lesson15 no signposts in the sea

lesson15 no signposts in the sea I. Teaching objectives This unit aims to help students 1. Familiarize with the British novelist Sackville-West and her writing; 2. recognize fiction narrative and its major elements 3. enjoy fiction and try to explore the meaning of life II. Background Materials: A. About the author Vita Sackville-West, the daughter of the 3rd Baron Sackville, was born in Knole House, Kent in 1892. She was educated at home. In 1913 she married the diplomat and journalist Harold Nicholson. Sackville-West's first published works were a collection of poems, Powers of West and East (1917). Her long poem The Land won the Hawthornden Prize in 1927. She also wrote the novel Heritage (1919) and a history of her family, Knole and the Sackvilles (1922). In the 1920s Sackville-West became romantically involved with the writer, Virginia Woolf, who celebrated this love affair in her novel Orlando (1928). Dedicated to Sackville-West, the book traces the history of the youthful, beautiful, and aristocratic Orlando, and explores the themes of sexual ambiguity. This was followed by the novels The Edwardians (1930), All Passion Spent (1931), and The Dark Island (1934). She wrote all together 15 novels in her life. The Edwardians is the story of a young aristocrat who, while enjoying the privileges of his position, is nonetheless tempted to rebel and be free of the tradition he finds confining. All Passion Spent is a description of the conflict between the heroine’s secret desire to be an artist and the 19th-century tradition that decreed her role as a self-effacing wife; Sackville-West also published books on travel and literary topics and for many years wrote a weekly gardening column for The Observer. Her unorthodox marriage was described by her son, Nigel Nicholson, in Portrait of a Marriage. Viewed as one of Britain’s promising young writers in the 1920’s, she is now regarded for her personality and influence as much as for her writing. Vita Sackville-West died in 1962. B. About the novel No Signposts in the Sea: The 144-page novel is written in the form of a journal kept by a man called Edmund Carr, 50, an influential political columnist and a bachelor. He learns that he has a limited time to live—a few days or weeks, a month or two at most. How shall he spend them? In this quandary, he learns that a widow who he has lately met at random social occasions has booked passage on a cruise to the Far East. Her qualities, her intelligence and warmth stiffened by a deep reserve, have struck him as uncommon; he decides to be aboard. For Carr, the first weeks at sea, while inevitably tinged with an undercurrent of sadness, are nonetheless idyllic. The release from pressure; the lackadaisical rhythms of ship life; the shifting panorama of magnificent skies and sea, of enticing, passing shores and the infrequent ports-of-call; his growing knowledge of Laura the widow—all these combine to give Carr an unfamiliar peace and a profound change in perspective. Power, prestige, practicality—the former watchwords of his career—lose their ring. Illusion, which he had adhorred, and the natural world, uninvaded by civilization, begin to seem transcendent. Carr’s growing love for Laura, despite his self-acknowledgement that she must be unattainable for him, shatters this expanding felicity. A handsome, pompous yet unpredictably engaging Colonel form a three-some with them, and Carr is catapulted willy-nilly into the all-too-human ignominy of jealousy, despair, meanness, and outbursts of disappointment against his “rival”. III. Detailed study of the text: 1. I have never had much of an eye for noticing the clothes of women: I have never paid much attention to nor have ever had a keen appreciation of the clothes of women. have an eye for: to have the ability to see, judge and understand clearly; to have a keen appreciation of 2. Laura is always in grey and white: Laura is always wearing grey and white clothes. 3. Other people are flushed and shiny in the tropical heat: Other people’s faces look hot and shiny in the hot tropical climate because of the heat and sweat. 4. She wears soft rich colours: Metonymy. The word colours stands for clothes of these colours. rich colours: deep, intense colours such as dark red, olive green and midnight blue The word rich conveys various meanings when applied to modify different objects. e.g.: a rich banquet (luxurious, sumptuous) rich wine (full of strength and flavour) rich odors (very fragrant) rich soil (fertile, yielding in abundance) a rich mine (producing in abundance) a rich prize (worth much, valuable) 5. Midnight blue: very dark blue 6. Supple flowing texture: flexible, smooth texture, such as satin, silk 7. I ventured to say „: I expressed my opinion, expecting her to laugh at me. venture: to express (an opinion) at the risk of criticism, objection, denial 8. I had better take to writing fashion articles: I had better begin writing articles about fashionable styles of clothes. 