In the pauses of the showers, you heard the rumbling13 of the earth beneath, and the groaning14 waves of the tortured sea; or, lower still, and audible but to the watch of intensest fear, the grinding and hissing15 murmur16 of the escaping gases through the chasms17 of the distant mountain. Sometimes the cloud appeared to break from its solid mass, and, by the lightning, to assume quaint18 and vast mimicries of human or of monster shapes, striding across the gloom, hurtling one upon the other, and vanishing swiftly into the turbulent abyss of shade; so that, to the eyes and fancies of the affrighted wanderers, the unsubstantial vapors20 were as the bodily forms of gigantic foes21—the agents of terror and of death.
The ashes in many places were already knee-deep; and the boiling showers which came from the steaming breath of the volcano forced their way into the houses, bearing with them a strong and suffocating22 vapor19. In some places, immense fragments of rock, hurled23 upon the house roofs, bore down along the streets masses of confused ruin, which yet more and more, with every hour, obstructed24 the way; and, as the day advanced, the motion of the earth was more sensibly felt—the footing seemed to slide and creep—nor could chariot or litter be kept steady, even on the most level ground.
Sometimes the huger stones striking against each other as they fell, broke into countless25 fragments, emitting sparks of fire, which caught whatever was combustible26 within their reach; and along the plains beyond the city the darkness was now terribly relieved; for several houses, and even vineyards, had been set on flames; and at various intervals27 the fires rose suddenly and fiercely against the solid gloom. To add to this partial relief of the darkness, the citizens had, here and there, in the more public places, such as the porticoes28 of temples and the entrances to the forum30, endeavored to place rows of torches; but these rarely continued long; the showers and the winds extinguished them, and the sudden darkness into which their sudden birth was converted had something in it doubly terrible and doubly impressing on the impotence of human hopes, the lesson of despair.
Frequently, by the momentary31 light of these torches, parties of fugitives32 encountered each other, some hurrying towards the sea, others flying from the sea back to the land; for the ocean had retreated rapidly from the shore—an utter darkness lay over it, and upon its groaning and tossing waves the storm of cinders33 and rock fell without the protection which the streets and roofs afforded to the land. Wild—haggard—ghastly with supernatural fears, these groups encountered each other, but without the leisure to speak, to consult, to advise; for the showers fell now frequently, though not continuously, extinguishing the lights, which showed to each band the deathlike faces of the other, and hurrying all to seek refuge beneath the nearest shelter. The whole elements of civilization were broken up. Ever and anon, by the flickering34 lights, you saw the thief hastening by the most solemn authorities of the law, laden35 with, and fearfully chuckling36 over, the produce of his sudden gains. If, in the darkness, wife was separated from husband, or parent from child, vain was the hope of reunion. Each hurried blindly and confusedly on. Nothing in all the various and complicated machinery37 of social life was left save the primal38 law of self-preservation!
Through this awful scene did the Athenian wade39 his way, accompanied by Ione and the blind girl. Suddenly, a rush of hundreds, in their path to the sea, swept by them. Nydia was torn from the side of Glaucus, who, with Ione, was borne rapidly onward40; and when the crowd (whose forms they saw not, so thick was the gloom) were gone, Nydia was still separated from their side. Glaucus shouted her name. No answer came. They retraced41 their steps—in vain: they could not discover her—it was evident she had been swept along some opposite direction by the human current. Their friend, their preserver, was lost! And hitherto Nydia had been their guide. Her blindness rendered the scene familiar to her alone. Accustomed, through a perpetual night, to thread the windings42 of the city, she had led them unerringly towards the sea-shore, by which they had resolved to hazard an escape. Now, which way could they wend? all was rayless to them—a maze43 without a clue. Wearied, despondent44, bewildered, they, however, passed along, the ashes falling upon their heads, the fragmentary stones dashing up in sparkles before their feet.
'Alas45! alas!' murmured Ione, 'I can go no farther; my steps sink among the scorching cinders. Fly, dearest!—beloved, fly! and leave me to my fate!'
'Hush46, my betrothed47! my bride! Death with thee is sweeter than life without thee! Yet, whither—oh! whither, can we direct ourselves through the gloom? Already it seems that we have made but a circle, and are in the very spot which we quitted an hour ago.'
