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Then Theseus shouted to him, and said, 'Holla, thou tortoise-
feeder, do thy feet need washing to-day?'
And Sciron leapt to his feet, and answered - 'My tortoise is
empty and hungry, and my feet need washing to-day.' And he
stood before his barrier, and lifted up his club in both
hands.
Then Theseus rushed upon him; and sore was the battle upon
the cliff, for when Sciron felt the weight of the bronze
club, he dropt his own, and closed with Theseus, and tried to
hurl him by main force over the cliff. But Theseus was a
wary wrestler, and dropt his own club, and caught him by the
throat and by the knee, and forced him back against the wall
of stones, and crushed him up against them, till his breath
was almost gone. And Sciron cried panting, 'Loose me, and I
will let thee pass.' But Theseus answered, 'I must not pass
till I have made the rough way smooth;' and he forced him
back against the wall till it fell, and Sciron rolled head
over heels.
Then Theseus lifted him up all bruised, and said, 'Come
hither and wash my feet.' And he drew his sword, and sat
down by the well, and said, 'Wash my feet, or I cut you
piecemeal.'
And Sciron washed his feet trembling; and when it was done,
Theseus rose, and cried, 'As thou hast done to others, so
shall it be done to thee. Go feed thy tortoise thyself;' and
he kicked him over the cliff into the sea.
And whether the tortoise ate him, I know not; for some say
that earth and sea both disdained to take his body, so foul
it was with sin. So the sea cast it out upon the shore, and
the shore cast it back into the sea, and at last the waves
hurled it high into the air in anger; and it hung there long
without a grave, till it was changed into a desolate rock,
which stands there in the surge until this day.
This at least is true, which Pausanias tells, that in the
royal porch at Athens he saw the figure of Theseus modelled
in clay, and by him Sciron the robber falling headlong into
the sea.
Then he went a long day's journey, past Megara, into the
Attic land, and high before him rose the snow-peaks of
Cithaeron, all cold above the black pine-woods, where haunt
the Furies, and the raving Bacchae, and the Nymphs who drive
men wild, far aloft upon the dreary mountains, where the
storms howl all day long. And on his right hand was the sea
always, and Salamis, with its island cliffs, and the sacred
strait of the sea-fight, where afterwards the Persians fled
before the Greeks. So he went all day until the evening,
till he saw the Thriasian plain, and the sacred city of
Eleusis, where the Earth-mother's temple stands. For there
she met Triptolemus, when all the land lay waste, Demeter the
kind Earth-mother, and in her hands a sheaf of corn. And she
taught him to plough the fallows, and to yoke the lazy kine;
and she taught him to sow the seed-fields, and to reap the
golden grain; and sent him forth to teach all nations, and
give corn to labouring men. So at Eleusis all men honour
her, whosoever tills the land; her and Triptolemus her
beloved, who gave corn to labouring men.
And he went along the plain into Eleusis, and stood in the
market-place, and cried -
'Where is Kerkuon, the king of the city? I must wrestle a
fall with him to-day.'
Then all the people crowded round him, and cried, 'Fair
youth, why will you die? Hasten out of the city, before the
cruel king hears that a stranger is here.'
But Theseus went up through the town, while the people wept
and prayed, and through the gates of the palace-yard, and
through the piles of bones and skulls, till he came to the
door of Kerkuon's hall, the terror of all mortal men.
And there he saw Kerkuon sitting at the table in the hall
alone; and before him was a whole sheep roasted, and beside
him a whole jar of wine. And Theseus stood and called him,
'Holla, thou valiantwrestler, wilt thou wrestle a fall to-
day?'
And Kerkuon looked up and laughed, and answered, 'I will
wrestle a fall to-day; but come in, for I am lonely and thou
weary, and eat and drink before thou die.'
Then Theseus went up boldly, and sat down before Kerkuon at
the board; and he ate his fill of the sheep's flesh, and
drank his fill of the wine; and Theseus ate enough for three
men, but Kerkuon ate enough for seven.
But neither spoke a word to the other, though they looked
across the table by stealth; and each said in his heart, 'He
has broad shoulders; but I trust mine are as broad as his.'
At last, when the sheep was eaten and the jar of wine drained
dry, King Kerkuon rose, and cried, 'Let us wrestle a fall
before we sleep.'
So they tossed off all their garments, and went forth in the
palace-yard; and Kerkuon bade strew fresh sand in an open
space between the bones.
And there the heroes stood face to face, while their eyes
glared like wild bulls'; and all the people crowded at the
gates to see what would befall.
