章节正文
There was an artist once, and he painted a picture. Other artists had
colours richer and rarer, and painted more notable pictures. He painted
his with one colour, there was a wonderful red glow on it; and the people
went up and down, saying, "We like the picture, we like the glow."
The other artists came and said, "Where does he get his colour from?" They
asked him; and he smiled and said, "I cannot tell you"; and worked on with
his head bent low.
And one went to the far East and bought costly pigments, and made a rare
colour and painted, but after a time the picture faded. Another read in
the old books, and made a colour rich and rare, but when he had put it on
the picture it was dead.
But the artist painted on. Always the work got redder and redder, and the
artist grew whiter and whiter. At last one day they found him dead before
his picture, and they took him up to bury him. The other men looked about
in all the pots and crucibles, but they found nothing they had not.
And when they undressed him to put his grave-clothes on him, they found
above his left breast the mark of a wound--it was an old, old wound, that
must have been there all his life, for the edges were old and hardened; but
Death, who seals all things, had drawn the edges together, and closed it
up.
And they buried him. And still the people went about saying, "Where did he
find his colour from?"
And it came to pass that after a while the artist was forgotten--but the
work lived.
St. Leonards-on-Sea.
X. "I THOUGHT I STOOD."
I thought I stood in Heaven before God's throne, and God asked me what I
had come for. I said I had come to arraign my brother, Man.
God said, "What has he done?"
I said, "He has taken my sister, Woman, and has stricken her, and wounded
her, and thrust her out into the streets; she lies there prostrate. His
hands are red with blood. I am here to arraign him; that the kingdom be
taken from him, because he is not worthy, and given unto me. My hands are
pure."
I showed them.
God said, "Thy hands are pure.--Lift up thy robe."
I raised it; my feet were red, blood-red, as if I had trodden in wine.
God said, "How is this?"
I said, "Dear Lord, the streets on earth are full of mire. If I should
walk straight on in them my outer robe might be bespotted, you see how
white it is! Therefore I pick my way."
God said, "On what?"
I was silent, and I let my robe fall. I wrapped my mantle about my head.
I went out softly. I was afraid that the angels would see me.
II.
Once more I stood at the gate of Heaven, I and another. We held fast by
one another; we were very tired. We looked up at the great gates; the
angels opened them, and we went in. The mud was on our garments. We
walked across the marble floor, and up to the great throne. Then the
angels divided us. Her, they set upon the top step, but me, upon the
bottom; for, they said, "Last time this woman came here she left red foot-
marks on the floor; we had to wash them out with our tears. Let her not go
up."
Then she, with whom I came, looked back, and stretched out her hand to me;
and I went and stood beside her. And the angels, they, the shining ones
who never sinned and never suffered, walked by us to and fro and up and
down; I think we should have felt a little lonely there if it had not been
for one another, the angels were so bright.
God asked me what I had come for; and I drew my sister forward a little
that he might see her.
God said, "How is it you are here together today?"
I said, "She was upon the ground in the street, and they passed over her; I
lay down by her, and she put her arms around my neck, and so I lifted her,
and we two rose together."
God said, "Whom are you now come to accuse before me?"
I said, "We are come to accuse no man."
And God bent, and said, "My children--what is it that ye seek?"
And she beside me drew my hand that I should speak for both.
I said, "We have come to ask that thou shouldst speak to Man, our brother,
and give us a message for him that he might understand, and that he
might--"
God said, "Go, take the message down to him!"
I said, "But what is the message?"
God said, "Upon your hearts it is written; take it down to him."
And we turned to go; the angels went with us to the door. They looked at
us.
And one said--"Ai! but their dresses are beautiful!"
And the other said, "I thought it was mire when they came in, but see, it
is all golden!"
But another said, "Hush, it is the light from their faces!"
And we went down to him.
Alassio, Italy.
XI. THE SUNLIGHT LAY ACROSS MY BED.
In the dark one night I lay upon my bed. I heard the policeman's feet beat
on the pavement; I heard the wheels of carriages roll home from houses of
entertainment; I heard a woman's laugh below my window--and then I fell
asleep. And in the dark I dreamt a dream. I dreamt God took my soul to
Hell.
Hell was a fair place; the water of the lake was blue.
