首页 >出版文学> Wild Wales>第20章

第20章

  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?"