Riding in Mist
Wet and hot, having her winter coat, the mare1 exactly matched the drenched2 fox-coloured beech-leaf drifts. As was her wont3 on such misty4 days, she danced along with head held high, her neck a little arched, her ears pricked5, pretending that things were not what they seemed, and now and then vigorously trying to leave me planted on the air. Stones which had rolled out of the lane banks were her especial goblins, for one such had maltreated her nerves before she came into this ball-room world, and she had not forgotten.
There was no wind that day. On the beech-trees were still just enough of coppery leaves to look like fires lighted high-up to air the eeriness6; but most of the twigs7, pearled with water, were patterned very naked against universal grey. Berries were few, except the pink spindle one, so far the most beautiful, of which there were more than Earth generally vouchsafes9. There was no sound in the deep lanes, none of that sweet, overhead sighing of yesterday at the same hour, but there was a quality of silence — a dumb mist murmuration. We passed a tree with a proud pigeon sitting on its top spire10, quite too heavy for the twig8 delicacy11 below; undisturbed by the mare’s hoofs12 or the creaking of saddle leather, he let us pass, absorbed in his world of tranquil13 turtledoves. The mist had thickened to a white, infinitesimal rain-dust, and in it the trees began to look strange, as though they had lost one another. The world seemed inhabited only by quick, soundless wraiths14 as one trotted15 past.
Close to a farm-house the mare stood still with that extreme suddenness peculiar17 to her at times, and four black pigs scuttled18 by and at once became white air. By now we were both hot and inclined to cling closely together and take liberties with each other; I telling her about her nature, name, and appearance, together with comments on her manners; and she giving forth19 that sterterous, sweet snuffle, which begins under the star on her forehead. On such days she did not sneeze, reserving those expressions of her joy for sunny days and the crisp winds. At a forking of the ways we came suddenly on one grey and three brown ponies20, who shied round and flung away in front of us, a vision of pretty heads and haunches tangled21 in the thin lane, till, conscious that they were beyond their beat, they faced the bank and, one by one, scrambled22 over to join the other ghosts out on the dim common.
Dipping down now over the road, we passed hounds going home. Pied, dumb-footed shapes, padding along in that soft-eyed, remote world of theirs, with a tall riding splash of red in front, and a tall splash of riding red behind. Then through a gate we came on to the moor23, amongst whitened furze. The mist thickened. A curlew was whistling on its invisible way, far up; and that wistful, wild calling seemed the very voice of the day. Keeping in view the glint of the road, we galloped25; rejoicing, both of us, to be free of the jog jog of the lanes.
And first the voice of the curlew died; then the glint of the road vanished; and we were quite alone. Even the furze was gone; no shape of anything left, only the black, peaty ground, and the thickening mist. We might as well have been that lonely bird crossing up there in the blind white nothingness, like a human spirit wandering on the undiscovered moor of its own future.
The mare jumped a pile of stones, which appeared, as it were, after we had passed over; and it came into my mind that, if we happened to strike one of the old quarry26 pits, we should infallibly be killed. Somehow, there was pleasure in this thought, that we might, or might not, strike that old quarry pit. The blood in us being hot, we had pure joy in charging its white, impalpable solidity, which made way, and at once closed in behind us. There was great fun in this yard-by-yard discovery that we were not yet dead, this flying, shelterless challenge to whatever might lie out there, five yards in front. We felt supremely27 above the wish to know that our necks were safe; we were happy, panting in the vapour that beat against our faces from the sheer speed of our galloping28. Suddenly the ground grew lumpy and made up-hill. The mare slackened pace; we stopped. Before us, behind, to right and left, white vapour. No sky, no distance, barely the earth. No wind in our faces, no wind anywhere. At first we just got our breath, thought nothing, talked a little. Then came a chillness, a faint clutching over the heart. The mare snuffled; we turned and made down-hill. And still the mist thickened, and seemed to darken ever so little; we went slowly, suddenly doubtful of all that was in front. There came into our minds visions, so distant in that darkening vapour, of a warm stall and manger of oats; of tea and a log fire. The mist seemed to have fingers now, long, dark white, crawling fingers; it seemed, too, to have in its sheer silence a sort of muttered menace, a shuddery30 lurkingness, as if from out of it that spirit of the unknown, which in hot blood we had just now so gleefully mocked, were creeping up at us, intent on its vengeance31. Since the ground no longer sloped, we could not go down-hill; there were no means left of telling in what direction we were moving, and we stopped to listen. There was no sound, not one tiny noise of water, wind in trees, or man; not even of birds or the moor ponies. And the mist darkened. The mare reached her head down and walked on, smelling at the heather; every time she sniffed32, one’s heart quivered, hoping she had found the way. She threw up her head, snorted, and stood still; and there passed just in front of us a pony33 and her foal, shapes of scampering34 dusk, whisked like blurred35 shadows across a sheet. Hoof-silent in the long heather — as ever were visiting ghosts — they were gone in a flash. The mare plunged36 forward, following. But, in the feel of her gallop24, and the feel of my heart, there was no more that ecstasy37 of facing the unknown; there was only the cold, hasty dread38 of loneliness. Far asunder39 as the poles were those two sensations, evoked40 by this same motion. The mare swerved41 violently and stopped. There, passing within three yards, from the same direction as before, the soundless shapes of the pony and her foal flew by again, more intangible, less dusky now against the darker screen. Were we, then, to be haunted by those bewildering uncanny ones, flitting past ever from the same direction? This time the mare did not follow, but stood still; knowing as well as I that direction was quite lost. Soon, with a whimper, she picked her way on again, smelling at the heather. And the mist darkened!
