'What ails1 you, Sister Erin, that your face
Is, like your mountains, still bedewed with tears?
. . . . . . .
Forgive! forget! lest harsher lips should say,
Like your turf fire, your rancour smoulders long,
And let Oblivion strew2 Time's ashes o'er your wrong.'
Alfred Austin.
At tea-time, and again after our simple dinner--for Bridget Thunder's repertory is not large, and Benella's is quite unsuited to the Knockcool markets--we wend our way to a certain house that stands by itself on the road to Lisdara. It is only a whitewashed3 cabin with green window trimmings, but it is a larger and more comfortable one than we commonly see, and it is the perfection of neatness within and without. The stone wall that encloses it is whitewashed too, and the iron picket4 railing at the top is painted bright green; the stones on the posts are green also, and there is the prettiest possible garden, with nicely cut borders of box. In fine, if ever there was a cheery place to look at, Sarsfield Cottage is that one; and if ever there was a cheerless gentleman, it is Mr. Jordan, who dwells there. Mrs. Wogan Odevaine commended him to us as the man of all others with whom to discuss Irish questions, if we wanted, for once in a way, to hear a thoroughly5 disaffected6, outraged7, wrong-headed, and rancorous view of things.
"He is an encyclopaedia8, and he is perfectly9 delightful10 on any topic in the universe but the wrongs of Ireland," said she; "not entirely11 sane12 and yet a good father, and a good neighbour, and a good talker. Faith, he can abuse the English government with any man alive! He has a smaller grudge13 against you Americans, perhaps, than against most of the other nations, so possibly he may elect to discuss something more cheerful than our national grievances14; if he does, and you want a livelier topic, just mention--let me see--you might speak of Wentworth, who destroyed Ireland's woollen industry, though it is true he laid the foundation of the linen16 trade, so he wouldn't do, though Mr. Jordan is likely to remember the former point and forget the latter. Well, just breathe the words 'Catholic Disqualification' or 'Ulster Confiscation17,' and you will have as pretty a burst of oratory18 as you'd care to hear. You remember that exasperated19 Englishman who asked in the House why Irishmen were always laying bare their grievances. And Major O'Gorman bawled20 across the floor, 'Because they want them redressed21!'"
Salemina and I went to call on Mr. Jordan the very next day after our arrival at Knockcool. Over the sitting-room22 or library door at Sarsfield Cottage is a coat of arms with the motto of the Jordans, 'Percussus surgam'; and as our friend is descended23 from Richard Jordan of Knock, who died on the scaffold at Claremorris in the memorable24 year 1798, I find that he is related to me, for one of the De Exeter Jordans married Penelope O'Connor, daughter of the king of Connaught. He took her to wife, too, when the espousal of anything Irish, names, language, apparel, customs, or daughters, was high treason, and meant instant confiscation of estates. I never thought of mentioning the relationship, for obviously a family cannot hold grievances for hundreds of years and bequeath a sense of humour at the same time.
The name Jordan is derived25, it appears, from a noble ancestor who was banner-bearer in the Crusades and who distinguished26 himself in many battles, but particularly in one fought against the infidels on the banks of the River Jordan in the Holy Land. In this conflict he was felled to the ground three times during the day, but owing to his gigantic strength, his great valour, and the number of the Saracens prostrated27 by his sword, he succeeded in escaping death and keeping the banner of the Cross hoisted28; hence by way of eminence29 he was called Jordan; and the motto of this illustrious family ever since has been, 'Though I fall I rise.'
Mr. Jordan's wife has been long dead, but he has four sons, only one of them, Napper Tandy, living at home. Theobald Wolfe Tone is practising law in Dublin; Hamilton Rowan is a physician in Cork30; and Daniel O'Connell, commonly called 'Lib' (a delicate reference to the Liberator31), is still a lad at Trinity. It is a great pity that Mr. Jordan could not have had a larger family, that he might have kept fresh in the national heart the names of a few more patriots32; for his library walls, 'where Memory sits by the altar she has raised to Woe,' are hung with engravings and prints of celebrated33 insurgents34, rebels, agitators35, demagogues, denunciators, conspirators36,--pictures of anybody, in a word, who ever struck a blow, right or wrong, well or ill judged, for the green isle37. That gallant38 Jacobite, Patrick Sarsfield, Burke, Grattan, Flood, and Robert Emmet stand shoulder to shoulder with three Fenian gentlemen, names Allan, Larkin, and O'Brien, known in ultra-Nationalist circles as the 'Manchester martyrs39.' For some years after this trio was hanged in Salford jail, it appears that the infant mind was sadly mixed in its attempt to separate knowledge in the concrete from the more or less abstract information contained in the Catechism; and many a bishop40 was shocked, when asking in the confirmation41 service, "Who are the martyrs?" to be told, "Allan, Larkin, and O'Brien, me lord!"
