第20章

类别:其他 作者:George Borrow字数:9237更新时间:19/01/07 15:19:18
Iopenedthedoorandsawalittlegirl。\"Haveyouanywater?\" saidI。 \"No,\"saidthechild,\"butIhavethis,\"andshebroughtmesomebutter—milkinabasin。Ijusttastedit,gavethechildapennyandblessedher。 \"Oesgenochtad?\" \"No,\"saidshe;\"butIhaveamam。\"Tadinmam;blessedsounds;inalllanguagesexpressingthesameblessedthings。 AfterwalkingforsomehoursIsawatallbluehillinthefardistancebeforeme。\"Whatisthenameofthathill?\"saidItoawomanwhomImet。 \"PenCaerGybi,\"shereplied。 SoonafterIcametoavillageneartoarockygully。Oninquiringthenameofthevillage,IwastolditwasLlanyrAfon,orthechurchoftheriver。Ipassedon;thecountrywasneithergrandnorpretty—itexhibitedakindofwildness,however,whichdidnotfailtointerestme—therewerestones,rocksandfurzeinabundance。Turningroundthecornerofahill,Iobservedthroughthemistsofevening,whichbegantogatheraboutme,whatseemedtoberatheragenteelhouseontheroadside;onmyleft,andalittlewaybehinditastrangekindofmonticle,onwhichIthoughtIobservedtalluprightstones。Quickeningmypace,Isooncameparallelwiththehouse,whichasIdrewnigh,ceasedtolooklikeagenteelhouse,andexhibitedanappearanceofgreatdesolation。 Itwasawhite,orrathergreystructureofsomeantiquity。Itwasevidentlyusedasafarm—house,fortherewasayardadjoiningtoit,inwhichwerestacksandagriculturalimplements。Observingtwomenintheyard,Iwentin。Theywererespectable,farm— lookingmen,betweenfortyandfifty;onehadonacoatandhat,theotheracapandjacket。\"Goodevening,\"IsaidinWelsh。 \"Goodevening,\"theyrepliedinthesamelanguage,lookinginquiringlyatme。 \"Whatisthenameofthisplace?\"saidI。 \"ItiscalledTygwyn,\"saidthemanofthehat。 \"Onaccountofitscolour,Isuppose?\"saidI。 \"Justso,\"saidthemanofthehat。 \"Itlooksold,\"saidI。 \"Anditisold,\"hereplied。\"InthetimeofthePapistsitwasoneoftheirchapels。\" \"Doesitbelongtoyou?\"Idemanded。 \"Ohno,itbelongstooneMrSparrowfromLiverpool。Iamhisbailiff,andthismanisacarpenterwhoisheredoingajobforhim。\" Hereensuedapause,whichwasbrokenbythemanofthehatsayinginEnglish,tothemanofthecap: \"Whocanthisstrangefellowbe?hehasnotawordofEnglish,andthoughhespeaksWelshhisWelshsoundsverydifferentfromours。 Whocanhebe?\" \"IamsureIdon’tknow,\"saidtheother。 \"Iknowwhoheis,\"saidthefirst,\"hecomesfromLlydaw,orArmorica,whichwaspeopledfromBritainestalom,andwhereIamtoldtherealoldWelshlanguageisstillspoken。\" \"IthinkIheardyoumentionthewordLlydaw?\"saidI,tothemanofthehat。 \"Ah,\"saidthemanofthehat,speakingWelsh,\"Iwasrightafterall;oh,IcouldhaveswornyouwereLlydaweg。Well,howarethedescendantsoftheancientBritonsgettingoninLlydaw?\" \"Theyaregettingontolerablywell,\"saidI,\"whenIlastsawthem,thoughallthingsdonotgoexactlyastheycouldwish。\" \"Ofcoursenot,\"saidheofthehat。\"Wetoohavemuchtocomplainofhere;thelandsarealmostentirelytakenpossessionofbySaxons,whereveryougoyouwillfindthemsettled,andaSaxonbirdoftheroofmustbuilditsnestinGwyndy。\" \"YoucallasparrowinyourWelshabirdoftheroof,doyounot?\" saidI。 \"Wedo,\"saidheofthehat。\"YouspeakWelshverywellconsideringyouwerenotborninWales。ItisreallysurprisingthatthemenofLlydawshouldspeaktheiaithsopureastheydo。\" \"TheWelshwhentheywentoverthere,\"saidI,\"tookeffectualmeansthattheirdescendantsshouldspeakgoodWelsh,ifalltalesbetrue。