第50章

类别:其他 作者:George Borrow字数:8635更新时间:19/01/07 15:19:18
PassedthroughPennoworPenhow,asmallvillage。Thesceneryintheneighbourhoodofthisplaceishighlyinteresting。Tothenorth—westatsomedistanceisMynyddTurvey,asharppointedbluemountain。Tothesouth—east,ontheright,muchnearer,aretwobeautifulgreenhills,thelowestprettilywooded,andhavingitstopafairwhitemansioncalledPenhowCastle,whichbelongstoafamilyofthenameofCave。ThencetoLlanvaches,aprettylittlevillage。WhenIwasaboutthemiddleofthisplaceIheardanoddsound,somethinglikeanoteofrecognition,whichattractedmyattentiontoanobjectveryneartome,fromwhichitseemedtoproceed,andwhichwascomingfromthedirectioninwhichIwasgoing。Itwasthefigureseeminglyofafemale,wrappedinacoarsebluecloak,thefeetbareandthelegsbarealsonearlyuptotheknee,bothterriblysplashedwiththeslushoftheroad。 Theheadwassurmountedbyakindofhood,whichjustpermittedmetoseecoarseredhair,abroadface,greyeyes,asnubbednose,blubberlipsandgreatwhiteteeth—theeyeswerestaringintentlyatme。Istoppedandstaredtoo,andatlastthoughtIrecognisedthefeaturesoftheuncouthgirlIhadseenonthegreennearChesterwiththeIrishtinkerTourloughandhiswife。 \"Dearme!\"saidI,\"didInotseeyounearChesterlastsummer?\" \"Tobesureyedid;andyeweregoingtopassmewithoutawordofnoticeorkindnesshadInotgivenyeabitofahail。\" \"Well,\"saidI,\"Ibegyourpardon。Howisitallwidye?\" \"Quitewell。Howisitwidyerehanner?’ \"Tolerably。Wheredoyoucomefrom?\" \"FromChepstow,yerehanner。\" \"Andwhereareyougoingto?\" \"ToNewport,yerehanner。\" \"AndIcomefromNewport,andamgoingtoChepstow。Where’sTourloughandhiswife?\" \"AtCardiff,yerehanner;Ishalljointhemagainto—morrow。\" \"Haveyoubeenlongawayfromthem?\" \"Aboutaweek,yerehanner。\" \"Andwhathaveyoubeendoing?\" \"Sellingmyneedles,yerehanner。\" \"Oh!yousellneedles。Well,Iamgladtohavemetyou。Letmesee。There’sanicelittleinnontheright:won’tyoucomeinandhavesomerefreshment?\" \"Thankyerehanner;Ihavenoobjectiontotakeaglasswidanoldfriend。\" \"Well,then,comein;youmustbetired,andIshallbegladtohavesomeconversationwithyou。\" Wewentintotheinn—alittletidyplace。Onmycalling,arespectable—lookingoldmanmadehisappearancebehindabar。 Afterservingmycompanionwithaglassofpeppermint,whichshesaidshepreferredtoanythingelse,andmewithaglassofale,bothofwhichIpaidfor,heretired,andwesatdownontwooldchairsbeneathawindowinfrontofthebar。 \"Well,\"saidI,\"IsupposeyouhaveIrish:here’sslainte—\" \"Slainteyuitashaoi,\"saidthegirl,tastingherpeppermint。 \"Well:howdoyoulikeit?’ \"It’sveryniceindeed。\" \"That’smorethanIcansayoftheale,which,likeallthealeintheseparts,isbitter。Well,whatpartofIrelanddoyoucomefrom?\" \"Fromnopartatall。IneverwasinIrelandinmylife。IamfromScotlandRoad,Manchester。\" \"Why,IthoughtyouwereIrish?\" \"AndsoIam;andallthemorefrombeingbornwhereIwas。 There’snotsuchaplaceforIrishinalltheworldasScotlandRoad。\" \"WereyourfatherandmotherfromIreland?\" \"MymotherwasfromIreland:myfatherwasIrishofScotlandRoad,wheretheymetandmarried。