms; honest, loyal, and brave, he no sooner conceived a project than he promptly124 carried it out. His brow shone in that clear light which seems to serve as a halo of success to natures so privileged as his; his fine eyes, of a soft and velvety125 black, subdued the hearts of men who could not resist their charm, and his caressing126 smile made conquest sweet. A child of destiny, he had but to use his will; some power unknown, some beneficent fairy had watched over his birth, and undertaken to smooth away all obstacles, gratify all desires.
Near to him, but in the fourth group, his cousin Charles of Duras stood and scowled127. His mother, Agnes, the widow of the Duke of Durazzo and Albania, another of the king's brothers, looked upon him affrighted, clutching to her breast her two younger sons, Ludovico, Count of Gravina, and Robert, Prince of Morea. Charles, pale-faced, with short hair and thick beard, was glancing with suspicion first at his dying uncle and then at Joan and the little Marie, then again at his cousins, apparently128 so excited by tumultuous thoughts that he could not stand still. His feverish129 uneasiness presented a marked contrast with the calm, dreamy face of Bertrand d'Artois, who, giving precedence to his father Charles, approached the queen at the foot of the bed, and so found himself face to face with Joan. The young man was so absorbed by the beauty of the princess that he seemed to see nothing else in the room.
As soon as Joan and Andre, the Princes of Tarentum and Durazzo, the Counts of Artois, and Queen Sancha had taken their places round the bed of death, forming a semicircle, as we have just described, the vice-chancellor passed through the rows of barons, who according to their rank were following closely after the princes of the blood; and bowing low before the king, unfolded a parchment sealed with the royal seal, and read in a solemn voice, amid a profound silence:
"Robert, by the grace of God King of Sicily and Jerusalem, Count of Provence, Forcalquier, and Piedmont, Vicar of the Holy Roman Church, hereby nominates and declares his sole heiress in the kingdom of Sicily on this side and the other side of the strait, as also in the counties of Provence, Forcalquier, and Piedmont, and in all his other territories, Joan, Duchess of Calabria, elder daughter of the excellent lord Charles, Duke of Calabria, of illustrious memory.
"Moreover, he nominates and declares the honourable130 lady Marie, younger daughter of the late Duke of Calabria, his heiress in the county of Alba and in the jurisdiction131 of the valley of Grati and the territory of Giordano, with all their castles and dependencies; and orders that the lady thus named receive them in fief direct from the aforesaid duchess and her heirs; on this condition, however, that if the duchess give and grant to her illustrious sister or to her assigns the sum of 10,000 ounces of gold by way of compensation, the county and jurisdiction aforesaid—shall remain in the possession of the duchess and her heirs.
"Moreover, he wills and commands, for private and secret reasons, that the aforesaid lady Marie shall contract a marriage with the very illustrious prince, Louis, reigning132 King of Hungary. And in case any impediment should appear to this marriage by reason of the union said to be already arranged and signed between the King of Hungary and the King of Bohemia and his daughter, our lord the king commands that the illustrious lady Marie shall contract a marriage with the elder son of the mighty133 lord Don Juan, Duke of Normandy, himself the elder son of the reigning King of France."
At this point Charles of Durazzo gave Marie a singularly meaning look, which escaped the notice of all present, their attention being absorbed by the reading of Robert's will. The young girl herself, from the moment when she first heard her own name, had stood confused and thunderstruck, with scarlet134 cheeks, not daring to raise her eyes.
The vice-chancellor continued:
"Moreover, he has willed and commanded that the counties of Forcalquier and Provence shall in all perpetuity be united to his kingdom, and shall form one sole and inseparable dominion135, whether or not there be several sons or daughters or any other reason of any kind for its partition, seeing that this union is of the utmost importance for the security and common prosperity of the kingdom and counties aforesaid.
"Moreover, he has decided136 and commanded that in case of the death of the Duchess Joan—which God avert!—without lawful issue of her body, the most illustrious lord Andre, Duke of Calabria, her husband, shall have the principality of Salerno, with the title, fruits, revenues, and all the rights thereof, together with the revenue of 2000 ounces of gold for maintenance.
