of the nature of things-第52章

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Are　by　the　strangeness　of　the　clime　and　waters
Distempered？…　since　conditions　vary　much。
For　in　what　else　may　we　suppose　the　clime
Among　the　Britons　to　differ　from　Aegypt's　own
（Where　totters　awry　the　axis　of　the　world）；
Or　in　what　else　to　differ　Pontic　clime
From　Gades'　and　from　climes　adown　the　south；
On　to　black　generations　of　strong　men
With　sun…baked　skins？　Even　as　we　thus　do　see
Four　climes　diverse　under　the　four　main…winds
And　under　the　four　main…regions　of　the　sky；
So；　too；　are　seen　the　colour　and　face　of　men
Vastly　to　disagree；　and　fixed　diseases
To　seize　the　generations；　kind　by　kind：
There　is　the　elephant…disease　which　down
In　midmost　Aegypt；　hard　by　streams　of　Nile；
Engendered　is…　and　never　otherwhere。
In　Attica　the　feet　are　oft　attacked；
And　in　Achaean　lands　the　eyes。　And　so
The　divers　spots　to　divers　parts　and　limbs
Are　noxious；　'tis　a　variable　air
That　causes　this。　Thus　when　an　atmosphere；
Alien　by　chance　to　us；　begins　to　heave；
And　noxious　airs　begin　to　crawl　along；
They　creep　and　wind　like　unto　mist　and　cloud；
Slowly；　and　everything　upon　their　way
They　disarrange　and　force　to　change　its　state。
It　happens；　too；　that　when　they've　come　at　last
Into　this　atmosphere　of　ours；　they　taint
And　make　it　like　themselves　and　alien。
Therefore；　asudden　this　devastation　strange；
This　pestilence；　upon　the　waters　falls；
Or　settles　on　the　very　crops　of　grain
Or　other　meat　of　men　and　feed　of　flocks。
Or　it　remains　a　subtle　force；　suspense
In　the　atmosphere　itself；　and　when　therefrom
We　draw　our　inhalations　of　mixed　air；
Into　our　body　equally　its　bane
Also　we　must　suck　in。　In　manner　like；
Oft　comes　the　pestilence　upon　the　kine；
And　sickness；　too；　upon　the　sluggish　sheep。
Nor　aught　it　matters　whether　journey　we
To　regions　adverse　to　ourselves　and　change
The　atmospheric　cloak；　or　whether　nature
Herself　import　a　tainted　atmosphere
To　us　or　something　strange　to　our　own　use
Which　can　attack　us　soon　as　ever　it　come。

