第 34 节
作者:
水王 更新:2021-12-07 09:36 字数:9322
she left us a long while ago; meaning only to run a little way upon the dry
land; and gather some flowers for a wreath。 This was early in the day; and
we have seen nothing of her since。〃
Ceres scarcely waited to hear what the nymphs had to say; before she
hurried off to make inquiries all through the neighborhood。 But nobody
told her anything that would enable the poor mother to guess what had
become of Proserpina。 A fisherman; it is true; had noticed her little
footprints in the sand; as he went homeward along the beach with a basket
of fish; a rustic had seen the child stooping to gather flowers; several
persons had heard either the rattling of chariot wheels; or the rumbling of
distant thunder; and one old woman; while plucking vervain and catnip;
had heard a scream; but supposed it to be some childish nonsense; and
therefore did not take the trouble to look up。 The stupid people! It took
them such a tedious while to tell the nothing that they knew; that it was
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dark night before Mother Ceres found out that she must seek her daughter
elsewhere。 So she lighted a torch; and set forth; resolving never to come
back until Proserpina was discovered。
In her haste and trouble of mind; she quite forgot her car and the
winged dragons; or; it may be; she thought that she could follow up the
search more thoroughly on foot。 At all events; this was the way in which
she began her sorrowful journey; holding her torch before her; and looking
carefully at every object along the path。 And as it happened; she had not
gone far before she found one of the magnificent flowers which grew on
the shrub that Proserpina had pulled up。
〃Ha!〃 thought Mother Ceres; examining it by torchlight。 〃Here is
mischief in this flower! The earth did not produce it by any help of mine;
nor of its own accord。 It is the work of enchantment; and is therefore
poisonous; and perhaps it has poisoned my poor child。〃
But she put the poisonous flower in her bosom; not knowing whether
she might ever find any other memorial of Proserpina。
All night long; at the door of every cottage and farm…house; Ceres
knocked; and called up the weary laborers to inquire if they had seen her
child; and they stood; gaping and half… asleep; at the threshold; and
answered her pityingly; and besought her to come in and rest。 At the portal
of every palace; too; she made so loud a summons that the menials hurried
to throw open the gate; thinking that it must be some great king or queen;
who would demand a banquet for supper and a stately chamber to repose
in。 And when they saw only a sad and anxious woman; with a torch in her
hand and a wreath of withered poppies on her head; they spoke rudely; and
sometimes threatened to set the dogs upon her。 But nobody had seen
Proserpina; nor could give Mother Ceres the least hint which way to seek
her。 Thus passed the night; and still she continued her search without
sitting down to rest; or stopping to take food; or even remembering to put
out the torch although first the rosy dawn; and then the glad light of the
morning sun; made its red flame look thin and pale。 But I wonder what
sort of stuff this torch was made of; for it burned dimly through the day;
and; at night; was as bright as ever; and never was extinguished by the rain
or wind; in all the weary days and nights while Ceres was seeking for
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Proserpina。
It was not merely of human beings that she asked tidings of her
daughter。 In the woods and by the streams; she met creatures of another
nature; who used; in those old times; to haunt the pleasant and solitary
places; and were very sociable with persons who understood their
language and customs; as Mother Ceres did。 Sometimes; for instance; she
tapped with her finger against the knotted trunk of a majestic oak; and
immediately its rude bark would cleave asunder; and forth would step a
beautiful maiden; who was the hamadryad of the oak; dwelling inside of it;
and sharing its long life; and rejoicing when its green leaves sported with
the breeze。 But not one of these leafy damsels had seen Proserpina。 Then;
going a little farther; Ceres would; perhaps; come to a fountain; gushing
out of a pebbly hollow in the earth; and would dabble with her hand in the
water。 Behold; up through its sandy and pebbly bed; along with the
fountain's gush; a young woman with dripping hair would arise; and stand
gazing at Mother Ceres; half out of the water; and undulating up and down
with its ever… restless motion。 But when the mother asked whether her
poor lost child had stopped to drink out of the fountain; the naiad; with
weeping eyes (for these water…nymphs had tears to spare for everybody's
grief; would answer 〃No!〃 in a murmuring voice; which was just like the
murmur of the stream。
Often; likewise; she encountered fauns; who looked like sunburnt
country people; except that they had hairy ears; and little horns upon their
foreheads; and the hinder legs of goats; on which they gamboled merrily
about the woods and fields。 They were a frolicsome kind of creature but
grew as sad as their cheerful dispositions would allow; when Ceres
inquired for her daughter; and they had no good news to tell。 But
sometimes she same suddenly upon a rude gang of satyrs; who had faces
like monkeys; and horses' tails behind them; and who were generally
dancing in a very boisterous manner; with shouts of noisy laughter。 When
she stopped to question them; they would only laugh the louder; and make
new merriment out of the lone woman's distress。 How unkind of those
ugly satyrs! And once; while crossing a solitary sheep pasture; she saw a
personage named Pan; seated at the foot of a tall rock; and making music
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on a shepherd's flute。 He; too; had horns; and hairy ears; and goats' feet;
but; being acquainted with Mother Ceres; he answered her question as
civilly as he knew how; and invited her to taste some milk and honey out
of a wooden bowl。 But neither could Pan tell her what had become of
Proserpina; any better than the rest of these wild people。
And thus Mother Ceres went wandering about for nine long days and
nights; finding no trace of Proserpina; unless it were now and then a
withered flower; and these she picked up and put in her bosom; because
she fancied that they might have fallen from her poor child's hand。 All day
she traveled onward through the hot sun; and; at night again; the flame of
the torch would redden and gleam along the pathway; and she continued
her search by its light; without ever sitting down to rest。
On the tenth day; she chanced to espy the mouth of a cavern within
which (though it was bright noon everywhere else) there would have been
only a dusky twilight; but it so happened that a torch was burning there。 It
flickered; and struggled with the duskiness; but could not half light up the
gloomy cavern with all its melancholy glimmer。 Ceres was resolved to
leave no spot without a search; so she peeped into the entrance of the cave;
and lighted it up a little more; by holding her own torch before her。 In so
doing; she caught a glimpse of what seemed to be a woman; sitting on the
brown leaves of the last autumn; a great heap of which had been swept
into the cave by the wind。 This woman (if woman it were) was by no
means so beautiful as many of her sex; for her head; they tell me; was
shaped very much like a dog's; and; by way of ornament; she wore a
wreath of snakes around it。 But Mother Ceres; the moment she saw her;
knew that this was an odd kind of a person; who put all her enjoyment in
being miserable; and never would have a word to say to other peopl