“It is with considerable difficulty that I remember the original era of my being; all the events of that period appear confused and indistinct. A strange multiplicity of sensations seized me, and I saw, felt, heard, and smelt1 at the same time; and it was, indeed, a long time before I learned to distinguish between the operations of my various senses. By degrees, I remember, a stronger light pressed upon my nerves, so that I was obliged to shut my eyes. Darkness then came over me and troubled me, but hardly had I felt this when, by opening my eyes, as I now suppose, the light poured in upon me again. I walked and, I believe, descended2, but I presently found a great alteration3 in my sensations. Before, dark and opaque4 bodies had surrounded me, impervious5 to my touch or sight; but I now found that I could wander on at liberty, with no obstacles which I could not either surmount6 or avoid. The light became more and more oppressive to me, and the heat wearying me as I walked, I sought a place where I could receive shade. This was the forest near Ingolstadt; and here I lay by the side of a brook7 resting from my fatigue8, until I felt tormented9 by hunger and thirst. This roused me from my nearly dormant10 state, and I ate some berries which I found hanging on the trees or lying on the ground. I slaked11 my thirst at the brook, and then lying down, was overcome by sleep.
“It was dark when I awoke; I felt cold also, and half frightened, as it were, instinctively12, finding myself so desolate13. Before I had quitted your apartment, on a sensation of cold, I had covered myself with some clothes, but these were insufficient14 to secure me from the dews of night. I was a poor, helpless, miserable15 wretch16; I knew, and could distinguish, nothing; but feeling pain invade me on all sides, I sat down and wept.
“Soon a gentle light stole over the heavens and gave me a sensation of pleasure. I started up and beheld17 a radiant form rise from among the trees. [The moon] I gazed with a kind of wonder. It moved slowly, but it enlightened my path, and I again went out in search of berries. I was still cold when under one of the trees I found a huge cloak, with which I covered myself, and sat down upon the ground. No distinct ideas occupied my mind; all was confused. I felt light, and hunger, and thirst, and darkness; innumerable sounds rang in my ears, and on all sides various scents18 saluted19 me; the only object that I could distinguish was the bright moon, and I fixed20 my eyes on that with pleasure.
“Several changes of day and night passed, and the orb21 of night had greatly lessened22, when I began to distinguish my sensations from each other. I gradually saw plainly the clear stream that supplied me with drink and the trees that shaded me with their foliage23. I was delighted when I first discovered that a pleasant sound, which often saluted my ears, proceeded from the throats of the little winged animals who had often intercepted24 the light from my eyes. I began also to observe, with greater accuracy, the forms that surrounded me and to perceive the boundaries of the radiant roof of light which canopied25 me. Sometimes I tried to imitate the pleasant songs of the birds but was unable. Sometimes I wished to express my sensations in my own mode, but the uncouth26 and inarticulate sounds which broke from me frightened me into silence again.
“The moon had disappeared from the night, and again, with a lessened form, showed itself, while I still remained in the forest. My sensations had by this time become distinct, and my mind received every day additional ideas. My eyes became accustomed to the light and to perceive objects in their right forms; I distinguished27 the insect from the herb, and by degrees, one herb from another. I found that the sparrow uttered none but harsh notes, whilst those of the blackbird and thrush were sweet and enticing28.
“One day, when I was oppressed by cold, I found a fire which had been left by some wandering beggars, and was overcome with delight at the warmth I experienced from it. In my joy I thrust my hand into the live embers, but quickly drew it out again with a cry of pain. How strange, I thought, that the same cause should produce such opposite effects! I examined the materials of the fire, and to my joy found it to be composed of wood. I quickly collected some branches, but they were wet and would not burn. I was pained at this and sat still watching the operation of the fire. The wet wood which I had placed near the heat dried and itself became inflamed29. I reflected on this, and by touching30 the various branches, I discovered the cause and busied myself in collecting a great quantity of wood, that I might dry it and have a plentiful31 supply of fire. When night came on and brought sleep with it, I was in the greatest fear lest my fire should be extinguished. I covered it carefully with dry wood and leaves and placed wet branches upon it; and then, spreading my cloak, I lay on the ground and sank into sleep.
