章节正文
and formless, gliding swift and noiseless, like some great
low-flying owl among the trees. It was Rima, and hardly had I
seen her before she was with us, facing old Nuflo, her whole
frame quivering with passion, her wide-open eyes appearing
luminous in that dim light.
"You are here!" she cried in that quick, ringing tone that was
almost painful to the sense. "You thought to escape me! To hide
yourself from my eyes in the wood! Miserable! Do you not know
that I have need of you--that I have not finished with you yet?
Do you, then, wish to be scourged to Riolama with thorny
twigs--to be dragged thither by the beard?"
He had been staring open-mouthed at her, still on his knees, and
holding his mantle open with his skinny hands. "Rima! Rima!
have mercy on me!" he cried out piteously. "I cannot go to
Riolama, it is so far--so far. And I am old and should meet my
death. Oh, Rima, child of the woman I saved from death, have you
no compassion? I shall die, I shall die!"
"Shall you die? Not until you have shown me the way to Riolama.
And when I have seen Riolama with my eyes, then you may die, and
I shall be glad at your death; and the children and the
grandchildren and cousins and friends of all the animals you have
slain and fed on shall know that you are dead and be glad at your
death. For you have deceived me with lies all these years even
me--and are not fit to live! Come now to Riolama; rise
instantly, I command you!"
Instead of rising he suddenly put out his hand and snatched up
the knife from the ground. "Do you then wish me to die?" he
cried. "Shall you be glad at my death? Behold, then I shall
slay myself before your eyes. By my own hand, Rima, I am now
about to perish, striking the knife into my heart!"
While speaking he waved the knife in a tragic manner over his
head, but I made no movement; I was convinced that he had no
intention of taking his own life--that he was still acting.
Rima, incapable of understanding such a thing, took it
differently.
"Oh, you are going to kill yourself." she cried. "Oh, wicked
man, wait until you know what will happen to you after death.
All shall now be told to my mother. Hear my words, then kill
yourself."
She also now dropped on to her knees and, lifting her clasped
hands and fixing her resentful sparkling eyes on the dim blue
patch of heaven visible beyond the treetops, began to speak
rapidly in clear, vibrating tones. She was praying to her mother
in heaven; and while Nuflo listened absorbed, his mouth open, his
eyes fixed on her, the hand that clutched the knife dropped to
his side. I also heard with the greatest wonder and admiration.
For she had been shy and reticent with me, and now, as if
oblivious of my presence, she was telling aloud the secrets of
her inmost heart.
"O mother, mother, listen to me, to Rima, your beloved child!"
she began. "All these years I have been wickedly deceived by
grandfather--Nuflo--the old man that found you. Often have I
spoken to him of Riolama, where you once were, and your people
are, and he denied all knowledge of such a place. Sometimes he
said that it was at an immense distance, in a great wilderness
full of serpents larger than the trunks of great trees, and of
evil spirits and savage men, slayers of all strangers. At other
times he affirmed that no such place existed; that it was a tale
told by the Indians; such false things did he say to me--to Rima,
your child. O mother, can you believe such wickedness?
"Then a stranger, a white man from Venezuela, came into our
woods: this is the man that was bitten by a serpent, and his name
is Abel; only I do not call him by that name, but by other names
which I have told you. But perhaps you did not listen, or did
not hear, for I spoke softly and not as now, on my knees,
solemnly. For I must tell you, O mother, that after you died the
priest at Voa told me repeatedly that when I prayed, whether to
you or to any of the saints, or to the Mother of Heaven, I must
speak as he had taught me if I wished to be heard and understood.
And that was most strange, since you had taught me differently;
but you were living then, at Voa, and now that you are in heaven,
perhaps you know better. Therefore listen to me now, O mother,
and let nothing I say escape you.
