letters from high latitudes-第22部分

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　in　love。　Unfortunately；　a　rich　rival　appears　in　the　field；　and　though　she　had　given　her　heart　to　Bjorn；　Snorrewho；　we　have　already　seen；　was　a　prudent　maninsisted　upon　her　giving　her　hand　to　his　rival。　Disgusted　by　such　treatment；　Bjorn　sails　away　to　the　coasts　of　the　Baltic；　and　joins　a　famous　company　of　sea…rovers；　called　the　Jomsburg　Vikings。　In　this　worthy　society　he　so　distinguishes　himself　by　his　valour　and　daring　that　he　obtains　the　title　of　the　Champion　of　Breidavik。　After　many　doughty　deeds；　done　by　sea　and　land；　he　at　last　returns；　loaded　with　wealth　and　honours；　to　his　native　country。

In　the　summer…time　of　the　year　999；　soon　after　his　arrival；　was　held　a　great　fair　at　Froda；　whither　all　the　merchants；　〃clad　in　coloured　garments；〃　congregated　from　the　adjacent　country。　Thither　came　also　Bjorn's　old　love；　the　Lady　of　Froda；　〃and　Bjorn　went　up　and　spoke　to　her；　and　it　was　thought　likely　their　talk　would　last　long；　since　they　for　such　a　length　of　time　had　not　seen　each　other。〃　But　to　this　renewal　of　old　acquaintance　both　the　lady's　husband　and　her　brother　very　much　objected；　and　〃it　seemed　to　Snorre　that　it　would　be　a　good　plan　to　kill　Bjorn。〃　So；　about　the　time　of　hay…making；　off　he　rides；　with　some　retainers；　to　his　victim's　home；　having　fully　instructed　one　of　them　how　to　deal　the　first　blow。　　Bjorn　was　in　the　home…field　（tun）；　mending　his　sledge；　when　the　cavalcade　appeared　in　sight；　and；　guessing　what　motive　had　inspired　the　visit；　went　straight　up　to　Snorre；　who　rode　in　front；　〃in　a　blue　cloak；〃　and　held　the　knife　with　which　he　had　been　working　in　such　a　position　as　to　be　able　to　stab　the　Pontiff　to　the　heart；　should　his　followers　attempt　to　lift　their　hands　against　himself。　Comprehending　the　position　of　affairs；　Snorre's　friends　kept　quiet。　〃Bjorn　then　asked　the　news。〃　Snorre　confesses　that　he　had　intended　to　kill　him；　but　adds；　〃Thou　tookest　such　a　lucky　grip　of　me　at　our　meeting；　that　thou　must　have　peace　this　time；　however　it　may　have　been　determined　before。〃　The　conversation　is　concluded　by　an　agreement　on　the　part　of　Bjorn　to　leave　the　country；　as　he　feels　it　impossible　to　abstain　from　paying　visits　to　Thured　as　long　as　he　remains　in　the　neighbourhood。　　Having　manned　a　ship；　Bjorn　put　to　sea　in　the　summer…time　〃When　they　sailed　away；　a　north…east　wind　was　blowing；　which　wind　lasted　long　during　that　summer；　but　of　this　ship　was　nothing　heard　since　this　long　time。〃　And　so　we　conclude　it　is　all　over　with　the　poor　Champion　of　Breidavik！　Not　a　bit　of　it。　He　turns　up；　thirty　years　afterwards；　safe　and　sound；　in　the　uttermost　parts　of　the　earth。

In　the　year　1029；　a　certain　Icelander；　named　Gudlief；　undertakes　a　voyage　to　Limerick；　in　Ireland。　On　his　return　home；　he　is　driven　out　of　his　course　by　north…east　winds；　Heaven　knows　where。　After　drifting　for　many　days　to　the　westward；　he　at　last　falls　in　with　land。　On　approaching　the　beach；　a　great　crowd　of　people　came　down　to　meet　the　strangers；　apparently　with　no　friendly　intentions。　Shortly　afterwards；　a　tall　and　venerable　chieftain　makes　his　appearance；　and；　to　Gudlief's　great　astonishment；　addresses　him　in　Icelandic。　Having　entertained　the　weary　mariners　very　honourably；　and　supplied　them　with　provisions；　the　old　man　bids　them　speed　back　to　Iceland；　as　it　would　be　unsafe　for　them　to　remain　where　they　were。　His　own　name　he　refused　to　tell；　but　having　learnt　that　Gudlief　comes　from　the　neighbourhood　of　Snaefell；　he　puts　into　his　hands　a　sword　and　a　ring。　The　ring　is　to　be　given　to　Thured　of　Froda；　the　sword　to　her　son　Kjartan。　When　Gudlief　asks　by　whom　he　is　to　say　the　gifts　are　sent；　the　ancient　chieftain　answers；　〃Say　they　come　from　one　who　was　a　better　friend　of　the　Lady　of　Froda　than　of　her　brother　Snorre　of　Helgafell。〃　Wherefore　it　is　conjectured　that　this　man　was　Bjorn；　the　son　of　Astrand；　Champion　of　Breidavik。

After　this；　Madam；　I　hope　I　shall　never　hear　you　depreciate　the　constancy　of　men。　Thured　had　better　have　married　Bjorn　after　all！