　THE　PLAGUE　ATHENS

　　'Twas　such　a　manner　of　disease；　'twas　such
Mortal　miasma　in　Cecropian　lands
Whilom　reduced　the　plains　to　dead　men's　bones；
Unpeopled　the　highways；　drained　of　citizens
The　Athenian　town。　For　coming　from　afar；
Rising　in　lands　of　Aegypt；　traversing
Reaches　of　air　and　floating　fields　of　foam；
At　last　on　all　Pandion's　folk　it　swooped；
Whereat　by　troops　unto　disease　and　death
Were　they　o'er…given。　At　first；　they'd　bear　about
A　skull　on　fire　with　heat；　and　eyeballs　twain
Red　with　suffusion　of　blank　glare。　Their　throats；
Black　on　the　inside；　sweated　oozy　blood；
And　the　walled　pathway　of　the　voice　of　man
Was　clogged　with　ulcers；　and　the　very　tongue；
The　mind's　interpreter；　would　trickle　gore；
Weakened　by　torments；　tardy；　rough　to　touch。
Next　when　that　Influence　of　bane　had　chocked；
Down　through　the　throat；　the　breast；　and　streamed　had
E'en　into　sullen　heart　of　those　sick　folk；
Then；　verily；　all　the　fences　of　man's　life
Began　to　topple。　From　the　mouth　the　breath
Would　roll　a　noisome　stink；　as　stink　to　heaven
Rotting　cadavers　flung　unburied　out。
And；　lo；　thereafter；　all　the　body's　strength
And　every　power　of　mind　would　languish；　now
In　very　doorway　of　destruction。
And　anxious　anguish　and　ululation　（mixed
With　many　a　groan）　companioned　alway
The　intolerable　torments。　Night　and　day；
Recurrent　spasms　of　vomiting　would　rack
Alway　their　thews　and　members；　breaking　down
With　sheer　exhaustion　men　already　spent。
And　yet　on　no　one's　body　couldst　thou　mark
The　skin　with　o'er…much　heat　to　burn　aglow；
But　rather　the　body　unto　touch　of　hands
Would　offer　a　warmish　feeling；　and　thereby
Show　red　all　over；　with　ulcers；　so　to　say；
Inbranded；　like　the　〃sacred　fires〃　o'erspread
Along　the　members。　The　inward　parts　of　men；
In　truth；　would　blaze　unto　the　very　bones；
A　flame；　like　flame　in　furnaces；　would　blaze
Within　the　stomach。　Nor　couldst　aught　apply
Unto　their　members　light　enough　and　thin
For　shift　of　aid…　but　coolness　and　a　breeze
Ever　and　ever。　Some　would　plunge　those　limbs
On　fire　with　bane　into　the　icy　streams；
Hurling　the　body　naked　into　the　waves；
Many　would　headlong　fling　them　deeply　down
The　water…pits；　tumbling　with　eager　mouth
Already　agape。　The　insatiable　thirst
That　whelmed　their　parched　bodies；　lo；　would　make
A　goodly　shower　seem　like　to　scanty　drops。
Respite　of　torment　was　there　none。　Their　frames
Forspent　lay　prone。　With　silent　lips　of　fear
Would　Medicine　mumble　low；　the　while　she　saw
So　many　a　time　men　roll　their　eyeballs　round；
Staring　wide…open；　unvisited　of　sleep；
The　heralds　of　old　death。　And　in　those　months
Was　given　many　another　sign　of　death：
The　intellect　of　mind　by　sorrow　and　dread
Deranged；　the　sad　brow；　the　countenance
Fierce　and　delirious；　the　tormented　ears
Beset　with　ringings；　the　breath　quick　and　short
Or　huge　and　intermittent；　soaking　sweat
A…glisten　on　neck；　the　spittle　in　fine　gouts
Tainted　with　colour　of　crocus　and　so　salt；
The　cough　scarce　wheezing　through　the　rattling　throat。
Aye；　and　the　sinews　in　the　fingered　hands
Were　sure　to　contract；　and　sure　the　jointed　frame
To　shiver；　and　up　from　feet　the　cold　to　mount
Inch　after　inch：　and　toward　the　supreme　hour
At　last　the　pinched　nostrils；　nose's　tip
A　very　point；　eyes　sunken；　temples　hollow；
Skin　cold　and　hard；　the　shuddering　grimace；
The　pulled　and　puffy　flesh　above　the　brows！…
O　not　long　after　would　their　frames　lie　prone
In　rigid　death。　And　by　about　the　eighth
Resplendent　light　of　sun；　or　at　the　most
On　the　ninth　flaming　of　his　flambeau；　they
Would　render　up　the　life。　If　any　then
Had　'scaped　the　doom　of　that　destruction；　yet
Him　there　awaited　in　the　after　days
A　wasting　and　a　death　from　ulcers　vile
And　black　discharges　of　the　belly；　or　else
Through　the　clogged　nostrils　would　there　ooze　along
Much　fouled　blood；　oft　with　an　aching　head：
Hither　would　stream　a　man's　whole　strength　and　flesh。
And　whoso　had　survived　that　virulent　flow
Of　the　vile　blood；　yet　into　thews　of　him
And　into　his　joints　and　very　genitals
Would　pass　the　old　disease。　And　some　there　were；
Dreading　the　doorways　of　destruction
So　much；　lived　on；　deprived　by　the　knife
Of　the　male　member；　not　a　few；　though　lopped
Of　hands　and　feet；　would　yet　persist　in　life；
And　some　there　were　who　lost　their　eyeballs：　O
So　fierce　a　fear　of　death　had　fallen　on　them！
And　some；　besides；　were　by　oblivion
Of　all　things　seized；　that　even　themselves　they　knew
No　longer。　And　though　corpse　on　corpse　lay　piled
Unburied　on　ground；　the　race　of　birds　and　beasts
Would　or　spring　back；　scurrying　to　escape
The　virulent　stench；　or；　if　they'd　tasted　there；
Would　languish　in　approaching　death。　But　yet
Hardly　at　all　during　those　many　suns
Appeared　a　fowl；　nor　from　the　woods　went　forth
The　sullen　generations　of　wild　beasts…
They　languished　with　disease　and　died　and　died。
In　chief；　the　faithful　dogs；　in　all　the　streets
Outstretched；　would　yield　their　breath　distressfully
For　so　that　Influence　of　bane　would　twist
Life　from　their　members。　Nor　was　found　one　sure
And　universal　principle　of　cure：
For　what　to　one　had　given　the　power　to　take
The　vital　winds　of　air　into　his　mouth；
And　to　gaze　upward　at　the　vaults　of　sky；
The　same　to　others　was　their　death　and　doom。
　　In　those　affairs；　O　awfullest　of　all；
O　pitiable　most　was　this；　was　this：
Whoso　once　saw　himself　in　that　disease
Entangled；　ay；　as　damned　unto　death；
Would　lie　in　wanhope；　with　a　sullen　heart；
Would；　in　fore…vision　of　his　funeral；
Give　up　the　ghost；　O　then　and　there。　For；　lo；
At　no　time　did　they　cease　one　from　another
To　catch　contagion　of　the　greedy　plague；…
As　though　but　woolly　flocks　and　horned　herds；
And　this　in　chief　would　heap　the　dead　on　dead：
For　who　forbore　to　look　to　their　own　sick；
O　these　（too　eager　of　life；　of　death　afeard）
Would　then；　soon　after；　slaughtering　Neglect
Visit　with　vengeance　of　evil　death　and　base…
Themselves　deserted　and　forlorn　of　help。
But　who　had　stayed　at　hand　would　perish　there
By　that　contagion　and　the　toil　which　then
A　sense　of　honour　and　the　pleading　voice
Of　weary　watchers；　mixed　with　voice　of　wail
Of　dying　folk；　forced　them　to　undergo。
This　kind　of　death　each　nobler　soul　would　meet。
The　funerals；　uncompanioned；　forsaken；
Like　rivals　contended　to　be　hu