章节正文
by great mountain ranges, the like of which cannot be found
in other countries. It extends for thousands of miles along
the deep passes between the mountains, at the entrance to
which there are great iron gates, easily closed, but very
difficult to open.
"Many armies have made war upon the giants, among
which none have been more celebrated than those of Korea,
which embraces in its standing army alone many thousands
of men, but thus far they have never been conquered.
"Nor is this to be wondered at, for besides their great iron
gates, and numerous fortifications, the men are thirty feet
tall according to our measurement, have teeth like a saw,
hooked claws, and bodies covered with long black hair.
"They live upon the flesh of fowls and wild beasts which
are found in abundance in the mountain fastnesses, but they
do not cook their food. They are very fond of human
flesh, but they confine themselves to the flesh of enemies
slain in battle, and do not eat the flesh of their own people,
even though they be hostile, as this is contrary to the law
of the land.
"Their women are as large and fierce as the men, but their
duties are confined to the preparation of extra clothing for
winter wear, for although they are covered with hair it is
insufficient to protect them from the winter's cold."
While the old nurse was relating the tale of the giants I
could not but wonder whether there was not some relation
between that and the Brobdingnagians I had read about in
my youth. But I was not given much time to think. This
seemed to have been a story day, for the nurse had hardly
finished the tale till the child said:
"Now tell me about the country of the little people," and she
related the story of
THE LAND OF DWARFS.
"The country of the little people is in the west, where
the sun goes down.
"Once upon a time a company of Persian merchants were
making a journey, when by a strange mishap they lost their
way and came to the land of the little people. They were
at first surprised, and then delighted, for they discovered
that the country was not only densely populated with these
little people, who were not more than three feet high, but
that it was rich in all kinds of precious stones and rare and
valuable materials.
"They discovered also that during the season of planting
and harvesting, they were in constantterror lest the great
multitude of cranes, which are without number in that
region, should swoop down upon them and eat both them
and their crops. They soon learned, however, that the little
people were under the protecting care of the Roman Empire,
whose interest in them was great, and her arm mighty, and
they were thus guarded from all evil influences as well as
from all danger. Nor was this a wholly unselfish interest
on the part of the Roman power, for the little people
repaid her with rich presents of the most costly gems,--
pearls, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones."
I need not say I was beginning to be surprised at the
number of tales the old woman told which corresponded
to those I had been accustomed to read and hear in my
childhood, nor was my surprise lessened when at his request
she told him how
THE SUN WENT BACKWARD.
"Once upon a time Lu Yang-kung was engaged in battle with Han
Kou-nan, and they continued fighting until nearly sundown. The
former was getting the better of the battle, but feared he would
lose it unless they fought to a finish before the close of day.
The sun was near the horizon, and the battle was not yet ended,
and the former, pointing his lance at the King of Day caused him
to move backward ten miles in his course."
"When did that happen?" inquired the child.
"The Chinese say it happened about three thousand years ago,"
replied the old nurse.
"Now tell me about the man who went to the fire star."
The old woman hesitated a moment as though she was trying to
recall something and then told him the story of
MARS, THE GOD OF WAR.
"Once upon a time there was a great rebel whose name
was Ch'ih Yu. He was the first great rebel that ever lived
in China. He did not want to obey the chief ruler, and
invented for himself warlike weapons, thinking that in this
way he might overthrow the government and place himself
upon the throne.
"He had eighty-one brothers, of whom he was the leader. They had
human speech, but bodies of beasts, foreheads of iron, and fed
upon the dust of the earth.
"When the time for the battle came, he called upon the
Chief of the Wind and the Master of the Rain to assist him,
and there arose a great tempest. But the Chief sent the
Daughter of Heaven to quell the storm, and then seized and
slew the rebel. His spirit ascended to the Fire-Star (Mars)
--the embodiment of which he was while upon earth,--
where it resides and influences the conduct of warfare even
to the present time."
"Tell me the story of the man who went to the mountain
to gather fire-wood and did not come home for such a
long time."
