At the end of each class, jostling, thrusting, laughing, shouting, and disputing, they would surge in upon him in a hot, clamorous16, and insistent17 swarm18, and again, as Eugene backed wearily against the wall and faced them, he had the maddening sense of having been defeated and overcome.
For the weariness of flesh was like the weariness a man has after a great burst of love with a potent19 and adored mistress — the back was drawn20 in, half-broken, toward his trembling, wrung21, depleted22 loins, his limbs faltered23 and his fingers shook, his breath came heavily, his body respired slowly in a state of languorous24 exhaustion25, but where the weariness of triumphant26 love brings to a man a sense of completion, victory, and finality, the weariness of the class brought to him only a feeling of sterility27 and despair, a damnable and unresting exacerbation28 and weariness of the spirit, a sense of having yielded up and lost irrevocably into the sponge-like and withdrawing maws of their dark, oily and insatiate hunger, their oriental and parasitic29 gluttony, all of the rare and priceless energies of creation: he thought with a weary and impotent fury of great plans and soaring ecstasies31 of hope and ambition — of poems, stories, books which once had swarmed32 exultantly33 their cries of glory, joy, and triumph through his brain — and now all this seemed lost and wasted, flung riotously34 and fruitlessly away into the blind maw of a headless sucking mouth, a dark brainless, obscene and insatiate hunger.
As he looked at them, a horrible memory returned of the great fish which once he had caught in deep-sea water outside Boston harbour: he could feel again the sudden heavy living tug35, the wriggling36 vitality37, at the end of 200 feet of line, and then the wet line slipping harshly through his fingers as exultantly he drew the great fish upward to the surface. Then he remembered the sense of loss and disgust and horror when he saw it: it swam upward, wriggling heavily in a flail38 of heavy dying protest, through a thickened murk of greenish water, and he saw that to its brain was fastened some blind horror of the sea, a foul39 snake-like shape a foot or more in length, a headless, brainless mouth, a blind suck and sea-crawl, a mindless abomination, glued implacably, fastened in fatal suck in one small rim40 of bloody41 foam42 against the brain-cage of the great dying fish. How often, in a mad fury of escape and freedom, it had lashed43 its brain to bloody froth against some razored edge, some coral types upon the swarming44 jungle of the sea, he did not know; but the memory of it had returned a thousand times in abominable45 waking-sleeping visions of the night to haunt him with its blind and mouthless horror, and now he thought of it again, as they drew in on him their sucking glut30 of dark insatiate desire.
Their dark flesh had in it the quality of a merciless tide which not only overwhelmed and devoured46 but withdrew with a powerful sucking glut all rich deposits of the earth it fed upon: they had the absorptive quality of a sponge, the power of a magnet, the end of each class left him sapped, gutted47, drained, and with a sense of sterility, loss, and defeat, and in addition to this exhaustion of the mind and spirit, there was added a terrible weariness and frustration48 of the flesh: the potent young Jewesses, thick, hot, and heavy with a female odour, swarmed around him in a sensual tide, they leaned above him as he sat there at his table, pressing deliberately49 the crisp nozzles of their melon-heavy breasts against his shoulder; slowly, erotically, they moved their bellies50 in to him, or rubbed the heavy contours of their thighs51 against his legs; they looked at him with moist red lips through which their wet red tongues lolled wickedly, and they sat upon the front rows of the class in garments cut with too extreme a style of provocation52 and indecency, staring up at him with eyes of round lewd53 innocence54, cocking their legs with a shameless and unwitting air, so that they exposed the banded silken ruffle55 of their garters and the ripe heavy flesh of their underlegs.
Thus, to all his weariness of mind, the terror and torment56 of his spirit, a thousand erotic images of an aroused but baffled and maddened sensuality were added: they swarmed around him like the embodiment of all the frustrate57 hunger, desire, and fury he had come to know in the city, with a terrible wordless evocation58 of men starving in the heart of a great plantation59, of men dying of thirst within sight of a shining spring, with a damnable mockery, a nightmare vision of proud, potent and hermetic flesh, of voluptuous60 forms in hell, for ever near, for ever palpable, but never to be known, owned, or touched.