I said to God, "I like this place."
God said, "Ay, dost thou!"
Birds sang, turf came to the water-edge, and trees grew from it. Away off
among the trees I saw beautiful women walking. Their clothes were of many
delicate colours and clung to them, and they were tall and graceful and had
yellow hair. Their robes trailed over the grass. They glided in and out
among the trees, and over their heads hung yellow fruit like large pears of
melted gold.
I said, "It is very fair; I would go up and taste the--"
God said, "Wait."
And after a while I noticed a very fair woman pass: she looked this way
and that, and drew down a branch, and it seemed she kissed the fruit upon
it softly, and went on her way, and her dress made no rustle as she passed
over the grass. And when I saw her no more, from among the stems came
another woman fair as she had been, in a delicate tinted robe; she looked
this way and that. When she saw no one there she drew down the fruit, and
when she had looked over it to find a place, she put her mouth to it
softly, and went away. And I saw other and other women come, making no
noise, and they glided away also over the grass.
And I said to God, "What are they doing?"
God said, "They are poisoning."
And I said, "How?"
God said, "They touch it with their lips, when they have made a tiny wound
in it with their fore-teeth they set in it that which is under their
tongues: they close it with their lip--that no man may see the place, and
pass on."
I said to God, "Why do they do it?"
God said, "That another may not eat."
I said to God, "But if they poison all then none dare eat; what do they
gain?"
God said, "Nothing."
I said, "Are they not afraid they themselves may bite where another has
bitten?"
God said, "They are afraid. In Hell all men fear."
He called me further. And the water of the lake seemed less blue.
Then, to the right among the trees were men working. And I said to God, "I
should like to go and work with them. Hell must be a very fruitful place,
the grass is so green."
God said, "Nothing grows in the garden they are making."
We stood looking; and I saw them working among the bushes, digging holes,
but in them they set nothing; and when they had covered them with sticks
and earth each went a way off and sat behind the bushes watching; and I
noticed that as each walked he set his foot down carefully looking where he
trod. I said to God, "What are they doing?"
God said, "Making pitfalls into which their fellows may sink."
I said to God, "Why do they do it?"
God said, "Because each thinks that when his brother falls he will rise."
I said to God, "How will he rise?"
God said, "He will not rise."
And I saw their eyes gleam from behind the bushes.
I said to God, "Are these men sane?"
God said, "They are not sane; there is no sane man in Hell."
And he told me to come further.
And I looked where I trod.
And we came where Hell opened into a plain, and a great house stood there.
Marble pillars upheld the roof, and white marble steps let up to it. The
wind of heaven blew through it. Only at the back hung a thick curtain.
Fair men and women there feasted at long tables. They danced, and I saw
the robes of women flutter in the air and heard the laugh of strong men.
What they feasted with was wine; they drew it from large jars which stood
somewhat in the background, and I saw the wine sparkle as they drew it.
And I said to God, "I should like to go up and drink." And God said,
"Wait." And I saw men coming in to the Banquet House; they came in from
the back and lifted the corner of the curtain at the sides and crept in
quickly; and they let the curtain fall behind them; they bore great jars
they could hardly carry. And the men and women crowded round them, and the
new-comers opened their jars and gave them of the wine to drink; and I saw
that the women drank even more greedily than the men. And when others had
well drunken they set the jars among the old ones beside the wall, and took
their places at the table. And I saw that some of the jars were very old
and mildewed and dusty, but others had still drops of new must on them and
shone from the furnace.
And I said to God, "What is that?" For amid the sound of the singing, and
over the dancing of feet, and over the laughing across the wine-cups I
heard a cry.
And God said, "Stand a way off."
And he took me where I saw both sides of the curtain. Behind the house was
the wine-press where the wine was made. I saw the grapes crushed, and I
heard them cry. I said, "Do not they on the other side hear it?"
God said, "The curtain is thick; they are feasting."
And I said, "But the men who came in last. They saw?"
God said, "They let the curtain fall behind them--and they forget!"
I said, "How came they by their jars of wine?"
God said, "In the treading of the press these are they who came to the top;
they have climbed out over the edge, and filled their jars from below, and
have gone into the house."
And I said, "And if they had fallen as they climbed--?"
