Sentence:  The hero , who is himself , is represented as a pilgrim in the storied lands of the East , a sort of Faustus type , who , to quote from Professor Bo ^ o ^ k again , `` even in the pleasure gardens of Sardanapalus can not cease from his <WSD>painful</WSD> search after the meaning of life . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  causing physical or psychological pain