Chapter 20

Golden Wings

Midways of a wallèd garden,

In the happy poplar land,

Did an ancient castle stand,

With an old knight¹ for a warden².

Many scarlet³ bricks there were

In its walls, and old grey stone;

Over which red apples shone

At the right time of the year.

On the bricks the green moss⁴ grew.

Yellow lichen⁵ on the stone,

Over which red apples shone;

Little war that castle knew.

Deep green water fill’d the moat,

Each side had a red-brick lip,

Green and mossy with the drip

Of dew and rain; there was a boat

Of carven wood, with hangings green

About the stern; it was great bliss⁶

For lovers to sit there and kiss

In the hot summer noons, not seen.

Across the moat the fresh west wind

In very little ripples⁷ went;

The way the heavy aspens bent⁸

Towards it, was a thing to mind.

The painted drawbridge over it

Went up and down with gilded⁹ chains,

’Twas pleasant in the summer rains

Within the bridge-house there to sit.

There were five swans that ne’er did eat

The water-weeds, for ladies came

Each day, and young knights¹¹ did the same,

And gave them cakes and bread for meat.

They had a house of painted wood,

A red roof gold-spiked over it,

Wherein upon their eggs to sit

Week after week; no drop of blood,

Drawn¹² from men’s bodies by sword-blows,

Came ever there, or any tear;

Most certainly from year to year

’Twas pleasant as a Provence rose.

The banners seem’d quite full of ease,

That over the turret-roofs hung down;

The battlements could get no frown

From the flower-moulded cornices.

Who walked in that garden there?

Miles and Giles and Isabeau,

Tall Jehane du Castel beau,

Alice of the golden hair,

Big Sir Gervaise, the good knight,

Fair Ellayne le Violet,

Mary, Constance fille de fay,

Many dames¹³ with footfall light.

Whosoever wander’d there,

Whether it be dame¹⁴ or knight,

Half of scarlet, half of white

Their raiment was; of roses fair

Each wore a garland on the head,

At Ladies’ Gard the way was so:

Fair Jehane du Castel beau

Wore her wreath till it was dead.

Little joy she had of it,

Of the raiment white and red,

Or the garland on her head,

She had none with whom to sit

In the carven boat at noon;

None the more did Jehane weep,

She would only stand and keep

Saying: He will be here soon!

Many times in the long day

Miles and Giles and Gervaise passed,

Holding each some white hand fast,

Every time they heard her say:

Summer cometh to an end,

Undern cometh after noon;

Golden wings will be here soon,

What if I some token send?

Wherefore that night within the hall,

With open mouth and open eyes,

Like some one listening with surprise,

She sat before the sight of all.

Stoop’d down a little she sat there,

With neck stretch’d out and chin thrown up,

One hand around a golden cup;

And strangely with her fingers fair

She beat some tune¹⁵ upon the gold;

The minstrels in the gallery

Sung: Arthur, who will never die,

In Avallon he groweth old.

And when the song was ended, she

Rose and caught up her gown and ran;

None stopp’d her eager face and wan¹⁰

Of all that pleasant company.

Right so within her own chamber¹⁶

Upon her bed she sat; and drew

Her breath in quick gasps¹⁷; till she knew

That no man follow’d after her.

She took the garland from her head,

Loosed all her hair, and let it lie

Upon the coverlet; thereby¹⁸

She laid the gown of white and red;

And she took off her scarlet shoon,

And bared her feet; still more and more

Her sweet face redden’d; evermore

She murmur’d: He will be here soon;

Truly he cannot fail to know

My tender body waits him here;

And if he knows, I have no fear

For poor Jehane du Castel beau.

She took a sword within her hand,

Whose hilts were silver, and she sung

Somehow like this, wild words that rung

A long way over the moonlit land:

Gold wings across the sea!

Grey light from tree to tree,

Gold hair beside my knee,

I pray thee come to me,

Gold wings!

The water slips,

The red-bill’d moorhen dips.

Sweet kisses on red lips;

Alas¹⁹! the red rust²⁰ grips,

And the blood-red dagger²¹ rips,

Yet, O knight, come to me!

Are not my blue eyes sweet?

The west wind from the wheat

Blows cold across my feet;

Is it not time to meet

Gold wings across the sea?

White swans on the green moat,

Small feathers left afloat

By the blue-painted boat;

Swift running of the stoat,

Sweet gurgling note by note

Of sweet music.

