友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
don juan-第10部分
快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!
He felt that chilling heaviness of heart;
Or rather stomach; which; alas! attends;
Beyond the best apothecary's art;
The loss of love; the treachery of friends;
Or death of those we dote on; when a part
Of us dies with them as each fond hope ends:
No doubt he would have been much more pathetic;
But the sea acted as a strong emetic。 I
Love 's a capricious power: I 've known it hold
Out through a fever caused by its own heat;
But be much puzzled by a cough and cold;
And find a quincy very hard to treat;
Against all noble maladies he 's bold;
But vulgar illnesses don't like to meet;
Nor that a sneeze should interrupt his sigh;
Nor inflammations redden his blind eye。
But worst of all is nausea; or a pain
About the lower region of the bowels;
Love; who heroically breathes a vein;
Shrinks from the application of hot towels;
And purgatives are dangerous to his reign;
Sea…sickness death: his love was perfect; how else
Could Juan's passion; while the billows roar;
Resist his stomach; ne'er at sea before?
The ship; call'd the most holy 'Trinidada;'
Was steering duly for the port Leghorn;
For there the Spanish family Moncada
Were settled long ere Juan's sire was born:
They were relations; and for them he had a
Letter of introduction; which the morn
Of his departure had been sent him by
His Spanish friends for those in Italy。
His suite consisted of three servants and
A tutor; the licentiate Pedrillo;
Who several languages did understand;
But now lay sick and speechless on his pillow;
And rocking in his hammock; long'd for land;
His headache being increased by every billow;
And the waves oozing through the port…hole made
His berth a little damp; and him afraid。
'T was not without some reason; for the wind
Increased at night; until it blew a gale;
And though 't was not much to a naval mind;
Some landsmen would have look'd a little pale;
For sailors are; in fact; a different kind:
At sunset they began to take in sail;
For the sky show'd it would e on to blow;
And carry away; perhaps; a mast or so。
At one o'clock the wind with sudden shift
Threw the ship right into the trough of the sea;
Which struck her aft; and made an awkward rift;
Started the stern…post; also shatter'd the
Whole of her stern…frame; and; ere she could lift
Herself from out her present jeopardy;
The rudder tore away: 't was time to sound
The pumps; and there were four feet water found。
One gang of people instantly was put
Upon the pumps and the remainder set
To get up part of the cargo; and what not;
But they could not e at the leak as yet;
At last they did get at it really; but
Still their salvation was an even bet:
The water rush'd through in a way quite puzzling;
While they thrust sheets; shirts; jackets; bales of muslin;
Into the opening; but all such ingredients
Would have been vain; and they must have gone down;
Despite of all their efforts and expedients;
But for the pumps: I 'm glad to make them known
To all the brother tars who may have need hence;
For fifty tons of water were upthrown
By them per hour; and they had all been undone;
But for the maker; Mr。 Mann; of London。
As day advanced the weather seem'd to abate;
And then the leak they reckon'd to reduce;
And keep the ship afloat; though three feet yet
Kept two hand and one chain…pump still in use。
The wind blew fresh again: as it grew late
A squall came on; and while some guns broke loose;
A gust… which all descriptive power transcends…
Laid with one blast the ship on her beam ends。
There she lay motionless; and seem'd upset;
The water left the hold; and wash'd the decks;
And made a scene men do not soon forget;
For they remember battles; fires; and wrecks;
Or any other thing that brings regret;
Or breaks their hopes; or hearts; or heads; or necks:
Thus drownings are much talk'd of by the divers;
And swimmers; who may chance to be survivors。
Immediately the masts were cut away;
Both main and mizen; first the mizen went;
The main…mast follow'd: but the ship still lay
Like a mere log; and baffled our intent。
Foremast and bowsprit were cut down; and they
Eased her at last (although we never meant
To part with all till every hope was blighted);
And then with violence the old ship righted。
It may be easily supposed; while this
Was going on; some people were unquiet;
That passengers would find it much amiss
To lose their lives; as well as spoil their diet;
That even the able seaman; deeming his
Days nearly o'er; might be disposed to riot;
As upon such occasions tars will ask
For grog; and sometimes drink rum from the cask。
There 's nought; no doubt; so much the spirit calms
As rum and true religion: thus it was;
Some plunder'd; some drank spirits; some sung psalms;
The high wind made the treble; and as bas
The hoarse harsh waves kept time; fright cured the qualms
Of all the luckless landsmen's sea…sick maws:
Strange sounds of wailing; blasphemy; devotion;
Clamour'd in chorus to the roaring ocean。
Perhaps more mischief had been done; but for
Our Juan; who; with sense beyond his years;
Got to the spirit…room; and stood before
It with a pair of pistols; and their fears;
As if Death were more dreadful by his door
Of fire than water; spite of oaths and tears;
Kept still aloof the crew; who; ere they sunk;
Thought it would be being to die drunk。
'Give us more grog;' they cried; 'for it will be
All one an hour hence。' Juan answer'd; 'No!
