wt.theyearofthequietsun-第10章

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！


　　〃I'm　already　tired　of　that！　I　don't　care　how　many　million　voters　with　plastic　stomachs　affiliated　with　Party　A　will　be　living　in　Chicago　twenty　years　from　now。　Mister；　how　can　you　spend　years　playing　with　numbers？〃
　　〃I'm　fascinated　by　them…numbers　and　people。　The　relief　of　a　plastic　stomach　may　cause　a　citizen　to　switch　from　the　activist　A　to　the　more　conservative　B；　his　vote　may　alter　the　oute　of　an　election；　and　a　conservative　administration…local；　state；　or　national…may　stall　or　do　nothing　about　a　problem　that　needed　solving　yesterday。　The　Great　Lakes　problem　is　a　problem　because　of　just　that。〃
　　Saltus　said：　〃Excuse　me。　What　problem？〃
　　〃You've　been　away。　The　Lakes　are　at　their　highest　levels　in　history；　they're　flooding　out　ten　thousand　miles　of　shoreline。　The　average　annual　precipitation　in　the　Lakes　watersheds　has　been　steadily　increasing　for　the　past　eighty　years　and　the　high　water　is　causing　damage。　Those　summer　houses　have　been　toppling　into　the　Lakes　for　years　as　the　water　eroded　the　bluffs；　in　a　very　short　while　more　than　summer　houses　will　topple　in。　Beaches　are　gone；　private　docks　are　going；　low　land　is　being　marshes。　Sad　thing；　mander。〃
　　〃Hey…when　we　go　into　Chicago　on　the　survey；　maybe　we　should　look　to　see　if　Michigan　Avenue　is　underwater。〃
　　〃That's　no　joke。　It　may　be。〃
　　〃Oh；　doom；　doom；　doom！〃　Saltus　declared。　〃Your　books　and　tables　are　always　crying　doom。〃
　　〃I've　published　only　one　book。　There　was　no　doom。〃
　　〃William　said　it　was　poppycock。　I　haven't　read　it；　I'm　not　much　of　a　reader；　mister；　but　he　looked　down　his　nose；　And　Katrina　said　the　newspapers　gave　you　hell。〃
　　〃You've　been　talking　about　me。　Idle　gossiping！〃
　　〃Hey…you　were　two　or　three　days　late　ing　in；　remember？　We　had　to　talk　about　something；　so　we　talked　about　you；　mostly…curiosity　about　one　tame　civilian　on　a　military　team。　Katrina　knew　all　about　you；　I　guess　she　read　your　dossier　forward　and　backward。　She　said　you　were　in　trouble…trouble　with　your　pany；　with　reviewers　and　scholars　and　churches　and…oh；　everybody。〃　Saltus　gave　his　walking　panion　a　slanted　glance。　〃Old　William　said　you　were　bent　on　destroying　the　foundations　of　Christianity。　You　must　have　done　something；　mister。　Did　you　chip　away　at　the　foundation？〃
　　Chaney　answered　with　a　single　word。
　　Saltus　was　interested。　〃I　don't　know　that。〃
　　〃It's　Aramaic。　You　know　it　in　English。〃
　　〃Say　it　again…slowly…and　tell　me　what　it　is。〃
　　Chaney　repeated　it；　and　Saltus　turned　it　on　his　tongue；　delighted　with　the　sound　and　the　fresh　delivery　of　an　old　transitive　verb。　〃Hey…I　like　that！〃　He　walked　on；　repeating　the　word　just　above　his　breath。
　　After　a　space：　〃What　about　those　foundations？〃
　　〃I　translated　two　scrolls　into　English　and　caused　them　to　be　published；〃　Chaney　said　with　resignation。　〃I　could　have　saved　my　time；　or　spent　my　holiday　digging　up　buried　cities。　One　man　in　ten　read　the　book　slowly　and　carefully　and　understood　what　I　had　done…the　other　nine　began　yapping　before　they　finished　the　first　half。〃
　　His　panion　was　ready　with　a　quick　grin。　〃William　yapped；　and　Katrina　seemed　scandalized；　but　I　guess　Gilbert　Seabrooke　read　it　slowly：　Katrina　said　the　Bureau　was　embarrassed；　but　Seabrooke　stood　up　for　you。　Now　me；　I　haven't　read　it　and　I　probably　won't；　so　where　does　that　put　me？〃
　　〃An　honest　neutral；　subject　to　intimidation。〃
　　〃All　right；　mister：　intimidate　this　honest　neutral。〃
　　Chaney　looked　down　at　the　missary；　guessing　at　the　remaining　distance。　He　intended　to　be　short；　the　subject　was　painful　since　a　university　press　had　published　the　book　and　a　misunderstanding　public　had　taken　it　up。
　　〃I　don't　want　you　yapping　at　me；　mander；　so　you　need　first　to　understand　one　word：　midrash。〃
　　〃Midrash。　Is　that　another　Aramaic　word？〃
