Chapter 24

Riding Together

For many, many days together

The wind blew steady from the East;

For many days hot grew the weather,

About the time of our Lady’s Feast.

For many days we rode together,

Yet met we neither friend nor foe¹;

Hotter and clearer grew the weather,

Steadily² did the East wind blow.

We saw the trees in the hot, bright weather,

Clear-cut, with shadows very black,

As freely we rode on together

With helms unlaced and bridles³ slack.

And often as we rode together,

We, looking down the green-bank’d stream,

Saw flowers in the sunny weather,

And saw the bubble-making bream.

And in the night lay down together,

And hung above our heads the rood,

Or watch’d night-long in the dewy weather,

The while the moon did watch the wood.

Our spears stood bright and thick together,

Straight out the banners stream’d behind,

As we gallop’d on in the sunny weather,

With faces turn’d towards the wind.

Down sank our threescore spears together,

As thick we saw the pagans ride;

His eager face in the clear fresh weather,

Shone out that last time by my side.

Up the sweep of the bridge we dash’d together,

It rock’d to the crash of the meeting spears,

Down rain’d the buds of the dear spring weather,

The elm-tree flowers fell like tears.

There, as we roll’d and writhed⁴ together,

I threw my arms above my head,

For close by my side, in the lovely weather,

I saw him reel and fall back dead.

I and the slayer⁵ met together,

He waited the death-stroke there in his place,

With thoughts of death, in the lovely weather,

Gapingly⁶ mazed⁷ at my madden’d face.

Madly I fought as we fought together;

In vain: the little Christian⁸ band

The pagans drown’d, as in stormy weather,

The river drowns low-lying land.

They bound my blood-stain’d hands together,

They bound his corpse⁹ to nod by my side:

Then on we rode, in the bright March weather,

With clash of cymbals¹⁰ did we ride.

We ride no more, no more together;

My prison-bars are thick and strong,

I take no heed¹¹ of any weather,

The sweet Saints grant I live not long.

1 foe   

n.敌人，仇敌

参考例句：

• He knew that Karl could be an implacable foe.他明白卡尔可能会成为他的死敌。
• A friend is a friend;a foe is a foe;one must be clearly distinguished from the other.敌是敌，友是友，必须分清界限。

2 steadily   

adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地

参考例句：

• The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
• Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。

3 bridles   

约束( bridle的名词复数 )； 限动器； 马笼头； 系带

参考例句：

• The horses were shod with silver and golden bridles. 这些马钉着金银做的鉄掌。

4 writhed   

（因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He writhed at the memory, revolted with himself for that temporary weakness. 他一想起来就痛悔不已，只恨自己当一时糊涂。
• The insect, writhed, and lay prostrate again. 昆虫折腾了几下，重又直挺挺地倒了下去。

5 slayer   

n. 杀人者，凶手

参考例句：

• The young man was Oedipus, who thus unknowingly became the slayer of his own father. 这位青年就是俄狄浦斯。他在不明真相的情况下杀死了自己的父亲。
• May I depend on you to stand by me and my daughters, then, deer-slayer? 如此说来，我可以指望你照料我和女儿了，杀鹿人？

6 gapingly   

adv.多洞穴地

参考例句：

7 mazed   

迷惘的，困惑的

参考例句：

• The kite felt mazed when it was free from the constraint. 挣脱束缚的风筝，自由了，却也迷惘了。
• He is so mazed that he does not know what to do. 他昏乱得不知所措。

8 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

9 corpse   

n.尸体，死尸

参考例句：

• What she saw was just an unfeeling corpse.她见到的只是一具全无感觉的尸体。
• The corpse was preserved from decay by embalming.尸体用香料涂抹以防腐烂。

10 cymbals   

pl.铙钹

参考例句：

• People shouted, while the drums and .cymbals crashed incessantly. 人声嘈杂，锣鼓不停地大响特响。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• The dragon dance troupe, beating drums and cymbals, entered the outer compound. 龙灯随着锣鼓声进来，停在二门外的大天井里。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

11 heed   

v.注意，留意；n.注意，留心

参考例句：

• You must take heed of what he has told.你要注意他所告诉的事。
• For the first time he had to pay heed to his appearance.这是他第一次非得注意自己的外表不可了。