CHAPTER XXVIII HONEY-CRAFT OLD AND NEW

 There never comes, in early April, that first bright hot day which means the beginning of outdoor work on the bee-farm, but I fall to thinking of old times with a great longing¹ to have them back again.

 

Modern beemanship, at least to the wide-awake folk in the craft, brings in gold pieces now where formerly² one had much ado to make shillings.  But profit cannot always be reckoned in money.  The old mysteries and the old delusions³ were a sort of capital that paid cent per cent if you only humoured them aright.  Bee-men, who flourished when there was a young queen upon the throne, wore their ignorance as the parson his silk and lawn.  It was something that set them apart and above their neighbours.  All that the bees did was put to their credit, just for the trouble of a wise wag of the head and a little timely reticence⁴.  The organ-blower worked in full view of the congregation, while the player sat invisibly within, so the blower, after the common trend of earthly affairs, got all the glory for the tune⁵.

 

There are no mysteries now in honey-craft.  Science has dragooned the fairies out of sight and hearing as a man treads out sparks in the whin.  But, though the mysteries have gone, the old music of the hives is still here as sweet as ever.  This morning, when the sun was but an hour over the hilltop, I rose from my bed, and, coming down the creaking stair through the silence and half-darkness, threw the heavy old house-door back.  At once the level sunshine and the song of bees and birds came pouring in together.  There was the loud humming of bees in the leafing honeysuckle of the porch, and the soft low note of the hives beyond.  In its plan to-day Warrilow Bee-farm reveals the whole story of its growth from times long gone to the present.  All the hives near the cottage are old-fashioned skeps of straw, covered in with three sticks and a hackle.  A little way down the slope the ancient bee-boxes begin, eight-sided Stewartons mostly, with the green veneer⁶ of decades upon some of them.  Beyond these stand the first rack-frame hives that ever came to Warrilow; and thence, stretching away down the sunny hillside in long trim rows, are the modern frame-bar hives, spick and span in their new Joseph’s coats of paint, with the gillyflowers driving golden shafts⁷ between them, until they reach the line of sheds—comb and honey-stores, extracting-house, and workshops—marking the distant lane-side.

 

The Water-carriers

As I stood in the doorway⁸, caught by the mesmeric sheen of the light and the beauty of the morning, the humming of the bees overhead grew louder and louder.  There were no flowers as yet to attract them, but in early April the dense⁹ canopy¹⁰ of honeysuckle here is always besieged¹¹ with bees, directly the sun has warmed the clinging dewdrops.  These were the water-carriers from the hives.  Water at this time is one of the main necessities of bee-life.  With it the workers are able to reduce the thick honey and the dry pollen¹² to the right consistency¹³ for consumption, and can then generate the bee-milk with which the young larvæ are fed.  Later on in the day the water-fetchers will crowd in hundreds to the oozy¹⁴ pond-side down in the valley—every bee-garden has its ancestral drinking-place invariably resorted to year after year.  But thus early the pond-water is too cold for safe transport by so chilly¹⁵ a mortal as the little worker-bee; so Nature warms a temporary supply for her here where the dew trembles like drops of molten rainbow at the tip of each woodbine leaf.

 

I drank myself a deep draught¹⁶ from the well that goes down a sheer sixty feet into the virgin¹⁷ chalk of the hillside, and fell to loitering through the garden ways.  Though it was so early, the little oil-engine down below in the hive-making shed was already coughing shrilly¹⁸ through its vent-pipe, and the saw thrumming.  Here and there among the hives my men stooped at their work.  The pony¹⁹ was harnessing to the cart, and would soon be plodding²⁰ the three-mile-long road to the station with the day’s deliveries of honey.  By all laws of duty I should be down there, taking my row of hives with the rest—master and men side by side like a string of turnip-hoers—busy at the spring examination which, as all bee-men know, is the most important work of the year.  But the very thought of opening hives, now in the first warm break of April weather or at any time, filled me with a strange loathing²¹.  So it never used to be, never could be, in the old days whose memory always comes flooding back to me at this season with such a clear call and such a hindrance²² to progress and duty.  Then I had as little dreamed of opening a hive as opening a vein²³.  I should have done no more than I was doing now—passing from one old straw skep to another through the sweet vernal sunshine, my boots scattering²⁴ the dew from the grass as I went, and looking for signs that tell the bee-man nearly all he really needs to know.  I shut my ears to the throaty song of the engine.  I heard the cart drive away without a thought of scanning its load.  I got me down in a little nook of red currant flowers under the wall, where the old straw hives were thickest, and gave myself up to idle dreams, dreams of the bees and bee-men of long ago.