9. Political leader: (journalism) leading articles, political editorials 10. a Chinese woman improbably called Mme Merveille: A Chinese woman with a French name. That’s something hard to imagine, unlikely to happen. Mme: Madame, French title for a married woman, also used before names of married women who are not British or American, e.g.: Madame Sun Yat-sen 11. beguile ourselves: pass our time pleasantly, while away our time beguile: to cause (time) to pass without being noticed 12. who is not too offensively an Empire-builder: In Carr’s eyes, Empire-builders (see Note 4 to the text) are all aggressive people causing offence and disgust. But this one (a military officer sent to the colonies) is not so bad. 13. he used to read me: Metonymy. Me stands for books or articles written by me. Example: 1) I like Shakespeare. (Shakespeare’s works) 2) I find Saul Bellow very difficult to understand. (books written by Saul Bellow) 14. prefacing his remark: beginning his remark 15. He is by no means stupid or ill-informed: He is not at all stupid or ignorant. In the compound adjective ill-informed, ill means badly, imperfectly, wrongly, improperly, e.g.: ill-advised, ill-bred, ill-considered, ill-defined, ill-founded, ill-mannered, ill-treatment, etc. 16. just about as far to the Right as anybody could go: just about as conservative as anybody could be; extremely conservative politically 17. try not to tease him by putting forward views which would only bring a puzzle look to his face: Carr knew if he put forward some liberal views the conservative Colonel would look puzzled. So he refrained from doing so because personally he liked the Colonel and didn’t want to make fun of him. 18. I observe with amusement how totally the concerns of the world „ to the extent of a bored distaste: I was once so completely absorbed in the important affairs of the world that I devoted all my attention, time and energy to them and only occasionally did I allow myself a little rest by reading poetry or listening to music. Yet now these world problems no longer hold any interest for me. Actually I dislike them and they bore me now. I feel quite amused as I watch how this dramatic change in perspective is taking place. 1) concern: a matter of interest or importance 2) to the exclusion of: so as to keep out, bar, leave out, excluding Examples: All editorials were about the general election to the exclusion of all other topics. He was advised to study English literature to the exclusion of all other subjects. 3) to the extent of a bored distaste: to such an extent or degree that they give me a bored distaste 19. some instinct impels me gluttonously to cram these the last weeks of my life with the gentler things I never had time for: Perhaps because I know my days are numbered, I am impelled by instinct to enjoy myself to the full with more refined, pleasant and softer things (as compared with writhing political leaders and so on) which I never had time to enjoy in the past. 1) the last weeks of my life: This implies that the narrator has only a few weeks to live, probably because of some incurable disease. Grammatically the noun weeks is in apposition to the pronoun these. 2) gluttonously to cram: eating like a glutton, too much and greedily; greedily filling his life with the gentler things 20. Releasing some suppressed inclination which in fact was always latent: allowing my likings and wishes, which had always existed but had been ignored and suppressed inclination: liking, wish Examples: 1) She has no inclination to be an actress. 2) You must think of our feelings instead of following your own inclinations. 21. Or maybe Laura’s unwitting influence has called it out: Or maybe my suppressed inclination has been brought out under Laura’s unconscious (or unintentional) influence. 