【有声英语文学名著】战争与和平 Book 8(5)
时间:2018-12-18 作者:英语课 分类:有声英语文学名著
英语课
Chapter 5 - Borís' Proposal
Boris had not succeeded in making a wealthy match in Petersburg, so with the same object in view he came to Moscow. There he wavered between the two richest heiresses, Julie and Princess Marya. Though Princess Marya despite her plainness seemed to him more attractive than Julie, he, without knowing why, felt awkward about paying court to her. When they had last met on the old prince’s name day, she had answered at random 1 all his attempts to talk sentimentally 2, evidently not listening to what he was saying.
Julie on the contrary accepted his attentions readily, though in a manner peculiar 3 to herself.
She was twenty-seven. After the death of her brothers she had become very wealthy. She was by now decidedly plain, but thought herself not merely as good-looking as before but even far more attractive. She was confirmed in this delusion 4 by the fact that she had become a very wealthy heiress and also by the fact that the older she grew the less dangerous she became to men, and the more freely they could associate with her and avail themselves of her suppers, soirees, and the animated 5 company that assembled at her house, without incurring 6 any obligation. A man who would have been afraid ten years before of going every day to the house when there was a girl of seventeen there, for fear of compromising her and committing himself, would now go boldly every day and treat her not as a marriageable girl but as a sexless acquaintance.
That winter the Karagins’ house was the most agreeable and hospitable 7 in Moscow. In addition to the formal evening and dinner parties, a large company, chiefly of men, gathered there every day, supping at midnight and staying till three in the morning. Julie never missed a ball, a promenade 8, or a play. Her dresses were always of the latest fashion. But in spite of that she seemed to be disillusioned 9 about everything and told everyone that she did not believe either in friendship or in love, or any of the joys of life, and expected peace only “yonder.” She adopted the tone of one who has suffered a great disappointment, like a girl who has either lost the man she loved or been cruelly deceived by him. Though nothing of the kind had happened to her she was regarded in that light, and had even herself come to believe that she had suffered much in life. This melancholy 10, which did not prevent her amusing herself, did not hinder the young people who came to her house from passing the time pleasantly. Every visitor who came to the house paid his tribute to the melancholy mood of the hostess, and then amused himself with society gossip, dancing, intellectual games, and bouts 11 rimes, which were in vogue 12 at the Karagins’. Only a few of these young men, among them Boris, entered more deeply into Julie’s melancholy, and with these she had prolonged conversations in private on the vanity of all worldly things, and to them she showed her albums filled with mournful sketches 13, maxims 14, and verses.
To Boris, Julie was particularly gracious: she regretted his early disillusionment with life, offered him such consolation 15 of friendship as she who had herself suffered so much could render, and showed him her album. Boris sketched 16 two trees in the album and wrote: “Rustic trees, your dark branches shed gloom and melancholy upon me.”
On another page he drew a tomb, and wrote in French:
Death gives relief and death is peaceful.
Ah! from suffering there is no other refuge.
Julia said this was charming
“There is something so enchanting 17 in the smile of melancholy,” she said to Boris, repeating word for word a passage she had copied from a book. “It is a ray of light in the darkness, a shade between sadness and despair, showing the possibility of consolation.”
In reply Boris wrote these lines:
Poisonous nourishment 18 of a too sensitive soul,
Thou, without whom happiness would for me be impossible,
Tender melancholy, ah, come to console me,
Come to calm the torments 19 of my gloomy retreat,
And mingle 20 a secret sweetness
With these tears that I feel to be flowing.
For Boris, Julie played most doleful nocturnes on her harp 21. Boris read Poor Liza aloud to her, and more than once interrupted the reading because of the emotions that choked him. Meeting at large gatherings 22 Julie and Boris looked on one another as the only souls who understood one another in a world of indifferent people.
Anna Mikhaylovna, who often visited the Karagins, while playing cards with the mother made careful inquiries 23 as to Julie’s dowry (she was to have two estates in Penza and the Nizhegorod forests). Anna Mikhaylovna regarded the refined sadness that united her son to the wealthy Julie with emotion, and resignation to the Divine will.
“You are always charming and melancholy, my dear Julie,” she said to the daughter. “Boris says his soul finds repose 24 at your house. He has suffered so many disappointments and is so sensitive,” said she to the mother. “Ah, my dear, I can’t tell you how fond I have grown of Julie latterly,” she said to her son. “But who could help loving her? She is an angelic being! Ah, Boris, Boris!”— she paused. “And how I pity her mother,” she went on; “today she showed me her accounts and letters from Penza (they have enormous estates there), and she, poor thing, has no one to help her, and they do cheat her so!”
