The Fall of the House of Usher
厄舍府的倒塌
作者 ｜ 埃德加·爱伦·坡
（电影《超脱》片尾引用了此文）
1、
DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country ; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher. I know not how it was but, with the first glimpse of the building, a sense of insufferable gloom pervaded my spirit. I say insufferable ; for the feeling was unrelieved by any of that half-pleasurable, because poetic, sentiment, with which the mind usually receives even the sternest natural images of the desolate or terrible.
melancholy [ˈmelənkɑːli] 令人哀伤的
sternest 严厉的;苛刻的;难对付的;要求别人服从的
desolate 荒凉的
2、
I looked upon the scene before me-upon the mere house, and the simple landscape features of the domain-upon the bleak walls-upon the vacant eye like windows-upon a few rank sedges-and upon a few white trunks of decayed trees-with an utter depression of soul which I can compare to no earthly sensation more properly than to the after-dream of the reveller upon opium-the bitter lapse into everyday life the hideous dropping off of the veil. There was an iciness, a sinking, a sickening of the heart-an unredeemed dreariness of thought which no goading of the imagination could torture into aught of the sublime. What was it-I paused to think-what was it that so unnerved me in the contemplation of the House of Usher ? It was a mystery all insoluble ; nor could I grapple with the shadowy fancies that crowded upon me as I pondered.
sedge /sɛdʒ/ 莎草（湿地植物
reveller /ˈrɛvələr/ 狂欢者，宴饮作乐的人
iciness /ˈaɪsinɪs/ 冰冷，寒冷
unredeemed /ˌʌn.rɪˈdiːmd/ 未被救赎的，未得拯救的
goading /ˈgoʊdɪŋ/ 刺激，激励
contemplation /ˌkɒn.təmˈpleɪ.ʃən/ 沉思，凝视
grapple /ˈɡræpəl/ 抓住，努力对付
3、
I was forced to fall back upon the unsatisfactory conclusion, that while, beyond doubt, there are combinations of very simple natural objects which have the power of thus affecting us, still the analysis of this power lies among considerations beyond our depth. It was possible, I reflected, that a mere different arrangement of the particulars of the scene, of the details of the picture, would be sufficient to modify, or perhaps to annihilate its capacity for sorrowful impression; and, acting upon this idea, I reined my horse to the precipitous brink of a black and lurid tarn that lay in unruffled lustre by the dwelling, and gazed down—but with a shudder even more thrilling than before—upon the remodelled and inverted images of the gray sedge, and the ghastly tree-stems, and the vacant and eye-like windows.
annihilate /əˈnaɪəˌleɪt/ 彻底摧毁，消灭
precipitous /prɪˈsɪpɪtəs/ 陡峭的
lurid /ˈlʊrɪd/ 骇人听闻的
unruffled /ʌnˈrʌfəld/ 平静的
lustre /ˈlʌstər/ 光泽
ghastly /ˈɡæstli/ 可怕的
4、
Nevertheless, in this mansion of gloom I now proposed to myself a sojourn of some weeks. Its proprietor, Roderick Usher, had been one of my boon companions in boyhood; but many years had elapsed since our last meeting. A letter, however, had lately reached me in a distant part of the country—a letter from him—which, in its wildly importunate nature, had admitted of no other than a personal reply. The MS. gave evidence of nervous agitation. The writer spoke of acute bodily illness—of a mental disorder which oppressed him—and of an earnest desire to see me, as his best and indeed his only personal friend, with a view of attempting, by the cheerfulness of my society, some alleviation of his malady. It was the manner in which all this, and much more, was said—it was the apparent heart that went with his request—which allowed me no room for hesitation; and I accordingly obeyed forthwith what I still considered a very singular summons.
