the mirror of the sea-第1节

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The　Mirror　of　the　Sea







by　Joseph　Conrad























Contents：











I。　　　　　　　Landfalls　and　Departures



IV。　　　　　　Emblems　of　Hope



VII。　　　　　The　Fine　Art



X。　　　　　　　Cobwebs　and　Gossamer



XIII。　　　　The　Weight　of　the　Burden



XVI。　　　　　Overdue　and　Missing



XX。　　　　　　The　Grip　of　the　Land



XXII。　　　　The　Character　of　the　Foe



XXV。　　　　　Rules　of　East　and　West



XXX。　　　　　The　Faithful　River



XXXIII。　　In　Captivity



XXXV。　　　　Initiation



XXXVII。　　The　Nursery　of　the　Craft



XL。　　　　　　The　Tremolino



XLVI。　　　　The　Heroic　Age















CHAPTER　I。















〃And　shippes　by　the　brinke　comen　and　gon；



And　in　swich　forme　endure　a　day　or　two。〃



THE　FRANKELEYN'S　TALE。











Landfall　and　Departure　mark　the　rhythmical　swing　of　a　seaman's　life



and　of　a　ship's　career。　　From　land　to　land　is　the　most　concise



definition　of　a　ship's　earthly　fate。







A　〃Departure〃　is　not　what　a　vain　people　of　landsmen　may　think。　　The



term　〃Landfall〃　is　more　easily　understood；　you　fall　in　with　the



land；　and　it　is　a　matter　of　a　quick　eye　and　of　a　clear　atmosphere。



The　Departure　is　not　the　ship's　going　away　from　her　port　any　more



than　the　Landfall　can　be　looked　upon　as　the　synonym　of　arrival。



But　there　is　this　difference　in　the　Departure：　　that　the　term　does



not　imply　so　much　a　sea　event　as　a　definite　act　entailing　a　process



…　the　precise　observation　of　certain　landmarks　by　means　of　the



compass　card。







Your　Landfall；　be　it　a　peculiarly…shaped　mountain；　a　rocky



headland；　or　a　stretch　of　sand…dunes；　you　meet　at　first　with　a



single　glance。　　Further　recognition　will　follow　in　due　course；　but



essentially　a　Landfall；　good　or　bad；　is　made　and　done　with　at　the



first　cry　of　〃Land　ho！〃　　The　Departure　is　distinctly　a　ceremony　of



navigation。　　A　ship　may　have　left　her　port　some　time　before；　she



may　have　been　at　sea；　in　the　fullest　sense　of　the　phrase；　for　days；



but；　for　all　that；　as　long　as　the　coast　she　was　about　to　leave



remained　in　sight；　a　southern…going　ship　of　yesterday　had　not　in



the　sailor's　sense　begun　the　enterprise　of　a　passage。







The　taking　of　Departure；　if　not　the　last　sight　of　the　land；　is；



perhaps；　the　last　professional　recognition　of　the　land　on　the　part



of　a　sailor。　　It　is　the　technical；　as　distinguished　from　the



sentimental；　〃good…bye。〃　　Henceforth　he　has　done　with　the　coast



astern　of　his　ship。　　It　is　a　matter　personal　to　the　man。　　It　is　not



the　ship　that　takes　her　departure；　the　seaman　takes　his　Departure



by　means　of　cross…bearings　which　fix　the　place　of　the　first　tiny



pencil…cross　on　the　white　expanse　of　the　track…chart；　where　the



ship's　position　at　noon　shall　be　marked　by　just　such　another　tiny



pencil　cross　for　every　day　of　her　passage。　　And　there　may　be　sixty；



eighty；　any　number　of　these　crosses　on　the　ship's　track　from　land



to　land。　　The　greatest　number　in　my　experience　was　a　hundred　and



thirty　of　such　crosses　from　the　pilot　station　at　the　Sand　Heads　in



the　Bay　of　Bengal　to　the　Scilly's　light。　　A　bad　passage。　。　。







A　Departure；　the　last　professional　sight　of　land；　is　always　good；



or　at　least　good　enough。　　For；　even　if　the　weather　be　thick；　it



does　not　matter　much　to　a　ship　having　all　the　open　sea　before　her



bows。　　A　Landfall　may　be　good　or　bad。　　You　encompass　the　earth　with



one　particular　spot　of　it　in　your　eye。　　In　all　the　devious　tracings



the　course　of　a　sailing…ship　leaves　upon　the　white　paper　of　a　chart



she　is　always　aiming　for　that　one　little　spot　…　maybe　a　small



island　in　the　ocean；　a　single　headland　upon　the　long　coast　of　a



continent；　a　lighthouse　on　a　bluff；　or　simply　the　peaked　form　of　a



mountain　like　an　ant…heap　afloat　upon　the　waters。　　But　if　you　have



sighted　it　on　the　expected　bearing；　then　that　Landfall　is　good。



Fogs；　snowstorms；　gales　thick　with　clouds　and　rain　…　those　are　the



enemies　of　good　Landfalls。















II。















Some　commanders　of　ships　take　their　Departure　from　the　home　coast



sadly；　in　a　spirit　of　grief　and　discontent。　　They　have　a　wife；



children　perhaps；　some　affection　at　any　rate；　or　perhaps　only　some



pet　vice；　that　must　be　left　behind　for　a　year　or　more。　　I　remember



only　one　man　who　walked　his　deck　with　a　springy　step；　and　gave　the



first　course　of　the　passage　in　an　elated　voice。　　But　he；　as　I



