原文欣赏

But it is not in the nature of pure love to burn so fiercely and unkindly long. The flame that in its grosser composition has the taint of earth may prey upon the breast that gives it shelter; but the fire from heaven is as gentle in the heart, as when it rested on the heads of the assembled twelve, and showed each man his brother, brightened and unhurt. The image conjured up, there soon returned the placid face, the softened voice, the loving looks, the quiet trustfulness and peace; and Florence, though she wept still, wept more tranquilly, and courted the remembrance.

但是，纯洁的爱在性质上并不会猛烈地、无情地长久燃烧。爱的火焰，由于其中粗俗的部分受到世俗的污染，所以它可能会折磨庇护它的胸膛；但是从上天降临的圣火却在心中柔和地闪耀，就像它降临在聚集在一起的十二个人的头上，向他们每个人指明他的兄弟都笑逐颜开、安然无恙时的情形一样。当圣像被召唤到心中来时，弗洛伦斯就立刻恢复了平静的面容，温柔的声音，可爱的外貌，沉着的信任与安宁；她虽然依旧在哭泣，但都哭得比过去平静，并从回忆中寻求安慰。

It was not very long before the golden water, dancing on the wall, in the old place, at the old serene time, had her calm eye fixed upon it as it ebbed away. It was not very long before that room again knew her, often; sitting there alone, as patient and as mild as when she had watched beside the little bed. When any sharp sense of its being empty smote upon her, she could kneel beside it, and pray GOD — it was the pouring out of her full heart — to let one angel love her and remember her.

时间过去不很久，当金黄色的水波在原先的地方，原先宁静的时间中在墙上荡漾时，她的平静的眼光又在注视着它逐渐消逝。时间过去不很久，她又时常来到这个房间，独自坐在那里，就像她过去在小床边看护时一样地耐心与温柔。当她突然敏锐地感觉到床上已空空无人，心中万分痛苦时，她会跪在床边，向上帝祈祷——这时她倾吐着满怀心曲——，求他派一个天使来爱她，别把她忘记。

It was not very long before, in the midst of the dismal house so wide and dreary, her low voice in the twilight, slowly and stopping sometimes, touched the old air to which he had so often listened, with his drooping head upon her arm. And after that, and when it was quite dark, a little strain of music trembled in the room: so softly played and sung, that it was more like the mournful recollection of what she had done at his request on that last night, than the reality repeated. But it was repeated, often - very often, in the shadowy solitude; and broken murmurs of the strain still trembled on the keys, when the sweet voice was hushed in tears.

时间过去不很久，在这宽广、凄凉、阴惨惨的住宅中，她又在薄暮中，缓慢地、时断时续地低声唱起歌曲来，这歌曲是保罗过去把低垂的头枕靠在她的胳膊上时常常听着的；然后当天完全黑了的时候，房间里响起了一小段音乐的震颤的声音，她十分温柔地弹奏着和歌唱着：这更像是在悲伤地回忆那最后一夜中在他的请求下她所做过的事情，而不像是真正在重复弹唱。可是，她在郁郁寡欢的孤独中经常地、极为经常地重复弹唱着它；当甜美的歌声在潸潸的泪水中寂然消逝时，乐键仍叮叮冬冬地震颤着断断续续的曲调声。

Thus she gained heart to look upon the work with which her fingers had been busy by his side on the sea-shore; and thus it was not very long before she took to it again — with something of a human love for it, as if it had been sentient and had known him; and, sitting in a window, near her mother's picture, in the unused room so long deserted, wore away the thoughtful hours.

就这样，她又有了勇气去观赏她过去在海滨挨近他的身旁、手指忙碌不停地做过的针线活；就这样，时间过去不很久，她又重新做起针线活来，心中对它怀着某种人类的爱，仿佛它是有知觉的，是记得他似的；她在长久弃置不用、无人居住的房间里，坐在靠近母亲遗像的窗口，在沉思中消磨了一个个小时。

重点讲解
一.nature：n.自然界, 性质, 自然, 自然状态, 本性, 类型
【语法用法】
human nature 意为“人性，人情”，good nature 意为“好脾气”，ill nature意为“不友善，坏脾气”，以及second nature意为“第二天性”。以上这些用法中nature前不加the或者a，也没有复数形式；
animal nature意为“兽性”，moral nature意为“道德性”，以及rational nature意为“理性”。这几种表达方式前面都有the；
of a literary nature和of a religious nature等表达方式里有a；
一个特别的句子：
To know nature is to love her.
这里用her，其实是把大自然拟人化了。
【错句举例与错句分析】
错句: Man is engaged in a constant struggle with the nature.
订正: Man is engaged in a constant struggle with nature.
翻译: 人类一直致力于与自然做斗争中。
分析: nature在解释为“大自然”时，前面不加任何冠词。
【词义辨析】
temper, character, nature, personality, disposition, complexion
这些名词均有“性格、气质、性情、习性”之意。
temper指从感情方面体现出来，决定处理问题或应付形势的方式的性格或性情，这种性情可以是暂时的也可以长久的。
character指对个性或人格所作出的客观评价，常常与道德有关。
nature指其天性。
personality主要指个性。
disposition书面用词，指人的主要爱好或思想、精神方面的重要习性、气质。也可指短暂的情绪。
complexion指由思维方式、态度和情绪所决定的本质特征。
【例句用法】
After a while, driving becomes second nature to you.
过不多久，开车的动作就像本能的反应一样了。
二.desert：n.沙漠, 荒地, 应得(的惩罚或奖励) v.遗弃, 离弃, 放弃, 擅离职守
【语法用法】
a desert表示“荒芜的地方”，指“一片沙漠”。表达“多片沙漠或荒地”时，用deser；
desert前有时可以加the有时可省，如a great stretch of desert的表达方式中没有the。
Camels are peculiarly adapted for life in the desert.
骆驼特别能适应沙漠里的生活。
注意desert和dessert的区分。只是差了一个字母s，但是前者表示“沙漠，荒地”，后者则表示“甜点，甜品”。
【词义辨析】
abandon, desert, forsake, leave, give up
这些动词或词组均含“抛弃、放弃”之意
abandon强调永远或完全放弃或抛弃人或事物等，这可能是被迫的，也可能是自愿的。
desert着重指违背法律责任和义务，或自己的信仰与誓言的行为，多含非难的意味。
leave普通用词，指舍弃某事或某一职业，或终止同一某人的关系，但不涉及动机与结果。
give up普通用语，侧重指没有希望或因外界压力而放弃。
【例句用法】
The guard deserted his post.
卫兵擅自离开了他的岗位。