'O gods! yon rock—see, it hath riven the roof before us! It is death to move through the streets!'
'Blessed lightning! See, Ione—see! the portico29 of the Temple of Fortune is before us. Let us creep beneath it; it will protect us from the showers.'
He caught his beloved in his arms, and with difficulty and labor48 gained the temple. He bore her to the remoter and more sheltered part of the portico, and leaned over her, that he might shield her, with his own form, from the lightning and the showers! The beauty and the unselfishness of love could hallow even that dismal49 time!
'Who is there?' said the trembling and hollow voice of one who had preceded them in their place of refuge. 'Yet, what matters?—the crush of the ruined world forbids to us friends or foes.'
Ione turned at the sound of the voice, and, with a faint shriek51, cowered52 again beneath the arms of Glaucus: and he, looking in the direction of the voice, beheld53 the cause of her alarm. Through the darkness glared forth two burning eyes—the lightning flashed and lingered athwart the temple—and Glaucus, with a shudder54, perceived the lion to which he had been doomed55 couched beneath the pillars—and, close beside it, unwitting of the vicinity, lay the giant form of him who had accosted56 them—the wounded gladiator, Niger.
That lightning had revealed to each other the form of beast and man; yet the instinct of both was quelled57. Nay58, the lion crept nearer and nearer to the gladiator, as for companionship; and the gladiator did not recede50 or tremble. The revolution of Nature had dissolved her lighter59 terrors as well as her wonted ties.
While they were thus terribly protected, a group of men and women, bearing torches, passed by the temple. They were of the congregation of the Nazarenes; and a sublime60 and unearthly emotion had not, indeed, quelled their awe61, but it had robbed awe of fear. They had long believed, according to the error of the early Christians62, that the Last Day was at hand; they imagined now that the Day had come.
'Woe63! woe!' cried, in a shrill64 and piercing voice, the elder at their head. 'Behold65! the Lord descendeth to judgment66! He maketh fire come down from heaven in the sight of men! Woe! woe! ye strong and mighty67! Woe to ye of the fasces and the purple! Woe to the idolater and the worshipper of the beast! Woe to ye who pour forth the blood of saints, and gloat over the death-pangs of the sons of God! Woe to the harlot of the sea!—woe! woe!'
And with a loud and deep chorus, the troop chanted forth along the wild horrors of the air, 'Woe to the harlot of the sea!—woe! woe!'
The Nazarenes paced slowly on, their torches still flickering in the storm, their voices still raised in menace and solemn warning, till, lost amid the windings in the streets, the darkness of the atmosphere and the silence of death again fell over the scene.
There was one of the frequent pauses in the showers, and Glaucus encouraged Ione once more to proceed. Just as they stood, hesitating, on the last step of the portico, an old man, with a bag in his right hand and leaning upon a youth, tottered68 by. The youth bore a torch. Glaucus recognized the two as father and son—miser69 and prodigal.
'Father,' said the youth, 'if you cannot move more swiftly, I must leave you, or we both perish!'
'Fly, boy, then, and leave thy sire!'
'But I cannot fly to starve; give me thy bag of gold!' And the youth snatched at it.
'Ay! who can tell the tale in this hour? Miser, perish!'
The boy struck the old man to the ground, plucked the bag from his relaxing hand, and fled onward with a shrill yell.
'Ye gods!' cried Glaucus: 'are ye blind, then, even in the dark? Such crimes may well confound the guiltless with the guilty in one common ruin. Ione, on!—on!'
