the golden bough-第14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！


rothers　who　desired　to　live　at　unity　were　advised　to　carry　magnets　about　with　them；　which；　by　drawing　the　twain　together；　would　clearly　prevent　them　from　falling　out。

The　ancient　books　of　the　Hindoos　lay　down　a　rule　that　after　sunset　on　his　marriage　night　a　man　should　sit　silent　with　his　wife　till　the　stars　begin　to　twinkle　in　the　sky。　When　the　pole…star　appears；　he　should　point　it　out　to　her；　and；　addressing　the　star；　say；　Firm　art　thou；　I　see　thee；　the　firm　one。　Firm　be　thou　with　me；　O　thriving　one！　Then；　turning　to　his　wife；　he　should　say；　To　me　Brihaspati　has　given　thee；　obtaining　offspring　through　me；　thy　husband；　live　with　me　a　hundred　autumns。　The　intention　of　the　ceremony　is　plainly　to　guard　against　the　fickleness　of　fortune　and　the　instability　of　earthly　bliss　by　the　steadfast　influence　of　the　constant　star。　It　is　the　wish　expressed　in　Keats's　last　sonnet：

Bright　star！　would　I　were　steadfast　as　thou　art　Not　in　lone　splendour　hung　aloft　the　night。

Dwellers　by　the　sea　cannot　fail　to　be　impressed　by　the　sight　of　its　ceaseless　ebb　and　flow；　and　are　apt；　on　the　principles　of　that　rude　philosophy　of　sympathy　and　resemblance　which　here　engages　our　attention；　to　trace　a　subtle　relation；　a　secret　harmony；　between　its　tides　and　the　life　of　man；　of　animals；　and　of　plants。　In　the　flowing　tide　they　see　not　merely　a　symbol；　but　a　cause　of　exuberance；　of　prosperity；　and　of　life；　while　in　the　ebbing　tide　they　discern　a　real　agent　as　well　as　a　melancholy　emblem　of　failure；　of　weakness；　and　of　death。　The　Breton　peasant　fancies　that　clover　sown　when　the　tide　is　coming　in　will　grow　well；　but　that　if　the　plant　be　sown　at　low　water　or　when　the　tide　is　going　out；　it　will　never　reach　maturity；　and　that　the　cows　which　feed　on　it　will　burst。　His　wife　believes　that　the　best　butter　is　made　when　the　tide　has　just　turned　and　is　beginning　to　flow；　that　milk　which　foams　in　the　churn　will　go　on　foaming　till　the　hour　of　high　water　is　past；　and　that　water　drawn　from　the　well　or　milk　extracted　from　the　cow　while　the　tide　is　rising　will　boil　up　in　the　pot　or　saucepan　and　overflow　into　the　fire。　According　to　some　of　the　ancients；　the　skins　of　seals；　even　after　they　had　been　parted　from　their　bodies；　remained　in　secret　sympathy　with　the　sea；　and　were　observed　to　ruffle　when　the　tide　was　on　the　ebb。　Another　ancient　belief；　attributed　to　Aristotle；　was　that　no　creature　can　die　except　at　ebb　tide。　The　belief；　if　we　can　trust　Pliny；　was　confirmed　by　experience；　so　far　as　regards　human　beings；　on　the　coast　of　France。　Philostratus　also　assures　us　that　at　Cadiz　dying　people　never　yielded　up　the　ghost　while　the　water　was　high。　A　like　fancy　still　lingers　in　some　parts　of　Europe。　On　the　Cantabrian　coast　they　think　that　persons　who　die　of　chronic　or　acute　disease　expire　at　the　moment　when　the　tide　begins　to　recede。　In　Portugal；　all　along　the　coast　of　Wales；　and　on　some　parts　of　the　coast　of　Brittany；　a　belief　is　said　to　prevail　that　people　are　born　when　the　tide　comes　in；　and　die　when　it　goes　out。　Dickens　attests　the　existence　of　the　same　superstition　in　England。　People　can't　die；　along　the　coast；　said　Mr。　Pegotty；　except　when　the　tide's　pretty　nigh　out。　They　can't　be　born；　unless　it's　pretty　nigh　innot　properly　born　till　flood。　The　belief　that　most　deaths　happen　at　ebb　tide　is　said　to　be　held　along　the　east　coast　of　England　from　Northumberland　to　Kent。　Shakespeare　must　have　been　familiar　with　it；　for　he　makes　Falstaff　die　even　just　between　twelve　and　one；　e'en　at　the　turning　o'　the　tide。　We　meet　the　belief　again　on　the　Pacific　coast　of　North　America　among　the　Haidas。　Whenever　a　good　Haida　is　about　to　die　he　sees　a　canoe　manned　by　some　of　his　dead　friends；　who　come　with　the　tide　to　bid　him　welcome　to　the　spirit　land。　Come　with　us　now；　they　say；　for　the　tide　is　about　to　ebb　and　we　must　depart。　At　Port　Stephens；　in　New　South　Wales；　the　natives　always　buried　their　dead　at　flood　tide；　never　at　ebb；　lest　the　retiring　water　should　bear　the　soul　of　the　departed　to　some　distant　country。

