the poet at the breakfast table-第59节

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Of　lambs　enfolded　in　the　Shepherd's　arms；
Of　Him　who　blessed　the　children；　of　the　land
Where　crystal　rivers　feed　unfading　flowers；
Of　cities　golden…paved　with　streets　of　pearl；
Of　the　white　robes　the　winged　creatures　wear；
The　crowns　and　harps　from　whose　melodious　strings
One　long；　sweet　anthem　flows　forevermore！

We　too　bad　human　mothers；　even　as　Thou；
Whom　we　have　learned　to　worship　as　remote
》From　mortal　kindred；　wast　a　cradled　babe。
The　milk　of　woman　filled　our　branching　veins；
She　lulled　us　with　her　tender　nursery…song；
And　folded　round　us　her　untiring　arms；
While　the　first　unremembered　twilight　year
Shaped　us　to　conscious　being；　still　we　feel
Her　pulses　in　our　own；too　faintly　feel；
Would　that　the　heart　of　woman　warmed　our　creeds！

Not　from　the　sad…eyed　hermit's　lonely　cell；
Not　from　the　conclave　where　the　holy　men
Glare　on　each　other；　as　with　angry　eyes
They　battle　for　God's　glory　and　their　own；
Till；　sick　of　wordy　strife；　a　show　of　hands
Fixes　the　faith　of　ages　yet　unborn；
Ah；　not　from　these　the　listening　soul　can　hear
The　Father's　voice　that　speaks　itself　divine！
Love　must　be　still　our　Master；　till　we　learn
What　he　can　teach　us　of　a　woman's　heart；
We　know　not　His；　whose　love　embraces　all。


There　are　certain　nervous　conditions　peculiar　to　women　in　which　the
common　effects　of　poetry　and　of　music　upon　their　sensibilities　are
strangely　exaggerated。　　It　was　not　perhaps　to　be　wondered　at　that
Octavia　fainted　when　Virgil　in　reading　from　his　great　poem　came　to
the　line　beginning　Tu　Marcellus　eris：　It　is　not　hard　to　believe　the
story　told　of　one　of　the　two　Davidson　sisters；　that　the　singing　of
some　of　Moore's　plaintive　melodies　would　so　impress　her　as　almost　to
take　away　the　faculties　of　sense　and　motion。　　But　there　must　have
been　some　special　cause　for　the　singular　nervous　state　into　which
this　reading　threw　the　young　girl；　our　Scheherezade。　　She　was
doubtless　tired　with　overwork　and　troubled　with　the　thought　that　she
was　not　doing　herself　justice；　and　that　she　was　doomed　to　be　the
helpless　prey　of　some　of　those　corbies　who　not　only　pick　out　corbies'
eyes；　but　find　no　other　diet　so　nutritious　and　agreeable。

Whatever　the　cause　may　have　been；　her　heart　heaved　tumultuously；　her
color　came　and　went；　and　though　she　managed　to　avoid　a　scene　by　the
exercise　of　all　her　self…control；　I　watched　her　very　anxiously；　for　I
was　afraid　she　would　have　had　a　hysteric　turn；　or　in　one　of　her
pallid　moments　that　she　would　have　fainted　and　fallen　like　one　dead
before　us。

I　was　very　glad；　therefore；　when　evening　came；　to　find　that　she　was
going　out　for　a　lesson　on　the　stars。　　I　knew　the　open　air　was　what
she　needed；　and　I　thought　the　walk　would　do　her　good；　whether　she
made　any　new　astronomical　acquisitions　or　not。

It　was　now　late　in　the　autumn；　and　the　trees　were　pretty　nearly
stripped　of　their　leaves。There　was　no　place　so　favorable　as　the
Common　for　the　study　of　the　heavens。　　The　skies　were　brilliant　with
stars；　and　the　air　was　just　keen　enough　to　remind　our　young　friends
that　the　cold　season　was　at　hand。　　They　wandered　round　for　a　while；
and　at　last　found　themselves　under　the　Great　Elm；　drawn　thither；　no
doubt；　by　the　magnetism　it　is　so　well　known　to　exert　over　the　natives
of　its　own　soil　and　those　who　have　often　been　under　the　shadow　of　its
outstretched　arms。　　The　venerable　survivor　of　its　contemporaries　that
flourished　in　the　days　when　Blackstone　rode　beneath　it　on　his　bull
was　now　a　good　deal　broken　by　age；　yet　not　without　marks　of　lusty
vitality。　　It　had　been　wrenched　and　twisted　and　battered　by　so　many
scores　of　winters　that　some　of　its　limbs　were　crippled　and　many　of
its　joints　were　shaky；　and　but　for　the　support　of　the　iron　braces
that　lent　their　strong　sinews　to　its　more　infirm　members　it　would
have　gone　to　pieces　in　the　first　strenuous　northeaster　or　the　first
sudden　and　violent　gale　from　the　southwest。　　But　there　it　stood；　and
there　it　stands　as　yet；though　its　obituary　was　long　ago　written
after　one　of　the　terrible　storms　that　tore　its　branches；leafing　out
hopefully　in　April　as　if　it　were　trying　in　its　dumb　language　to　lisp
〃Our　Father；〃　and　dropping　its　slender　burden　of　foliage　in　October
as　softly　as　if　it　were　whispering　Amen！

Not　far　from　the　ancient　and　monumental　tree　lay　a　small　sheet　of
water；　once　agile　with　life　and　vocal　with　evening　melodies；　but　now
stirred　only　by　the　swallow　as　he　dips　his　wing；　or　by　the　morning
bath　of　the　English　sparrows；　those　high…headed；　thick…bodied；　full…
feeding；　hot…tempered　little　John　Bulls　that　keep　up　such　a　swashing
and　swabbing　and　spattering　round　all　the　water　basins；　one　might
think　from　the　fuss　they　make　about　it　that　a　bird　never　took　a　bath
here　before；　and　that　they　were　the　missionaries　of　ablution　to　the
unwashed　Western　world。