"When this white man had been for some days with us, a strange
thing happened to me, which made me different, so that I was no
longer Rima, although Rima still--so strange was this thing; and
I often went to the pool to look at myself and see the change in
me, but nothing different could I see. In the first place it
came from his eyes passing into mine, and filling me just as the
lightning fills a cloud at sunset: afterwards it was no longer
from his eyes only, but it came into me whenever I saw him, even
at a distance, when I heard his voice, and most of all when he
touched me with his hand. When he is out of my sight I cannot
rest until I see him again; and when I see him, then I am glad,
yet in such fear and trouble that I hide myself from him. O
mother, it could not be told; for once when he caught me in his
arms and compelled me to speak of it, he did not understand; yet
there was need to tell it; then it came to me that only to our
people could it be told, for they would understand, and reply to
me, and tell me what to do in such a case.
"And now, O mother, this is what happened next. I went to
grandfather and first begged and then commanded him to take me to
Riolama; but he would not obey, nor give attention to what I
said, but whenever I spoke to him of it he rose up and hurried
from me; and when I followed he flung back a confused and angry
reply, saying in the same breath that it was so long since he had
been to Riolama that he had forgotten where it was, and that no
such place existed. And which of his words were true and which
false I knew not; so that it would have been better if he had
returned no answer at all; and there was no help to be got from
him. And having thus failed, and there being no other person to
speak to except this stranger, I determined to go to him, and in
his company seek through the whole world for my people. This
will surprise you, O mother, because of that fear which came on
me in his presence, causing me to hide from his sight; but my
wish was so great that for a time it overcame my fear; so that I
went to him as he sat alone in the wood, sad because he could not
see me, and spoke to him, and led him to the summit of Ytaioa to
show me all the countries of the world from the summit. And you
must also know that I tremble in his presence, not because I fear
him as I fear Indians and cruel men; for he has no evil in him,
and is beautiful to look at, and his words are gentle, and his
desire is to be always with me, so that he difFers from all other
men I have seen, just as I differ from all women, except from you
only, O sweet mother.
"On the mountain-top he marked out and named all the countries of
the world, the great mountains, the rivers, the plains, the
forests, the cities; and told me also of the peoples, whites and
savages, but of our people nothing. And beyond where the world
ends there is water, water, water. And when he spoke of that
unknown part on the borders of Guayana, on the side of the
Cordilleras, he named the mountains of Riolama, and in that way I
first found out where my people are. I then left him on Ytaioa,
he refusing to follow me, and ran to grandfather and taxed him
with his falsehoods; and he, finding I knew all, escaped from me
into the woods, where I have now found him once more, talking
with the stranger. And now, O mother, seeing himself caught and
unable to escape a second time, he has taken up a knife to kill
himself, so as not to take me to Riolama; and he is only waiting
until I finish speaking to you, for I wish him to know what will
happen to him after death. Therefore, O mother, listen well and
do what I tell you. When he has killed himself, and has come
into that place where you are, see that he does not escape the
punishment he merits. Watch well for his coming, for he is full
of cunning and deceit, and will endeavor to hide himself from
your eyes. When you have recognized him--an old man, brown as an
Indian, with a white beard--point him out to the angels, and say:
'This is Nuflo, the bad man that lied to Rima.' Let them take him
and singe his wings with fire, so that he may not escape by
flying; and afterwards thrust him into some dark cavern under a
mountain, and place a great stone that a hundred men could not
remove over its mouth, and leave him there alone and in the dark
for ever!"
Having ended, she rose quickly from her knees, and at the same
moment Nuflo, dropping the knife, cast himself prostrate at her
feet.
"Rima--my child, my child, not that!" he cried out in a voice
that was broken with terror. He tried to take hold of her feet
with his hands, but she shrank from him with aversion; still he
kept on crawling after her like a disabled lizard, abjectly
imploring her to forgive him, reminding her that he had saved
from death the woman whose enmity had now been enlisted against
him, and declaring that he would do anything she commanded him,
and gladlyperish in her service.
It was a pitiable sight, and moving quickly to her side I touched
her on the shoulder and asked her to forgive him.
The response came quickly enough. Turning to him once more, she
said: "I forgive you, grandfather. And now get up and take me to
Riolama."
