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egypt-第29部分

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and the pylons grow smaller; lower themselves and sink into the earth。

The white giant who follows me always with his sightless stare is now

reduced to the proportions of a simple human dreamer。 His attitude

moreover has not the rigid hieratic aspect of the other Theban

statues。 With his hands upon his knees he looks like a mere ordinary

mortal who had stopped to reflect。'*' I have known him for many days

for many days and many nights; for; what with his whiteness and the

transparency of these Egyptian nights; I have seen him often outlined

in the distance under the dim light of the starsa great phantom in

his contemplative pose。 And I feel myself obsessed now by the

continuance of his attitude at this entrance of the ruinsI who shall

pass without a morrow from Thebes and even from the eartheven as we

all pass。 Before conscious life was vouchsafed to me he was there; had

been there since times which make you shudder to think upon。 For three

and thirty centuries; or thereabouts; the eyes of myriads of unknown

men and women; who have gone before me; saw him just as I see him now;

tranquil and white; in this same place; seated before this same

threshold; with his head a little bent; and his pervading air of

thought。



'*' Statue of Amenophis III。



I make my way without hastening; having always a tendency to stop and

look behind me; to watch the silent heap of palaces and the white

dreamer; which now are all illumined with a last Bengal fire in the

daily setting of the sun。



And the hour is already twilight when I reach the goddesses。



Their domain is so destroyed that the sands had succeeded in covering

and hiding it for centuries。 But it has lately been exhumed。



There remain of it now only some fragments of columns; aligned in

multiple rows in a vast extent of desert。 Broken and fallen stones and

debris。'*' I walk on without stopping; and at length reach the sacred

lake on the margin of which the great cats are seated in eternal

council; each one on her throne。 The lake; dug by order of the

Pharaohs; is in the form of an arc; like a kind of crescent。 Some

marsh birds; that are about to retire for the night; now traverse its

mournful; sleeping water。 Its borders; which have known the utmost of

magnificence; are become mere heaps of ruins on which nothing grows。

And what one sees beyond; what the attentive goddesses themselves

regard; is the empty desolate plain; on which some few poor fields of

corn mingle in this twilight hour with the sad infinitude of the

sands。 And the whole is bounded on the horizon by the chain; still a

little rose…coloured; of the limestones of Arabia。



'*' The temple of the Goddess Mut。



They are there; the cats; or; to speak more exactly; the lionesses;

for cats would not have those short ears; or those cruel chins;

thickened by tufts of beard。 All of black granite; images of Sekhet

(who was the Goddess of War; and in her hours the Goddess of Lust);

they have the slender body of a woman; which makes more terrible the

great feline head surmounted by its high bonnet。 Eight or ten; or

perhaps more; they are more disquieting in that they are so numerous

and so alike。 They are not gigantic; as one might have expected; but

of ordinary human statureeasy therefore to carry away; or to

destroy; and that again; if one reflects; augments the singular

impression they cause。 When so many colossal figures lie in pieces on

the ground; how comes it that they; little people seated so tranquilly

on their chairs; have contrived to remain intact; during the passing

of the three and thirty centuries of the world's history?



The passage of the march birds; which for a moment disturbed the clear

mirror of the lake; has ceased。 Around the goddesses nothing moves and

the customary infinite silence envelops them as at the fall of every

night。 They dwell indeed in such a forlorn corner of the ruins! Who;

to be sure; even in broad daylight; would think of visiting them?



Down there in the west a trailing cloud of dust indicates the

departure of the tourists; who had flocked to the temple of Amen; and

now hasten back to Luxor; to dine at the various /tables d'hote/。 The

ground here is so felted with sand that in the distance we cannot hear

the rolling of their carriages。 But the knowledge that they are gone

renders more intimate the interview with these numerous and identical

goddesses; who little by little have been draped in shadow。 Their

seats turn their backs to the palaces of Thebes; which now begin to be

bathed in violet waves and seem to sink towards the horizon; to lose

each minute something of their importance before the sovereignty of

the night。



And the black goddesses; with their lioness' heads and tall headgear

seated there with their hands upon their knees; with eyes fixed since

the beginning of the ages; and a disturbing smile on their thick lips;

