第 26 节
作者:水王      更新:2021-12-07 09:36      字数:9322
  looked through the open doorway into the interior of the palace。 The first
  thing that they saw was a spacious hall; and a fountain in the middle of it;
  gushing up towards the ceiling out of a marble basin; and falling back into
  it with a continual plash。 The water of this fountain; as it spouted upward;
  was constantly taking new shapes; not very distinctly; but plainly enough
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  for a nimble fancy to recognize what they were。 Now it was the shape of a
  man   in   a long   robe;   the   fleecy  whiteness   of   which   was   made   out   of   the
  fountain's spray; now it was a lion; or a tiger; or a wolf; or an ass; or; as
  often as anything else; a hog; wallowing in the marble basin as if it were
  his sty。 It was either magic or some very curious machinery that caused the
  gushing   waterspout   to   assume   all   these   forms。   But;   before   the   strangers
  had time to look closely at this wonderful sight; their attention was drawn
  off by  a   very  sweet   and   agreeable  sound。 A  woman's   voice   was   singing
  melodiously       in  another    room    of  the   palace;   and   with   her   voice   was
  mingled the noise of a loom; at which she was probably seated; weaving a
  rich texture of cloth; and intertwining the high and low sweetness of her
  voice into a rich tissue of harmony。
  By and by; the song came to an end; and then; all at once; there were
  several feminine voices; talking airily and cheerfully; with now and then a
  merry burst of laughter; such as you may always hear when three or four
  young women sit at work together。
  〃What a sweet song that was!〃 exclaimed one of the voyagers。
  〃Too sweet; indeed;〃   answered Eurylochus; shaking his   head。 〃Yet it
  was not so sweet as the song of the Sirens; those bird…like damsels who
  wanted to tempt us on the rocks; so that our vessel might be wrecked; and
  our bones left whitening along the shore。〃
  〃But just listen to the pleasant voices of those maidens; and that buzz
  of the loom; as the shuttle passes to and fro;〃 said another comrade。 〃What
  a domestic; household; home…like sound it is! Ah; before that weary siege
  of Troy; I used to hear the buzzing loom and the women's voices under my
  own roof。 Shall I never hear them again? nor taste those nice little savory
  dishes which my dearest wife knew how to serve up?〃
  〃Tush!   we   shall   fare   better   here;〃   said   another。   〃But   how   innocently
  those   women   are   babbling   together;   without   guessing   that   we   overhear
  them! And mark that richest voice of all; so pleasant and so familiar; but
  which yet seems to have the authority of a mistress among them。 Let us
  show   ourselves   at   once。   What   harm   can   the   lady   of   the   palace   and   her
  maidens do to mariners and warriors like us?〃
  〃Remember;〃        said   Eurylochus;     〃that   it  was   a  young    maiden     who
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  beguiled three of our friends into the palace of the king of the Laestrygons;
  who ate up one of them in the twinkling of an eye。〃
  No warning or persuasion; however; had any effect on his companions。
  They went up to a pair of folding doors at the farther end of the hall; and
  throwing       them    wide    open;    passed     into   the   next    room。    Eurylochus;
  meanwhile;   had   stepped   behind   a   pillar。   In   the   short   moment   while   the
  folding   doors   opened   and   closed   again;   he   caught   a   glimpse   of   a   very
  beautiful   woman   rising   from   the   loom;         and   coming   to    meet   the   poor
  weather…beaten wanderers; with a hospitable smile; and her hand stretched
  out   in   welcome。  There   were   four   other   young   women;   who   joined   their
  hands   and   danced   merrily   forward;   making   gestures   of   obeisance   to   the
  strangers。 They were only less beautiful than the lady who seemed to be
  their mistress。 Yet Eurylochus fancied that one of them had sea…green hair;
  and that the close…fitting bodice of a second looked like the bark of a tree;
  and   that   both   the   others   had   something   odd   in   their   aspect;   although   he
