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'The Masque of the Red Death,' by Edgar Allen Poe

时间:2017-02-08 23:34:35

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(单词翻译)

 

We present the short story "The Masque of the Red Death, by Edgar Allen Poe. The story was originally1 adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State.

The Red Death had long been feeding on the country.

No sickness had ever been so deadly — so great a killer2 — or so fearful3 to see. Blood was its mark — the redness and the horror4 of blood.

There were sharp pains, and a sudden5 feeling that the mind was rushing in circles inside the head. Then there was bleeding6 through the skin, though it was not cut or broken — and then, death!

The bright red spots upon the body and especially upon the face of the sick man made other men turn away from him, afraid to try to help. And the sickness lasted, from beginning to the end, no more than half an hour.

But Prospero, the ruler of that land, was happy and strong and wise. When half the people of his land had died, he called to him a thousand healthy, happy friends, and with them went far away to live in one of his palaces.

This was a large and beautiful stone building he had planned himself. A strong, high wall circled it. This wall had gates of iron8. The gentlemen, after they had entered, brought fire to heat the iron of the gate to make them close so firmly that nobody could open them. Here they could forget the sickness, the Red Death. They would leave the outside world to care for itself.

Prospero had supplied everything they needed for pleasure. There was music. There was dancing. There was beauty. There was food to eat and wine to drink. All these were within the wall, and within the wall they would be safe. Outside the wall walked the Red Death.

It was near the end of their fifth month there that Prospero asked his friends to all to come together for a dancing party, a masquerade. Everyone was asked to come dressed in fine clothes and with his eyes, or perhaps his whole face, covered by a cloth mask.

It was a scene of great richness, that masquerade. There were seven rooms in which Prospero’s friends danced. In many old palaces, the doors can be opened in such a way that rooms like these seven can be seen all at the same time. In this palace, it was different. Little more than one of them could be seen at one time. There was a turn every 20 or 30 yards.

To the right and left, in the middle of each wall, was a tall pointed9 window. The windows were of colored glass, of the same color that was used in each room. The first room had blue cloth hangings on the wall — and blue were its windows. The second room had wall hangings of that blue-red known10 as purple, and here the windows were purple. The third was green, and so was the glass of the windows. The fourth had hangings and windows of yellow — the fifth of white — the sixth of violet11. But the seventh room had hangings on the walls made of a rich, soft cloth which was black, black as night. And the floor, too, was covered with the same heavy black cloth. In this room the color of the windows was not the same. It was red — a deep blood color.

All the rooms were lighted through the outside windows. The resulting light was strange indeed, as it colored the shapes of the dancers. But the light that fell on the black hangings through the blood-colored glass was the most fearful of them all. It produced so wild a look on the faces of those who entered that there were few of the dancers who dared12 to step within those dark walls.

In this room stood a great clock of black wood. Gently it marked the seconds as they passed; and when it was time to mark the hour the clock spoke13 with a loud, clear voice: a deep tone7 as beautiful as music, but so strange that the music and the dancing stopped and the dancers stood still to listen. And then, after another 60 minutes, after another 3,600 seconds of Time, of flying Time, the clock struck again, and the dancers stopped as before.

Nevertheless14, it was a happy and beautiful masquerade. And you may be sure that the clothes the dancers chose to wear, their costumes15, were strange and wonderful. The dancers looked like the forms we might see in troubled dreams. And these — the dreams — danced softly16 through the rooms, taking the color of the rooms as they moved. It did not seem that their steps followed the music, but that the music rose from their steps. But into the seventh room the dancers do not go, for the red light coming through the windows, and the blackness of the wall hangings, make them afraid — and he who enters hears more deeply17 the striking18 of the great black clock.

But the other rooms are crowded, and in them beats hotly the heart of life. And the dance goes on until at last the clock begins to strike 12. Again the music stopped. Again the dancers stood without moving while the slow striking sound continued. Before the clock was quiet again, many in the crowd saw that in the first room, the blue room, there was a masquerader who had not been seen before. As they talked softly to each other about him, a feeling of surprise spread through all the dancers, then a feeling of fear and sickening horror.

In such a group as this, only a very strange masquerader could have caused such a feeling. Even among those who laugh at both life and death, some matters cannot be laughed at. Everyone seemed now deeply to feel that the stranger should not have been allowed to come among them dressed in such clothes.

He was tall and very thin, and covered from head to foot like a dead man prepared for the grave19. The mask which covered his face — or was it really a mask? — the mask which covered his face was so much like the face of a dead man that the nearest eye could not see the difference. And yet all this might have been acceptable20 — but the masquerader whom no one knew had made himself look like the Red Death itself! His clothes were spotted21 with blood. And the mask over his face was covered with the terrible red spots…or perhaps it was indeed his face!