\" \"Whatmeans?\"saidheofthehat。 \"Why,\"saidI;\"afterconqueringthecountrytheyputallthementodeath,andmarriedthewomen,butbeforeachildwasborntheycutoutallthewomen’stongues,sothattheonlylanguagethechildrenheardwhentheywerebornwaspureCumraeg。Whatdoyouthinkofthat?\" \"Why,thatitwasacutetrick,\"saidheofthehat。 \"AmoreclevertrickIneverheard,\"saidthemanofthecap。 \"HaveyouanymemorialsintheneighbourhoodoftheoldWelsh?\" saidI。 \"Whatdoyoumean?\"saidthemanofthehat。 \"AnyaltarsoftheDruids?\"saidI;\"anystonetables?\" \"None,\"saidthemanofthehat。 \"Whatmaythosestonesbe?\"saidI,pointingtothestoneswhichhadstruckmyattention。 \"Merecommonrocks,\"saidtheman。 \"MayIgoandexaminethem?\"saidI。 \"Ohyes!\"saidheofthehat,\"andwewillgowithyou。\" Wewenttothestones,whichwereindeedcommonrocks,andwhichwhenIreachedthempresentedquiteadifferentappearancefromthatwhichtheypresentedtomyeyewhenIviewedthemfromafar。 \"AretheremanyaltarsoftheDruidsinLlydaw?\"saidthemanofthehat。 \"Plenty,\"saidI,\"butthosealtarsareolderthanthetimeoftheWelshcolonists,andwereerectedbytheoldGauls。\" \"Well,\"saidthemanofthecap,\"IamgladIhaveseenthemanofLlydaw。\" \"WhomdoyoucallamanofLlydaw?\"saidI。 \"Whombutyourself?\"saidheofthehat。 \"IamnotamanofLlydaw,\"saidIinEnglish,\"butNorfolk,wherethepeopleeatthebestdumplingsintheworld,andspeakthepurestEnglish。Nowathousandthanksforyourcivility。Iwouldhavesomemorechatwithyou,butnightiscomingon,andIamboundtoHolyhead。\" Thenleavingthemenstaringafterme,IbentmystepstowardsHolyhead。 IpassedbyaplacecalledLlansomething,standinglonelyonitshill。Thecountryroundlookedsadanddesolate。ItistruenighthadcomeonwhenIsawit。 OnIhurried。Thevoicesofchildrensoundedsweetlyatadistanceacrossthewildchampaignonmyleft。 Itgrewdarkeranddarker。OnIhurriedalongtheroad;atlastI cametolone,lordlygroves。Onmyrightwasanopengateandalodge。Iwentuptothelodge。Thedoorwasopen,andinalittleroomIbeheldanice—lookingoldladysittingbyatable,onwhichstoodalightedcandle,withhereyesfixedonalargebook。 \"Excuseme,\"saidI;\"butwhoownsthisproperty?\" Theoldladylookedupfromherbook,whichappearedtobeaBible,withouttheslightestsurprise,thoughIcertainlycameuponherunawares,andanswered: \"MrJohnWynn。\" Ishortlypassedthroughalargevillage,orrathertown,thenameofwhichIdidnotlearn。Ithenwentonforamileortwo,andsawaredlightatsomedistance。Theroadlednearlyuptoit,andthendivergedtowardsthenorth。LeavingtheroadImadetowardsthelightbyalane,andsooncametoarailroadstation。 \"Youwon’thavelongtowait,sir,\"saidaman,\"thetraintoHolyheadwillbeherepresently。\" \"HowfarisittoHolyhead?\"saidI。 \"Twomiles,sir,andthefareisonlysixpence。\" \"Idespiserailroads,\"saidI,\"andthosewhotravelbythem,\"andwithoutwaitingforananswerreturnedtotheroad。PresentlyI heardthetrain—itstoppedforaminuteatthestation,andthencontinuingitscoursepassedmeonmylefthand,voidingfiercesparks,andmakingaterriblenoise—theroadwasamelancholyone;myfootstepssoundedhollowuponit。Iseemedtobeitsonlytraveller—awallextendedforalong,longwayonmyleft。AtlengthIcametoaturnpike。Ifeltdesolateandwishedtospeaktosomebody。Itappedatthewindow,atwhichtherewasalight;awomanopenedit。\"HowfartoHolyhead?\"saidIinEnglish。 \"DimSaesneg,\"saidthewoman。 