I cannot, for my soul, remember how, when, or even precisely4 where, I first became acquainted with the lady Ligeia. Long years have since elapsed, and my memory is feeble through much suffering. Or, perhaps, I cannot now bring these points to mind, because, in truth, the character of my beloved, her rare learning, her singular yet placid5 cast of beauty, and the thrilling and enthralling6 eloquence7 of her low musical language, made their way into my heart by paces so steadily8 and stealthily progressive, that they have been unnoticed and unknown. Yet I believe that I met her first and most frequently in some large, old, decaying city near the Rhine. Of her family—I have surely heard her speak. That it is of a remotely ancient date cannot be doubted. Ligeia! Ligeia! Buried in studies of a nature more than all else adapted to deaden impressions of the outward world, it is by that sweet word alone—by Ligeia—that I bring before mine eyes in fancy the image of her who is no more. And now, while I write, a recollection flashes upon me that I have never known the paternal10 name of her who was my friend and my bethrothed, and who became the partner of my studies, and finally the wife of my bosom11. Was it a playful charge on the part of my Ligeia? or was it a test of my strength of affection, that I should institute no inquiries12 upon this point? or was it rather a caprice of my own—a wildly romantic offering on the shrine13 of the most passionate14 devotion? I but indistinctly recall the fact itself—what wonder that I have utterly forgotten the circumstances which originated or attended it? And, indeed, if ever that spirit which is entitled Romance—if ever she, the wan15 misty-winged Ashtophet of idolatrous Egypt, presided, as they tell, over marriages ill-omened, then most surely she presided over mine.
There is one dear topic, however, on which my memory fails me not. It is the person of Ligeia. In stature16 she was tall, somewhat slender, and, in her latter days, even emaciated17. I would in vain attempt to portray18 the majesty19, the quiet ease of her demeanor20, or the incomprehensible lightness and elasticity21 of her footfall. She came and departed as a shadow. I was never made aware of her entrance into my closed study, save by the dear music of her low sweet voice, as she placed her marble hand upon my shoulder. In beauty of face no maiden22 ever equaled her. It was the radiance of an opium23-dream—an airy and spirit-lifting vision more wildly divine than the phantasies which hovered24 about the slumbering25 souls of the daughters of Delos. Yet her features were not of that regular mold which we have been falsely taught to worship in the classical labors27 of the heathen. "There is no exquisite28 beauty," says Bacon, Lord Verulam, speaking truly of all the forms and genera of beauty, "without some strangeness in the proportion." Yet, although I saw that the features of Ligeia were not of a classic regularity—although I perceived that her loveliness was indeed "exquisite," and felt that there was much of "strangeness" pervading it, yet I have tried in vain to detect the irregularity and to trace home my own perception of "the strange." I examined the contour of the lofty and pale forehead—it was faultless—how cold indeed that word when applied29 to a majesty so divine!—the skin rivaling the purest ivory, the commanding extent and repose30, the gentle prominence31 of the regions above the temples; and then the raven32-black, the glossy33, the luxuriant, and naturally-curling tresses, setting forth34 the full force of the Homeric epithet35, "hyacinthine!" I looked at the delicate outlines of the nose—and nowhere but in the graceful36 medallions of the Hebrews had I beheld37 a similar perfection. There were the same luxurious38 smoothness of surface, the same scarcely perceptible tendency to the aquiline39, the same harmoniously40 curved nostrils41 speaking the free spirit. I regarded the sweet mouth. Here was indeed the triumph of all things heavenly—the magnificent turn of the short upper lip—the soft, voluptuous42 slumber26 of the under—the dimples which sported, and the color which spoke43—the teeth glancing back, with a brilliancy almost startling, every ray of the holy light which fell upon them in her serene44 and placid yet most exultingly45 radiant of all smiles. I scrutinized46 the formation of the chin—and, here, too, I found the gentleness of breadth, the softness and the majesty, the fullness and the spirituality, of the Greek—the contour which the god Apollo revealed but in a dream, to Cleomenes, the son of the Athenian. And then I peered into the large eyes of Ligeia.
For eyes we have no models in the remotely antique. It might have been, too, that in these eyes of my beloved lay the secret to which Lord Verulam alludes47. They were, I must believe, far larger than the ordinary eyes of our own race. They were even fuller than the fullest of the gazelle eyes of the tribe of the valley of Nourjahad. Yet it was only at intervals48—in moments of intense excitement—that this peculiarity49 became more than slightly noticeable in Ligeia. And at such moments was her beauty—in my heated fancy thus it appeared perhaps—the beauty of beings either above or apart from the earth—the beauty of the fabulous50 Houri of the Turk. The hue51 of the orbs52 was the most brilliant of black, and, far over them, hung jetty lashes9 of great length. The brows, slightly irregular in outline, had the same tint53. The "strangeness," however, which I found in the eyes was of a nature distinct from the formation, or the color, or the brilliancy of the features, and must, after all, be referred to the expression. Ah, word of no meaning! behind whose vast latitude54 of mere55 sound we intrench our ignorance of so much of the spiritual. The expression of the eyes of Ligeia! How for long hours have I pondered upon it! How have I, through the whole of a midsummer night, struggled to fathom56 it! What was it—that something more profound than the well of Democritus—which lay far within the pupils of my beloved? What was it? I was possessed57 with a passion to discover. Those eyes! those large, those shining, those divine orbs! they became to me twin stars of Leda, and I to them devoutest of astrologers.
