penguin island-第19部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

orests；　and　by　what　progress　a　few　animals　at　last　began　to　wander　over　the　nameless　mountains。　I　could　not　accustom　myself　to　your　cosmogony　either；　for　it　seems　to　me　fitter　for　a　camel…driver　on　the　Syrian　sands　than　for　a　disciple　of　Aristarchus　of　Samos。　And　what　would　become　of　me　in　the　abode　of　your　beatitude　if　I　did　not　find　there　my　friends；　my　ancestors；　my　masters；　and　my　gods；　and　if　it　is　not　given　to　me　to　see　Rhea's　noble　son；　or　Venus；　mother　of　Aeneas；　with　her　winning　smile；　or　Pan；　or　the　young　Dryads；　or　the　Sylvans；　or　old　Silenus；　with　his　face　stained　by　Aegle's　purple　mulberries。'　These　are　the　reasons　which　I　begged　that　simple　man　to　plead　before　the　successor　of　Jupiter。〃

*　This　phrase　seems　to　indicate　that；　if　one　is　to　believe　Macrobius；　the　〃Copa〃　is　by　Virgil。


〃And　since　then；　O　great　shade；　thou　hast　received　no　other　messages？〃

〃I　have　received　none。〃

〃To　console　themselves　for　thy　absence；　O　Virgil；　they　have　three　poets；　Commodianus；　Prudentius；　and　Fortunatus；　who　were　all　three　born　in　those　dark　plays　when　neither　prosody　nor　grammar　were　known。　But　tell　me；　O　Mantuan；　hast　thou　never　received　other　intelligence　of　the　God　whose　company　thou　didst　so　deliberately　refuse？〃

〃Never　that　I　remember。〃

〃Hast　thou　not　told　me　that　I　am　not　the　first　who　descended　alive　into　these　abodes　and　presented　himself　before　thee？〃


〃Thou　dost　remind　me　of　it。　A　century　and　a　half　ago；　or　so　it　seems　to　me　（it　is　difficult　to　reckon　days　and　years　amid　the　shades）；　my　profound　peace　was　intruded　upon　by　a　strange　visitor。　As　I　was　wandering　beneath　the　gloomy　foliage　that　borders　the　Styx；　I　saw　rising　before　me　a　human　form　more　opaque　and　darker　than　that　of　the　inhabitants　of　these　shores。　I　recognised　a　living　person。　He　was　of　high　stature；　thin；　with　an　aquiline　nose；　sharp　chin；　and　hollow　cheeks。　His　dark　eyes　shot　forth　fire；　a　red　hood　girt　with　a　crown　of　laurels　bound　his　lean　brows。　His　bones　pierced　through　the　tight　brown　cloak　that　descended　to　his　heels。　He　saluted　me　with　deference；　tempered　by　a　sort　of　fierce　pride；　and　addressed　me　in　a　speech　more　obscure　and　incorrect　than　that　of　those　Gauls　with　whom　the　divine　Julius　filled　both　his　legions　and　the　Curia。　At　last　I　understood　that　he　had　been　born　near　Fiesole；　in　an　ancient　Etruscan　colony　that　Sulla　had　founded　on　the　banks　of　the　Arno；　and　which　had　prospered；　that　he　had　obtained　municipal　honours；　but　that　he　had　thrown　himself　vehemently　into　the　sanguinary　quarrels　which　arose　between　the　senate；　the　knights；　and　the　people；　that　he　had　been　defeated　and　banished；　and　now　he　wandered　in　exile　throughout　the　world。　He　described　Italy　to　me　as　distracted　by　more　wars　and　discords　than　in　the　time　of　my　youth；　and　as　sighing　anew　for　a　second　Augustus。　I　pitied　his　misfortune；　remembering　what　I　myself　had　formerly　endured。