IrepeatedmyquestioninWelsh。 \"Twomiles,\"saidshe。 \"StilltwomilestoHolyheadbytheroad,\"thoughtI。\"Nosda,\" saidItothewomanandspedalong。AtlengthIsawwateronmyright,seeminglyakindofbay,andpresentlyamelancholyship。I doubledmypace,whichwasbeforetolerablyquick,andsoonsawanoble—lookingedificeonmyleft,brilliantlylightedup。\"Whatacapitalinnthatwouldmake,\"saidI,lookingatitwistfully,asI passedit。PresentlyIfoundmyselfinthemidstofapoor,dull,ill—lightedtown。 \"Whereistheinn?\"saidItoaman。 \"Theinn,sir;youhavepassedit。Theinnisyonder,\"hecontinued,pointingtowardsthenoble—lookingedifice。 \"What,isthattheinn?\"saidI。 \"Yes,sir,therailroadhotel—andafirst—ratehotelitis。\" \"Andaretherenootherinns?\" \"Yes,buttheyareallpoorplaces。Nogentputsupatthem—allthegentsbytherailroadputupattherailroadhotel。\" WhatwasItodo?afterturningupmynoseattherailroad,wasI toputupatitshotel?Surelytodosowouldbehardlyactingwithconsistency。\"OughtInotrathertogotosomepublic—house,frequentedbycaptainsoffishingsmacks,andbeputinabedafoottooshortforme,\"saidI,asIreflectedonmylastnight’scouchatMrPritchard’s。\"No,thatwon’tdo—Ishallgotothehotel,Ihavemoneyinmypocket,andapersonwithmoneyinhispockethassurelyarighttobeinconsistentifhepleases。\" SoIturnedbackandenteredtherailroadhotelwithloftyportandwithsoundingstep,forIhadtwelvesovereignsinmypocket,besidesahalfone,andsomeloosesilver,andfearednottoencounterthegazeofanywaiterorlandlordintheland。\"Sendboots!\"Iroaredtothewaiter,asIflungmyselfdowninanarm— chairinamagnificentcoffee—room。\"Whatthedeuceareyoustaringat?sendbootscan’tyou,andaskwhatIcanhavefordinner。\" \"Yes,sir,\"saidthewaiter,andwithalowbowdeparted。 \"Thesebootsareratherdusty,\"saidtheboots,agrey—haired,venerable—lookingman,afterhehadtakenoffmythick,solid,square—toedboots。\"Isupposeyoucamewalkingfromtherailroad?\" \"Confoundtherailroad!\"saidI。\"IcamewalkingfromBangor。I wouldhaveyouknowthatIhavemoneyinmypocket,andcanaffordtowalk。Iamfondofthebeautiesofnature;nowitisimpossibletoseemuchofthebeautiesofnatureunlessyouwalk。Iamlikewisefondofpoetry,andtakeespecialdelightininspectingthebirth—placesandhauntsofpoets。ItisbecauseIamfondofpoetry,poetsandtheirhaunts,thatIamcometoAnglesey。 Angleseydoesnotaboundinthebeautiesofnature,butthereneverwassuchaplaceforpoets;youmeetapoet,orthebirth—placeofapoet,everywhere。\" \"DidyourhonoureverhearofGronwyOwen?\"saidtheoldman。 \"Ihave,\"Ireplied,\"andyesterdayIvisitedhisbirth—place;soyouhaveheardofGronwyOwen?\" \"Heardofhim,yourhonour;yes,andreadhisworks。That’CowyddyFarn’ofhisisawonderfulpoem。\" \"Yousayright,\"saidI;\"the’CowyddofJudgment’containssomeofthefinestthingseverwritten—thatdescriptionofthetopplingdownofthetopcragofSnowdon,atthedayofJudgment,beatsanythinginHomer。\" \"ThentherewasLewisMorris,yourhonour,\"saidtheoldman,\"whogaveGronwyhiseducationandwrote’TheLassesofMeirion’—and— \" \"And’TheCowyddtotheSnail,’\"saidI,interruptinghim—\"awonderfulmanhewas。\" \"Iamrejoicedtoseeyourhonourinourhouse,\"saidboots;\"I neversawanEnglishgentlemanbeforewhoknewsomuchaboutWelshpoetry,noraWelshoneeither。