VOA慢速英语:'The Fall of the House of Usher,' by Edgar Allan Poe, Part One

the heavens - n. the sky

on horseback - n. sitting on a horse

reflect(ed) - v. to show the image of something on a surface

gloom - n. a feeling of sadness

illness - n. a condition of being unhealthy in your body or mind

branch(es) - n. a part of a tree that grows out from the trunk

decay(ing) - v. to be slowly destroyed by natural processes

lip(s) - n. either one of the two soft parts that surround the mouth