Words of Plato
12/31/2024
In a quaint, dimly lit inn by the edge of town, a clumsy busboy, known for his butterfingered ways, dropped a tray of bland food onto the floor with a loud crash. A snide snicker rose from a table nearby, where a woman in a bonnet sat sipping her rye, her sharp eyes missing nothing.
The innkeeper, eager to diffuse the tension, threw a vicuna throw over the broken mess and patted the busboy on the back. "You'll get your accolade someday, lad, just not for this!" he quipped, though the busboy's despondent expression suggested otherwise.
Meanwhile, in the corner, a man wearing outdated pantaloons sat by the fire, poking at a glowing ember with a stick. "Don’t let life’s little bungles lead you down the primrose path, boy," he said, his voice gravelly but kind.
The woman in the bonnet, irritated by his advice, leaned over. "Why does everyone construe kindness as wisdom? You’d all better hope no one misconstrues this disaster as my fault!"
A sudden contretemps arose when another patron bumped into her table, spilling her drink. She stood up, ready to pummel the offender, but the man in pantaloons intervened, his calm presence leaving the group momentarily stumped.
“Let’s not reduce ourselves to blandness over this,” he said, gesturing boudoir-wise toward the innkeeper for fresh drinks. The woman huffed and sat down, muttering something about "blasted rye."
As the fire crackled and the mess was cleared, a subtle warmth settled over the room. Perhaps, in the end, they all managed to snatch a little camaraderie from the chaos.
在城边一家昏暗的古雅旅馆里，一个笨手笨脚的小餐馆服务员，因常被人称为**“手滑王”，不小心把一托盘淡而无味的食物摔到了地上，发出一声巨响。靠近的桌边，一个戴着帽子的女人发出一声冷笑**，手里正端着一杯黑麦酒，眼神锐利，观察着一切。
旅馆老板急忙上前缓和尴尬，扔下一块羊驼毛毯盖住地上的残渣，然后拍了拍服务员的肩膀，说：“孩子，总有一天你会得到你的荣誉，但显然不是今天！”然而，服务员的表情依旧沮丧，显然没有被安慰到。
与此同时，角落里，一个穿着老式马裤的男人坐在火炉旁，用一根棍子拨弄着一块燃烧的余烬。他用沙哑但和善的声音说道：“别让生活中的小失误把你带上了优雅的歧途，孩子。”
戴帽子的女人对他的建议感到恼火，冷冷地说：“为什么每个人都把善意理解成智慧？你们最好别把这场灾难误解成是我的错！”
就在这时，另一位客人碰到了她的桌子，打翻了她的酒，一场突如其来的争执随即爆发。她站起来，准备狠狠地揍那个冒犯者，但穿马裤的男人介入了，他冷静的举止让众人一时语塞。
“别让自己因为这些事情变得毫无味道，”他说着，像是在卧室里一样优雅地示意旅馆老板上新酒。女人冷哼一声，坐了下来，小声嘟囔着“该死的黑麦酒。”
火炉噼啪作响，混乱被逐渐收拾干净，房间里慢慢弥漫开一丝温暖。也许，最终，他们从这场混乱中勉强找回了一点友好的氛围。
12/30/2024
The court jester, a known dweeb, recited an epigram about love: "An aphorism wrapped in remoulade is still bitter." The reveler applauded, demanding an encore as he tossed a single pellet of candy.
Nearby, a cuddly transvestite adjusted their sequined undies, muttering, “He’s a nag,” while a gent, full of exaltation, sipped wine and admired a lotus in bloom.
“She looked peeved-pleased,” thought the jester, watching a maiden clutching a pail, contemplating her lover’s elopement. Yet, her face betrayed no qualm, only the inertia of a sloth resigned to fate.
The laureate entered, solemn as Shiva, ready to bequeath words of profundity: “Life panders to none but the virile.” In the crowd, a quiet pervert, nursing a maudlin heart, dipped a crepe into syrup, wondering how much of his soul was stolen by estrogen.
宫廷小丑，一个公认的书呆子，吟诵了一句关于爱情的警句：“就算把格言包在调味酱里，依然是苦的。”一旁的狂欢者鼓掌欢呼，要求再来一遍，并丢出一颗糖果颗粒作为奖励。
不远处，一个可爱的 易装者调整着他们闪亮的内裤，嘟囔着：“他真是个唠叨鬼。”而一位充满欣喜的绅士，端着酒杯，欣赏着盛开的莲花。
“小丑心想，她的表情真是又气又喜啊。”他望向拿着水桶的少女，沉思着她情人的私奔。然而，她的脸上却没有一丝顾虑，只有像树懒一样对命运的无奈。
桂冠诗人走进来，如同威严的湿婆神，准备遗赠一段深刻的语句：“生命从不迎合任何人，除了那些阳刚之气十足的人。”在人群中，一个安静的色鬼，怀着多愁善感的心情，蘸着糖浆吃着可丽饼，暗自思索自己的灵魂究竟有多少被雌激素夺走了。
12/28/2024
The raconteur, a sanctimonious old snob, sipped his tea with an air of superiority, his ancillary assistant nervously enduring his endless prattle. “What drivel,” muttered a simpatico scamp, sneaking a handful of kibbles meant for the canine lounging nearby.
Meanwhile, the triage of exasperated listeners exchanged eclectic glances, their patience waning with every sniveling attempt he made to curry favour with the room's supremos.