\" \"Andwhatdidtheydoaftertheymarried?\" \"Why,theyworkedhard,anddidtheirbesttogetalivelihoodforthemselvesandchildren,ofwhichtheyhadseveralbesidesmyself,whowastheeldest。Myfatherwasabricklayer,andmymothersoldapplesandorangesandotherfruits,accordingtotheseason,andalsowhiskey,whichshemadeherself,asshewellknewhow;formymotherwasnotonlyaConnachtwoman,butanout—and—outConnamaraquean,andwhenonlythirteenhadwroughtwiththeladswhousedtomaketheraalcraturontheislandsbetweenOchterardandBallynahinch。AssoonasIwasable,Ihelpedmymotherinmakinganddisposingofthewhiskeyandinsellingthefruit。Asfortheotherchildren,theyalldiedwhenyoung,offavers,ofwhichthereisalwaysplentyinScotlandRoad。Aboutfouryearsago—thatis,whenIwasjustfifteen—therewasagreatquarrelamongtheworkmenaboutwages。Somewantedmorethantheirmasterswerewillingtogive;otherswerewillingtotakewhatwasofferedthem。 Thosewhoweredissatisfiedwerecalledbricks;thosewhowerenotwerecalleddungs。Myfatherwasabrick;and,beingagoodmanwithhisfists,waslookeduponasaveryproperpersontofightaprincipalmanamongstthedungs。TheyfoughtinthefieldsnearSalfordforapoundaside。Myfatherhaditallhisownwayforthefirstthreerounds,butinthefourth,receivingablowundertheearfromthedung,hedropped,andnevergotupagain,dyingsuddenly。Agrandwakemyfatherhad,forwhichmymotherfurnishedusquebaughgalore;andcomfortablyanddacentlyitpassedovertillaboutthreeo’clockinthemorning,when,adisputehappeningtoarise—notonthematterofwages,fortherewasnotadungamongsttheIrishofScotlandRoad—butastowhethertheO’KeefsorO’KellyswerekingsofIrelandathousandyearsago,ageneralfighttookplace,whichbroughtinthepolice,who,beingsoondreadfullybaten,asweallturneduponthem,wentandfetchedthemilitary,withwhosehelptheytookandlockedupseveraloftheparty,amongstwhomweremymotherandmyself,tillthenextmorning,whenweweretakenbeforethemagistrates,who,afteraslightscolding,setusatliberty,oneofthemsayingthatsuchdisturbancesformedpartoftheIrishfuneralservice;whereuponwereturnedtothehouse,andtherestofthepartyjoiningus,wecarriedmyfather’sbodytothechurchyard,whereweburieditverydacently,withmanytearsandgroanings。\" \"Andhowdidyourmotherandyougetonafteryourfatherwasburied?\" \"Aswellaswecould,yerehanner;wesoldfruit,andnowandthenadropofwhiskey,whichwemade;butthisstateofthingsdidnotlastlong,foronedaymymotherseeingthedungwhohadkilledmyfather,sheflungalargeflintstoneandknockedouthisrighteye,fordoingwhichshewastakenupandtried,andsentencedtoayear’simprisonment,chieflyitwasthoughtbecauseshehadbeenheardtosaythatshewoulddothedungamischiefthefirsttimeshemethim。She,however,didnotsufferallhersentence,forbeforeshehadbeeninprisonthreemonthsshecaughtadisorderwhichcarriedheroff。Iwentonsellingfruitbymyselfwhilstshewasintrouble,andforsometimeafterherdeath,butverylonelyandmelancholy。