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!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

the water-babies-第9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!


 me about what cannot be; or fancy that anything is too wonderful to be true。  〃We are fearfully and wonderfully made;〃 said old David; and so we are; and so is everything around us; down to the very deal table。  Yes; much more fearfully and wonderfully made; already; is the table; as it stands now; nothing but a piece of dead deal wood; than if; as foxes say; and geese believe; spirits could make it dance; or talk to you by rapping on it。

Am I in earnest?  Oh dear no!  Don't you know that this is a fairy tale; and all fun and pretence; and that you are not to believe one word of it; even if it is true?

But at all events; so it happened to Tom。  And; therefore; the keeper; and the groom; and Sir John made a great mistake; and were very unhappy (Sir John at least) without any reason; when they found a black thing in the water; and said it was Tom's body; and that he had been drowned。  They were utterly mistaken。  Tom was quite alive; and cleaner; and merrier; than he ever had been。  The fairies had washed him; you see; in the swift river; so thoroughly; that not only his dirt; but his whole husk and shell had been washed quite off him; and the pretty little real Tom was washed out of the inside of it; and swam away; as a caddis does when its case of stones and silk is bored through; and away it goes on its back; paddling to the shore; there to split its skin; and fly away as a caperer; on four fawn…coloured wings; with long legs and horns。 They are foolish fellows; the caperers; and fly into the candle at night; if you leave the door open。  We will hope Tom will be wiser; now he has got safe out of his sooty old shell。

But good Sir John did not understand all this; not being a fellow of the Linnaean Society; and he took it into his head that Tom was drowned。  When they looked into the empty pockets of his shell; and found no jewels there; nor money … nothing but three marbles; and a brass button with a string to it … then Sir John did something as like crying as ever he did in his life; and blamed himself more bitterly than he need have done。  So he cried; and the groom…boy cried; and the huntsman cried; and the dame cried; and the little girl cried; and the dairymaid cried; and the old nurse cried (for it was somewhat her fault); and my lady cried; for though people have wigs; that is no reason why they should not have hearts; but the keeper did not cry; though he had been so good…natured to Tom the morning before; for he was so dried up with running after poachers; that you could no more get tears out of him than milk out of leather:  and Grimes did not cry; for Sir John gave him ten pounds; and he drank it all in a week。  Sir John sent; far and wide; to find Tom's father and mother:  but he might have looked till Doomsday for them; for one was dead; and the other was in Botany Bay。  And the little girl would not play with her dolls for a whole week; and never forgot poor little Tom。  And soon my lady put a pretty little tombstone over Tom's shell in the little churchyard in Vendale; where the old dalesmen all sleep side by side between the lime…stone crags。  And the dame decked it with garlands every Sunday; till she grew so old that she could not stir abroad; then the little children decked it; for her。  And always she sang an old old song; as she sat spinning what she called her wedding…dress。  The children could not understand it; but they liked it none the less for that; for it was very sweet; and very sad; and that was enough for them。  And these are the words of it:…


When all the world is young; lad; And all the trees are green; And every goose a swan; lad; And every lass a queen; Then hey for boot and horse; lad; And round the world away; Young blood must have its course; lad; And every dog his day。

When all the world is old; lad; And all the trees are brown; And all the sport is stale; lad; And all the wheels run down; Creep home; and take your place there; The spent and maimed among: God grant you find one face there; You loved when all was young。


Those are the words:  but they are only the body of it:  the soul of the song was the dear old woman's sweet face; and sweet voice; and the sweet old air to which she sang; and that; alas! one cannot put on paper。  And at last she grew so stiff and lame; that the angels were forced to carry her; and they helped her on with her wedding…dress; and carried her up over Harthover Fells; and a long way beyond that too; and there was a new schoolmistress in Vendale; and we will hope that she was not certificated。

And all the while Tom was swimming about in the river; with a pretty little lace…collar of gills about his neck; as lively as a grig; and as clean as a fresh…run salmon。

Now if you don't like my story; then go to the schoolroom and learn your multiplication…table; and see if you like that better。  Some people; no doubt; would do so。  So much the better for us; if not for them。  It takes all sorts; they say; to make a world。



CHAPTER III



〃He prayeth well who loveth well Both men and bird and beast; He prayeth best who loveth best All things both great and small: For the dear God who loveth us; He made and loveth all。〃