God said, "They had been wine."
I stood a way off watching in the sunshine, and I shivered.
God lay in the sunshine watching too.
Then there rose one among the feasters, who said, "My brethren, let us
pray!"
And all the men and women rose: and strong men bowed their heads, and
mothers folded their little children's hands together, and turned their
faces upwards, to the roof. And he who first had risen stood at the table
head, and stretched out both his hands, and his beard was long and white,
and his sleeves and his beard had been dipped in wine; and because the
sleeves were wide and full they held much wine, and it dropped down upon
the floor.
And he cried, "My brothers and my sisters, let us pray."
And all the men and women answered, "Let us pray."
He cried, "For this fair banquet-house we thank thee, Lord."
And all the men and women said "We thank thee, Lord."
"Thine is this house, dear Lord."
"Thine is this house."
"For us hast thou made it."
"For us."
"Oh, fill our jars with wine, dear Lord."
"Our jars with wine."
"Give peace and plenty in our time, dear Lord."
"Peace and plenty in our time"--I said to God, "Whom is it they are talking
to?" God said, "Do I know whom they speak of?" And I saw they were
colours richer and rarer, and painted more notable pictures. He painted
his with one colour, there was a wonderful red glow on it; and the people
went up and down, saying, "We like the picture, we like the glow."
The other artists came and said, "Where does he get his colour from?" They
asked him; and he smiled and said, "I cannot tell you"; and worked on with
his head bent low.
And one went to the far East and bought costly pigments, and made a rare
colour and painted, but after a time the picture faded. Another read in
the old books, and made a colour rich and rare, but when he had put it on
the picture it was dead.
But the artist painted on. Always the work got redder and redder, and the
artist grew whiter and whiter. At last one day they found him dead before
his picture, and they took him up to bury him. The other men looked about
in all the pots and crucibles, but they found nothing they had not.
And when they undressed him to put his grave-clothes on him, they found
above his left breast the mark of a wound--it was an old, old wound, that
must have been there all his life, for the edges were old and hardened; but
Death, who seals all things, had drawn the edges together, and closed it
up.
And they buried him. And still the people went about saying, "Where did he
find his colour from?"
And it came to pass that after a while the artist was forgotten--but the
work lived.
St. Leonards-on-Sea.
X. "I THOUGHT I STOOD."
I thought I stood in Heaven before God's throne, and God asked me what I
had come for. I said I had come to arraign my brother, Man.
God said, "What has he done?"
I said, "He has taken my sister, Woman, and has stricken her, and wounded
her, and thrust her out into the streets; she lies there prostrate. His
hands are red with blood. I am here to arraign him; that the kingdom be
taken from him, because he is not worthy, and given unto me. My hands are
pure."
I showed them.
God said, "Thy hands are pure.--Lift up thy robe."
I raised it; my feet were red, blood-red, as if I had trodden in wine.
God said, "How is this?"
I said, "Dear Lord, the streets on earth are full of mire. If I should
walk straight on in them my outer robe might be bespotted, you see how
white it is! Therefore I pick my way."
God said, "On what?"
I was silent, and I let my robe fall. I wrapped my mantle about my head.
I went out softly. I was afraid that the angels would see me.
II.
Once more I stood at the gate of Heaven, I and another. We held fast by
one another; we were very tired. We looked up at the great gates; the
angels opened them, and we went in. The mud was on our garments. We
walked across the marble floor, and up to the great throne. Then the
angels divided us. Her, they set upon the top step, but me, upon the
bottom; for, they said, "Last time this woman came here she left red foot-
marks on the floor; we had to wash them out with our tears. Let her not go
up."
Then she, with whom I came, looked back, and stretched out her hand to me;
and I went and stood beside her. And the angels, they, the shining ones
who never sinned and never suffered, walked by us to and fro and up and
down; I think we should have felt a little lonely there if it had not been
for one another, the angels were so bright.
God asked me what I had come for; and I drew my sister forward a little
that he might see her.
God said, "How is it you are here together today?"
I said, "She was upon the ground in the street, and they passed over her; I
lay down by her, and she put her arms around my neck, and so I lifted her,
and we two rose together."
God said, "Whom are you now come to accuse before me?"