“It was morning when I awoke, and my first care was to visit the fire. I uncovered it, and a gentle breeze quickly fanned it into a flame. I observed this also and contrived32 a fan of branches, which roused the embers when they were nearly extinguished. When night came again I found, with pleasure, that the fire gave light as well as heat and that the discovery of this element was useful to me in my food, for I found some of the offals that the travellers had left had been roasted, and tasted much more savoury than the berries I gathered from the trees. I tried, therefore, to dress my food in the same manner, placing it on the live embers. I found that the berries were spoiled by this operation, and the nuts and roots much improved.
“Food, however, became scarce, and I often spent the whole day searching in vain for a few acorns33 to assuage34 the pangs35 of hunger. When I found this, I resolved to quit the place that I had hitherto inhabited, to seek for one where the few wants I experienced would be more easily satisfied. In this emigration I exceedingly lamented36 the loss of the fire which I had obtained through accident and knew not how to reproduce it. I gave several hours to the serious consideration of this difficulty, but I was obliged to relinquish37 all attempt to supply it, and wrapping myself up in my cloak, I struck across the wood towards the setting sun. I passed three days in these rambles38 and at length discovered the open country. A great fall of snow had taken place the night before, and the fields were of one uniform white; the appearance was disconsolate39, and I found my feet chilled by the cold damp substance that covered the ground.
“It was about seven in the morning, and I longed to obtain food and shelter; at length I perceived a small hut, on a rising ground, which had doubtless been built for the convenience of some shepherd. This was a new sight to me, and I examined the structure with great curiosity. Finding the door open, I entered. An old man sat in it, near a fire, over which he was preparing his breakfast. He turned on hearing a noise, and perceiving me, shrieked40 loudly, and quitting the hut, ran across the fields with a speed of which his debilitated41 form hardly appeared capable. His appearance, different from any I had ever before seen, and his flight somewhat surprised me. But I was enchanted42 by the appearance of the hut; here the snow and rain could not penetrate43; the ground was dry; and it presented to me then as exquisite44 and divine a retreat as Pandemonium45 appeared to the demons46 of hell after their sufferings in the lake of fire. I greedily devoured47 the remnants of the shepherd’s breakfast, which consisted of bread, cheese, milk, and wine; the latter, however, I did not like. Then, overcome by fatigue, I lay down among some straw and fell asleep.
“It was noon when I awoke, and allured48 by the warmth of the sun, which shone brightly on the white ground, I determined49 to recommence my travels; and, depositing the remains50 of the peasant’s breakfast in a wallet I found, I proceeded across the fields for several hours, until at sunset I arrived at a village. How miraculous51 did this appear! The huts, the neater cottages, and stately houses engaged my admiration53 by turns. The vegetables in the gardens, the milk and cheese that I saw placed at the windows of some of the cottages, allured my appetite. One of the best of these I entered, but I had hardly placed my foot within the door before the children shrieked, and one of the women fainted. The whole village was roused; some fled, some attacked me, until, grievously bruised54 by stones and many other kinds of missile weapons, I escaped to the open country and fearfully took refuge in a low hovel, quite bare, and making a wretched appearance after the palaces I had beheld in the village. This hovel however, joined a cottage of a neat and pleasant appearance, but after my late dearly bought experience, I dared not enter it. My place of refuge was constructed of wood, but so low that I could with difficulty sit upright in it. No wood, however, was placed on the earth, which formed the floor, but it was dry; and although the wind entered it by innumerable chinks, I found it an agreeable asylum55 from the snow and rain.
“Here, then, I retreated and lay down happy to have found a shelter, however miserable, from the inclemency56 of the season, and still more from the barbarity of man. As soon as morning dawned I crept from my kennel57, that I might view the adjacent cottage and discover if I could remain in the habitation I had found. It was situated58 against the back of the cottage and surrounded on the sides which were exposed by a pig sty and a clear pool of water. One part was open, and by that I had crept in; but now I covered every crevice59 by which I might be perceived with stones and wood, yet in such a manner that I might move them on occasion to pass out; all the light I enjoyed came through the sty, and that was sufficient for me.