To　ensure　a　long　life　the　Chinese　have　recourse　to　certain　complicated　charms；　which　concentrate　in　themselves　the　magical　essence　emanating；　on　homoeopathic　principles；　from　times　and　seasons；　from　persons　and　from　things。　The　vehicles　employed　to　transmit　these　happy　influences　are　no　other　than　grave…clothes。　These　are　provided　by　many　Chinese　in　their　lifetime；　and　most　people　have　them　cut　out　and　sewn　by　an　unmarried　girl　or　a　very　young　woman；　wisely　calculating　that；　since　such　a　person　is　likely　to　live　a　great　many　years　to　come；　a　part　of　her　capacity　to　live　long　must　surely　pass　into　the　clothes；　and　thus　stave　off　for　many　years　the　time　when　they　shall　be　put　to　their　proper　use。　Further；　the　garments　are　made　by　preference　in　a　year　which　has　an　intercalary　month；　for　to　the　Chinese　mind　it　seems　plain　that　grave…clothes　made　in　a　year　which　is　unusually　long　will　possess　the　capacity　of　prolonging　life　in　an　unusually　high　degree。　Amongst　the　clothes　there　is　one　robe　in　particular　on　which　special　pains　have　been　lavished　to　imbue　it　with　this　priceless　quality。　It　is　a　long　silken　gown　of　the　deepest　blue　colour；　with　the　word　longevity　embroidered　all　over　it　in　thread　of　gold。　To　present　an　aged　parent　with　one　of　these　costly　and　splendid　mantles；　known　as　longevity　garments；　is　esteemed　by　the　Chinese　an　act　of　filial　piety　and　a　delicate　mark　of　attention。　As　the　garment　purports　to　prolong　the　life　of　its　owner；　he　often　wears　it；　especially　on　festive　occasions；　in　order　to　allow　the　influence　of　longevity；　created　by　the　many　golden　letters　with　which　it　is　bespangled；　to　work　their　full　effect　upon　his　person。　On　his　birthday；　above　all；　he　hardly　ever　fails　to　don　it；　for　in　China　common　sense　bids　a　man　lay　in　a　large　stock　of　vital　energy　on　his　birthday；　to　be　expended　in　the　form　of　health　and　vigour　during　the　rest　of　the　year。　Attired　in　the　gorgeous　pall；　and　absorbing　its　blessed　influence　at　every　pore；　the　happy　owner　receives　complacently　the　congratulations　of　friends　and　relations；　who　warmly　express　their　admiration　of　these　magnificent　cerements；　and　of　the　filial　piety　which　prompted　the　children　to　bestow　so　beautiful　and　useful　a　present　on　the　author　of　their　being。

Another　application　of　the　maxim　that　like　produces　like　is　seen　in　the　Chinese　belief　that　the　fortunes　of　a　town　are　deeply　affected　by　its　shape；　and　that　they　must　vary　according　to　the　character　of　the　thing　which　that　shape　most　nearly　resembles。　Thus　it　is　related　that　long　ago　the　town　of　Tsuen…cheu…fu；　the　outlines　of　which　are　like　those　of　a　carp；　frequently　fell　a　prey　to　the　depredations　of　the　neighbouring　city　of　Yung…chun；　which　is　shaped　like　a　fishing…net；　until　the　inhabitants　of　the　former　town　conceived　the　plan　of　erecting　two　tall　pagodas　in　their　midst。　These　pagodas；　which　still　tower　above　the　city　of　Tsuen…cheu…fu；　have　ever　since　exercised　the　happiest　influence　over　its　destiny　by　intercepting　the　imaginary　net　before　it　could　descend　and　entangle　in　its　meshes　the　imaginary　carp。　Some　forty　years　ago　the　wise　men　of　Shanghai　were　much　exercised　to　discover　the　cause　of　a　local　rebellion。　On　careful　enquiry　they　ascertained　that　the　rebellion　was　due　to　the　shape　of　a　large　new　temple　which　had　most　unfortunately　been　built　in　the　shape　of　a　tortoise；　an　animal　of　the　very　worst　character。　The　difficulty　was　serious；　the　danger　was　pressing；　for　to　pull　down　the　temple　would　have　been　impious；　and　to　let　it　stand　as　it　was　would　be　to　court　a　succession　of　similar　or　worse　disasters。　However；　the　genius　of　the　local　professors　of　geomancy；　rising　to　the　occasion；　triumphantly　surmounted　the　difficulty　and　obviated　the　danger。　By　filling　up　two　wells；　which　represented　the　eyes　of　the　tortoise；　they　at　once　blinded　that　disreputable　animal　and　rendered　him　incapable　of　doing　further　mischief。

Sometimes　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic　is　called　in　to　annul　an　evil　omen　by　accomplishing　it　in　mimicry。　The　effect　is　to　circumvent　destiny　by　substituting　a　mock　calamity　for　a　real　one。　In　Madagascar　this　mode　of　cheating　the　fates　is　reduced　to　a　regular　system。　Here　every　man's　fortune　is　determined　by　the　day　or　hour　of　his　birth；　and　if　that　happens　to　be　an　unlucky　one　his　fate　is　sealed；　unless　the　mischief　can　be　extracted；　as　the　phrase　goes；　by　means　of　a　substitute。　The　ways　of　extracting　the　mischief　are　various。　For　example；　if　a　man　is　born　on　the　first　day　of　the　second　month　（February）；　his　house　will　be　burnt　down　when　he　comes　of　age。　To　take　time　by　the　forelock　and　avoid　this　catastrophe；　the　friends　of　the　infant　will　set　up　a　shed　in　a　field　or　in　the　cattle…fold　and　burn　it。　If　the　ceremony　is　to　be　really　effective；　the　child　and　his　mother　should　be　placed　in　the　shed　and　only　plucked；　like　brands；　from　the　burning　hut　before　it　is　too　late。　Again；　dripping　November　is　the　month　of　tears；　and　he　who　is　born　in　it　is　born　to　sorrow。　But　in　order　to　disperse　the　clouds　that　thus　gather　over　his　future；　he　has　nothing　to　do　but　to　take　the　lid　off　a　boiling　pot　and　wave　it　about。　The　drops　that　fall　from　it　will　accomplish　his　destiny　and　so　prevent　the　tears　from　trickling　from　his　eyes。　Again；　if　fate　has　decreed　that　a　young　girl；