wild wales-第43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！


country。〃

I　did　not　exactly　think　so。　　I　thought　that　in　many　respects　they　
were　fine　specimens　of　humanity。

〃Every　one　of　those　wild　fellows；〃　said　I　to　myself；　〃is　worth　a　
dozen　of　the　poor　mean…spirited　book…tramper　I　have　lately　been　
discoursing　with。〃

In　the　afternoon　I　again　passed　over　into　Anglesey；　but　this　time　
not　by　the　bridge　but　by　the　ferry　on　the　north…east　of　Bangor；　
intending　to　go　to　Beaumaris；　about　two　or　three　miles　distant：　　an　
excellent　road；　on　the　left　side　of　which　is　a　high　bank　fringed　
with　dwarf　oaks；　and　on　the　right　the　Menai　strait；　leads　to　it。　　
Beaumaris　is　at　present　a　watering…place。　　On　one　side　of　it；　close　
upon　the　sea；　stand　the　ruins　of　an　immense　castle；　once　a　Norman　
stronghold；　but　built　on　the　site　of　a　palace　belonging　to　the　
ancient　kings　of　North　Wales；　and　a　favourite　residence　of　the　
celebrated　Owain　Gwynedd；　the　father　of　the　yet　more　celebrated　
Madoc；　the　original　discoverer　of　America。　　I　proceeded　at　once　to　
the　castle；　and　clambering　to　the　top　of　one　of　the　turrets；　looked　
upon　Beaumaris　Bay；　and　the　noble　rocky　coast　of　the　mainland　to　
the　south…east　beyond　it；　the　most　remarkable　object　of　which　is　
the　gigantic　Penman　Mawr；　which　interpreted　is　〃the　great　head…
stone；〃　the　termination　of　a　range　of　craggy　hills　descending　from　
the　Snowdon　mountains。

〃What　a　bay！〃　said　I；　〃for　beauty　it　is　superior　to　the　far…famed　
one　of　Naples。　　A　proper　place　for　the　keels　to　start　from；　which；　
unguided　by　the　compass；　found　their　way　over　the　mighty　and　
mysterious　Western　Ocean。〃

I　repeated　all　the　Bardic　lines　I　could　remember　connected　with　
Madoc's　expedition；　and　likewise　many　from　the　Madoc　of　Southey；　
not　the　least　of　Britain's　four　great　latter　poets；　decidedly　her　
best　prose　writer；　and　probably　the　purest　and　most　noble　character　
to　which　she　has　ever　given　birth；　and　then；　after　a　long；　
lingering　look；　descended　from　my　altitude；　and　returned；　not　by　
the　ferry；　but　by　the　suspension　bridge　to　the　mainland。



CHAPTER　XXVIII



Robert　Lleiaf　…　Prophetic　Englyn　…　The　Second　Sight　…　Duncan　
Campbell　…　Nial's　Saga　…　Family　of　Nial　…　Gunnar　…　The　Avenger。


〃AV　i　dir　Mon；　cr　dwr　Menai；
Tros　y　traeth；　ond　aros　trai。〃

〃I　will　go　to　the　land　of　Mona；　notwithstanding　the　water　of　the　
Menai；　across　the　sand；　without　waiting　for　the　ebb。〃

SO　sang　a　bard　about　two　hundred　and　forty　years　ago；　who　styled　
himself　Robert　Lleiaf；　or　the　least　of　the　Roberts。　　The　meaning　of　
the　couplet　has　always　been　considered　to　be；　and　doubtless　is；　
that　a　time　would　come　when　a　bridge　would　be　built　across　the　
Menai；　over　which　one　might　pass　with　safety　and　comfort；　without　
waiting　till　the　ebb　was　sufficiently　low　to　permit　people　to　pass　
over　the　traeth；　or　sand；　which；　from　ages　the　most　remote；　had　
been　used　as　the　means　of　communication　between　the　mainland　and　
the　Isle　of　Mona　or　Anglesey。　　Grounding　their　hopes　upon　that　
couplet；　people　were　continually　expecting　to　see　a　bridge　across　
the　Menai：　　more　than　two　hundred　years；　however；　elapsed　before　
the　expectation　was　fulfilled　by　the　mighty　Telford　flinging　over　
the　strait　an　iron　suspension　bridge；　which；　for　grace　and　beauty；　
has　perhaps　no　rival　in　Europe。

The　couplet　is　a　remarkable　one。　　In　the　time　of　its　author　there　
was　nobody　in　Britain　capable　of　building　a　bridge；　which　could　
have　stood　against　the　tremendous　surges　which　occasionally　vex　the　
Menai；　yet　the　couplet　gives　intimation　that　a　bridge　over　the　
Menai　there　would　be；　which　clearly　argues　a　remarkable　foresight　
in　the　author；　a　feeling　that　a　time　would　at　length　arrive　when　
the　power　of　science　would　be　so　far　advanced；　that　men　would　be　
able　to　bridge　over　the　terrible　strait。　　The　length　of　time　which　
intervened　between　the　composition　of　the　couplet　and　the　
fulfilment　of　the　promise；　shows　that　a　bridge　over　the　Menai　was　
no　pont　y　meibion；　no　children's　bridge；　nor　a　work　for　common　men。　　
Oh；　surely　Lleiaf　was　a　man　of　great　foresight！

