散文：夜莺与玫瑰Part 9

 【英文原文】

  So the nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and louder and louder grew her song, for she sang of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid.

  And a delicate flush of pink came into the leaves of the rose, like the flush in the face of the bridegroom when he kisses the lips of the bride. But the thorn had not yet reached her heart, so the rose’s heart remained white, for only a nightingale’s heart’s blood can crimson¹ the heart of a rose.

  And the tree cried to the nightingale to press closer against the thorn. "Press closer, little nightingale," cried the Tree, "or the day will come before the rose is finished."

  So the nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and the thorn touched her heart, and a fierce pang² of pain shot through her. Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the love that is perfected by death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb.

  And the marvelous rose became crimson , like the rose of the eastern sky. Crimson was the girdle of petals³, and crimson as a ruby⁴ was the heart.

  But the nightingale’ voice grew fainter, and her little wings began to beat, and a film came over her eyes. Fainter and fainter grew her song, and she felt something choking her in her throat.

 

 

【词汇简析】

flush n. 脸红，涌出

crimson n. 深红色

ruby n. 红宝石

pang n. 剧痛

choke n. 阻止，填塞

1 crimson   

n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色

参考例句：

• She went crimson with embarrassment.她羞得满脸通红。
• Maple leaves have turned crimson.枫叶已经红了。

2 pang   

n.剧痛，悲痛，苦闷

参考例句：

• She experienced a sharp pang of disappointment.她经历了失望的巨大痛苦。
• She was beginning to know the pang of disappointed love.她开始尝到了失恋的痛苦。

3 petals   

n.花瓣( petal的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• white petals tinged with blue 略带蓝色的白花瓣
• The petals of many flowers expand in the sunshine. 许多花瓣在阳光下开放。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。