It was then, in that fearful burning mood, her heart beating, her cheek flushing, that Nydia awaited the possibility of Glaucus's return before the night. He crossed the portico just as the first stars began to rise, and the heaven above had assumed its most purple robe.
'Ho, my child, wait you for me?'
'Very.'
Here at once, suddenly and unexpectedly, the very opportunity that Nydia awaited presented itself; of himself, at his own free choice, he afforded to her that occasion. She breathed quick—'I will prepare for you myself,' said she, 'the summer draught7 that Ione loves—of honey and weak wine cooled in snow.'
'Thanks,' said the unconscious Glaucus. 'If Ione love it, enough; it would be grateful were it poison.'
Nydia frowned, and then smiled; she withdrew for a few moments, and returned with the cup containing the beverage8. Glaucus took it from her hand. What would not Nydia have given then for one hour's prerogative9 of sight, to have watched her hopes ripening10 to effect—to have seen the first dawn of the imagined love—to have worshipped with more than Persian adoration11 the rising of that sun which her credulous12 soul believed was to break upon her dreary13 night! Far different, as she stood then and there, were the thoughts, the emotions of the blind girl, from those of the vain Pompeian under a similar suspense14. In the last, what poor and frivolous15 passions had made up the daring whole! What petty pique16, what small revenge, what expectation of a paltry17 triumph, had swelled19 the attributes of that sentiment she dignified20 with the name of love! but in the wild heart of the Thessalian all was pure, uncontrolled, unmodified passion—erring, unwomanly, frenzied21, but debased by no elements of a more sordid22 feeling. Filled with love as with life itself, how could she resist the occasion of winning love in return!
She leaned for support against the wall, and her face, before so flushed, was now white as snow, and with her delicate hands clasped convulsively together, her lips apart, her eyes on the ground, she waited the next words Glaucus should utter.
Glaucus had raised the cup to his lips, he had already drained about a fourth of its contents, when his eye suddenly glancing upon the face of Nydia, he was so forcibly struck by its alteration23, by its intense, and painful, and strange expression, that he paused abruptly24, and still holding the cup near his lips, exclaimed:
'Why, Nydia! Nydia! I say, art thou ill or in pain? Nay, thy face speaks for thee. What ails25 my poor child?' As he spoke26, he put down the cup and rose from his seat to approach her, when a sudden pang27 shot coldly to his heart, and was followed by a wild, confused, dizzy sensation at the brain. The floor seemed to glide28 from under him—his feet seemed to move on air—a mighty29 and unearthly gladness rushed upon his spirit—he felt too buoyant for the earth—he longed for wings, nay, it seemed in the buoyancy of his new existence, as if he possessed30 them. He burst involuntarily into a loud and thrilling laugh. He clapped his hands—he bounded aloft—he was as a Pythoness inspired; suddenly as it came this preternatural transport passed, though only partially31, away. He now felt his blood rushing loudly and rapidly through his veins32; it seemed to swell18, to exult33, to leap along, as a stream that has burst its bounds, and hurries to the ocean. It throbbed34 in his ear with a mighty sound, he felt it mount to his brow, he felt the veins in the temples stretch and swell as if they could no longer contain the violent and increasing tide—then a kind of darkness fell over his eyes—darkness, but not entire; for through the dim shade he saw the opposite walls glow out, and the figures painted thereon seemed, ghost-like, to creep and glide. What was most strange, he did not feel himself ill—he did not sink or quail35 beneath the dread36 frenzy37 that was gathering38 over him. The novelty of the feelings seemed bright and vivid—he felt as if a younger health had been infused into his frame. He was gliding39 on to madness—and he knew it not!
Nydia had not answered his first question—she had not been able to reply—his wild and fearful laugh had roused her from her passionate40 suspense: she could not see his fierce gesture—she could not mark his reeling and unsteady step as he paced unconsciously to and fro; but she heard the words, broken, incoherent, insane, that gushed41 from his lips. She became terrified and appalled—she hastened to him, feeling with her arms until she touched his knees, and then falling on the ground she embraced them, weeping with terror and excitement.
