egypt-第29节

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！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



sing　around　us　in　the　impetuous　spring　of　this　land　of　Thebes。



And　now　beyond　two　menhirs；　as　it　were；　become　gradually　distinct。　Of

the　same　height　and　shape；　alike　indeed　in　every　respect；　they　rise

side　by　side　in　the　clear　distance　in　the　midst　of　these　green　plains；

which　recall　so　well　our　fields　of　France。　They　wear　the　headgear　of

the　Sphinx；　and　are　gigantic　human　forms　seated　on　thronesthe

colossal　statues　of　Memnon。　We　recognise　them　at　once；　for　the

picture…makers　of　succeeding　ages　have　popularised　their　aspect；　as　in

the　case　of　the　pyramids。　What　is　strange　is　that　they　should　stand

there　so　simply　in　the　midst　of　these　fields　of　growing　corn；　which

reach　to　their　very　feet；　and　be　surrounded　by　these　humble　birds　we

know　so　well；　who　sing　without　ceremony　on　their　shoulders。



They　do　not　seem　to　be　scandalised　even　at　seeing　now；　passing　quite

close　to　them；　the　trucks　of　a　playful　little　railway　belonging　to　a

local　industry；　that　are　laden　with　sugar…canes　and　gourds。



The　chain　of　Libya；　during　the　last　hour；　has　been　growing　gradually

larger　against　the　profound　and　excessively　blue　sky。　And　now　that　it

rises　up　quite　near　to　us；　overheated；　and　as　it　were　incandescent；

under　this　ten　o'clock　sun；　we　begin　to　see　on　all　sides；　in　front　of

the　first　rocky　spurs　of　the　mountains；　the　debris　of　palaces；

colonnades；　staircases　and　pylons。　Headless　giants；　swathed　like　dead

Pharaohs；　stand　upright；　with　hands　crossed　beneath　their　shroud　of

sandstone。　They　are　the　temples　and　statues　for　the　manes　of

numberless　kings　and　queens；　who　during　three　or　four　thousand　years

had　their　mummies　buried　hard　by　in　the　heart　of　the　mountains；　in　the

deepest　of　the　walled　and　secret　galleries。



And　now　the　cornfields　have　ceased；　there　is　no　longer　any　herbage

nothing。　We　have　crossed　the　desolate　threshold；　we　are　in　the　desert；

and　tread　suddenly　upon　a　disquieting　funereal　soil；　half　sand；　half

ashes；　that　is　pitted　on　all　sides　with　gaping　holes。　It　looks　like

some　region　that　had　long　been　undermined　by　burrowing　beasts。　But　it

is　men　who；　for　more　than　fifty　centuries；　have　vexed　this　ground；

first　to　hide　the　mummies　in　it；　and　afterwards；　and　until　our　day；　to

exhume　them。　Each　of　these　holes　has　enclosed　its　corpse；　and　if　you

peer　within　you　may　see　yellow…coloured　rags　still　trailing　there；　and

bandages；　or　legs　and　vertebrae　of　thousands　of　years　ago。　Some　lean

Bedouins；　who　exercise　the　office　of　excavators；　and　sleep　hard　by　in

holes　like　jackals；　advance　to　sell　us　scarabaei；　blue…glass　trinkets

that　are　half　fossilised；　and　feet　or　hands　of　the　dead。



And　now　farewell　to　the　fresh　morning。　Every　minute　the　heat　becomes

more　oppressive。　The　pathway　that　is　marked　only　by　a　row　of　stones

turns　at　last　and　leads　into　the　depths　of　the　mountain　by　a　tragical

passage。　We　enter　now　into　that　〃Valley　of　the　Kings〃　which　was　the

place　of　the　last　rendezvous　of　the　most　august　mummies。　The　breaths

of　air　that　reach　us　between　these　rocks　are　become　suddenly　burning；

and　the　site　seems　to　belong　no　longer　to　earth　but　to　some　calcined

planet　which　had　for　ever　lost　its　clouds　and　atmosphere。　This　Libyan

chain；　in　the　distance　so　delicately　rose；　is　positively　frightful　now

that　it　overhangs　us。　It　looks　what　it　isan　enormous　and　fantastic

tomb；　a　natural　necropolis；　whose　vastness　and　horror　nothing　human

could　equal；　an　ideal　stove　for　corpses　that　wanted　to　endure　for

ever。　The　limestone；　on　which　for　that　matter　no　rain　ever　falls　from

the　changeless　sky；　looks　to　be　in　one　single　piece　from　summit　to

base；　and　betrays　no　crack　or　crevice　by　which　anything　might

penetrate　into　the　sepulchres　within。　The　dead　could　sleep；　therefore；

in　the　heart　of　these　monstrous　blocks　as　sheltered　as　under　vaults　of

lead。　And　of　what　there　is　of　magnificence　the　centuries　have　taken

care。　The　continual　passage　of　winds　laden　with　dust　has　scaled　and

worn　away　the　face　of　the　rocks；　so　as　to　leave　only　the　denser　veins

of　stone；　and　thus　have　reappeared　strange　architectural　fantasies

such　as　Matter；　in　the　beginning；　might　have　dimly　conceived。

Subsequently　the　sun　of　Egypt　has　lavished　on　the　whole　its　ardent

reddish　patines。　And　now　the　mountains　imitate　in　places　great　organ…

pipes；　badigeoned　with　yellow　and　carmine；　and　elsewhere　huge

bloodstained　skeletons　and　masses　of　dead　flesh。