There is no point, among the many incomprehensible anomalies of the science of mind, more thrillingly exciting than the fact—never, I believe, noticed in the schools—than in our endeavors to recall to memory something long forgotten, we often find ourselves upon the very verge58 of remembrance, without being able, in the end, to remember. And thus how frequently, in my intense scrutiny59 of Ligeia's eyes, have I felt approaching the full knowledge of their expression—felt it approaching—yet not quite be mine—and so at length entirely60 depart! And (strange, oh, strangest mystery of all!) I found, in the commonest objects of the universe, a circle of analogies to that expression. I mean to say that, subsequently to the period when Ligeia's beauty passed into my spirit, there dwelling61 as in a shrine, I derived62, from many existences in the material world, a sentiment such as I felt always around, within me, by her large and luminous63 orbs. Yet not the more could I define that sentiment, or analyze64, or even steadily view it. I recognized it, let me repeat, sometimes in the survey of a rapidly growing vine—in the contemplation of a moth65, a butterfly, a chrysalis, a stream of running water. I have felt it in the ocean—in the falling of a meteor. I have felt it in the glances of unusually aged66 people. And there are one or two stars in heaven (one especially, a star of the sixth magnitude, double and changeable, to be found near the large star in Lyra) in a telescopic scrutiny of which I have been made aware of the feeling. I have been filled with it by certain sounds from stringed instruments, and not unfrequently by passages from books. Among innumerable other instances, I well remember something in a volume of Joseph Glanvill, which (perhaps merely from its quaintness—who shall say?) never failed to inspire me with the sentiment: "And the will therein lieth, which dieth not. Who knoweth the mysteries of the will, with its vigor? For God is but a great will pervading all things by nature of its intentness. Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will."
Length of years and subsequent reflection have enabled me to trace, indeed, some remote connection between this passage in the English moralist and a portion of the character of Ligeia. An intensity67 in thought, action, or speech was possibly, in her, a result, or at least an index, of that gigantic volition68 which, during our long intercourse69, failed to give other and more immediate70 evidence of its existence. Of all the women whom I have ever known, she, the outwardly calm, the ever-placid Ligeia, was the most violently a prey71 to the tumultuous vultures of stern passion. And of such passion I could form no estimate, save by the miraculous73 expansion of those eyes which at once so delighted and appalled74 me,—by the almost magical melody, modulation76, distinctness, and placidity77 of her very low voice,—and by the fierce energy (rendered doubly effective by contrast with her manner of utterance78) of the wild words which she habitually79 uttered.
I have spoken of the learning of Ligeia: it was immense—such as I have never known in woman. In the classical tongues was she deeply proficient80, and as far as my own acquaintance extended in regard to the modern dialects of Europe, I have never known her at fault. Indeed upon any theme of the most admired because simply the most abstruse81 of the boasted erudition of the Academy, have I ever found Ligeia at fault? How singularly—how thrillingly, this one point in the nature of my wife has forced itself, at this late period only, upon my attention! I said her knowledge was such as I have never known in woman—but where breathes the man who has traversed, and successfully, all the wide areas of moral, physical, and mathematical science? I saw not then what I now clearly perceive that the acquisitions of Ligeia were gigantic, were astounding83; yet I was sufficiently84 aware of her infinite supremacy85 to resign myself, with a child-like confidence, to her guidance through the chaotic86 world of metaphysical investigation87 at which I was most busily occupied during the earlier years of our marriage. With how vast a triumph—with how vivid a delight—with how much of all that is ethereal in hope did I feel, as she bent88 over me in studies but little sought—but less known,—that delicious vista89 by slow degrees expanding before me, down whose long, gorgeous, and all untrodden path, I might at length pass onward90 to the goal of a wisdom too divinely precious not to be forbidden.
How poignant91, then, must have been the grief with which, after some years, I beheld my well-grounded expectations take wings to themselves and fly away! Without Ligeia I was but as a child groping benighted92. Her presence, her readings alone, rendered vividly93 luminous the many mysteries of the transcendentalism in which we were immersed. Wanting the radiant luster94 of her eyes, letters, lambent and golden, grew duller than Saturnian lead. And now those eyes shone less and less frequently upon the pages over which I pored. Ligeia grew ill. The wild eyes blazed with a too—too glorious effulgence95; the pale fingers became of the transparent96 waxen hue of the grave; and the blue veins97 upon the lofty forehead swelled98 and sank impetuously with the tides of the most gentle emotion. I saw that she must die—and I struggled desperately99 in spirit with the grim Azrael. And the struggles of the passionate wife were, to my astonishment100, even more energetic than my own. There had been much in her stern nature to impress me with the belief that, to her, death would have come without its terrors; but not so. Words are impotent to convey any just idea of the fierceness of resistance with which she wrestled101 with the Shadow. I groaned102 in anguish103 at the pitiable spectacle. I would have soothed—I would have reasoned; but in the intensity of her wild desire for life—for life—but for life—solace and reason were alike the uttermost of folly104. Yet not until the last instance, amid the most convulsive writhings of her fierce spirit, was shaken the external placidity of her demeanor. Her voice grew more gentle—grew more low—yet I would not wish to dwell upon the wild meaning of the quietly uttered words. My brain reeled as I hearkened, entranced, to a melody more than mortal—to assumptions and aspirations106 which mortality had never before known.