O gold wings,

Listen how gold hair sings,

And the Ladies Castle rings,

Gold wings across the sea.

I sit on a purple bed,

Outside, the wall is red,

Thereby the apple hangs,

And the wasp²², caught by the fangs²³,

Dies in the autumn night,

And the bat flits till light,

And the love-crazèd knight

Kisses the long wet grass:

The weary days pass,

Gold wings across the sea.

Gold wings across the sea!

Moonlight from tree to tree,

Sweet hair laid on my knee,

O, sweet knight, come to me.

Gold wings, the short night slips,

The white swan’s long neck drips,

I pray thee kiss my lips,

Gold wings across the sea!

No answer through the moonlit night;

No answer in the cold grey dawn;

No answer when the shaven lawn

Grew green, and all the roses bright.

Her tired feet look’d cold and thin,

Her lips were twitch’d, and wretched tears,

Some, as she lay, roll’d past her ears,

Some fell from off her quivering chin.

Her long throat, stretched to its full length,

Rose up and fell right brokenly;

As though the unhappy heart was nigh

Striving to break with all its strength.

And when she slipp’d from off the bed,

Her cramp’d feet would not hold her; she

Sank down and crept on hand and knee,

On the window-sill she laid her head.

There, with crooked²⁴ arm upon the sill,

She look’d out, muttering dismally²⁵:

There is no sail upon the sea,

No pennon on the empty hill.

I cannot stay here all alone,

Or meet their happy faces here,

And wretchedly I have no fear;

A little while, and I am gone.

Therewith she rose upon her feet,

And totter’d; cold and misery²⁶

Still made the deep sobs²⁷ come, till she

At last stretch’d out her fingers sweet,

And caught the great sword in her hand;

And, stealing down the silent stair,

Barefooted in the morning air.

And only in her smock, did stand

Upright upon the green lawn grass;

And hope grew in her as she said:

I have thrown off the white and red,

And pray God it may come to pass

I meet him; if ten years go by

Before I meet him; if, indeed,

Meanwhile both soul and body bleed,

Yet there is end of misery,

And I have hope. He could not come,

But I can go to him and show

These new things I have got to know,

And make him speak, who has been dumb.

O Jehane! the red morning sun

Changed her white feet to glowing gold,

Upon her smock, on crease²⁸ and fold,

Changed that to gold which had been dun.

O Miles, and Giles, and Isabeau,

Fair Ellayne le Violet,

Mary, Constance fille de fay!

Where is Jehane du Castel beau?

O big Gervaise ride apace!

Down to the hard yellow sand,

Where the water meets the land.

This is Jehane by her face.

Why has she a broken sword?

Mary! she is slain²⁹ outright³⁰;

Verily a piteous sight;

Take her up without a word!

Giles and Miles and Gervaise there,

Ladies’ Gard must meet the war;

Whatsoever³¹ knights these are,

Man the walls withouten fear!

Axes to the apple-trees,

Axes to the aspens tall!

Barriers without the wall

May be lightly made of these.

O poor shivering Isabeau;

Poor Ellayne le Violet,

Bent with fear! we miss today

Brave Jehane du Castel beau.

O poor Mary, weeping so!

Wretched Constance fille de fay!

Verily we miss today

Fair Jehane du Castel beau.

The apples now grow green and sour

Upon the mouldering³² castle-wall,

Before they ripen³³ there they fall:

There are no banners on the tower,

The draggled swans most eagerly eat

The green weeds trailing in the moat;

Inside the rotting leaky boat

You see a slain man’s stiffen’d feet.

1 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。

2 warden   

n.监察员，监狱长，看守人，监护人

参考例句：

• He is the warden of an old people's home.他是一家养老院的管理员。
• The warden of the prison signed the release.监狱长签发释放令。

3 scarlet   

n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的

参考例句：

• The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
• The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。

4 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

5 lichen   

n.地衣, 青苔

参考例句：

• The stone stairway was covered with lichen.那石级长满了地衣。
• There is carpet-like lichen all over the moist corner of the wall.潮湿的墙角上布满了地毯般的绿色苔藓。

6 bliss   

n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福

参考例句：

• It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
• He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴，因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。

7 ripples   

逐渐扩散的感觉( ripple的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moon danced on the ripples. 月亮在涟漪上舞动。
• The sea leaves ripples on the sand. 海水在沙滩上留下了波痕。