22. Dismissive as Pharisee, I regarded as moonlings all those whose life was lived on a less practical plane: I was as puritanical as a Pharisee (see Note 5 to the text) and I viewed with contempt all those who lived a less practical life than my own and regarded them as impractical inhabitants on the moon. plane: a level of existence 23. Protests about damage to ‘natural beauty’ froze me with contempt: I was not moved by the protests about damage to ‘natural beauty’ and I viewed them with great contempt. Believing in practicality and materialism, Carr disagreed with those who protested that industrialization had spoiled the natural beauty of the world. freeze: to make or keep motionless, or stiff, unable to show one’s feelings Examples: 1) He froze the little girls with his stern gaze. 2) We all froze at the sight of the snake. 24. Spare no regrets for „: feel no regrets at all for spare: refrain from, omit, avoid using or use frugally 25. a lake dammed into hydraulic use: A dam is built on a lake in order to make use of its water power. 26. And so it was for all things: And this was my view on all things; and that is how I looked at all things. 27. A hard materialism was my creed, accepted as a law of progress: I firmly believed in uncompromising materialism which in my opinion represented the law of human progress. 28. Any ascription of disinterested motives aroused not only my suspicion but my scorn: When people imputed unselfish motives to their actions. I suspected them and viewed them with contempt. I not only disbelieved people when they said they did things out of unselfish motives, I also held them in contempt. 29. And now see how I stand, as sentimental and sensitive, as any old maid doing water-colours of sunsets: Just imagine how I have changed now. Here I stand, sentimental and sensitive, like an old unmarried woman painting a water-colour picture of sunset. 1) sentimental: having or showing tender, gentle, or delicate feelings, especially, in an excessive way or exaggerated or affected way 2) sensitive: having or showing keen sensibility, highly responsive intellectually 3) old maid: a woman, especially an older woman, who has never married, a spinster. Old maids are supposed to be very sentimental and sensitive. 4) water-colour: a painting done with pigments mixed with water 30. I once flattered myself that „ : I once believed with self-deluding belief that „ flatter oneself that: to hold the self-satisfying or self-deluding belief that 31. I am gloriously and adolescently silly: I am delightfully and childishly silly. gloriously: (colloquial) delightfully, enjoyably adolescent: youthful, immature, unsettled 32. A new Clovis, „ I want „ : Clovis is in apposition to the subject : referring perhaps to the savage pagan king of the Frands I. Clovis (481---511), who was later converted to Christianity and became a gentle Christian monarch. 33. suffering from calf-love into the bargain: moreover experiencing the pain of puppy love 1) calf-love: immature love that adolescent boys and girls may feel for each other; puppy love. The narrator uses this word probably to imply that he had never truly been in love before he met Laura. 2) into the bargain: in addition, moreover 34. I want my fill of beauty before I go: Before I die, I want to enjoy beauty to my heart’s content; to enjoy as much as I can. fill: all that is needed to satisfy, e. g. eat and drink one’s fill 35. There are no signposts in the sea: The implication is there’s nothing to guide one’s mind on the sea; there’s nothing to stop one’s imagination. 36. The young moon lies on her back tonight as is her habit in the tropics, and as, I think, is suitable if not seemly for a virgin: The moon which has just risen lies on her back, which is her habit in the tropics, and I think the way the young moon lies is suitable if not proper for a virgin. Here the narrator personifies the moon, describing it as a beautiful virgin. 1) as: (pronoun) in accordance with what …, used to introduce a non-restrictive relative clause. More examples: As might be expected, a knowledge of psychology is essential for a good educator. She was a woman of intelligence, as is shown by the letters she wrote. He is a soldier as is clear from his manners. 2) seemly: suitable, proper, fitting, as regarded by conventional standards of conduct or good taste 37. Not a star but might not shoot down: Every single star might come down quickly. but: adv. Used for emphasis 38. dispersed to bed: went to bed in their own cabins 39. I creep up again to the deserted deck and slip into the swimming pool and float „ a vision of the world inspired from Olympus: I come up stealthily again to the empty deck and slip into the swimming pool and let myself float in the water freely. At this moment I am not a middle-aged journalist that people believe me to be spending a holiday on an ocean-going liner. I have now become a liberated person, bathed in magic waters, and I feel I am like Endymion, (see Note 8 to the text) a young and strong youth who has a god for his father and gifted with the power to see the world given by gods at Olympus (see Note 9 to the text). 