Chapter 4 The Vineyard

AT the eleventh hour he came.
But his wages were the same
As ours who all day long had trod
The wine-press of the Wrath¹ of God.
When he shouldered through the lines
Of our cropped and mangled² vines.
His unjaded eye could scan
How each hour had marked its man.
(Children of the morning — tide
With the hosts of noon had died;
And our noon contingents³ lay
Dead with twilight’s spent array.)
Since his back had felt no load
Virtue⁴ still in him abode⁵;
So he swiftly made his own
Those last spoils we had not won.
We went home, delivered thence.
Grudging⁶ him no recompense
Till he portioned praise or blame
To our works before he came.
Till he showed us for our good —
Deaf to mirth, and blind to scorn — How we might have best withstood
Burdens that he had not borne!

1 wrath   

n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒

参考例句：

• His silence marked his wrath. 他的沉默表明了他的愤怒。
• The wrath of the people is now aroused. 人们被激怒了。

2 mangled   

vt.乱砍（mangle的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• His hand was mangled in the machine. 他的手卷到机器里轧烂了。
• He was off work because he'd mangled his hand in a machine. 他没上班，因为他的手给机器严重压伤了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 contingents   

（志趣相投、尤指来自同一地方的）一组与会者( contingent的名词复数 )； 代表团； （军队的）分遣队； 小分队

参考例句：

• We were forced to rely on French contingents. 我们势必被迫依恃法国驻军。
• The internal security forces are composed of contingents and mobile divisions. 内卫部队由各总队和机动师组成。

4 virtue   

n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• You need to decorate your mind with virtue.你应该用德行美化心灵。

5 abode   

n.住处，住所

参考例句：

• It was ten months before my father discovered his abode.父亲花了十个月的功夫，才好不容易打听到他的住处。
• Welcome to our humble abode!欢迎光临寒舍！

6 grudging   

adj.勉强的，吝啬的

参考例句：

• He felt a grudging respect for her talents as an organizer.他勉强地对她的组织才能表示尊重。
• After a pause he added"sir."in a dilatory,grudging way.停了一会他才慢吞吞地、勉勉强强地加了一声“先生”。