-
(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Chapter 13 - “God’s folk” at Bald Hills
It was getting dusk when Prince Andrey and Pierre drove up to the front entrance of the house at Bald Hills. As they approached the house, Prince Andrey with asmile drew Pierre’s attention to a commotion1 going on at the back porch. A woman, bent2 with age, with a wallet on her back, and a short, long-haired, young man in a black garment had rushed back to the gate on seeing the carriage driving up. Two women ran out after them, and all four, looking round at the carriage, ran in dismay up the steps of the back porch.
“Those are Marya’s ‘God’s folk,’” said Prince Andrey. “They have mistaken us for my father. This is the one matter in which she disobeys him. He orders these pilgrims to be driven away, but she receives them.”
“But what are ‘God’s folk’?” asked Pierre.
Prince Andrey had no time to answer. The servants came out to meet them, and he asked where the old prince was and whether he was expected back soon.
The old prince had gone to the town and was expected back any minute.
Prince Andrey led Pierre to his own apartments, which were always kept in perfect order and readiness for him in his father’s house; he himself went to the nursery.
“Let us go and see my sister,” he said to Pierre when he returned. “I have not found her yet, she is hiding now, sitting with her ‘God’s folk.’ It will serve her right, she will be confused, but you will see her ‘God’s folk.’ It’s really very curious.”
“What are ‘God’s folk’?” asked Pierre.
“Come, and you’ll see for yourself.”
Princess Marya really was disconcerted and red patches came on her face when they went in. In her snug3 room, with lamps burning before the icon4 stand, a young lad with a long nose and long hair, wearing a monk’s cassock, sat on the sofa beside her, behind a samovar. Near them, in an armchair, sat a thin, shriveled, old woman, with a meek5 expression on her childlike face.
“Andrey, why didn’t you warn me?” said the princess, with mild reproach, as she stood before her pilgrims like a hen before her chickens.
“Charmee de vous voir. Delighted to see you," she said to Pierre as he kissed her hand. She had known him as a child, and now his friendship with Andrey, his misfortune with his wife, and above all his kindly6, simple face disposed her favorably toward him. She looked at him with her beautiful radiant eyes and seemed to say, “I like you very much, but please don’t laugh at my people.” After exchanging the first greetings, they sat down.
“Ah, and Ivanushka is here too!” said Prince Andrey, glancing with a smile at the young pilgrim.
“Andrey!” said Princess Marya, imploringly7. “It's a girl, you know," said Prince Andrey to Pierre in French.
“Andrey, au nom de Dieu!”† Princess Marya repeated.
† “For heaven’s sake.”
It was evident that Prince Andrey’s ironical8 tone toward the pilgrims and Princess Marya’s helpless attempts to protect them were their customary long-established relations on the matter.
“But, my dear," said Prince Andrey in a low voice, "you ought on the contrary to be grateful to me for explaining to Pierre your intimacy9 with this young man.”
“Really?” said Pierre, gazing over his spectacles with curiosity and seriousness (for which Princess Marya was specially10 grateful to him) into Ivanushka’s face, who, seeing that she was being spoken about, looked round at them all with crafty11 eyes.
Princess Marya’s embarrassment12 on her people’s account was quite unnecessary. They were not in the least abashed13. The old woman, lowering her eyes but casting side glances at the newcomers, had turned her cup upside down and placed a nibbled14 bit of sugar beside it, and sat quietly in her armchair, though hoping to be offered another cup of tea. Ivanushka, sipping15 out of her saucer, looked with sly womanish eyes from under her brows at the young men.
“Where have you been? To Kiev?” Prince Andrey asked the old woman.
“I have, good sir,” she answered garrulously16. “Just at Christmastime I was deemed worthy17 to partake of the holy and heavenly sacrament at the shrine18 of the saint. And now I’m from Kolyazin, master, where a great and wonderful blessing19 has been revealed.”
“And was Ivanushka with you?”
“I go by myself, benefactor20,” said Ivanushka, trying to speak in a bass21 voice. “I only came across Pelageya in Yukhnovo . . . ”
Pelageya interrupted her companion; she evidently wished to tell what she had seen.
“In Kolyazin, master, a wonderful blessing has been revealed.”
“Andrey, do leave off,” said Princess Marya. “Don’t tell him, Pelageya.”
“No . . . why not, my dear, why shouldn’t I? I like him. He is kind, he is one of God’s chosen, he’s a benefactor, he once gave me ten rubles, I remember. When I was in Kiev, Crazy Cyril says to me (he’s one of God’s own and goes barefoot summer and winter), he says, ‘Why are you not going to the right place? Go to Kolyazin where a wonder-working icon of the Holy Mother of God has been revealed.’ On hearing those words I said good-by to the holy folk and went.”