A loon, perched on a windowsill, seemed to mock the scene with its cackling, as the raconteur launched into yet another tale about his bouts of colitis, which he described in excruciating detail.
During a pause in the banter, someone offered a caramel to distract him, and in the fleeting silence, the room collectively exhaled relief. The enigma of why they stayed lingered, unsolved, as the raconteur excused himself for an ablution.
那位讲故事大师，一个自以为是的老势利鬼，端着茶以一种高高在上的姿态啜饮着，他的助手紧张地忍受着他无尽的闲聊。“真是胡扯，”一个志趣相投的小淘气嘀咕着，悄悄抓了一把本来是为旁边的狗准备的狗粮。
与此同时，几位疲惫的听众在默默进行分类优先处理，互相交换着五花八门的眼神，他们的耐心随着他每次哀叹般的尝试讨好房间里的大人物们而消磨殆尽。
一只傻鸟栖息在窗台上，似乎在用它的嘎嘎笑声嘲笑着这一场面，而那位讲故事大师又开始讲述他关于结肠炎发作的另一个故事，并以令人痛苦的细节来描述。
在调侃的间隙，有人递上了一块焦糖试图分散他的注意力。在短暂的安静中，房间里的人集体松了一口气。而当讲故事大师借口去进行洗漱时，为什么大家依然留在这里的这个谜团，依旧没有解开。
12/26/2024
In a quiet cul-de-sac, a falcon perched sedately atop an ancient oak. Inside a crumbling manor, a contraption of gears churned, powered by the burning of turmeric. The air carried a faint haze, as though history itself had been stirred.
Lady Evelyn, clad in a velvet gown, clutched a chalice adorned with a brooch shaped like a pomegranate. Her propriety masked a life of decadent secrets, whispered among the servants who dared not derogate her name aloud.
By the fireplace, Sir Lionel, her consort, fought nausea, a gallstone lodged deep within. His eyes betrayed a mix of epistemic curiosity and dread as Evelyn enthused, "Did you know, Sir Lionel, such trivia as the maidenhead of a falcon symbolizes power reborn?"
His only response was a quiet supplication, silently wishing for relief.
Outside, a shadow crept closer, a former suitor with temerity enough to seek revenge for her rejection. He had been hazed by her wit, his reputation befouled beyond repair.
Evelyn sipped her goblet of wine and said, "I wonder, Lionel, how many have died of consumption in this house." Her voice was as cold as the chastity she wore like armor.
Far above, the falcon cried. Below, in a corner, a dusty book titled Oncology sat unopened, mocking the fragility of flesh and time.
在一个寂静的死胡同里，一只猎鹰****安详地停在一棵古老的橡树顶上。破败的庄园内，一台装置的齿轮缓缓转动，由燃烧的姜黄驱动。空气中弥漫着一丝淡淡的薄雾，仿佛历史本身被搅动了。
艾芙琳夫人身着天鹅绒长袍，手握一个镶嵌着石榴形胸针的圣杯。她的端庄掩盖了一生颓废的秘密，那些低声在仆人间流传的传闻，无人敢公开贬低她的名字。
壁炉旁，她的配偶莱昂内尔爵士正忍受着恶心，深深的胆结石让他痛苦不堪。他的眼神中透露出认识论上的好奇和恐惧，听着艾芙琳兴奋地说：“莱昂内尔爵士，你可知，这样的小知识，比如猎鹰的处女地，象征着重生的力量？”
他的唯一回应是一声静默的祈求，默默祈望着解脱。
屋外，一个身影悄然逼近。那是一个曾经的追求者，怀着足够的鲁莽，来为她的拒绝寻求复仇。他曾被她的智慧羞辱，名声被玷污得无地自容。
艾芙琳抿了一口高脚杯中的葡萄酒，冷冷地说：“莱昂内尔，我很好奇，在这座房子里，有多少人因肺痨而死。”她的声音如同她穿戴的贞洁般冰冷，宛如盔甲。
远处，猎鹰发出一声哀鸣。屋内的一角，一本落满灰尘的书《肿瘤学》静静地躺着，嘲笑着肉体和时间的脆弱。
12/25/2024 Christmas
In the dimly lit parish, a knave stood at the pulpit, wearing a battered visor and clutching a book of Leviticus and Ecclesiastes. The laity watched in silence as he promulgated decisions on morality with the precision of a scalpel, though his flamboyant manner felt more like a sledgehammer to the unprepared.
“This is not a mere hodgepodge—or should I say, hotchpotch—of rules,” he declared, his voice rising to a near rave. “What has he wrought, our eternal benefactor, if not a world of justice and charity? Give your alms, forsake the path of the strumpet, and heed the canon and ecclesiastical laws!”
But his audience began to jabber, uneasy with his tone, suspecting a hint of self-serving debasement in his fiery sermon. A woman whispered, "He dallies with the truth as one might dally with danger."
Outside, the exchequer, hearing the commotion, shook his head at the scene. "A proper preacher wields wisdom with a steady hand, not theatrics. This one? He's a mere charlatan."
