Kept watch, nor marred by knife or hand her spoil,

Till on his victim seized some nightly wolf; (36)



Then dragged the morsel from his thirsty fangs;

Nor fears she murder, if her rites demand



Blood from the living, or some banquet fell

Requires the panting entrail. Pregnant wombs



Yield to her knife the infant to be placed

On flaming altars: and whene'er she needs



Some fierce undaunted ghost, he fails not her

Who has all deaths in use. Her hand has chased



From smiling cheeks the rosy bloom of life;

And with sinister hand from dying youth



Has shorn the fatal lock: and holding oft

In foul embraces some departed friend



Severed the head, and through the ghastly lips,

Held by her own apart, some impious tale



Dark with mysterioushorror hath conveyed

Down to the Stygian shades.



When rumour brought

Her name to Sextus, in the depth of night,



While Titan's chariot beneath our earth

Wheeled on his middle course, he took his way



Through fields deserted; while a faithful band,

His wonted ministers in deeds of guilt,



Seeking the hag 'mid broken sepulchres,

Beheld her seated on the crags afar



Where Haemus falls towards Pharsalia's plain. (37)

There was she proving for her gods and priests



Words still unknown, and framing numbered chants

Of dire and novel purpose: for she feared



Lest Mars might stray into another world,

And spare Thessalian soil the blood ere long



To flow in torrents; and she thus forbade

Philippi's field, polluted with her song,



Thick with her poisonous distilments sown,

To let the war pass by. Such deaths, she hopes,



Soon shall be hers! the blood of all the world

Shed for her use! to her it shall be given



To sever from their trunks the heads of kings,

Plunder the ashes of the noble dead,



Italia's bravest, and in triumph add

The mightiest warriors to her host of shades.



And now what spoils from Magnus' tombless corse

Her hand may snatch, on which of Caesar's limbs



She soon may pounce, she makes her foul forecast

And eager gloats.



To whom the coward son

Of Magnus thus: "Thou greatest ornament



Of Haemon's daughters, in whose power it lies

Or to reveal the fates, or from its course



To turn the future, be it mine to know

By thy sure utterance to what final end



Fortune now guides the issue. Not the least

Of all the Roman host on yonder plain



Am I, but Magnus' most illustrious son,

Lord of the world or heir to death and doom.



The unknown affrights me: I can firmly face

The certain terror. Bid my destiny



Yield to thy power the dark and hidden end,

And let me fall foreknowing. From the gods



Extort the truth, or, if thou spare the gods,

Force it from hell itself. Fling back the gates



That bar th' Elysian fields; let Death confess

Whom from our ranks he seeks. No humble task



I bring, but worthy of Erichtho's skill

Of such a struggle fought for such a prize



To search and tell the issue."

Then the witch



Pleased that her impious fame was noised abroad

Thus made her answer: "If some lesser fates



Thy wish had been to change, against their wish

• deadly [´dedli] a.致命的 ad.死一般地 (初中英语单词)


• sensible [´sensəbəl] a.感觉得到的 (初中英语单词)


• violence [´vaiələns] n.猛烈；暴力(行) (初中英语单词)


• divine [di´vain] a.神圣的 v.预言 (初中英语单词)


• harmful [´hɑ:mful] a.有害的 (初中英语单词)


• forehead [´fɔrid] n.额，前部 (初中英语单词)


• mysterious [mi´stiəriəs] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (初中英语单词)


• passion [´pæʃən] n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词)


• thunder [´θʌndə] n.雷 vi.打雷 vt.吼出 (初中英语单词)


• jupiter [´dʒu:pitə] n.朱庇特；木星 (初中英语单词)


• immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)


• stream [stri:m] n.河 vi.流出；飘扬 (初中英语单词)


• savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)


• despise [di´spaiz] vt.轻视，藐视 (初中英语单词)


• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)


• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)


• worship [´wə:ʃip] n.&v.崇拜；敬仰 (初中英语单词)


• funeral [´fju:nərəl] n.葬礼，丧葬；困难 (初中英语单词)


• snatch [snætʃ] v.&n.抢，夺取，抓住 (初中英语单词)


• fearful [´fiəfəl] a.可怕的；担心的 (初中英语单词)


• thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)


• clutch [klʌtʃ] v.抓住 n.爪子；控制 (初中英语单词)