　　〃No…it's　Hebraic；　and　it　means　fiction；　religious　fiction。　pare　it　to　whatever　modern　parallel　you　like：　historical　fiction；　soap　opera；　detective　stories；　fantasy；　the　ancient　Hebrews　liked　their　midrash。　It　was　their　favorite　kind　of　fantasy；　they　liked　to　use　biblical　events　and　personages　in　their　fiction…call　it　bible…opera　if　you　like。　Scholars　have　long　been　aware　of　that；　they　know　midrash　when　they　find　it；　but　the　general　public　hardly　seems　to　know　it　exists。　The　public　tends　to　believe　that　everything　written　two　thousand　years　ago　was　sacred；　the　work　of　one　saint　or　another。〃
　　〃I　guess　nobody　told　them；〃　Saltus　said。　〃All　right；　I'll　go　along　with　that。〃
　　〃Thank　you。　The　public　should　be　as　generous。〃
　　〃Didn't　you　tell　them　about　midrash？〃
　　〃Certainly。　I　spent　twelve　pages　of　the　introduction　explaining　the　term　and　its　general　background；　I　pointed　out　that　it　was　a　monplace　thing；　that　the　old　Hebrews　frequently　employed　religious　or　heroic　fiction　as　a　means　of　putting　across　the　message。　Times　were　hard；　the　land　was　almost　always　under　the　heel　of　an　oppressor；　and　they　desperately　wanted　freedom…they　wanted　the　messiah　that　had　been　promised　for　the　past　several　hundred　years。〃
　　〃Ah…there's　your　mistake；　civilian！　Who　wants　to　waste　twelve　pages　gnawing　on　the　bone　to　get　at　the　marrow？〃　He　glanced　around　at　Chaney　and　saw　his　pained　expression。　〃Excuse　me；　mister。　I'm　not　much　of　a　reader…and　I　guess　they　weren't　either。〃
　　Chaney　said：　〃Both　my　scrolls　were　midrash；　and　both　used　variations　of　that　same　theme：　some　heroic　figure　was　ing　to　rid　the　land　of　the　oppressor；　to　free　the　people　from　their　ills　and　starvations；　to　show　them　the　door　to　a　brand　new　life　and　happy　times　forever　after；　The　first　scroll　was　the　longer　of　the　two　with　greater　detail　and　more　explicit　promises；　it　foretold　wars　and　pestilence；　of　signs　in　the　heavens；　of　invaders　from　foreign　lands；　of　widespread　death；　and　finally　of　the　ing　of　the　messiah　who　would　bring　eternal　peace　to　the　world。　I　thought　it　was　a　great　work。〃
　　Saltus　was　puzzled。　〃Well…what's　the　trouble？〃
　　〃Haven't　you　read　the　Bible？〃
　　〃No。〃
　　〃Nor　the　Book　of　Revelations？〃
　　〃I'm　not　much　of　a　reader；　civilian。〃
　　〃The　first　scroll　was　an　orginal　copy　of　the　Book　of　Revelations…original；　in　that　it　was　written　at　least　a　hundred　years　earlier　than　the　book　included　in　the　Bible。　And　it　was　presented　as　fiction。　That's　why　Major　Moresby　is　angry　with　me。　Moresby…and　people　like　him…don't　want　the　book　to　be　a　hundred　years　older　than　believed；　they　don't　want　it　to　be　revealed　as　fiction。　They　can't　accept　the　idea　that　the　story　was　first　written　by　some　Qumran　priest　or　scribe；　and　circulated　around　the　country　to　entertain　or　inspire　the　populace。　Major　Moresby　doesn't　want　the　book　to　be　midrash。〃
　　Saltus　whistled。　〃I　should　think　not！　He　takes　all　that　seriously；　mister。　He　believes　in　prophecies。〃
　　〃I　don't；〃　Chaney　said。　〃I'm　skeptical；　but　I'm　quite　willing　to　let　others　believe　if　they　so　choose。　I　said　nothing　in　the　book　to　undermine　their　beliefs；　I　offered　no　opinions　of　my　own。　But　I　did　show　that　the　first　Revelations　scroll　was　written　at　the　Qumran　school；　and　that　it　was　buried　in　a　cave　a　hundred　years　or　more　before　the　present　book　was　written…or　copied…　and　included　in　the　Bible。　I　offered　indisputable　proof　that　the　book　in　the　Christian　Bible　was　not　only　a　later　copy；　but　that　it　had　been　altered　from　the　original。　The　two　versions　didn't　match；　the　seams　showed。　Whoever　wrote　the　second　version　deleted　several　passages　from　the　first　and　inserted　new　chapters　more　in　keeping　with　his　times。　In　short；　he　modernized　it　and　made　it　more　acceptable　to　his　priest；　his　king；　his　people。　His　only　failing　was　that　he　was　a　poor　editor…or　a　poor　seamstress…and　his　seams　were　visible。　He　did　a　poor　job　of　rewriting。〃
　　Saltus　said：　〃And　old　William　went　up　in　smoke。　He　blamed　you　for　everything。〃
　　〃Almost　everyone　did。　A　newspaper　reviewer　in　Saint　Louis　questioned　my　patriotism；　another　in　Minneapolis　hinted　that　I　was　the　anti…Christ；　and　a　munist　tool　to　boot。　A　newspaper　in　Rome　skewered　me　with　the　unkindcst　cut　of　all：　it　printed　the　phrase　Traduttore　Traditore　over　the　review…the　Translator　is　a　Traitor。〃　Despite　himself　a　trace　of　bitterness　was　evident。　〃On　my　next　holiday　I'll　confine　myself　to　something　safe。　I'll　dig　up　a　ten…thousand…