Chapter 14

The Little Tower

Up and away through the drifting rain!

Let us ride to the Little Tower again,

Up and away from the council board!

Do on the hauberk, gird on the sword.

The king is blind with gnashing his teeth,

Change gilded¹ scabbard to leather sheath:

Though our arms are wet with the slanting² rain,

This is joy to ride to my love again:

I laugh in his face when he bids me yield;

Who knows one field from the other field,

For the grey rain driveth all astray?

Which way through the floods, good carle, I pray

The left side yet! the left side yet!

Till your hand strikes on the bridge parapet.

Yea so: the causeway holdeth good

Under the water? Hard as wood,

Right away to the uplands; speed, good knight³!

Seven hours yet before the light.

Shake the wet off on the upland road;

My tabard has grown a heavy load.

What matter? up and down hill after hill;

Dead grey night for five hours still.

The hill-road droppeth lower again,

Lower, down to the poplar plain.

No furlong farther for us to-night,

The Little Tower draweth in sight;

They are ringing the bells, and the torches glare,

Therefore the roofs of wet slate⁴ stare.

There she stands, and her yellow hair slantingly

Drifts the same way that the rain goes by.

Who will be faithful to us today,

With little but hard glaive-strokes for pay?

The grim king fumes⁵ at the council-board:

Three more days, and then the sword;

Three more days, and my sword through his head;

And above his white brows, pale and dead,

A paper crown on the top of the spire⁶;

And for her the stake and the witches’ fire.

Therefore though it be long ere day,

Take axe⁷ and pick and spade, I pray.

Break the dams down all over the plain:

God send us three more days such rain!

Block all the upland roads with trees;

The Little Tower with no great ease

Is won, I warrant; bid them bring

Much sheep and oxen, everything

The spits are wont⁸ to turn with; wine

And wheaten bread, that we may dine

In plenty each day of the siege.

Good friends, ye know me no hard liege;

My lady is right fair, see ye!

Pray God to keep you frank and free.

Love Isabeau, keep goodly cheer;

The Little Tower will stand well here

Many a year when we are dead,

And over it our green and red,

Barred with the Lady’s golden head,

From mere⁹ old age when we are dead.

1 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡

2 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

3 knight   

n.骑士，武士；爵士

参考例句：

• He was made an honourary knight.他被授予荣誉爵士称号。
• A knight rode on his richly caparisoned steed.一个骑士骑在装饰华丽的马上。

4 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

5 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

6 spire   

n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点

参考例句：

• The church spire was struck by lightning.教堂的尖顶遭到了雷击。
• They could just make out the spire of the church in the distance.他们只能辨认出远处教堂的尖塔。

7 axe   

n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减

参考例句：

• Be careful with that sharp axe.那把斧子很锋利，你要当心。
• The edge of this axe has turned.这把斧子卷了刃了。

8 wont   

adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯

参考例句：

• He was wont to say that children are lazy.他常常说小孩子们懒惰。
• It is his wont to get up early.早起是他的习惯。

9 mere   

adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过

参考例句：

• That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲的话。
• It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。