uncle remus-第1章

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Uncle　Remus；　His　Songs　and　His　Sayings

By　Joel　Chandler　Harris




PREFACE　AND　DEDICATION　TO　THE　NEW　EDITION

To　Arthur　Barbette　Frost：

DEAR　FROST：　

I　am　expected　to　supply　a　preface　for　this　new　edition　of　my　first　book…to　advance　from　behind　the　curtain；　as　it　were；　and　make　a　fresh　bow　to　the　public　that　has　dealt　with　Uncle　Remus　in　so　gentle　and　generous　a　fashion。　For　this　event　the　lights　are　to　be　rekindled；　and　I　am　expected　to　respond　in　some　formal　way　to　an　encore　that　marks　the　fifteenth　anniversary　of　the　book。　There　have　been　other　editions…how　many　I　do　not　remember…but　this　is　to　be　an　entirely　new　one；　except　as　to　the　matter：　new　type；　new　pictures；　and　new　binding。

But；　as　frequently　happens　on　such　occasions；　I　am　at　a　loss　for　a　word。　I　seem　to　see　before　me　the　smiling　faces　of　thousands　of　children…some　young　and　fresh；　and　some　wearing　the　friendly　marks　of　age；　but　all　children　at　heart…and　not　an　unfriendly　face　among　them。　And　out　of　the　confusion；　and　while　I　am　trying　hard　to　speak　the　right　word；　I　seem　to　hear　a　voice　lifted　above　the　rest；　saying　〃You　have　made　some　of　us　happy。〃　And　so　I　feel　my　heart　fluttering　and　my　lips　trembling；　and　I　have　to　how　silently　and　him　away；　and　hurry　back　into　the　obscurity　that　fits　me　best。

Phantoms！　Children　of　dreams！　True；　my　dear　Frost；　but　if　you　could　see　the　thousands　of　letters　that　have　come　to　me　from　far　and　near；　and　all　fresh　from　the　hearts　and　hands　of　children；　and　from　men　and　women　who　have　not　forgotten　how　to　be　children；　you　would　not　wonder　at　the　dream。　And　such　a　dream　can　do　no　harm。　Insubstantial　though　it　may　be；　I　would　not　at　this　hour　exchange　it　for　all　the　fame　won　by　my　mightier　brethren　of　the　pen…whom　I　most　humbly　salute。

Measured　by　the　material　developments　that　have　compressed　years　of　experience　into　the　space　of　a　day；　thus　increasing　the　possibilities　of　life；　if　not　its　beauty；　fifteen　years　constitute　the　old　age　of　a　book。　Such　a　survival　might　almost　be　said　to　be　due　to　a　tiny　sluice　of　green　sap　under　the　gray　bark。　where　it　lies　in　the　matter　of　this　book；　or　what　its　source　if；　indeed；　it　be　really　there…is　more　of　a　mystery　to　my　middle　age　than　it　was　to　my　prime。

But　it　would　be　no　mystery　at　all　if　this　new　edition　were　to　be　more　popular　than　the　old　one。　Do　you　know　why？　Because　you　have　taken　it　under　your　hand　and　made　it　yours。　Because　you　have　breathed　the　breath　of　life　into　these　amiable　brethern　of　wood　and　field。　Because；　by　a　stroke　here　and　a　touch　there；　you　have　conveyed　into　their　quaint　antics　the　illumination　of　your　own　inimitable　humor；　which　is　as　true　to　our　sun　and　soil　as　it　is　to　the　spirit　and　essence　of　the　matter　set　forth。

The　book　was　mine；　but　now　you　have　made　it　yours；　both　sap　and　pith。　Take　it；　therefore；　my　dear　Frost；　and　believe　me；　faithfully　yours；

Joel　Chandler　Harris




INTRODUCTION

I　am　advised　by　my　publishers　that　this　book　is　to　be　included　in　their　catalogue　of　humorous　publications；　and　this　friendly　warning　gives　me　an　opportunity　to　say　that　however　humorous　it　may　be　in　effect；　its　intention　is　perfectly　serious；　and；　even　if　it　were　otherwise；　it　seems　to　me　that　a　volume　written　wholly　in　dialect　must　have　its　solemn；　not　to　say　melancholy；　features。　With　respect　to　the　Folk…Lore　scenes；　my　purpose　has　been　to　preserve　the　legends　themselves　in　their　original　simplicity；　and　to　wed　them　permanently　to　the　quaint　dialect…if；　indeed；　it　can　be　called　a　dialect…through　the　medium　of　which　they　have　become　a　part　of　the　domestic　history　of　every　Southern　family；　and　I　have　endeavored　to　give　to　the　whole　a　genuine　flavor　of　the　old　plantation。

Each　legend　has　its　variants；　but　in　every　instance　I　have　retained　that　particular　version　which　seemed　to　me　to　be　the　most　characteristic；　and　have　given　it　without　embellishment　and　without　exaggeration。