The girls, the proud and potent Jewesses with their amber61 flesh, schooled to a goal of marriage, skilled in all the teasings of erotic trickery, with their lustful62 caution and their hot virginity pressed in around him in a drowning sensual tide: with looks of vacant innocence and with swift counter-glances of dark mockery, they pressed upon him, breathing, soft and warm and full, as they cajoled, teased, seduced64 with look or gesture, questioned trivially, aggressively, uselessly — those with a body, and no mind, intent alone upon seduction, spurred on perhaps by some belief that promotion65 and reward in all the business of life could best be got at in this way; and those with minds and bodies both intent upon some painful mixture of sharp protest, struggle, and seduction which made erotic musings in their soul:
“Oh, but I don’t — ag-gree with you at aw-ull! That’s not the meaning that I saw in it, at aw-ull! I think you’re being very supe-er-fish-al. I don’t ag-gree with you at aw-ull!”— the rich voices, aggrieved66, injured, hen-like and sensual, omened with deep undernotes of ripe hysteria, rose and fell with undulant duckings of yolky67 protest — the rich sensual voices of the Jewesses receiving, giving, returning and withdrawing, rose and fell in curved undulance of yolky hen-clucking protest, with omens68 of a ripe hysteria. Receiving, clucking, and protesting with their warm hen-feathered cries, they seemed to say, “Oh, come and take me, break me, but I don’t ag-ree with you at aw-ull; Cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck-cluck! Oh, do, oh, don’t, we will, we won’t, but we don’t ag-ree with you at aw-ull!”— the rich injured undulations of aggrieved protest, the omened menace of impending69 hysteria awoke in an alien spirit a powerful surge of desire and humour, a wave of wild choking laughter mixed with love and lust63 as one listened to the sensual, aggrieved, hen-clucking protest of their souls.
The Jewish women were as old as nature and as round as the earth: they had a curve in them. They had gone to the wailing70 walls of death and love for seven thousand years, the strong convulsive faces of the Jews were ripe with grief and wisdom, and the curve of the soul of the Jewish women was still unbroken. Female, fertile, yolky, fruitful as the earth, and ready for the plough, they offered to the famished71 wanderer, the alien, the exile, the baffled and infuriated man, escape and surcease of the handsome barren women, the hard varnished72 sawdust dolls, the arrogant73 and sterile74 women, false in look and promise as a hot-house peach, who walked the street and had no curves or fruitfulness in them. The Jewish women waited with rich yolky cries for him, and the news they brought him; the wisdom that they gave to him was that he need not strangle like a mad dog in a barren dark, nor perish, famished, unassuaged, within the wilderness75 beside a rusted76 lance — but that there was still good earth for the plough to cleave77 and furrow78, deep cellars for the grain, a sheath for the shining sword, rich pockets of spiced fertility for all the maddened lunges of desire.
They pressed around him at his table with insistent surge, and he looked at them and saw that they were young; and sometimes they belonged to the whole vast family of the earth: they were like all the young people who had ever lived — they seemed clumsy and noisy and good, full of hope and loyalty79 and folly; and sometimes again, it seemed to him that none of them had ever known youth or innocence, that they had been born with old and weary souls, that they were born instructed in the huge dark history of pain, the thousand mad and tortured sicknesses of the soul, and that the only thirst and hunger that they knew, the desire that drove them with an insatiate lust, was for sorrow, grief, and human misery80. Had they ever cried into the howling winds at night? Had they ever felt the sharp and tongueless ecstasy81 of spring or held their breath at night when great wheels pounded at the rail, or trembled with a vast dark wave of pain, a wordless cry of joy, when they heard ships calling at the harbour’s mouth and thought of new lands in the morning? Or had they always been so old and wise, so full of grief and evil?
