首页 >出版文学> The Works of Edgar Allan Poe>第183章
  Beyondthelineofblue-
  TheboundaryofthestarWhichturnethattheviewOfthybarrierandthybar-
  OfthebarrierovergoneBythecometswhowerecastFromtheirpride,andfromtheirthroneTobedrudgestillthelast-
  TobecarriersoffireTheredfireoftheirheart
  WithspeedthatmaynottireAndwithpainthatshallnotpart-
  *Thereisfound,intheRhone,abeautifullilyoftheValisneriankind。Itsstemwillstretchtothelengthofthreeorfourfeet-thuspreservingitsheadabovewaterintheswellingsoftheriver。?TheHyacinth。?ItisafictionoftheIndians,thatCupidwasfirstseenfloatinginoneofthesedowntheriverGanges-andthathestilllovesthecradleofhischildhood。?Andgoldenvialsfullofodorswhicharetheprayersofthesaints-
  _Rev。St。John_。
  Wholivest-_that_weknow-
  InEternity-wefeel-
  ButtheshadowofwhosebrowWhatspiritshallreveal?
  Tho’thebeingswhomthyNesace,ThymessengerhathknownHavedream’dforthyInfinity*Amodeloftheirown-
  Thywillisdone,Oh,God!
  ThestarhathriddenhighThro’manyatempest,butsherodeBeneaththyburningeye;
  Andhere,inthought,tothee-
  InthoughtthatcanaloneAscendthyempireandsobeApartnerofthythrone-
  *TheHumanitariansheldthatGodwastobeunderstoodashavingareallyhumanform-_VideClarke’sSermons_,vol。1,page26,fol。edit。
  ThedriftofMilton’sargument,leadshimtoemploylanguagewhichwouldappear,atfirstsight,tovergeupontheirdoctrine;butitwillbeseenimmediately,thatheguardshimselfagainstthechargeofhavingadoptedoneofthemostignoranterrorsofthedarkagesofthechurch-
  _Dr。Sumner’sNotesonMilton’sChristianDoctrine_。
  Thisopinion,inspiteofmanytestimoniestothecontrary,couldneverhavebeenverygeneral。Andeus,aSyrianofMesopotamia,wascondemnedfortheopinion,asheretical。Helivedinthebeginningofthefourthcentury。HisdiscipleswerecalledAnthropmorphites-_VideDuPin_。
  AmongMilton’spoemsaretheselines:-
  Dicitesacrorumpr鎠idesnemorumDe?&c。
  QuisilleprimuscujuseximagineNaturasolersfinxithumanumgenus?
  Eternus,incorruptus,鎞u鎣uspolo,UnusqueetuniversusexemplarDei-Andafterwards,NoncuiprofundumC鎐itaslumendeditDirc鎢saugurvidithuncaltosinu,&c。
  *BywingedFantasy,Myembassyisgiven,TillsecrecyshallknowledgebeIntheenvironsofHeaven。”
  Sheceas’d-andburiedthenherburningcheekAbash’d,amidtheliliesthere,toseekAshelterfromthefervourofHiseye;
  ForthestarstrembledattheDeity。
  Shestirr’dnot-breath’dnot-foravoicewasthereHowsolemnlypervadingthecalmair!
  AsoundofsilenceonthestartledearWhichdreamypoetsname“themusicofthesphere。”
  Oursisaworldofwords:Quietwecall“Silence“-whichisthemerestwordofall。
  AllNaturespeaks,andev’nidealthingsFlapshadowysoundsfromvisionarywings-
  Butah!notsowhen,thus,inrealmsonhighTheeternalvoiceofGodispassingby,Andtheredwindsarewitheringinthesky!?Whattho’inworldswhichsightlesscyclesrun,Link’dtoalittlesystem,andonesun-
  WhereallmyloveisfollyandthecrowdStillthinkmyterrorsbutthethundercloud,Thestorm,theearthquake,andtheocean-wrath-
  Ah!willtheycrossmeinmyangrierpath?