1) liberated being: a human being freed from all worries, mental pressures, human frailties, etc. 2) mythological waters: magic waters, that appear in mythology, such as the Lethe, the river of forgetfulness whose water produced loss of memory in those who drank of it; Here the narrator uses this allusion because he feels he has become incapable of envy, ambition, malice, etc. while floating in the swimming pool, as if the pool had changed him completely by a miracle just like mythological waters. 40. All weight is lifted from my limbs; I am one with the night: I feel that I am weightless and totally absorbed by the night (completely integrated with the night; become part of the night; to be at peace with the night). 41. I understand the meaning of pantheism: I understand why people worship many objects as their gods. The narrator implies man is passing and transient, while Nature, the objective world, is lasting. Pantheism: the doctrine that God is not a personality (as in Christianity) but that all laws, forces, manifestations, etc, of the self-existing universe are God. 42. I had come to this: I had changed to such an extent. This is explained in the following sentence—“to have discarded all usual frailties, etc.” The suggestion is that the change from a hard materialist to a pantheist is complete and quite unexpected by his friends. 43. discarded „ all usual frailties: got rid of all moral weaknesses usually found in a person, such as envy, malice, etc. 44. incapable of: not allowing or admitting 45. score off my neighbour: defeat my neighbour in competitions; gain some advantage over my neighbour cf. keep up with the Joneses 46. enjoy this purification: enjoy the purification of the soul — the state of being free from all those moral weaknesses 47. the clean voluptuousness of the warm breeze on my skin: transferred epithet; the sensual delight, pleasure produced by the cle, an warm breeze brushing against my skin 48. the cool support of the water: another instance of transferred epithet; the support of the cool water 49. Thus I imagine, must the pious feel cleansed on leaving the confessional after the solemnity of absolution: I imagine devoted religious people must feel as clean and pure as I do now when they leave the solemn confessional after gaining pardon of their sins. 1) the pious: the pious people, who show religious devotion and are zealous in the performance of religious obligations 2) the confessional: a small, enclosed place in a church, where a priest hears confessions 3) absolution: a remission of sin; specifically, in the Roman Catholic Church, such remission is formally given by a priest in a sacrament of penance 50. rippled with little white ponies: White ponies (small horses) are a metaphor referring to the spray of breaking waves. 51. the lazy satin of blue: the slow, smooth blue waters like a piece of satin lazy: moving slowly e.g.: a lazy river 52. marbled at the edge where the passage of our ship has disturbed it: When our ship passes, it disturbs the slow, smooth blue waters as if cutting a piece of satin into two. At the edge there are streaks of white sea spray and blue or green waters. They resemble marble. marble: n. 大理石 vt. To stain or colour to look mottled or streaked like marble e.g.: a book with marbled edges 53. when the sky surely seems blacker and the stars more golden because the air here is infinitely cleaner than at home (in England): The air is not polluted, and there is no fog on the sea. 54. beyond: n. whatever is beyond or far away; something that lies beyond 55. Sometimes these untaught scribblers have a way of putting things: Sometimes these uneducated people who write carelessly know how to describe things, express ideas. 56. wireless: British English for “radio” 57. it may be precipitous bluffs of grey limestone rising sheer out of the sea: The coast may be high, steep cliffs of grey limestone, rising perpendicularly out of the sea. 58. no sign of habitation: no sign that the place is inhabited 59. bleached and barren: Alliteration. bleached: white, colourless barren: not producing crops or fruit; having little or no vegetation e.g.: barren soil, barren hills 60. forbidding: looking dangerous, threatening or disagreeable 61. These coasts remind me of people, either they are forbidding or „ all they have to give at a glance: Analogy. The author compares the sheer steep cliffs to forbidding, unapproachable people, and the barren open sandy beach to people who have nothing to reveal. 