Chapter 22

He began talking about music, about Lisa, then of music again. He seemed to enunciate¹ his words more slowly when he spoke² of Lisa. Lavretsky turned the conversation on his compositions, and half in jest, offered to write him a libretto³.

“H’m, a libretto!” replied Lemm; “no, that is not in my line; I have not now the liveliness, the play of the imagination, which is needed for an opera; I have lost too much of my power . . . But if I were still able to do something,— I should be content with a song; of course, I should like to have beautiful words . . .”

He ceased speaking, and sat a long while motionless, his eyes lifted to the heavens.

“For instance,” he said at last, “something in this way: ‘Ye stars, ye pure stars!’”

Lavretsky turned his face slightly towards him and began to look at him.

“‘Ye stars, pure stars,’” repeated Lemm . . . “‘You look down upon the righteous and guilty alike . . but only the pure in heart,’— or something of that kind —‘comprehend you’— that is, no —‘love you.’ But I am not a poet. I’m not equal to it! Something for that kind, though, something lofty.”

Lemm pushed his hat on to the back of his head; in the dim twilight⁴ of the clear night his face looked paler and younger.

“‘And you too,’” he continued, his voice gradually sinking, “‘ye know who loves, who can love, because, pure ones, ye alone can comfort’ . . . No, that’s not it at all! I am not a poet,” he said, “but something of that sort.”

“I am sorry I am not a poet,” observed Lavretsky.

“Vain dreams!” replied Lemm, and he buried himself in the corner of the carriage. He closed his eyes as though he were disposing himself to sleep.

A few instants passed . . . Lavretsky listened . . . “‘Stars, pure stars, love,’” muttered the old man.

“Love,” Lavretsky repeated to himself. He sank into thought — and his heart grew heavy.

“That is beautiful music you have set to Fridolin, Christopher Fedoritch,” he said aloud, “but what do you suppose, did that Fridolin do, after the Count had presented him to his wife . . . became her lover, eh?”

“You think so,” replied Lemm, “probably because experience,”— he stopped suddenly and turned away in confusion. Lavretsky laughed constrainedly⁵, and also turned away and began gazing at the road.

The stars had begun to grow paler and the sky had turned grey when the carriage drove up to the steps of the little house in Vassilyevskoe. Lavretsky conducted his guest to the room prepared for him, returned to his study and sat down before the window. In the garden a nightingale was singing its last song before dawn, Lavretsky remember that a nightingale had sung in the garden at the Kalitins’; he remembered, too, the soft stir in Lisa’s eyes, as at its first notes, they turned towards the dark window. He began to think of her, and his heart was calm again. “Pure maiden,” he murmured half-aloud: “pure stars,” he added with a smile, and went peacefully to bed.

But Lemm sat a long while on his bed, a music-book on his knees. He felt as though sweet, unheard melody was haunting him; already he was all aglow⁶ and astir, already he felt the languor⁷ and sweetness of its presence . . but he could not reach it.

“Neither poet nor musician!” he muttered at last . . . And his tired head sank wearily on to the pillows.

1 enunciate   

v.发音；（清楚地）表达

参考例句：

• Actors learn how to enunciate clearly in the theatrical college.演员在戏剧学院学习怎样清晰地发音。
• He is always willing to enunciate his opinions on the subject of politics.他总是愿意对政治问题发表意见。

2 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

3 libretto   

n.歌剧剧本，歌曲歌词

参考例句：

• The printed libretto was handsomely got up.这本印刷的歌剧剧本装帧得很美观。
• On the other hand,perhaps there is something to be said for the convenience of downloading a libretto in one's own home rather than looking for it in a library or book store.但是反过来看，或许尤为重要的是如果网

4 twilight   

n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期

参考例句：

• Twilight merged into darkness.夕阳的光辉融于黑暗中。
• Twilight was sweet with the smell of lilac and freshly turned earth.薄暮充满紫丁香和新翻耕的泥土的香味。

5 constrainedly   

不自然地，勉强地，强制地

参考例句：

• Very constrainedly,she agreed a young doctor to operate on her. 她非常勉强地同意让一位年轻的医生为她做手术。

6 aglow   

adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地

参考例句：

• The garden is aglow with many flowers.园中百花盛开。
• The sky was aglow with the setting sun.天空因夕阳映照而发红光。

7 languor   

n.无精力，倦怠

参考例句：

• It was hot,yet with a sweet languor about it.天气是炎热的，然而却有一种惬意的懒洋洋的感觉。
• She,in her languor,had not troubled to eat much.她懒懒的，没吃多少东西。