诗翁彼豆故事集 第12期:男巫的毛心脏(2)

 　　It might have taken the warlock fifty years to find such a woman, yet it so happened that the very day after he decided¹ to seek her, a maiden² answering his every wish arrived in the neighborhood to visit her kinsfolk. 男巫恐怕要花上五十年才能找到这样一位女子，然而无巧不成书，就在他决定寻找妻子的第二天，一个完全符合他要求的姑娘来到了邻居家做客。

　　She was a witch of prodigious³ skill and possessed⁴ of much gold. 她是一个技艺高超的女巫，拥有很多财富。

　　Her beauty was such that it tugged⁵ at the heart of every man who set eyes on her; of every man, that is, except one. 她的美貌实在惊人，男人一看见她就会怦然心动。当然，只有一个人例外。

　　The warlock's heart felt nothing at all. 男巫的心仍然毫无感觉。

　　Nevertheless, she was the prize he sought, so he began to pay her court. 然而，既然她就是他所寻找的战利品，他还是向她展开了追求。

　　All who noticed the warlock's change in manners were amazed, and told the maiden that she had succeeded where a hundred had failed. 注意到男巫行为变了的人们都感到很吃惊，他们告诉这位姑娘说，一百个女人都没有成功的事，居然在她这里成功了。

　　The young woman herself was both fascinated and repelled⁶ by the warlock's attentions. 年轻姑娘对男巫的殷勤觉得既迷人又排斥。

　　She sensed the coldness that lay behind the warmth of his flattery, and had never met a man so strange and remote. 她察觉到了他那些温暖的甜言蜜语后面的冷漠，她以前从没遇到过这样奇怪和孤傲的男人。

　　Her kinsfolk, however, deemed theirs a most suitable match and, eager to promote it, accepted the warlock's invitation to a great feast in the maiden's honour. 但亲戚们都认为他们是天造地设的一对，急于促成好事，她便接受了男巫的邀请，参加男巫为她举办的盛大宴会。

　　The table was laden⁷ with silver and gold bearing the finest wines and most sumptuous⁸ foods. 餐桌上摆满了盛着美酒的金银器皿和最奢华的食物。

　　Minstrels strummed on silk-stringed lutes and sang of a love their master had never felt. 艺人们弹拨着缠着丝制弦的琉特琴，歌唱着他们主人从未感受过的爱情。

　　The maiden sat upon a throne beside the warlock, who spake low, employing words of tenderness he had stolen from the poets, without any idea of their true meaning. 姑娘坐在男巫旁边的宝座上，男巫轻声细语地说着他从诗人那里偷来的情话，并不理解这些话的真正含义。

　　The maiden listened, puzzled, and finally replied, “You speak well, Warlock, and I would be delighted by your attentions, if only I thought you had a heart!” 姑娘听着，感到十分困惑，最后她回答道：“您说得很好，男巫，如果我认为您有一颗心的话，我会为您的这般殷勤而感到高兴的！”

　　The warlock smiled, and told her that sheneed not fear on that score. 男巫笑了，告诉她无需为此担心。

　　Bidding her follow, he led her from the feast, and down to the locked dungeon⁹ where he kept his greatest treasure. 他吩咐她跟着自己离开宴席，下楼走到锁着的地牢里，这里藏着他最重要的财富。

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

3 prodigious   

adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的

参考例句：

• This business generates cash in prodigious amounts.这种业务收益丰厚。
• He impressed all who met him with his prodigious memory.他惊人的记忆力让所有见过他的人都印象深刻。

4 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

5 tugged   

v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
• A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 repelled   

v.击退( repel的过去式和过去分词 )；使厌恶；排斥；推开

参考例句：

• They repelled the enemy. 他们击退了敌军。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The minister tremulously, but decidedly, repelled the old man's arm. 而丁梅斯代尔牧师却哆里哆嗦地断然推开了那老人的胳臂。 来自英汉文学 - 红字

7 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

8 sumptuous   

adj.豪华的，奢侈的，华丽的

参考例句：

• The guests turned up dressed in sumptuous evening gowns.客人们身着华丽的夜礼服出现了。
• We were ushered into a sumptuous dining hall.我们被领进一个豪华的餐厅。

9 dungeon   

n.地牢，土牢

参考例句：

• They were driven into a dark dungeon.他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
• He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago.几天前，他刚从土牢里被放出来。