第 48 节
作者:空白协议书      更新:2021-02-21 16:29      字数:9322
  And the seven days of his fasting
  Were accomplished and completed。
  But the place was not forgotten
  Where he wrestled with Mondamin;
  Nor forgotten nor neglected
  Was the grave where lay Mondamin;
  Sleeping in the rain and sunshine;
  Where his scattered plumes and garments
  Faded in the rain and sunshine。
  Day by day did Hiawatha
  Go to wait and watch beside it;
  Kept the dark mould soft above it;
  Kept it clean from weeds and insects;
  Drove away; with scoffs and shoutings;
  Kahgahgee; the king of ravens。
  Till at length a small green feather
  From the earth shot slowly upward;
  Then another and another;
  And before the Summer ended
  Stood the maize in all its beauty;
  With its shining robes about it;
  And its long; soft; yellow tresses;
  And in rapture Hiawatha
  Cried aloud; 〃It is Mondamin!
  Yes; the friend of man; Mondamin!〃
  Then he called to old Nokomis
  And Iagoo; the great boaster;
  Showed them where the maize was growing;
  Told them of his wondrous vision;
  Of his wrestling and his triumph;
  Of this new gift to the nations;
  Which should be their food forever。
  And still later; when the Autumn
  Changed the long; green leaves to yellow;
  And the soft and juicy kernels
  Grew like wampum hard and yellow;
  Then the ripened ears he gathered;
  Stripped the withered husks from off them;
  As he once had stripped the wrestler;
  Gave the first Feast of Mondamin;
  And made known unto the people
  This new gift of the Great Spirit。
  VI
  HIAWATHA'S FRIENDS
  Two good friends had Hiawatha;
  Singled out from all the others;
  Bound to him in closest union;
  And to whom he gave the right hand
  Of his heart; in joy and sorrow;
  Chibiabos; the musician;
  And the very strong man; Kwasind。
  Straight between them ran the pathway;
  Never grew the grass upon it;
  Singing birds; that utter falsehoods;
  Story…tellers; mischief…makers;
  Found no eager ear to listen;
  Could not breed ill…will between them;
  For they kept each other's counsel;
  Spake with naked hearts together;
  Pondering much and much contriving
  How the tribes of men might prosper。
  Most beloved by Hiawatha
  Was the gentle Chibiabos;
  He the best of all musicians;
  He the sweetest of all singers。
  Beautiful and childlike was he;
  Brave as man is; soft as woman;
  Pliant as a wand of willow;
  Stately as a deer with antlers。
  When he sang; the village listened;
  All the warriors gathered round him;
  All the women came to hear him;
  Now he stirred their souls to passion;
  Now he melted them to pity。
  From the hollow reeds he fashioned
  Flutes so musical and mellow;
  That the brook; the Sebowisha;
  Ceased to murmur in the woodland;
  That the wood…birds ceased from singing;
  And the squirrel; Adjidaumo;
  Ceased his chatter in the oak…tree;
  And the rabbit; the Wabasso;
  Sat upright to look and listen。
  Yes; the brook; the Sebowisha;
  Pausing; said; 〃O Chibiabos;
  Teach my waves to flow in music;
  Softly as your words in singing!〃
  Yes; the bluebird; the Owaissa;
  Envious; said; 〃O Chibiabos;
  Teach me tones as wild and wayward;
  Teach me songs as full of frenzy!〃
  Yes; the robin; the Opechee;
  Joyous; said; 〃O Chibiabos;
  Teach me tones as sweet and tender;
  Teach me songs as full of gladness!〃
  And the whippoorwill; Wawonaissa;
  Sobbing; said; 〃O Chibiabos;
  Teach me tones as melancholy;
  Teach me songs as full of sadness!〃
  All the many sounds of nature
  Borrowed sweetness from his singing;
  All the hearts of men were softened
  By the pathos of his music;
  For he sang of peace and freedom;
  Sang of beauty; love; and longing;
  Sang of death; and life undying
  In the Islands of the Blessed;
  In the kingdom of Ponemah;
  In the land of the Hereafter。
  Very dear to Hiawatha
  Was the gentle Chibiabos;
  He the best of all musicians;
  He the sweetest of all singers;
  For his gentleness he loved him;
  And the magic of his singing。
  Dear; too; unto Hiawatha
  Was the very strong man; Kwasind;
  He the strongest of all mortals;
  He the mightiest among many;
  For his very strength he loved him;
  For his strength allied to goodness。
  Idle in his youth was Kwasind;
  Very listless; dull; and dreamy;
  Never played with other children;
  Never fished and never hunted;
  Not like other children was he;
  But they saw that much he fasted;
  Much his Manito entreated;
  Much besought his Guardian Spirit。
  〃Lazy Kwasind!〃 said his mother;
  〃In my work you never help me!