like those of a wild beastcontinue to regardbeyond the little dead

lakethat desert; which now is only a confused immensity; of a bluish

ashy…grey。 And the fancy seizes you that they are possessed of a kind

of life; which has come to them after long waiting; by virtue of that

/expression/ which they have worn on their faces so long; oh! so long。



*****



Beyond; at the other extremity of the ruins; there is a sister of

these goddesses; taller than they; a great Sekhet; whom in these parts

men call the Ogress; and who dwells alone and upright; ambushed in a

narrow temple。 Amongst the fellahs and the Bedouins of the

neighbourhood she enjoys a very bad reputation; it being her custom of

nights to issue from her temple; and devour men; and none of them

would willingly venture near her dwelling at this late hour。 But

instead of returning to Luxor; like the good people whose carriages

have just departed; I rather choose to pay her a visit。



Her dwelling is some distance away; and I shall not reach it till the

dead of night。



First of all I have to retrace my steps; to return along the whole

avenue of rams; to pass again by the feet of the white giant; who has

already assumed his phantomlike appearance; while the violet waves

that bathed the town…mummy thicken and turn to a greyish…blue。 And

then; leaving behind me the pylons guarded by the broken giants; I

thread my way among the palaces of the centre。



It is among these palaces that I encounter for good and all the night;

with the first cries of the owls and ospreys。 It is still warm there;

on account of the heat stored by the stones during the day; but one

feels nevertheless that the air is freezing。



At a crossing a tall human figure looms up; draped in black and armed

with a baton。 It is a roving Bedouin; one of the guards; and this more

or less is the dialogue exchanged between us (freely and succinctly

translated):



〃Your permit; sir。〃



〃Here it is。〃



(Here we combine our efforts to illuminate the said permit by the

light of a match。)



〃Good; I will go with you。〃



〃No。 I beg of you。〃



〃Yes; I had better。 Where are you going?〃



〃Beyond; to the temple of that ladyyou know; who is great and

powerful and has a face like a lioness。〃



〃Ah! 。 。 。 Yes; I think I understand that you would prefer to go

alone。〃 (Here the intonation becomes infantine。) 〃But you are a kind

gentleman and will not forget the poor Bedouin all the same。〃



He goes on his way。 On leaving the palaces I have still to traverse an

extent of uncultivated country; where a veritable cold seizes me。

Above my head no longer the heavy suspended stones; but the far…off

expanse of the blue night skywhere are shining now myriads upon

myriads of stars。 For the Thebans of old this beautiful vault;

scintillating always with its powder of diamonds; shed no doubt only

serenity upon their souls。 But for us; /who knows; alas!/ it is on the

contrary the field of the great fear; which; out of pity; it would

have been better if we had never been able to see; the incommensurable

black void; where the worlds in their frenzied whirling precipitate

themselves like rain; crash into and annihilate one another; only to

be renewed for fresh eternities。



All this is seen too vividly; the horror of it becomes intolerable; on

a clear night like this; in a place so silent and littered so with

ruins。 More and more the cold penetrates youthe mournful cold of the

sidereal spheres from which nothing now seems to protect you; so

rarefiedalmost non…existentdoes the limpid atmosphere appear。 And

the gravel; the poor dried herbs; that crackle under foot; give the

illusion of the crunching noise we know at home on winter nights when

the frost is on the ground。



I approach at length the temple of the Ogress。 These stones which now

appear; whitish in the night; this secret…looking dwelling near the

boundary wall of Thebes; proclaim the spot; and verily at such an hour

as this it has an evil aspect。 Ptolemaic columns; little vestibules;

little courtyards where a dim blue light enables you to find your way。

Nothing moves; not even the flight of a night bird: an absolute

silence; magnified awfully by the presence of the desert which you

feel encompasses you beyond these walls。 And beyond; at the bottom;

three chambers made of massive stone; each with its separate entrance。

I know that the first two are empty。 It is in the third that the

Ogress dwells; unless; indeed; she has already set out upon her

nocturnal hunt for human flesh。 Pitch darkness reigns within and I

have to grope my way。 Quickly I light a match。 Yes; there she is

indeed; alone and upright; almost part of the end wall; on which my

little light makes the horrible shadow of her head dance。 The match

goes outirreverently I light many more under her chin; under that

heavy; man…eating jaw。 In very sooth; she is terrifying。 Of black

granitelike her sisters; seated on the margin of the mournful lake

but much taller than they; f
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