When Prospero looked upon this fearful form, he was first filled with terror22 — and then with anger. “Who dares23?” he cried. “Take him! Seize him! Pull off his mask so that we may know who we must hang at sunrise!”

Prospero stood in the blue room when he spoke these words. They sounded through the 7 rooms, loud and clear. At first, as he spoke, some of the dancers started to rush toward24 the strange masquerader. But they stopped, afraid, and no one dared to put out a hand to touch him.

The stranger started to walk toward the second room. He passed within a few feet of Prospero, who stood still, surprised. And while the dancers moved back from the center of the room, the stranger moved quietly, without being stopped, with a slow, measured step, through the blue room to the purple room — through the purple room to the green room — through the green to the yellow — through this to the white — and then to the violet room.

As the stranger was entering the seventh room, Prospero suddenly and angrily rushed through the six rooms. No one dared to follow him. He held a sharp knife high over his head, ready to strike the stranger. When he was within three or four feet, the strange masquerader, the stranger, turned and stood silent25, looking firmly into Prospero’s eyes.

There was a cry — and the knife dropped shining upon the black floor, upon which a minute later Prospero himself fell, dead. The dancers then rushed into the black room. The strongest of the men tried to hold the masquerader, whose tall form stood beside the black clock. But when they put their hands on him they found inside the grave-clothes no human form, no body — nothing!

Now they knew that it was the Red Death itself that had come in the night. One by one, the dancers fell, and each died as he fell. And the fires died. And the clock stopped. And darkness and decay26 and the Red Death ruled forever over all.

Words in This Story

horror – n. the quality of something that causes feelings of fear, dread27, and shock

palace(s) – n. the official home of a king, queen, president or ruler

wine – n. an alcoholic28 drink made from the liquid part that can be squeezed29 out of a small, round fruit that is green, dark red, or purplish-black in color

