Well named Great! Mistress of the seas, arb’tress
Of the earth; dread1 of the oppressor, refuge
Of th’ oppressed; bulwark2 of liberty, hav’n
Of hope, standard of justice.”——
“The forms of thy sons, in sculptured story,
Shall to distant times appear, triumph’s wreaths
Their brows entwining.”——
Our party completed their journey to town late the day before the internment3 was to take place. Arrangements previously4 made by Lord[7] Arandale, had secured for them places in the cathedral. The pomps attendant on the funerals of officers of Lord Fitz-Ullin’s rank, being too well known to require description, we shall only slightly remark the impressions made on the mind of our heroine, who, for Edmund’s sake, was more than commonly interested in the solemn scene.
The procession having entered, the service commenced; the effect of the sublime5 parts of which, on the feelings of Julia, were such, together with the all-pervading grandeur6 of the music; the slow, but constant movement of the passing figures; and the still solemnity of all things else, that, yielding to the one absorbing sense of admiring awe7, she seemed wrapped in a species of trance, while, from time to time, a single voice in the choir8, separating itself from among the body of sound, would reach[8] her ear, pronouncing, with peculiar9 distinctness, some impressive sentence.
Pious10 enthusiasm stole over her heart, as, with thrilling sweetness, a youthful voice sang, “And now, Lord, what is my hope? truly my hope is even in thee!” Again, when the voice proclaimed, “Man walketh in a vain shadow, and disquieteth himself in vain!” how contemptible11 seemed the struggles of worldly ambition for the precedence of an hour! And now the voice pronounced, “In the midst of life, we are in death!” And poor Julia thought of Edmund, and of the dangers of the sea; and her heart died within her. It so happened that the countenances12 most immediately in the view of our heroine, were those of a number of the oldest naval13 officers, who were of course, in general, the oldest men, as the grey hair, thinly scattered14 on the brow of many told.
[9]
At the moment Julia first remarked this, voices in the choir were singing the verse, “Though men be so strong that they come to fourscore years, yet is their strength but labour and sorrow, so soon passeth it away, and we are gone.” No eye wandered, no limb was restless, while the very stillness of each motionless figure possessed15 expression. It was not repose16; it was not listlessness; it was the fixedness18 of serious attention.
Many of the countenances bore the traces, not of age only, but also of hardships. Hardships endured. Wherefore? To render home a sanctuary19! A sanctuary to infirmity, to infancy20, to those of her own sex, to all, in short, who were unable to defend themselves! Julia’s enthusiasm arose: How beautifying, she thought, is every furrow21 so produced.
She pictured to herself each individual now[10] so quiescent22 in form; so still in feature; on the deck of his floating citadel23, surmounting24 a tempest, or conquering an enemy.
Midnight, winter, every adventitious25 circumstance, crowded on her poetic26 imagining, of what though she had never seen, yet she had so often studied in description, that, of all subjects, it was the one most familiar to her fancy. Ship after ship arose before her mind’s eye; till, gradually, they formed themselves into an invincible27 bulwark around our happy isles28, establishing them the throne of peace; while wild warfare29 desolated30 the outer world! “Yes,” thought Julia, “even our foes31 find refuge here, when oppression hunts them from their homes!” And her heart swelled32 with pride, that she was the native of such a land! The gradations of rank faded before this grand distinction; to be a Briton, seemed exaltation[11] sufficient! She paused a moment—“How proud a thing then to be one of those who have made Britain what she is,” whispered a small voice within the heart of Julia. At the moment her eye was fixed17 in a certain direction, by the moving a little forward of a figure, hitherto intercepted33 by an opposite pillar—it was Edmund! Her heart ceased beating, fluttered, ceased again, then beat so rapidly as to impede34 her breathing.
Edmund leaned against the pillar, and seemed listening attentively35 to the music; he had not yet perceived Julia. Her eyes dwelt on the serious and mournful expression of his noble features, with feelings, where tenderness seemed to excuse admiration36, and admiration to justify37 tenderness. His head turned, in a degree scarcely perceptible. Their eyes met: a sudden glow covered the face of Edmund, and faded[12] instantly; a look passed, understood by both to be one of recognition, tho’ expressed only by the standing38 still of the eye. The time, the circumstances, were too solemn for more. A voice in the choir pronouncing, “Thou knowest, Lord, the secrets of our hearts,” seemed to Julia a reproach, for the mingling39 of earthly feelings, which had already found a place in her bosom40.