62. featureless: without any special characteristics 63. with ranges of mountains soaring behind them, full of possibilities, peaks to be scaled by the most daring: Behind the stern cliffs, rising high into the sky are ranges of mountains and peaks which only the most daring people climb. There mountains may have all kinds of beautiful things hidden in them, things that cannot be seen from outside. For instance, one may find some strange species of plants or animals there. 64. high altitudes: high place, region altitude: the height of a thing above the earth’s surface or above sea level. It means a high place or region when used in the plural form. 65. grow unravished among their crags and valleys: grow unharmed among the rocky crags or deep in the valleys. The word unravished is used figuratively. ravish: to take or carry away by force; to rape (a woman) 66. So do I let my imagination play over the recesses of Laura’s character: In the same way I let myself freely imagine what the innermost part of Laura’s character presents. recess: (often plural) a secluded, withdrawn, or inner place e.g.: the recesses of the forests, the recesses of the subconscious, the innermost recesses of the heart 67. so austere in the foreground but nurturing what treasures of tenderness. Like delicate flowers, for the discovery of the venturesome: (She looks) so severe outwardly, but inwardly she is full of tenderness—tenderness like delicate flowers waiting for the daring to discover. This is another instance of analogy. The author is comparing the cliffs to Laura. Both look stern at first glance. Behind the cliffs there are mountains and peaks whose crags and valleys present mysterious things. And Laura, serious though she may look, has a deep reserve and profound feelings of tenderness in the recesses of her character. The mysterious peaks are to be scaled by the most daring. Similarly only the courageous can discover the secrets in the innermost place of Laura’s heart. 68. My fellow-passengers apparently do not share my admiration: It’s obvious that my fellow-passengers do not admire the stern cliffs as I do. 69. Makes you long for a bit of green: The coast is so grey and barren that one wants very much to see a bit of green things (such as trees, grass). 70. the intermittent gleam of a lighthouse: A lighthouse is a tower located at some place important or dangerous to navigation; it has a bright light at the top and often foghorns, sirens, etc. by which ships are guided and warned. The light stops and starts again at intervals (occulting light). 71. a solitary promontory: a lonely headland, cape : a peak of high land that just out into a body of water promontory From Page 292 72. towards sunset: near sunset time 73. dramatically high and lonely: strikingly high and lonely 74. a great purple mountain overhung by a great purple cloud: There was a big purple cloud over a large purple mountain. 75. The sea had turned to a corresponding dusk of lavender: The color of the sea had changed into a dim pale purple which was in harmony with the colour of the sky and the surrounding. 76. mortal: a human being, person, a being that will die eventually 77. Haunted: The spot must be haunted, that is, frequented by ghosts. 78. he gets relieved every so often: Very often somebody else would replace him so that he would be set free from the post and take a rest. 79. I find it refreshing to think there are still a few odd fish left in the world: I feel comfortable when I think that there are still a few strange and stupid people left in the world (who are willing to do the jobs people usually hate doing). fish: (colloquial) person thought of as like a fish in being easily lured by bait; person lacking intelligence or emotion. 80. there is a touch of rough poetry about him: There is a trace of simple poetic quality in his character. 1) touch: a very small amount or degree; a trace, tinge, etc. e.g.: a touch of humour, a touch of irony 2) poetry: quality of beauty, grace, deep feeling 3) about: prep. In the character of Examples: There is a touch of humour about the speaker. There was a sense of mystery about the unknown visitor. Many people say there is poetry about her songs and that’s why she is so popular. 