the golden bough-第115节

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　Cinyras　and　observed　by　his　daughters；　we　may　surmise　that　the　kings　of　Paphos　played　the　part　of　the　divine　bridegroom　in　a　less　innocent　rite　than　the　form　of　marriage　with　a　statue；　in　fact；　that　at　certain　festivals　each　of　them　had　to　mate　with　one　or　more　of　the　sacred　harlots　of　the　temple；　who　played　Astarte　to　his　Adonis。　If　that　was　so；　there　is　more　truth　than　has　commonly　been　supposed　in　the　reproach　cast　by　the　Christian　fathers　that　the　Aphrodite　worshipped　by　Cinyras　was　a　common　whore。　The　fruit　of　their　union　would　rank　as　sons　and　daughters　of　the　deity；　and　would　in　time　become　the　parents　of　gods　and　goddesses；　like　their　fathers　and　mothers　before　them。　In　this　manner　Paphos；　and　perhaps　all　sanctuaries　of　the　great　Asiatic　goddess　where　sacred　prostitution　was　practised；　might　be　well　stocked　with　human　deities；　the　offspring　of　the　divine　king　by　his　wives；　concubines；　and　temple　harlots。　Any　one　of　these　might　probably　succeed　his　father　on　the　throne　or　be　sacrificed　in　his　stead　whenever　stress　of　war　or　other　grave　junctures　called；　as　they　sometimes　did；　for　the　death　of　a　royal　victim。　Such　a　tax；　levied　occasionally　on　the　king's　numerous　progeny　for　the　good　of　the　country；　would　neither　extinguish　the　divine　stock　nor　break　the　father's　heart；　who　divided　his　paternal　affection　among　so　many。　At　all　events；　if；　as　there　seems　reason　to　believe；　Semitic　kings　were　often　regarded　at　the　same　time　as　hereditary　deities；　it　is　easy　to　understand　the　frequency　of　Semitic　personal　names　which　imply　that　the　bearers　of　them　were　the　sons　or　daughters；　the　brothers　or　sisters；　the　fathers　or　mothers　of　a　god；　and　we　need　not　resort　to　the　shifts　employed　by　some　scholars　to　evade　the　plain　sense　of　the　words。　This　interpretation　is　confirmed　by　a　parallel　Egyptian　usage；　for　in　Egypt；　where　the　kings　were　worshipped　as　divine；　the　queen　was　called　the　wife　of　the　god　or　the　mother　of　the　god；　and　the　title　father　of　the　god　was　borne　not　only　by　the　king's　real　father　but　also　by　his　father…in…law。　Similarly；　perhaps；　among　the　Semites　any　man　who　sent　his　daughter　to　swell　the　royal　harem　may　have　been　allowed　to　call　himself　the　father　of　the　god。