在昏暗的教区里，一个无赖站在讲坛上，戴着破旧的面罩，手中握着一本《利未记》和《传道书》。信众静静地注视着他，他以一把手术刀般的精确颁布着决定，但他那浮夸的方式却更像是一把大锤，让人措手不及。
“这不仅仅是一个大杂烩——或者说是一个拼凑物——的规则，”他喊道，声音几乎达到狂热的程度。“我们永恒的恩人到底创造了什么，如果不是一个充满正义与慈爱的世界？捐出你们的施舍，远离荡妇的道路，遵守教规和教会法！”
然而，他的听众开始喋喋不休，对他的语气感到不安，怀疑他火热的布道中夹杂着一丝自我贬低的意味。一名女子低声说道：“他对真理的态度，就像对危险的调情一般。”
外面，财政官听到骚动，摇了摇头。“一个真正的传教士应该以平稳的方式传递智慧，而不是靠戏剧化表现。这个人？不过是个江湖骗子罢了。”
12/24/2024
The insufferable prelate, afflicted by gout, presided over the cathedral with an iron will. Despite his avowed devotion to the Church, whispers of simony and his secret dalliance with worldly pleasures undermined his authority. Students once thronged to Wittenberg, drawn by fiery debates on the Seven Sacraments and the growing polemic over the sale of indulgences.
One day, a devout reformer accused the prelate of conniving to exploit the faithful, reducing purgatory and hell to mere bargaining chips. The prelate’s power began to slacken as rumors spread, and soon a schism split the congregation.
Amidst the chaos, a humble priest, still bound by clerical celibacy and responsible for large dioceses, sought to restore faith by granting absolution freely. The prelate retaliated with threats of excommunication, but his hypocrisy was too evident, his authority crumbled like stale bread.
The reformer, sipping sweet nectar in triumph, vowed never to waffle on matters of truth again.
那位令人难以忍受的主教，身患痛风，以铁腕统领着大教堂。尽管他声称自己对教会忠诚无比，关于他**贩卖圣职（simony）和暗中追求世俗享乐的风流韵事（dalliance）的耳语却削弱了他的威信。曾经蜂拥至维滕贝格（Wittenberg）的学生们，被围绕着七圣事（the Seven Sacraments）和赎罪券销售（sale of indulgences）的激烈论战（polemic）**所吸引。
有一天，一位虔诚的（devout）改革者指控主教在暗中勾结（conniving）以剥削信徒，将炼狱和地狱（purgatory and hell）简化成交易的筹码。随着流言四起，主教的权力开始松动（slacken），很快，一场**分裂（schism）**撕裂了整个教区。
混乱之中，一位谦卑的神父（priest），依然坚持神职人员独身制（clerical celibacy），并负责管理多个教区（responsible for large dioceses），试图通过免费**赦罪（granting absolution）恢复人们的信仰。而主教则以逐出教会（excommunication）**的威胁反击，但他的伪善显而易见，权威像陈旧的面包一样土崩瓦解。
改革者啜饮着胜利的甘露（nectar），发誓再也不会在真理面前摇摆不定（waffle）。
12/22/2024
In a quiet, temperate village, an upheaval erupted when the betrothed daughter of the local eminence dared to bask in the sun with her mare instead of attending the sacred conclave. This act, seen as a flagrant affront to tradition, caused whispers that she might flout the dispensation granted by the church for her marriage.
The elders, their veins and arteries throbbing with indignation, beseeched her to repent, warning of the consequences of licentious defiance. She, however, stood firm, her mind unfazed but her words deliberately chosen to temperate their anger, knowing the power of her family's dominion.
The eldest cleric, half-deaf from presbycusis, leaned forward, his cochlea straining to catch her soft-spoken words. "I envisage a future where love is free from scorn," she declared, her hand gripping a jeweled scabbard that she carried as a symbol of courage. The crowd, though momentarily befuddled, soon softened, recognizing a glimmer of change in her vision.
Behind her, the mare neighed, as if to signal the triumph of her quiet rebellion.
在一个温和的村庄里，当地的显贵的未婚妻在阳光下与她的母马一起享受时光，却未参加神圣的秘密会议，引发了巨大的动荡。她的行为被视为对传统的公然冒犯，人们纷纷议论她可能会藐视教会赐予她婚姻的特许权。
长老们愤怒地恳求她悔改，警告她不可继续这种放纵的挑战。然而，她却坚定不移，用克制的话语缓和了他们的愤怒，展现出她家族在村中的统治地位。
年迈的神职人员因老年性听力下降半聋，努力倾听她柔和的声音。“我想象一个爱不再受到蔑视的未来，”她宣告着，手握一把象征勇气的宝石剑鞘。人群虽然一时被迷惑，但很快因她的愿景而变得柔和。
在她身后，母马嘶鸣，似乎在为她静默的反抗胜利鸣奏凯歌。
12/21/2024 Saturday
In the penitentiary, a once-henpecked man named Tom found an unlikely reprieve in writing. His novella, steeped in vernacular humor, recounted tales of erstwhile allies—pious but fallible curates, vicars, and bishops, of which some were bibulous, others flippant, yet all burdened by their humanity. One tale spoke of a megalomaniac movie mogul, a harlot-turned-hero, and a rudder-less ship of dreams.
Tom’s prose, blending friendly irreverence but without mockery, highlighted the immiseration of society’s riff-raff, yet still managed to augur a future of altruism and hope. Through it all, he repudiated the notion of pessimism, even as a scourge of pestilence meandered through his fictional towns.