"Moreover, he has decided and ordered that the Queen above all, and also the venerable father Don Philip of Cabassole, Bishop of Cavaillon, vice-chancellor of the kingdom of Sicily, and the magnificent lords Philip of Sanguineto, seneschal of Provence, Godfrey of Marsan, Count of Squillace, admiral of the kingdom, and Charles of Artois, Count of Aire, shall be governors, regents, and administrators137 of the aforesaid lord Andre and the aforesaid ladies Joan and Marie, until such time as the duke, the duchess, and the very illustrious lady Marie shall have attained138 their twenty-fifth year," etc. etc.
When the vice-chancellor had finished reading, the king sat up, and glancing round upon his fair and numerous family, thus spoke139:
"My children, you have heard my last wishes. I have bidden you all to my deathbed, that you may see how the glory of the world passes away. Those whom men name the great ones of the earth have more duties to perform, and after death more accounts to render: it is in this that their greatness lies. I have reigned thirty-three years, and God before whom I am about to appear, God to whom my sighs have often arisen during my long and painful life, God alone knows the thoughts that rend140 my heart in the hour of death. Soon shall I be lying in the tomb, and all that remains141 of me in this world will live in the memory of those who pray for me. But before I leave you for ever, you, oh, you who are twice my daughters, whom I have loved with a double love, and you my nephews who have had from me all the care and affection of a father, promise me to be ever united in heart and in wish, as indeed you are in my love. I have lived longer than your fathers, I the eldest of all, and thus no doubt God has wished to tighten142 the bonds of your affection, to accustom119 you to live in one family and to pay honour to one head. I have loved you all alike, as a father should, without exception or preference. I have disposed of my throne according to the law of nature and the inspiration of my conscience: Here are the heirs of the crown of Naples; you, Joan, and you, Andre, will never forget the love and respect that are due between husband and wife, and mutually sworn by you at the foot of the altar; and you, my nephews all; my barons, my officers, render homage143 to your lawful sovereigns; Andre of Hungary, Louis of Tarentum, Charles of Durazzo, remember that you are brothers; woe144 to him who shall imitate the perfidy145 of Cain! May his blood fall upon his own head, and may he be accursed by Heaven as he is by the mouth of a dying man; and may the blessing146 of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit descend87 upon that man whose heart is good, when the Lord of mercy shall call to my soul Himself!"
The king remained motionless, his arms raised, his eyes fixed147 on heaven, his cheeks extraordinarily148 bright, while the princes, barons, and officers of the court proffered149 to Joan and her husband the oath of fidelity150 and allegiance. When it was the turn of the Princes of Duras to advance, Charles disdainfully stalked past Andre, and bending his knee before the princess, said in a loud voice, as he kissed her hand—
"To you, my queen, I pay my homage."
All looks were turned fearfully towards the dying man, but the good king no longer heard. Seeing him fall back rigid and motionless, Dona Sancha burst into sobs151, and cried in a voice choked with tears—
"The king is dead; let us pray for his soul."
At the very same moment all the princes hurried from the room, and every passion hitherto suppressed in the presence of the king now found its vent12 like a mighty torrent152 breaking through its banks.
"Long live Joan!" Robert of Cabane, Louis of Tarentum, and Bertrand of Artois were the first to exclaim, while the prince's tutor, furiously breaking through the crowd and apostrophising the various members of the council of regency, cried aloud in varying tones of passion, "Gentlemen, you have forgotten the king's wish already; you must cry, 'Long live Andre!' too;" then, wedding example to precept153, and himself making more noise than all the barons together, he cried in a voice of thunder—
"Long live the King of Naples!"
But there was no echo to his cry, and Charles of Durazzo, measuring the Dominican with a terrible look, approached the queen, and taking her by the hand, slid back the curtains of the balcony, from which was seen the square and the town of Naples. So far as the eye could reach there stretched an immense crowd, illuminated154 by streams of light, and thousands of heads were turned upward towards Castel Nuovo to gather any news that might be announced. Charles respectfully drawing back and indicating his fair cousin with his hand, cried out—
"People of Naples, the King is dead: long live the Queen!"