The old nurse began a story which as it progressed
reminded me of
RIP VAN WINKLE.
"A long time ago there lived a man named Wang Chih,
which in our language means 'the stuff of which kings
are made.' In spite of his name, however, he was only a
common husbandman, spending his summers in plowing,
planting and harvesting, and his winters in gathering
fertilizers upon the highways, and fire-wood in the mountains.
"On one occasion he wandered into the mountains of
Ch'u Chou, his axe upon his shoulder, hoping to find more
and better fire-wood than could be found upon his own
scanty acres, or the adjoining plain. While in the
mountains he came upon a number of aged men, in a beautiful
mountain grotto, intently engaged in a game of chess.
Wang was a good chess-player himself, and for the time
forgot his errand. He laid down his axe, stood silently
watching them, and in a very few moments was deeply
interested in the game.
"It was while he was thus watching them that one of
the old men, without looking up from the game, gave him
what seemed to be a date seed, telling him at the same time
to put it in his mouth. He did so, but no sooner had he
tasted it, than he lost all consciousness of hunger and thirst,
and continued to stand watching the players and the progress
of the game, thinking nothing of the flight of time.
"At last one of the old men said to him:
" 'You have been here a long time, ought you not to go home?'
"This aroused him from his reverie, and he seemed to
awake as from a dream, his interest in the game passed
away, and he attempted to pick up his axe, but found that
it was covered with rust and the handle had moulded away.
But while this called his attention to the fact that time had
passed, he felt not the burden of years.
"When he returned to the plain, and to what had formerly been his
home, he discovered that not only years but centuries had passed
away since he had left for the mountains, and that his relatives
and friends had all crossed to the 'Yellow Springs,' while all
records of his departure had long since been forgotten, and he
alone remained a relic of the past.
"He wandered up and down inquiring of the oldest people of all
the villages, but could discover no link which bound him to the
present.
"He returned to the mountain grotto, devoted himself to
the study of the occult principles of the 'Old Philosopher'
until the material elements of his mortal frame were gradually
evaporated or sublimated, and without having passed
through the change which men call death, he became an
immortal spirit returning whence he came."
Just as the old woman finished this story, my teacher,
who always took a nap after lunch, ascended the steps.
"Ah, the story of Wang Chih."
"Do you know any of these stories?" I asked him as I sat down
beside him.
"All children learn these stories in their youth," he
answered, and then as if fearing I would try to induce him to
tell them to me he continued, "but nurses always tell these
stories better than any one else, because they tell them so
often to the children, for whom alone they were made."
End
in other countries. It extends for thousands of miles along
the deep passes between the mountains, at the entrance to
which there are great iron gates, easily closed, but very
difficult to open.
"Many armies have made war upon the giants, among
which none have been more celebrated than those of Korea,
which embraces in its standing army alone many thousands
of men, but thus far they have never been conquered.
"Nor is this to be wondered at, for besides their great iron
gates, and numerous fortifications, the men are thirty feet
tall according to our measurement, have teeth like a saw,
hooked claws, and bodies covered with long black hair.
"They live upon the flesh of fowls and wild beasts which
are found in abundance in the mountain fastnesses, but they
do not cook their food. They are very fond of human
flesh, but they confine themselves to the flesh of enemies
slain in battle, and do not eat the flesh of their own people,
even though they be hostile, as this is contrary to the law
of the land.
"Their women are as large and fierce as the men, but their
duties are confined to the preparation of extra clothing for
winter wear, for although they are covered with hair it is
insufficient to protect them from the winter's cold."
While the old nurse was relating the tale of the giants I
could not but wonder whether there was not some relation
between that and the Brobdingnagians I had read about in
my youth. But I was not given much time to think. This
seemed to have been a story day, for the nurse had hardly
finished the tale till the child said:
"Now tell me about the country of the little people," and she
related the story of
THE LAND OF DWARFS.
"The country of the little people is in the west, where
the sun goes down.