masquerade – n. a party at which people wear masks and often costumes

mask – n. a covering for your face or for part of your face

nevertheless – adv. in spite30 of what has just been said

decay – n. the process or result of being slowly destroyed by natural processes


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1 originally dJCxl     
adv.本来,原来,最初,就起源而论,独创地
参考例句:
  • Originally I didn't want to go.我本意不想去。
  • After much discussion they settled on the plan originally proposed.他们讨论了很久,然后确定了原来提出的那个计划。
2 killer rpLziK     
n.杀人者,杀人犯,杀手,屠杀者
参考例句:
  • Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
  • The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。
3 fearful tksxs     
adj.惧怕的,担心的;可怕的,吓人的
参考例句:
  • What a fearful waste of time!简直太浪费时间了!
  • They are fearful of another business depression.他们担心会再次发生商业萧条。
4 horror DdUzN     
n.惊骇,恐怖,惨事,极端厌恶
参考例句:
  • The public has been awakened to the full horror of the situation.公众完全意识到了这一状况的可怕程度。
  • The thought of working nights fills me with abject horror.一想到要夜间工作我就觉得惨兮兮的。
5 sudden YsSw9     
n.突然,忽然;adj.突然的,意外的,快速的
参考例句:
  • All of a sudden he turned about and saw me.他突然转过身来看见了我。
  • The horse was badly frightened by the sudden noise.那匹马被突然而来的嘈杂声吓坏了。
6 bleeding 2xbztu     
adj.出血的;(心情)过度悲痛的;(用于加强语气,尤表示非常厌烦)该死的;讨厌的n.流血,失血v.流血( bleed的现在分词 );勒索,敲诈;散开;给(某人)放血
参考例句:
  • Press firmly on the wound to stop the bleeding. 用力压住伤口止血。
  • The nurse applied pressure to his arm to stop the bleeding. 护士压住他的胳膊止血。
7 tone bqFyP     
n.语气,音调,气度,色调;vt.(up)增强
参考例句:
  • There was a tone of mockery in his voice.他说话的语气含有嘲笑的意味。
  • Holmes used an informal,chatty tone in his essays.霍姆斯在文章中语气轻松随便。
8 iron raHzm     
n.铁,熨斗,坚强,烙铁,镣铐;vt.烫平,熨,用铁包;vi. 烫衣服
参考例句:
  • The iron has lost its magnetic force.这块铁已失去了磁力。
  • We need an electrician to mend the iron.我们要请电工修理熨斗。
9 pointed Il8zB4     
adj.尖的,直截了当的
参考例句:
  • He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
  • She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
10 known hpKzdc     
adj.大家知道的;知名的,已知的
参考例句:
  • He is a known artist.他是一个知名的艺术家。
  • He is known both as a painter and as a statesman.他是知名的画家及政治家。
11 violet 8h3wm     
adj.紫色的;n.紫罗兰
参考例句:
  • She likes to wear violet dresses.他喜欢穿紫色的衣服。
  • Violet is the color of wisdom,peace and strength.紫色是智慧的,和平的和力量的颜色。
12 dared 911cd3dc5fab92f39395e0b8472ced59     
v.敢( dare的过去式和过去分词 );敢做;激(某人做某事);问(某人)有没有胆量(做某事)
参考例句:
  • She said it as loudly as she dared. 她壮着胆子大声说了出来。
  • I wouldn't have dared to defy my teachers. 我可不敢不听老师的话。
13 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
14 nevertheless dGQxD     
conj.然而,不过;adv.仍然,不过
参考例句:
  • The news may be unexpected;nevertheless,it is true.这消息可能是出乎意料的,然而是真实的。
  • We are going nevertheless we shall return.我们要走了,不过我们还要回来。
15 costumes f0fa9e58caec5689f4f0d26f908eab54     
n.服装;装束
参考例句:
  • The costumes and lighting in the play were restrained. 这出戏的服装和灯光都很朴实。
  • The waitresses are all done up in costumes. 女服务生都穿着制服。
16 softly HiIzR4     
adv.柔和地,静静地,温柔地
参考例句:
  • He speaks too softly for her to hear.他讲话声音太轻,她听不见。
  • She breathed her advice softly.她低声劝告。
17 deeply Ru7zyZ     
adv.深刻地,在深处,深沉地
参考例句:
  • I do feel deeply the strength of the collective.我确实深深地感到了集体的力量。
  • We're deeply honoured that you should agree to join us.您能同意加入我们,我们感到很荣幸。
18 striking PhbzAL     
adj.显著的,惹人注目的,容貌出众的
参考例句:
  • There is a striking difference between Jane and Mary.简和玛丽之间有显著的差异。
  • What is immediately striking is how resourceful the children are.最令人注目的是孩子们的机智聪明。
19 grave EeCz3     
n.墓穴,坟墓,雕刻工,抑音;adj.庄重的,严肃的,重大的,低沉的;vt.雕刻
参考例句:
  • Marriage is the grave of love.婚姻是爱情的坟墓。
  • This is a very grave matter indeed.这问题的确非常严重。
20 acceptable NIByZ     
adj.可接受的,合意的,受欢迎的
参考例句:
  • The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
  • Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。
21 spotted 7FEyj     
adj.有斑点的,斑纹的,弄污了的
参考例句:
  • The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
  • Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。
22 terror dI9z3     
n.恐怖;可怖的人(事)
参考例句:
  • We were in mortal terror of being found out. 我们非常害怕被发现。
  • That guy is a proper terror. 那家伙真是讨厌。
23 dares a4341a5b66753391af4e6457c535a837     
v.敢( dare的第三人称单数 );敢做;激(某人做某事);问(某人)有没有胆量(做某事)
参考例句:
  • Who dares to answer back when he roars like a lion? 当他像狮子般地咆哮时,谁敢和他顶嘴? 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We'll wipe out any enemy that dares to invade our territory. 敌人胆敢来犯,我们就把它消灭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
24 toward on6we     
prep.对于,关于,接近,将近,向,朝
参考例句:
  • Suddenly I saw a tall figure approaching toward the policeman.突然间我看到一个高大的身影朝警察靠近。
  • Upon seeing her,I smiled and ran toward her. 看到她我笑了,并跑了过去。
25 silent eEVz8     
adj.安静的,不吵闹的,沉默的,无言的;n.(复数)默剧
参考例句:
  • Immediately on his beginning to speak,everyone was silent.他一讲话,大家顿时安静下来。
  • The boys looked at the conjuror in silent wonder. 孩子们目瞪口呆地看着那魔术师。
26 decay anrzL     
vi.腐烂,衰落;n.腐烂,腐朽,衰败状态
参考例句:
  • The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
  • Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。
27 dread Ekpz8     
vt.担忧,忧虑;惧怕,不敢;n.担忧,畏惧
参考例句:
  • We all dread to think what will happen if the company closes.我们都不敢去想一旦公司关门我们该怎么办。
  • Her heart was relieved of its blankest dread.她极度恐惧的心理消除了。
28 alcoholic rx7zC     
adj.(含)酒精的,由酒精引起的;n.酗酒者
参考例句:
  • The alcoholic strength of brandy far exceeds that of wine.白兰地的酒精浓度远远超过葡萄酒。
  • Alcoholic drinks act as a poison to a child.酒精饮料对小孩犹如毒药。
29 squeezed e396ccf5815f55dfee9b57a2ee33f521     
squeeze(挤压)的过去式与过去分词
参考例句:
  • freshly squeezed orange juice 鲜榨橙汁
  • They squeezed too many people into the small room. 他们把太多的人塞进这间小房间里。
30 spite uv7wD     
n.(用于短语)虽然,不顾,尽管
参考例句:
  • He has modern ideas in spite of his great age.尽管他年事很高,但思想观念却很入时。
  • In spite of his anger,his remarks were restrained.他尽管生气,说的话还是有节制的。

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