"Long live Joan, Queen of Naples!" replied the people, with a single mighty cry that resounded155 through every quarter of the town.
The events that on this night had followed each other with the rapidity of a dream had produced so deep an impression on Joan's mind, that, agitated by a thousand different feelings, she retired to her own rooms, and shutting herself up in her chamber, gave free vent to her grief. So long as the conflict of so many ambitions waged about the tomb, the young queen, refusing every consolation156 that was offered her, wept bitterly for the death of her grandfather, who had loved her to the point of weakness. The king was buried with all solemnity in the church of Santa Chiara, which he had himself founded and dedicated157 to the Holy Sacrament, enriching it with magnificent frescoes158 by Giotto and other precious relics159, among which is shown still, behind the tribune of the high altar, two columns of white marble taken from Solomon's temple. There still lies Robert, represented on his tomb in the dress of a king and in a monk's frock, on the right of the monument to his son Charles, the Duke of Calabria.
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slumber
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| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
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awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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intermittent
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| adj.间歇的，断断续续的 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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avert
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| v.防止，避免；转移(目光、注意力等) | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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eulogies
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| n.颂词，颂文( eulogy的名词复数 ) | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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extol
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| v.赞美，颂扬 | |
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vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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consecutive
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| adj.连续的，联贯的，始终一贯的 | |
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deigned
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dubbed
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| v.给…起绰号( dub的过去式和过去分词 )；把…称为；配音；复制 | |
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eloquent
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| adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的 | |
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clemency
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| n.温和，仁慈，宽厚 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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sobbingly
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| 啜泣地，呜咽地，抽抽噎噎地 | |
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barons
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| 男爵( baron的名词复数 )； 巨头； 大王； 大亨 | |
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alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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fervently
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| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
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fervent
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| adj.热的，热烈的，热情的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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25
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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26
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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27
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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28
alabaster
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| adj.雪白的；n.雪花石膏；条纹大理石 | |
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29
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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30
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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31
symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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32
tinge
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| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
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33
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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34
imbued
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| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
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35
lapse
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| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
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36
reigned
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| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
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37
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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38
supreme
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| adj.极度的，最重要的；至高的，最高的 | |
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39
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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40
absolved
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| 宣告…无罪，赦免…的罪行，宽恕…的罪行( absolve的过去式和过去分词 )； 不受责难，免除责任 [义务] ,开脱（罪责） | |
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41
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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42
apparitions
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| n.特异景象( apparition的名词复数 )；幽灵；鬼；（特异景象等的）出现 | |
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43
rigid
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| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
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44
stifled
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| （使）窒息， （使）窒闷( stifle的过去式和过去分词 )； 镇压，遏制； 堵 | |
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45
tempt
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| vt.引诱，勾引，吸引，引起…的兴趣 | |
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46
remorse
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| n.痛恨，悔恨，自责 | |
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47
phantom
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| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
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48
subdued
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| adj. 屈服的，柔和的，减弱的 动词subdue的过去式和过去分词 | |
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49
submission
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| n.服从，投降；温顺，谦虚；提出 | |
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50
providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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51
scrupulously
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| adv.一丝不苟地；小心翼翼地，多顾虑地 | |
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52
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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53
banish
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| vt.放逐，驱逐；消除，排除 | |
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54
implore
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| vt.乞求，恳求，哀求 | |
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55
bishop
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| n.主教，（国际象棋）象 | |
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56
soothed
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| v.安慰( soothe的过去式和过去分词 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦 | |
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57
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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58
eldest
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| adj.最年长的，最年老的 | |
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59
lawful
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| adj.法律许可的，守法的，合法的 | |
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60
pompous
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的；夸大的；豪华的 | |
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61
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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62
orations
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| n.（正式仪式中的）演说，演讲( oration的名词复数 ) | |
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63
usurper
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| n. 篡夺者, 僭取者 | |
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64
abdicate
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| v.让位，辞职，放弃 | |
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65
scruples
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| n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 )；顾虑，顾忌v.感到于心不安，有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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66
effaced
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| v.擦掉( efface的过去式和过去分词 )；抹去；超越；使黯然失色 | |
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67
repentance
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| n.懊悔 | |
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68
presentiment
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| n.预感，预觉 | |
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69
scourge
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| n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏 | |
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70
fatality
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| n.不幸，灾祸，天命 | |
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71
intimacy
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| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
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72
civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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73
softening
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| 变软，软化 | |
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74
frolicsome
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| adj.嬉戏的，闹着玩的 | |
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75
passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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76
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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77