There　are　those　who　speak　lightly　of　this　small　aqueous　expanse；　the
eye　of　the　sacred　enclosure；　which　has　looked　unwinking　on　the　happy
faces　of　so　many　natives　and　the　curious　features　of　so　many
strangers。　　The　music　of　its　twilight　minstrels　has　long　ceased；　but
their　memory　lingers　like　an　echo　in　the　name　it　bears。　　Cherish　it；
inhabitants　of　the　two…hilled　city；　once　three…hilled；　ye　who　have
said　to　the　mountain；　〃Remove　hence；〃　and　turned　the　sea　into　dry
land！　　May　no　contractor　fill　his　pockets　by　undertaking　to　fill
thee；　thou　granite　girdled　lakelet；　or　drain　the　civic　purse　by
drawing　off　thy　waters！　　For　art　thou　not　the　Palladium　of　our　Troy？
Didst　thou　not；　like　the　Divine　image　which　was　the　safeguard　of
Ilium；　fall　from　the　skies；　and　if　the　Trojan　could　look　with　pride
upon　the　heaven…descended　form　of　the　Goddess　of　Wisdom；　cannot　he
who　dwells　by　thy　shining　oval　look　in　that　mirror　and　contemplate
Himself；the　Native　of　Boston。

There　must　be　some　fatality　which　carries　our　young　men　and　maidens
in　the　direction　of　the　Common　when　they　have　anything　very
particular　to　exchange　their　views　about。　　At　any　rate　I　remember　two
of　our　young　friends　brought　up　here　a　good　many　years　ago；　and　I
understand　that　there　is　one　path　across　the　enclosure　which　a　young
man　must　not　ask　a　young　woman　to　take　with　him　unless　he　means
business；　for　an　action　will　holdfor　breach　of　promise；　if　she
consents　to　accompany　him；　and　he　chooses　to　forget　his　obligations：

Our　two　young　people　stood　at　the　western　edge　of　the　little　pool；
studying　astronomy　in　the　reflected　firmament。　　The　Pleiades　were
trembling　in　the　wave　before　them；　and　the　three　great　stars　of
Orion；for　these　constellations　were　both　glittering　in　the　eastern
sky。

〃There　is　no　place　too　humble　for　the　glories　of　heaven　to　shine　in；〃
she　said

〃And　their　splendor　makes　even　this　little　pool　beautiful　and　noble；〃
he　answered。　　〃Where　is　the　light　to　come　from　that　is　to　do　as　much
for　our　poor　human　lives？〃

A　simple　question　enough；　but　the　young　girl　felt　her　color　change　as
she　answered；　〃From　friendship；　I　think。〃

Grazing　only　as　…yet；not　striking　full；　hardly　hitting　at　all；
but　there　are　questions　and　answers　that　come　so　very　near；　the　wind
of　them　alone　almost　takes　the　breath　away。

There　was　an　interval　of　silence。　　Two　young　persons　can　stand
looking　at　water　for　a　long　time　without　feeling　the　necessity　of
speaking。　　Especially　when　the　water　is　alive　with　stars　and　the
young　persons　are　thoughtful　and　impressible。　　The　water　seems　to　do
half　the　thinking　while　one　is　looking　at　it；　its　movements　are　felt
in　the　brain　very　much　like　thought。　　When　I　was　in　full　training　as
a　flaneur；　I　could　stand　on　the　Pont　Neuf　with　the　other　experts　in
the　great　science　of　passive　cerebration　and　look　at　the　river　for
half　an　hour　with　so　little　mental　articulation　that　when　I　moved　on
it　seemed　as　if　my　thinking…marrow　had　been　asleep　and　was　just
waking　up　refreshed　after　its　nap。

So　the　reader　can　easily　account　for　the　interval　of　silence。　　It　is
hard　to　tell　how　long　it　would　have　lasted；　but　just　then　a　lubberly
intrusive　boy　threw　a　great　stone；　which　convulsed　the　firmament；　the
one　at　their　feet；　I　mean。　　The　six　Pleiads　disappeared　as　if　in
search　of　their　lost　sister；　the　belt　of　Orion　was　broken　asunder；
and　a　hundred　worlds　dissolved　back　into　chaos。　　They　turned　away　and
strayed　off　into　one　of　the　more　open　paths；　where　the　view　of　the
sky　over　them　was　unobstructed。　　For　some　reason　or　other　the
astronomical　lesson　did　not　get　on　very　fast　this　evening。

Presently　the　young　man　asked　his　pupil：

Do　you　know　what　the　constellation　directly　over　our　heads　is？

Is　it　not　Cassiopea？she　asked　a　little　hesitatingly。

No；　it　is　Andromeda。　　You　ought　not　to　have　forgotten　her；　for　I
remember　showing　you　a　double　star；　the　one　in　her　right　foot；
through　the　equatorial　telescope。　　You　have　not　forgotten　the　double
star；the　two　that　shone　for　each　other　and　made　a　little　world　by
themselves？

No；　indeed；she　answered；　and　blushed；　and　felt　ashamed　because
she　had　said　indeed；　as　if　it　had　been　an　emotional　recollection。

The　double…star　allusion　struck　another　dead　silence。　　She　would　have
given　a　week's　pay　to　any　invisible　attendant　that　would　have　cut　her
stay…lace。

At　last：　Do　you　know　the　story　of　Androm