learned　afterwards；　was　leaving　nothing　behind　him；　except　a　welter



of　debts　and　threats　of　legal　proceedings。







On　the　other　hand；　I　have　known　many　captains　who；　directly　their



ship　had　left　the　narrow　waters　of　the　Channel；　would　disappear



from　the　sight　of　their　ship's　company　altogether　for　some　three



days　or　more。　　They　would　take　a　long　dive；　as　it　were；　into　their



state…room；　only　to　emerge　a　few　days　afterwards　with　a　more　or



less　serene　brow。　　Those　were　the　men　easy　to　get　on　with。



Besides；　such　a　complete　retirement　seemed　to　imply　a　satisfactory



amount　of　trust　in　their　officers；　and　to　be　trusted　displeases　no



seaman　worthy　of　the　name。







On　my　first　voyage　as　chief　mate　with　good　Captain　MacW…　I　remember



that　I　felt　quite　flattered；　and　went　blithely　about　my　duties；



myself　a　commander　for　all　practical　purposes。　　Still；　whatever　the



greatness　of　my　illusion；　the　fact　remained　that　the　real　commander



was　there；　backing　up　my　self…confidence；　though　invisible　to　my



eyes　behind　a　maple…wood　veneered　cabin…door　with　a　white　china



handle。







That　is　the　time；　after　your　Departure　is　taken；　when　the　spirit　of



your　commander　communes　with　you　in　a　muffled　voice；　as　if　from　the



sanctum　sanctorum　of　a　temple；　because；　call　her　a　temple　or　a



〃hell　afloat〃　…　as　some　ships　have　been　called　…　the　captain's



state…room　is　surely　the　august　place　in　every　vessel。







The　good　MacW…　would　not　even　come　out　to　his　meals；　and　fed



solitarily　in　his　holy　of　holies　from　a　tray　covered　with　a　white



napkin。　　Our　steward　used　to　bend　an　ironic　glance　at　the　perfectly



empty　plates　he　was　bringing　out　from　there。　　This　grief　for　his



home；　which　overcomes　so　many　married　seamen；　did　not　deprive



Captain　MacW…　of　his　legitimate　appetite。　　In　fact；　the　steward



would　almost　invariably　come　up　to　me；　sitting　in　the　captain's



chair　at　the　head　of　the　table；　to　say　in　a　grave　murmur；　〃The



captain　asks　for　one　more　slice　of　meat　and　two　potatoes。〃　　We；　his



officers；　could　hear　him　moving　about　in　his　berth；　or　lightly



snoring；　or　fetching　deep　sighs；　or　splashing　and　blowing　in　his



bath…room；　and　we　made　our　reports　to　him　through　the　keyhole；　as



it　were。　　It　was　the　crowning　achievement　of　his　amiable　character



that　the　answers　we　got　were　given　in　a　quite　mild　and　friendly



tone。　　Some　commanders　in　their　periods　of　seclusion　are　constantly



grumpy；　and　seem　to　resent　the　mere　sound　of　your　voice　as　an



injury　and　an　insult。







But　a　grumpy　recluse　cannot　worry　his　subordinates：　　whereas　the



man　in　whom　the　sense　of　duty　is　strong　（or；　perhaps；　only　the



sense　of　self…importance）；　and　who　persists　in　airing　on　deck　his



moroseness　all　day　…　and　perhaps　half　the　night　…　becomes　a



grievous　infliction。　　He　walks　the　poop　darting　gloomy　glances；　as



though　he　wished　to　poison　the　sea；　and　snaps　your　head　off



savagely　whenever　you　happen　to　blunder　within　earshot。　　And　these



vagaries　are　the　harder　to　bear　patiently；　as　becomes　a　man　and　an



officer；　because　no　sailor　is　really　good…tempered　during　the　first



few　days　of　a　voyage。　　There　are　regrets；　memories；　the　instinctive



longing　for　the　departed　idleness；　the　instinctive　hate　of　all



work。　　Besides；　things　have　a　knack　of　going　wrong　at　the　start；



especially　in　the　matter　of　irritating　trifles。　　And　there　is　the



abiding　thought　of　a　whole　year　of　more　or　less　hard　life　before



one；　because　there　was　hardly　a　southern…going　voyage　in　the



yesterday　of　the　sea　which　meant　anything　less　than　a　twelvemonth。



Yes；　it　needed　a　few　days　after　the　taking　of　your　departure　for　a



ship's　company　to　shake　down　into　their　places；　and　for　the



soothing　deep…water　ship　routine　to　establish　its　beneficent　sway。







It　is　a　great　doctor　for　sore　hearts　and　sore　heads；　too；　your



ship's　routine；　which　I　have　seen　soothe　…　at　least　for　a　time　…



the　most　turbulent　of　spirits。　　There　is　health　in　it；　and　peace；



and　satisfaction　of　the　accomplished　round；　for　each　day　of　the



ship's　life　seems　to　close　a　circle　within　the　wide　ring　of　the　sea



horizon。　　It　borrows　a　certain　dignity　of　sameness　from　the



majestic　monotony　of　the　sea。　　He　who　loves　the　sea　loves　also　the



ship's　routine。







Nowhere　else　than　upon　the　sea　do　the　days；　weeks　and　months　fall



away　quicker　into　the　past。　　They　seem　to　be　left　astern　as　easily



as　the　light　air…bubbles　in　the　swirls　of