And there they stood and wrestled, till the stars shone out
above their heads; up and down and round, till the sand was
stamped hard beneath their feet. And their eyes flashed like
stars in the darkness, and their breath went up like smoke in
the night air; but neither took nor gave a footstep, and the
people watched silent at the gates.
But at last Kerkuon grew angry, and caught Theseus round the
neck, and shook him as a mastiff shakes a rat; but he could
not shake him off his feet.
But Theseus was quick and wary, and clasped Kerkuon round the
waist, and slipped his loin quickly underneath him, while he
caught him by the wrist; and then he hove a mighty heave, a
heave which would have stirred an oak, and lifted Kerkuon,
and pitched him right over his shoulder on the ground.
Then he leapt on him, and called, 'Yield, or I kill thee!'
but Kerkuon said no word; for his heart was burst within him
with the fall, and the meat, and the wine.
Then Theseus opened the gates, and called in all the people;
and they cried, 'You have slain our evil king; be you now our
king, and rule us well.'
'I will be your king in Eleusis, and I will rule you right
and well; for this cause I have slain all evil-doers - Sinis,
and Sciron, and this man last of all.'
Then an aged man stepped forth, and said, 'Young hero, hast
thou slain Sinis? Beware then of AEgeus, king of Athens, to
whom thou goest, for he is near of kin to Sinis.'
'Then I have slain my own kinsman,' said Theseus, 'though
well he deserved to die. Who will purge me from his death,
for rightfully I slew him, unrighteous and accursed as he
was?'
And the old man answered -
'That will the heroes do, the sons of Phytalus, who dwell
beneath the elm-tree in Aphidnai, by the bank of silver
Cephisus; for they know the mysteries of the Gods. Thither
you shall go and be purified, and after you shall be our
king.'
So he took an oath of the people of Eleusis, that they would
serve him as their king, and went away next morning across
the Thriasian plain, and over the hills toward Aphidnai, that
he might find the sons of Phytalus.
And as he was skirting the Vale of Cephisus, along the foot
of lofty Parnes, a very tall and strong man came down to meet
him, dressed in rich garments. On his arms were golden
bracelets, and round his neck a collar of jewels; and he came
forward, bowing courteously, and held out both his hands, and
spoke -
'Welcome, fair youth, to these mountains; happy am I to have
met you! For what greater pleasure to a good man, than to
entertain strangers? But I see that you are weary. Come up
to my castle, and rest yourself awhile.'
'I give you thanks,' said Theseus: 'but I am in haste to go
up the valley, and to reach Aphidnai in the Vale of
Cephisus.'
'Alas! you have wandered far from the right way, and you
cannot reach Aphidnai to-night, for there are many miles of
mountain between you and it, and steep passes, and cliffs
dangerous after nightfall. It is well for you that I met
you, for my whole joy is to find strangers, and to feast them
at my castle, and hear tales from them of foreign lands.
Come up with me, and eat the best of venison, and drink the
rich red wine, and sleep upon my famous bed, of which all
travellers say that they never saw the like. For whatsoever
the stature of my guest, however tall or short, that bed fits
him to a hair, and he sleeps on it as he never slept before.'
And he laid hold on Theseus' hands, and would not let him go.
Theseus wished to go forwards: but he was ashamed to seem
churlish to so hospitable a man; and he was curious to see
that wondrous bed; and beside, he was hungry and weary: yet
he shrank from the man, he knew not why; for, though his
voice was gentle and fawning, it was dry and husky like a
toad's; and though his eyes were gentle, they were dull and
cold like stones. But he consented, and went with the man up
a glen which led from the road toward the peaks of Parnes,
under the dark shadow of the cliffs.
And as they went up, the glen grew narrower, and the cliffs
higher and darker, and beneath them a torrent roared, half
seen between bare limestone crags. And around there was
neither tree nor bush, while from the white peaks of Parnes
the snow-blasts swept down the glen, cutting and chilling
till a horror fell on Theseus as he looked round at that
doleful place. And he asked at last, 'Your castle stands, it
seems, in a dreary region.'
Then Theseus shouted to him, and said, 'Holla, thou tortoise-
feeder, do thy feet need washing to-day?'
And Sciron leapt to his feet, and answered - 'My tortoise is
empty and hungry, and my feet need washing to-day.' And he
stood before his barrier, and lifted up his club in both
hands.
