the zincali-第5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！




free；　though　apparently　one　step　lower　than　the　lowest　slave。　　The　



habits　of　the　Hungarian　Gypsies　are　abominable；　their　hovels　appear　



sinks　of　the　vilest　poverty　and　filth；　their　dress　is　at　best　rags；　



their　food　frequently　the　vilest　carrion；　and　occasionally；　if　



report　be　true；　still　worse　…　on　which　point；　when　speaking　of　the　



Spanish　Gitanos；　we　shall　have　subsequently　more　to　say：　　thus　they　



live　in　filth；　in　rags；　in　nakedness；　and　in　merriness　of　heart；　



for　nowhere　is　there　more　of　song　and　dance　than　in　an　Hungarian　



Gypsy　village。　　They　are　very　fond　of　music；　and　some　of　them　are　



heard　to　touch　the　violin　in　a　manner　wild；　but　of　peculiar　



excellence。　　Parties　of　them　have　been　known　to　exhibit　even　at　



Paris。







In　Hungary；　as　in　all　parts；　they　are　addicted　to　horse…dealing；　



they　are　likewise　tinkers；　and　smiths　in　a　small　way。　　The　women　



are　fortune…tellers；　of　course　…　both　sexes　thieves　of　the　first　



water。　　They　roam　where　they　list　…　in　a　country　where　all　other　



people　are　held　under　strict　surveillance；　no　one　seems　to　care　



about　these　Parias。　　The　most　remarkable　feature；　however；　



connected　with　the　habits　of　the　Czigany；　consists　in　their　foreign　



excursions；　having　plunder　in　view；　which　frequently　endure　for　



three　or　four　years；　when；　if　no　mischance　has　befallen　them；　they　



return　to　their　native　land　…　rich；　where　they　squander　the　



proceeds　of　their　dexterity　in　mad　festivals。　　They　wander　in　bands　



of　twelve　and　fourteen　through　France；　even　to　Rome。　　Once；　during　



my　own　wanderings　in　Italy；　I　rested　at　nightfall　by　the　side　of　a　



kiln；　the　air　being　piercingly　cold；　it　was　about　four　leagues　from　



Genoa。　　Presently　arrived　three　individuals　to　take　advantage　of　



the　warmth　…　a　man；　a　woman；　and　a　lad。　　They　soon　began　to　



discourse　…　and　I　found　that　they　were　Hungarian　Gypsies；　they　



spoke　of　what　they　had　been　doing；　and　what　they　had　amassed　…　I　



think　they　mentioned　nine　hundred　crowns。　　They　had　companions　in　



the　neighbourhood；　some　of　whom　they　were　expecting；　they　took　no　



notice　of　me；　and　conversed　in　their　own　dialect；　I　did　not　approve　



of　their　propinquity；　and　rising；　hastened　away。







When　Napoleon　invaded　Spain　there　were　not　a　few　Hungarian　Gypsies　



in　his　armies；　some　strange　encounters　occurred　on　the　field　of　



battle　between　these　people　and　the　Spanish　Gitanos；　one　of　which　



is　related　in　the　second　part　of　the　present　work。　　When　quartered　



in　the　Spanish　towns；　the　Czigany　invariably　sought　out　their　



peninsular　brethren；　to　whom　they　revealed　themselves；　kissing　and　



embracing　most　affectionately；　the　Gitanos　were　astonished　at　the　



proficiency　of　the　strangers　in　thievish　arts；　and　looked　upon　them　



almost　in　the　light　of　superior　beings：　　'They　knew　the　whole　



reckoning；'　is　still　a　common　expression　amongst　them。　　There　was　a　



Cziganian　soldier　for　some　time　at　Cordoba；　of　whom　the　Gitanos　of　



the　place　still　frequently　discourse；　whilst　smoking　their　cigars　



during　winter　nights　over　their　braseros。







The　Hungarian　Gypsies　have　a　peculiar　accent　when　speaking　the　



language　of　the　country；　by　which　they　can　be　instantly　



distinguished；　the　same　thing　is　applicable　to　the　Gitanos　of　Spain　



when　speaking　Spanish。　　In　no　part　of　the　world　is　the　Gypsy　



language　preserved　better　than　in　Hungary。







The　following　short　prayer　to　the　Virgin；　which　I　have　frequently　



heard　amongst　the　Gypsies　of　Hungary　and　Transylvania；　will　serve　



as　a　specimen　of　their　language。…











Gula　Devla；　da　me　saschipo。　　Swuntuna　Devla；　da　me　bacht　t'　