Boris smiled almost imperceptibly while listening to his mother. He laughed blandly 25 at her naive 26 diplomacy 27 but listened to what she had to say, and sometimes questioned her carefully about the Penza and Nizhegorod estates.
Julie had long been expecting a proposal from her melancholy adorer and was ready to accept it; but some secret feeling of repulsion for her, for her passionate 28 desire to get married, for her artificiality, and a feeling of horror at renouncing 29 the possibility of real love still restrained Boris. His leave was expiring. He spent every day and whole days at the Karagins’, and every day on thinking the matter over told himself that he would propose tomorrow. But in Julie’s presence, looking at her red face and chin (nearly always powdered), her moist eyes, and her expression of continual readiness to pass at once from melancholy to an unnatural 30 rapture 31 of married bliss 32, Boris could not utter the decisive words, though in imagination he had long regarded himself as the possessor of those Penza and Nizhegorod estates and had apportioned 33 the use of the income from them. Julie saw Boris’ indecision, and sometimes the thought occurred to her that she was repulsive 34 to him, but her feminine self-deception immediately supplied her with consolation, and she told herself that he was only shy from love. Her melancholy, however, began to turn to irritability 35, and not long before Boris’ departure she formed a definite plan of action. Just as Boris’ leave of absence was expiring, Anatole Kuragin made his appearance in Moscow, and of course in the Karagins’ drawing room, and Julie, suddenly abandoning her melancholy, became cheerful and very attentive 36 to Kuragin.
“My dear,” said Anna Mikhaylovna to her son, “I know from a reliable source that Prince Vasili has sent his son to Moscow to get him married to Julie. I am so fond of Julie that I should be sorry for her. What do you think of it, my dear?”
The idea of being made a fool of and of having thrown away that whole month of arduous 37 melancholy service to Julie, and of seeing all the revenue from the Penza estates which he had already mentally apportioned and put to proper use fall into the hands of another, and especially into the hands of that idiot Anatole, pained Boris. He drove to the Karagins’ with the firm intention of proposing. Julie met him in a gay, careless manner, spoke 38 casually 39 of how she had enjoyed yesterday’s ball, and asked when he was leaving. Though Boris had come intentionally 40 to speak of his love and therefore meant to be tender, he began speaking irritably 41 of feminine inconstancy, of how easily women can turn from sadness to joy, and how their moods depend solely 42 on who happens to be paying court to them. Julie was offended and replied that it was true that a woman needs variety, and the same thing over and over again would weary anyone.
“Then I should advise you . . . ” Boris began, wishing to sting her; but at that instant the galling 43 thought occurred to him that he might have to leave Moscow without having accomplished 44 his aim, and have vainly wasted his efforts — which was a thing he never allowed to happen.
He checked himself in the middle of the sentence, lowered his eyes to avoid seeing her unpleasantly irritated and irresolute 45 face, and said:
“I did not come here at all to quarrel with you. On the contrary . . . ”
He glanced at her to make sure that he might go on. Her irritability had suddenly quite vanished, and her anxious, imploring 46 eyes were fixed 47 on him with greedy expectation. “I can always arrange so as not to see her often,” thought Boris. “The affair has been begun and must be finished!” He blushed hotly, raised his eyes to hers, and said:
“You know my feelings for you!”
There was no need to say more: Julie’s face shone with triumph and self-satisfaction; but she forced Boris to say all that is said on such occasions — that he loved her and had never loved any other woman more than her. She knew that for the Penza estates and Nizhegorod forests she could demand this, and she received what she demanded.
The affianced couple, no longer alluding 48 to trees that shed gloom and melancholy upon them, planned the arrangements of a splendid house in Petersburg, paid calls, and prepared everything for a brilliant wedding.