"Once upon a time a company of Persian merchants were
making a journey, when by a strange mishap they lost their
way and came to the land of the little people. They were
at first surprised, and then delighted, for they discovered
that the country was not only densely populated with these
little people, who were not more than three feet high, but
that it was rich in all kinds of precious stones and rare and
valuable materials.
"They discovered also that during the season of planting
and harvesting, they were in constantterror lest the great
multitude of cranes, which are without number in that
region, should swoop down upon them and eat both them
and their crops. They soon learned, however, that the little
people were under the protecting care of the Roman Empire,
whose interest in them was great, and her arm mighty, and
they were thus guarded from all evil influences as well as
from all danger. Nor was this a wholly unselfish interest
on the part of the Roman power, for the little people
repaid her with rich presents of the most costly gems,--
pearls, diamonds, rubies and other precious stones."
I need not say I was beginning to be surprised at the
number of tales the old woman told which corresponded
to those I had been accustomed to read and hear in my
childhood, nor was my surprise lessened when at his request
she told him how
THE SUN WENT BACKWARD.
"Once upon a time Lu Yang-kung was engaged in battle with Han
Kou-nan, and they continued fighting until nearly sundown. The
former was getting the better of the battle, but feared he would
lose it unless they fought to a finish before the close of day.
The sun was near the horizon, and the battle was not yet ended,
and the former, pointing his lance at the King of Day caused him
to move backward ten miles in his course."
"When did that happen?" inquired the child.
"The Chinese say it happened about three thousand years ago,"
replied the old nurse.
"Now tell me about the man who went to the fire star."
The old woman hesitated a moment as though she was trying to
recall something and then told him the story of
MARS, THE GOD OF WAR.
"Once upon a time there was a great rebel whose name
was Ch'ih Yu. He was the first great rebel that ever lived
in China. He did not want to obey the chief ruler, and
invented for himself warlike weapons, thinking that in this
way he might overthrow the government and place himself
upon the throne.
"He had eighty-one brothers, of whom he was the leader. They had
human speech, but bodies of beasts, foreheads of iron, and fed
upon the dust of the earth.
"When the time for the battle came, he called upon the
Chief of the Wind and the Master of the Rain to assist him,
and there arose a great tempest. But the Chief sent the
Daughter of Heaven to quell the storm, and then seized and
slew the rebel. His spirit ascended to the Fire-Star (Mars)
--the embodiment of which he was while upon earth,--
where it resides and influences the conduct of warfare even
to the present time."
"Tell me the story of the man who went to the mountain
to gather fire-wood and did not come home for such a
long time."
The old nurse began a story which as it progressed
reminded me of
RIP VAN WINKLE.
"A long time ago there lived a man named Wang Chih,
which in our language means 'the stuff of which kings
are made.' In spite of his name, however, he was only a
common husbandman, spending his summers in plowing,
planting and harvesting, and his winters in gathering
fertilizers upon the highways, and fire-wood in the mountains.
"On one occasion he wandered into the mountains of
Ch'u Chou, his axe upon his shoulder, hoping to find more
and better fire-wood than could be found upon his own
scanty acres, or the adjoining plain. While in the
mountains he came upon a number of aged men, in a beautiful
mountain grotto, intently engaged in a game of chess.
Wang was a good chess-player himself, and for the time
forgot his errand. He laid down his axe, stood silently
watching them, and in a very few moments was deeply
interested in the game.
"It was while he was thus watching them that one of
the old men, without looking up from the game, gave him
what seemed to be a date seed, telling him at the same time
to put it in his mouth. He did so, but no sooner had he
tasted it, than he lost all consciousness of hunger and thirst,
and continued to stand watching the players and the progress
of the game, thinking nothing of the flight of time.
"At last one of the old men said to him:
" 'You have been here a long time, ought you not to go home?'
"This aroused him from his reverie, and he seemed to
awake as from a dream, his interest in the game passed
away, and he attempted to pick up his axe, but found that
it was covered with rust and the handle had moulded away.