mansion /ˈmænʃən/ 大厦
sojourn /ˈsoʊdʒɜrn/ 逗留
proprietor /prəˈpraɪətər/ 所有者
importunate /ɪmˈpɔːrʧənɪt/ 急切的，纠缠不休的
malady /ˈmælədi/ 疾病
forthwith /ˈfɔrθˌwɪθ/ 立即
summons /ˈsʌmənz/ 召唤
5、
Although, as boys, we had been even intimate associates, yet I really knew little of my friend. His reserve had been always excessive and habitual. I was aware, however, that his very ancient family had been noted, time out of mind, for a peculiar sensibility of temperament, displaying itself, through long ages, in many works of exalted art, and manifested, of late, in repeated deeds of munificent yet unobtrusive charity, as well as in a passionate devotion to the intricacies, perhaps even more than to the orthodox and easily recognizable beauties, of musical science. I had learned, too, the very remarkable fact, that the stem of the Usher race, all time-honored as it was, had put forth, at no period, any enduring branch; in other words, that the entire family lay in the direct line of descent, and had always, with very trifling and very temporary variation, so lain.
exalted /ɪɡˈzɔltɪd/ 崇高的
munificent /mjuːˈnɪfɪsənt/ 慷慨的
unobtrusive /ˌʌnəbˈtruːsɪv/ 不张扬的
orthodox /ˈɔrθəˌdɑks/ 正统的
descent /dɪˈsɛnt/ 血统，家系，下降，坡道
6、
It was this deficiency, I considered, while running over in thought the perfect keeping of the character of the premises with the accredited character of the people, and while speculating upon the possible influence which the one, in the long lapse of centuries, might have exercised upon the other—it was this deficiency, perhaps, of collateral issue, and the consequent undeviating transmission, from sire to son, of the patrimony with the name, which had, at length, so identified the two as to merge the original title of the estate in the quaint and equivocal appellation of the “House of Usher”—an appellation which seemed to include, in the minds of the peasantry who used it, both the family and the family mansion.
premises /ˈprɛmɪsɪz/ 房屋，地产
accredited /əˈkrɛdɪtɪd/ 公认的，经过认证的
collateral /kəˈlætərəl/ 旁系的，附带的
undeviating /ˌʌnˈdiːvieɪtɪŋ/ 不偏离的，始终如一的
sire /ˈsaɪər/ 父亲，祖先
patrimony /ˈpætrɪˌmoʊni/ 祖传财产
quaint /kweɪnt/ 古雅的，奇特的
equivocal /ɪˈkwɪvəkəl/ 模棱两可的
appellation /ˌæpəˈleɪʃən/ 名称，称号
peasantry /ˈpɛzəntri/ 农民阶层
7、
I have said that the sole effect of my somewhat childish experiment—that of looking down within the tarn—had been to deepen the first singular impression. There can be no doubt that the consciousness of the rapid increase of my superstition—for why should I not so term it?—served mainly to accelerate the increase itself. Such, I have long known, is the paradoxical law of all sentiments having terror as a basis. And it might have been for this reason only, that, when I again uplifted my eyes to the house itself, from its image in the pool, there grew in my mind a strange fancy—a fancy so ridiculous, indeed, that I but mention it to show the vivid force of the sensations which oppressed me. I had so worked upon my imagination as really to believe that about the whole mansion and domain there hung an atmosphere peculiar to themselves and their immediate vicinity—an atmosphere which had no affinity with the air of heaven, but which had reeked up from the decayed trees, and the gray wall, and the silent tarn—a pestilent and mystic vapor, dull, sluggish, faintly discernible, and leaden-hued.