The girls pressed in on him their sensual wave, and the boys stood farther off, behind them, waiting, and he saw the dark and furtive82 glances of the men pass slyly, each to each, in swift final looks of cynical83 communication. They waited for the women to have done, with a kind of hard and weary patience, an old and knowing agreement, a sense of acceptance, as if they had known for thousands of years that their women would betray them with a Gentile lover, and yet with a kind of triumph, as if they also knew they would regain84 them and be victorious85 in the end.
They seemed to have gained from life the terrible patience, the old and crafty86 skill and caution that come from long enduring of pain: as he looked at them he knew that they would never be wild and drunken, or beat their knuckles87 bloody on a wall, or lie beaten and senseless in the stews88, but he knew that with smooth faces they would decant89 the bottle for some man who did, and that they would read him quietly to his desperate fate with their dark, mocking, and insatiate eyes. They had learned that a savage90 word would break no bones and that the wound of betrayal or a misprized love is less fatal than the stroke of the sword, the thrust of the knife: in the years that followed he saw that physically91 they were, for the most part, incorrupt, old and cautious, filled with skill and safety — that they had lived so long and grown so wise and crafty that their subtle, million-noted minds could do without and hold in dark contempt the clumsy imperfections of a fleshly evil — that they could evoke92 and live completely in a world of cruel and subtle intuitions, unphrased and unutterable intensities93 of cruelty, shame, and horror, without lifting a finger or turning a hand. Thus, in these years, as his own mind grew mad and twisted with the insane fabrications of a poisonous jealousy94 — as if immediately and without a bridge or break translated into terms of literal physical actuality an insane picture of cruelty and horror: of daughters who acted as procurers to their mothers, of sons and husbands going unperturbed to sleep in houses where their sisters, wives, and children lay quilted in the lust and evil abominations of an adulterous love, of calm untelling faces, looks and glances of a childlike purity, an air of goodness, faith and morning innocence throughout, while the whole knowledge of an unspeakable evil trembled in their hearts for ever with an obscene and soundless laughter — these abominations of his fancy, this vile95 progeny96 which his mad brain translated into literal fact, were probably for the most part only images the cruel and subtle minds of the old, wise, patient Jews had evoked97 and played with in their complex fantasy; and as he looked at the swarm of dark insistent faces round him at the table, an overwhelming sensation of defeat and desolation drowned his spirit — their dark looks read, and ate, and mocked at him, and yet were full of affection and tenderness as if they loved the food they fed upon: it seemed to him that he alone must die; that he must break his heart and smash his bones, lie beaten, drunken, mashed98 and senseless in the dives, must wreck99 his reason, lose his sanity100, destroy his talent, and die a mad-dog howling in the wilderness while they — they alone — these old, wise, weary, patient, pain-devouring subtle-minded Jews — endured.
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1
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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feverishly
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| adv. 兴奋地 | |
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epic
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| n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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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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harry
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| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
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sonnet
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| n.十四行诗 | |
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sonnets
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| n.十四行诗( sonnet的名词复数 ) | |
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relentless
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| adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的 | |
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garbled
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| adj.（指信息）混乱的，引起误解的v.对（事实）歪曲，对（文章等）断章取义，窜改( garble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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renderings
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| n.（戏剧或乐曲的）演奏( rendering的名词复数 )；扮演；表演；翻译作品 | |
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chaos
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| n.混乱，无秩序 | |
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belle
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| n.靓女 | |
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folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 | |
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clamorous
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| adj.吵闹的，喧哗的 | |
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insistent
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| adj.迫切的，坚持的 | |
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swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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wrung
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| 绞( wring的过去式和过去分词 )； 握紧（尤指别人的手）； 把（湿衣服）拧干； 绞掉（水） | |
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depleted
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| adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词 | |
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23
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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24
languorous
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| adj.怠惰的，没精打采的 | |
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exhaustion
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| n.耗尽枯竭，疲惫，筋疲力尽，竭尽，详尽无遗的论述 | |
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triumphant
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| adj.胜利的，成功的；狂欢的，喜悦的 | |
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sterility
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| n.不生育，不结果，贫瘠，消毒，无菌 | |
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exacerbation
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| n.恶化，激怒，增剧；转剧 | |
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parasitic
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| adj.寄生的 | |
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glut
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| n.存货过多，供过于求；v.狼吞虎咽 | |
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ecstasies
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| 狂喜( ecstasy的名词复数 )； 出神； 入迷； 迷幻药 | |
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32
swarmed
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| 密集( swarm的过去式和过去分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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exultantly
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| adv.狂欢地，欢欣鼓舞地 | |
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riotously
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| adv.骚动地，暴乱地 | |
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tug
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| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
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wriggling
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的现在分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等）；蠕蠕 | |
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vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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flail
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| v.用连枷打；击打；n.连枷（脱粒用的工具） | |
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39
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 | |
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40
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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41
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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42
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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43
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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44
swarming
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| 密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去 | |
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45
abominable
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| adj.可厌的，令人憎恶的 | |
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46
devoured
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| 吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光 | |
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47
gutted
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| adj.容易消化的v.毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的过去式和过去分词 )；取出…的内脏 | |
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48
frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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49
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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50
bellies
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| n.肚子( belly的名词复数 )；腹部；（物体的）圆形或凸起部份；腹部…形的 | |
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51
thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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52
provocation
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| n.激怒，刺激，挑拨，挑衅的事物，激怒的原因 | |
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53
lewd
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| adj.淫荡的 | |
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54
innocence
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| n.无罪；天真；无害 | |
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55
ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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56
torment
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| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
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57
frustrate
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| v.使失望；使沮丧；使厌烦 | |
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58
evocation
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| n. 引起，唤起 n. <古> 召唤，招魂 | |
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plantation
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| n.种植园，大农场 | |
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60
voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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61
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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lustful
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| a.贪婪的；渴望的 | |
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lust
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| n.性(淫)欲；渴(欲)望；vi.对…有强烈的欲望 | |
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64
seduced
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| 诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 )； 勾引； 诱使堕落； 使入迷 | |
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65
promotion
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| n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传 | |
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66
aggrieved
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| adj.愤愤不平的，受委屈的；悲痛的；（在合法权利方面）受侵害的v.令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式)；令委屈，令苦恼，侵害( aggrieve的过去式和过去分词) | |
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yolky
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| 蛋黄的，似蛋黄的 | |
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omens
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| n.前兆，预兆( omen的名词复数 ) | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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71
famished
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| adj.饥饿的 | |
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72
varnished
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| 浸渍过的，涂漆的 | |
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arrogant
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| adj.傲慢的，自大的 | |
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74
sterile
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| adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的 | |
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wilderness
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| n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠 | |
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rusted
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| v.（使）生锈( rust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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77
cleave
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| v．(clave；cleaved)粘着，粘住；坚持；依恋 | |
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furrow
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| n.沟；垄沟；轨迹；车辙；皱纹 | |
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loyalty
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| n.忠诚，忠心 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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ecstasy
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| n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷 | |
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furtive
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| adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的 | |
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cynical
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| adj.(对人性或动机)怀疑的，不信世道向善的 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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victorious
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| adj.胜利的，得胜的 | |
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crafty
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| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
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87
knuckles
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| n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝 | |
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88
stews
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| n.炖煮的菜肴( stew的名词复数 )；烦恼，焦虑v.炖( stew的第三人称单数 )；煨；思考；担忧 | |
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decant
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| v.慢慢倒出 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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physically
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| adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律 | |
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evoke
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| vt.唤起，引起，使人想起 | |
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intensities
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| n.强烈( intensity的名词复数 )；（感情的）强烈程度；强度；烈度 | |
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jealousy
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| n.妒忌，嫉妒，猜忌 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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progeny
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| n.后代，子孙；结果 | |
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evoked
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| [医]诱发的 | |
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mashed
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| a.捣烂的 | |
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wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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sanity
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| n.心智健全，神智正常，判断正确 | |
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