A　man　of　great　foresight；　but　nothing　more；　he　foretold　a　bridge　
over　the　Menai；　when　no　one　could　have　built　one；　a　bridge　over　
which　people　could　pass；　aye；　and　carts　and　horses；　we　will　allow　
him　the　credit　of　foretelling　such　a　bridge；　and　when　Telford's　
bridge　was　flung　over　the　Menai；　Lleiaf's　couplet　was　verified。　　
But　since　Telford's　another　bridge　has　been　built　over　the　Menai；　
which　enables　things　to　pass　which　the　bard　certainly　never　dreamt　
of。　　He　never　hinted　at　a　bridge　over　which　thundering　trains　would　
dash；　if　required；　at　the　rate　of　fifty　miles　an　hour；　he　never　
hinted　at　steam　travelling；　or　a　railroad　bridge；　and　the　second　
bridge　over　the　Menai　is　one。

That　Lleiaf　was　a　man　of　remarkable　foresight；　cannot　be　denied；　
but　there　are　no　grounds　which　entitle　him　to　be　considered　a　
possessor　of　the　second　sight。　　He　foretold　a　bridge；　but　not　a　
railroad　bridge；　had　he　foretold　a　railroad　bridge；　or　hinted　at　
the　marvels　of　steam；　his　claim　to　the　second　sight　would　have　been　
incontestable。

What　a　triumph　for　Wales；　what　a　triumph　for　bardism；　if　Lleiaf　had　
ever　written　an　englyn；　or　couplet；　in　which　not　a　bridge　for　
common　traffic；　but　a　railroad　bridge　over　the　Menai　was　hinted　at；　
and　steam　travelling　distinctly　foretold！　　Well；　though　Lleiaf　did　
not　write　it；　there　exists　in　the　Welsh　language　an　englyn；　almost　
as　old　as　Lleiaf's　time；　in　which　steam　travelling　in　Wales　and　
Anglesea　is　foretold；　and　in　which；　though　the　railroad　bridge　over　
the　Menai　is　not　exactly　mentioned；　it　may　be　considered　to　be　
included；　so　that　Wales　and　bardism　have　equal　reason　to　be　proud。　　
This　is　the　englyn　alluded　to：…


〃Codais；　ymolchais　yn　Mon；　cyn　naw　awr
Ciniewa'n　Nghaer　Lleon；
Pryd　gosber　yn　y　Werddon；
Prydnawn　wrth　dan　mawn　yn　Mon。〃


The　above　englyn　was　printed　in　the　Greal；　1792；　p。　316；　the　
language　shows　it　to　be　a　production　of　about　the　middle　of　the　
seventeenth　century。　　The　following　is　nearly　a　literal　
translation：…


〃I　got　up　in　Mona　as　soon　as　'twas　light；
At　nine　in　old　Chester　my　breakfast　I　took；
In　Ireland　I　dined；　and　in　Mona；　ere　night；
By　the　turf　fire　sat；　in　my　own　ingle　nook。〃


Now；　as　sure　as　the　couplet　by　Robert　Lleiaf　foretells　that　a　
bridge　would　eventually　be　built　over　the　strait；　by　which　people　
would　pass；　and　traffic　be　carried　on；　so　surely　does　the　above　
englyn　foreshadow　the　speed　by　which　people　would　travel　by　steam；　
a　speed　by　which　distance　is　already　all　but　annihilated。　　At　
present　it　is　easy　enough　to　get　up　at　dawn　at　Holyhead；　the　point　
of　Anglesey　the　most　distant　from　Chester；　and　to　breakfast　at　that　
old　town　by　nine；　and　though　the　feat　has　never　yet　been　
accomplished；　it　would　be　quite　possible；　provided　proper　
preparations　were　made；　to　start　from　Holyhead　at　daybreak；　
breakfast　at　Chester　at　nine；　or　before；　dine　in　Ireland　at　two；　
and　get　back　again　to　Holyhead　ere　the　sun　of　the　longest　day　has　
set。　　And　as　surely　as　the　couplet　about　the　bridge　argues　great　
foresight　in　the　man　that　wrote　it；　so　surely　does　the　englyn　prove　
that　its　author　must　have　been　possessed　of　the　faculty　of　second　
sight；　as　nobody　without　it　could；　in　the　middle　of　the　seventeenth　
century；　when　the　powers　of　steam　were　unknown；　have　written　
anything　in　which　travelling　by　steam　is　so　distinctly　alluded　to。

Truly　some　old　bard　of　the　seventeenth　century　must　in　a　vision　of　
the　second　sight　have　seen　the　railroad　bridge　across　the　Menai；　
the　Chester　train　dashing　across　it；　at　high　railroad　speed；　and　a　
figure　exactly　like　his　own　seated　comfortably　in　a　third…class　
carriage。

And　now　a　few　words　on　the　second　sight；　a　few　calm；　quiet　words；　
in　which　there　is　not　the　slightest　wish　to　display　either　
eccentricity　or　book…learning。

The　second　sight　is　the　power　of　seeing　events　before　they　happen；　
or　of　seeing　events　which　are　happening　far　beyond　the　reach　of　the　
common　sight；　or　between　which　and　the　common　sight　barriers　
intervene；　which　it　cannot　pierce。　　The　number　of　those　who　possess　
this　gift　or　power　is　limited；　and　perh