He rose, but only to his knees. "But you have not told her!" he
said, recovering his natural voice, although still anxious, and
jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Consider, my child, that I
am old and shall doubtlessperish on the way. What would become
of my soul in such a case? For now you have told her everything,
and it will not be forgotten."
She regarded him in silence for a few moments; then, moving a
little way apart, dropped on to her knees again, and with raised
hands and eyes fixed on the blue space above, already sprinkled
with stars, prayed again.
"O mother, listen to me, for I have something fresh to say to
you. Grandfather has not killed himself, but has asked my
forgiveness and has promised to obey me. O mother, I have
forgiven him, and he will now take me to Riolama, to our people.
Therefore, O mother, if he dies on the way to Riolama let nothing
be done against him, but remember only that I forgave him at the
last; and when he comes into that place where you are, let him be
well received, for that is the wish of Rima, your child."
As soon as this second petition was ended she was up again and
engaged in an animateddiscussion with him, urging him to take
her without further delay to Riolama; while he, now recovered
from his fear, urged that so important an undertaking required a
great deal of thought and preparation; that the journey would
occupy about twenty days, and unless he set out well provided
with food he would starve before accomplishing half the distance,
and his death would leave her worse off than before. He
concluded by affirming that he could not start in less time than
seven or eight days.
For a while I listened with keen interest to this dispute, and at
length interposed once more on the old man's side. The poor girl
in her petition had unwittingly revealed to me the power I
possessed, and it was a pleasing experience to exercise it.
Touching her shoulder again, I assured her that seven or eight
days was only a reasonable time in which to prepare for so long a
journey. She instantly yielded, and after one glance at my face,
she moved swiftly away into the darker shadows, leaving me alone
with the old man.
As we returned together through the now profoundly dark wood, I
explained to him how the subject of Riolama had first come up
during my conversation with Rima, and he then apologized for the
violent language he had used to me. This personal question
disposed of, he spoke of the pilgrimage before him, and informed
low-flying owl among the trees. It was Rima, and hardly had I
seen her before she was with us, facing old Nuflo, her whole
frame quivering with passion, her wide-open eyes appearing
luminous in that dim light.
"You are here!" she cried in that quick, ringing tone that was
almost painful to the sense. "You thought to escape me! To hide
yourself from my eyes in the wood! Miserable! Do you not know
that I have need of you--that I have not finished with you yet?
Do you, then, wish to be scourged to Riolama with thorny
twigs--to be dragged thither by the beard?"
He had been staring open-mouthed at her, still on his knees, and
holding his mantle open with his skinny hands. "Rima! Rima!
have mercy on me!" he cried out piteously. "I cannot go to
Riolama, it is so far--so far. And I am old and should meet my
death. Oh, Rima, child of the woman I saved from death, have you
no compassion? I shall die, I shall die!"
"Shall you die? Not until you have shown me the way to Riolama.
And when I have seen Riolama with my eyes, then you may die, and
I shall be glad at your death; and the children and the
grandchildren and cousins and friends of all the animals you have
slain and fed on shall know that you are dead and be glad at your
death. For you have deceived me with lies all these years even
me--and are not fit to live! Come now to Riolama; rise
instantly, I command you!"
Instead of rising he suddenly put out his hand and snatched up
the knife from the ground. "Do you then wish me to die?" he
cried. "Shall you be glad at my death? Behold, then I shall
slay myself before your eyes. By my own hand, Rima, I am now
about to perish, striking the knife into my heart!"
While speaking he waved the knife in a tragic manner over his
head, but I made no movement; I was convinced that he had no
intention of taking his own life--that he was still acting.
Rima, incapable of understanding such a thing, took it
differently.
"Oh, you are going to kill yourself." she cried. "Oh, wicked
man, wait until you know what will happen to you after death.
All shall now be told to my mother. Hear my words, then kill
yourself."
She also now dropped on to her knees and, lifting her clasped
hands and fixing her resentful sparkling eyes on the dim blue
patch of heaven visible beyond the treetops, began to speak
rapidly in clear, vibrating tones. She was praying to her mother
in heaven; and while Nuflo listened absorbed, his mouth open, his
eyes fixed on her, the hand that clutched the knife dropped to
his side. I also heard with the greatest wonder and admiration.