Francesca says she longs to smuggle42 into Mr. Jordan's library a picture of Tom Steele, one of Daniel O'Connell's henchmen, to whom he gave the title of Head Pacificator of Ireland. Many amusing stories are told of this official, of his gaudy43 uniform, his strut44 and swagger, and his pompous45 language. At a political meeting on one occasion, he attacked, it seems, one Peter Purcell, a Dublin tradesman who had fallen out with the Liberator on some minor46 question. "Say no more on the subject, Tom," cried O'Connell, who was in the chair, "I forgive Peter from the bottom of my heart."
"You may forgive him, liberator and saviour47 of my country," rejoined Steele, in a characteristic burst of his amazingly fervent48 rhetoric49. "Yes, you, in the discharge of your ethereal functions as the moral regenerator50 of Ireland, may forgive him; but, revered51 leader, I also have functions of my own to perform; and I tell you that, as Head Pacificator of Ireland, I can never forgive the diabolical52 villain53 that dared to dispute your august will."
The doughty54 Steele, who appears to have been but poorly fitted by nature for his office, was considered at the time to be half a madman, but as Sir James O'Connell, Daniel's candid55 brother, said, "And who the divil else would take such a job?" At any rate, when we gaze at Mr. Jordan's gallery, imagining the scene that would ensue were the breath of life breathed into the patriots' quivering nostrils56, we feel sure that the Head Pacificator would be kept busy.
Dear old white-haired Mr. Jordan, known in select circles as 'Grievance15 Jordan,' sitting in his library surrounded by his denunciators, conspirators, and martyrs, with incendiary documents piled mountains high on his desk--what a pathetic anachronism he is after all!
The shillelagh is hung on the wall now, for the most part, and faction57 fighting is at an end; but in the very last moments of it there were still 'ructions' between the Fitzgeralds and the Moriartys, and the age-old reason of the quarrel was, according to the Fitzgeralds, the betrayal of the 'Cause of Ireland.' The particular instance occurred in the sixteenth century, but no Fitzgerald could ever afterward58 meet any Moriarty at a fair without crying, "Who dare tread on the tail of me coat?" and inviting59 him to join in the dishcussion with shticks. This practically is Mr. Jordan's position; and if an Irishman desires to live entirely in the past, he can be as unhappy as any man alive. He is writing a book, which Mrs. Wogan Odevaine insists is to be called The Groans60 of Ireland; but after a glance at a page of memoranda61 pencilled in a collection of Swift's Irish Tracts62 that he lent to me (the volume containing that ghastly piece of irony63, The Modest Proposal for Preventing the Poor of Ireland from being a Burden to their Parents and Country), I have concluded that he is editing a Catalogue of Irish Wrongs, Alphabetically64 Arranged. This idea pleased Mrs. Wogan Odevaine extremely; and when she drove over to tea, bringing several cheerful young people to call upon us, she proposed, in the most light-hearted way in the world, to play what she termed the Grievance Game, an intellectual diversion which she had invented on the instant. She proposed it, apparently65, with a view of showing us how small a knowledge of Ireland's ancient wrongs is the property of the modern Irish girl, and how slight a hold on her memory and imagination have the unspeakably bitter days of the long ago.
We were each given pencil and paper, and two or three letters of the alphabet, and bidden to arrange the wrongs of Ireland neatly66 under them, as we supposed Mr. Jordan to be doing for the instruction and the depression of posterity67. The result proved that Mrs. Odevaine was a true prophet, for the youngest members of the coterie68 came off badly enough, and read their brief list of grievances with much chagrin69 at their lack of knowledge; the only piece of information they possessed70 in common being the inherited idea that England never had understood Ireland, never would, never could, never should, never might understand her.