The　dialect；　it　will　be　observed；　is　wholly　different　from　that　of　the　Hon。　Pompey　Smash　and　his　literary　descendants；　and　different　also　from　the　intolerable　misrepresentations　of　the　minstrel　stage；　but　it　is　at　least　phonetically　genuine。　Nevertheless；　if　the　language　of　Uncle　Remus　fails　to　give　vivid　hints　of　the　really　poetic　imagination　of　the　negro；　if　it　fails　to　embody　the　quaint　and　homely　humor　which　was　his　most　prominent　characteristic；　if　it　does　not　suggest　a　certain　picturesque　sensitiveness…a　curious　exaltation　of　mind　and　temperament　not　to　be　defined　by　words　…then　I　have　reproduced　the　form　of　the　dialect　merely；　and　not　the　essence；　and　my　attempt　may　be　accounted　a　failure。　At　any　rate；　I　trust　I　have　been　successful　in　presenting　what　must　be；　at　least　to　a　large　portion　of　American　readers；　a　new　and　by　no　means　unattractive　phase　of　negro　character…a　phase　which　may　be　considered　a　curiously　sympathetic　supplement　to　Mrs。　Stowe's　wonderful　defense　of　slavery　as　it　existed　in　the　South。　Mrs。　Stowe；　let　me　hasten　to　say；　attacked　the　possibilities　of　slavery　with　all　the　eloquence　of　genius；　but　the　same　genius　painted　the　portrait　of　the　Southern　slave…owner；　and　defended　him。

A　number　of　the　plantation　legends　originally　appeared　in　the　columns　of　a　daily　newspaper…The　Atlanta　Constitution　and　in　that　shape　they　attracted　the　attention　of　various　gentlemen　who　were　kind　enough　to　suggest　that　they　would　prove　to　be　valuable　contributions　to　myth…literature。　It　is　but　fair　to　say　that　ethnological　considerations　formed　no　part　of　the　undertaking　which　has　resulted　in　the　publication　of　this　volume。　Professor　J。　W。　Powell；　of　the　Smithsonian　Institution；　who　is　engaged　in　an　investigation　of　the　mythology　of　the　North　American　Indians；　informs　me　that　some　of　Uncle　Remus's　stories　appear　in　a　number　of　different　languages；　and　in　various　modified　forms；　among　the　Indians；　and　he　is　of　the　opinion　that　they　are　borrowed　by　the　negroes　from　the　red…men。　But　this；　to　say　the　least；　is　extremely　doubtful；　since　another　investigator　（Mr。　Herbert　H。　Smith；　author　of　Brazil　and　the　Amazons）　has　met　with　some　of　these　stories　among　tribes　of　South　American　Indians；　and　one　in　particular　he　has　traced　to　India；　and　as　far　east　as　Siam。　Mr。　Smith　has　been　kind　enough　to　send　me　the　proof…sheets　of　his　chapter　on　The　Myths　and　Folk…Lore　of　the　Amazonian　Indians；　in　which　he　reproduces　some　of　the　stories　which　he　gathered　while　exploring　the　Amazons。

In　the　first　of　his　series；　a　tortoise　falls　from　a　tree　upon　the　head　of　a　jaguar　and　kills　him；　in　one　of　Uncle　Remus's　stories；　the　terrapin　falls　from　a　shelf　in　Miss　Meadows's　house　and　stuns　the　fox；　so　that　the　latter　fails　to　catch　the　rabbit。　In　the　next；　a　jaguar　catches　a　tortoise　by　the　hind…leg　as　he　is　disappearing　in　his　hole；　but　the　tortoise　convinces　him　he　is　holding　a　root；　and　so　escapes；　Uncle　Remus　tells　how　the　fox　endeavored　to　drown　the　terrapin；　but　turned　him　loose　because　the　terrapin　declared　his　tail　to　be　only　a　stump…root。　Mr。　Smith　also　gives　the　story　of　how　the　tortoise　outran　the　deer；　which　is　identical　as　to　incident　with　Uncle　Remus's　story　of　how　Brer　Tarrypin　outran　Brer　Rabbit。　Then　there　is　the　story　of　how　the　tortoise　pretended　that　he　was　stronger　than　the　tapir。　He　tells　the　latter　he　can　drag　him　into　the　sea；　but　the　tapir　retorts　that　he　will　pull　the　tortoise　into　the　forest　and　kill　him　besides。　The　tortoise　thereupon　gets　a　vine…stem；　ties　one　end　around　the　body　of　the　tapir；　and　goes　to　the　sea；　where　he　ties　the　other　end　to　the　tail　of　a　whale。　He　then　goes　into　the　wood；　midway　between　them　both；　and　gives　the　vine　a　shake　as　a　signal　for　the　pulling　to　begin。　The　struggle　between　the　whale　and　tapir　goes　on　until　each　thinks　the　tortoise　is　the　strongest　of　animals。　Compare　this　with　the　story　of　the　terrapin's　contest　with　the　bear；　in　which　Miss　Meadows's　bed…cord　is　used　instead　of　a　vine…stem。　One　of　the　most　characteristic　of　Uncle　Remus's　stories　is　that　in　which　the　rabbit　proves　to　Miss　Meadows　and　the　girls　that　the　fox　is　his　riding…horse。　This　is　almost　identical　with　a　story　quoted　by　Mr。　Smith；　where　the　jaguar　is　about　to　marry　the　deer's　daughter。　The　cotia…a　species　of　rodent…is　also　in　love　with　her；　and　he　tells　the　deer　that　he