How Panurge consulteth with an old French poet, named Raminagrobis.
I never thought, said Pantagruel, to have encountered with any man so headstrong in his apprehensions1, or in his opinions so wilful2, as I have found you to be and see you are. Nevertheless, the better to clear and extricate3 your doubts, let us try all courses, and leave no stone unturned nor wind unsailed by. Take good heed4 to what I am to say unto you. The swans, which are fowls5 consecrated6 to Apollo, never chant but in the hour of their approaching death, especially in the Meander7 flood, which is a river that runneth along some of the territories of Phrygia. This I say, because Aelianus and Alexander Myndius write that they had seen several swans in other places die, but never heard any of them sing or chant before their death. However, it passeth for current that the imminent8 death of a swan is presaged9 by his foregoing song, and that no swan dieth until preallably he have sung.
After the same manner, poets, who are under the protection of Apollo, when they are drawing near their latter end do ordinarily become prophets, and by the inspiration of that god sing sweetly in vaticinating things which are to come. It hath been likewise told me frequently, that old decrepit10 men upon the brinks of Charon’s banks do usher11 their decease with a disclosure all at ease, to those that are desirous of such informations, of the determinate and assured truth of future accidents and contingencies12. I remember also that Aristophanes, in a certain comedy of his, calleth the old folks Sibyls, (Greek). For as when, being upon a pier13 by the shore, we see afar off mariners14, seafaring men, and other travellers alongst the curled waves of azure15 Thetis within their ships, we then consider them in silence only, and seldom proceed any further than to wish them a happy and prosperous arrival; but when they do approach near to haven16, and come to wet their keels within their harbour, then both with words and gestures we salute17 them, and heartily18 congratulate their access safe to the port wherein we are ourselves. Just so the angels, heroes, and good demons19, according to the doctrine20 of the Platonics, when they see mortals drawing near unto the harbour of the grave, as the most sure and calmest port of any, full of repose21, ease, rest, tranquillity22, free from the troubles and solicitudes23 of this tumultuous and tempestuous24 world; then is it that they with alacrity25 hail and salute them, cherish and comfort them, and, speaking to them lovingly, begin even then to bless them with illuminations, and to communicate unto them the abstrusest mysteries of divination26. I will not offer here to confound your memory by quoting antique examples of Isaac, of Jacob, of Patroclus towards Hector, of Hector towards Achilles, of Polymnestor towards Agamemnon, of Hecuba, of the Rhodian renowned27 by Posidonius, of Calanus the Indian towards Alexander the Great, of Orodes towards Mezentius, and of many others. It shall suffice for the present that I commemorate28 unto you the learned and valiant29 knight30 and cavalier William of Bellay, late Lord of Langey, who died on the Hill of Tarara, the 10th of January, in the climacteric year of his age, and of our supputation 1543, according to the Roman account. The last three or four hours of his life he did employ in the serious utterance31 of a very pithy32 discourse33, whilst with a clear judgment34 and spirit void of all trouble he did foretell35 several important things, whereof a great deal is come to pass, and the rest we wait for. Howbeit, his prophecies did at that time seem unto us somewhat strange, absurd, and unlikely, because there did not then appear any sign of efficacy enough to engage our faith to the belief of what he did prognosticate. We have here, near to the town of Villomere, a man that is both old and a poet, to wit, Raminagrobis, who to his second wife espoused36 my Lady Broadsow, on whom he begot37 the fair Basoche. It hath been told me he is a-dying, and so near unto his latter end that he is almost upon the very last moment, point, and article thereof. Repair thither38 as fast as you can, and be ready to give an attentive39 ear to what he shall chant unto you. It may be that you shall obtain from him what you desire, and that Apollo will be pleased by his means to clear your scruples40. I am content, quoth Panurge. Let us go thither, Epistemon, and that both instantly and in all haste, lest otherwise his death prevent our coming. Wilt41 thou come along with us, Friar John? Yes, that I will, quoth Friar John, right heartily to do thee a courtesy, my billy-ballocks; for I love thee with the best of my milt and liver.
