A Little Girl

 Sitting on a grassy¹ grave, beneath one of the windows of the church, was a little girl.(1) With her head bent² back(2) she was gazing up at the sky and  singing,  while  one  of  her  little  hands  was  pointing  to  a  tiny  cloud that  hovered  like  a  golden  feather  above  her  head.  The  sun,  which  had suddenly become very bright, shining on her glossy³ hair, gave it a metallic⁴ luster,  and  it  was  difficult  to  say  what  was  the  color,  dark  bronze  or black. So completely absorbed was she in watching the cloud to which her strange  song  or  incantation  seemed  addr0ssed,  that  she  did  not  observe me when I rose and went towards her.(3) Over her head, high up in the blue, a lark⁵ that was soaring towards' the same gauzy cloud was singing, as if in  rivalry(4).  As  I  slowly  approached  the  child,  I  could  see  by  her forehead,  which,  in  the  sunshine  seemed  like  a  globe  of  pearl,  and especially by her complexion⁶, that she was uncommonly⁷ lovely. Her eyes, which at one moment seemed blue-gray, at another violet(5), were shaded by long black lashes⁸, curving backward in a most peculiar⁹ way, and these matched in hue¹⁰ her eyebrows¹¹, and the tress- es that were tossed about her tender throat and were quivering in the sunlight. All this I did not take in(6)  at  once;  for  at  first  I  could see nothing  but  those  quivering, glittering,  changeful  eyes  turned  up  into  my  face.  Gradually  the  other features, especially the sensitive full-lipped mouth, grew upon me as I stood silently gazing. Here seemed to me a more perfect beauty than  had ever come to me in my loveliest dreams of beauty. Yet it was not her beauty so  much  as  the  look  she  gave  me  that  fascinated  me,  melted  me.(7)

1 grassy   

adj.盖满草的；长满草的

参考例句：

• They sat and had their lunch on a grassy hillside.他们坐在长满草的山坡上吃午饭。
• Cattle move freely across the grassy plain.牛群自由自在地走过草原。

2 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

3 glossy   

adj.平滑的；有光泽的

参考例句：

• I like these glossy spots.我喜欢这些闪闪发光的花点。
• She had glossy black hair.她长着乌黑发亮的头发。

4 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

5 lark   

n.云雀，百灵鸟；n.嬉戏，玩笑；vi.嬉戏

参考例句：

• He thinks it cruel to confine a lark in a cage.他认为把云雀关在笼子里太残忍了。
• She lived in the village with her grandparents as cheerful as a lark.她同祖父母一起住在乡间非常快活。

6 complexion   

n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格

参考例句：

• Red does not suit with her complexion.红色与她的肤色不协调。
• Her resignation puts a different complexion on things.她一辞职局面就全变了。

7 uncommonly   

adv. 稀罕(极，非常)

参考例句：

• an uncommonly gifted child 一个天赋异禀的儿童
• My little Mary was feeling uncommonly empty. 我肚子当时正饿得厉害。

8 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 peculiar   

adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的

参考例句：

• He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
• He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。

10 hue   

n.色度；色调；样子

参考例句：

• The diamond shone with every hue under the sun.金刚石在阳光下放出五颜六色的光芒。
• The same hue will look different in different light.同一颜色在不同的光线下看起来会有所不同。

11 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。