Stood on her cheek, as doth the honey-dew
Upon a gather’d lily almost wither’d
SHAKESPEARE
After the late discoveries, Emily was distinguished1 at the chateau2 by the Count and his family, as a relative of the house of Villeroi, and received, if possible, more friendly attention, than had yet been shewn her.
Count De Villefort’s surprise at the delay of an answer to his letter, which had been directed to Valancourt, at Estuviere, was mingled3 with satisfaction for the prudence4, which had saved Emily from a share of the anxiety he now suffered, though, when he saw her still drooping5 under the effect of his former error, all his resolution was necessary to restrain him from relating the truth, that would afford her a momentary6 relief. The approaching nuptials7 of the Lady Blanche now divided his attention with this subject of his anxiety, for the inhabitants of the chateau were already busied in preparations for that event, and the arrival of Mons. St. Foix was daily expected. In the gaiety, which surrounded her, Emily vainly tried to participate, her spirits being depressed8 by the late discoveries, and by the anxiety concerning the fate of Valancourt, that had been occasioned by the description of his manner, when he had delivered the ring. She seemed to perceive in it the gloomy wildness of despair; and, when she considered to what that despair might have urged him, her heart sunk with terror and grief. The state of suspense9, as to his safety, to which she believed herself condemned10, till she should return to La Vallee, appeared insupportable, and, in such moments, she could not even struggle to assume the composure, that had left her mind, but would often abruptly11 quit the company she was with, and endeavour to sooth her spirits in the deep solitudes12 of the woods, that overbrowed the shore. Here, the faint roar of foaming14 waves, that beat below, and the sullen15 murmur16 of the wind among the branches around, were circumstances in unison17 with the temper of her mind; and she would sit on a cliff, or on the broken steps of her favourite watch-tower, observing the changing colours of the evening clouds, and the gloom of twilight18 draw over the sea, till the white tops of billows, riding towards the shore, could scarcely be discerned amidst the darkened waters. The lines, engraved19 by Valancourt on this tower, she frequently repeated with melancholy20 enthusiasm, and then would endeavour to check the recollections and the grief they occasioned, and to turn her thoughts to indifferent subjects.
One evening, having wandered with her lute21 to this her favourite spot, she entered the ruined tower, and ascended22 a winding23 staircase, that led to a small chamber24, which was less decayed than the rest of the building, and whence she had often gazed, with admiration25, on the wide prospect26 of sea and land, that extended below. The sun was now setting on that tract27 of the Pyrenees, which divided Languedoc from Rousillon, and, placing herself opposite to a small grated window, which, like the wood-tops beneath, and the waves lower still, gleamed with the red glow of the west, she touched the chords of her lute in solemn symphony, and then accompanied it with her voice, in one of the simple and affecting airs, to which, in happier days, Valancourt had often listened in rapture28, and which she now adapted to the following lines.
TO MELANCHOLY
Spirit of love and sorrow — hail!
Thy solemn voice from far I hear,
Mingling29 with ev’ning’s dying gale30:
Hail, with this sadly-pleasing tear!
O! at this still, this lonely hour,
Thine own sweet hour of closing day,
Awake thy lute, whose charmful pow’r
Shall call up Fancy to obey:
To paint the wild romantic dream,
That meets the poet’s musing31 eye,
As, on the bank of shadowy stream,
He breathes to her the fervid32 sigh.
O lonely spirit! let thy song
Lead me through all thy sacred haunt;
The minister’s moon-light aisles33 along,
Where spectres raise the midnight chaunt.
I hear their dirges34 faintly swell35!
Then, sink at once in silence drear,
While, from the pillar’d cloister’s cell,
Dimly their gliding36 forms appear!
Lead where the pine-woods wave on high,
Whose pathless sod is darkly seen,
As the cold moon, with trembling eye,
Darts37 her long beams the leaves between.
