THE MERCHANT

 IMAGINE, mother, that you are to stay at home and I am to travel into strange lands.

 

Imagine that my boat is ready at the landing fully¹ laden².

 

Now think well, mother, before you say what I shall bring for you when I come back.

 

Mother, do you want heaps and heaps of gold?

 

There, by the banks of golden streams, fields are full of golden harvest.

 

And in the shade of the forest path the golden champa flowers drop on the ground.

 

I will gather them all for you in many hundred baskets.

 

Mother, do you want pearls big as the raindrops of autumn?

 

I shall cross to the pearl island shore. There in the early morning light pearls tremble on the meadow flowers, pearls drop on the grass, and pearls are scattered³ on the sand in spray by the wild sea-waves.

 

My brother shall have a pair of horses with wings to fly among the clouds.

 

For father I shall bring a magic pen that, without his knowing, will write of itself.

 

For you, mother, I must have the casket and jewel that cost seven kings their kingdoms.

1 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

2 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。