1
adj.随机的;任意的;n.偶然的(或随便的)行动
- The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
- On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查,发现肉变质了。
2 sentimentally
adv.富情感地
- I miss the good old days, ' she added sentimentally. ‘我怀念过去那些美好的日子,’她动情地补充道。 来自互联网
- I have an emotional heart, it is sentimentally attached to you unforgettable. 我心中有一份情感,那是对你刻骨铭心的眷恋。 来自互联网
3 peculiar
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
- 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。
4 delusion
n.谬见,欺骗,幻觉,迷惑
- He is under the delusion that he is Napoleon.他患了妄想症,认为自己是拿破仑。
- I was under the delusion that he intended to marry me.我误认为他要娶我。
5 animated
adj.生气勃勃的,活跃的,愉快的
- His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
- We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。
6 incurring
遭受,招致,引起( incur的现在分词 )
- Many of the world's farmers are also incurring economic deficits. 世界上许多农民还在遭受经济上的亏损。
- He spoke to the Don directly, taking a chance on incurring Michael's ill will. 他直接向老头子谈自己的意见,这显然要冒引起迈克尔反感的风险。 来自教父部分
7 hospitable
adj.好客的;宽容的;有利的,适宜的
- The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客,无论是他的朋友还是同事,他都盛情接待。
- The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。
8 promenade
n./v.散步
- People came out in smarter clothes to promenade along the front.人们穿上更加时髦漂亮的衣服,沿着海滨散步。
- We took a promenade along the canal after Sunday dinner.星期天晚饭后我们沿着运河散步。
9 disillusioned
a.不再抱幻想的,大失所望的,幻想破灭的
- I soon became disillusioned with the job. 我不久便对这个工作不再抱幻想了。
- Many people who are disillusioned in reality assimilate life to a dream. 许多对现实失望的人把人生比作一场梦。
10 melancholy
n.忧郁,愁思;adj.令人感伤(沮丧)的,忧郁的
- All at once he fell into a state of profound melancholy.他立即陷入无尽的忧思之中。
- He felt melancholy after he failed the exam.这次考试没通过,他感到很郁闷。
11 bouts
n.拳击(或摔跤)比赛( bout的名词复数 );一段(工作);(尤指坏事的)一通;(疾病的)发作
- For much of his life he suffered from recurrent bouts of depression. 他的大半辈子反复发作抑郁症。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- It was one of fistiana's most famous championship bouts. 这是拳击界最有名的冠军赛之一。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
12 Vogue
n.时髦,时尚;adj.流行的
- Flowery carpets became the vogue.花卉地毯变成了时髦货。
- Short hair came back into vogue about ten years ago.大约十年前短发又开始流行起来了。
13 sketches
n.草图( sketch的名词复数 );素描;速写;梗概
- The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
- You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 maxims
n.格言,座右铭( maxim的名词复数 )
- Courts also draw freely on traditional maxims of construction. 法院也自由吸收传统的解释准则。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
- There are variant formulations of some of the maxims. 有些准则有多种表达方式。 来自辞典例句
15 consolation
n.安慰,慰问
- The children were a great consolation to me at that time.那时孩子们成了我的莫大安慰。
- This news was of little consolation to us.这个消息对我们来说没有什么安慰。
16 sketched
v.草拟(sketch的过去式与过去分词形式)
- The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
17 enchanting
a.讨人喜欢的
- His smile, at once enchanting and melancholy, is just his father's. 他那种既迷人又有些忧郁的微笑,活脱儿象他父亲。
- Its interior was an enchanting place that both lured and frightened me. 它的里头是个吸引人的地方,我又向往又害怕。
18 nourishment
n.食物,营养品;营养情况
- Lack of proper nourishment reduces their power to resist disease.营养不良降低了他们抵抗疾病的能力。
- He ventured that plants draw part of their nourishment from the air.他大胆提出植物从空气中吸收部分养分的观点。
19 torments
(肉体或精神上的)折磨,痛苦( torment的名词复数 ); 造成痛苦的事物[人]
- He released me from my torments. 他解除了我的痛苦。
- He suffered torments from his aching teeth. 他牙痛得难受。
20 mingle
vt.使混合,使相混;vi.混合起来;相交往
- If we mingle with the crowd,we should not be noticed.如果我们混在人群中,就不会被注意到。
- Oil will not mingle with water.油和水不相融。
21 harp
n.竖琴;天琴座
- She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
- He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。
22 gatherings
聚集( gathering的名词复数 ); 收集; 采集; 搜集
- His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
- During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次,其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。
23 inquiries
n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 );疑问;探究;打听
- He was released on bail pending further inquiries. 他获得保释,等候进一步调查。
- I have failed to reach them by postal inquiries. 我未能通过邮政查询与他们取得联系。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
24 repose
v.(使)休息;n.安息
- Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
- Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑,即使在睡眠时也是这样。
25 blandly
adv.温和地,殷勤地
- There is a class of men in Bristol monstrously prejudiced against Blandly. 布里斯托尔有那么一帮人为此恨透了布兰德利。 来自英汉文学 - 金银岛
- \"Maybe you could get something in the stage line?\" he blandly suggested. “也许你能在戏剧这一行里找些事做,\"他和蔼地提议道。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
26 naive
adj.幼稚的,轻信的;天真的
- It's naive of you to believe he'll do what he says.相信他会言行一致,你未免太单纯了。
- Don't be naive.The matter is not so simple.你别傻乎乎的。事情没有那么简单。
27 diplomacy
n.外交;外交手腕,交际手腕
- The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
- This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。
28 passionate
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的
- He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
- He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。
29 renouncing
v.声明放弃( renounce的现在分词 );宣布放弃;宣布与…决裂;宣布摒弃
- He enraged the government by renouncing the agreement. 他否认那项协议,从而激怒了政府。 来自辞典例句
- What do you get for renouncing Taiwan and embracing Beijing instead? 抛弃台湾,并转而拥抱北京之后,你会得到什么? 来自互联网
30 unnatural
adj.不自然的;反常的
- Did her behaviour seem unnatural in any way?她有任何反常表现吗?
