Chapter 28

Praise of My Lady

My lady seems of ivory

Forehead, straight nose, and cheeks that be

Hollow’d a little mournfully.

Beata mea Domina!

Her forehead, overshadow’d much

By bows of hair, has a wave such

As God was good to make for me.

Beata mea Domina!

Not greatly long my lady’s hair,

Nor yet with yellow colour fair,

But thick and crispèd wonderfully:

Beata mea Domina!

Heavy to make the pale face sad,

And dark, but dead as though it had

Been forged by God most wonderfully

Beata mea Domina!

Of some strange metal, thread by thread,

To stand out from my lady’s head,

Not moving much to tangle¹ me.

Beata mea Domina!

Beneath her brows the lids fall slow.

The lashes² a clear shadow throw

Where I would wish my lips to be.

Beata mea Domina!

Her great eyes, standing³ far apart,

Draw up some memory from her heart,

And gaze out very mournfully;

Beata mea Domina!

So beautiful and kind they are,

But most times looking out afar,

Waiting for something, not for me.

Beata mea Domina!

I wonder if the lashes long

Are those that do her bright eyes wrong,

For always half tears seem to be

Beata mea Domina!

Lurking⁴ below the underlid,

Darkening the place where they lie hid:

If they should rise and flow for me!

Beata mea Domina!

Her full lips being made to kiss,

Curl’d up and pensive⁵ each one is;

This makes me faint to stand and see.

Beata mea Domina!

Her lips are not contented⁶ now,

Because the hours pass so slow

Towards a sweet time: (pray for me),

Beata mea Domina!

Nay⁷, hold thy peace! for who can tell?

But this at least I know full well,

Her lips are parted longingly⁸,

Beata mea Domina!

So passionate⁹ and swift to move,

To pluck at any flying love,

That I grow faint to stand and see.

Beata mea Domina!

Yea! there beneath them is her chin,

So fine and round, it were a sin

To feel no weaker when I see

Beata mea Domina!

God’s dealings; for with so much care

And troublous, faint lines wrought¹⁰ in there,

He finishes her face for me.

Beata mea Domina!

Of her long neck what shall I say?

What things about her body’s sway,

Like a knight’s pennon or slim tree

Beata mea Domina!

Set gently waving in the wind;

Or her long hands that I may find

On some day sweet to move o’er me?

Beata mea Domina!

God pity me though, if I miss’d

The telling, how along her wrist

The veins¹¹ creep, dying languidly

Beata mea Domina!

Inside her tender palm and thin.

Now give me pardon, dear, wherein

My voice is weak and vexes¹² thee.

Beata mea Domina!

All men that see her any time,

I charge you straightly in this rhyme,

What, and wherever you may be,

Beata mea Domina!

To kneel before her; as for me,

I choke and grow quite faint to see

My lady moving graciously.

Beata mea Domina!

1 tangle   

n.纠缠；缠结；混乱；v.(使)缠绕；变乱

参考例句：

• I shouldn't tangle with Peter.He is bigger than me.我不应该与彼特吵架。他的块头比我大。
• If I were you, I wouldn't tangle with them.我要是你，我就不跟他们争吵。

2 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 lurking   

潜在

参考例句：

• Why are you lurking around outside my house? 你在我房子外面鬼鬼祟祟的，想干什么？
• There is a suspicious man lurking in the shadows. 有一可疑的人躲在阴暗中。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 pensive   

a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的

参考例句：

• He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
• He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。

6 contented   

adj.满意的，安心的，知足的

参考例句：

• He won't be contented until he's upset everyone in the office.不把办公室里的每个人弄得心烦意乱他就不会满足。
• The people are making a good living and are contented,each in his station.人民安居乐业。

7 nay   

adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者

参考例句：

• He was grateful for and proud of his son's remarkable,nay,unique performance.他为儿子出色的，不，应该是独一无二的表演心怀感激和骄傲。
• Long essays,nay,whole books have been written on this.许多长篇大论的文章，不，应该说是整部整部的书都是关于这件事的。

8 longingly   

adv. 渴望地 热望地

参考例句：

• He looked longingly at the food on the table. 他眼巴巴地盯着桌上的食物。
• Over drinks,he speaks longingly of his trip to Latin America. 他带着留恋的心情，一边喝酒一边叙述他的拉丁美洲之行。

9 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

10 wrought   

v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的

参考例句：

• Events in Paris wrought a change in British opinion towards France and Germany.巴黎发生的事件改变了英国对法国和德国的看法。
• It's a walking stick with a gold head wrought in the form of a flower.那是一个金质花形包头的拐杖。

11 veins   

n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理

参考例句：

• The blood flows from the capillaries back into the veins. 血从毛细血管流回静脉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• I felt a pleasant glow in all my veins from the wine. 喝过酒后我浑身的血都热烘烘的，感到很舒服。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 vexes   

v.使烦恼( vex的第三人称单数 )；使苦恼；使生气；详细讨论

参考例句：

• Her continuous chatter vexes me. 她的喋喋不休使我烦透了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His continuous chatter vexes me. 他唠叨不休，真烦死我了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》