tarn /tɑrn/ 山中小湖
vicinity /vɪˈsɪnɪti/ 附近
affinity /əˈfɪnɪti/ 密切关系，亲和性
reeked /riːkt/ 发出恶臭
pestilent /ˈpɛstɪlənt/ 有害的，致命的
mystic /ˈmɪstɪk/ 神秘的
sluggish /ˈslʌɡɪʃ/ 迟缓的
leaden-hued /ˈlɛdn/ 铅灰色的，沉闷的
8、
Shaking off from my spirit what must have been a dream, I scanned more narrowly the real aspect of the building. Its principal feature seemed to be that of an excessive antiquity. The discoloration of ages had been great. Minute fungi overspread the whole exterior, hanging in a fine tangled web-work from the eaves. Yet all this was apart from any extraordinary dilapidation. No portion of the masonry had fallen; and there appeared to be a wild inconsistency between its still perfect adaptation of parts, and the crumbling condition of the individual stones. In this there was much that reminded me of the specious totality of old wood-work which has rotted for long years in some neglected vault, with no disturbance from the breath of the external air. Beyond this indication of extensive decay, however, the fabric gave little token of instability. Perhaps the eye of a scrutinizing observer might have discovered a barely perceptible fissure, which, extending from the roof of the building in front, made its way down the wall in a zigzag direction, until it became lost in the sullen waters of the tarn.
antiquity /ænˈtɪkwɪti/ 古老
discoloration /dɪsˌkʌləˈreɪʃən/ 变色
fungi /ˈfʌŋɡaɪ/ 真菌
eaves /ivz/ 屋檐
dilapidation /dɪˌlæpɪˈdeɪʃən/ 破损
masonry /ˈmeɪsənri/ 砖石结构
specious /ˈspiːʃəs/ 貌似正确的，华而不实的
vault /vɔlt/ 地下室，地窖
fissure /ˈfɪʃər/ 裂缝
sullen /ˈsʌlən/ 阴沉的
9、
Noticing these things, I rode over a short causeway to the house. A servant in waiting took my horse, and I entered the Gothic archway of the hall. A valet, of stealthy step, thence conducted me, in silence, through many dark and intricate passages in my progress to the studio of his master. Much that I encountered on the way contributed, I know not how, to heighten the vague sentiments of which I have already spoken. While the objects around me—while the carvings of the ceilings, the sombre tapestries of the walls, the ebony blackness of the floors, and the phantasmagoric armorial trophies which rattled as I strode, were but matters to which, or to such as which, I had been accustomed from my infancy—while I hesitated not to acknowledge how familiar was all this—I still wondered to find how unfamiliar were the fancies which ordinary images were stirring up. On one of the staircases, I met the physician of the family. His countenance, I thought, wore a mingled expression of low cunning and perplexity. He accosted me with trepidation and passed on. The valet now threw open a door and ushered me into the presence of his master.
causeway /ˈkɔzˌweɪ/ 堤道
valet /ˈvæleɪ/ 贴身男仆
stealthy /ˈstɛlθi/ 悄悄的，秘密的
sombre /ˈsɒmbə/ 阴沉的，暗淡的
tapestries /ˈtæpɪstriz/ 壁毯
ebony /ˈɛbəni/ 乌木色的
phantasmagoric /ˌfæntæzməˈɡɒrɪk/ 幻影般的
armorial /ɑrˈmɔriəl/ 纹章的
trophies /ˈtroʊfiz/ 奖杯，战利品
countenance /ˈkaʊntɪnəns/ 面容
perplexity /pərˈplɛksɪti/ 困惑
accosted /əˈkɔstɪd/ 搭话
ushered /ˈʌʃərd/ 引领
10、
The room in which I found myself was very large and lofty. The windows were long, narrow, and pointed, and at so vast a distance from the black oaken floor as to be altogether inaccessible from within. Feeble gleams of encrimsoned light made their way through the trellised panes, and served to render sufficiently distinct the more prominent objects around; the eye, however, struggled in vain to reach the remoter angles of the chamber, or the recesses of the vaulted and fretted ceiling. Dark draperies hung upon the walls. The general furniture was profuse, comfortless, antique, and tattered. Many books and musical instruments lay scattered about, but failed to give any vitality to the scene. I felt that I breathed an atmosphere of sorrow. An air of stern, deep, and irredeemable gloom hung over and pervaded all.
