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don juan-第14部分
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And thus they left him to his lone repose:
Juan slept like a top; or like the dead;
Who sleep at last; perhaps (God only knows);
Just for the present; and in his lull'd head
Not even a vision of his former woes
Throbb'd in accursed dreams; which sometimes spread
Unwele visions of our former years;
Till the eye; cheated; opens thick with tears。
Young Juan slept all dreamless:… but the maid;
Who smooth'd his pillow; as she left the den
Look'd back upon him; and a moment stay'd;
And turn'd; believing that he call'd again。
He slumber'd; yet she thought; at least she said
(The heart will slip; even as the tongue and pen);
He had pronounced her name… but she forgot
That at this moment Juan knew it not。
And pensive to her father's house she went;
Enjoining silence strict to Zoe; who
Better than her knew what; in fact; she meant;
She being wiser by a year or two:
A year or two 's an age when rightly spent;
And Zoe spent hers; as most women do;
In gaining all that useful sort of knowledge
Which is acquired in Nature's good old college。
The morn broke; and found Juan slumbering still
Fast in his cave; and nothing clash'd upon
His rest; the rushing of the neighbouring rill;
And the young beams of the excluded sun;
Troubled him not; and he might sleep his fill;
And need he had of slumber yet; for none
Had suffer'd more… his hardships were parative
To those related in my grand…dad's 'Narrative。'
Not so Haidee: she sadly toss'd and tumbled;
And started from her sleep; and; turning o'er
Dream'd of a thousand wrecks; o'er which she stumbled;
And handsome corpses strew'd upon the shore;
And woke her maid so early that she grumbled;
And call'd her father's old slaves up; who swore
In several oaths… Armenian; Turk; and Greek…
They knew not what to think of such a freak。
But up she got; and up she made them get;
With some pretence about the sun; that makes
Sweet skies just when he rises; or is set;
And 't is; no doubt; a sight to see when breaks
Bright Phoebus; while the mountains still are wet
With mist; and every bird with him awakes;
And night is flung off like a mourning suit
Worn for a husband;… or some other brute。
I say; the sun is a most glorious sight;
I 've seen him rise full oft; indeed of late
I have sat up on purpose all the night;
Which hastens; as physicians say; one's fate;
And so all ye; who would be in the right
In health and purse; begin your day to date
From daybreak; and when coffin'd at fourscore;
Engrave upon the plate; you rose at four。
And Haidee met the morning face to face;
Her own was freshest; though a feverish flush
Had dyed it with the headlong blood; whose race
From heart to cheek is curb'd into a blush;
Like to a torrent which a mountain's base;
That overpowers some Alpine river's rush;
Checks to a lake; whose waves in circles spread;
Or the Red Sea… but the sea is not red。
And down the cliff the island virgin came;
And near the cave her quick light footsteps drew;
While the sun smiled on her with his first flame;
And young Aurora kiss'd her lips with dew;
Taking her for a sister; just the same
Mistake you would have made on seeing the two;
Although the mortal; quite as fresh and fair;
Had all the advantage; too; of not being air。
And when into the cavern Haidee stepp'd
All timidly; yet rapidly; she saw
That like an infant Juan sweetly slept;
And then she stopp'd; and stood as if in awe
(For sleep is awful); and on tiptoe crept
And wrapt him closer; lest the air; too raw;
Should reach his blood; then o'er him still as death
Bent with hush'd lips; that drank his scarce…drawn breath。
And thus like to an angel o'er the dying
Who die in righteousness; she lean'd; and there
All tranquilly the shipwreck'd boy was lying;
As o'er him the calm and stirless air:
But Zoe the meantime some eggs was frying;
Since; after all; no doubt the youthful pair
Must breakfast… and betimes; lest they should ask it;
She drew out her provision from the basket。
She knew that the best feelings must have victual;
And that a shipwreck'd youth would hungry be;
Besides; being less in love; she yawn'd a little;
And felt her veins chill'd by the neighbouring sea;
And so; she cook'd their breakfast to a tittle;
I can't say that she gave them any tea;
But there were eggs; fruit; coffee; bread; fish; honey;
With Scio wine;… and all for love; not money。
And Zoe; when the eggs were ready; and
The coffee made; would fain have waken'd Juan;
But Haidee stopp'd her with her quick small hand;
And without word; a sign her finger drew on
Her lip; which Zoe needs must understand;
And; the first breakfast spoilt; prepared a new one;
Because her mistress would not let her break
That sleep which seem'd as it would ne'er awake。
For still he lay; and on his thin worn cheek
A purple hectic play'd like dying day
On the snow…tops of distant hills; the streak
Of sufferance yet upon his forehead lay;
Where the blue veins look'd shadowy; shrunk; and weak;
And his black curls were dewy with the spray;
Which weigh'd upon them yet; all damp and salt;