Then Theseus rushed upon him; and sore was the battle upon
the cliff, for when Sciron felt the weight of the bronze
club, he dropt his own, and closed with Theseus, and tried to
hurl him by main force over the cliff. But Theseus was a
wary wrestler, and dropt his own club, and caught him by the
throat and by the knee, and forced him back against the wall
of stones, and crushed him up against them, till his breath
was almost gone. And Sciron cried panting, 'Loose me, and I
will let thee pass.' But Theseus answered, 'I must not pass
till I have made the rough way smooth;' and he forced him
back against the wall till it fell, and Sciron rolled head
over heels.
Then Theseus lifted him up all bruised, and said, 'Come
hither and wash my feet.' And he drew his sword, and sat
down by the well, and said, 'Wash my feet, or I cut you
piecemeal.'
And Sciron washed his feet trembling; and when it was done,
Theseus rose, and cried, 'As thou hast done to others, so
shall it be done to thee. Go feed thy tortoise thyself;' and
he kicked him over the cliff into the sea.
And whether the tortoise ate him, I know not; for some say
that earth and sea both disdained to take his body, so foul
it was with sin. So the sea cast it out upon the shore, and
the shore cast it back into the sea, and at last the waves
hurled it high into the air in anger; and it hung there long
without a grave, till it was changed into a desolate rock,
which stands there in the surge until this day.
This at least is true, which Pausanias tells, that in the
royal porch at Athens he saw the figure of Theseus modelled
in clay, and by him Sciron the robber falling headlong into
the sea.
Then he went a long day's journey, past Megara, into the
Attic land, and high before him rose the snow-peaks of
Cithaeron, all cold above the black pine-woods, where haunt
the Furies, and the raving Bacchae, and the Nymphs who drive
men wild, far aloft upon the dreary mountains, where the
storms howl all day long. And on his right hand was the sea
always, and Salamis, with its island cliffs, and the sacred
strait of the sea-fight, where afterwards the Persians fled
before the Greeks. So he went all day until the evening,
till he saw the Thriasian plain, and the sacred city of
Eleusis, where the Earth-mother's temple stands. For there
she met Triptolemus, when all the land lay waste, Demeter the
kind Earth-mother, and in her hands a sheaf of corn. And she
taught him to plough the fallows, and to yoke the lazy kine;
and she taught him to sow the seed-fields, and to reap the
golden grain; and sent him forth to teach all nations, and
give corn to labouring men. So at Eleusis all men honour
her, whosoever tills the land; her and Triptolemus her
beloved, who gave corn to labouring men.
And he went along the plain into Eleusis, and stood in the
market-place, and cried -
'Where is Kerkuon, the king of the city? I must wrestle a
fall with him to-day.'
Then all the people crowded round him, and cried, 'Fair
youth, why will you die? Hasten out of the city, before the
cruel king hears that a stranger is here.'
But Theseus went up through the town, while the people wept
and prayed, and through the gates of the palace-yard, and
through the piles of bones and skulls, till he came to the
door of Kerkuon's hall, the terror of all mortal men.
And there he saw Kerkuon sitting at the table in the hall
alone; and before him was a whole sheep roasted, and beside
him a whole jar of wine. And Theseus stood and called him,
'Holla, thou valiantwrestler, wilt thou wrestle a fall to-
day?'
And Kerkuon looked up and laughed, and answered, 'I will
wrestle a fall to-day; but come in, for I am lonely and thou
weary, and eat and drink before thou die.'
Then Theseus went up boldly, and sat down before Kerkuon at
the board; and he ate his fill of the sheep's flesh, and
drank his fill of the wine; and Theseus ate enough for three
men, but Kerkuon ate enough for seven.
But neither spoke a word to the other, though they looked
across the table by stealth; and each said in his heart, 'He
has broad shoulders; but I trust mine are as broad as his.'
At last, when the sheep was eaten and the jar of wine drained
dry, King Kerkuon rose, and cried, 'Let us wrestle a fall
before we sleep.'
So they tossed off all their garments, and went forth in the
palace-yard; and Kerkuon bade strew fresh sand in an open
space between the bones.
And there the heroes stood face to face, while their eyes
glared like wild bulls'; and all the people crowded at the
gates to see what would befall.
And there they stood and wrestled, till the stars shone out
above their heads; up and down and round, till the sand was
stamped hard beneath their feet. And their eyes flashed like
stars in the darkness, and their breath went up like smoke in
the night air; but neither took nor gave a footstep, and the
people watched silent at the gates.
But at last Kerkuon grew angry, and caught Theseus round the
neck, and shook him as a mastiff shakes a rat; but he could
not shake him off his feet.
