Chapter 12

The Press

The Soldier may forget his sword
??The Sailorman the sea,
The Mason may forget the Word
??And the Priest his litany:
The maid may forget both jewel and gem¹,
??And the bride her wedding-dress —
But the Jew shall forget Jerusalem
??Ere we forget the Press!

Who once hath stood through the loaded hour
??Ere, roaring like the gale²,
The Harrild and the Hoe devour³
??Their league-long paper bale,
And has lit his pipe in the morning calm
??That follows the midnight stress —
He hath sold his heart to the old Black Art
??We call the daily Press.

Who once hath dealt in the widest game
??That all of a man can play,
No later love, no larger fame
??Will lure⁴ him long away.
As the war-horse smelleth the battle afar,
??The entered Soul, no less,
He saith: ‘Ha! Ha!’ where the trumpets⁵ are
??And the thunders of the Press.

Canst thou number the days that we fulfil,
??Or the Times that we bring forth⁶?
Canst thou send the lightnings to do thy will,
??And cause them reign⁷ on earth?
Hast thou given a peacock goodly wings
??To please his foolishness?
Sit down at the heart of men and things,
??Companion of the Press!

The Pope may launch his Interdict⁸,
??The Union its decree,
But the bubble is blown and the bubble is pricked⁹
??By Us and such as We.
Remember the battle and stand aside
??While Thrones and Powers confess
That King over all the children of pride
??Is the Press — the Press — the Press!

1 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

2 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

3 devour   

v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷

参考例句：

• Larger fish devour the smaller ones.大鱼吃小鱼。
• Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour.美只不过是一朵，终会被皱纹所吞噬。

4 lure   

n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引

参考例句：

• Life in big cities is a lure for many country boys.大城市的生活吸引着许多乡下小伙子。
• He couldn't resist the lure of money.他不能抵制金钱的诱惑。

5 trumpets   

喇叭( trumpet的名词复数 )； 小号； 喇叭形物； （尤指）绽开的水仙花

参考例句：

• A wreath was laid on the monument to a fanfare of trumpets. 在响亮的号角声中花圈被献在纪念碑前。
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。

6 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。

7 reign   

n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势

参考例句：

• The reign of Queen Elizabeth lapped over into the seventeenth century.伊丽莎白王朝延至17世纪。
• The reign of Zhu Yuanzhang lasted about 31 years.朱元璋统治了大约三十一年。

8 interdict   

v.限制；禁止；n.正式禁止；禁令

参考例句：

• Troops could be ferried in to interdict drug shipments.可以把军队渡运过来阻截毒品的装运。
• Interdict could also be sought for the protection of public interests.禁令也可以用于保护公共利益。

9 pricked   

刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛

参考例句：

• The cook pricked a few holes in the pastry. 厨师在馅饼上戳了几个洞。
• He was pricked by his conscience. 他受到良心的谴责。