Ah,ifyourhonourisfondofpoetsandtheirplacesyoudidrighttocometoAnglesey—andyourhonourwasrightinsayingthatyoucan’tstirastepwithoutmeetingone;youhaveanexampleofthetruthofthatinme—fortotellyourhonourthetruth,Iamapoetmyself,andnobadoneeither。\" Thentuckingthedustybootsunderhisarm,theoldmanwithalowcongee,anda\"Good—night,yourhonour!\"shuffledoutoftheroom。 CHAPTERXL CaerGyby—LewisMorris—NobleCharacter。 IDINEDorrathersuppedwellattheRailroadInn—Ibegitspardon,Hotel,forthewordInnatthepresentdayisdecidedlyvulgar。Ilikewisesleptwell;howcouldIdootherwise,passingthenight,asIdid,inanexcellentbedinalarge,cool,quietroom?Iaroseratherlate,wentdowntothecoffee—roomandtookmybreakfastleisurely,afterwhichIpaidmybillandstrolledforthtoobservethewondersoftheplace。 CaerGybiorCybi’stownissituatedonthesouthernsideofabayonthenorth—westernsideofAnglesey。Closetoitonthesouth— westisaveryhighheadlandcalledinWelshPenCaerGybi,ortheheadofCybi’scity,andinEnglishHolyHead。Onthenorth,acrossthebay,isanothermountainofequalaltitude,whichifI amnotmistakenbearsinWelshthenameofMynyddLlanfair,orSaintMary’sMount。ItiscalledCybi’stownfromoneCybi,whoabouttheyear500builtacollegeheretowhichyouthsnobleandignobleresortedfromfarandnear。HewasanativeofDyfedorPembrokeshire,andwasafriendandforalongtimeafellow— labourerofSaintDavid。Besidesbeinglearned,accordingtothestandardofthetime,hewasagreatwalker,andfrombronzinghiscountenancebyfrequentwalkinginthesunwasgenerallycalledCybiVelin,whichmeanstawnyoryellowCybi。 SomuchforCybi,andhistown!AndnowsomethingaboutonewhosememoryhauntedmemuchmorethanthatofCybiduringmystayatHolyhead。 LewisMorriswasbornataplacecalledTrefyBeirdd,inAnglesey,intheyear1700。Anglesey,orMona,hasgivenbirthtomanyillustriousmen,butfew,uponthewhole,entitledtomorehonourablementionthanhimself。Fromahumblesituationinlife,forheservedanapprenticeshiptoacooperatHolyhead,heraisedhimselfbyhisindustryandtalentstoaffluenceanddistinction,becamealandedproprietorinthecountyofCardigan,andinspectoroftheroyaldomainsandminesinWales。Perhapsamanmoregenerallyaccomplishedneverexisted;hewasafirst—ratemechanic,anexpertnavigator,agreatmusician,bothintheoryandpractice,andapoetofsingularexcellence。Ofhimitwassaid,andwithtruth,thathecouldbuildashipandsailit,frameaharpandmakeitspeak,writeanodeandsetittomusic。Yetthatsaying,eulogisticasitis,isfarfromexpressingallthevastpowersandacquirementsofLewisMorris。Thoughself—taught,hewasconfessedlythebestWelshscholarofhisage,andwaswell—versedinthosecognatedialectsoftheWelsh—theCornish,Armoric,HighlandGaelicandIrish。HewaslikewisewellacquaintedwithHebrew,GreekandLatin,hadstudiedAnglo—Saxonwithsomesuccess,andwasawriterofboldandvigorousEnglish。Hewasbesidesagoodgeneralantiquary,andforknowledgeofancientWelshcustoms,traditions,andsuperstitions,hadnoequal。Yetallhasnotbeensaidwhichcanbeutteredinhispraise;hehadqualitiesofmindwhichentitledhimtohigheresteemthananyaccomplishmentconnectedwithintellectorskill。Amongstthesewerehisnoblegenerosityandsacrificeofselfforthebenefitofothers。Weeksandmonthshewasinthehabitofdevotingtothesuperintendenceoftheaffairsofthewidowandfatherless:oneofhisprincipaldelightswastoassistmerit,tobringitbeforetheworldandtoprocureforititsproperestimation:itwashewhofirstdiscoveredthetunefulgeniusofblindParry;itwashewhofirstputtheharpintohishand;itwashewhofirstgavehimscientificinstruction;itwashewhocheeredhimwithencouragementandassistedhimwithgold。