That she loved me I should not have doubted; and I might have been easily aware that, in a bosom such as hers, love would have reigned107 no ordinary passion. But in death only was I fully82 impressed with the strength of her affection. For long hours, detaining my hand, would she pour out before me the overflowing108 of a heart whose more than passionate devotion amounted to idolatry. How had I deserved to be so blessed by such confessions109?—how had I deserved to be so cursed with the removal of my beloved in the hour of my making them? But upon this subject I cannot bear to dilate110. Let me say only, that in Ligeia's more than womanly abandonment to a love, alas111! all unmerited, all unworthily bestowed112, I at length, recognized the principle of her longing113, with so wildly earnest a desire, for the life which was now fleeing so rapidly away. It is this wild longing—it is this eager vehemence114 of desire for life—but for life—that I have no power to portray—no utterance capable of expressing.
At high noon of the night in which she departed, beckoning115 me, peremptorily116, to her side, she bade me repeat certain verses composed by herself not many days before. I obeyed her. They were these:—
Lo! 'tis a gala night
Within the lonesome latter years!
In veils, and drowned in tears,
Sit in a theatre, to see
A play of hopes and fears,
While the orchestra breathes fitfully
The music of the spheres.
Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro,
Invisible Wo!
That motley drama!—oh, be sure
It shall not be forgot!
By a crowd that seize it not,
Through a circle that ever returneth in
To the self-same spot;
And much of Madness, and more of Sin
And Horror, the soul of the plot!
The mimes become its food,
Out—out are the lights—out all:
And over each quivering form,
Comes down with the rush of a storm—
Uprising, unveiling, affirm
That the play is the tragedy, "Man,"
"O God!" half shrieked136 Ligeia, leaping to her feet and extending her arms aloft with a spasmodic movement, as I made an end of these lines—"O God! O Divine Father!—shall these things be undeviatingly so?—shall this conqueror be not once conquered? Are we not part and parcel in Thee? Who—who knoweth the mysteries of the will with its vigor? Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will."
And now, as if exhausted137 with emotion, she suffered her white arms to fall, and returned solemnly to her bed of death. And as she breathed her last sighs, there came mingled138 with them a low murmur139 from her lips. I bent to them my ear, and distinguished140, again, the concluding words of the passage in Glanvill: "Man doth not yield him to the angels, nor unto death utterly, save only through the weakness of his feeble will."
She died: and I, crushed into the very dust with sorrow, could no longer endure the lonely desolation of my dwelling in the dim and decaying city by the Rhine. I had no lack of what the world calls wealth. Ligeia had brought me far more, very far more, than ordinarily falls to the lot of mortals. After a few months, therefore, of weary and aimless wandering, I purchased and put in some repair, an abbey, which I shall not name, in one of the wildest and least frequented portions of fair England. The gloomy and dreary141 grandeur142 of the building, the almost savage143 aspect of the domain144, the many melancholy145 and time-honored memories connected with both, had much in unison146 with the feelings of utter abandonment which had driven me into that remote and unsocial region of the country. Yet although the external abbey, with its verdant147 decay hanging about it, suffered but little alteration148, I gave way, with a child-like perversity149, and perchance with a faint hope of alleviating150 my sorrows, to a display of more than regal magnificence within. For such follies151, even in childhood, I had imbibed152 a taste, and now they came back to me as if in the dotage153 of grief. Alas, I feel how much even of incipient154 madness might have been discovered in the gorgeous and fantastic draperies, in the solemn carvings155 of Egypt, in the wild cornices and furniture, in the Bedlam156 patterns of the carpets of tufted gold! I had become a bounden slave in the trammels of opium, and my labors and my orders had taken a coloring from my dreams. But these absurdities157 I must not pause to detail. Let me speak only of that one chamber158, ever accursed, whither, in a moment of mental alienation159, I led from the altar as my bride—as the successor of the unforgotten Ligeia—the fair-haired and blue-eyed Lady Rowena Trevanion, of Tremaine.
There is no individual portion of the architecture and decoration of that bridal chamber which is not visibly before me. Where were the souls of the haughty160 family of the bride, when, through thirst of gold, they permitted to pass the threshold of an apartment so bedecked, a maiden and a daughter so beloved? I have said, that I minutely remember the details of the chamber—yet I am sadly forgetful on topics of deep moment; and here there was no system, no keeping, in the fantastic display to take hold upon the memory. The room lay in a high turret161 of the castellated abbey, was pentagonal in shape, and of capacious size. Occupying the whole southern face of the pentagonal was the sole window—an immense sheet of unbroken glass from Venice—a single pane162, and tinted163 of a leaden hue, so that the rays of either the sun or moon passing through it, fell with a ghastly luster on the objects within. Over the upper portion of this huge window extended the trellis-work of an aged vine, which clambered up the massy walls of the turret. The ceiling, of gloomy-looking oak, was excessively lofty, vaulted164, and elaborately fretted165 with the wildest and most grotesque166 specimens167 of a semi-Gothic, semi-Druidical device. From out the most central recess168 of this melancholy vaulting169, depended, by a single chain of gold with long links, a huge censer of the same metal, Saracenic in pattern, and with many perforations so contrived170 that there writhed171 in and out of them, as if endued172 with a serpent vitality173, a continual succession of parti-colored fires.