AtlastmyuncleTourlough,or,astheEnglishwouldcallhim,Charles,chancingtocometoScotlandRoadalongwithhisfamily,Iwasgladtoacceptaninvitationtojointhemwhichhegaveme,andwiththemIhavebeeneversince,travellingaboutEnglandandWalesandScotland,helpingmyauntwiththechildren,anddrivingmuchthesametradewhichshehasdrivenfortwentyyearspast,whichisnotanunprofitableone。\" \"Wouldyouhaveanyobjectiontotellmeallyoudo?\" \"WhyIsellsneedles,asIsaidbefore,andsometimesIbuysthingsofservants,andsometimesItellsfortunes。\" \"Doyoueverdoanythinginthewayofstriopachas?\" \"Ohno!Ineverdoanythinginthatline;Iwouldbeburntfirst。 Iwonderyoushoulddreamofsuchathing。\" \"Whysurelyitisnotworsethanbuyingthingsofservants,whonodoubtstealthemfromtheiremployers,ortellingfortunes,whichisdealingwiththedevil。\" \"Notworse?Yes,athousandtimesworse;thereisnothingsoveryparticularindoingthemthings,butstriopachas—Ohdear!\" \"It’sadreadfulthingIadmit,buttheotherthingsarequiteasbad;youshoulddononeofthem。\" \"I’lltakegoodcarethatIneverdoone,andthatisstriopachas; themotherthingsIknowarenotquiteright,andIhopesoontohavedonewidthem;anydayIcanshakethemoffandlookpeopleintheface,butwereIoncetodostriopachasIcouldneverholdupmyhead\" \"Howcomesitthatyouhavesuchahorrorofstriopachas?\" \"Igotitfrommymother,andshegotitfromhers。AllIrishwomenhaveadreadofstriopachas。It’stheonlythingthatfrightsthem;ImanesthewildIrish,forasforthequalitywomenIhaveheardtheyarenobitbetterthantheEnglish。Come,yerehanner,let’stalkofsomethingelse。\" \"Youweresayingnowthatyouwerethinkingofleavingofffortune— tellingandbuyingthingsofservants。Doyoumeantodependuponyourneedlesalone?\" \"No;IamthinkingofleavingofftrampingaltogetherandgoingtotheTirnaSiar。\" \"Isn’tthatAmerica?\" \"Itis,yerehanner;thelandofthewestisAmerica。\" \"Alongwayforalonegirl。\" \"Ishouldnotbealone,yerehanner;IshouldbewidmyuncleTourloughandhiswife。\" \"AretheygoingtoAmerica?\" \"Theyare,yerehanner;theyintendsleavingoffbusinessandgoingtoAmericanextspring。\" \"Itwillcostmoney。\" \"Itwill,yerehanner;buttheyhavegotmoney,andsohaveI。\" \"IsitbecausebusinessisslackthatyouarethinkingofgoingtoAmerica?\" \"Ohno,yerehanner;wewishtogothereinordertogetridofoldwaysandhabits,amongstwhicharefortune—tellingandbuyingthingsofsarvants,whichyerehannerwasjistnowcheckingmewid。\" \"Andcan’tyougetridofthemhere?\" \"Wecannot,yerehanner。Ifwestayherewemustgoontramping,anditiswellknownthatdoingthemthingsispartoftramping。\" \"AndwhatwouldyoudoinAmerica?\" \"Oh,wecoulddoplentyofthingsinAmerica—mostlikelyweshouldbuyapieceoflandandsettledown。\" \"Howcameyoutoseethewickednessofthetrampinglife?\" \"ByhearingagreatmanysarmonsandpreachingsandhavingoftenhadtheBiblereadtousbyholywomenwhocametoourtent。\" \"Ofwhatreligiondoyoucallyourselvesnow?\" \"Idon’tknow,yerehanner;weareclaneunsettledaboutreligion。 WewereonceCatholicsandcarriedSaintColmanofCloyneaboutwidusinabox;butafterhearingasermonatachurchaboutimages,wewenthome,tookthesaintoutofhisboxandcasthimintoariver。\" \"OhitwillneverdotobelongtothePopishreligion,areligionwhichupholdsidol—worshipandpersecutestheBible—youshouldbelongtotheChurchofEngland。