'Oh, speak to me! speak! you do not hate me?—speak, speak!'
'By the bright goddess, a beautiful land this Cyprus! Ho! how they fill us with wine instead of blood! now they open the veins of the Faun yonder, to show how the tide within bubbles and sparkles. Come hither, jolly old god! thou ridest on a goat, eh?—what long silky hair he has! He is worth all the coursers of Parthia. But a word with thee—this wine of thine is too strong for us mortals. Oh! beautiful! the boughs42 are at rest! the green waves of the forest have caught the Zephyr43 and drowned him! Not a breath stirs the leaves—and I view the Dreams sleeping with folded wings upon the motionless elm; and I look beyond, and I see a blue stream sparkle in the silent noon; a fountain—a fountain springing aloft! Ah! my fount, thou wilt not put out rays of my Grecian sun, though thou triest ever so hard with thy nimble and silver arms. And now, what form steals yonder through the boughs? she glides44 like a moonbeam!—she has a garland of oak-leaves on her head. In her hand is a vase upturned, from which she pours pink and tiny shells and sparkling water. Oh! look on yon face! Man never before saw its like. See! we are alone; only I and she in the wide forest. There is no smile upon her lips—she moves, grave and sweetly sad. Ha! fly, it is a nymph!—it is one of the wild Napaeae! Whoever sees her becomes mad-fly! see, she discovers me!'
A new change seemed now to operate upon the jarring and disordered mind of the unfortunate Athenian. He put his hand upon Nydia's silken hair; he smoothed the locks—he looked wistfully upon her face, and then, as in the broken chain of thought one or two links were yet unsevered, it seemed that her countenance46 brought its associations of Ione; and with that remembrance his madness became yet more powerful, and it swayed and tinged47 by passion, as he burst forth48:
'I swear by Venus, by Diana, and by Juno, that though I have now the world on my shoulders, as my countryman Hercules (ah, dull Rome! whoever was truly great was of Greece; why, you would be godless if it were not for us!)—I say, as my countryman Hercules had before me, I would let it fall into chaos49 for one smile from Ione. Ah, Beautiful,—Adored,' he added, in a voice inexpressibly fond and plaintive50, 'thou lovest me not. Thou art unkind to me. The Egyptian hath belied51 me to thee—thou knowest not what hours I have spent beneath thy casement—thou knowest not how I have outwatched the stars, thinking thou, my sun, wouldst rise at last—and thou lovest me not, thou forsakest me! Oh! do not leave me now! I feel that my life will not be long; let me gaze on thee at least unto the last. I am of the bright land of thy fathers—I have trod the heights of Phyle—I have gathered the hyacinth and rose amidst the olive-groves of Ilyssus. Thou shouldst not desert me, for thy fathers were brothers to my own. And they say this land is lovely, and these climes serene53, but I will bear thee with me—Ho! dark form, why risest thou like a cloud between me and mine? Death sits calmly dread upon thy brow—on thy lip is the smile that slays54: thy name is Orcus, but on earth men call thee Arbaces. See, I know thee! fly, dim shadow, thy spells avail not!'
'Glaucus! Glaucus!' murmured Nydia, releasing her hold and falling, beneath the excitement of her dismay, remorse55, and anguish56, insensible on the floor.
'Who calls?' said he in a loud voice. 'Ione, it is she! they have borne her off—we will save her—where is my stilus? Ha, I have it! I come, Ione, to thy rescue! I come! I come!'
So saying, the Athenian with one bound passed the portico, he traversed the house, and rushed with swift but vacillating steps, and muttering audibly to himself, down the starlit streets. The direful potion burnt like fire in his veins, for its effect was made, perhaps, still more sudden from the wine he had drunk previously57. Used to the excesses of nocturnal revellers, the citizens, with smiles and winks58, gave way to his reeling steps; they naturally imagined him under the influence of the Bromian god, not vainly worshipped at Pompeii; but they who looked twice upon his face started in a nameless fear, and the smile withered59 from their lips. He passed the more populous60 streets; and, pursuing mechanically the way to Ione's house, he traversed a more deserted61 quarter, and entered now the lonely grove52 of Cybele, in which Apaecides had held his interview with Olinthus.