He worked in solitude but was haunted by the memory of a pheasant hunt gone wrong, where an injurious veterinary gun and an injudicious decision had cost him dearly. His gregarious spirit, however, remained intact, cloaked beneath a veneer of happiness.
On Sundays, he traded stories with an old acquaintance—an old top from his youth. They laughed about altruism, debated judicious choices, and raised a toast to bibulous bishops with their shared, bittersweet memories.
In his closing chapter, Tom imagined himself among pious but fallible curates, reflecting on their flaws and virtues. It was not fame he sought, but peace, as his prose style, vivid yet kind, became a solace to all who read it.
在监狱里，一个曾经被妻管严的男人汤姆，在写作中找到了意想不到的缓解。他的中篇小说充满了本地方言的幽默，讲述了昔日盟友的故事——虔诚却易犯错的牧师、教区牧师和主教们，其中一些是贪杯的，另一些轻佻，却都被人性所累。一个故事提到了一位妄自尊大的电影大亨、一位从妓女变成英雄的女人，以及一艘失去舵的梦想之船。
汤姆的散文，友善地不敬，但绝不嘲讽，展现了社会中下层人群的困苦，却仍然设法预示着一个充满利他主义与希望的未来。在此过程中，他否定了悲观主义的观念，即便一场瘟疫正蜿蜒流窜过他虚构的小镇。
他独自工作，但被一场失败的野鸡狩猎的记忆所困扰，那次狩猎中一把受损的兽医枪和一个不明智的决定让他付出了惨重的代价。然而，他那爱社交的精神仍然完好无损，只是隐藏在一层幸福的外壳之下。
每逢星期天，他都会与一位老熟人——他少年时代的一个老朋友交换故事。他们谈笑着讨论利他主义，争辩着明智的选择，并为贪杯的主教举杯，共同追忆那些苦乐参半的回忆。
在小说的最后一章，汤姆想象自己站在虔诚却易犯错的牧师们之间，反思他们的缺点与美德。他追求的不是名声，而是平静，而他的散文风格，生动却充满善意，成为了所有读者的安慰。
12/20/2024 Friday
The baronet, frail and infirm, presided over his crumbling estate with what little pomp he could muster. His hereditary lands were now a shadow of their former glory, beset by misfortune and poverty. The garrison that once protected his family had dwindled to a few idle soldiers, barely able to keep the unruly rabble at bay. Outside, the villagers, driven to desperation, were baying for justice, their fury emanating from the fetid streets where typhoid had taken root.
In his desperation, the baronet had turned to a gnomish alchemist promising to imbue his dwindling fortune with new life through ancient alchemy. Yet, the alchemist's promises proved to be nothing more than lurid tales, ending in a financial fiasco. The once-proud man found himself teetering on the brink of ruin, his pride reduced to abject despair.
As the villagers surged forward, goading each other into rebellion, the baronet clutched his late wife’s dowry, a single gilded ring, as though it were the last shred of dignity he could flaunt. The mob viewed his temperance as an insult, unwilling to condone what they imputed to his arrogance.
The baronet decided on one last sojourn to the church, a place of solace now seen as an anathema by the puritan villagers. The fetid air inside seemed to reflect the tumultuous state of his soul. As he trod the trodden path to the altar, he realized that his tenuous grip on power had already slipped away, the emblematic ring of his family now worthless in a land where nothing remained to gild.
这位 从男爵（baronet），体弱多病（infirm），在他摇摇欲坠的庄园里，尽可能地保持着一点点 排场（pomp）。他 世袭（hereditary）的土地如今已不复昔日的辉煌，被困扰（beset）在不幸与贫困之中。曾经保护他家族的 驻军（garrison）现在只剩下寥寥几个无所事事的士兵，几乎无法抵挡住骚乱的 乌合之众（rabble）。在庄园外，村民们因为绝望而聚集在一起，叫嚣着（baying）要正义，他们的愤怒从弥漫着 恶臭（fetid）的街道上 散发出来（emanate），那里的 伤寒（typhoid）正在蔓延。
绝望之中，从男爵向一个 侏儒般的（gnomish）炼金术士求助，后者承诺用古老的 炼金术（alchemy）为他日益减少的财富注入（imbue）新生。然而，炼金术士的承诺只不过是一些 耸人听闻的（lurid）故事，最终以经济上的 惨败（fiasco）告终。这位曾经骄傲的男人发现自己 摇摇欲坠（teetering）在毁灭的边缘，他的骄傲变成了 卑微的（abject）绝望。
当村民们涌向庄园，互相 挑唆（goading）着叛乱时，从男爵紧握着他已故妻子的 嫁妆（dowry）——一枚镀金戒指（gild），仿佛它是他能 炫耀（flaunt）的最后一点尊严。然而，暴民认为他的 克制（temperance）是一种侮辱，拒绝 宽恕（condone）他所被 归咎于（impute to）的傲慢。
从男爵决定最后一次 暂居（sojourn）教堂，这是一个他曾寻求慰藉的地方，如今却被 清教徒般的（puritan）村民视为 诅咒（anathema）。教堂内 恶臭的空气（fetid air）似乎反映了他内心 动荡的（tumultuous）状态。当他踏上通往祭坛的 踩踏已久的（trodden）道路时，他意识到自己对权力的 脆弱（tenuous）控制早已不复存在，而代表家族的戒指在这片连镀金都失去价值的土地上也已毫无意义。
2024年12月19日 星期四
The Private Lives of The Tudors (TV show)
In an opulent banquet hall, adorned with velvet drapes and the scent of sweet clover and melilot, the duke surveyed the gentry with a mix of pride and disdain. His vivacious daughter, her braid adorned with bling, was the epitome of the aristocracy, though many whispered she was besotted with a rogue who sought to usurp the nomination for her hand.