Some few ottomans and golden candelabra, of Eastern figure, were in various stations about; and there was the couch, too—the bridal couch—of an Indian model, and low, and sculptured of solid ebony, with a pall-like canopy174 above. In each of the angles of the chamber stood on end a gigantic sarcophagus of black granite175, from the tombs of the kings over against Luxor, with their aged lids full of immemorial sculpture. But in the draping of the apartment lay, alas! the chief phantasy of all. The lofty walls, gigantic in height—even unproportionably so—were hung from summit to foot, in vast folds, with a heavy and massive-looking tapestry—tapestry of a material which was found alike as a carpet on the floor, as a covering for the ottomans and the ebony bed, as a canopy for the bed, and as the gorgeous volutes of the curtains which partially176 shaded the window. The material was the richest cloth of gold. It was spotted177 all over, at irregular intervals, with arabesque178 figures, about a foot in diameter, and wrought179 upon the cloth in patterns of the most jetty black. But these figures partook of the true character of the arabesque only when regarded from a single point of view. By a contrivance now common, and indeed traceable to a very remote period of antiquity180, they were made changeable in aspect. To one entering the room, they bore the appearance of simple monstrosities; but upon a farther advance, this appearance gradually departed; and, step by step, as the visitor moved his station in the chamber, he saw himself surrounded by an endless succession of the ghastly forms which belong to the superstition181 of the Norman, or arise in the guilty slumbers182 of the monk183. The phantasmagoric effect was vastly heightened by the artificial introduction of a strong continual current of wind behind the draperies—giving a hideous184 and uneasy animation185 to the whole.
In halls such as these—in a bridal chamber such as this—I passed, with the Lady of Tremaine, the unhallowed hours of the first month of our marriage—passed them with but little disquietude. That my wife dreaded186 the fierce moodiness187 of my temper—that she shunned188 me, and loved me but little—I could not help perceiving; but it gave me rather pleasure than otherwise. I loathed189 her with a hatred190 belonging more to demon191 than to man. My memory flew back (oh, with what intensity of regret!) to Ligeia, the beloved, the august, the beautiful, the entombed. I reveled in recollections of her purity, of her wisdom, of her lofty—her ethereal nature, of her passionate, her idolatrous love. Now, then, did my spirit fully and freely burn with more than all the fires of her own. In the excitement of my opium dreams (for I was habitually fettered192 in the shackles193 of the drug), I would call aloud upon her name, during the silence of the night, or among the sheltered recesses194 of the glens by day, as if, through the wild eagerness, the solemn passion, the consuming ardor195 of my longing for the departed, I could restore her to the pathways she had abandoned—ah, could it be forever?—upon the earth.
About the commencement of the second month of the marriage, the Lady Rowena was attacked with sudden illness, from which her recovery was slow. The fever which consumed her rendered her nights uneasy; and in her perturbed196 state of half-slumber, she spoke of sounds, and of motions, in and about the chamber of the turret, which I concluded had no origin save in the distemper of her fancy, or perhaps in the phantasmagoric influences of the chamber itself. She became at length convalescent—finally, well. Yet but a second more violent disorder197 again threw her upon a bed of suffering; and from this attack her frame, at all times feeble, never altogether recovered. Her illnesses were, after this epoch198, of alarming character, and of more alarming recurrence199, defying alike the knowledge and the great exertions201 of her physicians. With the increase of the chronic202 disease, which had thus, apparently203, taken too sure hold upon her constitution to be eradicated204 by human means, I could not fail to observe a similar increase in the nervous irritation205 of her temperament206, and in her excitability by trivial causes of fear. She spoke again, and now more frequently and pertinaciously207, of the sounds—of the slight sounds—and of the unusual motions among the tapestries208, to which she had formerly209 alluded210.
One night, near the closing in of September, she pressed this distressing211 subject with more than usual emphasis upon my attention. She had just awakened212 from an unquiet slumber, and I had been watching, with feelings half of anxiety, half of vague terror, the workings of her emaciated countenance213. I sat by the side of her ebony bed, upon one of the ottomans of India. She partly arose, and spoke, in an earnest low whisper, of sounds which she then heard, but which I could not hear—of motions which she then saw, but which I could not perceive. The wind was rushing hurriedly behind the tapestries, and I wished to show her (what, let me confess it, I could not all believe) that those almost inarticulate breathings, and those very gentle variations of the figures upon the wall, were but the natural effects of that customary rushing of the wind. But a deadly pallor, overspreading her face, had proved to me that my exertions to reassure214 her would be fruitless. She appeared to be fainting, and no attendants were within call. I remembered where was deposited a decanter of light wine which had been ordered by her physicians, and hastened across the chamber to procure215 it. But, as I stepped beneath the light of the censer, two circumstances of a startling nature attracted my attention. I had felt that some palpable although invisible object had passed lightly by my person; and I saw that there lay upon the golden carpet, in the very middle of the rich luster thrown from the censer, a shadow—a faint, indefinite shadow of angelic aspect—such as might be fancied for the shadow of a shade. But I was wild with the excitement of an immoderate dose of opium, and heeded216 these things but little, nor spoke of them to Rowena. Having found the wine, I recrossed the chamber, and poured out a gobletful, which I held to the lips of the fainting lady. She had now partially recovered, however, and took the vessel218 herself, while I sank upon an ottoman near me, with my eyes fastened upon her person. It was then that I became distinctly aware of a gentle footfall upon the carpet, and near the couch; and in a second thereafter, as Rowena was in the act of raising the wine to her lips, I saw, or may have dreamed that I saw, fall within the goblet217, as if from some invisible spring in the atmosphere of the room, three or four large drops of a brilliant and ruby219 colored fluid. If this I saw—not so Rowena. She swallowed the wine unhesitatingly, and I forebore to speak to her of a circumstance which must, after all, I considered, have been but the suggestion of a vivid imagination, rendered morbidly220 active by the terror of the lady, by the opium, and by the hour.