ItwashewhoinstructedthecelebratedEvanEvansintheancientlanguageofWales,enablingthattalentedbuteccentricindividualtoreadthepagesoftheRedBookofHergestaseasilyasthoseoftheWelshBible;itwashewhocorrectedhisverseswithmatchlessskill,refiningandpolishingthemtilltheybecamewellworthyofbeingreadbyposterity;itwashewhogavehimadvice,which,haditbeenfollowed,wouldhavemadethePrydyddHir,ashecalledhimself,oneofthemostillustriousWelshmenofthelastcentury;anditwashewhofirsttoldhiscountrymenthattherewasayouthofAngleseywhosegenius,ifproperlyencouraged,promisedfairtorivalthatofMilton:oneofthemosteloquentletterseverwrittenisonebyhim,inwhichhedescantsuponthebeautiesofcertainpoemsofGronwyOwen,thelatentgeniusofwhoseearlyboyhoodhehadobserved,whomhehadclothed,educatedandassisteduptotheperiodwhenhewasordainedaministeroftheChurch,andwhomhefinallyrescuedfromastateborderingonstarvationinLondon,procuringforhimanhonourableappointmentintheNewWorld。 ImmortalitytoLewisMorris!Butimmortalityhehaswon,evenashisillustriouspupilhassaid,whoinhiselegyuponhisbenefactor,writteninAmerica,inthefour—and—twentymeasures,atatimewhenGronwyhadnotheardtheWelshlanguagespokenformorethantwentyyears,haswordstothefollowingeffect:— \"AslongasBardicloreshalllast,scienceandlearningbecherished,thelanguageandbloodoftheBritonsundefiled,songbeheardonParnassus,heavenandearthbeinexistence,foambeonthesurge,andwaterintheriver,thenameofLewisofMonshallbeheldingratefulremembrance。\" CHAPTERXLI ThePier—IrishReapers—WildIrishFace—FatherToban—TheHerdofSwine—LatinBlessing。 THEdaywasashotastheprecedingone。Iwalkedslowlytowardsthewest,andpresentlyfoundmyselfuponapier,orbreakwater,atthemouthoftheharbour。Alargesteamerlayatalittledistancewithinthepier。Therewerefishing—boatsonbothsides,thegreaternumberontheouterside,whichliestowardsthehillofHolyHead。OntheshadysideofthebreakwaterunderthewallweretwoorthreedozenofIrishreapers;somewerelyingasleep,othersinpartiesoftwoorthreewereseatedwiththeirbacksagainstthewall,andweretalkingIrish;theselastallappearedtobewell— mademiddle—sizedyoungfellows,withratheraruffianlylook;theystaredatmeasIpassed。Thewholepartyhadshillealahseitherintheirhandsorbytheirsides。Iwenttotheextremityofthepier,wherewasalittlelighthouse,andthenturnedback。AsI againdrewneartheIrish,Iheardahubbubandobservedagreatcommotionamongstthem。All,whetherthosewhomIhadseensitting,orthosewhomIhadseenreclining,hadgot,orweregettingontheirlegs。AsIpassedthemtheywereallstandingup,andtheireyeswerefixeduponmewithastrangekindofexpression,partlyofwonder,methought,partlyofrespect。\"Yes,’tishe,sureenough,\"Iheardonewhisper。OnIwent,andataboutthirtyyardsfromthelastIstopped,turnedroundandleanedagainstthewall。AlltheIrishwerelookingatme—presentlytheyformedintoknotsandbegantodiscourseveryeagerlyinIrish,thoughinanundertone。AtlengthIobservedafellowgoingfromoneknottotheother,exchangingafewwordswitheach。 Afterhehadheldcommunicationwithallhenoddedhishead,andcametowardsmewithaquickstep;thereststoodsilentandmotionlesswiththeireyesturnedinthedirectioninwhichIwas,andinwhichhewasadvancing。