During the performance of the service, evening approached, and lights became necessary. The coffin41 had been placed on a platform in the centre of the church; the canopy42 had been removed, the pall43 taken off; the solemn scene, situated44 thus, immediately beneath the principal source of light, while all things else remained in comparative obscurity, had an effect, imposing45 in the highest degree. The numerous assembly of spectators, imperfectly[13] seen,—the occasional gleaming of the arms and accoutrements of the soldiers,—the shadowy perspective of the aisles,—all became tributary46 circumstances, lending additional impressiveness to the principal object.
There was at this time a total silence throughout the church. After some moments, the voice of the officiating clergyman was heard, singly, and solemnly, pronouncing the concluding sentences. And now, the words, “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust,” fell on the senses with that chill, that shuddering47, involuntary sympathy with the unconscious tenant48 of the grave, which instinct grants, while reason would withhold49. The startling sounds from without, of the discharge, by signal, of artillery50, were heard at the moment, and Julia was aroused from meditation51 on the sleep of the grave, by the awful[14] thought of the last trumpet52 awaking the dead to judgment53.
When the firing ceased, the leading voice of the choir again arose, and floating over the solemn scene like some invisible dweller54 in its hallowed light, sang the inspired and inspiring words, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord! even so, saith the Spirit, for they rest from their labours.”
The organ pealed55, and now a voice more solemn than the last, sang, or rather seemed to say, “His body is buried in peace!” An hundred voices at once broke forth56 in reply, triumphantly57 proclaiming, “But his name liveth evermore! his name liveth evermore!”
点击收听单词发音
1 dread | |
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
2 bulwark | |
n.堡垒,保障,防御 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
3 internment | |
n.拘留 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
4 previously | |
adv.以前,先前(地) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
5 sublime | |
adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
6 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
7 awe | |
n.敬畏,惊惧;vt.使敬畏,使惊惧 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
8 choir | |
n.唱诗班,唱诗班的席位,合唱团,舞蹈团;v.合唱 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
9 peculiar | |
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
10 pious | |
adj.虔诚的;道貌岸然的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
11 contemptible | |
adj.可鄙的,可轻视的,卑劣的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
12 countenances | |
n.面容( countenance的名词复数 );表情;镇静;道义支持 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
13 naval | |
adj.海军的,军舰的,船的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
14 scattered | |
adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
15 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
16 repose | |
v.(使)休息;n.安息 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
17 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
18 fixedness | |
n.固定;稳定;稳固 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
19 sanctuary | |
n.圣所,圣堂,寺庙;禁猎区,保护区 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
20 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
21 furrow | |
n.沟;垄沟;轨迹;车辙;皱纹 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
22 quiescent | |
adj.静止的,不活动的,寂静的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
23 citadel | |
n.城堡;堡垒;避难所 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
24 surmounting | |
战胜( surmount的现在分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
25 adventitious | |
adj.偶然的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
26 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
27 invincible | |
adj.不可征服的,难以制服的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
28 isles | |
岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
29 warfare | |
n.战争(状态);斗争;冲突 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
30 desolated | |
adj.荒凉的,荒废的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
31 foes | |
敌人,仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
32 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: |
|
|
33 intercepted | |
拦截( intercept的过去式和过去分词 ); 截住; 截击; 拦阻 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
34 impede | |
v.妨碍,阻碍,阻止 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
35 attentively | |
adv.聚精会神地;周到地;谛;凝神 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
36 admiration | |
n.钦佩,赞美,羡慕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
37 justify | |
vt.证明…正当(或有理),为…辩护 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
38 standing | |
n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
39 mingling | |
adj.混合的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
40 bosom | |
n.胸,胸部;胸怀;内心;adj.亲密的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
41 coffin | |
n.棺材,灵柩 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
42 canopy | |
n.天篷,遮篷 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
43 pall | |
v.覆盖,使平淡无味;n.柩衣,棺罩;棺材;帷幕 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
44 situated | |
adj.坐落在...的,处于某种境地的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
45 imposing | |
adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
46 tributary | |
n.支流;纳贡国;adj.附庸的;辅助的;支流的 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
47 shuddering | |
v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 );发抖;(机器、车辆等)突然震动;颤动 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
48 tenant | |
n.承租人;房客;佃户;v.租借,租用 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
49 withhold | |
v.拒绝,不给;使停止,阻挡 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
50 artillery | |
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
51 meditation | |
n.熟虑,(尤指宗教的)默想,沉思,(pl.)冥想录 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
52 trumpet | |
n.喇叭,喇叭声;v.吹喇叭,吹嘘 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
53 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
54 dweller | |
n.居住者,住客 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
55 pealed | |
v.(使)(钟等)鸣响,(雷等)发出隆隆声( peal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句: |
|
|
56 forth | |
adv.向前;向外,往外 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
57 triumphantly | |
ad.得意洋洋地;得胜地;成功地 | |
参考例句: |
|
|
欢迎访问英文小说网 |