Yet I cannot conceal221 it from my own perception that, immediately subsequent to the fall of the ruby drops, a rapid change for the worse took place in the disorder of my wife; so that, on the third subsequent night, the hands of her menials prepared her for the tomb, and on the fourth, I sat alone, with her shrouded222 body, in that fantastic chamber which had received her as my bride. Wild visions, opium-engendered, flitted, shadow-like, before me. I gazed with unquiet eye upon the sarcophagi in the angles of the room, upon the varying figures of the drapery, and upon the writhing105 of the parti-colored fires in the censer overhead. My eyes then fell, as I called to mind the circumstances of a former night, to the spot beneath the glare of the censer where I had seen the faint traces of the shadow. It was there, however, no longer; and breathing with greater freedom, I turned my glances to the pallid and rigid223 figure upon the bed. Then rushed upon me a thousand memories of Ligeia—and then came back upon my heart, with the turbulent violence of a flood, the whole of that unutterable woe224 with which I had regarded her thus enshrouded. The night waned225; and still, with a bosom full of bitter thoughts of the one only and supremely226 beloved, I remained gazing upon the body of Rowena.
It might have been midnight, or perhaps earlier, or later, for I had taken no note of time, when a sob, low, gentle, but very distinct, startled me from my revery. I felt that it came from the bed of ebony—the bed of death. I listened in an agony of superstitious227 terror—but there was no repetition of the sound. I strained my vision to detect any motion in the corpse228—but there was not the slightest perceptible. Yet I could not have been deceived. I had heard the noise, however faint, and my soul was awakened within me. I resolutely229 and perseveringly230 kept my attention riveted231 upon the body. Many minutes elapsed before any circumstance occurred tending to throw light upon the mystery. At length it became evident that a slight, a very feeble, and barely noticeable tinge232 of color had flushed up within the cheeks, and along the sunken small veins of the eyelids234. Through a species of unutterable horror and awe235, for which the language of mortality has no sufficiently energetic expression, I felt my heart cease to beat, my limbs grow rigid where I sat. Yet a sense of duty finally operated to restore my self-possession. I could no longer doubt that we had been precipitate236 in our preparations—that Rowena still lived. It was necessary that some immediate exertion200 be made; yet the turret was altogether apart from the portion of the abbey tenanted by the servants—there were none within call—I had no means of summoning them to my aid without leaving the room for many minutes—and this I could not venture to do. I therefore struggled alone in my endeavors to call back the spirit still hovering238. In a short period it was certain, however, that a relapse had taken place; the color disappeared from both eyelid233 and cheek, leaving a wanness239 even more than that of marble; the lips became doubly shriveled and pinched up in the ghastly expression of death; a repulsive240 clamminess and coldness overspread rapidly the surface of the body; and all the usual rigorous stiffness immediately supervened. I fell back with a shudder241 upon the couch from which I had been so startlingly aroused, and again gave myself up to passionate waking visions of Ligeia.
An hour thus elapsed, when (could it be possible?) I was a second time aware of some vague sound issuing from the region of the bed. I listened—in extremity242 of horror. The sound came again—it was a sigh. Rushing to the corpse, I saw—distinctly saw—a tremor243 upon the lips. In a minute afterward244 they relaxed, disclosing a bright line of the pearly teeth. Amazement245 now struggled in my bosom with the profound awe which had hitherto reigned there alone. I felt that my vision grew dim, that my reason wandered; and it was only by a violent effort that I at length succeeded in nerving myself to the task which duty thus once more had pointed246 out. There was now a partial glow upon the forehead and upon the cheek and throat; a perceptible warmth pervaded247 the whole frame; there was even a slight pulsation248 at the heart. The lady lived; and with redoubled ardor I betook myself to the task of restoration. I chafed249 and bathed the temples and the hands and used every exertion which experience, and no little medical reading, could suggest. But in vain. Suddenly, the color fled, the pulsation ceased, the lips resumed the expression of the dead, and, in an instant afterward, the whole body took upon itself the icy chilliness250, the livid hue, the intense rigidity251, the sunken outline, and all the loathsome252 peculiarities253 of that which has been, for many days, a tenant237 of the tomb.
