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'William Wilson,' by Edgar Allan Poe, Part One

时间:2021-02-27 18:21来源:互联网 提供网友:nan   字体: [ ]
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We present the first of four parts of the short story "William Wilson," by Edgar Allan Poe. The story was originally1 adapted and recorded by the U.S. Department of State.

Let me call myself, for the present, William Wilson. That is not my real name. That name has already been the cause of the horror2 – of the anger of my family. Have not the winds carried my name, with my loss3 of honor4, to the ends of the earth? Am I not forever dead to the world? – to its honors5, to its flowers, to its golden6 hopes? And a cloud, heavy and endless – does it not hang forever between my hopes and heaven?

Men usually become bad by degrees. But I let all good ness fall from me in a single moment, as if I had dropped a coat. From small acts of darkness I passed, in one great step, into the blackest evil7 ever known8. Listen while I tell of the one cause that made this happen. Death is near, and its coming has softened9 my spirit. I desire, in passing through this dark valley, the understanding of other men. I wish them to believe that I have been, in some ways, in the power of forces beyond human control. I wish them to find for me, in the story I am about to tell, some small fact that proves I could have done only what I did. I would have them agree that what happened to me never happened to other men. Is it not true that no one has ever suffered as I do? Have I not indeed been living in a dream? And am I not now dying10 from the horror and the unanswered question — the mystery of the wildest dream ever dreamed on earth?

I am one of a family well known for their busy minds. As a small child I showed clearly that I too had the family character. As I became older it grew more powerful11 in me. For many reasons it became a cause of talk among friends, and the hurt it did me was great. I wanted people always to do things my way; I acted like a wild fool; I let my desires control me.

My father and mother, weak in body and mind, could do little to hold me back. When their efforts failed, of course my will grew stronger. From then on my voice in the house was law. At an age when few children are allowed to be free, I was left to be guided by my own desires. I became the master of my own actions.

I remember my first school. It was in a large house about three hundred years old, in a small town in England, among a great number of big trees. All of the houses there were very old. In truth, it was a dream-like and spirit-quieting place, that old town. At this moment I seem to feel the pleasant cool ness under the shade of the trees, I remember the sweetness of the flowers, I hear again with delight12 I cannot explain the deep sound of the church bell each hour breaking the stillness of the day.

It gives me pleasure to think about this school — as much pleasure, perhaps, as I am now able to experience. Deep in suffering as I am — suffering only too real — perhaps no one will object if for a short time I forget my troubles and tell a little about this period. Moreover13, the period and place are important. It was then and there that I first saw, hanging over me, the terrible promise of things to come. Let me remember.

The house where we boys lived and went to school was, as I have said, old and wide. The grounds about it were large, and there was a high wall around the outside of the whole school. Beyond this wall we went three times in each week, on one day to take short walks in the neighboring fields, and two times on Sunday to go to church. This was the one church in the village, and the head-teacher of our school was also the head of the church. With a spirit of deep wonder and of doubt I used to watch him there! This man, with slow step and quiet, thoughtful14 face, in clothes so different and shining clean — could this be the same man who with a hard face and clothes far from clean stood ready to strike us if we did not follow the rules of the school? Oh, great and terrible question, beyond my small power to answer!

I well remember our playground, which was behind the house. There were no trees, and the ground was as hard as stone. In front of the house there was a small garden, but we stepped into this garden only at very special times, such as when we first arrived at school, or when we left it for the last time, or perhaps when father or mother or a friend came to take us away for a few days.

But the house! — what a delightful15 old building it was — to me truly a palace! There was really no end to it. I was not always able to say certainly which of its two floors I happened to be on. From each room to every other there were always three or four steps either up or down. Then the rooms branched into each other, and these branches were too many to count, and often turned and came back upon themselves! Our ideas about the whole great house were not very far different from the thoughts we had about time without end. During the five years I was there, I could never have told anyone how to find the little room where I and some eighteen or twenty other boys slept. The schoolroom was the largest room in the house — and I couldn't help thinking it was the largest in the world. It was long and low, with pointed16 windows and heavy wood overhead17. In a far corner was the office of our head-teacher, Mr. Bransby. This office had a thick door, and we would rather have died than open it when he was not there.