The viscount, who had earned his title through his chivalric victories in a joust, watched the scene unfold with a peremptory air, his beret tilted jauntily. The marquess, ever the lecherous schemer, leaned in to strike up a convo with the curator of the estate’s portraiture, his voice dripping with flattery.
At the other end of the table, the earl sat brooding over a cask of wine, his thoughts muddied by a recent bout of illness that left his girth diminished and his libido low. He poked at his mutton with uncouth frustration, drawing glances from the baron, whose pious demeanor was unblemished save for the blemish of a pock mark on his cheek.
Meanwhile, the duke’s wife, clutching a locket, stared into the hearth, her thoughts lost in memories of a stillbirth years before. Her husband had often treated her like chattel, yet the tempestuous moments of their youth had somehow managed to rekindle fleeting feelings of affection.
In the corner, a dowdy maid in a faded farthingale adjusted her bodice, humming softly as she tended to a basket of sable embroidery. Her thoughts wandered to the sumptuary laws that ensured her humble place beneath the aristocracy, while she marveled at the zodiac signs etched into the grand hall’s ceiling.
Little did they know, a storm brewed outside—both literal and figurative—a tempest that would test their pious facades, unravel hidden schemes, and challenge the carefully constructed hierarchy of the chivalric world they inhabited.
在一间富丽堂皇的宴会厅里，挂着天鹅绒的帘子，空气中弥漫着甜苜蓿和香蜜草的香味，公爵带着一丝骄傲与不屑的神情打量着贵族们。他的活泼女儿梳着辫子，辫子上点缀着珠宝，是贵族中完美典范的象征，尽管许多人私下议论她对一个无赖深情不已，而这个人正试图篡夺提名赢取她的芳心。
一旁的子爵，通过他在一次骑士比武中的骑士精神胜利赢得了自己的头衔，此时正带着一种专横的神态注视着场面，斜戴着他的贝雷帽，显得意气风发。而侯爵，一贯是个好色的阴谋家，正凑到庄园肖像馆的策展人身边，语气中满是讨好的奉承，开始攀谈。
宴席的另一端，伯爵因最近一场病痛而沉思，他的腰围因此缩减，性欲也减弱。他粗鲁地用叉子戳着盘中的羊肉，表情显得无礼，引来了男爵的目光。男爵平时以虔诚示人，然而脸上的一个痘疤却成为他唯一的瑕疵。
此时，公爵的妻子握着一枚小盒吊坠，目光凝视着壁炉，思绪回到了多年前的一次死产。虽然她的丈夫曾把她当作附属品，但他们年轻时的狂暴情感却偶尔能重新燃起些许温情。
角落里，一位穿着褪色的裙撑裙的朴素女仆调整着她的紧身衣，一边哼着小调，一边照看着一篮子用貂毛绣制的布料。她的思绪飘向了确保她地位卑微的奢侈法令，同时惊叹着宴会厅天花板上雕刻的星座图案。
然而他们并不知道，一场风暴正在外面酝酿——既是字面意义上的，也是隐喻的。这场狂风骤雨将考验他们的虔诚外表，揭露隐藏的阴谋，并挑战他们精心构筑的骑士精神等级制度。
2024年12月18日 星期三
Under the golden arches of a grand palazzo, a soprano diva rehearsed her aria, her voice echoing through the halls of the former convent. Rumors swirled that she was in cahoots with a charlatan who claimed to have discovered a forgotten codicil granting her the estate.
The locals, ever parochial in their views, began to abominate her presence, accusing her of deceit. To win them over, she opened the palazzo to the public, serving the finest pastry and espresso while offering heartfelt “grazie” to every visitor. With each passing day, the spiffier atmosphere softened even the hardest hearts, though some still whispered about the mysterious codicil.
The diva, unbothered, continued to sing. After all, music spoke louder than gossip
--- Hunting in Venice by Agatha Christie.
在一座宏伟的宫殿 (palazzo)下， 一位女高音 (soprano) 歌剧女王 (diva) 正在排练她的咏叹调，声音回荡在曾经是修道院 (convent)的大厅里。谣言四起，说她与一个骗子 (charlatan) 串通 (cahoots)，声称发现了一份遗失的遗嘱附录 (codicil)，将这座庄园授予了她。
当地人向来狭隘 (parochial)，开始**厌恶 (abominate)她的存在，指责她欺诈。为了赢得人心，她将宫殿 (palazzo)对公众开放，提供最精致的糕点 (pastry)和浓缩咖啡，并向每位访客真诚地说“谢谢 (grazie)”。随着时间的推移，越来越焕然一新 (spiffier)**的氛围逐渐软化了最冷硬的心，尽管仍有人低声议论那份神秘的遗嘱附录。
这位**歌剧女王 (diva)**毫不在意，继续歌唱。毕竟，音乐的声音比流言更响亮
2024年12月17日 星期二
The mansion stood as a charade of grandeur, its crumbling walls and faded splendor betraying its true provenance. Inside, a governess, her uniform monogrammed "H," struggled with the perverse antics of young Tom, a notorious tomfool.
