short stories and essays-第3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！








SUMMER　ISLES　OF　EDEN

It　may　be　all　an　illusion　of　the　map；　where　the　Summer　Islands　glimmer　a
small　and　solitary　little　group　of　dots　and　wrinkles；　remote　from
continental　shores；　with　a　straight　line　descending　southeastwardly　upon
them；　to　show　how　sharp　and　swift　the　ship's　course　is；　but　they　seem　so
far　and　alien　from　my　wonted　place　that　it　is　as　if　I　had　slid　down　a
steepy　slant　from　the　home…planet　to　a　group　of　asteroids　nebulous
somewhere　in　middle　space；　and　were　resting　there；　still　vibrant　from　the
rush　of　the　meteoric　fall。　　There　were；　of　course；　facts　and　incidents
contrary　to　such　a　theory：　a　steamer　starting　from　New　York　in　the　raw
March　morning；　and　lurching　and　twisting　through　two　days　of　diagonal
seas；　with　people　aboard　dining　and　undining；　and　talking　and　smoking　and
cocktailing　and　hot…scotching　and　beef…teaing；　but　when　the　ship　came　in
sight　of　the　islands；　and　they　began　to　lift　their　cedared　slopes　from
the　turquoise　waters；　and　to　explain　their　drifted　snows　as　the　white
walls　and　white　roofs　of　houses；　then　the　waking　sense　became　the
dreaming　sense；　and　the　sweet　impossibility　of　that　drop　through　air
became　the　sole　reality。




I。

Everything　here；　indeed；　is　so　strange　that　you　placidly　accept　whatever
offers　itself　as　the　simplest　and　naturalest　fact。　　Those　low　hills；　that
climb；　with　their　tough；　dark　cedars；　from　the　summer　sea　to　the　summer
sky；　might　have　drifted　down　across　the　Gulf　Stream　from　the　coast　of
Maine；　but　when；　upon　closer　inspection；　you　find　them　skirted　with　palms
and　bananas；　and　hedged　with　oleanders；　you　merely　wonder　that　you　had
never　noticed　these　growths　in　Maine　before；　where　you　were　so　familiar
with　the　cedars。　　The　hotel　itself；　which　has　brought　the　Green　Mountains
with　it；　in　every　detail；　from　the　dormer…windowed　mansard…roof；　and　the
white…painted；　green…shuttered　walls；　to　the　neat；　school…mistressly
waitresses　in　the　dining…room；　has　a　clump　of　palmettos　beside　it；
swaying　and　sighing　in　the　tropic　breeze；　and　you　know　that　when　it
migrates　back　to　the　New　England　hill…country；　at　the　end　of　the　season；
you　shall　find　it　with　the　palmettos　still　before　its　veranda；　and
equally　at　home；　somewhere　in　the　Vermont　or　New　Hampshire　July。　　There
will　be　the　same　American　groups　looking　out　over　them；　and　rocking　and
smoking；　though；　alas！　not　so　many　smoking　as　rocking。

But　where；　in　that　translation；　would　be　the　gold　braided　red　or　blue
jackets　of　the　British　army　and　navy　which　lend　their　lustre　and　color
here　to　the　veranda　groups？　　Where　should　one　get　the　house　walls　of
whitewashed　stone　and　the　garden　walls　which　everywhere　glow　in　the　sun；
and　belt　in　little　spaces　full　of　roses　and　lilies？　　These　things　must
come　from　some　other　association；　and　in　the　case　of　him　who　here
confesses；　the　lustrous　uniforms　and　the　glowing　walls　rise　from　waters
as　far　away　in　time　as　in　space；　and　a　long…ago　apparition　of　Venetian
Junes　haunts　the　coral　shore。　　（They　are　beginning　to　say　the　shore　is
not　coral；　but　no　matter。）　　To　be　sure；　the　white　roofs　are　not　accounted
for　in　this　visionary　presence；　and　if　one　may　not　relate　them　to　the
snowfalls　of　home　winters；　then　one　must　frankly　own　them　absolutely
tropical；　together　with　the　green…pillared　and　green…latticed　galleries。
They　at　least　suggest　the　tropical　scenery　of　Prue　and　I　as　one　remembers
seeing　it　through　Titbottom's　spectacles；　and　yet；　if　one　supplies　roofs
of　brown…red　tiles；　it　is　all　Venetian　enough；　with　the　lagoon…like
expanses　that　lend　themselves　to　the　fond　effect。　　It　is　so　Venetian；
indeed；　that　it　wants　but　a　few　silent　gondolas　and　noisy　gondoliers；
in　place　of　the　dark；　taciturn　oarsmen　of　the　clumsy　native　boats；　to
complete　the　coming　and　going　illusion；　and　there　is　no　good　reason　why
the　rough　little　isles　that　fill　the　bay　should　not　call　themselves
respectively　San　Giorgio　and　San　Clemente；　and　Sant'　Elena　and　San
Lazzaro：　they　probably　have　no　other　names！