\" \"Well,perhapsweshould,yerehanner,ifitsministerswerenotsuchproudviolentmen。Oh,youlittleknowhowtheylookdownuponallpoorpeople,especiallyonustramps。Oncemypooraunt,Tourlough’swife,whohasalwayshadstrongerconvictionthananyofus,followedoneofthemhomeafterhehadbeenpreaching,andbeggedhimtogiveherGod,andwastoldbyhimthatshewasathief,andifshedidn’ttakeherselfoutofthehousehewouldkickherout。\" \"Perhaps,afterall,\"saidI;\"youhadbetterjointheMethodists— IshouldsaythattheirwayswouldsuityoubetterthanthoseofanyotherdenominationofChristians。\" Yerehannerknowsnothingaboutthem,otherwiseyewouldn’ttalkinthatmanner。Theirwayswouldneverdoforpeoplewhowanttohavedonewithlyingandstaring,andhavealwayskeptthemselvesclanefromstriopachas。Theirwordisnotwortharottenstraw,yerehanner,andineverytransactionwhichtheyhavewithpeopletheytrytocheatandoverreach—askmyuncleTourlough,whohashadmanydealingswiththem。Butwhatisfarworse,theydothatwhichthewildestcalleent’othersideofOugteraardewouldbeburntratherthando。WhocantellyemoreonthatpointthanI,yerehanner?Ihavebeenattheirchapelsatnights,andhavelistenedtotheirscreamingprayers,andhaveseenwhat’sbeengoingonoutsidethechapelsaftertheirservices,astheycallthem,wereover—IneversawthelikegoingonoutsideFatherToban’schapel,yerehanner!Yerehanner’shanneraskedmeifIeverdidanythinginthewayofstriopachas—nowItellyethatIwasneveraskedtodoanythinginthatlinebutbyoneofthemfolks—agreatmanamongstthemhewas,bothinthewayofbusinessandprayer,forhewasacommercialtravellerduringsixdaysoftheweekandapreacherontheseventh—andsuchapreacher。Well,oneSundaynightafterhehadpreachedasermonanhour—and—a—halflong,whichhadputhalfadozenwomenintowhattheycallstaticfits,heovertookmeinadarkstreetandwantedmetodostriopachaswithhim—hedidn’tsaystriopachas,yerhanner,forhehadnoIrish— buthesaidsomethinginEnglishwhichwasthesamething。\" \"Andwhatdidyoudo?\" \"Why,Iaskedhimwhathemeantbymakingfunofapooruglygirl— fornooneknowsbetterthanmyself,yerehanner,thatIamveryugly—whereuponhetoldmethathewasnotmakingfunofme,forithadlongbeenthechiefwishofhishearttocommitstriopachaswithawildIrishPapist,andthathebelievedifhesearchedtheworldheshouldfindnonewilderthanmyself。\" \"Andwhatdidyoureply?\" \"Why,Isaidtohim,yerehanner,thatIwouldtellthecongregation,atwhichhelaughedandsaidthathewishedIwould,forthatthecongregationwouldsaytheydidn’tbelieveme,thoughathearttheywould,andwouldlikehimallthebetterforit。\" \"Well,andwhatdidyousaythen?\" \"Nothing,atall,yerehanner;butIspatinhisfaceandwenthomeandtoldmyuncleTourlough,whoforthwithtookoutaknifeandbegantosharpitonawhetstone,andImakenodoubtwouldhavegoneandstuckthefellowlikeapig,hadnotmypoorauntbeggedhimnotonherknees。AfterthatwehadnothingmoretodowiththeMethodistsasfarasreligionwent。\" \"DidthisaffairoccurinEnglandorWales?\" \"IntheheartofEngland,yerehanner;wehaveneverbeentotheWelshchapels,forweknowlittleofthelanguage。