“Desist this instant!” she barked, her voice echoing through the hall as Tom attempted to climb the ancient Reticulum, a decorative trellis in the dining room. "Your antecedents would be ashamed of such behavior."
Tom ignored her and continued, driven by the indomitable spirit of youth, though one might surmise he was not sentient enough to understand the consequences of his actions. The ramifications of his climb were soon apparent; with a loud crack, the structure began to ramify, its delicate branches collapsing under his weight.
Amid the chaos, the fount of the family’s history lay incapacitated: a gilded portrait fell from the wall, its frame shattered. “This is not just an overture to rebellion,” the governess muttered, “but a declaration of war on decency itself.”
Later, as she sat in the study, reflecting on the day’s events, she attempted to make sense of it all. Was it ageism that made her less patient with Tom, or had years of discipline created by the ramification and progressive growth of her responsibilities simply worn her down? She sighed, resigned to the fact that managing this household required more than discipline—it demanded an unyielding strength.
那座豪宅伪装成奢华的模样，实际上其虚假的表象（charade）在破败的墙壁和褪色的辉煌中暴露了其真实的来源（provenance）。屋内，一位女管家（governess）身穿绣有“H”字母的制服，正在应对年轻汤姆那任性（perverse）的胡闹行为，而汤姆以其臭名昭著的胡闹鬼（tomfool）形象闻名。
“住手（desist），马上停下！”她厉声喝道，声音在大厅里回响。而汤姆正试图爬上古老的网状装饰架（Reticulum），这是餐厅里的装饰棚架。“你的祖辈（antecedents）若是知道，会为你的行为感到羞耻。”
汤姆无视她，继续爬行，凭借年轻人那种不可征服的（indomitable）精神推动着自己，但人们可能会猜测（surmise），他似乎不够有知觉（not sentient enough）去理解他行为的后果。很快，爬架的后果（ramifications）显现出来了——随着一声巨响，脆弱的结构开始分裂扩展（ramify），细枝在他体重下纷纷坍塌。
混乱之中，家庭历史的源泉（fount）受到了破坏（incapacitate）：一幅镀金画像从墙上掉落，画框摔得粉碎。“这不仅仅是叛逆的序曲（overture），”女管家低声说道，“这简直是一场对体面生活的宣战。”
稍后，她坐在书房里，回想一天的经历，试图理清这一切。是因为年龄歧视（ageism）让她对汤姆缺乏耐心，还是多年的职责伴随着分裂和渐进增长（created by the ramification and progressive growth）的压力让她精疲力尽？她叹了口气，无奈地接受了这个事实：管理这个家庭不仅需要纪律，还需要一种不屈的力量。
2024年12月16日 星期一
The terrestrial polymath sat beneath an ancient arborescence, his thoughts crisscrossed by phonological, lexical, syntactic, and semantic puzzles. The stench of a nefarious plan lingered, a redux of his nemesis, the rascal. He did detest such mundane confrontations.
Suddenly, an excitatory neuron sends out its axon of inspiration: “The nub of it, this beguiling ruse must end!” Yet the villain's words echoed ad-nauseam in his mind, a gross perversion of logic, until he felt godsmack by the realization.
The moulder of fate, ever shrewish, seemed to beguile him further, while his felicity turned melodramatically sour. “Inoculate the mind!” he cried, as rain poured down. But the coat is impervious to rain, shielding him while he vowed to pamper his bruised ego and never again be so mesmerizing, or so easily misled.那位世俗的博学者坐在一棵古老的树状结构下，他的思绪被音韵、词汇、句法和语义问题交错扰乱着。一个邪恶的计划的恶臭挥之不去——那是他死敌的重现，那个无赖。他厌恶如此平凡的对抗。
突然，兴奋性神经元发出它的轴突，带来一线灵感：“问题的关键——这个迷人的诡计必须终结！” 然而，敌人的话语在他脑海中反复不断地回响，简直是对逻辑的扭曲，让他顿时有如遭遇神罚般醒悟。
命运的塑造者，一如既往地泼辣，似乎在进一步欺骗他，而他的幸福变得过分戏剧化地酸楚。“为思想接种疫苗！”他喊道，雨倾泻而下。但这件外套不透雨，为他提供了庇护。他发誓要呵护自己受伤的自尊，再也不做那般令人着迷的自己——或是如此轻易地被愚弄。
2024年12月14日 星期六
Beneath the canopy of stars, a mutt wandered through the terra incognita, trying to scrounge around for sustenance. Its journey felt insuperable, each step an ebb of hope. A pinhole of light appeared, leading to a gorge where a jug of cognac sat—a cruel trick of grift, as the drink was poisoned. The hideous landscape seemed crafted with a dark motif, like a shrine to idolatry.
“Loco,” the dog muttered, half-delirious. A wacko figure emerged, spewing nonsensical words, and the dog’s spirit, though battered, refused to be mutilated by despair. It pressed on.