All were silent, only the pilgrim woman went on in measured tones, drawing in her breath.
“So I come, master, and the people say to me: ‘A great blessing has been revealed, holy oil trickles23 from the cheeks of our blessed Mother, the Holy Virgin24 Mother of God’. . . . ”
“All right, all right, you can tell us afterwards,” said Princess Marya, flushing.
“Let me ask her,” said Pierre. “Did you see it yourselves?” he inquired.
“Oh, yes, master, I was found worthy. Such a brightness on the face like the light of heaven, and from the blessed Mother’s cheek it drops and drops. . . . ”
“But, dear me, that must be a fraud!” said Pierre, naively25, who had listened attentively26 to the pilgrim.
“Oh, master, what are you saying?” exclaimed the horrified27 Pelageya, turning to Princess Marya for support.
“They impose on the people,” he repeated.
“Lord Jesus Christ!” exclaimed the pilgrim woman, crossing herself. “Oh, don’t speak so, master! There was a general who did not believe, and said, ‘The monks28 cheat,’ and as soon as he’d said it he went blind. And he dreamed that the Holy Virgin Mother of the Kiev catacombs came to him and said, ‘Believe in me and I will make you whole.’ So he begged: ‘Take me to her, take me to her.’ It’s the real truth I’m telling you, I saw it myself. So he was brought, quite blind, straight to her, and he goes up to her and falls down and says, ‘Make me whole,’ says he, ‘and I’ll give thee what the Tsar bestowed29 on me.’ I saw it myself, master, the star is fixed30 into the icon. Well, and what do you think? He received his sight! It’s a sin to speak so. God will punish you,” she said admonishingly, turning to Pierre.
“How did the star get into the icon?” Pierre asked.
“And was the Holy Mother promoted to the rank of general?” said Prince Andrey, with a smile.
Pelageya suddenly grew quite pale and clasped her hands.
“Oh, master, master, what a sin! And you who have a son!” she began, her pallor suddenly turning to a vivid red. “Master, what have you said? God forgive you!” And she crossed herself. “Lord forgive him! My dear, what does it mean? . . . ” she asked, turning to Princess Marya. She got up and, almost crying, began to arrange her wallet. She evidently felt frightened and ashamed to have accepted charity in a house where such things could be said, and was at the same time sorry to have now to forgo31 the charity of this house.
“Now, why need you do it?” said Princess Marya. “Why did you come to me? . . . ”
“Come, Pelageya, I was joking,” said Pierre. “Princesse, ma parole, je n’ai pas voulu l’offenser.* I did not mean anything, I was only joking,” he said, smiling shyly and trying to efface33 his offense32. “It was all my fault, and Andrey was only joking.”
* “Princess, on my word, I did not wish to offend her.”
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
commotion
|
|
| n.骚动，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
bent
|
|
| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
snug
|
|
| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
icon
|
|
| n.偶像，崇拜的对象，画像 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
meek
|
|
| adj.温顺的，逆来顺受的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
kindly
|
|
| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
imploringly
|
|
| adv. 恳求地, 哀求地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
ironical
|
|
| adj.讽刺的，冷嘲的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
intimacy
|
|
| n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
crafty
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，诡诈的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
embarrassment
|
|
| n.尴尬；使人为难的人(事物)；障碍；窘迫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
abashed
|
|
| adj.窘迫的，尴尬的v.使羞愧，使局促，使窘迫( abash的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
nibbled
|
|
| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
sipping
|
|
| v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
garrulously
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
|
17
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
shrine
|
|
| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
blessing
|
|
| n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
benefactor
|
|
| n. 恩人，行善的人，捐助人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
relics
|
|
| [pl.］n.遗物，遗迹，遗产；遗体，尸骸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
trickles
|
|
| n.细流( trickle的名词复数 )；稀稀疏疏缓慢来往的东西v.滴( trickle的第三人称单数 )；淌；使)慢慢走；缓慢移动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
virgin
|
|
| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
naively
|
|
| adv. 天真地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
attentively
|
|
| adv.聚精会神地；周到地；谛；凝神 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
horrified
|
|
| a.(表现出)恐惧的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
monks
|
|
| n.修道士，僧侣( monk的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
bestowed
|
|
| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
fixed
|
|
| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
forgo
|
|
| v.放弃，抛弃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
offense
|
|
| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
efface
|
|
| v.擦掉，抹去 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
penitence
|
|
| n.忏悔，赎罪；悔过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
meekly
|
|
| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
reassured
|
|
| adj.使消除疑虑的；使放心的v.再保证，恢复信心( reassure的过去式和过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
购买
在百度中搜索