“Having thus arranged my dwelling60 and carpeted it with clean straw, I retired61, for I saw the figure of a man at a distance, and I remembered too well my treatment the night before to trust myself in his power. I had first, however, provided for my sustenance62 for that day by a loaf of coarse bread, which I purloined63, and a cup with which I could drink more conveniently than from my hand of the pure water which flowed by my retreat. The floor was a little raised, so that it was kept perfectly64 dry, and by its vicinity to the chimney of the cottage it was tolerably warm.
“Being thus provided, I resolved to reside in this hovel until something should occur which might alter my determination. It was indeed a paradise compared to the bleak65 forest, my former residence, the rain-dropping branches, and dank earth. I ate my breakfast with pleasure and was about to remove a plank66 to procure67 myself a little water when I heard a step, and looking through a small chink, I beheld a young creature, with a pail on her head, passing before my hovel. The girl was young and of gentle demeanour, unlike what I have since found cottagers and farmhouse68 servants to be. Yet she was meanly dressed, a coarse blue petticoat and a linen69 jacket being her only garb70; her fair hair was plaited but not adorned71: she looked patient yet sad. I lost sight of her, and in about a quarter of an hour she returned bearing the pail, which was now partly filled with milk. As she walked along, seemingly incommoded by the burden, a young man met her, whose countenance72 expressed a deeper despondence. Uttering a few sounds with an air of melancholy73, he took the pail from her head and bore it to the cottage himself. She followed, and they disappeared. Presently I saw the young man again, with some tools in his hand, cross the field behind the cottage; and the girl was also busied, sometimes in the house and sometimes in the yard. “On examining my dwelling, I found that one of the windows of the cottage had formerly74 occupied a part of it, but the panes75 had been filled up with wood. In one of these was a small and almost imperceptible chink through which the eye could just penetrate. Through this crevice a small room was visible, whitewashed76 and clean but very bare of furniture. In one corner, near a small fire, sat an old man, leaning his head on his hands in a disconsolate attitude. The young girl was occupied in arranging the cottage; but presently she took something out of a drawer, which employed her hands, and she sat down beside the old man, who, taking up an instrument, began to play and to produce sounds sweeter than the voice of the thrush or the nightingale. It was a lovely sight, even to me, poor wretch who had never beheld aught beautiful before. The silver hair and benevolent77 countenance of the aged52 cottager won my reverence78, while the gentle manners of the girl enticed79 my love. He played a sweet mournful air which I perceived drew tears from the eyes of his amiable80 companion, of which the old man took no notice, until she sobbed81 audibly; he then pronounced a few sounds, and the fair creature, leaving her work, knelt at his feet. He raised her and smiled with such kindness and affection that I felt sensations of a peculiar82 and overpowering nature; they were a mixture of pain and pleasure, such as I had never before experienced, either from hunger or cold, warmth or food; and I withdrew from the window, unable to bear these emotions.
“Soon after this the young man returned, bearing on his shoulders a load of wood. The girl met him at the door, helped to relieve him of his burden, and taking some of the fuel into the cottage, placed it on the fire; then she and the youth went apart into a nook of the cottage, and he showed her a large loaf and a piece of cheese. She seemed pleased and went into the garden for some roots and plants, which she placed in water, and then upon the fire. She afterwards continued her work, whilst the young man went into the garden and appeared busily employed in digging and pulling up roots. After he had been employed thus about an hour, the young woman joined him and they entered the cottage together.
“The old man had, in the meantime, been pensive83, but on the appearance of his companions he assumed a more cheerful air, and they sat down to eat. The meal was quickly dispatched. The young woman was again occupied in arranging the cottage, the old man walked before the cottage in the sun for a few minutes, leaning on the arm of the youth. Nothing could exceed in beauty the contrast between these two excellent creatures. One was old, with silver hairs and a countenance beaming with benevolence84 and love; the younger was slight and graceful85 in his figure, and his features were moulded with the finest symmetry, yet his eyes and attitude expressed the utmost sadness and despondency. The old man returned to the cottage, and the youth, with tools different from those he had used in the morning, directed his steps across the fields.