 

I should be splitting elder, thought I; splitting the long, straight wands to make feeding-troughs.  I called to mind doing it, here on this self-same bench near upon fifty years ago, with my father, the woodman, sitting at my elbow learning me.  We split the wands clean and true, scooped²⁵ out the pith from each half, and dammed up its ends with clay.  Then, with a handful of these crescent troughs and a can of syrup²⁶, we went the round of the garden together looking for stocks that were short of stores.  When we found one, we pushed the hollow slip of elder gently into the hive-entrance as far as it would go, and filled it with syrup, filling it again and again throughout the day as the bees within drank it dry.

 

The Old Style and the New

A queer figure my father cut in his short grey smock and his long lean bent²⁷ legs encased in leathern gaiters, legs between which, when I was little, and trotting²⁸ after him, I had always a fine view of the sky.  He was never at fault in his estimate of a hive’s prosperity.  The rich clear song and steady traffic of a well-to-do bee-nation he knew at once from the anxious note and frantic²⁹ coming and going of a starvation-threatened hive.  It was the tune that told him.  Nowadays we just rip the coverings from a hive and, lifting the combs out one by one, judge by sheer brute-force of eyesight whether there be need or plenty.  “One-thirty-two!”—from my sunny seat under the pink currant blossom I can hear the call of the foreman to the booking ’prentice down in the bee-farm—“One-thirty-two—six frames covered—no moth—medium light—brood over three—mark R.Q.”  R.Q. means that the stock is to be re-queened at the earliest opportunity.  She has been a famous queen in her time—One-thirty-two.  This would have been her fourth year, had she kept up her fertility.  But “brood over three”—that is to say, only three combs with young bees maturing in them—is not good enough for progressive, up-to-date Warrilow in April, and she must be pinched at last.  In the common course, I never let a queen remain at the head of affairs after her second season.  Nine out of ten of them break down under the wear and stress of two summers, and fall to useless drone-breeding in the third.

 

Already the sun has climbed high, and yet I linger, though I know I should be gone an hour ago.  The darkness, far away as it seems, will not find all done that should be done on the bee-farm, toil³⁰ as hard as we may.  For these sudden hot days in spring often come singly, and every moment of them is precious.  To-morrow the north wind may be keening under an iron-grey sky, and pallid³¹ wreaths of snow-flakes weighing down the almond-blossom.  So it happened only a year ago, when on the twenty-fifth of April I must clear away the snow from the entrance-boards of the hives.  It is, I think, the unending round of business—the itch³² that is on us now of finding a day’s work for every day in the year in modern beecraft—which has had most to do with the changed times.  The old leisure, as well as the old colour and mystery, has gone out of bee-keeping.  Between burning-time in August and swarming-time in May there used to be little else for the bee-master to do but smoke his pipe and ruminate³³ and watch the wax flowing into the hives.  For we all believed that the little pellets of many-tinted pollen which the bees constantly carry in on their thighs³⁴ were not food for the grubs in the cells, but wax for the comb-building.  I could believe it now, indeed, if I might only sit here long enough; but the busy voices are calling, calling, and I must be gone.

1 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

2 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

3 delusions   

n.欺骗( delusion的名词复数 )；谬见；错觉；妄想

参考例句：

• the delusions of the mentally ill 精神病患者的妄想
• She wants to travel first-class: she must have delusions of grandeur. 她想坐头等舱旅行，她一定自以为很了不起。 来自辞典例句

4 reticence   

n.沉默，含蓄

参考例句：

• He breaks out of his normal reticence and tells me the whole story.他打破了平时一贯沈默寡言的习惯，把事情原原本本都告诉了我。
• He always displays a certain reticence in discussing personal matters.他在谈论个人问题时总显得有些保留。

5 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

6 veneer   

n.(墙上的)饰面，虚饰

参考例句：

• For the first time her veneer of politeness began to crack.她温文尔雅的外表第一次露出破绽。
• The panel had a veneer of gold and ivory.这木板上面镶饰了一层金和象牙。

7 shafts   

n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等）

参考例句：

• He deliberately jerked the shafts to rock him a bit. 他故意的上下颠动车把，摇这个老猴子几下。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Shafts were sunk, with tunnels dug laterally. 竖井已经打下，并且挖有横向矿道。 来自辞典例句

8 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

9 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

10 canopy   

n.天篷，遮篷

参考例句：

• The trees formed a leafy canopy above their heads.树木在他们头顶上空形成了一个枝叶茂盛的遮篷。
• They lay down under a canopy of stars.他们躺在繁星点点的天幕下。

11 besieged   

包围，围困，围攻( besiege的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Paris was besieged for four months and forced to surrender. 巴黎被围困了四个月后被迫投降。
• The community besieged the newspaper with letters about its recent editorial. 公众纷纷来信对报社新近发表的社论提出诘问，弄得报社应接不暇。

12 pollen   

n.[植]花粉

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• He developed an allergy to pollen.他对花粉过敏。