But Theseus was quick and wary, and clasped Kerkuon round the
waist, and slipped his loin quickly underneath him, while he
caught him by the wrist; and then he hove a mighty heave, a
heave which would have stirred an oak, and lifted Kerkuon,
and pitched him right over his shoulder on the ground.
Then he leapt on him, and called, 'Yield, or I kill thee!'
but Kerkuon said no word; for his heart was burst within him
with the fall, and the meat, and the wine.
Then Theseus opened the gates, and called in all the people;
and they cried, 'You have slain our evil king; be you now our
king, and rule us well.'
'I will be your king in Eleusis, and I will rule you right
and well; for this cause I have slain all evil-doers - Sinis,
and Sciron, and this man last of all.'
Then an aged man stepped forth, and said, 'Young hero, hast
thou slain Sinis? Beware then of AEgeus, king of Athens, to
whom thou goest, for he is near of kin to Sinis.'
'Then I have slain my own kinsman,' said Theseus, 'though
well he deserved to die. Who will purge me from his death,
for rightfully I slew him, unrighteous and accursed as he
was?'
And the old man answered -
'That will the heroes do, the sons of Phytalus, who dwell
beneath the elm-tree in Aphidnai, by the bank of silver
Cephisus; for they know the mysteries of the Gods. Thither
you shall go and be purified, and after you shall be our
king.'
So he took an oath of the people of Eleusis, that they would
serve him as their king, and went away next morning across
the Thriasian plain, and over the hills toward Aphidnai, that
he might find the sons of Phytalus.
And as he was skirting the Vale of Cephisus, along the foot
of lofty Parnes, a very tall and strong man came down to meet
him, dressed in rich garments. On his arms were golden
bracelets, and round his neck a collar of jewels; and he came
forward, bowing courteously, and held out both his hands, and
spoke -
'Welcome, fair youth, to these mountains; happy am I to have
met you! For what greater pleasure to a good man, than to
entertain strangers? But I see that you are weary. Come up
to my castle, and rest yourself awhile.'
'I give you thanks,' said Theseus: 'but I am in haste to go
up the valley, and to reach Aphidnai in the Vale of
Cephisus.'
'Alas! you have wandered far from the right way, and you
cannot reach Aphidnai to-night, for there are many miles of
mountain between you and it, and steep passes, and cliffs
dangerous after nightfall. It is well for you that I met
you, for my whole joy is to find strangers, and to feast them
at my castle, and hear tales from them of foreign lands.
Come up with me, and eat the best of venison, and drink the
rich red wine, and sleep upon my famous bed, of which all
travellers say that they never saw the like. For whatsoever
the stature of my guest, however tall or short, that bed fits
him to a hair, and he sleeps on it as he never slept before.'
And he laid hold on Theseus' hands, and would not let him go.
Theseus wished to go forwards: but he was ashamed to seem
churlish to so hospitable a man; and he was curious to see
that wondrous bed; and beside, he was hungry and weary: yet
he shrank from the man, he knew not why; for, though his
voice was gentle and fawning, it was dry and husky like a
toad's; and though his eyes were gentle, they were dull and
cold like stones. But he consented, and went with the man up
a glen which led from the road toward the peaks of Parnes,
under the dark shadow of the cliffs.
And as they went up, the glen grew narrower, and the cliffs
higher and darker, and beneath them a torrent roared, half
seen between bare limestone crags. And around there was
neither tree nor bush, while from the white peaks of Parnes
the snow-blasts swept down the glen, cutting and chilling
till a horror fell on Theseus as he looked round at that
doleful place. And he asked at last, 'Your castle stands, it
seems, in a dreary region.'