  Whattho’inworldswhichownasinglesunThesandsofTimegrowdimmerastheyrun,*SeltsamenTochterJovisSeinemSchosskindeDerPhantasie-_G鰁the_。?Sightless-toosmalltobeseen-_Legge_。
  Yetthineismyresplendency,sogivenTobearmysecretsthro’theupperHeaven。
  Leavetenantlessthycrystalhome,andfly,Withallthytrain,athwartthemoonysky-
  *Apart-likefire-fliesinSiciliannight,Andwingtootherworldsanotherlight!
  DivulgethesecretsofthyembassyTotheproudorbsthattwinkle-andsobeToev’ryheartabarrierandabanLestthestarstotterintheguiltofman!”
  Uprosethemaidenintheyellownight,Thesingle-moonedeve!-onEarthweplightOurfaithtoonelove-andonemoonadore-
  Thebirth-placeofyoungBeautyhadnomore。
  AssprangthatyellowstarfromdownyhoursUprosethemaidenfromhershrineofflowers,Andbento’ersheenymountainanddimplain咹erway-butleftnotyetherTheras鎍nreign。
  *Ihaveoftennoticedapeculiarmovementofthefire-flies;-theywillcollectinabodyandflyoff,fromacommoncentre,intoinnumerableradii。?Theras鎍,orTherasea,theislandmentionedbySeneca,which,inamoment,arosefromtheseatotheeyesofastonishedmariners。
  PartII。
  HIGHonamountainofenamell’dhead-
  SuchasthedrowsyshepherdonhisbedOfgiantpasturagelyingathisease,Raisinghisheavyeyelid,startsandseesWithmanyamutter’d“hopetobeforgiven“
  WhattimethemoonisquadratedinHeaven-
  Ofrosyhead,thattoweringfarawayIntothesunlitether,caughttherayOfsunkensunsateve-atnoonofnight,Whilethemoondanc’dwiththefairstrangerlight-
  Uprear’duponsuchheightaroseapileOfgorgeouscolumnsonth’unburthen’dair,FlashingfromParianmarblethattwinsmileFardownuponthewavethatsparkledthere,Andnursledtheyoungmountaininitslair。
  *Ofmoltenstarstheirpavement,suchasfallThro’theebonair,besilveringthepallOftheirowndissolution,whiletheydie-
  Adorningthenthedwellingsofthesky。
  Adome,bylinkedlightfromHeavenletdown,Satgentlyonthesecolumnsasacrown-
  Awindowofonecirculardiamond,there,Look’doutaboveintothepurpleair,*Somestarwhich,fromtheruin’droofOfshak’dOlympus,bymischance,didfall-_Milton。_
  AndraysfromGodshotdownthatmeteorchainAndhallow’dallthebeautytwiceagain,Savewhen,betweenth’Empyreanandthatring,Someeagerspiritflapp’dhisduskywing。
  ButonthepillarsSerapheyeshaveseenThedimnessofthisworld:thatgreyishgreenThatNaturelovesthebestforBeauty’sgraveLurk’dineachcornice,roundeacharchitrave-
  Andeverysculptur’dcherubthereaboutThatfromhismarbledwellingpeer閐outSeem’dearthlyintheshadowofhisniche-
  Achaianstatuesinaworldsorich?
  *FriezesfromTadmorandPersepolis-
  FromBalbec,andthestilly,clearabyss哋fbeautifulGomorrah!O,thewaveIsnowuponthee-buttoolatetosave!
  Soundlovestorevelinasummernight:
  Witnessthemurmurofthegreytwilight*Voltaire,inspeakingofPersepolis,says,“Jeconnoisbienl’admirationqu’inspirentcesruines-maisunpalaiserig?aupiedd’unechainedesrocherssterils-peutil阾reunchefd’渧uredesarts!”