II。

These　summer　isles　of　Eden　have　this　advantage　over　the　scriptural　Eden；
that　apparently　it　was　not　woman　and　her　seed　who　were　expelled；　when
once　she　set　foot　here；　but　the　serpent　and　his　seed：　women　now　abound　in
the　Summer　Islands；　and　there　is　not　a　snake　anywhere　to　be　found。　　There
are　some　tortoises　and　a　great　many　frogs　in　their　season；　but　no　other
reptiles。　　The　frogs　are　fabled　of　a　note　so　deep　and　hoarse　that　its
vibration　almost　springs　the　environing　mines　of　dynamite；　though　it　has
never　yet　done　so；　the　tortoises　grow　to　a　great　size　and　a　patriarchal
age；　and　are　fond　of　Boston　brown　bread　and　baked　beans；　if　their
preferences　may　be　judged　from　those　of　a　colossal　specimen　in　the　care
of　an　American　family　living　on　the　islands。　　The　observer　who
contributes　this　fact　to　science　is　able　to　report　the　case　of　a　parrot…
fish；　on　the　same　premises；　so　exactly　like　a　large　brown　and　purple
cockatoo　that；　seeing　such　a　cockatoo　later　on　dry　land；　it　was　with　a
sense　of　something　like　cruelty　in　its　exile　from　its　native　waters。
The　angel…fish　he　thinks　not　so　much　like　angels；　they　are　of　a
transparent　purity　of　substance；　and　a　cherubic　innocence　of　expression；
but　they　terminate　in　two　tails；　which　somehow　will　not　lend　themselves
to　the　resemblance。

Certainly　the　angel…fish　is　not　so　well　named　as　the　parrot…fish；　it
might　better　be　called　the　ghostfish；　it　is　so　like　a　moonbeam　in　the
pools　it　haunts；　and　of　such　a　convertible　quality　with　the　iridescent
vegetable　growths　about　it。　　All　things　here　are　of　a　weird
convertibility　to　the　alien　perception；　and　the　richest　and　rarest　facts
of　nature　lavish　themselves　in　humble　association　with　the　commonest　and
most　familiar。　　You　drive　through　long　stretches　of　wayside　willows；　and
realize　only　now　and　then　that　these　willows　are　thick　clumps　of
oleanders；　and　through　them　you　can　catch　glimpses　of　banana…orchards；
which　look　like　dishevelled　patches　of　gigantic　cornstalks。　　The　fields
of　Easter　lilies　do　not　quite　live　up　to　their　photographs；　they　are
presently　suffering　from　a　mysterious　blight；　and　their　flowers　are　not
frequent　enough　to　lend　them　that　sculpturesque　effect　near　to；　which
they　wear　as　far　off　as　New　York。　　The　potato…fields；　on　the　other　hand；
are　of　a　tender　delicacy　of　coloring　which　compensates　for　the　lilies'
lack；　and　the　palms　give　no　just　cause　for　complaint；　unless　because　they
are　not　nearly　enough　to　characterize　the　landscape；　which　in　spite　of
their　presence　remains　so　northern　in　aspect。　　They　were　much　whipped　and
torn　by　a　late　hurricane；　which　afflicted　all　the　vegetation　of　the
islands；　and　some　of　the　royal　palms　were　blown　down。　　Where　these　are
yet　standing；　as　four　or　five　of　them　are　in　a　famous　avenue　now　quite
one…sided；　they　are　of　a　majesty　befitting　that　of　any　king　who　could
pass　by　them：　no　sovereign　except　Philip　of　Macedon　in　his　least　judicial
moments　could　pass　between　them。

The　century…plant；　which　here　does　not　require　pampering　under　glass；
but　boldly　takes　its　place　out　doors　with　the　other　trees　of　the　garden；
employs　much　less　than　a　hundred　years　to　bring　itself　to　bloom。
It　often　flowers　twice　or　thrice　in　that　space　of　time；　and　ought　to　take
away　the　reproach　of　the　inhabitants　for　a　want　of　industry　and
enterprise：　a　century…plant　at　least　could　do　no　more　in　any　air；　and　it
merits　praise　for　its　activity　in　the　breath　of　these　languorous　seas。
One　such　must　be　in　bloom　at　this　very　writing；　in　the　garden　of　a　house
which　this　very　writer　marked　for　his　own　on　his　first　drive　ashore　from
the　steamer　to　the　hotel；　when　he　bestowed　in　its　dim；　unknown　interior
one　of　the　many　multiples　of　himself　which　are　now　pretty　well　dispersed
among　the　pleasant　places　of　the　earth。　　It　fills　the　night　with　a　heavy
heliotropean　sweetness；　and　on　the　herb　beneath；　in　the　effulgence　of　the
waxing　moon；　the　multiple　which　has　spiritually　expropriated　the　legal
owners　stretches　itself　in　an　interminable　reverie；　and　hears　Youth　come
laughing　back　to　it　on　the　waters　kissing　the　adjacent　shore；　where　other
white　houses　（which　also　it　inhabits）　bathe　their　snowy　underpi