Rosetta Odevaine succeeded in remembering, for A, F, and H, Absenteeism, Flight of the Earls, Famine, and Hunger; her elder sister, Eileen, fresh from college, was rather triumphant71 with O and P, giving us Oppression of the Irish Tenantry, Penal72 Laws, Protestant Supremacy73, Poynings' Law, Potato Rot, and Plantations74. Their friend, Rhona Burke, had V, W, X, Y, Z, and succeeded only in finding Wentworth and Woollen Trade Destroyed, until Miss Odevaine helped her with Wood's Halfpence, about which everybody else had to be enlightened; and there was plenty of laughter when Francesca suggested for V, Vipers75 Expelled by St. Patrick. Salemina carried off the first prize; but we insisted C and D were the easiest letters; at any rate, her list showed great erudition, and would certainly have pleased Mr. Jordan. C, Church Cess, Catholic Disqualification, Crimes Act of 1887, Confiscations, Cromwell, Carrying Away of Lia Fail (Stone of Destiny) from Tara. D, Destruction of Trees on Confiscated76 Lands, Discoverers (of flaws in Irish titles), Debasing of the Coinage by James I.
Mrs. Odevaine came next with R and S. R, Recall of Lord Fitzwilliams by Pitt, Rundale Land Tenure77, Rack-Rents, Ribbonism. S, Schism78 Act, Supremacy Act, Sixth Act of George I.
I followed with T and U, having unearthed79 Tithes80 and the Test Act for the first, and Undertakers, the Acts of Union and Uniformity, for the second; while Francesca, who had been given I, J, K, L, and M, disgraced herself by failing on all the letters but the last, under which she finally catalogued one particularly obnoxious81 wrong in Middlemen.
This ignorance of the past may have its bright side, after all, though to speak truthfully, it did show a too scanty82 knowledge of national history. But if one must forget, it is as well to begin with the wrongs of far-off years, those 'done to your ancient name or wreaked83 upon your race.'
1 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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2 strew | |
vt.撒;使散落;撒在…上,散布于 | |
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3 whitewashed | |
粉饰,美化,掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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4 picket | |
n.纠察队;警戒哨;v.设置纠察线;布置警卫 | |
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5 thoroughly | |
adv.完全地,彻底地,十足地 | |
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6 disaffected | |
adj.(政治上)不满的,叛离的 | |
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7 outraged | |
a.震惊的,义愤填膺的 | |
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8 encyclopaedia | |
n.百科全书 | |
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9 perfectly | |
adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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10 delightful | |
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的 | |
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11 entirely | |
ad.全部地,完整地;完全地,彻底地 | |
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12 sane | |
adj.心智健全的,神志清醒的,明智的,稳健的 | |
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13 grudge | |
n.不满,怨恨,妒嫉;vt.勉强给,不情愿做 | |
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14 grievances | |
n.委屈( grievance的名词复数 );苦衷;不满;牢骚 | |
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15 grievance | |
n.怨愤,气恼,委屈 | |
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16 linen | |
n.亚麻布,亚麻线,亚麻制品;adj.亚麻布制的,亚麻的 | |
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17 confiscation | |
n. 没收, 充公, 征收 | |
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18 oratory | |
n.演讲术;词藻华丽的言辞 | |
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19 exasperated | |
adj.恼怒的 | |
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20 bawled | |
v.大叫,大喊( bawl的过去式和过去分词 );放声大哭;大声叫出;叫卖(货物) | |
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21 redressed | |
v.改正( redress的过去式和过去分词 );重加权衡;恢复平衡 | |
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22 sitting-room | |
n.(BrE)客厅,起居室 | |
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23 descended | |
a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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24 memorable | |
adj.值得回忆的,难忘的,特别的,显著的 | |
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25 derived | |
vi.起源;由来;衍生;导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 );(从…中)得到获得;源于;(从…中)提取 | |
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26 distinguished | |
adj.卓越的,杰出的,著名的 | |
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27 prostrated | |
v.使俯伏,使拜倒( prostrate的过去式和过去分词 );(指疾病、天气等)使某人无能为力 | |
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28 hoisted | |
把…吊起,升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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29 eminence | |
n.卓越,显赫;高地,高处;名家 | |
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30 cork | |
n.软木,软木塞 | |
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31 liberator | |
解放者 | |
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32 patriots | |