Hestoppedwithinayardofmeandtookoffhishat。Hewasanathleticfellowofabouttwenty—eight,dressedinbrownfrieze。Hisfeatureswereswarthy,andhiseyesblack;ineverylineamentofhiscountenancewasajumbleofsavageryandroguishness。IneversawamoregenuinewildIrishface—therehestoodlookingatmefullintheface,hishatinonehandandhisshillealahintheother。 \"Well,whatdoyouwant?\"saidI,afterwehadstaredateachotherabouthalfaminute。 \"Sure,I’mjustcomeonthepartoftheboysandmyselftobegabitofafavourofyourreverence。\" \"Reverence,\"saidI,\"whatdoyoumeanbystylingmereverence?\" \"Ochsure,becausetobestyledyourreverenceistherightofyourreverence。\" \"Praywhatdoyoutakemefor?\" \"Ochsure,weknowsyourreverenceverywell。\" \"Well,whoamI?\" \"Och,whyFatherTobantobesure。\" \"AndwhoknowsmetobeFatherToban?\" \"Och,aboyhereknowsyourreverencetobeFatherToban。\" \"Whereisthatboy?\" \"Herehestands,yourreverence。\" \"Areyouthatboy?\" \"Iam,yourreverence。\" \"AndyoutoldtherestthatIwasFatherToban?\" \"Idid,yourreverence。\" \"AndyouknowmetobeFatherToban?\" \"Ido,yourreverence。\" \"HowdoyouknowmetobeFatherToban?\" \"Och,whybecausemany’sthegoodtimethatIhaveheardyourreverence,FatherToban,saymass。\" \"Andwhatisityouwantmetodo?\" \"Why,seehere,yourreverence,wearegoingtoembarkinthedirtysteameryonderforouldIreland,whichstartsassoonasthetideserves,andwewantyourreverencetoblessusbeforewegoes。\" \"Youwantmetoblessyou?\" \"Wedo,yourreverence,wewantyoutospitoutalittlebitofablessinguponusbeforewegoesonboard。\" \"Andwhatgoodwouldmyblessingdoyou?\" \"Allkindsofgood,yourreverence;itwouldpreventthedirtysteamerfromcatchingfire,yourreverence,orfromgoingdown,yourreverence,orfromrunningagainsttheblackguardHillofHowthinthemist,providedthereshouldbeone。\" \"AndsupposeIweretotellyouthatIamnotFatherToban?\" \"Och,yourreverence,willneverthinkofdoingthat。\" \"WouldyoubelievemeifIdid?\" \"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。\" \"IfIweretoswearthatIamnotFatherToban?\" \"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。\" \"Ontheevangiles?\" \"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。\" \"OntheCross?\" \"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。\" \"AndsupposeIweretorefusetogiveyouablessing?\" \"Och,yourreverencewillneverrefusetoblessthepoorboys。\" \"ButsupposeIweretorefuse?\" \"Why,insuchacase,whichby—the—byeisaltogetherimpossible,weshouldjustmakebouldtogiveyourreverenceagoodbigbating。\" \"Youwouldbreakmyhead?\" \"Wewould,yourreverence。\" \"Killme?\" \"Wewould,yourreverence。\" \"Youwouldreallyputmetodeath?\" \"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。\" \"Andwhat’sthedifferencebetweenkillingandputtingtodeath?\" \"Och,surethere’sallthedifferenceintheworld。Killingmanesonlyagoodbigbating,suchaseveryIrishmanisusedto,andwhichyourreverencewouldgetoverlongbeforematins,whereasputtingyourreverencetodeathwouldpreventyourreverencefromsayingmassforeverandaday。\" \"Andyouaredeterminedonhavingablessing?\" \"Weare,yourreverence。\" \"Byhookorbycrook?\" \"Bycrookorbyhook,yourreverence。\" \"BeforeIblessyou,willyouanswermeaquestionortwo?\" \"Iwill,yourreverence。\" \"Areyounotasetofgreatbigblackguards?\" \"Weare,yourreverence。\" \"Withoutonegoodquality?\"