gulliver of mars-第15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!
ng to it through the confusion I saw by the dried fruit rind upon the sticks supporting it; that the grave and reverend tome was set to catch a mouse! It was a splendid book when I looked more closely; bound as a king might bind his choicest treasure; the sweet… scented leather on it was no doubt frayed; the golden arabesques upon the covers had long since shed their eyes of inset gems; the jewelled clasp locking its learning up from vulgar gaze was bent and open。 Yet it was a lordly tome with an odour of sanctity about it; and lifting it with diffi… culty; I noticed on its cover a red stain of mouse's blood。 Those who put it to this quaint use of mouse…trap had already had some sport; but surely never was a mouse crushed before under so much learning。 And while I stood
guessing at what the book might hold within; Heru; the princess; came tripping in to me; and with the abrupt famili… arity of her kind; laid a velvet hand upon my wrist; conned the title over to herself。
〃What does it say; sweet girl?〃 I asked。 〃The matter is learned; by its feel;〃 and that maid; pursing up her pretty lips; read the title to me〃The Secret of the Gods。〃
〃The Secret of the Gods;〃 I murmured。 〃Was it pos… sible other worlds had struggled hopelessly to come within the barest ken of that great knowledge; while here the same was set to catch a mouse with?〃
I said; 〃Silver…footed; sit down and read me a passage or two;〃 and propping the mighty volume upon a table drew a bench before it and pulled her down beside me。
〃Oh! a horrid; dry old book for certain;〃 cried that lady; her pink fingertips falling as lightly on the musty leaves as almond petals on March dust。 〃Where shall I begin? It is all equally dull。〃
〃Dip in;〃 was my answer。 〃 'Tis no great matter where; but near the beginning。 What says the writer of his intention? What sets he out to prove?〃
〃He says that is the Secret of the First Great Truth; descended straight to him〃
〃Many have said so much; yet have lied。〃
〃He says that which is written in his book is through him but not of him; past criticism and beyond cavil。 'Tis all in ancient and crabbed characters going back to the threshold of my learning; but here upon this passage…top where they are writ large I make them out to say; 'ONLY THE MAN WHO HAS DIED MANY TIMES BEGINS TO LIVE。'〃
〃A pregnant passage! Turn another page; and try again; I have an inkling of the book already。〃
〃'Tis poor; silly stuff;〃 said the girl; slipping a hand covertly into my own。 〃Why will you make me read it? I have a book on pomatums worth twice as much as this。〃
〃Nevertheless; dip in again; dear lady。 What says the next heading?〃 And with a little sigh at the heaviness of her task; Heru read out: 〃SOMETIMES THE GODS THEM… SELVES FORGET THE ANSWERS TO THEIR OWN RIDDLES。〃
〃Lady; I knew it!
〃All this is still preliminary to the great matter of the book; but the mutterings of the priest who draws back the cur… tains of the shrineand here; after the scribe has left these two yellow pages blank as though to set a space of reverence between himself and what comes nexthere speaks the truth; the voice; the fact of all life。〃 But 〃Oh! Jones;〃 she said; turning from the dusty pages and clasping her young; milk…warm hands over mine and leaning towards me until her blushing cheek was near to my shoulder and the incense of her breath upon me。 〃Oh! Gulliver Jones;〃 she said。 〃Make me read no more; my soul revolts from the task; the crazy brown letters swim before my eyes。 Is there no learning near at hand that would be pleasanter reading than this silly book of yours? What; after all;〃 she said; growing bolder at the sound of her own voice; 〃what; after all; is the musty reticence of gods to the whispered secret of a maid? Jones; splendid stranger for whom all men stand aside and women look over shoulders; oh; let me be your book!〃 she whispered; slipping on to my knee and winding her arms round my neck till; through the white glimmer of her single vest; I could feel her heart beating against mine。 〃Newest and dearest of friends; put by this dreary learning and look in my eyes; is there nothing to be spelt out there?〃
And I was constrained to do as she bid me; for she was as fresh as an almond blossom touched by the sun; and looking down into two swimming blue lakes where shyness and passion were contendingbooks easy enough; in truth; to be read; I saw that she loved me; with the unconventional ardour of her nature。
It was a pleasant discovery; if its abruptness was em… barrassing; for she was a maid in a thousand; and half ashamed and half laughing I let her escalade me; throwing now and then a rueful look at the Secret of the Gods; and all that priceless knowledge treated so unworthily。
What else could I do? Besides; I loved her myself! And if there was a momentary chagrin at having yonder golden knowledge put off by this lovely interruption; yet I was flesh and blood; the gods could waitthey had to wait long and often before; and when this sweet interpreter was comforted we would have another try。 So it happened I took her into my heart and gave her the answer she asked for。
For a long time we sat in the dusky grandeur of the royal library; my mind revolving between wonder and ad… miration of the neglected knowledge all about; and the stir… rings of a new love; while Heru herself; lapsed again into Martian calm; lay half sleeping on my shoulder; but pre… sently; unwinding her arms; I put her down。
〃There; sweetheart;〃 I whispered; 〃enough of this for the moment; tonight; perhaps; some more; but while we are here amongst all this lordly litter; I can think of nothing else。〃 Again I bid her turn the pages; noting as she did so how each chapter was headed by the coloured configuration of a world。 Page by page we turned of crackling parchment; until by chance; at the top of one; my eye caught a coloured round I could not fail to recognise'twas the spinning but… ton on the blue breast of the immeasurable that yesterday I inhabited。 〃Read here;〃 I cried; clapping my finger upon the page midway down; where there were some signs looking like Egyptian writing。 〃Says this quaint dabbler in all knowledge anything of Isis; anything of Phra; of Am… mon; of Ammon Top?〃
〃And who was Isis? who Ammon Top?〃 asked the lady。
〃Nay; read;〃 I answered; and down the page her slender fingers went awandering till at a spot of knotted signs they stopped。 〃Why; here is something about thy Isis;〃 ex… claimed Heru; as though amused at my perspicuity。 〃Here; halfway down this chapter of earth…history; it says;〃 and putting one pink knee across the other to better prop the book she read:
〃And the priests of Thebes were gone; the sand stood un… trampled on the temple steps a thousand years; the wild bees sang the song of desolation in the ears of Isis; the wild cats littered in the stony lap of Ammon; ay; another thou… sand years went by; and earth was tilled of unseen hands and sown with yellow grain from Paradise; and the thin veil that separates the known from the unknown was rent; and men walked to and fro。〃
〃Go on;〃 I said。
〃Nay;〃 laughed the other; 〃the little mice in their eager… ness have been before yousee; all this corner is gnawed away。〃
〃Read on again;〃 I said; 〃where the page is whole; those sips of knowledge you have given make me thirsty for more。 There; begin where this blazonry of initialed red and gold looks so like the carpet spread by the scribe for the feet of a sovereign truthwhat says he here?〃 And she; half pouting to be set back once more to that task; half won… dering as she gazed on those magic letters; let her eyes run down the page; then began:
〃And it was the Beginning; and in the centre void pres… ently there came a nucleus of light: and the light brightened in the grey primeval morning and became definite and articulate。 And from the midst of that natal splendour; behind which was the Unknowable; the life came hitherward; from the midst of that nucleus undescribed; undescribable; there issued presently the primeval sigh that breathed the breath of life into all things。 And that sigh thrilled through the empty spaces of the illimitable: it breathed the breath of promise over