Lead to the mountain’s dusky head,
Where, far below, in shade profound,
Wide forests, plains and hamlets spread,
And sad the chimes of vesper sound,
Or guide me, where the dashing oar13
Just breaks the stillness of the vale,
As slow it tracks the winding shore,
To meet the ocean’s distant sail:
To pebbly38 banks, that Neptune39 laves,
With measur’d surges, loud and deep,
Where the dark cliff bends o’er the waves,
And wild the winds of autumn sweep.
There pause at midnight’s spectred hour,
And list the long-resounding gale;
And catch the fleeting40 moon-light’s pow’r,
O’er foaming seas and distant sail.
The soft tranquillity41 of the scene below, where the evening breeze scarcely curled the water, or swelled43 the passing sail, that caught the last gleam of the sun, and where, now and then, a dipping oar was all that disturbed the trembling radiance, conspired44 with the tender melody of her lute to lull45 her mind into a state of gentle sadness, and she sung the mournful songs of past times, till the remembrances they awakened46 were too powerful for her heart, her tears fell upon the lute, over which she drooped47, and her voice trembled, and was unable to proceed.
Though the sun had now sunk behind the mountains, and even his reflected light was fading from their highest points, Emily did not leave the watch-tower, but continued to indulge her melancholy reverie, till a footstep, at a little distance, startled her, and, on looking through the grate, she observed a person walking below, whom, however, soon perceiving to be Mons. Bonnac, she returned to the quiet thoughtfulness his step had interrupted. After some time, she again struck her lute, and sung her favourite air; but again a step disturbed her, and, as she paused to listen, she heard it ascending48 the stair-case of the tower. The gloom of the hour, perhaps, made her sensible to some degree of fear, which she might not otherwise have felt; for, only a few minutes before, she had seen Mons. Bonnac pass. The steps were quick and bounding, and, in the next moment, the door of the chamber opened, and a person entered, whose features were veiled in the obscurity of twilight; but his voice could not be concealed49, for it was the voice of Valancourt! At the sound, never heard by Emily, without emotion, she started, in terror, astonishment50 and doubtful pleasure, and had scarcely beheld51 him at her feet, when she sunk into a seat, overcome by the various emotions, that contended at her heart, and almost insensible to that voice, whose earnest and trembling calls seemed as if endeavouring to save her. Valancourt, as he hung over Emily, deplored52 his own rash impatience53, in having thus surprised her: for when he had arrived at the chateau, too anxious to await the return of the Count, who, he understood, was in the grounds, he went himself to seek him, when, as he passed the tower, he was struck by the sound of Emily’s voice, and immediately ascended.
It was a considerable time before she revived, but, when her recollection returned, she repulsed54 his attentions, with an air of reserve, and enquired55, with as much displeasure as it was possible she could feel in these first moments of his appearance, the occasion of his visit.
‘Ah Emily!’ said Valancourt, ‘that air, those words — alas56! I have, then, little to hope — when you ceased to esteem57 me, you ceased also to love me!’
‘Most true, sir,’ replied Emily, endeavouring to command her trembling voice; ‘and if you had valued my esteem, you would not have given me this new occasion for uneasiness.’
Valancourt’s countenance58 changed suddenly from the anxieties of doubt to an expression of surprise and dismay: he was silent a moment, and then said, ‘I had been taught to hope for a very different reception! Is it, then, true, Emily, that I have lost your regard forever? am I to believe, that, though your esteem for me may return — your affection never can? Can the Count have meditated59 the cruelty, which now tortures me with a second death?’
The voice, in which he spoke60 this, alarmed Emily as much as his words surprised her, and, with trembling impatience, she begged that he would explain them.
‘Can any explanation be necessary?’ said Valancourt, ‘do you not know how cruelly my conduct has been misrepresented? that the actions of which you once believed me guilty (and, O Emily! how could you so degrade me in your opinion, even for a moment!) those actions — I hold in as much contempt and abhorrence61 as yourself? Are you, indeed, ignorant, that Count de Villefort has detected the slanders62, that have robbed me of all I hold dear on earth, and has invited me hither to justify63 to you my former conduct? It is surely impossible you can be uninformed of these circumstances, and I am again torturing myself with a false hope!’