“Night quickly shut in, but to my extreme wonder, I found that the cottagers had a means of prolonging light by the use of tapers86, and was delighted to find that the setting of the sun did not put an end to the pleasure I experienced in watching my human neighbours. In the evening the young girl and her companion were employed in various occupations which I did not understand; and the old man again took up the instrument which produced the divine sounds that had enchanted me in the morning. So soon as he had finished, the youth began, not to play, but to utter sounds that were monotonous87, and neither resembling the harmony of the old man’s instrument nor the songs of the birds; I since found that he read aloud, but at that time I knew nothing of the science of words or letters.
“The family, after having been thus occupied for a short time, extinguished their lights and retired, as I conjectured88, to rest.”
收听单词发音 |
1
smelt
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| v.熔解，熔炼；n.银白鱼，胡瓜鱼 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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alteration
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| n.变更，改变；蚀变 | |
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opaque
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| adj.不透光的；不反光的，不传导的；晦涩的 | |
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impervious
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| adj.不能渗透的，不能穿过的，不易伤害的 | |
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surmount
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| vt.克服；置于…顶上 | |
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brook
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| n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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tormented
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| 饱受折磨的 | |
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dormant
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| adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的 | |
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slaked
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| v.满足( slake的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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desolate
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| adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂 | |
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14
insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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wretch
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| n.可怜的人，不幸的人；卑鄙的人 | |
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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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scents
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| n.香水( scent的名词复数 )；气味；（动物的）臭迹；（尤指狗的）嗅觉 | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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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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orb
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| n.太阳；星球；v.弄圆；成球形 | |
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lessened
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| 减少的，减弱的 | |
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foliage
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| n.叶子，树叶，簇叶 | |
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intercepted
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| 拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 )； 截住； 截击； 拦阻 | |
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canopied
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| adj. 遮有天篷的 | |
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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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enticing
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| adj.迷人的；诱人的 | |
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inflamed
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| adj.发炎的，红肿的v.（使）变红，发怒，过热( inflame的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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plentiful
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| adj.富裕的，丰富的 | |
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contrived
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| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
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acorns
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| n.橡子，栎实( acorn的名词复数 ) | |
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assuage
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| v.缓和，减轻，镇定 | |
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pangs
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| 突然的剧痛( pang的名词复数 )； 悲痛 | |
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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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relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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rambles
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| （无目的地）漫游( ramble的第三人称单数 )； （喻）漫谈； 扯淡； 长篇大论 | |
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disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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40
shrieked
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| v.尖叫( shriek的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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41
debilitated
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| adj.疲惫不堪的，操劳过度的v.使（人或人的身体）非常虚弱( debilitate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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42
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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43
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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44
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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45
pandemonium
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| n.喧嚣，大混乱 | |
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46
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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47
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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48
allured
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| 诱引，吸引( allure的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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49
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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50
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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51
miraculous
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| adj.像奇迹一样的，不可思议的 | |
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52
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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53
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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54
bruised
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| [医]青肿的，瘀紫的 | |
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55
asylum
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| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
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56
inclemency
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| n.险恶，严酷 | |
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57
kennel
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| n.狗舍，狗窝 | |
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58
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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59
crevice
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| n.(岩石、墙等)裂缝；缺口 | |
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60
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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61
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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62
sustenance
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| n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计 | |
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purloined
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| v.偷窃( purloin的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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64
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 | |
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66
plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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67
procure
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| vt.获得，取得，促成；vi.拉皮条 | |
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68
farmhouse
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| n.农场住宅（尤指主要住房） | |
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69
linen
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| n.亚麻布，亚麻线，亚麻制品；adj.亚麻布制的，亚麻的 | |
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70
garb
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| n.服装，装束 | |
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71
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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72
countenance
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| n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同 | |
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73
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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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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75
panes
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| 窗玻璃( pane的名词复数 ) | |
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76
whitewashed
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| 粉饰，美化，掩饰( whitewash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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79
enticed
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| 诱惑，怂恿( entice的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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amiable
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| adj.和蔼可亲的，友善的，亲切的 | |
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81
sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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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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83
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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84
benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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85
graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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86
tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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87
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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conjectured
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| 推测，猜测，猜想( conjecture的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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