the golden bough-第127章

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likeness　of　a　boar　in　order　to　compass　the　death　of　his　rival。　Bitterly　did　Aphrodite　lament　her　loved　and　lost　Adonis。　In　this　form　of　the　myth；　the　contest　between　Aphrodite　and　Persephone　for　the　possession　of　Adonis　clearly　reflects　the　struggle　between　Ishtar　and　Allatu　in　the　land　of　the　dead；　while　the　decision　of　Zeus　that　Adonis　is　to　spend　one　part　of　the　year　under　ground　and　another　part　above　ground　is　merely　a　Greek　version　of　the　annual　disappearance　and　reappearance　of　Tammuz。　　Chapter　30。　Adonis　in　Syria。

THE　MYTH　of　Adonis　was　localised　and　his　rites　celebrated　with　much　solemnity　at　two　places　in　Western　Asia。　One　of　these　was　Byblus　on　the　coast　of　Syria；　the　other　was　Paphos　in　Cyprus。　Both　were　great　seats　of　the　worship　of　Aphrodite；　or　rather　of　her　Semitic　counterpart；　Astarte；　and　of　both；　if　we　accept　the　legends；　Cinyras；　the　father　of　Adonis；　was　king。　Of　the　two　cities　Byblus　was　the　more　ancient；　indeed　it　claimed　to　be　the　oldest　city　in　Phoenicia；　and　to　have　been　founded　in　the　early　ages　of　the　world　by　the　great　god　El；　whom　Greeks　and　Romans　identified　with　Cronus　and　Saturn　respectively。　However　that　may　have　been；　in　historical　times　it　ranked　as　a　holy　place；　the　religious　capital　of　the　country；　the　Mecca　or　Jerusalem　of　the　Phoenicians。　The　city　stood　on　a　height　beside　the　sea；　and　contained　a　great　sanctuary　of　Astarte；　where　in　the　midst　of　a　spacious　open　court；　surrounded　by　cloisters　and　approached　from　below　by　staircases；　rose　a　tall　cone　or　obelisk；　the　holy　image　of　the　goddess。　In　this　sanctuary　the　rites　of　Adonis　were　celebrated。　Indeed　the　whole　city　was　sacred　to　him；　and　the　river　Nahr　Ibrahim；　which　falls　into　the　sea　a　little　to　the　south　of　Byblus；　bore　in　antiquity　the　name　of　Adonis。　This　was　the　kingdom　of　Cinyras。　From　the　earliest　to　the　latest　times　the　city　appears　to　have　been　ruled　by　kings；　assisted　perhaps　by　a　senate　or　council　of　elders。

The　last　king　of　Byblus　bore　the　ancient　name　of　Cinyras；　and　was　beheaded　by　Pompey　the　Great　for　his　tyrannous　excesses。　His　legendary　namesake　Cinyras　is　said　to　have　founded　a　sanctuary　of　Aphrodite；　that　is；　of　Astarte；　at　a　place　on　Mount　Lebanon；　distant　a　day's　journey　from　the　capital。　The　spot　was　probably　Aphaca；　at　the　source　of　the　river　Adonis；　half…way　between　Byblus　and　Baalbec；　for　at　Aphaca　there　was　a　famous　grove　and　sanctuary　of　Astarte　which　Constantine　destroyed　on　account　of　the　flagitious　character　of　the　worship。　The　site　of　the　temple　has　been　discovered　by　modern　travellers　near　the　miserable　village　which　still　bears　the　name　of　Afka　at　the　head　of　the　wild；　romantic；　wooded　gorge　of　the　Adonis。　The　hamlet　stands　among　groves　of　noble　walnut…trees　on　the　brink　of　the　lyn。　A　little　way　off　the　river　rushes　from　a　cavern　at　the　foot　of　a　mighty　amphitheatre　of　towering　cliffs　to　plunge　in　a　series　of　cascades　into　the　awful　depths　of　the　glen。　The　deeper　it　descends；　the　ranker　and　denser　grows　the　vegetation；　which；　sprouting　from　the　crannies　and　fissures　of　the　rocks；　spreads　a　green　veil　over　the　roaring　or　murmuring　stream　in　the　tremendous　chasm　below。　There　is　something　delicious；　almost　intoxicating；　in　the　freshness　of　these　tumbling　waters；　in　the　sweetness　and　purity　of　the　mountain　air；　in　the　vivid　green　of　the　vegetation。　The　temple；　of　which　some　massive　hewn　blocks　and　a　fine　column　of　Syenite　granite　still　mark　the　site；　occupied　a　terrace　facing　the　source　of　the　river　and　commanding　a　magnificent　prospect。　Across　the　foam　and　the　roar　of　the　waterfalls　you　look　up　to　the　cavern　and　away　to　the　top　of　the　sublime　precipices　above。　So　lofty　is　the　cliff　that　the　goats　which　creep　along　its　ledges　to　browse　on　the　bushes　appear　like　ants　to　the　spectator　hundreds　of　feet　below。　Seaward　the　view　is　especially　impressive　when　the　sun　floods　the　profound　gorge　with　golden　light；　revealing　all　the　fantastic　buttresses　and　rounded　towers　of　its　mountain　rampart；　and　falling　softly　on　the　varied　green　of　the　woods　which　clothe　its　depths。　It　was　here　that；　according　to　the　legend；　Adonis　met　Aphrodite　for　the　first　or　the　last　time；　and　here　his　mangled　body　was　buried。　A　fairer　scene　could　hardly　be　imagined　for　a　story　of　tragic　love　and　death。　Yet；　sequestered　as　the　valley　is　and　must　always　have　been；　it　is　not　wholly　deserted。　A　convent　or　a　village　may　be　observed　here　and　there　standing　out　against　the　sky　on　the　top　of　some　beetling　crag；　or　clinging　to　the　face　of　a　nearly　perpendicular　cliff　high　above　the　foam　and　the　din　of　the　river；　and　at　evening　the　lights　that　twinkle　through　the　gloom　betray　the　presence　of　human　habitations　on　slopes　which　might　seem　inaccessible　to　man。　In　antiquity　the　whole　of　the　lovely　vale　appears　to　have　been　dedicated　to　Adonis；　and　to　this　day　it　is　haunted　by　his　memory；　for　the　heights　which　shut　it　in　are　crested　at　various　points　by　ruined　monuments　of　his　worship；　some　of　them　overhanging　dreadful　abysses；　down　which　it　turns　the　head　dizzy　to　look　and　see　the　eagles　wheeling　about　their　nests　far　below。　One　such　monument　exists　at　Ghineh。　The　face　of　a　great　rock；　above　a　roughly　hewn　recess；　is　here　carved　with　figures　of　Adonis　and　Aphrodite。　He　is　portrayed　with　spear　in　rest；　awaiting　the　attack　of　a　bear；　while　she　is　seated　in　an　attitude　of　sorrow。　Her　grief…stricken　figure　may　well　be　the　mourning　Aphrodite　of　the　Lebanon　described　by　Macrobius；　and　the　recess　in　the　rock　is　perhaps　her　lover's　tomb。　Every　year；　in　the　belief　of　his　worshippers；　Adonis　was　wounded　to　death　on　the　mountains；　and　every　year　the　face　of　nature　itself　was　dyed　with　his　sacred　blood。　So　year　by　year　the

