the mirror of the sea-第32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！




governments　of　the　earth　in　a　spirit　of　nervous　and　unreflecting



haste；　whereas　the　right　way　was　lying　plainly　before　them；　and　had



only　to　be　pursued　with　calm　determination。　　The　learned　vigils　and



labours　of　a　certain　class　of　inventors　should　have　been　rewarded



with　honourable　liberality　as　justice　demanded；　and　the　bodies　of



the　inventors　should　have　been　blown　to　pieces　by　means　of　their



own　perfected　explosives　and　improved　weapons　with　extreme



publicity　as　the　commonest　prudence　dictated。　　By　this　method　the



ardour　of　research　in　that　direction　would　have　been　restrained



without　infringing　the　sacred　privileges　of　science。　　For　the　lack



of　a　little　cool　thinking　in　our　guides　and　masters　this　course　has



not　been　followed；　and　a　beautiful　simplicity　has　been　sacrificed



for　no　real　advantage。　　A　frugal　mind　cannot　defend　itself　from



considerable　bitterness　when　reflecting　that　at　the　Battle　of



Actium　（which　was　fought　for　no　less　a　stake　than　the　dominion　of



the　world）　the　fleet　of　Octavianus　Caesar　and　the　fleet　of



Antonius；　including　the　Egyptian　division　and　Cleopatra's　galley



with　purple　sails；　probably　cost　less　than　two　modern　battleships；



or；　as　the　modern　naval　book…jargon　has　it；　two　capital　units。　　But



no　amount　of　lubberly　book…jargon　can　disguise　a　fact　well



calculated　to　afflict　the　soul　of　every　sound　economist。　　It　is　not



likely　that　the　Mediterranean　will　ever　behold　a　battle　with　a



greater　issue；　but　when　the　time　comes　for　another　historical　fight



its　bottom　will　be　enriched　as　never　before　by　a　quantity　of　jagged



scrap…iron；　paid　for　at　pretty　nearly　its　weight　of　gold　by　the



deluded　populations　inhabiting　the　isles　and　continents　of　this



planet。















XXXVIII。















Happy　he　who；　like　Ulysses；　has　made　an　adventurous　voyage；　and



there　is　no　such　sea　for　adventurous　voyages　as　the　Mediterranean　…



the　inland　sea　which　the　ancients　looked　upon　as　so　vast　and　so



full　of　wonders。　　And；　indeed；　it　was　terrible　and　wonderful；　for



it　is　we　alone　who；　swayed　by　the　audacity　of　our　minds　and　the



tremors　of　our　hearts；　are　the　sole　artisans　of　all　the　wonder　and



romance　of　the　world。







It　was　for　the　Mediterranean　sailors　that　fair…haired　sirens　sang



among　the　black　rocks　seething　in　white　foam　and　mysterious　voices



spoke　in　the　darkness　above　the　moving　wave　…　voices　menacing；



seductive；　or　prophetic；　like　that　voice　heard　at　the　beginning　of



the　Christian　era　by　the　master　of　an　African　vessel　in　the　Gulf　of



Syrta；　whose　calm　nights　are　full　of　strange　murmurs　and　flitting



shadows。　　It　called　him　by　name；　bidding　him　go　and　tell　all　men



that　the　great　god　Pan　was　dead。　　But　the　great　legend　of　the



Mediterranean；　the　legend　of　traditional　song　and　grave　history；



lives；　fascinating　and　immortal；　in　our　minds。







The　dark　and　fearful　sea　of　the　subtle　Ulysses'　wanderings；



agitated　by　the　wrath　of　Olympian　gods；　harbouring　on　its　isles　the



fury　of　strange　monsters　and　the　wiles　of　strange　women；　the



highway　of　heroes　and　sages；　of　warriors；　pirates；　and　saints；　the



workaday　sea　of　Carthaginian　merchants　and　the　pleasure　lake　of　the



Roman　Caesars；　claims　the　veneration　of　every　seaman　as　the



historical　home　of　that　spirit　of　open　defiance　against　the　great



waters　of　the　earth　which　is　the　very　soul　of　his　calling。　　Issuing



thence　to　the　west　and　south；　as　a　youth　leaves　the　shelter　of　his



parental　house；　this　spirit　found　the　way　to　the　Indies；　discovered



the　coasts　of　a　new　continent；　and　traversed　at　last　the　immensity



of　the　great　Pacific；　rich　in　groups　of　islands　remote　and



mysterious　like　the　constellations　of　the　sky。







The　first　impulse　of　navigation　took　its　visible　form　in　that



tideless　basin　freed　from　hidden　shoals　and　treacherous　currents；



as　if　in　tender　regard　for　the　infancy　of　the　art。　　The　steep



shores　of　the　Mediterranean　favoured　the　beginners　in　one　of



humanity's　most　daring　enterprises；　and　the　enchanting　inland　sea



of　classic　adventure　has　led　mankind　gently　from　headland　to



headland；　from　bay　to　bay；　from　island　to　island；　out　into　the



promise　of　world…wide　oceans　beyond　the　Pillars　of　Hercules。















XXXIX。















The　charm　of　the　Mediterranean　dwells　in　the　unforgettable　flavour