在星空的树冠下，一只杂种狗在未知之地徘徊，试图翻找一点生存所需的粮食。它的旅程似乎是不可逾越的，每一步都带来希望的消退。一个针孔大小的光亮出现，指引它走向一个峡谷，那里放着一壶白兰地——却是一个欺诈的陷阱，那酒被下了毒。丑陋的景色仿佛以黑暗的主题打造，如同一个献给偶像崇拜的祭坛。
“疯了，”狗喃喃着，半疯半癫。一个怪人出现，嘴里胡言乱语，说着无意义的话语。尽管这只狗的精神早已千疮百孔，但它拒绝被绝望摧残，毅然继续前行。
2024年12月13日 星期五
— Woke up at 7:00. review new words. watch the movie Thomas Crown Affair And the Apocalypse Now.
— Read the English version of How We Learn. Converse with AI about this book.
— Jogging around the neighborhood for 15 minutes. The temperature outside is 26° f.
— 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., Evergreen group Bible study. 9:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Evergreen group leader meeting.
— go to bed at 1:00 a.m..
Under the glow of a moonlight tryst, in the shadow of an ancient sarcophagus, an adherent of a monotheistic sect stood silently, her sickle gleaming in the pale light. She was no ordinary follower; she claimed to be the progenitor of her faith, though others dismissed her as a congenital liar, her tales as unsound as the wobbly mounds of female flesh she attempted to conceal under her stodgy robes.
Nearby, her quarry, a sly nabob who had managed to finagle his way into her trust, lingered by a crumbling altar, conjugating verbs from an old language study he pretended to understand. His wonky smile betrayed his gloat—he believed he had tricked her into revealing the location of a long-lost relic.
But the adherent, despite her infirmity, was sharper than she appeared. As the man prepared to fling himself at what he thought was treasure hidden beneath the altar, she unleashed a small pouch of powdered napalm, igniting a flash that left him stunned.
"Careful with your greed," she hissed, the sickle now pointed at his chest. "You may finagle others, but not me."
And with that, she left him there, fumbling with his ruined plans, as she disappeared into the moonlight, her task complete
在月光下的幽会中，一具古老石棺的阴影里，一位一神教派的信徒静静地站着，她的镰刀在苍白的光芒中闪闪发光。她并非普通的追随者；她声称自己是信仰的始祖，但其他人却嘲笑她是个天生的骗子，她的故事和她试图用古板长袍掩盖的摇摇晃晃的丰满身躯一样不可靠。
不远处，她的猎物——一个狡猾的土豪，设法耍手段赢得了她的信任，正徘徊在一座破败的祭坛旁，假装自己懂得一些语言学习中的动词变位。他那歪歪扭扭的笑容泄露了他的得意——他认为自己已经骗出了隐藏在祭坛下的遗物所在地。
但这位信徒尽管身体虚弱，却比她看上去要聪明得多。当这个男人准备扑向他认为的宝藏时，她突然抛出了一小包粉状凝固汽油弹，瞬间的火光让他目瞪口呆。
“贪婪可要小心，”她低声说道，镰刀指向他的胸口。“你可以愚弄别人，但不是我。”
说罢，她转身离去，消失在月光之中，而那个男人则在毁灭的计划中狼狈不堪地挣扎着。她的任务，已然完成。
2024年12月12日 星期四
In the vitrified cloister of a Tudor abbey, a monastic figure wallowed in the quagmire of his own dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia, struggling to read the grisly text before him. His retinue of courtiers, disheveled and streaked with dirt, stood nearby, clutching a flask of wine.
The atrium was silent, save for a faint grunt as the monk adjusted his tight corset, his apron stained with wax from long hours of study. A garish mural adorned the wall, its carnal imagery a sharp contrast to the sanctity of the space, threatening to cloy the senses with its excess.
And yet, in this chaos, no one spoke—words seemed as futile as the monk’s wallowing.
在都铎式修道院那被烧制得光滑如镜的回廊里，一位修士沉浸在自己因阅读障碍、计算障碍和运动障碍而陷入的泥潭中，艰难地试图读懂那本可怖的书。旁边，他那衣衫不整、身上满是污迹的随从侍臣们站着，手里紧紧抓着一瓶酒壶。
中庭里寂静无声，只有修士发出微弱的咕哝声，一边调整着紧绷的束身衣，他穿着的围裙上沾满了因长时间研究而滴落的蜡油。墙上挂着一幅花哨刺眼的壁画，那肉欲横流的画面与这圣洁的空间形成了鲜明对比，让人不禁感到甜腻过头而厌烦。
然而，在这混乱之中，没有人开口——言语似乎和修士的沉沦一样徒劳无功。In the shadow of the gallows, the once-feared vigilante vengeance had become a tale whispered among the derelict. A mysterious don, donning a cape festooned with bird paraphernalia, appeared, determined to uncover the crux of a city plagued by the bane of captagon.
At a crumbling mansion, a debutante, looking as unruffled as ever, offered tea and a crumpet, claiming, “I believe it may mollify his ire.”
Outside, a bedraggled figure with a malady mumbled about a relict treasure hidden in oblivion, an edict declaring its protection. The socialites ignored him.
Meanwhile, a thief attempted to abscond, but the parched vigilante caught him mid-act, saying, “Let this act of graft ruffle no one further.”
Justice, though fragile, remained unbroken.