Outlined　upon　the　excessive　blue　of　the　sky；　the　summits；　illumined　to

the　point　of　dazzling；　rise　up　in　the　lightlike　red　cinders　of　a

glowing　fire；　splendours　of　living　coal；　against　the　pure　indigo　that

turns　almost　to　darkness。　We　seem　to　be　walking　in　some　valley　of　the

Apocalypse　with　flaming　walls。　Silence　and　death；　beneath　a

transcendent　clearness；　in　the　constant　radiance　of　a　kind　of　mournful

apotheosisit　was　such　surroundings　as　these　that　the　Egyptians　chose

for　their　necropoles。



The　pathway　plunges　deeper　and　deeper　in　the　stifling　defiles；　and　at

the　end　of　this　〃Valley　of　the　Kings；〃　under　the　sun　now　nearly

meridian；　which　grows　each　minute　more　mournful　and　terrible；　we

expected　to　come　upon　a　dread　silence。　But　what　is　this？



At　a　turning；　beyond　there；　at　the　bottom　of　a　sinister…looking

recess；　what　does　this　crowd　of　people；　what　does　this　uproar　mean？　Is

it　a　meeting；　a　fair？　Under　awnings　to　protect　them　from　the　sun　stand

some　fifty　donkeys；　saddled　in　the　English　fashion。　In　a　corner　an

electrical　workshop；　built　of　new　bricks；　shoots　forth　the　black

smoke；　and　all　about；　between　the　high　blood…coloured　walls；　coming

and　going；　making　a　great　stir　and　gabbling　to　their　hearts'　content；

are　a　number　of　Cook's　tourists　of　both　sexes；　and　some　even　who

verily　seem　to　have　no　sex　at　all。　They　are　come　for　the　royal

audience；　some　on　asses；　some　in　jaunting　cars；　and　some；　the　stout

ladies　who　are　grown　short　of　wind；　in　chairs　carried　by　the　Bedouins。

From　the　four　points　of　Europe　they　have　assembled　in　this　desert

ravine　to　see　an　old　dried…up　corpse　at　the　bottom　of　a　hole。



Here　and　there　the　hidden　palaces　reveal　their　dark；　square…shaped

entrances；　hewn　in　the　massive　rock；　and　over　each　a　board　indicates

the　name　of　a　kingly　mummyRamses　IV。；　Seti　I。；　Thothmes　III。；　Ramses

IX。；　etc。　Although　all　these　kings；　except　Amenophis　II。；　have

recently　been　removed　and　carried　away　to　Lower　Egypt；　to　people　the

glass　cases　of　the　museum　of　Cairo；　their　last　dwellings　have　not

ceased　to　attract　crowds。　From　each　underground　habitation　are

emerging　now　a　number　of　perspiring　Cooks　and　Cookesses。　And　from　that

of　Amenophis；　especially；　they　issue　rapidly。　Suppose　that　we　have

come　too　late　and　that　the　audience　is　over！



And　to　think　that　these　entrances　had　been　walled　up；　had　been　masked

with　so　much　care；　and　lost　for　centuries！　And　of　all　the　perseverance

that　was　needed　to　discover　them；　the　observation；　the　gropings；　the

soundings　and　random　discoveries！



But　now　they　are　being　closed。　We　loitered　too　long　around　the　colossi

of　Memnon　and　the　palaces　of　the　plain。　It　is　nearly　noon；　a　noon

consuming　and　mournful；　which　falls　perpendicularly　upon　the　red

summits；　and　is　burning　to　its　deepest　recesses　the　valley　of　stone。



At　the　door　of　Amenophis　we　have　to　cajole；　beseech。　By　the　help　of　a

gratuity　the　Bedouin　Grand　Master　of　Ceremonies　allows　himself　to　be

persuaded。　We　are　to　descend　with　him；　but　quickly；　quickly；　for　the

electric　light　will　soon　be　extinguished。　It　will　be　a　short　audience；

but　at　least　it　will　be　a　private　one。　We　shall　be　alone　with　the

king。



In　the　darkness；　where　at　first；　after　so　much　sunlight；　the　little

electric　lamps　seem　to　us　scarcely　more　than　glow…worms；　we　expected　a

certain　amount　of　chilliness　as　in　the　undergrounds　of　our　climate。

But　here　there　is　only　a　more　oppressive　heat；　stifling　and　withering；

and　we　long　to　return　to　the　open　air；　which　was　burning　indeed；　but

was　at　least　the　air　of　life。



Hastily　we　descend：　by　steep　staircases；　by　passages　which　slope　so

rapidly　that　they　hurry　us　along　of　themselves；　like　slides；　and　it

seems　that　we　shall　never　ascend　again；　any　more　than　the　great　mummy

who　passed　here　so　long　ago　on　his　way　to　his　eternal　chamber。　All

this　brings　us；　first　of　all；　to　a　deep　welldug　there　to　swallow　up

the　desecrators　in　their　passageand　it　is　on　one　of　the　sides　of

this　oubliette；　behind　a　casual　stone　carefully　sealed；　that　the

continuation　of　these　funeral　galleries　was　discovered。　Then；　when　we

have　passed　the　well；　by　a　narrow　bridge　that　has　been　thrown　across

it；　the　stairs　begin　again；　and　the　steep　passages　that　almost　make

you　run；　but　now；　by　a　sharp　bend；　they　have　changed　their　direction。

And　still　we　descend；　descend。　Heavens！　how　deep　down　this　king

dwells！　And　at　each　step　of　our　descent　we　feel　more　and　more

imprisoned　under　the　sovereign　mass　of　stone；　in　the　centre　of　all

this　compact　and　silent　thickness。