aldaschis　cari　me　jav；　te　ferin　man；　Devla；　sila　ta　niapaschiata；　



chungale　manuschendar；　ke　me　jav　ande　drom　ca　hin　man　traba；　ferin　



man；　Devia；　ma　mek　man　Devla；　ke　manga　man　tre　Devies…key。







Sweet　Goddess；　give　me　health。　　Holy　Goddess；　give　me　luck　and　



grace　wherever　I　go；　and　help　me；　Goddess；　powerful　and　immaculate；　



from　ugly　men；　that　I　may　go　in　the　road　to　the　place　I　purpose：　　



help　me；　Goddess；　forsake　me　not；　Goddess；　for　I　pray　for　God's　



sake。















WALLACHIA　AND　MOLDAVIA















In　Wallachia　and　Moldavia；　two　of　the　eastern…most　regions　of　



Europe；　are　to　be　found　seven　millions　of　people　calling　themselves　



Roumouni；　and　speaking　a　dialect　of　the　Latin　tongue　much　corrupted　



by　barbarous　terms；　so　called。　　They　are　supposed　to　be　in　part　



descendants　of　Roman　soldiers；　Rome　in　the　days　of　her　grandeur　



having　established　immense　military　colonies　in　these　parts。　　In　



the　midst　of　these　people　exist　vast　numbers　of　Gypsies；　amounting；　



I　am　disposed　to　think；　to　at　least　two　hundred　thousand。　　The　land　



of　the　Roumouni；　indeed；　seems　to　have　been　the　hive　from　which　the　



West　of　Europe　derived　the　Gypsy　part　of　its　population。　　Far　be　it　



from　me　to　say　that　the　Gypsies　sprang　originally　from　Roumouni…



land。　　All　I　mean　is；　that　it　was　their　grand　resting…place　after　



crossing　the　Danube。　　They　entered　Roumouni…land　from　Bulgaria；　



crossing　the　great　river；　and　from　thence　some　went　to　the　north…



east；　overrunning　Russia；　others　to　the　west　of　Europe；　as　far　as　



Spain　and　England。　　That　the　early　Gypsies　of　the　West；　and　also　



those　of　Russia；　came　from　Roumouni…land；　is　easily　proved；　as　in　



all　the　western　Gypsy　dialects；　and　also　in　the　Russian；　are　to　be　



found　words　belonging　to　the　Roumouni　speech；　for　example；　



primavera；　spring；　cheros；　heaven；　chorab；　stocking；　chismey；　



boots；　…　Roum　…　primivari；　cherul；　chorapul；　chisme。　　One　might　



almost　be　tempted　to　suppose　that　the　term　Rommany；　by　which　the　



Gypsies　of　Russia　and　the　West　call　themselves；　was　derived　from　



Roumouni；　were　it　not　for　one　fact；　which　is；　that　Romanus　in　the　



Latin　tongue　merely　means　a　native　of　Rome；　whilst　the　specific　



meaning　of　Rome　still　remains　in　the　dark；　whereas　in　Gypsy　Rom　



means　a　husband；　Rommany　the　sect　of　the　husbands；　Romanesti　if　



married。　　Whether　both　words　were　derived　originally　from　the　same　



source；　as　I　believe　some　people　have　supposed；　is　a　question　



which；　with　my　present　lights；　I　cannot　pretend　to　determine。















THE　ENGLISH　GYPSIES















No　country　appears　less　adapted　for　that　wandering　life；　which　



seems　so　natural　to　these　people；　than　England。　　Those　wildernesses　



and　forests；　which　they　are　so　attached　to；　are　not　to　be　found　



there；　every　inch　of　land　is　cultivated；　and　its　produce　watched　



with　a　jealous　eye；　and　as　the　laws　against　trampers；　without　the　



visible　means　of　supporting　themselves；　are　exceedingly　severe；　the　



possibility　of　the　Gypsies　existing　as　a　distinct　race；　and　



retaining　their　original　free　and　independent　habits；　might　



naturally　be　called　in　question　by　those　who　had　not　satisfactorily　



verified　the　fact。　　Yet　it　is　a　truth　that；　amidst　all　these　



seeming　disadvantages；　they　not　only　exist　there；　but　in　no　part　of　



the　world　is　their　life　more　in　accordance　with　the　general　idea　



that　the　Gypsy　is　like　Cain；　a　wanderer　of　the　earth；　for　in　



England　the　covered　cart　and　the　little　tent　are　the　houses　of　the　



Gypsy；　and　he　seldom　remains　more　than　three　days　in　the　same　



place。







At　present　they　are　considered　in　some　degree　as　a　privileged　



people；　for；　though　their　way　of　life　is　unlawful；　it　is　connived　



at；　the　law　of　England　having　discovered　by　experience；　that　its　



utmost　fury　is　inefficient　to　reclaim　them　from　their　inveterate　



habits。







Shortly　after　their　first　arrival　in　England；　which　is　upwards　of　



three　centuries　since；　a　dreadful　persecution　was　raised　against　



them；　the　aim　of　which　was　their　utter　extermination；　the　being　a　



Gypsy　was　esteemed　a　crime　worthy　of　death；　and　the　gibbets　of　



England