The silence of Emily confirmed this supposition; for the deep twilight would not allow Valancourt to distinguish the astonishment and doubting joy, that fixed64 her features. For a moment, she continued unable to speak; then a profound sigh seemed to give some relief to her spirits, and she said,
‘Valancourt! I was, till this moment, ignorant of all the circumstances you have mentioned; the emotion I now suffer may assure you of the truth of this, and, that, though I had ceased to esteem, I had not taught myself entirely65 to forget you.’
‘This moment,’ said Valancourt, in a low voice, and leaning for support against the window —‘this moment brings with it a conviction that overpowers me!— I am dear to you then — still dear to you, my Emily!’
‘Is it necessary that I should tell you so?’ she replied, ‘is it necessary, that I should say — these are the first moments of joy I have known, since your departure, and that they repay me for all those of pain I have suffered in the interval66?’
Valancourt sighed deeply, and was unable to reply; but, as he pressed her hand to his lips, the tears, that fell over it, spoke a language, which could not be mistaken, and to which words were inadequate67.
Emily, somewhat tranquillized, proposed returning to the chateau, and then, for the first time, recollected68 that the Count had invited Valancourt thither69 to explain his conduct, and that no explanation had yet been given. But, while she acknowledged this, her heart would not allow her to dwell, for a moment, on the possibility of his unworthiness; his look, his voice, his manner, all spoke the noble sincerity70, which had formerly71 distinguished him; and she again permitted herself to indulge the emotions of a joy, more surprising and powerful, than she had ever before experienced.
Neither Emily, or Valancourt, were conscious how they reached the chateau, whither they might have been transferred by the spell of a fairy, for any thing they could remember; and it was not, till they had reached the great hall, that either of them recollected there were other persons in the world besides themselves. The Count then came forth72 with surprise, and with the joyfulness73 of pure benevolence74, to welcome Valancourt, and to entreat75 his forgiveness of the injustice76 he had done him; soon after which, Mons. Bonnac joined this happy group, in which he and Valancourt were mutually rejoiced to meet.
When the first congratulations were over, and the general joy became somewhat more tranquil42, the Count withdrew with Valancourt to the library, where a long conversation passed between them, in which the latter so clearly justified77 himself of the criminal parts of the conduct, imputed78 to him, and so candidly79 confessed and so feelingly lamented80 the follies81, which he had committed, that the Count was confirmed in his belief of all he had hoped; and, while he perceived so many noble virtues82 in Valancourt, and that experience had taught him to detest83 the follies, which before he had only not admired, he did not scruple84 to believe, that he would pass through life with the dignity of a wise and good man, or to entrust85 to his care the future happiness of Emily St. Aubert, for whom he felt the solicitude86 of a parent. Of this he soon informed her, in a short conversation, when Valancourt had left him. While Emily listened to a relation of the services, that Valancourt had rendered Mons. Bonnac, her eyes overflowed87 with tears of pleasure, and the further conversation of Count De Villefort perfectly88 dissipated every doubt, as to the past and future conduct of him, to whom she now restored, without fear, the esteem and affection, with which she had formerly received him.
When they returned to the supper-room, the Countess and Lady Blanche met Valancourt with sincere congratulations; and Blanche, indeed, was so much rejoiced to see Emily returned to happiness, as to forget, for a while, that Mons. St. Foix was not yet arrived at the chateau, though he had been expected for some hours; but her generous sympathy was, soon after, rewarded by his appearance. He was now perfectly recovered from the wounds, received, during his perilous89 adventure among the Pyrenees, the mention of which served to heighten to the parties, who had been involved in it, the sense of their present happiness. New congratulations passed between them, and round the supper-table appeared a group of faces, smiling with felicity, but with a felicity, which had in each a different character. The smile of Blanche was frank and gay, that of Emily tender and pensive90; Valancourt’s was rapturous, tender and gay alternately; Mons. St. Foix’s was joyous91, and that of the Count, as he looked on the surrounding party, expressed the tempered complacency of benevolence; while the features of the Countess, Henri, and Mons. Bonnac, discovered fainter traces of animation92. Poor Mons. Du Pont did not, by his presence, throw a shade of regret over the company; for, when he had discovered, that Valancourt was not unworthy of the esteem of Emily, he determined93 seriously to endeavour at the conquest of his own hopeless affection, and had immediately withdrawn94 from Chateau- le-Blanc — a conduct, which Emily now understood, and rewarded with her admiration and pity.