\" \"Well,Iamgladitdidn’thappeninWales:IhaveratherahighopinionoftheWelshMethodist。TheworthiestcreatureIeverknewwasaWelshMethodist。AndnowImustleaveyouandmakethebestofmywaytoChepstow。\" \"Can’tyerehannergivemeGodbeforeyego?\" \"Icangiveyouhalf—a—crowntohelpyouonyourwaytoAmerica。\" \"Iwantnohalf—crowns,yerehanner;butifyewouldgivemeGodI’dblessye。\" \"WhatdoyoumeanbygivingyouGod?\" \"PuttingHiminmyheartbysomegoodcounselwhichwillguidemethroughlife。\" \"TheonlygoodcounselIcangiveyouistokeepthecommandments; oneofthemitseemsyouhavealwayskept。Followtherestandyoucan’tgoverywrong。\" \"IwishIknewthembetterthanIdo,yerehanner。\" \"Can’tyouread?\" \"Ohno,yerehanner,Ican’tread,neithercanTourloughnorhiswife。\" \"Well,learntoreadassoonaspossible。WhenyouhavegottoAmericaandsettleddownyouwillhavetimeenoughtolearntoread。\" \"Shallwebebetter,yerehanner,afterwehavelearnttoread?\" \"Let’shopeyouwill。\" \"Oneofthethings,yerehanner,thathavemadeusstumbleisthatsomeoftheholywomen,whohavecometoourtentandreadtheBibletous,haveafterwardsaskedmyauntandmetotellthemtheirfortunes。\" \"Iftheyhave,themoreshameforthem,fortheycanhavenoexcuse。Well,whetheryoulearntoreadornot,stilleschewstriopachas,don’tsteal,don’tdeceive,andworshipGodinspirit,notinimage。That’sthebestcounselIcangiveyou。\" \"Andverygoodcounselitis,yerehanner,andIwilltrytofollowit,andnow,yerehanner,letusgoourtwoways。\" Weplacedourglassesuponthebarandwentout。Inthemiddleoftheroadweshookhandsandparted,shegoingtowardsNewportandI towardsChepstow。AfterwalkingafewyardsIturnedroundandlookedafterher。Thereshewasinthedamploweringafternoonwendingherwayslowlythroughmudandpuddle,herupperformhuddledintheroughfriezemantle,andhercoarselegsbaretothetopofthecalves。\"Surely,\"saidItomyself,\"thereneverwasanobjectlesspromisinginappearance。Whowouldthinkthattherecouldbeallthegoodsenseandproperfeelinginthatuncouthgirlwhichtherereallyis?\" CHAPTERCIX ArrivalatChepstow—StirringLyric—Conclusion。 IPASSEDthroughCaerWent,onceanimportantRomanstation,andforalongtimeafterthedepartureoftheRomansacelebratedBritishcity,nowapoordesolateplaceconsistingofafewold— fashionedhousesandastrange—lookingdilapidatedchurch。NoWelshisspokenatCaerWent,nortotheeastofit,norindeedfortwoorthreemilesbeforeyoureachitfromthewest。 ThecountrybetweenitandChepstow,fromwhichitisdistantaboutfourmiles,isdelightfullygreen,butsomewhattame。 Chepstowstandsonthelowerpartofahill,neartowherethebeautifulWyejoinsthenobleSevern。TheBritishnameoftheplaceisAberWyeorthedisemboguementoftheWye。TheSaxonsgaveitthenameofChepstow,whichintheirlanguagesignifiesaplacewhereamarketisheld,becauseeveninthetimeoftheBritonsitwasthesiteofagreatcheapormarket。