Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.

昨晚，我梦自己又回到了曼陀丽庄园。

 

 It seemed to me I stood by the iron gate leading to the drive, and for a while I could not enter, for the way was barred to me.

恍惚中，我站在那扇通往车道的大铁门前，好一会儿被挡在门外进不去。

 

There was a padlock and chain upon the gate.

铁门上挂着把大锁，还系了根铁链。

 

I called in my dream to the lodge-keeper, and had no answer, and peering closer through the rusted spokes of the gate I saw that the lodge was uninhabited.

我在梦里大声叫唤守门人，却没人答应。于是我就凑近身子，隔着门上生锈的铁条朝里张望，这才明白曼陀丽已是座阒寂无人的空宅。

 

No smoke came from the chimney, and the little lattice windows gaped forlorn.

烟囱不再飘起袅袅青烟。一扇扇小花格窗凄凉地洞开着。

gape [intransitive]

1 to look at something for a long time, especially with your mouth open, because you are very surprised or shocked [= stare]

gape at

What are all these people gaping at?

2 also gape open to open widely or be wide open:

Dan stood at the door, his shirt gaping open.

 

for'lorn

1 seeming lonely and unhappy:

a forlorn figure sitting all by herself

Ana sat with a bowed head and spoke in a forlorn voice.

2 a place that is forlorn seems empty and sad, and is often in bad condition:

The house looked old and forlorn.

3 [only before noun] a forlorn hope, attempt, or struggle etc is not going to be successful:

the forlorn hope of finding a peace formula

 

 Then, like all dreamers, I was possessed of a sudden with supernatural powers and passed like a spirit through the barrier before me.

这时，我突然像所有的梦中人一样，不知从哪儿获得了超自然的神力，幽灵般飘过面前的障碍物。

 

The drive wound away in front of me, twisting and turning as it had always done, but as I advanced I was aware that a change had come upon it; it was narrow and unkempt, not the drive that we had known.

车道在我眼前伸展开去，婉蜒曲折，依稀如旧。但是待我向前走去，就觉察到车道已起了变化：它显得又狭窄又荒僻，不再是我们熟悉的那个模样。

a'ware S1 W1 [not before noun] adj

1 if you are aware that a situation exists, you realize or know that it exists

aware of

The children are aware of the danger of taking drugs.

Mr Braley has been made aware of the need for absolute secrecy.

aware that

Were you aware that Joe had this problem with his knee?

well/fully/acutely aware

They were well aware that the company was losing money.

As you are aware, a fee will be charged annually.

2 if you are aware of something, you notice it, especially because you can see, hear, feel or smell it

aware of

She was aware of a tall dark figure watching her.

He was aware of the wind in his face.

aware that

Bill became aware that he was still holding his glass.

3 understanding a lot about what is happening around you and paying attention to it, especially because you realize possible dangers and problems

politically/socially/environmentally etc aware

the socially aware novels of Dickens

We should promote environmentally aware and responsible science.

 

At first I was puzzled and did not understand, and it was only when I bent my head to avoid the low swinging branch of a tree that I realized what had happened.

我一时感到迷惑不解，但当我低下头去避开一根低垂摇曳的树枝时，才发现了变化的来由。

 

 Nature had come into her own again and, little by little, in her stealthy, insidious way had encroached upon the drive with long, tenacious fingers.

原来自然界已恢复了本来的面目，渐渐把她细长的手指顽强而偷偷摸摸地伸到车道上来了。

 

The woods, always a menace even in the past, had triumphed in the end. They crowded, dark and uncontrolled, to the borders of the drive.

即使在过去，树林对车道来说，也始终是个威胁，如今则终于赢得胜利，黑压压势不可挡地向着车道两侧边沿逼近。

crowd2

1 [intransitive always + adverb/preposition] if people crowd somewhere, they gather together in large numbers, filling a particular place

crowd into

Hundreds of people crowded into the church for the funeral.

crowd round/around

We all crowded round the table.

be crowded together

the rapid spread of infection in areas where people are crowded together

2 [transitive] if people or things crowd a place, there are a lot of them there:

Holiday-makers crowded the beaches.

Range after range of mountains crowd the horizon.

3 [transitive] if thoughts or ideas crowd your mind or memory, they fill it, not allowing you to think of anything else:

Strange thoughts and worries were crowding his mind.

4 [transitive]

a) to make someone angry by moving too close to them:

Stop crowding me - there's plenty of room.

b) especially American English to make someone angry or upset by making too many unfair demands on them

  

The beeches with white, naked limbs leant close to one another, their branches intermingled in a strange embrace, making a vault above my head like the archway of a church.

榉树伸开赤裸的白色肢体，互相紧紧偎依，枝条交叉错杂，形成奇特的拥抱，在头顶构成一个形似教堂拱道的穹隆。

in'ter'min'gle [intransitive,transitive usually passive]

to mix together or mix something with something else:

The pain and the anger were intermingled

 

And there were other trees as well, trees that I did not recognize, squat oaks and tortured elms that straggled cheek by jowl with the beeches, and had thrust themselves out of the quiet earth, along with monster shrubs and plants, none of which I remembered.

这里还长有许多别的树木，有些我叫不出名字，还有些低矮的橡树翘曲的榆树，都同榉树盘根错节地纠结在一起。橡树、榆树，还巨怪似的灌木丛以及其他一些草木，就这么纷列在这块静谧的土地上，全然不是记忆中的景象。

rec'og'nize S1 W1 also recognise British English [transitive]

1 [not in progressive] to know who someone is or what something is, because you have seen, heard, experienced, or learned about them in the past:

I didn't recognize you in your uniform.

It was malaria, but Dr Lee hadn't recognized the symptoms.

➔ see usage note realize

2SSOPG to officially accept that an organization, government, document etc has legal or official authority:

British medical qualifications are recognized in Canada.

recognize something as something

The World Health Organization has recognized alcoholism as a disease since 1951.

3 to accept or admit that something is true

recognize (that)

One must recognise that homesickness is natural.

recognize what/how/who etc

It is important to recognize how little we know about this disease.

➔ see usage note realize

4 [usually in passive] if something is recognized by people, they realize that it is important or very good:

Alexander tried to get his work recognized by the medical profession.

be recognized as something

Lawrence's novel was eventually recognized as a work of genius.

a recognized authority on Roman pottery

5 to officially and publicly thank someone for something they have done, by giving them a special honour:

He was recognized for having saved many lives.

  

Squat  adj2

short and thick or low and wide, especially in a way which is not attractive:

squat stone cottages

a squat little old man

 

 

strag'gle [intransitive]

1 if the people in a group straggle somewhere, they go there fairly slowly and with large spaces between them

straggle in/into/through etc

The children were beginning to straggle in from the playground.

straggle behind

Ali straggled behind, carrying the shopping.

2 to move, grow, or spread out untidily in different directions:

thin, black, straggling hair

straggle along/across/down etc

Unpainted wooden buildings straggle along the main road out of town.