But while this called his attention to the fact that time had
passed, he felt not the burden of years.
"When he returned to the plain, and to what had formerly been his
home, he discovered that not only years but centuries had passed
away since he had left for the mountains, and that his relatives
and friends had all crossed to the 'Yellow Springs,' while all
records of his departure had long since been forgotten, and he
alone remained a relic of the past.
"He wandered up and down inquiring of the oldest people of all
the villages, but could discover no link which bound him to the
present.
"He returned to the mountain grotto, devoted himself to
the study of the occult principles of the 'Old Philosopher'
until the material elements of his mortal frame were gradually
evaporated or sublimated, and without having passed
through the change which men call death, he became an
immortal spirit returning whence he came."
Just as the old woman finished this story, my teacher,
who always took a nap after lunch, ascended the steps.
"Ah, the story of Wang Chih."
"Do you know any of these stories?" I asked him as I sat down
beside him.
"All children learn these stories in their youth," he
answered, and then as if fearing I would try to induce him to
tell them to me he continued, "but nurses always tell these
stories better than any one else, because they tell them so
often to the children, for whom alone they were made."
End
- celebrated [´selibreitid]
a.著名的 (初中英语单词) - standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- measurement [´meʒəmənt] n.测量；尺寸；宽度 (初中英语单词)
- abundance [ə´bʌndəns] n.丰富，充裕 (初中英语单词)
- confine [kən´fain] vt.限制 n.边界；境界 (初中英语单词)
- hostile [´hɔstail] a.敌方的，敌意的 (初中英语单词)
- contrary [´kɔntrəri] a.相反的 n.相反 (初中英语单词)
- fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
- preparation [,prepə´reiʃən] n.准备；预习(时间) (初中英语单词)
- persian [´pə:ʃən] a.波斯的 n.波斯人 (初中英语单词)
- constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
- terror [´terə] n.恐怖；惊骇 (初中英语单词)
- wholly [´həul-li] ad.完全，十足；统统 (初中英语单词)
- costly [´kɔstli] a.昂贵的；费用大的 (初中英语单词)
- beginning [bi´giniŋ] n.开始，开端；起源 (初中英语单词)
- horizon [hə´raizən] n.地平线；范围；视野 (初中英语单词)
- backward [´bækwəd] ad.向后 a.向后的 (初中英语单词)
- assist [ə´sist] v.协助；援助；搀扶 (初中英语单词)
- errand [´erənd] n.差使，使命 (初中英语单词)
- hunger [´hʌŋgə] n.饥饿；渴望 (初中英语单词)
- flight [flait] n.逃走；飞行；班机 (初中英语单词)
- formerly [´fɔ:məli] ad.从前，以前 (初中英语单词)
- departure [di´pɑ:tʃə] n.离开，出发 (初中英语单词)
- learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
- mighty [´maiti] a.强有力的 ad.很 (高中英语单词)
- overthrow [´əuvəθrəu] n.推翻；打倒 (高中英语单词)
- tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)
- warfare [´wɔ:feə] n.战争；斗争；竞争 (高中英语单词)
- consciousness [´kɔnʃəsnis] n.意识；觉悟；知觉 (高中英语单词)
- mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
- delighted [di´laitid] a.高兴的；喜欢的 (英语四级单词)
- trying [´traiiŋ] a.难堪的；费劲的 (英语四级单词)
- warlike [´wɔ:laik] a.战争的；好战的 (英语四级单词)
- intently [in´tentli] ad.专心地 (英语四级单词)
- devoted [di´vəutid] a.献身...的，忠实的 (英语四级单词)
- whence [wens] ad.从何处；从那里 (英语四级单词)
- mishap [´mishæp] n.不幸；灾祸 (英语六级单词)
- densely [´densli] ad.密集地；浓厚地 (英语六级单词)
- sundown [´sʌndaun] n.日落 (英语六级单词)
- grotto [´grɔtəu] n.岩穴；洞室 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
京公网安备 11011202003401号