点击收听单词发音
1 portico | |
n.柱廊,门廊 | |
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2 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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3 deferred | |
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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4 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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5 colonnade | |
n.柱廊 | |
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6 wilt | |
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎;(指人)疲倦,衰弱 | |
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7 draught | |
n.拉,牵引,拖;一网(饮,吸,阵);顿服药量,通风;v.起草,设计 | |
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8 beverage | |
n.(水,酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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9 prerogative | |
n.特权 | |
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10 ripening | |
v.成熟,使熟( ripen的现在分词 );熟化;熟成 | |
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11 adoration | |
n.爱慕,崇拜 | |
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12 credulous | |
adj.轻信的,易信的 | |
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13 dreary | |
adj.令人沮丧的,沉闷的,单调乏味的 | |
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14 suspense | |
n.(对可能发生的事)紧张感,担心,挂虑 | |
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15 frivolous | |
adj.轻薄的;轻率的 | |
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16 pique | |
v.伤害…的自尊心,使生气 n.不满,生气 | |
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17 paltry | |
adj.无价值的,微不足道的 | |
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18 swell | |
vi.膨胀,肿胀;增长,增强 | |
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19 swelled | |
增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 ); 肿胀; (使)凸出; 充满(激情) | |
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20 dignified | |
a.可敬的,高贵的 | |
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21 frenzied | |
a.激怒的;疯狂的 | |
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22 sordid | |
adj.肮脏的,不干净的,卑鄙的,暗淡的 | |
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23 alteration | |
n.变更,改变;蚀变 | |
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24 abruptly | |
adv.突然地,出其不意地 | |
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25 ails | |
v.生病( ail的第三人称单数 );感到不舒服;处境困难;境况不佳 | |
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26 spoke | |
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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27 pang | |
n.剧痛,悲痛,苦闷 | |
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28 glide | |
n./v.溜,滑行;(时间)消逝 | |
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29 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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30 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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31 partially | |
adv.部分地,从某些方面讲 | |
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32 veins | |
n.纹理;矿脉( vein的名词复数 );静脉;叶脉;纹理 | |
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33 exult | |
v.狂喜,欢腾;欢欣鼓舞 | |
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34 throbbed | |
抽痛( throb的过去式和过去分词 ); (心脏、脉搏等)跳动 | |
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35 quail | |
n.鹌鹑;vi.畏惧,颤抖 | |
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36 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
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37 frenzy | |
n.疯狂,狂热,极度的激动 | |
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38 gathering | |
n.集会,聚会,聚集 | |
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39 gliding | |
v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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40 passionate | |
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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41 gushed | |
v.喷,涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 );滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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42 boughs | |
大树枝( bough的名词复数 ) | |
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43 zephyr | |
n.和风,微风 | |
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44 glides | |
n.滑行( glide的名词复数 );滑音;音渡;过渡音v.滑动( glide的第三人称单数 );掠过;(鸟或飞机 ) 滑翔 | |
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45 rave | |
vi.胡言乱语;热衷谈论;n.热情赞扬 | |
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46 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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47 tinged | |
v.(使)发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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48 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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49 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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50 plaintive | |
adj.可怜的,伤心的 | |
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51 belied | |
v.掩饰( belie的过去式和过去分词 );证明(或显示)…为虚假;辜负;就…扯谎 | |
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52 grove | |
n.林子,小树林,园林 | |
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53 serene | |
adj. 安详的,宁静的,平静的 | |
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54 slays | |
杀死,宰杀,杀戮( slay的第三人称单数 ) | |
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55 remorse | |
n.痛恨,悔恨,自责 | |
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56 anguish | |
n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦,烦恼 | |
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57 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
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58 winks | |
v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 );递眼色(表示友好或高兴等);(指光)闪烁;闪亮 | |
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59 withered | |
adj. 枯萎的,干瘪的,(人身体的部分器官)因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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60 populous | |
adj.人口稠密的,人口众多的 | |
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61 deserted | |
adj.荒芜的,荒废的,无人的,被遗弃的 | |
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