For she had been shy and reticent with me, and now, as if
oblivious of my presence, she was telling aloud the secrets of
her inmost heart.
"O mother, mother, listen to me, to Rima, your beloved child!"
she began. "All these years I have been wickedly deceived by
grandfather--Nuflo--the old man that found you. Often have I
spoken to him of Riolama, where you once were, and your people
are, and he denied all knowledge of such a place. Sometimes he
said that it was at an immense distance, in a great wilderness
full of serpents larger than the trunks of great trees, and of
evil spirits and savage men, slayers of all strangers. At other
times he affirmed that no such place existed; that it was a tale
told by the Indians; such false things did he say to me--to Rima,
your child. O mother, can you believe such wickedness?
"Then a stranger, a white man from Venezuela, came into our
woods: this is the man that was bitten by a serpent, and his name
is Abel; only I do not call him by that name, but by other names
which I have told you. But perhaps you did not listen, or did
not hear, for I spoke softly and not as now, on my knees,
solemnly. For I must tell you, O mother, that after you died the
priest at Voa told me repeatedly that when I prayed, whether to
you or to any of the saints, or to the Mother of Heaven, I must
speak as he had taught me if I wished to be heard and understood.
And that was most strange, since you had taught me differently;
but you were living then, at Voa, and now that you are in heaven,
perhaps you know better. Therefore listen to me now, O mother,
and let nothing I say escape you.
"When this white man had been for some days with us, a strange
thing happened to me, which made me different, so that I was no
longer Rima, although Rima still--so strange was this thing; and
I often went to the pool to look at myself and see the change in
me, but nothing different could I see. In the first place it
came from his eyes passing into mine, and filling me just as the
lightning fills a cloud at sunset: afterwards it was no longer
from his eyes only, but it came into me whenever I saw him, even
at a distance, when I heard his voice, and most of all when he
touched me with his hand. When he is out of my sight I cannot
rest until I see him again; and when I see him, then I am glad,
yet in such fear and trouble that I hide myself from him. O
mother, it could not be told; for once when he caught me in his
arms and compelled me to speak of it, he did not understand; yet
there was need to tell it; then it came to me that only to our
people could it be told, for they would understand, and reply to
me, and tell me what to do in such a case.
"And now, O mother, this is what happened next. I went to
grandfather and first begged and then commanded him to take me to
Riolama; but he would not obey, nor give attention to what I
said, but whenever I spoke to him of it he rose up and hurried
from me; and when I followed he flung back a confused and angry
reply, saying in the same breath that it was so long since he had
been to Riolama that he had forgotten where it was, and that no
such place existed. And which of his words were true and which
false I knew not; so that it would have been better if he had
returned no answer at all; and there was no help to be got from
him. And having thus failed, and there being no other person to
speak to except this stranger, I determined to go to him, and in
his company seek through the whole world for my people. This
will surprise you, O mother, because of that fear which came on
me in his presence, causing me to hide from his sight; but my
wish was so great that for a time it overcame my fear; so that I
went to him as he sat alone in the wood, sad because he could not
see me, and spoke to him, and led him to the summit of Ytaioa to
show me all the countries of the world from the summit. And you
must also know that I tremble in his presence, not because I fear
him as I fear Indians and cruel men; for he has no evil in him,
and is beautiful to look at, and his words are gentle, and his
desire is to be always with me, so that he difFers from all other
men I have seen, just as I differ from all women, except from you
only, O sweet mother.