在绞刑架的阴影下，曾经令人闻风丧胆的复仇义警如今成了被废弃者间低语的传说。一位神秘的头目身披装饰着鸟类饰物的斗篷出现，决心揭开这座被芬太尼毒害的城市的关键真相。
在一座破败的豪宅里，一位社交名媛端着茶和松饼，看起来依然泰然自若，说道：“我相信，这或许能缓解他的怒火。”
屋外，一个衣衫褴褛、带着病痛的人喃喃自语，提到一笔隐藏在遗忘中的遗物宝藏，声称有一道法令守护着它。而名流们对此置若罔闻。
与此同时，一个窃贼试图潜逃，却被那位干渴的义警当场抓住，他说道：“让这次的贪污行为不再扰乱人心。”
正义虽脆弱，却仍未被打破。
12/9, 12/10
In a desolate hall, the once deferential crowd watched as the valedictorian, known for his suave demeanor, vociferously defended his controversial speech. His entourage, eager to shield him from ignominy, tried to calm the murmurs of strife that spread like a seismic wave.
But one dogmatic critic stood, dithered for a moment, and then obnoxiously called out the differential between his words and his actions. The crowd began to veer toward division, leaving the valedictorian dejected, though he continued to exude calm confidence.
deferential, differential, entourage, exude, suave, dithered, dogmatic, vociferously, desolate, dejected, valedictorian, ignominy, strife, veer, seismic, obnoxious
在一个荒凉的大厅里，曾经谦恭的观众注视着那位以温文尔雅闻名的毕业致辞人，他正在激烈地为他备受争议的演讲辩护。他的随从试图平息如地震般扩散的冲突，以避免他陷入耻辱之中。
但一位固执己见的批评者站了出来，犹豫了一下，然后令人厌烦地指出了他的言行之间的差异。人群开始转向分裂，让这位致辞人显得沮丧，尽管他仍然散发出一种平静的自信。
谦恭 (deferential), 差异 (differential), 随从 (entourage), 散发 (exude), 温文尔雅 (suave), 犹豫 (dithered), 固执己见 (dogmatic), 激烈地 (vociferously), 荒凉 (desolate), 沮丧 (dejected), 毕业致辞人 (valedictorian), 耻辱 (ignominy), 冲突 (strife), 转向 (veer), 地震般 (seismic), 令人厌烦的 (obnoxious)
12/6,7,8
The harbinger of bad news arrived with the specter of war, as a corporal, wielding a veterinary gun, barked orders in a harsh militaristic tone. His erstwhile allies, now henpecked and weary, seemed like mere riff raff under a veneer of happiness as they prepared for battle with a mix of trepidation and glee.
Amid the chaos, an injudicious decision to proscribe deserters only served to hamstring the army's morale, spreading immiseration like a silent pestilence. Yet one soldier, speaking in the local vernacular, inspired his compatriots with altruism, reminding them that their efforts would augur a future of peace.
In the distance, a harlot, bold and gregarious, sold her own judicious advice to any who would listen. "Repudiate fear," she declared, as her words meandered through the camp, offering a momentary reprieve.
Later, over a bowl of curd, the old novella-reading old top reflected on how the situation might someday be remembered—not as a tale of tragedy, but of resilience in the face of despair.
harbinger, corporal, bluster, curd, anemic, specter, militaristic, proscribe, compatriots, mix of trepidation and glee, reprieve, hamstring, vernacular, novella, veterinary gun, rudder, veneer of happiness, erstwhile allies, henpecked, old top, riff raff, harlot, judicious, injudicious, meander, immiseration, gregarious, pestilence, altruism, augur a future of, repudiate
那不祥之兆伴随着战争的幽灵到来，一名下士拿着一把兽医用枪，用严厉的军国主义语气下达命令。他的昔日盟友，如今却显得唯唯诺诺、疲惫不堪，在一种虚假的幸福外表下，怀着既恐惧又兴奋的心情准备战斗。
混乱中，一个不明智的决定禁止叛逃者，反而削弱了军队的士气，使贫困化如无声的瘟疫般蔓延。然而，一名士兵用当地的方言激励他的战友们，以利他主义提醒他们，他们的努力将会预示一个和平的未来。
远处，一名交际花，大胆而合群，向愿意倾听的人出售她的明智建议。“拒绝恐惧，”她宣告，她的言语在营地中漫步传播，带来片刻的缓解。
稍后，在一碗凝乳旁，这位喜欢读中篇小说的老友反思道，这场情景或许有朝一日会被铭记——不是作为悲剧，而是作为在绝望中展现韧性的故事。
不祥之兆 (harbinger), 下士 (corporal), 喧嚣 (bluster), 凝乳 (curd), 贫血的 (anemic), 幽灵 (specter), 军国主义的 (militaristic), 禁止 (proscribe), 战友 (compatriots), 既恐惧又兴奋的心情 (mix of trepidation and glee), 缓解 (reprieve), 削弱 (hamstring), 方言 (vernacular), 中篇小说 (novella), 兽医用枪 (veterinary gun), 舵 (rudder), 虚假的幸福外表 (veneer of happiness), 昔日盟友 (erstwhile allies), 唯唯诺诺 (henpecked), 老友 (old top), 乌合之众 (riff raff), 交际花 (harlot), 明智的 (judicious), 不明智的 (injudicious), 漫步 (meander), 贫困化 (immiseration), 合群的 (gregarious), 瘟疫 (pestilence), 利他主义 (altruism), 预示一个未来 (augur a future of), 拒绝 (repudiate)
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