And again I sunk into visions of Ligeia—and again (what marvel254 that I shudder while I write?), again there reached my ears a low sob from the region of the ebony bed. But why shall I minutely detail the unspeakable horrors of that night? Why shall I pause to relate how, time after time, until near the period of the gray dawn, this hideous drama of revivification was repeated; how each terrific relapse was only into a sterner and apparently more irredeemable death; how each agony wore the aspect of a struggle with some invisible foe255; and how each struggle was succeeded by I know not what of wild change in the personal appearance of the corpse? Let me hurry to a conclusion.
The greater part of the fearful night had worn away, and she who had been dead once again stirred—and now more vigorously than hitherto, although arousing from a dissolution more appalling256 in its utter hopelessness than any. I had long ceased to struggle or to move, and remained sitting rigidly257 upon the ottoman, a helpless prey to a whirl of violent emotions, of which extreme awe was perhaps the least terrible, the least consuming. The corpse, I repeat, stirred, and now more vigorously than before. The hues258 of life flushed up with unwonted energy into the countenance—the limbs relaxed—and, save that the eyelids were yet pressed heavily together, and that the bandages and draperies of the grave still imparted their charnel character to the figure, I might have dreamed that Rowena had indeed shaken off, utterly, the fetters259 of Death. But if this idea was not, even then, altogether adopted, I could at least doubt no longer, when, arising from the bed, tottering260, with feeble steps, with closed eyes, and with the manner of one bewildered in a dream, the thing that was enshrouded advanced boldly and palpably into the middle of the apartment.
I trembled not—I stirred not—for a crowd of unutterable fancies connected with the air, the stature, the demeanor, of the figure, rushing hurriedly through my brain, had paralyzed—had chilled me into stone. I stirred not—but gazed upon the apparition261. There was a mad disorder in my thoughts—a tumult72 unappeasable. Could it, indeed, be the living Rowena who confronted me? Could it, indeed, be Rowena at all—the fair-haired, the blue-eyed Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine? Why, why should I doubt it? The bandage lay heavily about the mouth—but then might it not be the mouth of the breathing Lady of Tremaine? And the cheeks—there were the roses as in her noon of life—yes, these might indeed be the fair cheeks of the living Lady of Tremaine. And the chin, with its dimples, as in health, might it not be hers?—but had she then grown taller since her malady262? What inexpressible madness seized me with that thought? One bound, and I had reached her feet! Shrinking from my touch, she let fall from her head, unloosened, the ghastly cerements which had confined it, and there streamed forth into the rushing atmosphere of the chamber huge masses of long and disheveled hair; it was blacker than the raven wings of midnight. And now slowly opened the eyes of the figure which stood before me. "Here then, at least," I shrieked aloud, "can I never—can I never be mistaken—these are the full, and the black, and the wild eyes—of my lost love—of the Lady—of the LADY LIGEIA."
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
vigor
|
|
| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
pervading
|
|
| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
utterly
|
|
| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
placid
|
|
| adj.安静的，平和的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
enthralling
|
|
| 迷人的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
eloquence
|
|
| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
steadily
|
|
| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
lashes
|
|
| n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
paternal
|
|
| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
bosom
|
|
| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
inquiries
|
|
| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
shrine
|
|
| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
passionate
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
wan
|
|
| (wide area network)广域网 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
stature
|
|
| n.（高度）水平，（高度）境界，身高，身材 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
emaciated
|
|
| adj.衰弱的，消瘦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
portray
|
|
| v.描写，描述；画(人物、景象等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
majesty
|
|
| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
demeanor
|
|
| n.行为；风度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
elasticity
|
|
| n.弹性，伸缩力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
maiden
|
|
| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
opium
|
|
| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
hovered
|
|
| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
slumbering
|
|
| 微睡，睡眠（slumber的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
slumber
|
|
| n.睡眠，沉睡状态 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
labors
|
|
| v.努力争取(for)( labor的第三人称单数 )；苦干；详细分析；（指引擎）缓慢而困难地运转 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
exquisite
|
|
| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
applied
|
|
| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
repose
|
|
| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
prominence
|
|
| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
raven
|
|
| n.渡鸟，乌鸦；adj.乌亮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
glossy
|
|
| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
epithet
|
|
| n.（用于褒贬人物等的）表述形容词，修饰语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
graceful
|
|
| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
beheld
|
|
| 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 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
luxurious
|
|
| adj.精美而昂贵的；豪华的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
aquiline
|
|
| adj.钩状的，鹰的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
harmoniously
|
|
| 和谐地，调和地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
nostrils
|
|
| 鼻孔( nostril的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
voluptuous
|
|
| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
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： |
|
|
|
|
44
serene
|
|
| adj. 安详的，宁静的，平静的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
exultingly
|
|
| 兴高采烈地，得意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
scrutinized
|
|
| v.仔细检查，详审( scrutinize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
alludes
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
intervals
|
|
| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
peculiarity
|
|
| n.独特性，特色；特殊的东西；怪癖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
fabulous
|
|
| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
orbs
|
|
| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
tint
|
|
| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
latitude
|
|
| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
fathom
|
|
| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
verge
|
|
| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
scrutiny
|
|
| n.详细检查，仔细观察 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
entirely
|
|
| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