"On the mountain-top he marked out and named all the countries of
the world, the great mountains, the rivers, the plains, the
forests, the cities; and told me also of the peoples, whites and
savages, but of our people nothing. And beyond where the world
ends there is water, water, water. And when he spoke of that
unknown part on the borders of Guayana, on the side of the
Cordilleras, he named the mountains of Riolama, and in that way I
first found out where my people are. I then left him on Ytaioa,
he refusing to follow me, and ran to grandfather and taxed him
with his falsehoods; and he, finding I knew all, escaped from me
into the woods, where I have now found him once more, talking
with the stranger. And now, O mother, seeing himself caught and
unable to escape a second time, he has taken up a knife to kill
himself, so as not to take me to Riolama; and he is only waiting
until I finish speaking to you, for I wish him to know what will
happen to him after death. Therefore, O mother, listen well and
do what I tell you. When he has killed himself, and has come
into that place where you are, see that he does not escape the
punishment he merits. Watch well for his coming, for he is full
of cunning and deceit, and will endeavor to hide himself from
your eyes. When you have recognized him--an old man, brown as an
Indian, with a white beard--point him out to the angels, and say:
'This is Nuflo, the bad man that lied to Rima.' Let them take him
and singe his wings with fire, so that he may not escape by
flying; and afterwards thrust him into some dark cavern under a
mountain, and place a great stone that a hundred men could not
remove over its mouth, and leave him there alone and in the dark
for ever!"
Having ended, she rose quickly from her knees, and at the same
moment Nuflo, dropping the knife, cast himself prostrate at her
feet.
"Rima--my child, my child, not that!" he cried out in a voice
that was broken with terror. He tried to take hold of her feet
with his hands, but she shrank from him with aversion; still he
kept on crawling after her like a disabled lizard, abjectly
imploring her to forgive him, reminding her that he had saved
from death the woman whose enmity had now been enlisted against
him, and declaring that he would do anything she commanded him,
and gladlyperish in her service.
It was a pitiable sight, and moving quickly to her side I touched
her on the shoulder and asked her to forgive him.
The response came quickly enough. Turning to him once more, she
said: "I forgive you, grandfather. And now get up and take me to
Riolama."
He rose, but only to his knees. "But you have not told her!" he
said, recovering his natural voice, although still anxious, and
jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Consider, my child, that I
am old and shall doubtlessperish on the way. What would become
of my soul in such a case? For now you have told her everything,
and it will not be forgotten."
She regarded him in silence for a few moments; then, moving a
little way apart, dropped on to her knees again, and with raised
hands and eyes fixed on the blue space above, already sprinkled
with stars, prayed again.
"O mother, listen to me, for I have something fresh to say to
you. Grandfather has not killed himself, but has asked my
forgiveness and has promised to obey me. O mother, I have
forgiven him, and he will now take me to Riolama, to our people.
Therefore, O mother, if he dies on the way to Riolama let nothing
be done against him, but remember only that I forgave him at the
last; and when he comes into that place where you are, let him be
well received, for that is the wish of Rima, your child."
As soon as this second petition was ended she was up again and
engaged in an animateddiscussion with him, urging him to take
her without further delay to Riolama; while he, now recovered
from his fear, urged that so important an undertaking required a
great deal of thought and preparation; that the journey would
occupy about twenty days, and unless he set out well provided
with food he would starve before accomplishing half the distance,
and his death would leave her worse off than before. He
concluded by affirming that he could not start in less time than
seven or eight days.
For a while I listened with keen interest to this dispute, and at
length interposed once more on the old man's side. The poor girl
in her petition had unwittingly revealed to me the power I
possessed, and it was a pleasing experience to exercise it.
Touching her shoulder again, I assured her that seven or eight
days was only a reasonable time in which to prepare for so long a
journey. She instantly yielded, and after one glance at my face,
she moved swiftly away into the darker shadows, leaving me alone
with the old man.
