Alfred the GREat acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a
minstrel. In those days wandering minstrels were welcome everywhere. They
were not fighting men, and their harp was their passport. Alfred had learned
many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic
tricks and simple conjuring.
While Alfred\'s little army slowly began to gather at Athelney, the king himself
set out to penetrate the camp of Guthrum, the commander of the Danish in-
vaders. These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred
went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self-
confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived
well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected
women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.
Alfred stayed in the camp a week before he returned to Athelney. The force
there assembled was trivial compared with the Danish horde. But Alfred had
deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle : and that their
commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.
So, faced with the Danish advance, Alfred did not risk open battle but harried
the enemy. He was constantly on the move, drawing the Danes after him. His
patrols halted the raiding parties: hunger assailed the Danish army. Now Alfred
began a long series of skirmishes--and within a month the Danes had sur-
rendered. The episode could reasonably serve as a unique epic of royal espionage!
首先说第一句吧，Alfred the Great acted as his own spy, visiting Danish camps disguised as a
minstrel.这里面有三个动词，“三”种形式，一个“过去式”，一个现在分词，一个过去分词。当然我把这两个都当成过去分词，行不行？或者两个都当成过去式行不行？当然还有更不同的理解方式，即使是三种形式。
比如，visiting做acted as his own spy的伴随状语，disguised 也做acted as his own的状语。但是如果把，disguised理解成visiting的状语行不行？（当然这样理解，一般的老师都会给你一个叉叉，但是理论上还是实际上都没有问题）。
其实我倒觉得最好的理解方式倒是，重叠谓语的那种方式，就是三个谓语重叠，第二三个变成了分词形式。其实说他是状语，有点不正确，从状语充当的角色来说，与强调的意思有些不符合，但是这句话就是游离于中心和状态的一种状态，来写Alfred vist 和 disguised的意思既不是主要用意，也不是表示一个状态，用的很好！
最后还是说不要用语法来分析一些东西，万不得已，从语法的本意而不是语法的条款来分析。
Alfred had learned many of their ballads in his youth, and could vary his programme with acrobatic tricks and simple conjuring.这里说下一个单词吧，vary,这个词有些时候不好说，但记住他是和different相连就好了。如果不理解就看下这个好了，versatile，这是什么，多才多艺吧，其实说穿了了也就是个变化的意思，也就是一个different的衍生。但是这句话很有意思了就，一个吟游歌手用杂耍和魔术穿插在自己的表演之中，这其实令我很感兴趣。
These had settled down for the winter at Chippenham: thither Alfred went. He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self- confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.
这里也有几个词，和几个用法比较有意思，
在《罗马假日》里面理发师问公主：做成什么样子的？公主说，just cut ,thank you.那样拐着弯儿出来，优雅而高贵。
接着理发师：cut so?
公主：higher.
理发师：higher?here?
公主：more.
理发师：Here!
公主：Even more.
理发师一只手撑着椅子（怕自己摔倒吧），一只手叉腰（心里面生气吧）问：Where?
公主：（目光坚定）：There.
理发师：There.(手里面的剪子一直在响）Are you sure,miss?
公主：I\'m quite sure ,Thank you.（又来了，优雅的弧线）
理发师：（用手垄住公主的头发，气急败坏）All off?
公主：All(拐弯，并且带着意大利贵族的尾音）off.
理发师：（无奈）Off.
理发师：（扒开公主眼前的头发）Are you sure?
公主：yes.
理发师：yes.(赌气放下头发）
公主头发披散开纷乱而挡住视线，这一刻，我觉得她不在是一个公主，而是一个花妖，可爱极了，真的我见犹怜。
理发师，剪头发，剪一下，示威似的，把头发抓在手里，说声Off.扔掉，影片里面扔了三次，第一次手手向下用力。第二次手张开很随意，第三次后擦汗，第四次把头发拢在手中，没有下面的镜头了。这是什么，就是用喊好的方式欣赏歌剧，舞台上花腔的华彩，台底下是咏叹调的叫好，只是多了几分曲折。很不搭界的两回事竟然这样融合了，还那么的美。
而这一课的行文方式多少带了了这种风格，用最简单的词来说一个史诗故事，偏偏要加一点古语，而古语加极尽古朴，简单若拙的一个thither Alfred went就是这种用法，与后面的几句话构成大巧若拙的用法，也说一种用叫好的方式来听歌剧。捎带着说一句，叫好是听京剧的主要组成之一，没有叫好的京剧我偏执认为是不完整的艺术，300年来培养了观众，他们知道在什么地方叫好，什么地方是啃节儿，《四郎探母》的叫小番，《借东风》的“习天书学兵法犹如反掌,设坛台借东风相助周郎”，《空城计》里面的“我本是”我是没有办法不叫好的，而无论是《今夜无人入睡》还是《斗牛士之歌》,抑或《知道爱情的男人》都无法站起来叫好，只能最后谢幕的时候才能久久的鼓掌。说了这些，我总觉得他的行文风格和内容有些不搭界，有些是用叫好方式欣赏歌剧的样子。
He noticed at once that discipline was slack: the Danes had the self- confidence of conquerors, and their security precautions were casual. They lived well, on the proceeds of raids on neighbouring regions. There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.
这几句，写的同样错落有致，古怪精灵，突兀不羁，slack ,confidence,casual，well,ease,soft这些词都是温柔乡之类的词语，但是确放在discipline,conquerors,security precautions,proceeds of raids这些烽烟四起的词之间，一张一驰，真真错落有致。最有意思的是最后一句：There they collected women as well as food and drink, and a life of ease had made them soft.之中的一个collected，是不是用的安步当车，而凶险万分。能把women当成艺术品一样collected是安逸的，但是这种行为艺术不更让人发指吗？
But Alfred had deduced that the Danes were no longer fit for prolonged battle : and that their commissariat had no organization, but depended on irregular raids.这一课很有意思的是冒号的用法，各式各样的使用，这一课够多的东西，我不罗嗦了，小朋友们之间看吧。
不过使我想起王右军的《兰亭集序》文中20个“之”字，7个“不”字，虽重复出现，却无雷同。章法上则疏密斜正，大小参差，敛放揖让，承接呼应，均极为奇谲。古人称王羲之的行草如“清风出袖，明月入怀”却也不过分。观之如饮佳茗，确也醉人。