Syrian　damsels　lamented　his　untimely　fate；　while　the　red　anemone；　his　flower；　bloomed　among　the　cedars　of　Lebanon；　and　the　river　ran　red　to　the　sea；　fringing　the　winding　shores　of　the　blue　Mediterranean；　whenever　the　wind　set　inshore；　with　a　sinuous　band　of　crimson。

Chapter　31。　Adonis　in　Cyprus。

THE　ISLAND　of　Cyprus　lies　but　one　day's　sail　from　the　coast　of　Syria。　Indeed；　on　fine　summer　evenings　its　mountains　may　be　descried　looming　low　and　dark　against　the　red　fires　of　sunset。　With　its　rich　mines　of　copper　and　its　forests　of　firs　and　stately　cedars；　the　island　naturally　attracted　a　commercial　and　maritime　people　like　the　Phoenicians；　while　the　abundance　of　its　corn；　its　wine；　and　its　oil　must　have　rendered　it　in　their　eyes　a　Land　of　Promise　by　comparison　with　the　niggardly　nature　of　their　own　rugged　coast；　hemmed　in　between　the　mountains　and　the　sea。　Accordingly　they　settled　in　Cyprus　at　a　very　early　date　and　remained　there　long　after　the　Greeks　had　also　established　themselves　on　its　shores；　for　we　know　from　inscriptions　and　coins　that　Phoenician　kings　reigned　at　Citium；　the　Chittim　of　the　Hebrews；　down　to　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Great。　Naturally　the　Semitic　colonists　brought　their　gods　with　them　from　the　mother…land。　They　worshipped　Baal　of　the　Lebanon；　who　may　well　have　been　Adonis；　and　at　Amathus　on　the　south　coast　they　instituted　the　rites　of　Adonis　and　Aphrodite；　or　rather　Astarte。　Here；　as　at　Byblus；　these　rites　resembled　the　Egyptian　worship　of　Osiris　so　closely　that　some　people　even　identified　the　Adonis　of　Amathus　with　Osiris。

But　the　great　seat　of　the　worship　of　Aphrodite　and　Adonis　in　Cyprus　was　Paphos　on　the　south…western　side　of　the　island。　Among　the　petty　kingdoms　into　which　Cyprus　was　divided　from　the　earliest　times　until　the　end　of　the　fourth　century　before　our　era　Paphos　must　have　ranked　with　the　best。　It　is　a　land　of　hills　and　billowy　ridges；　diversified　by　fields　and　vineyards　and　intersected　by　rivers；　which　in　the　course　of　ages　have　carved　for　themselves　beds　of　such　tremendous　depth　that　travelling　in　the　interior　is　difficult　and　tedious。　The　lofty　range　of　Mount　Olympus　（the　modern　Troodos）；　capped　with　snow　the　greater　part　of　the　year；　screens　Paphos　from　the　northerly　and　easterly　winds　and　cuts　it　off　from　the　rest　of　the　island。　On　the　slopes　of　the　range　the　last　pine…woods　of　Cyprus　linger；　sheltering　here　and　there　monasteries　in　scenery　not　unworthy　of　the　Apennines。　The　old　city　of　Paphos　occupied　the　summit　of　a　hill　about　a　mile　from　the　sea；　the　newer　city　sprang　up　at　the　harbour　some　ten　miles　of