If　we　may　judge　by　his　name；　the　Semitic　king　who　bore　the　name　of　Cinyras　was；　like　King　David；　a　harper；　for　the　name　of　Cinyras　is　clearly　connected　with　the　Greek　cinyra；　a　lyre；　which　in　its　turn　comes　from　the　Semitic　kinnor；　a　lyre；　the　very　word　applied　to　the　instrument　on　which　David　played　before　Saul。　We　shall　probably　not　err　in　assuming　that　at　Paphos　as　at　Jerusalem　the　music　of　the　lyre　or　harp　was　not　a　mere　pastime　designed　to　while　away　an　idle　hour；　but　formed　part　of　the　service　of　religion；　the　moving　influence　of　its　melodies　being　perhaps　set　down；　like　the　effect　of　wine；　to　the　direct　inspiration　of　a　deity。　Certainly　at　Jerusalem　the　regular　clergy　of　the　temple　prophesied　to　the　music　of　harps；　of　psalteries；　and　of　cymbals；　and　it　appears　that　the　irregular　clergy　also；　as　we　may　call　the　prophets；　depended　on　some　such　stimulus　for　inducing　the　ecstatic　state　which　they　took　for　immediate　converse　with　the　divinity。　Thus　we　read　of　a　band　of　prophets　coming　down　from　a　high　place　with　a　psaltery；　a　timbrel；　a　pipe；　and　a　harp　before　them；　and　prophesying　as　they　went。　Again；　when　the　united　forces　of　Judah　and　Ephraim　were　traversing　the　wilderness　of　Moab　in　pursuit　of　the　enemy；　they　could　find　no　water　for　three　days；　and　were　like　to　die　of　thirst；　they　and　the　beasts　of　burden。　In　this　emergency　the　prophet　Elisha；　who　was　with　the　army；　called　for　a　minstrel　and　bade　him　play。　Under　the　influence　of　the　music　he　ordered　the　soldiers　to　dig　trenches　in　the　sandy　bed　of　the　waterless　waddy　through　which　lay　the　line　of　march。　They　did　so；　and　next　morning　the　trenches　were　full　of　the　water　that　had　drained　down　into　them　underground　from　the　desolate；　forbidding　mountains　on　either　hand。　The　prophet's　success　in　striking　water　in　the　wilderness　resembles　the　reported　success　of　modern　dowsers；　though　his　mode　of　procedure　was　different。　Incidentally　he　rendered　another　service　to　his　countrymen。　For　the　skulking　Moabites　from　their　lairs　among　the　rocks　saw　the　red　sun　of　the　desert　reflected　in　the　water；　and　taking　it　for　the　blood；　or　perhaps　rather　for　an　omen　of　the　blood；　of　their　enemies；　they　plucked　up　heart　to　attack　the　camp　and　were　defeated　with　great　slaughter。

Again；　just　as　the　cloud　of　melancholy　which　from　time　to　time　darkened　the　moody　mind　of　Saul　was　viewed　as　an　evil　spirit　from　the　Lord　vexing　him；　so　on　the　other　hand　the　solemn　strains　of　the　harp；　which　soothed　and　composed　his　troubled　thoughts；　may　well　have　seemed　to　the　hag…ridden　king　the　very　voice　of　God　or　of　his　good　angel　whispering　peace。　Even　in　our　own　day　a　great　religious　writer；　himself　deeply　sensitive　to　the　witchery　of　music；　has　said　that　musical　notes；　with　all　their　power　to　fire　the　blood　and　melt　the　heart；　cannot　be　mere　empty　sounds　and　nothing　more；　no；　they　have　escaped　from　some　higher　sphere；　they　are　outpourings　of　eternal　harmony；　the　voice　of　angels；　the　Magnificat　of　saints。　It　is　thus　that　the　rude　imaginings　of　primitive　man　are　transfigured　and　his　feeble　lispings　echoed　with　a　rolling　reverberation　in　the　musical　prose　of　Newman。　Indeed　the　influence　of　music　on　the　development　of　religion　is　a　subject　which　would　repay　a　sympathetic　study。　For　we　cannot　doubt　that　this；　the　most　intimate　and　affecting　of　all　the　arts；　has　done　much　to　create　as　well　as　to　express　the　religious　emotions；　thus　modifying　more　or　less　deeply　the　fabric　of　belief　to　which　at　first　sight　it　seems　only　to　minister。　The　musician　has　done　his　part　as　well　as　the　prophet　and　the　thinker　in　the　making　of　religion。　Every　faith　has　its　appropriate　music；　and　the　difference　between　the　creeds　might　almost　be　expressed　in　musical　notation。　The　interval；　for　example；　which　divides　the　wild　revels　of　Cybele　from　the　stately　ritual　of　the　Catholic　Church　is　measured　by　the　gulf　which　severs　the　dissonant　clash　of　cymbals　and　tambourines　from　the　grave　harmonies　of　Palestrina　and　Handel。　A　different　spirit　breathes　in　the　difference　of　the　music。