  In the Summer you are roaming
  Idly in the fields and forests;
  In the Winter you are cowering
  O'er the firebrands in the wigwam!
  In the coldest days of Winter
  I must break the ice for fishing;
  With my nets you never help me!
  At the door my nets are hanging;
  Dripping; freezing with the water;
  Go and wring them; Yenadizze!
  Go and dry them in the sunshine!〃
  Slowly; from the ashes; Kwasind
  Rose; but made no angry answer;
  From the lodge went forth in silence;
  Took the nets; that hung together;
  Dripping; freezing at the doorway;
  Like a wisp of straw he wrung them;
  Like a wisp of straw he broke them;
  Could not wring them without breaking;
  Such the strength was in his fingers。
  〃Lazy Kwasind!〃 said his father;
  〃In the hunt you never help me;
  Every bow you touch is broken;
  Snapped asunder every arrow;
  Yet come with me to the forest;
  You shall bring the hunting homeward。〃
  Down a narrow pass they wandered;
  Where a brooklet led them onward;
  Where the trail of deer and bison
  Marked the soft mud on the margin;
  Till they found all further passage
  Shut against them; barred securely
  By the trunks of trees uprooted;
  Lying lengthwise; lying crosswise;
  And forbidding further passage。
  〃We must go back;〃 said the old man;
  〃O'er these logs we cannot clamber;
  Not a woodchuck could get through them;
  Not a squirrel clamber o'er them!〃
  And straightway his pipe he lighted;
  And sat down to smoke and ponder。
  But before his pipe was finished;
  Lo! the path was cleared before him;
  All the trunks had Kwasind lifted;
  To the right hand; to the left hand;
  Shot the pine…trees swift as arrows;
  Hurled the cedars light as lances。
  〃Lazy Kwasind!〃 said the young men;
  As they sported in the meadow:
  〃Why stand idly looking at us;
  Leaning on the rock behind you?
  Come and wrestle with the others;
  Let us pitch the quoit together!〃
  Lazy Kwasind made no answer;
  To their challenge made no answer;
  Only rose; and slowly turning;
  Seized the huge rock in his fingers;
  Tore it from its deep foundation;
  Poised it in the air a moment;
  Pitched it sheer into the river;
  Sheer into the swift Pauwating;
  Where it still is seen in Summer。
  Once as down that foaming river;
  Down the rapids of Pauwating;
  Kwasind sailed with his companions;
  In the stream he saw a beaver;
  Saw Ahmeek; the King of Beavers;
  Struggling with the rushing currents;
  Rising; sinking in the water。
  Without speaking; without pausing;
  Kwasind leaped into the river;
  Plunged beneath the bubbling surface;
  Through the whirlpools chased the beaver;
  Followed him among the islands;
  Stayed so long beneath the water;
  That his terrified companions
  Cried; 〃Alas! good…by to Kwasind!
  We shall never more see Kwasind!〃
  But he reappeared triumphant;
  And upon his shining shoulders
  Brought the beaver; dead and dripping;
  Brought the King of all the Beavers。
  And these two; as I have told you;
  Were the friends of Hiawatha;
  Chibiabos; the musician;
  And the very strong man; Kwasind。
  Long they lived in peace together;
  Spake with naked hearts together;
  Pondering much and much contriving
  How the tribes of men might prosper。
  VII
  HIAWATHA'S SAILING
  〃Give me of your bark; O Birch…tree!
  Of your yellow bark; O Birch…tree!
  Growing by the rushing river;
  Tall and stately in the valley!
  I a light canoe will build me;
  Build a swift Cheemaun for sailing;
  That shall float on the river;
  Like a yellow leaf in Autumn;
  Like a yellow water…lily!
  〃Lay aside your cloak; O Birch…tree!
  Lay aside your white…skin wrapper;
  For the Summer…time is coming;
  And the sun is warm in heaven;
  And you need no white…skin wrapper!〃
  Thus aloud cried Hiawatha
  In the solitary forest;
  By the rushing Taquamenaw;
  When the birds were singing gayly;
  In the Moon of Leaves were singing;
  And the sun; from sleep awaking;
  Started up and said; 〃Behold me!
  Gheezis; the great Sun; behold me!〃
  And the tree with all its branches
  Rustled in the breeze of morning;
  Saying; with a sigh of patience;
  〃Take my cloak; O Hiawatha!〃
  With his knife the tree he girdled;
  Just beneath its lowest branches;
  Just above the roots; he cut it;
  Till the sap came oozing outward;
  Down the trunk; from top to bottom;
  Sheer he cleft the bark asunder;
  With a wooden wedge he raised it;
  Stripped it from the trunk unbroken。
  〃Give me o