The Count and his guests continued together till a late hour, yielding to the delights of social gaiety, and to the sweets of friendship. When Annette heard of the arrival of Valancourt, Ludovico had some difficulty to prevent her going into the supper- room, to express her joy, for she declared, that she had never been so rejoiced at any ACCIDENT as this, since she had found Ludovico himself.
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收听单词发音
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1
distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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4
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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6
momentary
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| adj.片刻的，瞬息的；短暂的 | |
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nuptials
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| n.婚礼；婚礼( nuptial的名词复数 ) | |
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8
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 | |
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9
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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10
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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11
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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12
solitudes
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| n.独居( solitude的名词复数 )；孤独；荒僻的地方；人迹罕至的地方 | |
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13
oar
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| n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行 | |
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14
foaming
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| adj.布满泡沫的；发泡 | |
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15
sullen
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| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
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16
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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17
unison
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| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
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18
twilight
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| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
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19
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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20
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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21
lute
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| n.琵琶，鲁特琴 | |
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22
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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24
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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25
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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26
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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27
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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28
rapture
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| n.狂喜；全神贯注；着迷；v.使狂喜 | |
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29
mingling
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| adj.混合的 | |
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30
gale
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| n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等） | |
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31
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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32
fervid
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| adj.热情的；炽热的 | |
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33
aisles
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| n. (席位间的)通道, 侧廊 | |
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34
dirges
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| n.挽歌( dirge的名词复数 )；忧伤的歌，哀歌 | |
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35
swell
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| vi.膨胀，肿胀；增长，增强 | |
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36
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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37
darts
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| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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38
pebbly
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| 多卵石的，有卵石花纹的 | |
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Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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40
fleeting
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| adj.短暂的，飞逝的 | |
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41
tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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42
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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43
swelled
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| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
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44
conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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45
lull
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| v.使安静，使入睡，缓和，哄骗；n.暂停，间歇 | |
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46
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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47
drooped
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| 弯曲或下垂，发蔫( droop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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49
concealed
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| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
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50
astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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51
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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52
deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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53
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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54
repulsed
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| v.击退( repulse的过去式和过去分词 )；驳斥；拒绝 | |
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55
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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56
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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57
esteem
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| n.尊敬，尊重；vt.尊重，敬重；把…看作 | |
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58
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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59
meditated
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| 深思，沉思，冥想( meditate的过去式和过去分词 )； 内心策划，考虑 | |
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60
spoke
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| 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 | |
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61
abhorrence
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| n.憎恶；可憎恶的事 | |
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62
slanders
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| 诽谤，诋毁( slander的名词复数 ) | |
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63
justify
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| vt.证明…正当(或有理)，为…辩护 | |
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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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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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66
interval
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| n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息 | |
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67
inadequate
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| adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的 | |
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68
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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69
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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joyfulness
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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entreat
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| v.恳求，恳请 | |
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injustice
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| n.非正义，不公正，不公平，侵犯（别人的）权利 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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imputed
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| v.把（错误等）归咎于( impute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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81
follies
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| 罪恶，时事讽刺剧； 愚蠢，蠢笨，愚蠢的行为、思想或做法( folly的名词复数 ) | |
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82
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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detest
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| vt.痛恨，憎恶 | |
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84
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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85
entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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86
solicitude
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| n.焦虑 | |
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87
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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perilous
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| adj.危险的，冒险的 | |
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pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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joyous
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| adj.充满快乐的；令人高兴的 | |
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animation
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| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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