Then, out of the heart of that dusky whiteness, came a tiny sound; we stood, not breathing, turning our heads. I could see the mare’s eye fixed42 and straining at the vapour. The tiny sound grew till it became the muttering of wheels. The mare dashed forward. The muttering ceased untimely; but she did not stop; turning abruptly43 to the left, she slid, scrambled, and dropped into a trot16. The mist seemed whiter below us; we were on the road. And involuntarily there came from me a sound, not quite a shout, not quite an oath. I saw the mare’s eye turn back, faintly derisive44, as who should say: Alone I did it! Then slowly, comfortably, a little ashamed, we jogged on, in the mood of men and horses when danger is over. So pleasant it seemed now, in one short half-hour, to have passed through the circle-swing of the emotions, from the ecstasy of hot recklessness to the clutching of chill fear. But the meeting-point of those two sensations we had left out there on the mysterious moor! Why, at one moment, had we thought it finer than anything on earth to risk the breaking of our necks; and the next, shuddered45 at being lost in the darkening mist with winter night fast coming on?
And very luxuriously46 we turned once more into the lanes, enjoying the past, scenting47 the future. Close to home, the first little eddy48 of wind stirred, and the song of dripping twigs began; an owl29 hooted49, honey-soft, in the fog. We came on two farm hands mending the lane at the turn of the avenue, and, curled on the top of the bank, their cosy50 red collie pup, waiting for them to finish work for the day. He raised his sharp nose and looked at us dewily. We turned down, padding softly in the wet fox-red drifts under the beechtrees, whereon the last leaves still flickered51 out in the darkening whiteness, that now seemed so little eerie52. We passed the grey-green skeleton of the farm-yard gate. A hen ran across us, clucking, into the dusk. The maze53 drew her long, home-coming snuffle, and stood still.
1910.
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1
mare
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| n.母马，母驴 | |
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drenched
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| adj.湿透的；充满的v.使湿透( drench的过去式和过去分词 )；在某人（某物）上大量使用（某液体） | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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misty
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| adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的 | |
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pricked
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| 刺，扎，戳( prick的过去式和过去分词 )； 刺伤； 刺痛； 使剧痛 | |
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eeriness
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| n.怪诞，胆怯，阴森 | |
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twigs
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| 细枝，嫩枝( twig的名词复数 ) | |
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twig
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| n.小树枝，嫩枝；v.理解 | |
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9
vouchsafes
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| v.给予，赐予( vouchsafe的第三人称单数 )；允诺 | |
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spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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delicacy
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| n.精致，细微，微妙，精良；美味，佳肴 | |
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12
hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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13
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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wraiths
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| n.幽灵( wraith的名词复数 )；（传说中人在将死或死后不久的）显形阴魂 | |
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trotted
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| 小跑，急走( trot的过去分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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trot
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| 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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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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scuttled
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| v.使船沉没( scuttle的过去式和过去分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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ponies
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| 矮种马，小型马( pony的名词复数 )； ￡25 25 英镑 | |
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tangled
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| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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moor
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| n.荒野，沼泽；vt.(使)停泊；vi.停泊 | |
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gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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26
quarry
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| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
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supremely
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| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
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galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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29
owl
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| n.猫头鹰，枭 | |
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30
shuddery
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31
vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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32
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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scampering
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| v.蹦蹦跳跳地跑，惊惶奔跑( scamper的现在分词 ) | |
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blurred
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| v.（使）变模糊( blur的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）难以区分；模模糊糊；迷离 | |
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36
plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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37
ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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38
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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asunder
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| adj.分离的，化为碎片 | |
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40
evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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41
swerved
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| v.（使）改变方向，改变目的( swerve的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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43
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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44
derisive
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| adj.嘲弄的 | |
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45
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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46
luxuriously
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| adv.奢侈地，豪华地 | |
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47
scenting
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| vt.闻到（scent的现在分词形式） | |
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48
eddy
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| n.漩涡，涡流 | |
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49
hooted
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| （使）作汽笛声响，作汽车喇叭声( hoot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
cosy
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| adj.温暖而舒适的，安逸的 | |
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51
flickered
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| （通常指灯光）闪烁，摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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52
eerie
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| adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的 | |
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53
maze
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| n.迷宫，八阵图，混乱，迷惑 | |
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