Thereupon, incontinently, without any further lingering, to the way they all three went, and quickly thereafter — for they made good speed — arriving at the poetical42 habitation, they found the jolly old man, albeit43 in the agony of his departure from this world, looking cheerfully, with an open countenance44, splendid aspect, and behaviour full of alacrity. After that Panurge had very civilly saluted45 him, he in a free gift did present him with a gold ring, which he even then put upon the medical finger of his left hand, in the collet or bezel whereof was enchased an Oriental sapphire46, very fair and large. Then, in imitation of Socrates, did he make an oblation47 unto him of a fair white cock, which was no sooner set upon the tester of his bed, than that, with a high raised head and crest48, lustily shaking his feather-coat, he crowed stentoriphonically loud. This done, Panurge very courteously49 required of him that he would vouchsafe50 to favour him with the grant and report of his sense and judgment touching51 the future destiny of his intended marriage. For answer hereto, when the honest old man had forthwith commanded pen, paper, and ink to be brought unto him, and that he was at the same call conveniently served with all the three, he wrote these following verses:
Take, or not take her,
Off, or on:
Handy-dandy is your lot.
When her name you write, you blot53.
’Tis undone54, when all is done,
Ended e’er it was begun:
Hardly gallop55, if you trot56,
Set not forward when you run,
Nor be single, though alone,
Take, or not take her.
Before you eat, begin to fast;
For what shall be was never past.
Say, unsay, gainsay57, save your breath:
Then wish at once her life and death.
Take, or not take her.
These lines he gave out of his own hands unto them, saying unto them, Go, my lads, in peace! the great God of the highest heavens be your guardian58 and preserver! and do not offer any more to trouble or disquiet59 me with this or any other business whatsoever60. I have this same very day, which is the last both of May and of me, with a greal deal of labour, toil61, and difficulty, chased out of my house a rabble62 of filthy63, unclean, and plaguily pestilentious rake-hells, black beasts, dusk, dun, white, ash-coloured, speckled, and a foul64 vermin of other hues65, whose obtrusive66 importunity67 would not permit me to die at my own ease; for by fraudulent and deceitful pricklings, ravenous68, harpy-like graspings, waspish stingings, and such-like unwelcome approaches, forged in the shop of I know not what kind of insatiabilities, they went about to withdraw and call me out of those sweet thoughts wherein I was already beginning to repose myself and acquiesce69 in the contemplation and vision, yea, almost in the very touch and taste of the happiness and felicity which the good God hath prepared for his faithful saints and elect in the other life and state of immortality70. Turn out of their courses and eschew71 them, step forth52 of their ways and do not resemble them; meanwhile, let me be no more troubled by you, but leave me now in silence, I beseech72 you.
1 apprehensions | |
疑惧 | |
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2 wilful | |
adj.任性的,故意的 | |
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3 extricate | |
v.拯救,救出;解脱 | |
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4 heed | |
v.注意,留意;n.注意,留心 | |
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5 fowls | |
鸟( fowl的名词复数 ); 禽肉; 既不是这; 非驴非马 | |
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6 consecrated | |
adj.神圣的,被视为神圣的v.把…奉为神圣,给…祝圣( consecrate的过去式和过去分词 );奉献 | |
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7 meander | |
n.河流的曲折,漫步,迂回旅行;v.缓慢而弯曲地流动,漫谈 | |
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8 imminent | |
adj.即将发生的,临近的,逼近的 | |
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9 presaged | |
v.预示,预兆( presage的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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10 decrepit | |
adj.衰老的,破旧的 | |
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11 usher | |
n.带位员,招待员;vt.引导,护送;vi.做招待,担任引座员 | |
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12 contingencies | |
n.偶然发生的事故,意外事故( contingency的名词复数 );以备万一 | |
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13 pier | |
n.码头;桥墩,桥柱;[建]窗间壁,支柱 | |
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14 mariners | |
海员,水手(mariner的复数形式) | |
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15 azure | |
adj.天蓝色的,蔚蓝色的 | |
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16 haven | |
n.安全的地方,避难所,庇护所 | |
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17 salute | |
vi.行礼,致意,问候,放礼炮;vt.向…致意,迎接,赞扬;n.招呼,敬礼,礼炮 | |
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18 heartily | |
adv.衷心地,诚恳地,十分,很 | |
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19 demons | |
n.恶人( demon的名词复数 );恶魔;精力过人的人;邪念 | |
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20 doctrine | |
n.教义;主义;学说 | |