13 consistency   

n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度

参考例句：

• Your behaviour lacks consistency.你的行为缺乏一贯性。
• We appreciate the consistency and stability in China and in Chinese politics.我们赞赏中国及其政策的连续性和稳定性。

14 oozy   

adj.软泥的

参考例句：

• What calls erythema oozy sex gastritis? 什么叫红斑渗出性胃炎？ 来自互联网

15 chilly   

adj.凉快的，寒冷的

参考例句：

• I feel chilly without a coat.我由于没有穿大衣而感到凉飕飕的。
• I grew chilly when the fire went out.炉火熄灭后，寒气逼人。

16 draught   

n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计

参考例句：

• He emptied his glass at one draught.他将杯中物一饮而尽。
• It's a pity the room has no north window and you don't get a draught.可惜这房间没北窗，没有过堂风。

17 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

18 shrilly   

尖声的； 光亮的，耀眼的

参考例句：

• The librarian threw back his head and laughed shrilly. 图书管理员把头往后面一仰，尖着嗓子哈哈大笑。
• He half rose in his seat, whistling shrilly between his teeth, waving his hand. 他从车座上半欠起身子，低声打了一个尖锐的唿哨，一面挥挥手。

19 pony   

adj.小型的；n.小马

参考例句：

• His father gave him a pony as a Christmas present.他父亲给了他一匹小马驹作为圣诞礼物。
• They made him pony up the money he owed.他们逼他还债。

20 plodding   

a.proceeding in a slow or dull way

参考例句：

• They're still plodding along with their investigation. 他们仍然在不厌其烦地进行调查。
• He is plodding on with negotiations. 他正缓慢艰难地进行着谈判。

21 loathing   

n.厌恶，憎恨v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的现在分词)；极不喜欢

参考例句：

• She looked at her attacker with fear and loathing . 她盯着襲擊她的歹徒，既害怕又憎恨。
• They looked upon the creature with a loathing undisguised. 他们流露出明显的厌恶看那动物。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

22 hindrance   

n.妨碍，障碍

参考例句：

• Now they can construct tunnel systems without hindrance.现在他们可以顺利地建造隧道系统了。
• The heavy baggage was a great hindrance to me.那件行李成了我的大累赘。

23 vein   

n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络

参考例句：

• The girl is not in the vein for singing today.那女孩今天没有心情唱歌。
• The doctor injects glucose into the patient's vein.医生把葡萄糖注射入病人的静脉。

24 scattering   

n.[物]散射；散乱，分散；在媒介质中的散播adj.散乱的；分散在不同范围的；广泛扩散的；（选票）数量分散的v.散射(scatter的ing形式)；散布；驱散

参考例句：

• The child felle into a rage and began scattering its toys about. 这孩子突发狂怒，把玩具扔得满地都是。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The farmers are scattering seed. 农夫们在播种。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 scooped   

v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• They scooped the other newspapers by revealing the matter. 他们抢先报道了这件事。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The wheels scooped up stones which hammered ominously under the car. 车轮搅起的石块，在车身下发出不吉祥的锤击声。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 syrup   

n.糖浆，糖水

参考例句：

• I skimmed the foam from the boiling syrup.我撇去了煮沸糖浆上的泡沫。
• Tinned fruit usually has a lot of syrup with it.罐头水果通常都有许多糖浆。

27 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

28 trotting   

小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走

参考例句：

• The riders came trotting down the lane. 这骑手骑着马在小路上慢跑。
• Alan took the reins and the small horse started trotting. 艾伦抓住缰绳，小马开始慢跑起来。

29 frantic   

adj.狂乱的，错乱的，激昂的

参考例句：

• I've had a frantic rush to get my work done.我急急忙忙地赶完工作。
• He made frantic dash for the departing train.他发疯似地冲向正开出的火车。

30 toil   

vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事

参考例句：

• The wealth comes from the toil of the masses.财富来自大众的辛勤劳动。
• Every single grain is the result of toil.每一粒粮食都来之不易。

31 pallid   

adj.苍白的，呆板的

参考例句：

• The moon drifted from behind the clouds and exposed the pallid face.月亮从云朵后面钻出来，照着尸体那张苍白的脸。
• His dry pallid face often looked gaunt.他那张干瘪苍白的脸常常显得憔悴。

32 itch   

n.痒，渴望，疥癣；vi.发痒，渴望

参考例句：

• Shylock has an itch for money.夏洛克渴望发财。
• He had an itch on his back.他背部发痒。

33 ruminate   

v.反刍；沉思

参考例句：

• It is worth while to ruminate over his remarks.他的话值得玩味。
• The cow began to ruminate after eating up grass.牛吃完草后开始反刍。

34 thighs   

n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿

参考例句：

• He's gone to London for skin grafts on his thighs. 他去伦敦做大腿植皮手术了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The water came up to the fisherman's thighs. 水没到了渔夫的大腿。 来自《简明英汉词典》