I said, "We are come to accuse no man."
And God bent, and said, "My children--what is it that ye seek?"
And she beside me drew my hand that I should speak for both.
I said, "We have come to ask that thou shouldst speak to Man, our brother,
and give us a message for him that he might understand, and that he
might--"
God said, "Go, take the message down to him!"
I said, "But what is the message?"
God said, "Upon your hearts it is written; take it down to him."
And we turned to go; the angels went with us to the door. They looked at
us.
And one said--"Ai! but their dresses are beautiful!"
And the other said, "I thought it was mire when they came in, but see, it
is all golden!"
But another said, "Hush, it is the light from their faces!"
And we went down to him.
Alassio, Italy.
XI. THE SUNLIGHT LAY ACROSS MY BED.
In the dark one night I lay upon my bed. I heard the policeman's feet beat
on the pavement; I heard the wheels of carriages roll home from houses of
entertainment; I heard a woman's laugh below my window--and then I fell
asleep. And in the dark I dreamt a dream. I dreamt God took my soul to
Hell.
Hell was a fair place; the water of the lake was blue.
I said to God, "I like this place."
God said, "Ay, dost thou!"
Birds sang, turf came to the water-edge, and trees grew from it. Away off
among the trees I saw beautiful women walking. Their clothes were of many
delicate colours and clung to them, and they were tall and graceful and had
yellow hair. Their robes trailed over the grass. They glided in and out
among the trees, and over their heads hung yellow fruit like large pears of
melted gold.
I said, "It is very fair; I would go up and taste the--"
God said, "Wait."
And after a while I noticed a very fair woman pass: she looked this way
and that, and drew down a branch, and it seemed she kissed the fruit upon
it softly, and went on her way, and her dress made no rustle as she passed
over the grass. And when I saw her no more, from among the stems came
another woman fair as she had been, in a delicate tinted robe; she looked
this way and that. When she saw no one there she drew down the fruit, and
when she had looked over it to find a place, she put her mouth to it
softly, and went away. And I saw other and other women come, making no
noise, and they glided away also over the grass.
And I said to God, "What are they doing?"
God said, "They are poisoning."
And I said, "How?"
God said, "They touch it with their lips, when they have made a tiny wound
in it with their fore-teeth they set in it that which is under their
tongues: they close it with their lip--that no man may see the place, and
pass on."
I said to God, "Why do they do it?"
God said, "That another may not eat."
I said to God, "But if they poison all then none dare eat; what do they
gain?"
God said, "Nothing."
I said, "Are they not afraid they themselves may bite where another has
bitten?"
God said, "They are afraid. In Hell all men fear."
He called me further. And the water of the lake seemed less blue.
Then, to the right among the trees were men working. And I said to God, "I
should like to go and work with them. Hell must be a very fruitful place,
the grass is so green."
God said, "Nothing grows in the garden they are making."
We stood looking; and I saw them working among the bushes, digging holes,
but in them they set nothing; and when they had covered them with sticks
and earth each went a way off and sat behind the bushes watching; and I
noticed that as each walked he set his foot down carefully looking where he
trod. I said to God, "What are they doing?"
God said, "Making pitfalls into which their fellows may sink."
I said to God, "Why do they do it?"
God said, "Because each thinks that when his brother falls he will rise."
I said to God, "How will he rise?"
God said, "He will not rise."
And I saw their eyes gleam from behind the bushes.
I said to God, "Are these men sane?"
God said, "They are not sane; there is no sane man in Hell."
And he told me to come further.
And I looked where I trod.
And we came where Hell opened into a plain, and a great house stood there.
Marble pillars upheld the roof, and white marble steps let up to it. The
wind of heaven blew through it. Only at the back hung a thick curtain.
Fair men and women there feasted at long tables. They danced, and I saw
the robes of women flutter in the air and heard the laugh of strong men.
What they feasted with was wine; they drew it from large jars which stood
somewhat in the background, and I saw the wine sparkle as they drew it.