AftertheNormanConquestitbecamethepropertyofDeClare,oneofWilliam’sfollowers,whobuiltnearitanenormouscastle,whichenjoyedconsiderablecelebrityduringseveralcenturiesfromhavingbeenthebirthplaceofStrongbow,theconquerorofIreland,butwhichisatpresentchieflyillustriousfromthementionwhichismadeofitinoneofthemoststirringlyricsofmoderntimes,apiecebyWalterScott,calledthe\"NormanHorseshoe,\"commemorativeofanexpeditionmadebyaDeClare,ofChepstow,withtheviewofinsultingwiththeprintofhiscourser’sshoethegreenmeadsofGlamorgan,andwhichcommencesthus:— \"Redglowstheforge\"— Iwenttotheprincipalinn,whereIengagedaprivateroomandorderedthebestdinnerwhichthepeoplecouldprovide。ThenleavingmysatchelbehindmeIwenttothecastle,amongsttheruinsofwhichIgropedandwanderedfornearlyanhour,occasionallyrepeatingversesoftheNormanHorseshoe。IthenwenttotheWyeanddrankofthewatersatitsmouth,evenassometimebeforeIhaddrunkofthewatersatitssource。ThenreturningtomyinnIgotmydinner,afterwhichIcalledforabottleofport,andplacingmyfeetagainstthesidesofthegrateIpassedmytimedrinkingwineandsingingWelshsongstillteno’clockatnight,whenIpaidmyreckoning,amountingtosomethingconsiderable。 ThenshoulderingmysatchelIproceededtotherailroadstation,whereIpurchasedafirst—classticket,andensconcingmyselfinacomfortablecarriage,wassoononthewaytoLondon,whereI arrivedataboutfouro’clockinthemorning,havinghadduringthewholeofmyjourneyamostuproarioussetofneighboursafewcarriagesbehindme,namely,somehundredandfiftyofNapier’starsreturningfromtheirexpeditiontotheBaltic。 CUMROANDCUMRAEG。 THEoriginalhomeoftheCumrowasSouthernHindustan,theextremepointofwhich,CapeComorin,derivedfromhimitsname。ItmaybehereaskedwhatistheexactmeaningofthewordCumro?Thetruemeaningofthewordisayouth。ItisconnectedwithaSanscritword,signifyingayouth,andlikewiseaprince。Itissurprisinghowsimilarinmeaningthenamesofseveralnationsare:Cumro,ayouth;Gael,ahero;(24)Roman,onewhoiscomely,ahusband;(25) FrankorFrenchman,afree,bravefellow;Dane,anhonestman; Turk,ahandsomelad;Arab,asprightlyfellow。Lastly,RomanyChal,thenamebywhichtheGypsystyleshimself,signifyingnotanEgyptian,butaladofRome。(26) ThelanguageoftheCumroiscalledafterhimCumraeg。OfCumrictherearethreedialects,thespeechofCumruorWales;thatofArmoricaor,astheWelshcallit,Llydaw,andtheCornish,whichisnolongerspoken,andonlyexistsinbooksandinthenamesofplaces。TheCumricbearsconsiderableaffinitytotheGaelic,orthelanguageoftheGael,ofwhichtherearealsothreedialects,theIrish,thespeechoftheScottishHighlanders,andtheManx,whichlastisrapidlybecomingextinct。TheCumricandGaelichavenotonlyagreatmanythousandwordsincommon,butalsoaremarkablegrammaticalfeature,themutationanddroppingofcertaininitialconsonantsundercertaincircumstances,whichfeatureispeculiartotheCelticlanguages。ThenumberofSanscriticwordswhichtheCumricandGaelicpossessisconsiderable。OfthetwotheGaelicpossessesthemost,andthosehavegenerallymoreoftheSanscriticcharacter,thanthewordsofthesameclasswhicharetobefoundintheWelsh。TheWelsh,however,frequentlypossessestheprimarywordwhentheIrishdoesnot。Ofthisthefollowingisaninstance。OneofthenumerousIrishwordsforamountainiscodadh。ThiswordisalmostidenticalwiththeSanscritkuta,whichalsosignifiesamountain;