COLERIDGE。


Tom was now quite amphibious。  You do not know what that means? You had better; then; ask the nearest Government pupil…teacher; who may possibly answer you smartly enough; thus …

〃Amphibious。  Adjective; derived from two Greek words; AMPHI; a fish; and BIOS; a beast。  An animal supposed by our ignorant ancestors to be compounded of a fish and a beast; which therefore; like the hippopotamus; can't live on the land; and dies in the water。〃

However that may be; Tom was amphibious:  and what is better still; he was clean。  For the first time in his life; he felt how comfortable it was to have nothing on him but himself。  But he only enjoyed it:  he did not know it; or think about it; just as you enjoy life and health; and yet never think about being alive and healthy; and may it be long before you have to think about it!

He did not remember having ever been dirty。  Indeed; he did not remember any of his old troubles; being tired; or hungry; or beaten; or sent up dark chimneys。  Since that sweet sleep; he had forgotten all about his master; and Harthover Place; and the little white girl; and in a word; all that had happened to him when he lived before; and what was best of all; he had forgotten all the bad words which he had learned from Grimes; and the rude boys with whom he used to play。

That is not strange:  for you know; when you came into this world; and became a land…baby; you remembered nothing。  So why should he; when he became a water…baby?

Then have you lived before?

My dear child; who can tell?  One can only tell that; by remembering something which happened where we lived before; and as we remember nothing; we know nothing about it; and no book; and no man; can ever tell us certainly。

There was a wise man once; a very wise man; and a very good man; who wrote a poem about the feelings which some children have about having lived before; and this is what he said …


〃Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting; The soul that rises with us; our life's star; Hath elsewhere had its setting; And cometh from afar: Not in entire forgetfulness; And not in utter nakedness; But trailing clouds of glory; do we come From God; who is our home。〃


There; you can know no more than that。  But if I was you; I would believe that。  For then the great fairy Science; who is likely to be queen of all the fairies for many a year to come; can only do you good; and never do you harm; and instead of fancying with some people; that your body makes your soul; as if a steam…engine could make its own coke; or; with some people; that your soul has nothing to do with your body; but is only stuck into it like a pin into a pincushion; to fall out with the first shake; … you will believe the one true;

orthodox;      inductive; rational;      deductive; philosophical; seductive; logical;       productive; irrefragable;  salutary; nominalistic;  comfortable; realistic; and on…all…accounts…to…be…received

doctrine of this wonderful fairy tale; which is; that your soul makes your body; just as a snail makes his shell。  For the rest; it is enough for us to be sure that whether or not we lived before; we shall live again; though not; I hope; as poor little heathen Tom did。  For he went downward into the water:  but we; I hope; shall go upward to a very different place。

But Tom was very happy in the water。  He had been sadly overworked in the land…world; and so now; to make up for that; he had nothing but holidays in the water…world for a long; long time to come。  He had nothing to do now but enjoy himself; and look at all the pretty things which are to be seen in the cool clear water…world; where the sun is never too hot; and the frost is never too cold。

And what did he live on?  Water…cresses; perhaps; or perhaps water… gruel; and water…milk; too many land…babies do so likewise。  But we do not know what one…tenth of the water…things eat; so we are not answerable for the water…babies。

Sometimes he went along the smooth gravel water…ways; looking at the crickets which ran in and out among the stones; as rabbits do on land; or he climbed over the ledges of rock; and saw the sand… pipes hanging in thousands; with every one of them a pretty little head and legs peeping out; or he went into a still corner; and watched the caddises eating dead sticks as greedily as you would eat plum…pudding; and building their houses with silk and glue。 Very fanciful ladies they were; none of them would keep to the same materials for a day。  One would begin with some pebbles; then she would stick on a piece of green wood; then she found a shell; and stuck it on too; and the poor shell was alive; and did not like at all being taken to build houses with:  but the caddis did not let him have any voice in the matter; being rude and selfish; as vain people are apt to be; then she stuck on a piece of rotten wood; then a very smart pink stone; and so on; till she was patched all over like an Irishman's coat。  Then she found a long straw; five times as long as herself; and said; 〃Hurrah! my sister has a tail; and I'll have one too;〃 and she 
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
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!