爱国者,爱国主义者( patriot的名词复数 ) | |
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33 celebrated | |
adj.有名的,声誉卓著的 | |
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34 insurgents | |
n.起义,暴动,造反( insurgent的名词复数 ) | |
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35 agitators | |
n.(尤指政治变革的)鼓动者( agitator的名词复数 );煽动者;搅拌器;搅拌机 | |
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36 conspirators | |
n.共谋者,阴谋家( conspirator的名词复数 ) | |
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37 isle | |
n.小岛,岛 | |
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38 gallant | |
adj.英勇的,豪侠的;(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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39 martyrs | |
n.martyr的复数形式;烈士( martyr的名词复数 );殉道者;殉教者;乞怜者(向人诉苦以博取同情) | |
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40 bishop | |
n.主教,(国际象棋)象 | |
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41 confirmation | |
n.证实,确认,批准 | |
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42 smuggle | |
vt.私运;vi.走私 | |
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43 gaudy | |
adj.华而不实的;俗丽的 | |
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44 strut | |
v.肿胀,鼓起;大摇大摆地走;炫耀;支撑;撑开;n.高视阔步;支柱,撑杆 | |
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45 pompous | |
adj.傲慢的,自大的;夸大的;豪华的 | |
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46 minor | |
adj.较小(少)的,较次要的;n.辅修学科;vi.辅修 | |
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47 saviour | |
n.拯救者,救星 | |
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48 fervent | |
adj.热的,热烈的,热情的 | |
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49 rhetoric | |
n.修辞学,浮夸之言语 | |
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50 regenerator | |
n.收革者,交流换热器,再生器;蓄热器 | |
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51 revered | |
v.崇敬,尊崇,敬畏( revere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52 diabolical | |
adj.恶魔似的,凶暴的 | |
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53 villain | |
n.反派演员,反面人物;恶棍;问题的起因 | |
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54 doughty | |
adj.勇猛的,坚强的 | |
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55 candid | |
adj.公正的,正直的;坦率的 | |
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56 nostrils | |
鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
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57 faction | |
n.宗派,小集团;派别;派系斗争 | |
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58 afterward | |
adv.后来;以后 | |
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59 inviting | |
adj.诱人的,引人注目的 | |
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60 groans | |
n.呻吟,叹息( groan的名词复数 );呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦 | |
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61 memoranda | |
n. 备忘录, 便条 名词memorandum的复数形式 | |
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62 tracts | |
大片土地( tract的名词复数 ); 地带; (体内的)道; (尤指宣扬宗教、伦理或政治的)短文 | |
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63 irony | |
n.反语,冷嘲;具有讽刺意味的事,嘲弄 | |
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64 alphabetically | |
adv.照字母顺序排列地 | |
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65 apparently | |
adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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66 neatly | |
adv.整洁地,干净地,灵巧地,熟练地 | |
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67 posterity | |
n.后裔,子孙,后代 | |
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68 coterie | |
n.(有共同兴趣的)小团体,小圈子 | |
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69 chagrin | |
n.懊恼;气愤;委屈 | |
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70 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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71 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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72 penal | |
adj.刑罚的;刑法上的 | |
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73 supremacy | |
n.至上;至高权力 | |
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74 plantations | |
n.种植园,大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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75 vipers | |
n.蝰蛇( viper的名词复数 );毒蛇;阴险恶毒的人;奸诈者 | |
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76 confiscated | |
没收,充公( confiscate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77 tenure | |
n.终身职位;任期;(土地)保有权,保有期 | |
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78 schism | |
n.分派,派系,分裂 | |
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79 unearthed | |
出土的(考古) | |
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80 tithes | |
n.(宗教捐税)什一税,什一的教区税,小部分( tithe的名词复数 ) | |
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81 obnoxious | |
adj.极恼人的,讨人厌的,可憎的 | |
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82 scanty | |
adj.缺乏的,仅有的,节省的,狭小的,不够的 | |
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83 wreaked | |
诉诸(武力),施行(暴力),发(脾气)( wreak的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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