'T is true that death awaits both you and me;
But let us die like men; not sink below
Like brutes;'… and thus his dangerous post kept he;
And none liked to anticipate the blow;
And even Pedrillo; his most reverend tutor;
Was for some rum a disappointed suitor。
The good old gentleman was quite aghast;
And made a loud and pious lamentation;
Repented all his sins; and made a last
Irrevocable vow of reformation;
Nothing should tempt him more (this peril past)
To quit his academic occupation;
In cloisters of the classic Salamanca;
To follow Juan's wake; like Sancho Panca。
But now there came a flash of hope once more;
Day broke; and the wind lull'd: the masts were gone;
The leak increased; shoals round her; but no shore;
The vessel swam; yet still she held her own。
They tried the pumps again; and though before
Their desperate efforts seem'd all useless grown;
A glimpse of sunshine set some hands to bale…
The stronger pump'd; the weaker thrumm'd a sail。
Under the vessel's keel the sail was past;
And for the moment it had some effect;
But with a leak; and not a stick of mast;
Nor rag of canvas; what could they expect?
But still 't is best to struggle to the last;
'T is never too late to be wholly wreck'd:
And though 't is true that man can only die once;
'T is not so pleasant in the Gulf of Lyons。
There winds and waves had hurl'd them; and from thence;
Without their will; they carried them away;
For they were forced with steering to dispense;
And never had as yet a quiet day
On which they might repose; or even mence
A jurymast or rudder; or could say
The ship would swim an hour; which; by good luck;
Still swam… though not exactly like a duck。
The wind; in fact; perhaps was rather less;
But the ship labour'd so; they scarce could hope
To weather out much longer; the distress
Was also great with which they had to cope
For want of water; and their solid mess
Was scant enough: in vain the telescope
Was used… nor sail nor shore appear'd in sight;
Nought but the heavy sea; and ing night。
Again the weather threaten'd;… again blew
A gale; and in the fore and after hold
Water appear'd; yet; though the people knew
All this; the most were patient; and some bold;
Until the chains and leathers were worn through
Of all our pumps:… a wreck plete she roll'd;
At mercy of the waves; whose mercies are
Like human beings during civil war。
Then came the carpenter; at last; with tears
In his rough eyes; and told the captain he
Could do no more: he was a man in years;
And long had voyaged through many a stormy sea;
And if he wept at length; they were not fears
That made his eyelids as a woman's be;
But he; poor fellow; had a wife and children;…
Two things for dying people quite bewildering。
The ship was evidently settling now
Fast by the head; and; all distinction gone;
Some went to prayers again; and made a vow
Of candles to their saints… but there were none
To pay them with; and some look'd o'er the bow;
Some hoisted out the boats; and there was one
That begg'd Pedrillo for an absolution;
Who told him to be damn'd… in his confusion。
Some lash'd them in their hammocks; some put on
Their best clothes; as if going to a fair;
Some cursed the day on which they saw the sun;
And gnash'd their teeth; and; howling; tore their hair;
And others went on as they had begun;
Getting the boats out; being well aware
That a tight boat will live in a rough sea;
Unless with breakers close beneath her lee。
The worst of all was; that in their condition;
Having been several days in great distress;
'T was difficult to get out such provision
As now might render their long suffering less:
Men; even when dying; dislike inanition;
Their stock was damaged by the weather's stress:
Two casks of biscuit and a keg of butter
Were all that could be thrown into the cutter。
But in the long…boat they contrived to stow
Some pounds of bread; though injured by the wet;
Water; a twenty…gallon cask or so;
Six flasks of wine; and they contrived to get
A portion of their beef up from below;
And with a piece of pork; moreover; met;
But scarce enough to serve them for a luncheon…
Then there was rum; eight gallons in a puncheon。
The other boats; the yawl and pinnace; had
Been stove in the beginning of the gale;
And the long…boat's condition was but bad;
As there were but two blankets for a sail;
And one oar for a mast; which a young lad
Threw in by good luck over the ship's rail;
And two boats could not hold; far less be stored;
To save one half the people then on board。
'T was twilight; and the sunless day went down
Over the waste of waters; like a veil;
Which; if withdrawn; would but disclose the frown
Of one whose hate is mask'd but to assail;
Thus to their hopeless eyes the night was shown;
And gr
快捷操作: 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!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!