of　my　early　days；　and　to　this　hour　this　sea；　upon　which　the　Romans



alone　ruled　without　dispute；　has　kept　for　me　the　fascination　of



youthful　romance。　　The　very　first　Christmas　night　I　ever　spent　away



from　land　was　employed　in　running　before　a　Gulf　of　Lions　gale；



which　made　the　old　ship　groan　in　every　timber　as　she　skipped　before



it　over　the　short　seas　until　we　brought　her　to；　battered　and　out　of



breath；　under　the　lee　of　Majorca；　where　the　smooth　water　was　torn



by　fierce　cat's…paws　under　a　very　stormy　sky。







We　…　or；　rather；　they；　for　I　had　hardly　had　two　glimpses　of　salt



water　in　my　life　till　then　…　kept　her　standing　off　and　on　all　that



day；　while　I　listened　for　the　first　time　with　the　curiosity　of　my



tender　years　to　the　song　of　the　wind　in　a　ship's　rigging。　　The



monotonous　and　vibrating　note　was　destined　to　grow　into　the



intimacy　of　the　heart；　pass　into　blood　and　bone；　accompany　the



thoughts　and　acts　of　two　full　decades；　remain　to　haunt　like　a



reproach　the　peace　of　the　quiet　fireside；　and　enter　into　the　very



texture　of　respectable　dreams　dreamed　safely　under　a　roof　of



rafters　and　tiles。　　The　wind　was　fair；　but　that　day　we　ran　no　more。







The　thing　（I　will　not　call　her　a　ship　twice　in　the　same　half…hour）



leaked。　　She　leaked　fully；　generously；　overflowingly；　all　over　…



like　a　basket。　　I　took　an　enthusiastic　part　in　the　excitement



caused　by　that　last　infirmity　of　noble　ships；　without　concerning



myself　much　with　the　why　or　the　wherefore。　　The　surmise　of　my



maturer　years　is　that；　bored　by　her　interminable　life；　the



venerable　antiquity　was　simply　yawning　with　ennui　at　every　seam。



But　at　the　time　I　did　not　know；　I　knew　generally　very　little；　and



least　of　all　what　I　was　doing　in　that　GALERE。







I　remember　that；　exactly　as　in　the　comedy　of　Moliere；　my　uncle



asked　the　precise　question　in　the　very　words　…　not　of　my



confidential　valet；　however；　but　across　great　distances　of　land；　in



a　letter　whose　mocking　but　indulgent　turn　ill　concealed　his　almost



paternal　anxiety。　　I　fancy　I　tried　to　convey　to　him　my　（utterly



unfounded）　impression　that　the　West　Indies　awaited　my　coming。　　I



had　to　go　there。　　It　was　a　sort　of　mystic　conviction　…　something　in



the　nature　of　a　call。　　But　it　was　difficult　to　state　intelligibly



the　grounds　of　this　belief　to　that　man　of　rigorous　logic；　if　of



infinite　charity。







The　truth　must　have　been　that；　all　unversed　in　the　arts　of　the　wily



Greek；　the　deceiver　of　gods；　the　lover　of　strange　women；　the　evoker



of　bloodthirsty　shades；　I　yet　longed　for　the　beginning　of　my　own



obscure　Odyssey；　which；　as　was　proper　for　a　modern；　should　unroll



its　wonders　and　terrors　beyond　the　Pillars　of　Hercules。　　The



disdainful　ocean　did　not　open　wide　to　swallow　up　my　audacity；



though　the　ship；　the　ridiculous　and　ancient　GALERE　of　my　folly；　the



old；　weary；　disenchanted　sugar…waggon；　seemed　extremely　disposed　to



open　out　and　swallow　up　as　much　salt　water　as　she　could　hold。



This；　if　less　grandiose；　would　have　been　as　final　a　catastrophe。







But　no　catastrophe　occurred。　　I　lived　to　watch　on　a　strange　shore　a



black　and　youthful　Nausicaa；　with　a　joyous　train　of　attendant



maidens；　carrying　baskets　of　linen　to　a　clear　stream　overhung　by



the　heads　of　slender　palm…trees。　　The　vivid　colours　of　their　draped



raiment　and　the　gold　of　their　earrings　invested　with　a　barbaric　and



regal　magnificence　their　figures；　stepping　out　freely　in　a　shower



of　broken　sunshine。　　The　whiteness　of　their　teeth　was　still　more



dazzling　than　the　splendour　of　jewels　at　their　ears。　　The　shaded



side　of　the　ravine　gleamed　with　their　smiles。　　They　were　as



unabashed　as　so　many　princesses；　but；　alas！　not　one　of　them　was　the



daughter　of　a　jet…black　sovereign。　　Such　was　my　abominable　luck　in



being　born　by　the　mere　hair's　breadth　of　twenty…five　centuries　too



late　into　a　world　where　kings　have　been　growing　scarce　with



scandalous　rapidity；　while　the　few　who　remain　have　adopted　the



uninteresting　manners　and　customs　of　simple　millionaires。



Obviously　it　was　a　vain　hope　in　187…　to　see　the　ladies　of　a　royal



household　walk　in　chequered　sunshine；　with　baskets　of　linen　on



their　heads；　to　the　banks　of　a　clear　stream　overhung　by　the　starry



fronds　of　palm…trees。　　It　was　a　vain　hope。　　If　I　did　not　ask　myself



whether；　limited　by　such　discouraging　impossibilities；　life　were



still　worth　living；　it　was　only　because　I　had　then　before　me



several　other　pressing　questi