Mix'd with the stony vapours of the vault。
And she bent o'er him; and he lay beneath;
Hush'd as the babe upon its mother's breast;
Droop'd as the willow when no winds can breathe;
Lull'd like the depth of ocean when at rest;
Fair as the crowning rose of the whole wreath;
Soft as the callow cygnet in its nest;
In short; he was a very pretty fellow;
Although his woes had turn'd him rather yellow。
He woke and gazed; and would have slept again;
But the fair face which met his eyes forbade
Those eyes to close; though weariness and pain
Had further sleep a further pleasure made;
For woman's face was never form'd in vain
For Juan; so that even when he pray'd
He turn'd from grisly saints; and martyrs hairy;
To the sweet portraits of the Virgin Mary。
And thus upon his elbow he arose;
And look'd upon the lady; in whose cheek
The pale contended with the purple rose;
As with an effort she began to speak;
Her eyes were eloquent; her words would pose;
Although she told him; in good modern Greek;
With an Ionian accent; low and sweet;
That he was faint; and must not talk; but eat。
Now Juan could not understand a word;
Being no Grecian; but he had an ear;
And her voice was the warble of a bird;
So soft; so sweet; so delicately clear;
That finer; simpler music ne'er was heard;
The sort of sound we echo with a tear;
Without knowing why… an overpowering tone;
Whence Melody descends as from a throne。
And Juan gazed as one who is awoke
By a distant organ; doubting if he be
Not yet a dreamer; till the spell is broke
By the watchman; or some such reality;
Or by one's early valet's cursed knock;
At least it is a heavy sound to me;
Who like a morning slumber… for the night
Shows stars and women in a better light。
And Juan; too; was help'd out from his dream;
Or sleep; or whatso'er it was; by feeling
A most prodigious appetite: the steam
Of Zoe's cookery no doubt was stealing
Upon his senses; and the kindling beam
Of the new fire; which Zoe kept up; kneeling
To stir her viands; made him quite awake
And long for food; but chiefly a beef…steak。
But beef is rare within these oxless isles;
Goat's flesh there is; no doubt; and kid; and mutton;
And; when a holiday upon them smiles;
A joint upon their barbarous spits they put on:
But this occurs but seldom; between whiles;
For some of these are rocks with scarce a hut on;
Others are fair and fertile; among which
This; though not large; was one of the most rich。
I say that beef is rare; and can't help thinking
That the old fable of the Minotaur…
From which our modern morals rightly shrinking
Condemn the royal lady's taste who wore
A cow's shape for a mask… was only (sinking
The allegory) a mere type; no more;
That Pasiphae promoted breeding cattle;
To make the Cretans bloodier in battle。
For we all know that English people are
Fed upon beef… I won't say much of beer;
Because 't is liquor only; and being far
From this my subject; has no business here;
We know; too; they very fond of war;
A pleasure… like all pleasures… rather dear;
So were the Cretans… from which I infer
That beef and battles both were owing to her。
But to resume。 The languid Juan raised
His head upon his elbow; and he saw
A sight on which he had not lately gazed;
As all his latter meals had been quite raw;
Three or four things; for which the Lord he praised;
And; feeling still the famish'd vulture gnaw;
He fell upon whate'er was offer'd; like
A priest; a shark; an alderman; or pike。
He ate; and he was well supplied: and she;
Who watch'd him like a mother; would have fed
Him past all bounds; because she smiled to see
Such appetite in one she had deem'd dead;
But Zoe; being older than Haidee;
Knew (by tradition; for she ne'er had read)
That famish'd people must be slowly nurst;
And fed by spoonfuls; else they always burst。
And so she took the liberty to state;
Rather by deeds than words; because the case
Was urgent; that the gentleman; whose fate
Had made her mistress quit her bed to trace
The sea…shore at this hour; must leave his plate;
Unless he wish'd to die upon the place…
She snatch'd it; and refused another morsel;
Saying; he had gorged enough to make a horse ill。
Next they… he being naked; save a tatter'd
Pair of scarce decent trowsers… went to work;
And in the fire his recent rags they scatterd;
And dress'd him; for the present; like a Turk;
Or Greek… that is; although it not much matter'd;
Omitting turban; slippers; pistols; dirk;…
They furnish'd him; entire; except some stitches;
With a clean shirt; and very spacious breeches。
And then fair Haidee tried her tongue at speaking;
But not a word could Juan prehend;
Although he listen'd so that the young Greek in
Her earnestness would ne'er have made an end;
And; as he interrupted not; went eking
Her speech out to her protege and friend;
Till pausing at the last her breath to take;
She saw he did not understand Romaic。
And then she had recourse to nods; and signs;
And smiles; and sparkles of the speaking eye;
And read (the only book she could) the lines
Of his fair face; and found; by sympathy;
The answer eloquent; where soul
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