- shepherd [´ʃepəd]
n.牧羊人 vt.带领 (初中英语单词) - pledge [pledʒ] n.信物；誓约vt.使发誓 (初中英语单词)
- greece [gri:s] n.希腊 (初中英语单词)
- welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
- worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
- throat [θrəut] n.咽喉；嗓子；出入口 (初中英语单词)
- steadily [´stedili] ad.坚定地；不断地 (初中英语单词)
- robber [´rɔbə] n.强盗；盗贼 (初中英语单词)
- spider [´spaidə] n.蜘蛛；三角架 (初中英语单词)
- cunning [´kʌniŋ] a.&n.狡猾(诡诈)的 (初中英语单词)
- sprang [spræŋ] spring 的过去式 (初中英语单词)
- sleeping [´sli:piŋ] n.&a.睡着(的) (初中英语单词)
- fountain [´fauntin] n.泉水；源泉；根源 (初中英语单词)
- terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
- nevertheless [,nevəðə´les] conj.&ad.然而；不过 (初中英语单词)
- swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)
- lately [´leitli] ad.近来，不久前 (初中英语单词)
- sacred [´seikrid] a.神圣的；庄严的 (初中英语单词)
- temple [´tempəl] n.庙宇；寺院；太阳穴 (初中英语单词)
- hasten [´heisən] vt.催促；促进 vi.赶紧 (初中英语单词)
- lonely [´ləunli] a.孤独的；无人烟的 (初中英语单词)
- breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
- underneath [,ʌndə´ni:θ] ad.&prep.在底下 (初中英语单词)
- collar [´kɔlə] n.衣领；(狗等的)项圈 (初中英语单词)
- valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
- ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)
- limestone [´laimstəun] n.石灰石 (初中英语单词)
- horror [´hɔrə] n.恐怖；战栗 (初中英语单词)
- rejoicing [ri´dʒɔisiŋ] n.高兴；欢呼 (高中英语单词)
- athens [´æθinz] n.雅典 (高中英语单词)
- wisely [´waizli] ad.明智地，聪明地 (高中英语单词)
- treason [´tri:zən] n.叛逆；不忠 (高中英语单词)
- treacherous [´tretʃərəs] a.虚伪的；不忠的 (高中英语单词)
- renown [ri´naun] n.名望 vt.使有名望 (高中英语单词)
- downward [´daunwəd] a.下降的，向下的 (高中英语单词)
- gloomy [´glu:mi] a.昏暗的；忧郁的 (高中英语单词)
- lowland [´ləulənd] n.&a.低地(的) (高中英语单词)
- dreary [´driəri] a.阴郁的；枯燥无味的 (高中英语单词)
- mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
- sweetness [´swi:tnis] n.甜蜜；芳香；亲切 (高中英语单词)
- mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)
- upright [´ʌprait] a.直立的 ad.直立地 (高中英语单词)
- inland [´inlənd, in´lænd] a.&n.内地的 ad.在内地 (高中英语单词)
- bronze [brɔnz] n.青铜(器) (高中英语单词)
- barrier [´bæriə] n.栅栏；屏障；障碍 (高中英语单词)
- desolate [´desəleit] a.荒凉的；孤独的 (高中英语单词)
- headlong [´hedlɔŋ] ad.&a.轻率地(的) (高中英语单词)
- plough [plau] n.耕地 v.犁 (高中英语单词)
- crowded [´kraudid] a.充(拥)满了的 (高中英语单词)
- mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
- boldly [´bəuldli] ad.大胆地；醒目地 (高中英语单词)
- footstep [´futstep] n.足迹，脚步声 (高中英语单词)
- beware [bi´weə] v.(用于祈使句)谨防 (高中英语单词)
- torrent [´tɔrənt] n.奔流，激流，洪流；迸发 (高中英语单词)
- genial [´dʒi:niəl] a.愉快的；和蔼的 (英语四级单词)
- midway [,mid´wei] n.中途 ad.&a.中途(的) (英语四级单词)
- nought [nɔ:t] n.=naught (英语四级单词)
- thrice [θrais] ad.三倍地；三次 (英语四级单词)
- tortoise [´tɔ:təs] n.(乌)龟 (英语四级单词)
- wrestle [´resəl] n.&v.摔交；搏斗；角力 (英语四级单词)
- towering [´tauəriŋ] a.高耸的；强烈的 (英语四级单词)
- valiant [´væliənt] a.勇敢的，英勇的 (英语四级单词)
- accursed [ə´kə:sid] a.被诅咒的；可憎的 (英语四级单词)
- stature [´stætʃə] n.身高；身材 (英语四级单词)
- hospitable [´hɔspitəbəl] a.好客的；招待周到的 (英语四级单词)
- wondrous [´wʌndrəs] a.极好的 ad.惊人地 (英语四级单词)
- sapling [´sæpliŋ] n.树苗，幼树 (英语六级单词)
- miserably [´mizərəbli] ad.悲惨地；糟糕地 (英语六级单词)
- citadel [´sitədl] n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 (英语六级单词)
- wayside [´weisaid] n.&a.路边(的) (英语六级单词)
- courteously [´kə:tjəsli] ad.有礼貌地；殷勤地 (英语六级单词)
- nightfall [´nait,fɔ:l] n.黄昏；傍晚 (英语六级单词)
- venison [´venisən] n.鹿肉；野味 (英语六级单词)
- shrank [ʃræŋk] shrink的过去式 (英语六级单词)
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