81. has used his eyes and kept his ears open: has observed carefully and learnt much from what he has heard 82. he puts me right: He corrects me. 83. gull: 鸥 a cosmopolitan genus of web-footed, long-winged sea birds, found near coasts 84. that couldn’t possibly be an albatross, not in these waters: That sea bird couldn’t possibly be an albatross 信天翁, for albatrosses are not found in these waters. Albatrosses are the largest sea birds with a wingspan of over 3.5m, found generally in the southern hemisphere. 85. latitude: 纬度 angular distance, measured in degrees north or south from the equator (e.g.: a ship at forty degrees north latitude) cf. longitude: 经度 angular distance between the meridian passing through a given point on the earth’s surface and the poles, and the standard meridian at Greenwich, England. It is measured in degrees east or west of Greenwich, which represents O longitude. 86. knowing the latitude we can permit ourselves: knowing how far we can allow ourselves to go; knowing how much freedom of conduct we can allow ourselves to have. Here the word latitude, used figuratively, means freedom of opinion, conduct, action, etc. 87. Thus, and no farther, can I follow Laura: Like the albatross, I should know how far I can go and I can not follow Laura farther than that. What he means is that there is a limit to his relationship with Laura, and that he should not allow himself to go beyond that limit. This reveals the narrator’s feeling torn between love of Laura and his self-acknowledgement that she is unattainable for him. 88. there is quite a lot of lore stored away in the Colonel’s otherwise not very interesting mind: There is quite a lot of knowledge stored away in the Colonel’s mind, which is not interesting except for that. lore: knowledge or wisdom, especially of an unscientific kind, about a certain subject, e. g. a countryman’s weather lore 89. I prefer having her to myself: I prefer being with her alone without the presence of a third party. 90. make a third: be a third party 91. it is seldom that we espy so much as another ship: We seldom catch sight of even another ship. 92. flying-fish: These fish have large pectoral fins like parachutes which enable tem to glide in the air for short flights after they have thrust themselves from the water. They are found mainly in tropical or warm seas. 93. ‘the Flying Fish, who has a part with the birds’: The flying fish can glide in the air for a short time, so they can fly just a bit like birds. 94. to see the last of the monster which bears us into and out of sight: to see no more the great, strange-looking ship which carries us into and out of the range of their sight 95. Our wake closes up and we might never have been: When the track left in the water by our moving ship disappears, the sea is peaceful and quiet again, as if we had never been there. cf. in the wake of: close behind, as a result of 96. the peak of a submarine mountain range, lonely, unblemished, remote: This noun phrase is in apposition to the word island. The three attributes lonely, unblemished and remote all modify the word peak. 1) lonely: without habitation, unvisited 2) unblemished: Nothing has spoiled the beauty of the peak. 3) remote: far away from civilization, quiet and lonely 97. a small manageable domain in a large unmanageable world: Antithesis. domain: territory under one government or ruler 98. unless indeed it be no more than the work of the patient coral: unless the island should be a recent coral reef coral reef: a reef composed chiefly of skeletons of coral 99. should I return to find it waiting for me: subjunctive mood; if I should return to find it waiting for me 100. but of such incommunicative quirks is the private mind made up: Inversion. The normal order should be: the private mind is made up of such incommunicative quirks. The secret mind is made up of these peculiar traits that are secretive, reserved, and that one find difficult to tell others. 101. to find my imagination always turning towards the idyllic: to find my imagination always leading me to invent the life on the islands as pleasing, simple and picturesque 102. This is the new Edmund Carr with a vengeance: This is the new Edmund Carr (the narrator himself), who has changed excessively or to an unusual extent. with a vengeance: to a high degree, excessively e.g.: a wind blowing with a vengeance 103. as he beaches his craft: as he grounds his boat on the beach 104. His woman: his wife 105. she takes his catch from him: She takes the fish he has caught from him. 106. steeply humped against the faint reflected moonlight: in the shape of a steep arch under the dim moonlight reflected by the sea. 107. the humps receded into the darkness: The steeply humped islands moved backward (as our ship moved forward). recede: the tide/his hair/early memory/etc. recedes 108. So peaceful and secret; so self-contained: Elliptical with “The two villages are” omitted. 