dwelling
|
|
| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
derived
|
|
| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
luminous
|
|
| adj.发光的，发亮的；光明的；明白易懂的；有启发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
analyze
|
|
| vt.分析，解析 (=analyse) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
moth
|
|
| n.蛾，蛀虫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
aged
|
|
| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
intensity
|
|
| n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
volition
|
|
| n.意志；决意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
intercourse
|
|
| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
tumult
|
|
| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
miraculous
|
|
| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
appalled
|
|
| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
pall
|
|
| v.覆盖，使平淡无味；n.柩衣，棺罩；棺材；帷幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
modulation
|
|
| n.调制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
placidity
|
|
| n.平静，安静，温和 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
utterance
|
|
| n.用言语表达，话语，言语 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
habitually
|
|
| ad.习惯地，通常地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
proficient
|
|
| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
abstruse
|
|
| adj.深奥的，难解的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
astounding
|
|
| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
supremacy
|
|
| n.至上；至高权力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
chaotic
|
|
| adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
investigation
|
|
| n.调查，调查研究 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
vista
|
|
| n.远景，深景，展望，回想 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
onward
|
|
| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
poignant
|
|
| adj.令人痛苦的，辛酸的，惨痛的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
benighted
|
|
| adj.蒙昧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
vividly
|
|
| adv.清楚地，鲜明地，生动地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
luster
|
|
| n.光辉；光泽，光亮；荣誉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
effulgence
|
|
| n.光辉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
transparent
|
|
| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
veins
|
|
| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
swelled
|
|
| 增强( swell的过去式和过去分词 )； 肿胀； （使）凸出； 充满（激情） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
astonishment
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
wrestled
|
|
| v.（与某人）搏斗( wrestle的过去式和过去分词 )；扭成一团；扭打；（与…）摔跤 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
anguish
|
|
| n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
writhing
|
|
| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
aspirations
|
|
| 强烈的愿望( aspiration的名词复数 )； 志向； 发送气音； 发 h 音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
reigned
|
|
| vi.当政，统治（reign的过去式形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
overflowing
|
|
| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
confessions
|
|
| n.承认( confession的名词复数 )；自首；声明；（向神父的）忏悔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
dilate
|
|
| vt.使膨胀，使扩大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
alas
|
|
| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
longing
|
|
| n.（for）渴望 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
vehemence
|
|
| n.热切；激烈；愤怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
beckoning
|
|
| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
peremptorily
|
|
| adv.紧急地，不容分说地，专横地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
throng
|
|
| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
mimes
|
|
| n.指手画脚( mime的名词复数 )；做手势；哑剧；哑剧演员v.指手画脚地表演，用哑剧的形式表演( mime的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
mumble
|
|
| n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
thither
|
|
| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
condor
|
|
| n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
phantom
|
|
| n.幻影，虚位，幽灵；adj.错觉的，幻影的，幽灵的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
mimic
|
|
| v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
rout
|
|
| n.溃退，溃败；v.击溃，打垮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
intrude
|
|
| vi.闯入；侵入；打扰，侵扰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
writhes
|
|
| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
scenic
|
|
| adj.自然景色的，景色优美的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
solitude
|
|
| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
pangs
|
|
| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
sob
|
|
| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
fangs
|
|
| n.（尤指狗和狼的）长而尖的牙( fang的名词复数 )；（蛇的）毒牙；罐座 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
gore
|
|
| n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
imbued
|
|
| v.使（某人/某事）充满或激起（感情等）( imbue的过去式和过去分词 )；使充满；灌输；激发（强烈感情或品质等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
pallid
|
|
| adj.苍白的，呆板的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
conqueror
|
|
| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
shrieked
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
mingled
|
|
| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
murmur
|
|
| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
dreary
|
|
| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
grandeur
|
|
| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
savage
|
|
| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
domain
|
|
| n.(活动等)领域，范围；领地，势力范围 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
melancholy
|
|
| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
unison
|
|
| n.步调一致，行动一致 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
verdant
|
|
| adj.翠绿的，青翠的，生疏的，不老练的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
alteration
|
|
| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
perversity
|
|
| n.任性；刚愎自用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
alleviating
|
|
| 减轻，缓解，缓和( alleviate的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
follies
|
|
| 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 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
imbibed
|
|
| v.吸收( imbibe的过去式和过去分词 )；喝；吸取；吸气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
dotage
|
|
| n.年老体衰；年老昏聩 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
incipient
|
|
| adj.起初的，发端的，初期的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
carvings
|
|
| n.雕刻( carving的名词复数 )；雕刻术；雕刻品；雕刻物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
bedlam
|
|
| n.混乱，骚乱；疯人院 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
absurdities
|
|
| n.极端无理性( absurdity的名词复数 )；荒谬；谬论；荒谬的行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
chamber
|
|
| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
alienation
|
|
| n.疏远；离间；异化 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
haughty
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，高傲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
turret
|
|
| n.塔楼，角塔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
pane
|
|
| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
tinted
|
|
| adj. 带色彩的 动词tint的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
vaulted
|
|
| adj.拱状的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
fretted
|
|
| 焦躁的，附有弦马的，腐蚀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
grotesque
|
|
| adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