encrimsoned /ɪnˈkrɪm.zənd/ 染成深红色的
trellised /ˈtrɛlɪst/ 有格子的
panes /peɪnz/ 窗格玻璃
recesses /rɪˈsɛsɪz/ 隐蔽处，深处
vaulted /ˈvɔltɪd/ 拱形的
fretted /frɛtɪd/ 装饰有花边的
draperies /ˈdreɪpəriz/ 布幔
profuse /prəˈfjus/ 丰富的，大量的
tattered /ˈtætərd/ 破烂的
vitality /vaɪˈtælɪti/ 生命
irredeemable /ˌɪrɪˈdiːməbl/ 无法挽回的
11、
Upon my entrance, Usher rose from a sofa on which he had been lying at full length, and greeted me with a vivacious warmth which had much in it, I at first thought, of an overdone cordiality—of the constrained effort of the ennuyé（法语 厌倦的） man of the world. A glance, however, at his countenance convinced me of his perfect sincerity. We sat down; and for some moments, while he spoke not, I gazed upon him with a feeling half of pity, half of awe. Surely, man had never before so terribly altered, in so brief a period, as had Roderick Usher! It was with difficulty that I could bring myself to admit the identity of the man being before me with the companion of my early boyhood. Yet the character of his face had been at all times remarkable.
cordiality /ˌkɔrˈdʒælɪti/ 热情，友好
countenance /ˈkaʊntɪnəns/ 面容
12、
A cadaverousness of complexion; an eye large, liquid, and luminous beyond comparison; lips somewhat thin and very pallid, but of a surpassingly beautiful curve; a nose of a delicate Hebrew model, but with a breadth of nostril unusual in similar formations; a finely moulded chin, speaking, in its want of prominence, of a want of moral energy; hair of a more than web-like softness and tenuity;—these features, with an inordinate expansion above the regions of the temple, made up altogether a countenance not easily to be forgotten.
cadaverousness /kəˈdævərəsnɪs/ 像尸体一样的，苍白憔悴的
complexion /kəmˈplɛkʃən/ 面色，肤色
luminous /ˈluːmɪnəs/ 发光的，明亮的
pallid /ˈpælɪd/ 苍白的，无血色的
tenuity /tɪˈnjuːɪti/ 纤细，稀薄
inordinate /ɪnˈɔrdɪnɪt/ 过度的，过分的
temple /ˈtɛmpl/ 太阳穴
13、
And now in the mere exaggeration of the prevailing character of these features, and of the expression they were wont to convey, lay so much of change that I doubted to whom I spoke. The now ghastly pallor of the skin, and the now miraculous lustre of the eye, above all things startled and even awed me. The silken hair, too, had been suffered to grow all unheeded, and as, in its wild gossamer texture, it floated rather than fell about the face, I could not, even with effort, connect its Arabesque expression with any idea of simple humanity.
wont /woʊnt/ 习惯于，常常
lustre /ˈlʌstər/ 光泽，光辉
awed /ɔːd/ 敬畏的，惊叹的
unheeded /ʌnˈhiːdɪd/ 未被注意的，被忽视的
gossamer /ˈɡɑːsəmər/ 薄纱，轻而薄的
Arabesque /ˌærəˈbɛsk/ 阿拉伯式的，复杂花纹的
14、
In the manner of my friend I was at once struck with an incoherence—an inconsistency; and I soon found this to arise from a series of feeble and futile struggles to overcome an habitual trepidancy—an excessive nervous agitation. For something of this nature I had indeed been prepared, no less by his letter, than by reminiscences of certain boyish traits, and by conclusions deduced from his peculiar physical conformation and temperament. His action was alternately vivacious and sullen. His voice varied rapidly from a tremulous indecision (when the animal spirits seemed utterly in abeyance) to that species of energetic concision—that abrupt, weighty, unhurried, and hollow-sounding enunciation—that leaden, self-balanced and perfectly modulated guttural utterance, which may be observed in the lost drunkard, or the irreclaimable eater of opium, during the periods of his most intense excitement.