Chapter　32。　The　Ritual　of　Adonis。

AT　THE　FESTIVALS　of　Adonis；　which　were　held　in　Western　Asia　and　in　Greek　lands；　the　death　of　the　god　was　annually　mourned；　with　a　bitter　wailing；　chiefly　by　women；　images　of　him；　dressed　to　resemble　corpses；　were　carried　out　as　to　burial　and　then　thrown　into　the　sea　or　into　springs；　and　in　some　places　his　revival　was　celebrated　on　the　following　day。　But　at　different　places　the　ceremonies　varied　somewhat　in　the　manner　and　apparently　also　in　the　season　of　their　celebration。　At　Alexandria　images　of　Aphrodite　and　Adonis　were　displayed　on　two　couches；　beside　them　were　set　ripe　fruits　of　all　kinds；　cakes；　plants　growing　in　flower…pots；　and　green　bowers　twined　with　anise。　The　marriage　of　the　lovers　was　celebrated　one　day；　and　on　the　morrow　women　attired　as　mourners；　with　streaming　hair　and　bared　breasts；　bore　the　image　of　the　dead　Adonis　to　the　sea…shore　and　committed　it　to　the　waves。　Yet　they　sorrowed　not　without　hope；　for　they　sang　that　the　lost　one　would　come　back　again。　The　date　at　which　this　Alexandrian　ceremony　was　observed　is　not　expressly　stated；　but　from　the　mention　of　the　ripe　fruits　it　has　been　inferred　that　it　took　place　in　late　summer。　In　the　great　Phoenician　sanctuary　of　Astarte　at　Byblus　the　death　of　Adonis　was　annually　mourned；　to　the　shrill　wailing　notes　of　the　flute；　with　weeping；　lamentation；　and　beating　of　the　breast；　but　next　day　he　was　believed　to　come　to　life　again　and　ascend　up　to　heaven　in　the　presence　of　his　worshippers。　The　disconsolate　believers；　left　behind　on　earth；　shaved　their　heads　as　the　Egyptians　did　on　the　death　of　the　divine　bull　Apis；　women　who　could　not　bring　themselves　to　sacrifice　their　beautiful　tresses　had　to　give　themselves　up　to　strangers　on　a　certain　day　of　the　festival；　and　to　dedicate　to　Astarte　the　wages　of　their　shame。

This　Phoenician　festival　appears　to　have　been　a　vernal　one；　for　its　date　was　determined　by　the　discoloration　of　the　river　Adonis；　and　this　has　been　observed　by　modern　travellers　to　occur　in　spring。　At　that　season　the　red　earth　washed　down　from　the　mountains　by　the　rain　tinges　the　water　of　the　river；　and　even　the　sea；　for　a　great　way　with　a　blood…red　hue；　and　the　crimson　stain　was　believed　to　be　the　blood　of　Adonis；　annually　wounded　to　death　by　the　boar　on　Mount　Lebanon。　Again；　the　scarlet　anemone　is　said　to　have　sprung　from　the　blood　of　Adonis；　or　to　have　been　stained　by　it；　and　as　the　anemone　blooms　in　Syria　about　Easter；　this　may　be　thought　to　show　that　the　festival　of　Adonis；　or　at　least　one　of　his　festivals；　was　held　in　spring。　The　name　of　the　flower　is　probably　derived　from　Naaman　（darling）；　which　seems　to　have　been　an　epithet　of　Adonis。　The　Arabs　still　call　the　anemone　wounds　of　the　Naaman。　The　red　rose　also　was　said　to　owe　its　hue　to　the　same　sad　occasion；　for　Aphrodite；　hastening　to　her　wounded　lover；　trod　on　a　bush　of　white　roses；　the　cruel　thorns　tore　her　tender　flesh；　and　her　sacred　blood　dyed　the　white　roses　for　ever　red。　It　would　be　idle；　perhaps；　to　lay　much　weight　on　evidence　drawn　from　the　c