specimens
|
|
| n.样品( specimen的名词复数 )；范例；（化验的）抽样；某种类型的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
recess
|
|
| n.短期休息，壁凹（墙上装架子，柜子等凹处） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
vaulting
|
|
| n.（天花板或屋顶的）拱形结构 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
contrived
|
|
| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
writhed
|
|
| （因极度痛苦而）扭动或翻滚( writhe的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
endued
|
|
| v.授予，赋予（特性、才能等）( endue的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
vitality
|
|
| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
canopy
|
|
| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
granite
|
|
| adj.花岗岩，花岗石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
partially
|
|
| adv.部分地，从某些方面讲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
arabesque
|
|
| n.阿拉伯式花饰；adj.阿拉伯式图案的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
wrought
|
|
| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
antiquity
|
|
| n.古老；高龄；古物，古迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
superstition
|
|
| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
slumbers
|
|
| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
monk
|
|
| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
hideous
|
|
| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
animation
|
|
| n.活泼，兴奋，卡通片／动画片的制作 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
dreaded
|
|
| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
moodiness
|
|
| n.喜怒无常；喜怒无常，闷闷不乐；情绪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
shunned
|
|
| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
loathed
|
|
| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
hatred
|
|
| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
demon
|
|
| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
fettered
|
|
| v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
shackles
|
|
| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
recesses
|
|
| n.壁凹( recess的名词复数 )；（工作或业务活动的）中止或暂停期间；学校的课间休息；某物内部的凹形空间v.把某物放在墙壁的凹处( recess的第三人称单数 )；将（墙）做成凹形，在（墙）上做壁龛；休息，休会，休庭 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
ardor
|
|
| n.热情，狂热 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
perturbed
|
|
| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
disorder
|
|
| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
epoch
|
|
| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
recurrence
|
|
| n.复发，反复，重现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
exertion
|
|
| n.尽力，努力 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
exertions
|
|
| n.努力( exertion的名词复数 )；费力；（能力、权力等的）运用；行使 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
chronic
|
|
| adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
eradicated
|
|
| 画着根的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
irritation
|
|
| n.激怒，恼怒，生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
temperament
|
|
| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
pertinaciously
|
|
| adv.坚持地；固执地；坚决地；执拗地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
tapestries
|
|
| n.挂毯( tapestry的名词复数 )；绣帷，织锦v.用挂毯（或绣帷）装饰( tapestry的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
formerly
|
|
| adv.从前，以前 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
alluded
|
|
| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
distressing
|
|
| a.使人痛苦的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
awakened
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
countenance
|
|
| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
reassure
|
|
| v.使放心，使消除疑虑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
procure
|
|
| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
heeded
|
|
| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
goblet
|
|
| n.高脚酒杯 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
vessel
|
|
| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
ruby
|
|
| n.红宝石，红宝石色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
morbidly
|
|
| adv.病态地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
shrouded
|
|
| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
rigid
|
|
| adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
woe
|
|
| n.悲哀，苦痛，不幸，困难；int.用来表达悲伤或惊慌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
waned
|
|
| v.衰落( wane的过去式和过去分词 )；（月）亏；变小；变暗淡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
supremely
|
|
| adv.无上地，崇高地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
superstitious
|
|
| adj.迷信的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
corpse
|
|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
resolutely
|
|
| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
perseveringly
|
|
| 坚定地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
riveted
|
|
| 铆接( rivet的过去式和过去分词 )； 把…固定住； 吸引； 引起某人的注意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
232
tinge
|
|
| vt.(较淡)着色于，染色；使带有…气息；n.淡淡色彩，些微的气息 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
233
eyelid
|
|
| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
234
eyelids
|
|
| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
235
awe
|
|
| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
236
precipitate
|
|
| adj.突如其来的；vt.使突然发生；n.沉淀物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
237
tenant
|
|
| n.承租人；房客；佃户；v.租借，租用 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
238
hovering
|
|
| 鸟( hover的现在分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
239
wanness
|
|
| n.虚弱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
240
repulsive
|
|
| adj.排斥的，使人反感的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
241
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
242
extremity
|
|
| n.末端，尽头；尽力；终极；极度 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
243
tremor
|
|
| n.震动，颤动，战栗，兴奋，地震 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
244
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
245
amazement
|
|
| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
246
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
247
pervaded
|
|
| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
248
pulsation
|
|
| n.脉搏，悸动，脉动；搏动性 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
249
chafed
|
|
| v.擦热（尤指皮肤）( chafe的过去式 )；擦痛；发怒；惹怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
250
chilliness
|
|
| n.寒冷，寒意，严寒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
251
rigidity
|
|
| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
252
loathsome
|
|
| adj.讨厌的，令人厌恶的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
253
peculiarities
|
|
| n. 特质, 特性, 怪癖, 古怪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
254
marvel
|
|
| vi.(at)惊叹vt.感到惊异；n.令人惊异的事 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
255
foe
|
|
| n.敌人，仇敌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
256
appalling
|
|
| adj.骇人听闻的，令人震惊的，可怕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
257
rigidly
|
|
| adv.刻板地，僵化地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
258
hues
|
|
| 色彩( hue的名词复数 )； 色调； 信仰； 观点 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
259
fetters
|
|
| n.脚镣( fetter的名词复数 )；束缚v.给…上脚镣，束缚( fetter的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
260
tottering
|
|
| adj.蹒跚的，动摇的v.走得或动得不稳( totter的现在分词 )；踉跄；蹒跚；摇摇欲坠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
261
apparition
|
|
| n.幽灵，神奇的现象 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
262
malady
|
|
| n.病，疾病(通常做比喻) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |