Iopenedthedoorandsawalittlegirl。"Haveyouanywater?"
saidI。
"No,"saidthechild,"butIhavethis,"andshebroughtmesomebutter—milkinabasin。Ijusttastedit,gavethechildapennyandblessedher。
"Oesgenochtad?"
"No,"saidshe;"butIhaveamam。"Tadinmam;blessedsounds;inalllanguagesexpressingthesameblessedthings。
AfterwalkingforsomehoursIsawatallbluehillinthefardistancebeforeme。"Whatisthenameofthathill?"saidItoawomanwhomImet。
"PenCaerGybi,"shereplied。
SoonafterIcametoavillageneartoarockygully。Oninquiringthenameofthevillage,IwastolditwasLlanyrAfon,orthechurchoftheriver。Ipassedon;thecountrywasneithergrandnorpretty—itexhibitedakindofwildness,however,whichdidnotfailtointerestme—therewerestones,rocksandfurzeinabundance。Turningroundthecornerofahill,Iobservedthroughthemistsofevening,whichbegantogatheraboutme,whatseemedtoberatheragenteelhouseontheroadside;onmyleft,andalittlewaybehinditastrangekindofmonticle,onwhichIthoughtIobservedtalluprightstones。Quickeningmypace,Isooncameparallelwiththehouse,whichasIdrewnigh,ceasedtolooklikeagenteelhouse,andexhibitedanappearanceofgreatdesolation。
Itwasawhite,orrathergreystructureofsomeantiquity。Itwasevidentlyusedasafarm—house,fortherewasayardadjoiningtoit,inwhichwerestacksandagriculturalimplements。Observingtwomenintheyard,Iwentin。Theywererespectable,farm—
lookingmen,betweenfortyandfifty;onehadonacoatandhat,theotheracapandjacket。"Goodevening,"IsaidinWelsh。
"Goodevening,"theyrepliedinthesamelanguage,lookinginquiringlyatme。
"Whatisthenameofthisplace?"saidI。
"ItiscalledTygwyn,"saidthemanofthehat。
"Onaccountofitscolour,Isuppose?"saidI。
"Justso,"saidthemanofthehat。
"Itlooksold,"saidI。
"Anditisold,"hereplied。"InthetimeofthePapistsitwasoneoftheirchapels。"
"Doesitbelongtoyou?"Idemanded。
"Ohno,itbelongstooneMrSparrowfromLiverpool。Iamhisbailiff,andthismanisacarpenterwhoisheredoingajobforhim。"
Hereensuedapause,whichwasbrokenbythemanofthehatsayinginEnglish,tothemanofthecap:
"Whocanthisstrangefellowbe?hehasnotawordofEnglish,andthoughhespeaksWelshhisWelshsoundsverydifferentfromours。
Whocanhebe?"
"IamsureIdon’tknow,"saidtheother。
"Iknowwhoheis,"saidthefirst,"hecomesfromLlydaw,orArmorica,whichwaspeopledfromBritainestalom,andwhereIamtoldtherealoldWelshlanguageisstillspoken。"
"IthinkIheardyoumentionthewordLlydaw?"saidI,tothemanofthehat。
"Ah,"saidthemanofthehat,speakingWelsh,"Iwasrightafterall;oh,IcouldhaveswornyouwereLlydaweg。Well,howarethedescendantsoftheancientBritonsgettingoninLlydaw?"
"Theyaregettingontolerablywell,"saidI,"whenIlastsawthem,thoughallthingsdonotgoexactlyastheycouldwish。"
"Ofcoursenot,"saidheofthehat。"Wetoohavemuchtocomplainofhere;thelandsarealmostentirelytakenpossessionofbySaxons,whereveryougoyouwillfindthemsettled,andaSaxonbirdoftheroofmustbuilditsnestinGwyndy。"
"YoucallasparrowinyourWelshabirdoftheroof,doyounot?"
saidI。
"Wedo,"saidheofthehat。"YouspeakWelshverywellconsideringyouwerenotborninWales。ItisreallysurprisingthatthemenofLlydawshouldspeaktheiaithsopureastheydo。"
"TheWelshwhentheywentoverthere,"saidI,"tookeffectualmeansthattheirdescendantsshouldspeakgoodWelsh,ifalltalesbetrue。"
"Whatmeans?"saidheofthehat。
"Why,"saidI;"afterconqueringthecountrytheyputallthementodeath,andmarriedthewomen,butbeforeachildwasborntheycutoutallthewomen’stongues,sothattheonlylanguagethechildrenheardwhentheywerebornwaspureCumraeg。Whatdoyouthinkofthat?"
"Why,thatitwasacutetrick,"saidheofthehat。
"AmoreclevertrickIneverheard,"saidthemanofthecap。
"HaveyouanymemorialsintheneighbourhoodoftheoldWelsh?"
saidI。
"Whatdoyoumean?"saidthemanofthehat。
"AnyaltarsoftheDruids?"saidI;"anystonetables?"
"None,"saidthemanofthehat。
"Whatmaythosestonesbe?"saidI,pointingtothestoneswhichhadstruckmyattention。
"Merecommonrocks,"saidtheman。
"MayIgoandexaminethem?"saidI。
"Ohyes!"saidheofthehat,"andwewillgowithyou。"
Wewenttothestones,whichwereindeedcommonrocks,andwhichwhenIreachedthempresentedquiteadifferentappearancefromthatwhichtheypresentedtomyeyewhenIviewedthemfromafar。
"AretheremanyaltarsoftheDruidsinLlydaw?"saidthemanofthehat。
"Plenty,"saidI,"butthosealtarsareolderthanthetimeoftheWelshcolonists,andwereerectedbytheoldGauls。"
"Well,"saidthemanofthecap,"IamgladIhaveseenthemanofLlydaw。"
"WhomdoyoucallamanofLlydaw?"saidI。
"Whombutyourself?"saidheofthehat。
"IamnotamanofLlydaw,"saidIinEnglish,"butNorfolk,wherethepeopleeatthebestdumplingsintheworld,andspeakthepurestEnglish。Nowathousandthanksforyourcivility。Iwouldhavesomemorechatwithyou,butnightiscomingon,andIamboundtoHolyhead。"
Thenleavingthemenstaringafterme,IbentmystepstowardsHolyhead。
IpassedbyaplacecalledLlansomething,standinglonelyonitshill。Thecountryroundlookedsadanddesolate。ItistruenighthadcomeonwhenIsawit。
OnIhurried。Thevoicesofchildrensoundedsweetlyatadistanceacrossthewildchampaignonmyleft。
Itgrewdarkeranddarker。OnIhurriedalongtheroad;atlastI
cametolone,lordlygroves。Onmyrightwasanopengateandalodge。Iwentuptothelodge。Thedoorwasopen,andinalittleroomIbeheldanice—lookingoldladysittingbyatable,onwhichstoodalightedcandle,withhereyesfixedonalargebook。
"Excuseme,"saidI;"butwhoownsthisproperty?"
Theoldladylookedupfromherbook,whichappearedtobeaBible,withouttheslightestsurprise,thoughIcertainlycameuponherunawares,andanswered:
"MrJohnWynn。"
Ishortlypassedthroughalargevillage,orrathertown,thenameofwhichIdidnotlearn。Ithenwentonforamileortwo,andsawaredlightatsomedistance。Theroadlednearlyuptoit,andthendivergedtowardsthenorth。LeavingtheroadImadetowardsthelightbyalane,andsooncametoarailroadstation。
"Youwon’thavelongtowait,sir,"saidaman,"thetraintoHolyheadwillbeherepresently。"
"HowfarisittoHolyhead?"saidI。
"Twomiles,sir,andthefareisonlysixpence。"
"Idespiserailroads,"saidI,"andthosewhotravelbythem,"andwithoutwaitingforananswerreturnedtotheroad。PresentlyI
heardthetrain—itstoppedforaminuteatthestation,andthencontinuingitscoursepassedmeonmylefthand,voidingfiercesparks,andmakingaterriblenoise—theroadwasamelancholyone;myfootstepssoundedhollowuponit。Iseemedtobeitsonlytraveller—awallextendedforalong,longwayonmyleft。AtlengthIcametoaturnpike。Ifeltdesolateandwishedtospeaktosomebody。Itappedatthewindow,atwhichtherewasalight;awomanopenedit。"HowfartoHolyhead?"saidIinEnglish。
"DimSaesneg,"saidthewoman。
IrepeatedmyquestioninWelsh。
"Twomiles,"saidshe。
"StilltwomilestoHolyheadbytheroad,"thoughtI。"Nosda,"
saidItothewomanandspedalong。AtlengthIsawwateronmyright,seeminglyakindofbay,andpresentlyamelancholyship。I
doubledmypace,whichwasbeforetolerablyquick,andsoonsawanoble—lookingedificeonmyleft,brilliantlylightedup。"Whatacapitalinnthatwouldmake,"saidI,lookingatitwistfully,asI
passedit。PresentlyIfoundmyselfinthemidstofapoor,dull,ill—lightedtown。
"Whereistheinn?"saidItoaman。
"Theinn,sir;youhavepassedit。Theinnisyonder,"hecontinued,pointingtowardsthenoble—lookingedifice。
"What,isthattheinn?"saidI。
"Yes,sir,therailroadhotel—andafirst—ratehotelitis。"
"Andaretherenootherinns?"
"Yes,buttheyareallpoorplaces。Nogentputsupatthem—allthegentsbytherailroadputupattherailroadhotel。"
WhatwasItodo?afterturningupmynoseattherailroad,wasI
toputupatitshotel?Surelytodosowouldbehardlyactingwithconsistency。"OughtInotrathertogotosomepublic—house,frequentedbycaptainsoffishingsmacks,andbeputinabedafoottooshortforme,"saidI,asIreflectedonmylastnight’scouchatMrPritchard’s。"No,thatwon’tdo—Ishallgotothehotel,Ihavemoneyinmypocket,andapersonwithmoneyinhispockethassurelyarighttobeinconsistentifhepleases。"
SoIturnedbackandenteredtherailroadhotelwithloftyportandwithsoundingstep,forIhadtwelvesovereignsinmypocket,besidesahalfone,andsomeloosesilver,andfearednottoencounterthegazeofanywaiterorlandlordintheland。"Sendboots!"Iroaredtothewaiter,asIflungmyselfdowninanarm—
chairinamagnificentcoffee—room。"Whatthedeuceareyoustaringat?sendbootscan’tyou,andaskwhatIcanhavefordinner。"
"Yes,sir,"saidthewaiter,andwithalowbowdeparted。
"Thesebootsareratherdusty,"saidtheboots,agrey—haired,venerable—lookingman,afterhehadtakenoffmythick,solid,square—toedboots。"Isupposeyoucamewalkingfromtherailroad?"
"Confoundtherailroad!"saidI。"IcamewalkingfromBangor。I
wouldhaveyouknowthatIhavemoneyinmypocket,andcanaffordtowalk。Iamfondofthebeautiesofnature;nowitisimpossibletoseemuchofthebeautiesofnatureunlessyouwalk。Iamlikewisefondofpoetry,andtakeespecialdelightininspectingthebirth—placesandhauntsofpoets。ItisbecauseIamfondofpoetry,poetsandtheirhaunts,thatIamcometoAnglesey。
Angleseydoesnotaboundinthebeautiesofnature,butthereneverwassuchaplaceforpoets;youmeetapoet,orthebirth—placeofapoet,everywhere。"
"DidyourhonoureverhearofGronwyOwen?"saidtheoldman。
"Ihave,"Ireplied,"andyesterdayIvisitedhisbirth—place;soyouhaveheardofGronwyOwen?"
"Heardofhim,yourhonour;yes,andreadhisworks。That’CowyddyFarn’ofhisisawonderfulpoem。"
"Yousayright,"saidI;"the’CowyddofJudgment’containssomeofthefinestthingseverwritten—thatdescriptionofthetopplingdownofthetopcragofSnowdon,atthedayofJudgment,beatsanythinginHomer。"
"ThentherewasLewisMorris,yourhonour,"saidtheoldman,"whogaveGronwyhiseducationandwrote’TheLassesofMeirion’—and—
"
"And’TheCowyddtotheSnail,’"saidI,interruptinghim—"awonderfulmanhewas。"
"Iamrejoicedtoseeyourhonourinourhouse,"saidboots;"I
neversawanEnglishgentlemanbeforewhoknewsomuchaboutWelshpoetry,noraWelshoneeither。Ah,ifyourhonourisfondofpoetsandtheirplacesyoudidrighttocometoAnglesey—andyourhonourwasrightinsayingthatyoucan’tstirastepwithoutmeetingone;youhaveanexampleofthetruthofthatinme—fortotellyourhonourthetruth,Iamapoetmyself,andnobadoneeither。"
Thentuckingthedustybootsunderhisarm,theoldmanwithalowcongee,anda"Good—night,yourhonour!"shuffledoutoftheroom。
CHAPTERXL
CaerGyby—LewisMorris—NobleCharacter。
IDINEDorrathersuppedwellattheRailroadInn—Ibegitspardon,Hotel,forthewordInnatthepresentdayisdecidedlyvulgar。Ilikewisesleptwell;howcouldIdootherwise,passingthenight,asIdid,inanexcellentbedinalarge,cool,quietroom?Iaroseratherlate,wentdowntothecoffee—roomandtookmybreakfastleisurely,afterwhichIpaidmybillandstrolledforthtoobservethewondersoftheplace。
CaerGybiorCybi’stownissituatedonthesouthernsideofabayonthenorth—westernsideofAnglesey。Closetoitonthesouth—
westisaveryhighheadlandcalledinWelshPenCaerGybi,ortheheadofCybi’scity,andinEnglishHolyHead。Onthenorth,acrossthebay,isanothermountainofequalaltitude,whichifI
amnotmistakenbearsinWelshthenameofMynyddLlanfair,orSaintMary’sMount。ItiscalledCybi’stownfromoneCybi,whoabouttheyear500builtacollegeheretowhichyouthsnobleandignobleresortedfromfarandnear。HewasanativeofDyfedorPembrokeshire,andwasafriendandforalongtimeafellow—
labourerofSaintDavid。Besidesbeinglearned,accordingtothestandardofthetime,hewasagreatwalker,andfrombronzinghiscountenancebyfrequentwalkinginthesunwasgenerallycalledCybiVelin,whichmeanstawnyoryellowCybi。
SomuchforCybi,andhistown!AndnowsomethingaboutonewhosememoryhauntedmemuchmorethanthatofCybiduringmystayatHolyhead。
LewisMorriswasbornataplacecalledTrefyBeirdd,inAnglesey,intheyear1700。Anglesey,orMona,hasgivenbirthtomanyillustriousmen,butfew,uponthewhole,entitledtomorehonourablementionthanhimself。Fromahumblesituationinlife,forheservedanapprenticeshiptoacooperatHolyhead,heraisedhimselfbyhisindustryandtalentstoaffluenceanddistinction,becamealandedproprietorinthecountyofCardigan,andinspectoroftheroyaldomainsandminesinWales。Perhapsamanmoregenerallyaccomplishedneverexisted;hewasafirst—ratemechanic,anexpertnavigator,agreatmusician,bothintheoryandpractice,andapoetofsingularexcellence。Ofhimitwassaid,andwithtruth,thathecouldbuildashipandsailit,frameaharpandmakeitspeak,writeanodeandsetittomusic。Yetthatsaying,eulogisticasitis,isfarfromexpressingallthevastpowersandacquirementsofLewisMorris。Thoughself—taught,hewasconfessedlythebestWelshscholarofhisage,andwaswell—versedinthosecognatedialectsoftheWelsh—theCornish,Armoric,HighlandGaelicandIrish。HewaslikewisewellacquaintedwithHebrew,GreekandLatin,hadstudiedAnglo—Saxonwithsomesuccess,andwasawriterofboldandvigorousEnglish。Hewasbesidesagoodgeneralantiquary,andforknowledgeofancientWelshcustoms,traditions,andsuperstitions,hadnoequal。Yetallhasnotbeensaidwhichcanbeutteredinhispraise;hehadqualitiesofmindwhichentitledhimtohigheresteemthananyaccomplishmentconnectedwithintellectorskill。Amongstthesewerehisnoblegenerosityandsacrificeofselfforthebenefitofothers。Weeksandmonthshewasinthehabitofdevotingtothesuperintendenceoftheaffairsofthewidowandfatherless:oneofhisprincipaldelightswastoassistmerit,tobringitbeforetheworldandtoprocureforititsproperestimation:itwashewhofirstdiscoveredthetunefulgeniusofblindParry;itwashewhofirstputtheharpintohishand;itwashewhofirstgavehimscientificinstruction;itwashewhocheeredhimwithencouragementandassistedhimwithgold。ItwashewhoinstructedthecelebratedEvanEvansintheancientlanguageofWales,enablingthattalentedbuteccentricindividualtoreadthepagesoftheRedBookofHergestaseasilyasthoseoftheWelshBible;itwashewhocorrectedhisverseswithmatchlessskill,refiningandpolishingthemtilltheybecamewellworthyofbeingreadbyposterity;itwashewhogavehimadvice,which,haditbeenfollowed,wouldhavemadethePrydyddHir,ashecalledhimself,oneofthemostillustriousWelshmenofthelastcentury;anditwashewhofirsttoldhiscountrymenthattherewasayouthofAngleseywhosegenius,ifproperlyencouraged,promisedfairtorivalthatofMilton:oneofthemosteloquentletterseverwrittenisonebyhim,inwhichhedescantsuponthebeautiesofcertainpoemsofGronwyOwen,thelatentgeniusofwhoseearlyboyhoodhehadobserved,whomhehadclothed,educatedandassisteduptotheperiodwhenhewasordainedaministeroftheChurch,andwhomhefinallyrescuedfromastateborderingonstarvationinLondon,procuringforhimanhonourableappointmentintheNewWorld。
ImmortalitytoLewisMorris!Butimmortalityhehaswon,evenashisillustriouspupilhassaid,whoinhiselegyuponhisbenefactor,writteninAmerica,inthefour—and—twentymeasures,atatimewhenGronwyhadnotheardtheWelshlanguagespokenformorethantwentyyears,haswordstothefollowingeffect:—
"AslongasBardicloreshalllast,scienceandlearningbecherished,thelanguageandbloodoftheBritonsundefiled,songbeheardonParnassus,heavenandearthbeinexistence,foambeonthesurge,andwaterintheriver,thenameofLewisofMonshallbeheldingratefulremembrance。"
CHAPTERXLI
ThePier—IrishReapers—WildIrishFace—FatherToban—TheHerdofSwine—LatinBlessing。
THEdaywasashotastheprecedingone。Iwalkedslowlytowardsthewest,andpresentlyfoundmyselfuponapier,orbreakwater,atthemouthoftheharbour。Alargesteamerlayatalittledistancewithinthepier。Therewerefishing—boatsonbothsides,thegreaternumberontheouterside,whichliestowardsthehillofHolyHead。OntheshadysideofthebreakwaterunderthewallweretwoorthreedozenofIrishreapers;somewerelyingasleep,othersinpartiesoftwoorthreewereseatedwiththeirbacksagainstthewall,andweretalkingIrish;theselastallappearedtobewell—
mademiddle—sizedyoungfellows,withratheraruffianlylook;theystaredatmeasIpassed。Thewholepartyhadshillealahseitherintheirhandsorbytheirsides。Iwenttotheextremityofthepier,wherewasalittlelighthouse,andthenturnedback。AsI
againdrewneartheIrish,Iheardahubbubandobservedagreatcommotionamongstthem。All,whetherthosewhomIhadseensitting,orthosewhomIhadseenreclining,hadgot,orweregettingontheirlegs。AsIpassedthemtheywereallstandingup,andtheireyeswerefixeduponmewithastrangekindofexpression,partlyofwonder,methought,partlyofrespect。"Yes,’tishe,sureenough,"Iheardonewhisper。OnIwent,andataboutthirtyyardsfromthelastIstopped,turnedroundandleanedagainstthewall。AlltheIrishwerelookingatme—presentlytheyformedintoknotsandbegantodiscourseveryeagerlyinIrish,thoughinanundertone。AtlengthIobservedafellowgoingfromoneknottotheother,exchangingafewwordswitheach。
Afterhehadheldcommunicationwithallhenoddedhishead,andcametowardsmewithaquickstep;thereststoodsilentandmotionlesswiththeireyesturnedinthedirectioninwhichIwas,andinwhichhewasadvancing。Hestoppedwithinayardofmeandtookoffhishat。Hewasanathleticfellowofabouttwenty—eight,dressedinbrownfrieze。Hisfeatureswereswarthy,andhiseyesblack;ineverylineamentofhiscountenancewasajumbleofsavageryandroguishness。IneversawamoregenuinewildIrishface—therehestoodlookingatmefullintheface,hishatinonehandandhisshillealahintheother。
"Well,whatdoyouwant?"saidI,afterwehadstaredateachotherabouthalfaminute。
"Sure,I’mjustcomeonthepartoftheboysandmyselftobegabitofafavourofyourreverence。"
"Reverence,"saidI,"whatdoyoumeanbystylingmereverence?"
"Ochsure,becausetobestyledyourreverenceistherightofyourreverence。"
"Praywhatdoyoutakemefor?"
"Ochsure,weknowsyourreverenceverywell。"
"Well,whoamI?"
"Och,whyFatherTobantobesure。"
"AndwhoknowsmetobeFatherToban?"
"Och,aboyhereknowsyourreverencetobeFatherToban。"
"Whereisthatboy?"
"Herehestands,yourreverence。"
"Areyouthatboy?"
"Iam,yourreverence。"
"AndyoutoldtherestthatIwasFatherToban?"
"Idid,yourreverence。"
"AndyouknowmetobeFatherToban?"
"Ido,yourreverence。"
"HowdoyouknowmetobeFatherToban?"
"Och,whybecausemany’sthegoodtimethatIhaveheardyourreverence,FatherToban,saymass。"
"Andwhatisityouwantmetodo?"
"Why,seehere,yourreverence,wearegoingtoembarkinthedirtysteameryonderforouldIreland,whichstartsassoonasthetideserves,andwewantyourreverencetoblessusbeforewegoes。"
"Youwantmetoblessyou?"
"Wedo,yourreverence,wewantyoutospitoutalittlebitofablessinguponusbeforewegoesonboard。"
"Andwhatgoodwouldmyblessingdoyou?"
"Allkindsofgood,yourreverence;itwouldpreventthedirtysteamerfromcatchingfire,yourreverence,orfromgoingdown,yourreverence,orfromrunningagainsttheblackguardHillofHowthinthemist,providedthereshouldbeone。"
"AndsupposeIweretotellyouthatIamnotFatherToban?"
"Och,yourreverence,willneverthinkofdoingthat。"
"WouldyoubelievemeifIdid?"
"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。"
"IfIweretoswearthatIamnotFatherToban?"
"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。"
"Ontheevangiles?"
"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。"
"OntheCross?"
"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。"
"AndsupposeIweretorefusetogiveyouablessing?"
"Och,yourreverencewillneverrefusetoblessthepoorboys。"
"ButsupposeIweretorefuse?"
"Why,insuchacase,whichby—the—byeisaltogetherimpossible,weshouldjustmakebouldtogiveyourreverenceagoodbigbating。"
"Youwouldbreakmyhead?"
"Wewould,yourreverence。"
"Killme?"
"Wewould,yourreverence。"
"Youwouldreallyputmetodeath?"
"Wewouldnot,yourreverence。"
"Andwhat’sthedifferencebetweenkillingandputtingtodeath?"
"Och,surethere’sallthedifferenceintheworld。Killingmanesonlyagoodbigbating,suchaseveryIrishmanisusedto,andwhichyourreverencewouldgetoverlongbeforematins,whereasputtingyourreverencetodeathwouldpreventyourreverencefromsayingmassforeverandaday。"
"Andyouaredeterminedonhavingablessing?"
"Weare,yourreverence。"
"Byhookorbycrook?"
"Bycrookorbyhook,yourreverence。"
"BeforeIblessyou,willyouanswermeaquestionortwo?"
"Iwill,yourreverence。"
"Areyounotasetofgreatbigblackguards?"
"Weare,yourreverence。"
"Withoutonegoodquality?"
第20章