Inside the thick walls of this old school I passed my years from ten to fifteen. Yet I always found it interesting. A child's mind does not need the outside world. In the quiet school I found more bright pleasure than I found later, as a young man, in riches, or, as an older man, in wrongdoing.

Yet I must have been different indeed from most boys. Few men remember much of their early life. My early days stand out as clear and plain as if they had been cut in gold. In truth the hotness of my character and my desire to lead and command soon separated18 me from the others. Slowly I gained control over all who were not greatly older than myself — over all except one. This exception19 was a boy who, though not of my family, had the same name as my own, William Wilson. This boy was the only one who ever dared20 to say he did not believe all I told him, and who would not follow my commands.

This troubled me greatly. I tried to make the others think that I didn't care. The truth was that I felt afraid of him. I had to fight to appear equal with him, but he easily kept himself equal with me. Yet no one else felt, as I did, that this proved him the better of the two.

Indeed, no one else saw the battle going on between us. All his attempts to stop me in what I wanted to do were made when no one else could see or hear us. He did not desire, as I did, to lead the other boys. He seemed only to want to hold me back. Sometimes with wonder, and always without pleasure, I saw that his manner seemed to show a kind of love for me. I did not feel thankful for this; I thought it meant only that he thought himself to be very fine indeed, better than me. Perhaps it was this love he showed for me, added21 to the fact that we had the same name, and also that we had entered the school on the same day, which made people say that we were brothers. Wilson did not belong to my family, even very distantly. But if we had been brothers we would have been near to each other indeed, for I learned22 that we were both born on the nineteenth of January, eighteen hundred and nine. This seemed a strange and wonderful thing.

For Teachers

Download a lesson plan to use with this story here.

Lesson Plan for William Wilson Lesson Plan - 'William Wilson,' Part One

Words in This Story

horror - n. a very strong feeling of fear, dread23, and shock

degree(s) - n. an amount or level that can be measured or compared to another amount or level

suffer(ed) - v. to experience illness, or injury, or physical or emotional24 pain

church - n. a building that is used for Christian25 religious26 services

bell - n. a hollow27 usually cup-shaped metal object that makes a ringing sound when it is hit

perhaps - adv. possibly but not certainly

playground - n. an outdoor area where children can play

garden - n. an area of ground where plants, such as flowers or vegetables are grown