  could   not   quite   determine   what   it   was;   in   the   little   while  that   he   had   to
  examine them。
  The folding doors swung quickly back; and left him standing behind
  the pillar; in the solitude of the outer hall。 There Eurylochus waited until
  he   was   quite   weary;   and   listened   eagerly   to   every   sound;   but   without
  hearing   anything   that   could   help   him   to   guess   what   had   become   of   his
  friends。 Footsteps; it is true; seemed to be passing and repassing; in other
  parts   of   the   palace。   Then   there   was   a   clatter   of   silver   dishes;   or   golden
  ones; which made him imagine a rich feast in a splendid banqueting hall。
  But by and by he heard a tremendous grunting and squealing; and then a
  sudden   scampering;   like   that   of   small;   hard   hoofs   over   a   marble   floor;
  while the voices of the mistress and her four handmaidens were screaming
  all together; in tones of anger and derision。 Eurylochus could not conceive
  what had happened; unless a drove of swine had broken into the palace;
  attracted by the smell of the feast。 Chancing to cast his eyes at the fountain;
  he saw that it did not shift its shape; as formerly; nor looked either like a
  long…robed man; or a lion; a tiger; a wolf; or an ass。 It looked like nothing
  but a hog; which lay wallowing in the marble basin; and filled it from brim
  to brim。
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  But   we  must   leave  the  prudent   Eurylochus   waiting in   the  outer   hall;
  and follow his friends into the inner secrecy of the palace。 As soon as the
  beautiful woman saw them; she arose from the loom; as I have told you;
  and came forward; smiling; and stretching out her hand。 She took the hand
  of the foremost among them; and bade him and the whole party welcome。
  〃You have been long expected; my good friends;〃 said she。 〃I and my
  maidens   are   well   acquainted   with   you;   although   you   do   not   appear   to
  recognize us。 Look at this piece of tapestry; and judge if your faces must
  not have been familiar to us。〃
  So the voyagers examined the web of cloth which the beautiful woman
  had been weaving in her loom; and; to their vast astonishment; they saw
  their own figures perfectly represented in different colored threads。 It was
  a life…like picture of their recent adventures; showing them in the cave of
  Polyphemus; and how they had put out his one great moony eye; while in
  another part of the tapestry they were untying the leathern bags; puffed out
  with   contrary  winds;   and   farther   on;  they  beheld themselves   scampering
  away from the gigantic king of the Laestrygons; who had caught one of
  them by the leg。 Lastly; there they were; sitting on the desolate shore of
  this   very   island;   hungry   and   downcast;   and   looking   ruefully   at   the   bare
  bones of the stag which they devoured yesterday。 This was as far as the
  work had yet proceeded; but when the beautiful woman should again sit
  down at her loom; she would probably make a picture of what had since
  happened to the strangers; and of what was now going to happen。
  〃You   see;〃   she   said;   〃that   I   know   all   about   your   troubles;   and   you
  cannot doubt that   I desire   to make   you happy  for as long a   time as   you
  may remain with me。 For this purpose; my honored guests; I have ordered
  a   banquet   to   be prepared。  Fish;   fowl;  and   flesh;   roasted;  and   in   luscious
  stews; and seasoned; I trust; to all your tastes; are ready to be served up。 If
  your appetites tell you it is dinner time; then come with me to the festal
  saloon。〃
  At this kind invitation; the hungry mariners were quite overjoyed; and
  one     of  them;    taking    upon    himself    to   be   spokesman;      assured    their
  hospitable   hostess   that   any   hour   of   the   day   was   dinner   time   with   them;
  whenever they could get flesh to put in the pot; and fire to boil it with。 So
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  the beautiful woman led the way; and the four maidens (one of them had
  sea…green hair; another a bodice of oak bark; a third sprinkled a shower of
  water drops from her fingers' ends; and the fourth had some other oddity;
  which I have forgotten); all these followed behind; and hur