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Park sang joon Posted 10 years ago
Grammar
What [figures people] still its broad stream
The protagonist, Philip moved in with his uncle Mr. Carey, the Vicar of Blackstable after his mother's death.
He goes to the medical school St. Luke's in London.
He met his best friend Hayward.
............................................
Philip thought of the painters and the poets who had made all these things so beautiful, and his heart was filled with gratitude. They came to the Pool of London, and who can describe its majesty? The imagination thrills, and Heaven knows what figures people still its broad stream, Doctor Johnson with Boswell by his side, an old Pepys going on board a man-o'-war: the pageant of English history, and romance, and high adventure.
[Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham]
I'd like to know what "figures people" means.
Thank you in advance for your help.
He goes to the medical school St. Luke's in London.
He met his best friend Hayward.
............................................
Philip thought of the painters and the poets who had made all these things so beautiful, and his heart was filled with gratitude. They came to the Pool of London, and who can describe its majesty? The imagination thrills, and Heaven knows what figures people still its broad stream, Doctor Johnson with Boswell by his side, an old Pepys going on board a man-o'-war: the pageant of English history, and romance, and high adventure.
[Of Human Bondage by Somerset Maugham]
I'd like to know what "figures people" means.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Top answer
It is hard to parse. e. it means "Heaven knows what figures still inhabit its broad stream".
- It is hard to parse.
- e.
- it means "Heaven knows what figures still inhabit its broad stream".
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1 Answers
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It is hard to parse. The only sense I can make of it is that "people" must be a verb meaning "inhabit", and "still" must be a poetically placed adverb, i.e. it means "Heaven knows what figures still inhabit its broad stream".
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