As we returned together through the now profoundly dark wood, I
explained to him how the subject of Riolama had first come up
during my conversation with Rima, and he then apologized for the
violent language he had used to me. This personal question
disposed of, he spoke of the pilgrimage before him, and informed
- passion [´pæʃən]
n.激情；激怒；恋爱 (初中英语单词) - thither [´ðiðə] ad.到那里 a.那边的 (初中英语单词)
- perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)
- striking [´straikiŋ] a.显著的，明显的 (初中英语单词)
- movement [´mu:vmənt] n.活动；运动；动作 (初中英语单词)
- visible [´vizəbəl] a.可见的；明显的 (初中英语单词)
- beloved [bi´lʌvd] a.为....所爱的 n.爱人 (初中英语单词)
- immense [i´mens] a.广大的，无限的 (初中英语单词)
- savage [´sævidʒ] a.野蛮的 n.蛮人 (初中英语单词)
- softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)
- therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
- sunset [´sʌnset] n.日落；晚霞 (初中英语单词)
- whenever [wen´evə] conj.&ad.无论何时 (初中英语单词)
- breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
- differ [´difə] vi.不同；有差别 (初中英语单词)
- grandfather [´grænd,fɑ:ðə] n.(外)祖父；祖先 (初中英语单词)
- cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
- thrust [θrʌst] v.&n.猛推；冲；刺；挤进 (初中英语单词)
- terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
- forgive [fə´giv] vt.原谅，谅解，宽恕 (初中英语单词)
- anxious [´æŋkʃəs] a.担忧的；渴望的 (初中英语单词)
- doubtless [´dautlis] ad.无疑地；大概，多半 (初中英语单词)
- discussion [di´skʌʃən] n.讨论；辩论 (初中英语单词)
- preparation [,prepə´reiʃən] n.准备；预习(时间) (初中英语单词)
- starve [stɑ:v] v.(使)饥饿 (初中英语单词)
- dispute [di´spju:t] v.&n.争论，辩论；争吵 (初中英语单词)
- reasonable [´rizənəbəl] a.合理的；有理智的 (初中英语单词)
- instantly [´instəntli] ad.立即，立刻 (初中英语单词)
- swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)
- painful [´peinfəl] a.痛(苦)的；费力的 (高中英语单词)
- mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)
- tragic [´trædʒik] a.悲剧的；悲惨的 (高中英语单词)
- serpent [´sə:pənt] n.大毒蛇；阴险的人 (高中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- summit [´sʌmit] n.顶(点)；绝顶 (高中英语单词)
- finding [´faindiŋ] n.发现物；判断；结果 (高中英语单词)
- seeing [si:iŋ] see的现在分词 n.视觉 (高中英语单词)
- cavern [´kævən] n.大山洞；大岩洞 (高中英语单词)
- gladly [´glædli] ad.愉快地，高兴地 (高中英语单词)
- response [ri´spɔns] n.回答；响应 (高中英语单词)
- petition [pi´tiʃən] n.请愿 vt.向...请愿 (高中英语单词)
- undertaking [,ʌndə´teikiŋ] n.任务；事业；计划 (高中英语单词)
- pleasing [´pli:ziŋ] a.使人愉快的；合意的 (高中英语单词)
- compassion [kəm´pæʃən] n.同情；怜悯 (英语四级单词)
- incapable [in´keipəbəl] a.无能力的；不能的 (英语四级单词)
- bitten [´bitn] bite的过去分词 (英语四级单词)
- repeatedly [ri´pi:tidli] ad.反复地；再三地 (英语四级单词)
- overcame [,əuvə´keim] overcome的过去式 (英语四级单词)
- deceit [di´si:t] n.欺骗 (英语四级单词)
- prostrate [´prɔstreit, prɔ´streit] a.俯伏的 vt.弄倒 (英语四级单词)
- lizard [´lizəd] n.蜥 (英语四级单词)
- profoundly [prə´faundli] ad.深深地 (英语四级单词)
- pilgrimage [´pilgrimidʒ] n.朝圣；远游；人生历程 (英语四级单词)
- piteously [´pitiəsli] ad.可怜地；凄惨地 (英语六级单词)
- speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
- shrank [ʃræŋk] shrink的过去式 (英语六级单词)
- enmity [´enmiti] n.敌意；憎恨；不和 (英语六级单词)
- animated [´ænimeitid] a.栩栩如生的；活跃的 (英语六级单词)
- assured [ə´ʃuəd] a.确实的 n.被保险人 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
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