And I said to God, "I should like to go up and drink." And God said,
"Wait." And I saw men coming in to the Banquet House; they came in from
the back and lifted the corner of the curtain at the sides and crept in
quickly; and they let the curtain fall behind them; they bore great jars
they could hardly carry. And the men and women crowded round them, and the
new-comers opened their jars and gave them of the wine to drink; and I saw
that the women drank even more greedily than the men. And when others had
well drunken they set the jars among the old ones beside the wall, and took
their places at the table. And I saw that some of the jars were very old
and mildewed and dusty, but others had still drops of new must on them and
shone from the furnace.
And I said to God, "What is that?" For amid the sound of the singing, and
over the dancing of feet, and over the laughing across the wine-cups I
heard a cry.
And God said, "Stand a way off."
And he took me where I saw both sides of the curtain. Behind the house was
the wine-press where the wine was made. I saw the grapes crushed, and I
heard them cry. I said, "Do not they on the other side hear it?"
God said, "The curtain is thick; they are feasting."
And I said, "But the men who came in last. They saw?"
God said, "They let the curtain fall behind them--and they forget!"
I said, "How came they by their jars of wine?"
God said, "In the treading of the press these are they who came to the top;
they have climbed out over the edge, and filled their jars from below, and
have gone into the house."
And I said, "And if they had fallen as they climbed--?"
God said, "They had been wine."
I stood a way off watching in the sunshine, and I shivered.
God lay in the sunshine watching too.
Then there rose one among the feasters, who said, "My brethren, let us
pray!"
And all the men and women rose: and strong men bowed their heads, and
mothers folded their little children's hands together, and turned their
faces upwards, to the roof. And he who first had risen stood at the table
head, and stretched out both his hands, and his beard was long and white,
and his sleeves and his beard had been dipped in wine; and because the
sleeves were wide and full they held much wine, and it dropped down upon
the floor.
And he cried, "My brothers and my sisters, let us pray."
And all the men and women answered, "Let us pray."
He cried, "For this fair banquet-house we thank thee, Lord."
And all the men and women said "We thank thee, Lord."
"Thine is this house, dear Lord."
"Thine is this house."
"For us hast thou made it."
"For us."
"Oh, fill our jars with wine, dear Lord."
"Our jars with wine."
"Give peace and plenty in our time, dear Lord."
"Peace and plenty in our time"--I said to God, "Whom is it they are talking
to?" God said, "Do I know whom they speak of?" And I saw they were
- costly [´kɔstli]
a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中英语单词) - thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
- worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
- softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)
- marble [´mɑ:bəl] n.大理石 a.大理石的 (初中英语单词)
- lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
- accuse [ə´kju:z] vt.谴责；控告，告发 (初中英语单词)
- sunlight [´sʌnlait] n.日光 (初中英语单词)
- graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)
- rustle [´rʌsl] v.&n.(使)沙沙作响 (初中英语单词)
- delicate [´delikət] a.精美的；微妙的 (初中英语单词)
- poison [´pɔizən] n.毒物 v.毒害 a.有毒的 (初中英语单词)
- working [´wə:kiŋ] a.工人的；劳动的 (初中英语单词)
- flutter [´flʌtə] vi.飘扬；摆 n.拍动 (初中英语单词)
- background [´bækgraund] n.背景；经历；幕后 (初中英语单词)
- sparkle [´spɑ:kəl] vi.闪耀；焕发 n.火花 (初中英语单词)
- greedily [´gri:dili] ad.贪婪地 (初中英语单词)
- drunken [´drʌŋkən] a.喝醉的；常醉的 (初中英语单词)
- sunshine [´sʌnʃain] n.日光，阳光 (初中英语单词)
- notable [´nəutəbəl] a.显著的 n.名人 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- throne [θrəun] n.宝座；王位 (高中英语单词)
- stricken [´strikən] strike的过去分词 (高中英语单词)
- mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)
- pavement [´peivmənt] n.路面；铺筑材料 (高中英语单词)
- fruitful [´fru:tfəl] a.成功的；丰富的 (高中英语单词)
- banquet [´bæŋkwit] n.宴会，盛宴 (高中英语单词)
- crowded [´kraudid] a.充(拥)满了的 (高中英语单词)
- prostrate [´prɔstreit, prɔ´streit] a.俯伏的 vt.弄倒 (英语四级单词)
- upwards [´ʌpwədz] ad.=upward (英语四级单词)
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章节正文
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