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21 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
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22 tranquillity | |
n. 平静, 安静 | |
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23 solicitudes | |
n.关心,挂念,渴望( solicitude的名词复数 ) | |
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24 tempestuous | |
adj.狂暴的 | |
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25 alacrity | |
n.敏捷,轻快,乐意 | |
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26 divination | |
n.占卜,预测 | |
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27 renowned | |
adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的 | |
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28 commemorate | |
vt.纪念,庆祝 | |
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29 valiant | |
adj.勇敢的,英勇的;n.勇士,勇敢的人 | |
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30 knight | |
n.骑士,武士;爵士 | |
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31 utterance | |
n.用言语表达,话语,言语 | |
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32 pithy | |
adj.(讲话或文章)简练的 | |
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33 discourse | |
n.论文,演说;谈话;话语;vi.讲述,著述 | |
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34 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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35 foretell | |
v.预言,预告,预示 | |
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36 espoused | |
v.(决定)支持,拥护(目标、主张等)( espouse的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37 begot | |
v.为…之生父( beget的过去式 );产生,引起 | |
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38 thither | |
adv.向那里;adj.在那边的,对岸的 | |
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39 attentive | |
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的 | |
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40 scruples | |
n.良心上的不安( scruple的名词复数 );顾虑,顾忌v.感到于心不安,有顾忌( scruple的第三人称单数 ) | |
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41 wilt | |
v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎;(指人)疲倦,衰弱 | |
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42 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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43 albeit | |
conj.即使;纵使;虽然 | |
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44 countenance | |
n.脸色,面容;面部表情;vt.支持,赞同 | |
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45 saluted | |
v.欢迎,致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 );赞扬,赞颂 | |
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46 sapphire | |
n.青玉,蓝宝石;adj.天蓝色的 | |
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47 oblation | |
n.圣餐式;祭品 | |
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48 crest | |
n.顶点;饰章;羽冠;vt.达到顶点;vi.形成浪尖 | |
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49 courteously | |
adv.有礼貌地,亲切地 | |
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50 vouchsafe | |
v.惠予,准许 | |
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51 touching | |
adj.动人的,使人感伤的 | |
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52 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
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53 blot | |
vt.弄脏(用吸墨纸)吸干;n.污点,污渍 | |
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54 undone | |
a.未做完的,未完成的 | |
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55 gallop | |
v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔;飞速发展 | |
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56 trot | |
n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧 | |
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57 gainsay | |
v.否认,反驳 | |
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58 guardian | |
n.监护人;守卫者,保护者 | |
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59 disquiet | |
n.担心,焦虑 | |
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60 whatsoever | |
adv.(用于否定句中以加强语气)任何;pron.无论什么 | |
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61 toil | |
vi.辛劳工作,艰难地行动;n.苦工,难事 | |
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62 rabble | |
n.乌合之众,暴民;下等人 | |
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63 filthy | |
adj.卑劣的;恶劣的,肮脏的 | |
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64 foul | |
adj.污秽的;邪恶的;v.弄脏;妨害;犯规;n.犯规 | |
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65 hues | |
色彩( hue的名词复数 ); 色调; 信仰; 观点 | |
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66 obtrusive | |
adj.显眼的;冒失的 | |
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67 importunity | |
n.硬要,强求 | |
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68 ravenous | |
adj.极饿的,贪婪的 | |
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69 acquiesce | |
vi.默许,顺从,同意 | |
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70 immortality | |
n.不死,不朽 | |
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71 eschew | |
v.避开,戒绝 | |
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72 beseech | |
v.祈求,恳求 | |
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