delightful - adj. very pleasant

branch(ed) - v. to divide into smaller parts


点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

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 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。
3 loss s0vxZ     
n.损失,遗失,失败,输,浪费,错过,[军]伤亡,降低
参考例句:
  • His death was a great loss to the country.他的逝世对这个国家是一大损失。
  • Because of the continued loss,the factory closed down.由于连续亏损,工厂关闭了。
4 honor IQDzL     
n.光荣;敬意;荣幸;vt.给…以荣誉;尊敬
参考例句:
  • I take your visit as a great honor.您的来访是我莫大的光荣。
  • It is a great honor to receive that prize.能拿到那个奖是无上的光荣。
5 honors 2c250cb8374a2f7f18ab42ccf1291801     
n.礼仪;荣典;礼节; 大学荣誉学位;大学优等成绩;尊敬( honor的名词复数 );敬意;荣誉;光荣
参考例句:
  • He aims at honors. 他力求名誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • We did the last honors to his remains. 我们向他的遗体告别。 来自《简明英汉词典》
6 golden 9fcxo     
adj.金的,含金的,可贵的,金色的,贵重的,繁盛的
参考例句:
  • My teacher is an Englishman with golden hair.我的老师是一个金黄色头发的英国人。
  • It's a balmy evening,the golden time for lovers.这是一个暖和的夜晚,是恋人们的黄金时光。
7 evil KiHzS     
n.邪恶,不幸,罪恶;adj.邪恶的,不幸的,有害的,诽谤的
参考例句:
  • We pray to God to deliver us from evil.我们祈求上帝把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。
  • Love of money is the root of all evil.爱钱是邪恶的根源。
8 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。
9 softened 19151c4e3297eb1618bed6a05d92b4fe     
(使)变软( soften的过去式和过去分词 ); 缓解打击; 缓和; 安慰
参考例句:
  • His smile softened slightly. 他的微笑稍柔和了些。
  • The ice cream softened and began to melt. 冰淇淋开始变软并开始融化。
10 dying 1rGx0     
adj.垂死的,临终的
参考例句:
  • He was put in charge of the group by the dying leader.他被临终的领导人任命为集团负责人。
  • She was shown into a small room,where there was a dying man.她被领进了一间小屋子,那里有一个垂死的人。
11 powerful E1Zzi     
adj.有力的,有权力的,强大的
参考例句:
  • The UN began to get more and more powerful.联合国开始变得越来越强大了。
  • Such are the most powerful voices of our times!这些就是我们时代的最有力的声音!
12 delight uxixT     
n.高兴,愉快;vt.给(某人)乐趣;使愉快;vi.喜爱
参考例句:
  • Your new book is a real delight!你的新书真讨人喜欢!
  • He takes delight in annoying me.他以惹我生气为乐。
13 moreover qE0xM     
adv.再有,此外,而且
参考例句:
  • The rent is reasonable, and moreover,the location is perfect.这房租合理,而且地点优越。
  • The task is difficult, and moreover,time is pressing.任务艰巨,并且时间紧迫。
14 thoughtful Wo4wg     
adj.思考的,沉思的,体贴的,关心的
参考例句:
  • She is thoughtful for her friends.她很体贴她的朋友们。
  • This is a thoughtful essay.这是一篇具有思想性的随笔。
15 delightful 6xzxT     
adj.令人高兴的,使人快乐的
参考例句:
  • We had a delightful time by the seashore last Sunday.上星期天我们在海滨玩得真痛快。
  • Peter played a delightful melody on his flute.彼得用笛子吹奏了一支欢快的曲子。
16 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。
17 overhead bjhyZ     
adj.在头顶上的,悬空的;n.间接开支
参考例句:
  • A number of birds are circling overhead.很多鸟在头顶上空盘旋。
  • Many stars overhead are invisible to the naked eye.天上的许多星星是肉眼看不到的。
18 separated giszqy     
adj.分开的v.分开(separate的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • Her parents are separated but not divorced. 她父母分居但没离婚。
  • No child should ever be separated from his mother by force. 绝不能强行使任何一个孩子与母亲分开。 来自《简明英汉词典》
19 exception SntxO     
n.例外,除外
参考例句:
  • Everyone should keep discipline and you are no exception. 每个人都应该遵守纪律,你也毫无例外。
  • There's an exception to every rule. 每项规则均有例外。
20 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。
21 added mzJzm0     
adj.更多的,附加的,额外的
参考例句:
  • They have added a new scene at the beginning.在开头他们又增加了一场戏。
  • The pop music added to our enjoyment of the film.片中的流行音乐使我们对这部电影更加喜爱。
22 learned m1oxn     
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
23 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。
24 emotional 3pDxl     
adj.令人动情的;易动感情的;感情(上)的
参考例句:
  • Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
  • This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。
25 Christian KVByl     
adj.基督教徒的;n.基督教徒
参考例句:
  • They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
  • His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。
26 religious RVsxb     
adj.宗教性的,虔诚的,宗教上的;n.修道士,出家人
参考例句:
  • She is very religious person who goes to church every Sunday.她十分虔诚,每个星期天都上教堂。
  • It is hard for me to reject religious beliefs.要我抛弃自己的宗教信仰是困难的。
27 hollow qrXzTP     
adj.空的,中空的,空心的;空洞的,无价值的
参考例句:
  • The boys scraped out a hollow place for planting trees.那些孩子挖了个坑准备栽树。
  • Bamboo is a sort of hollow plant.竹子是一种中空的植物。
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