  [_VoilalesargumentsdeM。Voltaire_。]?”Oh!thewave“-UlaDegusiistheTurkishappellation;but,onitsownshores,itiscalledBaharLoth,orAlmotanah。Therewereundoubtedlymorethantwocitiesengluphedinthe“deadsea。”InthevalleyofSiddimwerefive-Adrah,Zeboin,Zoar,SodomandGomorrah。StephenofByzantiummentionseight,andStrabothirteeen,engulphed-butthelastisoutofallreason。
  Itissaid,Tacitus,Strabo,Josephus,DanielofSt。Saba,Nau,Maundrell,Troilo,D’Arvieuxthatafteranexcessivedrought,thevestigesofcolumns,walls,&c。areseenabovethesurface。At_any_
  season,suchremainsmaybediscoveredbylookingdownintothetransparentlake,andatsuchdistancesaswouldarguetheexistenceofmanysettlementsinthespacenowusurpedbythe’Asphaltites。’
  *Thatstoleupontheear,inEyraco,Ofmanyawildstar-gazerlongago-
  ThatstealetheverontheearofhimWho,musing,gazethonthedistancedim。
  Andseesthedarknesscomingasacloud-
  嘔snotitsform-itsvoice-mostpalpableandloud?
  Butwhatisthis?-itcometh-anditbringsAmusicwithit-’tistherushofwings-
  Apause-andthenasweeping,fallingstrainAndNesaceisinherhallsagain。
  FromthewildenergyofwantonhasteHercheekswereflushing,andherlipsapart;
  AndzonethatclungaroundhergentlewaistHadburstbeneaththeheavingofherheart。
  WithinthecentreofthathalltobreatheShepaus’dandpanted,Zanthe!allbeneath,Thefairylightthatkiss’dhergoldenhairAndlong’dtorest,yetcouldbutsparklethere!?YoungflowerswerewhisperinginmelodyTohappyflowersthatnight-andtreetotree;
  FountainsweregushingmusicastheyfellInmanyastar-litgrove,ormoon-litdell;
  Yetsilencecameuponmaterialthings-
  Fairflowers,brightwaterfallsandangelwings-
  AndsoundalonethatfromthespiritsprangBoreburthentothecharmthemaidensang:
  *Eyraco-Chaldea。?IhaveoftenthoughtIcoulddistinctlyhearthesoundofthedarknessasitstoleoverthehorizon。?Fairiesuseflowersfortheircharactery-_MerryWivesofWindsor_。[WilliamShakespeare]
  “’Neathblue-bellorstreamer-
  OrtuftedwildsprayThatkeeps,fromthedreamer,*Themoonbeamaway-
  Brightbeings!thatponder,Withhalfclosingeyes,OnthestarswhichyourwonderHathdrawnfromtheskies,[intheoriginal,thislineisslightlyoutofalignment]
  Tilltheyglancethro’theshade,andComedowntoyourbrowLikeeyesofthemaidenWhocallsonyounow-
  Arise!fromyourdreamingInvioletbowers,TodutybeseemingThesestar-littenhours-
  AndshakefromyourtressesEncumber’dwithdewThebreathofthosekissesThatcumberthemtoo-
  O!how,withoutyou,Love!
  Couldangelsbeblest?
  ThosekissesoftrueloveThatlull’dyetorest!
  Up!-shakefromyourwingEachhinderingthing:
  Thedewofthenight-
  Itwouldweighdownyourflight;
  Andtruelovecaresses-
  O!leavethemapart!
  *InScriptureisthispassage-“Thesunshallnotharmtheebyday,northemoonbynight。”Itisperhapsnotgenerallyknownthatthemoon,inEgypt,hastheeffectofproducingblindnesstothosewhosleepwiththefaceexposedtoitsrays,towhichcircumstancethepassageevidentlyalludes。
  Theyarelightonthetresses,Butleadontheheart。
  Ligeia!Ligeia!
  Mybeautifulone!
  WhoseharshestideaWilltomelodyrun,O!isitthywillOnthebreezestotoss?
  Or,capriciouslystill,*LiketheloneAlbatross,IncumbentonnightAssheontheair。