8 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

9 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

10 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。

11 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。

12 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

13 dames   

n.（在英国）夫人（一种封号），夫人（爵士妻子的称号）( dame的名词复数 )；女人

参考例句：

• Dames would not comment any further. Dames将不再更多的评论。 来自互联网
• Flowers, candy, jewelry, seemed the principal things in which the elegant dames were interested. 鲜花、糖果和珠宝看来是那些贵妇人的主要兴趣所在。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

14 dame   

n.女士

参考例句：

• The dame tell of her experience as a wife and mother.这位年长妇女讲了她作妻子和母亲的经验。
• If you stick around,you'll have to marry that dame.如果再逗留多一会，你就要跟那个夫人结婚。

15 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

16 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

17 gasps   

v.喘气( gasp的第三人称单数 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• He leant against the railing, his breath coming in short gasps. 他倚着栏杆，急促地喘气。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• My breaths were coming in gasps. 我急促地喘起气来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

18 thereby   

adv.因此，从而

参考例句：

• I have never been to that city,,ereby I don't know much about it.我从未去过那座城市，因此对它不怎么熟悉。
• He became a British citizen,thereby gaining the right to vote.他成了英国公民，因而得到了投票权。

19 alas   

int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等)

参考例句：

• Alas!The window is broken!哎呀！窗子破了！
• Alas,the truth is less romantic.然而，真理很少带有浪漫色彩。

20 rust   

n.锈；v.生锈；(脑子)衰退

参考例句：

• She scraped the rust off the kitchen knife.她擦掉了菜刀上的锈。
• The rain will rust the iron roof.雨水会使铁皮屋顶生锈。

21 dagger   

n.匕首，短剑，剑号

参考例句：

• The bad news is a dagger to his heart.这条坏消息刺痛了他的心。
• The murderer thrust a dagger into her heart.凶手将匕首刺进她的心脏。

22 wasp   

n.黄蜂，蚂蜂

参考例句：

• A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。
• Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。

23 fangs   

n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座

参考例句：

• The dog fleshed his fangs in the deer's leg. 狗用尖牙咬住了鹿腿。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Dogs came lunging forward with their fangs bared. 狗龇牙咧嘴地扑过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

24 crooked   

adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的

参考例句：

• He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
• You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。

25 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

26 misery   

n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦

参考例句：

• Business depression usually causes misery among the working class.商业不景气常使工薪阶层受苦。
• He has rescued me from the mire of misery.他把我从苦海里救了出来。

27 sobs   

啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She was struggling to suppress her sobs. 她拼命不让自己哭出来。
• She burst into a convulsive sobs. 她突然抽泣起来。

28 crease   

n.折缝，褶痕，皱褶；v.(使)起皱

参考例句：

• Does artificial silk crease more easily than natural silk?人造丝比天然丝更易起皱吗？
• Please don't crease the blouse when you pack it.包装时请不要将衬衫弄皱了。

29 slain   

杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词)

参考例句：

• The soldiers slain in the battle were burried that night. 在那天夜晚埋葬了在战斗中牺牲了的战士。
• His boy was dead, slain by the hand of the false Amulius. 他的儿子被奸诈的阿缪利乌斯杀死了。

30 outright   

adv.坦率地；彻底地；立即；adj.无疑的；彻底的

参考例句：

• If you have a complaint you should tell me outright.如果你有不满意的事，你应该直率地对我说。
• You should persuade her to marry you outright.你应该彻底劝服她嫁给你。

31 whatsoever   

adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么

参考例句：

• There's no reason whatsoever to turn down this suggestion.没有任何理由拒绝这个建议。
• All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you,do ye even so to them.你想别人对你怎样，你就怎样对人。

32 mouldering   

v.腐朽( moulder的现在分词 )；腐烂，崩塌

参考例句：

• The room smelt of disuse and mouldering books. 房间里有一股长期不用和霉烂书籍的味道。
• Every mouldering stone was a chronicle. 每块崩碎剥落的石头都是一部编年史。 来自辞典例句

33 ripen   

vt.使成熟；vi.成熟

参考例句：

• I'm waiting for the apples to ripen.我正在等待苹果成熟。
• You can ripen the tomatoes on a sunny windowsill.把西红柿放在有阳光的窗台上可以让它们成熟。