〃An　audacious　spirit　unceasingly　disquieted　him；　and　his　mind　harboured　great　thoughts；　but　alas！　his　rudeness　and　ignorance　displayed　the　triumph　of　barbarism。　He　knew　neither　poetry；　nor　science；　nor　even　the　tongue　of　the　Greeks；　and　he　was　ignorant；　too；　of　the　ancient　traditions　concerning　the　origin　of　the　world　and　the　nature　of　the　gods。　He　bravely　repeated　fables　which　in　my　time　would　have　brought　smiles　to　the　little　children　who　were　not　yet　old　enough　to　pay　for　admission　at　the　baths。　The　vulgar　easily　believe　in　monsters。　The　Etruscans　especially　peopled　hell　with　demons；　hideous　as　a　sick　man's　dreams。　That　they　have　not　abandoned　their　childish　imaginings　after　so　many　centuries　is　explained　by　the　continuation　and　progress　of　ignorance　and　misery；　but　that　one　of　their　magistrates　whose　mind　is　raised　above　the　common　level　should　share　these　popular　illusions　and　should　be　frightened　by　the　hideous　demons　that　the　inhabitants　of　that　country　painted　on　the　walls　of　their　tombs　in　the　time　of　Porsenathat　is　something　which　might　sadden　even　a　sage。　My　Etruscan　visitor　repeated　verses　to　me　which　he　had　composed　in　a　new　dialect；　called　by　him　the　vulgar　tongue；　the　sense　of　which　I　could　not　understand。　My　ears　were　more　surprised　than　charmed　as　I　heard　him　repeat　the　same　sound　three　or　four　times　at　regular　intervals　in　his　efforts　to　mark　the　rhythm。　That　artifice　did　not　seem　ingenious　to　me；　but　it　is　not　for　the　dead　to　judge　of　novelties。

〃But　I　do　not　reproach　this　colonist　of　Sulla；　born　in　an　unhappy　time；　for　making　inharmonious　verses　or　for　being；　if　it　be　possible；　as　bad　a　poet　as　Bavius　or　Maevius。　I　have　grievances　against　him　which　touch　me　more　closely。　The　thing　is　monstrous　and　scarcely　credible；　but　when　this　man　returned　to　earth　he　disseminated　the　most　odious　lies　about　me。　He　affirmed　in　several　passages　of　his　barbarous　poems　that　I　had　served　him　as　a　guide　in　the　modern　Tartarus；　a　place　I　know　nothing　of。　He　insolently　proclaimed　that　I　had　spoken　of　the　gods　of　Rome　as　false　and　lying　gods；　and　that　I　held　as　the　true　God　the　present　successor　of　Jupiter。　Friend；　when　thou　art　restored　to　the　kindly　light　of　day　and　beholdest　again　thy　native　land；　contradict　those　abominable　falsehoods。　Say　to　thy　people　that　the　singer　of　the　pious　Aeneas　has　never　worshipped　the　god　of　the　Jews。　I　am　assured　that　his　power　is　declining　and　that　his　approaching　fall　is　manifested　by　undoubted　indications。　This　news　would　give　me　some　pleasure　if　one　could　rejoice　in　these　abodes。　where　we　feel　neither　fears　nor　desires。〃

He　spoke；　and　with　a　gesture　of　farewell　he　went　away。　I　beheld　his。　shade　gliding　over　the　asphodels　without　bending　their　stalks。　I　saw　that　it　became　fainter　and　vaguer　as　it　receded　farther　from　me；　and　it　vanished　before　it　reached　the　wood　of　evergreen　laurels。　Then　I　understood　the　meaning　of　the　words；　〃The　dead　have　no　life；　but　that　which　the　living　lend　them；〃　and　I　walked　slowly　through　the　pale　meadow　to　the　gate　of　horn。

