Chapter 16

Spell-Bound

How weary is it none can tell,

How dismally¹ the days go by!

I hear the tinkling² of the bell,

I see the cross against the sky.

The year wears round to Autumn-tide,

Yet comes no reaper³ to the corn;

The golden land is like a bride

When first she knows herself forlorn;

She sits and weeps with all her hair

Laid downward over tender hands;

For stainèd silk she hath no care,

No care for broken ivory wands;

The silver cups beside her stand;

The golden stars on the blue roof

Yet glitter, though against her hand

His cold sword presses for a proof

He is not dead, but gone away.

How many hours did she wait

For me, I wonder? Till the day

Had faded wholly, and the gate

Clanged to behind returning knights⁵?

I wonder did she raise her head

And go away, fleeing the lights;

And lay the samite on her bed,

The wedding samite strewn with pearls:

Then sit with hands laid on her knees,

Shuddering⁷ at half-heard sound of girls

That chatter⁸ outside in the breeze?

I wonder did her poor heart throb⁹

At distant tramp of coming knight⁶?

How often did the choking sob¹⁰

Raise up her head and lips? The light,

Did it come on her unawares,

And drag her sternly down before

People who loved her not? in prayers

Did she say one name and no more?

And once, all songs they ever sung,

All tales they ever told to me,

This only burden through them rung:

O golden love that waitest me!

The days pass on, pass on apace,

Sometimes I have a little rest

In fairest dreams, when on thy face

My lips lie, or thy hands are prest

About my forehead, and thy lips

Draw near and nearer to mine own;

But when the vision from me slips,

In colourless dawn I lie and moan,

And wander forth¹¹ with fever’d blood,

That makes me start at little things,

The blackbird screaming from the wood,

The sudden whirr of pheasants’ wings.

O dearest, scarcely seen by me!

But when that wild time had gone by,

And in these arms I folded thee,

Who ever thought those days could die?

Yet now I wait, and you wait too,

For what perchance may never come;

You think I have forgotten you,

That I grew tired and went home.

But what if some day as I stood

Against the wall with strainèd hands,

And turn’d my face toward the wood,

Away from all the golden lands;

And saw you come with tired feet,

And pale face thin and wan⁴ with care,

And stainèd raiment no more neat,

The white dust lying on your hair:

Then I should say, I could not come;

This land was my wide prison, dear;

I could not choose but go; at home

There is a wizard whom I fear:

He bound me round with silken chains

I could not break; he set me here

Above the golden-waving plains,

Where never reaper cometh near.

And you have brought me my good sword,

Wherewith in happy days of old

I won you well from knight and lord;

My heart upswells and I grow bold.

But I shall die unless you stand,

Half lying now, you are so weak,

Within my arms, unless your hand

Pass to and fro across my cheek.

1 dismally   

adv.阴暗地，沉闷地

参考例句：

• Fei Little Beard assented dismally. 费小胡子哭丧着脸回答。 来自子夜部分
• He began to howl dismally. 它就凄凉地吠叫起来。 来自辞典例句

2 tinkling   

n.丁当作响声

参考例句：

• I could hear bells tinkling in the distance. 我能听到远处叮当铃响。
• To talk to him was like listening to the tinkling of a worn-out musical-box. 跟他说话，犹如听一架老掉牙的八音盒子丁冬响。 来自英汉文学

3 reaper   

n.收割者，收割机

参考例句：

• The painting is organized about a young reaper enjoying his noonday rest.这幅画的画面设计成一个年轻的割禾人在午间休息。
• A rabbit got caught in the blades of the reaper.一只兔子被卷到收割机的刀刃中去了。

4 wan   

(wide area network)广域网

参考例句：

• The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。

5 knights   

骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马

参考例句：

• stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
• He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。

6 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。

7 shuddering   

v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动

参考例句：

• 'I am afraid of it,'she answered, shuddering. “我害怕，”她发着抖，说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
• She drew a deep shuddering breath. 她不由得打了个寒噤，深深吸了口气。 来自飘（部分）

8 chatter   

vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me.她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。
• I've had enough of their continual chatter.我已厌烦了他们喋喋不休的闲谈。

9 throb   

v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动

参考例句：

• She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
• The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。

10 sob   

n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣

参考例句：

• The child started to sob when he couldn't find his mother.孩子因找不到他妈妈哭了起来。
• The girl didn't answer,but continued to sob with her head on the table.那个女孩不回答，也不抬起头来。她只顾低声哭着。

11 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。