109. leper colony: an isolated settlement of lepers. The lepers are isolated to prevent the spreading of the disease. 110. penal settlement: an isolated community of convicts 111. is there no escape from suffering and sin: Wherever you go, however beautiful and peaceful the scene is, you will still find signs of suffering and punishment. 112. watching for the green flash: Note watch for not watch because the green flash does not appear every time the sun sets. They have to watch and wait for it to come. It is said that only under certain conditions does the green light come --- the sky must be clear with good visibility; humidity of the air should be low; there must be no cloud or mist in the sky. The green light appears on the land only where the line of horizon is straight without any buildings or forests. Very rarely this streak of green light can be seen at the instant the sun rises above the horizon. 113. while the red ball, cut in half as though by a knife: The red ball is the setting sun. It is cut in half because half of it has already sunk below the horizon. 114. sinks to its daily doom: goes down to where it is destined to go everyday 115. the winepink width of water merging into lawns of aquamarine: the wide expanse of winepink water mixing with strips of bluish-green water. The whole phrase is a nominative absolute construction. The word lawns is used metaphorically, meaning wide strips of bluish-green water. 116. the sky a tender palette of pink and blue: again nominative absolute construction. A palette is a board on which an artist mixes his paints. Here it is a metaphor, meaning the sky is like a palette of soft pink and blue colours. The adjective tender is a transferred epithet, which actually modifies pink and blue. 117. crème de menthe: (French) a sweet liqueur, usually green in colour, flavoured with mint. Laura says the flash is the colour of crème de menthe. 118. You did always lose yourself in the pleasure of words: You were always absorbed by the pleasure of words. You always enjoyed playing with words so much that you noticed nothing else. Examples with to lose oneself in: 1) He lost himself in the book and didn’t notice the man who had come in. 2) The Trojans lost themselves in their celebration, forgetting all about their enemy. 119. Say green as jealousy and be done with it: I suggest you say the light is green as jealousy and then we will finish this game on words. green as jealousy: cf. green with envy, very jealous. Now Laura is joking about Edmund Carr’s love of words. 20. I have never known the meaning of jealousy: I have never been jealous. 121. unless actually inconvenienced by fog or rain: Incomplete adverbial clause with I was left out. At home I never noticed the weather unless fog or rain actually put me to inconvenience. 122. Now the indolence of southern latitudes has captured me: Now the idleness of southern places has captivated me. Capture: captivate, charm, excite, attract 123. I like the footfall of naked feet, silent as a cat passing: I like to hear the sound of footsteps made by barefeet walking in the dust. It is as silent as a cat passing. 124. into the full torrid glare of an open space: into the hot, dazzling brightness of a space without any covering 125. snatch it away, burnt: take my hand away quickly, feeling very hot. All these details given in this paragraph show the change in the narrator’s perspective. 126. I would never have believed in the simple bliss of being, day after day, at sea: If I had not taken this trip by boat, I would never have believed in the simple but great joy of this kind of life --- a life spent at sea day after day. 127. I should like this empty existence to be prolonged beyond calculation: I wish this idle voyage without any worry or suffering could go on for ever. empty existence: an idle life with no practical problems of the world to disturb or trouble a person 128. The Pacific alone dwarfs all the continents put together: The Pacific Ocean alone is much larger than all the continents combined. 129. the faint creaking, as of the saddle-leather to a horseman riding across turf, the slap of a rope, the hiss of sudden spray: the weak creaking sound, like the sound made by the saddle-leather to a horseman riding across grass, the sound of a rope hitting something, the hissing sound made by sudden spray of water 130. I shed all that I have ever been: I throw off all the qualities, likes, dislikes and everything else that I have had before.