- She has an unnatural smile on her face.她脸上挂着做作的微笑。
31 rapture
n.狂喜;全神贯注;着迷;v.使狂喜
- His speech was received with rapture by his supporters.他的演说受到支持者们的热烈欢迎。
- In the midst of his rapture,he was interrupted by his father.他正欢天喜地,被他父亲打断了。
32 bliss
n.狂喜,福佑,天赐的福
- It's sheer bliss to be able to spend the day in bed.整天都可以躺在床上真是幸福。
- He's in bliss that he's won the Nobel Prize.他非常高兴,因为获得了诺贝尔奖金。
33 apportioned
vt.分摊,分配(apportion的过去式与过去分词形式)
- They apportioned the land among members of the family. 他们把土地分给了家中各人。
- The group leader apportioned them the duties for the week. 组长给他们分派了这星期的任务。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
34 repulsive
adj.排斥的,使人反感的
- She found the idea deeply repulsive.她发现这个想法很恶心。
- The repulsive force within the nucleus is enormous.核子内部的斥力是巨大的。
35 irritability
n.易怒
- It was the almost furtive restlessness and irritability that had possessed him. 那是一种一直纠缠着他的隐秘的不安和烦恼。
- All organisms have irritability while alive. 所有生物体活着时都有应激性。
36 attentive
adj.注意的,专心的;关心(别人)的,殷勤的
- She was very attentive to her guests.她对客人招待得十分周到。
- The speaker likes to have an attentive audience.演讲者喜欢注意力集中的听众。
37 arduous
adj.艰苦的,费力的,陡峭的
- We must have patience in doing arduous work.我们做艰苦的工作要有耐性。
- The task was more arduous than he had calculated.这项任务比他所估计的要艰巨得多。
38 spoke
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
- 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。
39 casually
adv.漠不关心地,无动于衷地,不负责任地
- She remarked casually that she was changing her job.她当时漫不经心地说要换工作。
- I casually mentioned that I might be interested in working abroad.我不经意地提到我可能会对出国工作感兴趣。
40 intentionally
ad.故意地,有意地
- I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
- The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所,因此没有资格再获得提供住房。
41 irritably
ad.易生气地
- He lost his temper and snapped irritably at the children. 他发火了,暴躁地斥责孩子们。
- On this account the silence was irritably broken by a reproof. 为了这件事,他妻子大声斥责,令人恼火地打破了宁静。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
42 solely
adv.仅仅,唯一地
- Success should not be measured solely by educational achievement.成功与否不应只用学业成绩来衡量。
- The town depends almost solely on the tourist trade.这座城市几乎完全靠旅游业维持。
43 galling
adj.难堪的,使烦恼的,使焦躁的
- It was galling to have to apologize to a man she hated. 令人恼火的是得向她憎恶的男人道歉。
- The insolence in the fellow's eye was galling. 这家伙的傲慢目光令人恼怒。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
44 accomplished
adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的
- Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
- Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。
45 irresolute
adj.无决断的,优柔寡断的,踌躇不定的
- Irresolute persons make poor victors.优柔寡断的人不会成为胜利者。
- His opponents were too irresolute to call his bluff.他的对手太优柔寡断,不敢接受挑战。
46 imploring
恳求的,哀求的
- Those calm, strange eyes could see her imploring face. 那平静的,没有表情的眼睛还能看得到她的乞怜求情的面容。
- She gave him an imploring look. 她以哀求的眼神看着他。