点击收听单词发音
1 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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2 murkiness | |
n.阴暗;混浊;可疑;黝暗 | |
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3 scorching | |
adj. 灼热的 | |
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4 hues | |
色彩( hue的名词复数 ); 色调; 信仰; 观点 | |
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5 prodigal | |
adj.浪费的,挥霍的,放荡的 | |
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6 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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7 darting | |
v.投掷,投射( dart的现在分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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8 lurid | |
adj.可怕的;血红的;苍白的 | |
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9 crimson | |
n./adj.深(绯)红色(的);vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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10 gushing | |
adj.迸出的;涌出的;喷出的;过分热情的v.喷,涌( gush的现在分词 );滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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11 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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12 lighting | |
n.照明,光线的明暗,舞台灯光 | |
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13 rumbling | |
n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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14 groaning | |
adj. 呜咽的, 呻吟的 动词groan的现在分词形式 | |
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15 hissing | |
n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式 | |
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16 murmur | |
n.低语,低声的怨言;v.低语,低声而言 | |
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17 chasms | |
裂缝( chasm的名词复数 ); 裂口; 分歧; 差别 | |
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18 quaint | |
adj.古雅的,离奇有趣的,奇怪的 | |
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19 vapor | |
n.蒸汽,雾气 | |
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20 vapors | |
n.水汽,水蒸气,无实质之物( vapor的名词复数 );自夸者;幻想 [药]吸入剂 [古]忧郁(症)v.自夸,(使)蒸发( vapor的第三人称单数 ) | |
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21 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
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22 suffocating | |
a.使人窒息的 | |
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23 hurled | |
v.猛投,用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 );大声叫骂 | |
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24 obstructed | |
阻塞( obstruct的过去式和过去分词 ); 堵塞; 阻碍; 阻止 | |
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25 countless | |
adj.无数的,多得不计其数的 | |
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26 combustible | |
a. 易燃的,可燃的; n. 易燃物,可燃物 | |
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27 intervals | |
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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28 porticoes | |
n.柱廊,(有圆柱的)门廊( portico的名词复数 ) | |
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29 portico | |
n.柱廊,门廊 | |
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30 forum | |
n.论坛,讨论会 | |
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31 momentary | |
adj.片刻的,瞬息的;短暂的 | |
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32 fugitives | |
n.亡命者,逃命者( fugitive的名词复数 ) | |
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33 cinders | |
n.煤渣( cinder的名词复数 );炭渣;煤渣路;煤渣跑道 | |
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34 flickering | |
adj.闪烁的,摇曳的,一闪一闪的 | |
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35 laden | |
adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 | |
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36 chuckling | |
轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 ) | |
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37 machinery | |
n.(总称)机械,机器;机构 | |
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38 primal | |
adj.原始的;最重要的 | |
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39 wade | |
v.跋涉,涉水;n.跋涉 | |
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40 onward | |
adj.向前的,前进的;adv.向前,前进,在先 | |
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41 retraced | |
v.折回( retrace的过去式和过去分词 );回忆;回顾;追溯 | |
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42 windings | |
(道路、河流等)蜿蜒的,弯曲的( winding的名词复数 ); 缠绕( wind的现在分词 ); 卷绕; 转动(把手) | |
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43 maze | |
n.迷宫,八阵图,混乱,迷惑 | |
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44 despondent | |
adj.失望的,沮丧的,泄气的 | |
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45 alas | |
int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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46 hush | |
int.嘘,别出声;n.沉默,静寂;v.使安静 | |
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47 betrothed | |
n. 已订婚者 动词betroth的过去式和过去分词 | |
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48 labor | |
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦 | |
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49 dismal | |
adj.阴沉的,凄凉的,令人忧郁的,差劲的 | |
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50 recede | |
vi.退(去),渐渐远去;向后倾斜,缩进 | |
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51 shriek | |
v./n.尖叫,叫喊 | |
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52 cowered | |
v.畏缩,抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
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53 beheld | |
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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54 shudder | |
v.战粟,震动,剧烈地摇晃;n.战粟,抖动 | |
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55 doomed | |
命定的 | |
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56 accosted | |
v.走过去跟…讲话( accost的过去式和过去分词 );跟…搭讪;(乞丐等)上前向…乞讨;(妓女等)勾搭 | |
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57 quelled | |
v.(用武力)制止,结束,镇压( quell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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58 nay | |
adv.不;n.反对票,投反对票者 | |
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59 lighter | |
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级 | |
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60 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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61 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
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62 Christians | |
n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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63 woe | |
n.悲哀,苦痛,不幸,困难;int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
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64 shrill | |
adj.尖声的;刺耳的;v尖叫 | |
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65 behold | |
v.看,注视,看到 | |
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66 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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67 mighty | |
adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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68 tottered | |
v.走得或动得不稳( totter的过去式和过去分词 );踉跄;蹒跚;摇摇欲坠 | |
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69 miser | |
n.守财奴,吝啬鬼 (adj.miserly) | |
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70 wretch | |
n.可怜的人,不幸的人;卑鄙的人 | |
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