I　affirm　that　all　in　this　writing　is　true。*

*　There　is　in　Marbodius's　narrative　a　passage　very　worthy　of　notice；　viz。；　that　in　which　the　monk　of　Corrigan　describes　Dante　Alighieri　such　as　we　picture　him　to　ourselves　to…day。　The　miniatures　in　a　very　old　manuscript　of　the　〃Divine　Comedy；〃　the　〃Codex　Venetianus；〃　represent　the　poet　as　a　little　fat　man　clad　in　a　short　tunic；　the　skirts　of　which　fall　above　his　knees。　As　for　Virgil；　he　still　wears　the　philosophical　beard；　in　the　wood…engravings　of　the　sixteenth　century。

One　would　not　have　thought　either　that　Marbodius；　or　even　Virgil；　could　have　known　the　Etruscan　tombs　of　Chiusi　and　Corneto；　where；　in　fact；　there　are　horrible　and　burlesque　devils　closely　resembling　those　of　Orcagna。　Nevertheless；　the　authenticity　of　the　〃Descent　of　Marbodius　into　Hell〃　is　indisputable。　M。　du　Clos　des　Lunes　has　firmly　established　it。　To　doubt　it　would　be　to　doubt　palaeography　itself。



VII。　SIGNS　IN　THE　MOON

At　that　time；　whilst　Penguinia　was　still　plunged　in　ignorance　and　barbarism；　Giles　Bird…catcher；　a　Franciscan　monk；　known　by　his　writings　under　the　name　Aegidius　Aucupis；　devoted　himself　with　indefatigable　zeal　to　the　study　of　letters　and　the　sciences。　He　gave　his　nights　to　mathematics　and　music；　which　he　called　the　two　adorable　sisters；　the　harmonious　daughters　of　Number　and　Imagination。　He　was　versed　in　medicine　and　astrology。　He　was　suspected　of　practising　magic；　and　it　seemed　true　that　he　wrought　metamorphoses　and　discovered　hidden　things。

The　monks　of　his　convent；　finding　in　his　cell　Greek　books　which　they　could　not　read；　imagined　them　to　be　conjuring…books；　and　denounced　their　too　learned　brother　as　a　wizard。　Aegidius　Aucupis　fled；　and　reached　the　island　of　Ireland；　where　he　lived　for　thirty　studious　years。　He　went　from　monastery　to　monastery；　searching　for　and　copying　the　Greek　and　Latin　manuscripts　which　they　contained。　He　also　studied　physics　and　alchemy。　He　acquired　a　universal　knowledge　and　discovered　notable　secrets　concerning　animals；　plants；　and　stones。　He　was　found　one　day　in　the　company　of　a　very　beautiful　woman　who　sang　to　her　own　accompaniment　on　the　lute；　and　who　was　afterwards　discovered　to　be　a　machine　which　he　had　himself　constructed。

He　often　crossed　the　Irish　Sea　to　go　into　the　land　of　Wales　and　to　visit　the　libraries　of　the　monasteries　there。　During　one　of　these　crossings；　as　he　remained　during　the　night　on　the　bridge　of　the　ship；　he　saw　beneath　the　waters　two　sturgeons　swimming　side　by　side。　He　had　very　good　hearing　and　he　knew　the　language　of　fishes。　Now　he　heard　one　of　the　sturgeons　say　to　the　other：

〃The　man　in　the　moon；　whom　we　have　often　seen　carrying　fagots　on　his　shoulders；　has　fallen　into　the　sea。

And　the　other　sturgeon　said　in　its　turn：

〃And　in　the　silver　disc　there　will　be　seen　the　image　of　two　lovers　kissing　each　other　on　the　mouth。〃

Some　years　later；　having　returned　to　his　native　country；　Aegidius　Aucupis　found　that　ancient　learning　had　been　restored。　Manners　had　softened。　Men　no　longer　pursued　the　nymphs　of　the　fountains；　of　the　woods；　and　of　the　mountains　with　their　insults。　They　placed　images　of　the　Muses　and　of　the　modest　Graces　in　their　gardens；　and　they　rendered　her　former　honours　to　the　Goddess　with　ambrosial　lips；　the　joy　of　men　and　gods。　They　were　becoming　reconciled　to　nature。　They　trample