indifference
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| n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎 | |
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78
antipathy
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| n.憎恶；反感，引起反感的人或事物 | |
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79
pretext
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| n.借口，托词 | |
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80
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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81
deceptive
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| adj.骗人的，造成假象的，靠不住的 | |
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82
forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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83
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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84
dissuade
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| v.劝阻，阻止 | |
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85
vocation
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| n.职业，行业 | |
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86
descending
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| n. 下行 adj. 下降的 | |
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87
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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88
specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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89
intrigues
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| n.密谋策划( intrigue的名词复数 )；神秘气氛；引人入胜的复杂情节v.搞阴谋诡计( intrigue的第三人称单数 )；激起…的好奇心 | |
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90
exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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91
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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92
entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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93
animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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94
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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95
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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96
humility
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| n.谦逊，谦恭 | |
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97
penitence
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| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
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98
mendicant
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| n.乞丐；adj.行乞的 | |
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99
surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 )； 克服（困难）； 居于…之上； 在…顶上 | |
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100
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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101
mortifying
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| adj.抑制的，苦修的v.使受辱( mortify的现在分词 )；伤害（人的感情）；克制；抑制（肉体、情感等） | |
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102
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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103
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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104
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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105
spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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106
beheld
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| 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 | |
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107
supple
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| adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺 | |
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108
resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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109
agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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110
distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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111
furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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112
regularity
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| n.规律性，规则性；匀称，整齐 | |
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113
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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114
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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115
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 | |
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116
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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117
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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118
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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119
accustom
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| vt.使适应，使习惯 | |
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120
hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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121
jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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122
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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123
feats
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| 功绩，伟业，技艺( feat的名词复数 ) | |
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124
promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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125
velvety
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| adj. 像天鹅绒的, 轻软光滑的, 柔软的 | |
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126
caressing
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| 爱抚的，表现爱情的，亲切的 | |
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127
scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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128
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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129
feverish
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| adj.发烧的，狂热的，兴奋的 | |
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130
honourable
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| adj.可敬的；荣誉的，光荣的 | |
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131
jurisdiction
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| n.司法权，审判权，管辖权，控制权 | |
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132
reigning
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| adj.统治的，起支配作用的 | |
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133
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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134
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 | |
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135
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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136
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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137
administrators
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| n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师 | |
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138
attained
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| （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） | |
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139
spoke
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| 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 | |
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140
rend
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| vt.把…撕开，割裂；把…揪下来，强行夺取 | |
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141
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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142
tighten
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| v.(使)变紧；(使)绷紧 | |
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143
homage
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| n.尊敬，敬意，崇敬 | |
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144
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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145
perfidy
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| n.背信弃义，不忠贞 | |
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146
blessing
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| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
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147
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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148
extraordinarily
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| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
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149
proffered
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| v.提供，贡献，提出( proffer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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150
fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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151
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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152
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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153
precept
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| n.戒律；格言 | |
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154
illuminated
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| adj.被照明的；受启迪的 | |
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155
resounded
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| v.（指声音等）回荡于某处( resound的过去式和过去分词 )；产生回响；（指某处）回荡着声音 | |
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156
consolation
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| n.安慰，慰问 | |
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157
dedicated
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| adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的 | |
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158
frescoes
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| n.壁画( fresco的名词复数 )；温壁画技法，湿壁画 | |
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159
relics
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| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
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