• victim [´viktim] n.牺牲者；受害者 (初中英语单词)


• infant [´infənt] n.&a.婴(幼)儿 (初中英语单词)


• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)


• horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)


• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)


• triumph [´traiəmf] n.胜利 vi.得胜，战胜 (初中英语单词)


• coward [´kauəd] n.胆怯者 a.胆小的 (初中英语单词)


• firmly [´fə:mli] ad.坚固地，稳定地 (初中英语单词)


• terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)


• hidden [´hid(ə)n] hide 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)


• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)


• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)


• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)


• universe [´ju:nivə:s] n.天地；全人类；银河系 (高中英语单词)


• tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)


• onward [´ɔnwəd] ad.&a.向前(的) (高中英语单词)


• motionless [´məuʃənləs] a.静止的；固定的 (高中英语单词)


• torrent [´tɔrənt] n.奔流，激流，洪流；迸发 (高中英语单词)


• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (高中英语单词)


• headlong [´hedlɔŋ] ad.&a.轻率地(的) (高中英语单词)


• serene [si´ri:n] n.&a.清澈的；宁静的 (高中英语单词)


• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)


• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)


• fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)


• incense [´insens, in´sens] n.香(气) vt.激怒 (高中英语单词)


• banquet [´bæŋkwit] n.宴会，盛宴 (高中英语单词)


• ghastly [´gɑ:stli] a.苍白的；可怕的 (高中英语单词)


• chariot [´tʃæriət] n.古时双轮战车 (高中英语单词)


• illustrious [i´lʌstriəs] a.杰出的，显赫的 (高中英语单词)


• unwilling [ʌn´wiliŋ] a.不愿意的；不情愿的 (英语四级单词)


• hearken [´hɑ:kən] vi.听 (英语四级单词)


• starry [´stɑ:ri] a.星光照耀的，闪亮的 (英语四级单词)


• unnatural [,ʌn´nætʃərəl] a.不自然的 (英语四级单词)


• maternal [mə´tə:nl] a.母亲的；母性(系)的 (英语四级单词)


• poisonous [´pɔizənəs] a.有毒的；讨厌的 (英语四级单词)


• disobey [,disə´bei] v.不服从；不听命令 (英语四级单词)


• frosty [´frɔsti] a.霜冻的；冷淡的 (英语四级单词)


• daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)


• nightly [´naitli] a.&ad.每夜(的) (英语四级单词)


• radiance [´reidjəns] n.发光；光彩；辐射 (英语四级单词)


• freshly [´freʃli] ad.新近，刚才 (英语四级单词)


• haggard [´hægəd] a.憔悴的 (英语四级单词)


• accursed [ə´kə:sid] a.被诅咒的；可憎的 (英语四级单词)


• flaming [´fleimiŋ] a.熊熊燃烧的；热情的 (英语四级单词)


• utterance [´ʌtərəns] n.发音；言辞；所说的话 (英语四级单词)


• corruption [kə´rʌpʃən] n.腐化；贪污；贿赂 (英语四级单词)


• wretch [retʃ] n.不幸的人；卑鄙的人 (英语四级单词)


• corpse [kɔ:ps] n.尸体 (英语四级单词)


• morsel [´mɔ:səl] n.佳肴 vt.少量地分配 (英语四级单词)


• sinister [´sinistə] a.阴险的；不吉的 (英语四级单词)


• lesser [´lesə] a.较小的；次要的 (英语四级单词)


• impious [´impiəs] a.不敬的；不孝的 (英语六级单词)


• unspeakable [ʌn´spi:kəbl] a.不能以言语表达的 (英语六级单词)


• beauteous [´bju:tiəs] a.美的，美丽的 (英语六级单词)


• powerless [´pauələs] a.软弱的；无资源的 (英语六级单词)


• extended [iks´tendid] a.伸长的；广大的 (英语六级单词)


• zenith [´ziniθ] n.天顶，顶点；全盛 (英语六级单词)


• pregnant [´pregnənt] a.怀孕的；含蓄的 (英语六级单词)


• holding [´həuldiŋ] n.保持，固定，存储 (英语六级单词)


• departed [di´pɑ:tid] a.已往的；已故的 (英语六级单词)


• pounce [pauns] n.突然袭击；攻击 (英语六级单词)