I　forgot　to　mention　that　when　Gudlief　landed　on　the　strange　coast；　it　seemed　to　him　that　the　inhabitants　spoke　Irish。　Now；　there　are　many　antiquaries　inclined　to　believe　in　the　former　existence　of　an　Irish　colony　to　the　southward　of　the　Vinland　of　the　Northmen。　Scattered　through　the　Sagas　are　several　notices　of　a　distant　country　in　the　West；　which　is　called　Ireland　ed　MeklaGreat　Ireland；　or　the　White　Man's　land。　When　Pizarro　penetrated　into　the　heart　of　Mexico；　a　tradition　already　existed　of　the　previous　arrival　of　white　men　from　the　East。　Among　the　Shawnasee　Indians　a　story　is　still　preserved　of　Florida　having　been　once　inhabited　by　white　men；　who　used　iron　instruments。　In　1658；　Sir　Erland　the　Priest　had　in　his　possession　a　chart；　even　then　thought　ancient；　of　〃The　Land　of　the　White　Men；　or　Hibernia　Major；　situated　opposite　Vinland　the　Good；〃　and　Gaelic　philologists　pretend　to　trace　a　remarkable　affinity　between　many　of　the　American…Indian　dialects　and　the　ancient　Celtic。

But　to　return　to　the　〃Foam。〃　After　passing　the　cape；　away　we　went　across　the　spacious　Brieda　Fiord；　at　the　rate　of　nine　or　ten　knots　an　hour；　reeling　and　bounding　at　the　heels　of　the　steamer；　which　seemed　scarcely　to　feel　how　uneven　was　the　surface　across　which　we　were　speeding。　Down　dropped　Snaefell　beneath　the　sea；　and　dim　before　us；　clad　in　evening　haze；　rose　the　shadowy　steeps　of　Bardestrand。　　The　north…west　division　of　Iceland　consists　of　one　huge　peninsula；　spread　out　upon　the　sea　like　a　human　hand；　the　fingers　just　reaching　over　the　Arctic　circle；　while　up　between　them　run　the　gloomy　fiords；　sometimes　to　the　length　of　twenty；　thirty；　and　even　forty　miles。　Anything　more　grand　and　mysterious　than　the　appearance　of　their　solemn　portals；　as　we　passed　across　from　bluff　to　bluff；　it　is　impossible　to　conceive。　Each　might　have　served　as　a　separate　entrance　to　some　poet's　hellso　drear　and　fatal　seemed　the　vista　one's　eye　just　caught　receding　between　the　endless　ranks　of　precipice　and　pyramid。

There　is　something；　moreover；　particularly　mystical　in　the　effect　of　the　grey；　dreamy　atmosphere　of　an　arctic　night；　through　whose　uncertain　medium　mountain　and　headland　loom　as　impalpable　as　the　frontiers　of　a　demon　world；　and　as　I　kept　gazing　at　the　glimmering　peaks；　and　monstrous　crags；　and　shattered　stratifications；　heaped　up　along　the　coast　in　cyclopean　disorder；　I　understood　how　natural　it　was　that　the　Scandinavian　mythology；　of　whose　mysteries　the　Icelanders　were　ever　the　natural　guardians　and　interpreters；　should　have　assumed　that　broad；　massive　simplicity　which　is　its　most　beautiful　characteristic。　Amid　the　rugged　features　of　such　a　country　the　refinements　of　Paganism　would　have　been　dwarfed　into　insignificance。　How　out　of　place　would　seem　a　Jove　with　his　beard　in　ringletsa　trim　Apolloa　sleek　Bacchusan　ambrosial　Venusa　slim　Diana；　and　all　their　attendant　groups　of　Oreads　and　Cupidsamid　the　ocean　mists；　and　icebound　torrents；　the　flame…scarred　mountains；　and　four　months'　nightof　a　land　which　the　opposing　forces　of　heat　and　cold　have　selected　for　a　battle…field！

The　undeveloped　reasoning　faculty　is　prone　to　attach　an　undue　value　and　meaning　to　the　forms　of　things；　and　the　infancy　of　a　nation's　mind　is　always　more　ready　to　worship　the　MANIFESTATIONS　of　a　Power；　than　to　look　beyond　them　for　a　cause。　Was　it　not　natural　then　that　these　northerns；　dwelling　in　daily　communion　with　this　grand　Nature；　should　fancy　they　could　perceive　a　mysterious　and　independent　energy　in　her　operations；　and　at　last　come　to　confound　the　moral　contest　man　feels　within　him；　with　the　physical　strife　he　finds　around　him；　to　see　in　the　returning　sunfostering　into　renewed　existence　the　winter…stifled　worldeven　more　than　a　TYPE　of　that　spiritual　consciousness　which　alone　can　make　the　dead　heart　stir；　to　discover　even　more　than　an　ANALOGY　between　the　reign　of　cold；　darkness；　and　desolation；　and　the　still　blanker　ruin　of　a　sin…perverted　soul？　But　in　that　iron　clime；　amid　such　awful　associations；　the　conflict　going　on　was　too　terriblethe　contending　powers　too　visibly　in　presence　of　each　other；　for　the　practical；　conscientious　Norse　mind　to　be　content　with　the　puny　godships　of　a　Roman　Olympus。　Nectar；　Sensuality；　and　Inextinguishable　Laughter　were　elements　of　felicity　too　mean　for　the　nobler　atmosphere　of　their　Walhalla；　and　to　those　active　temperaments　and　healthy　minds；invigorated　and　solemnized　by　the　massive　mould　of　the　scenery　around　them；Strength；　Courage；　Endurance；　and　above　all　Self…sacrificenaturally　seemed　more　essential　attributes　of　divinity　than　mere　elegance　and　beauty。　And　we　must　remember　that　whilst　the　vigorous　imagination　of　the　north　was　delighting　itself　in　creating　a　stately　dreamland；　where　it　strove　to　blend；　in　a　grand　world…picturealways　harmonious；　though　not　always　consistentthe　influences　which　sustain　both　the　physical　and　moral　system　of　its　universe；　an　undercurrent　of　sober　Gothic　common　sense　induced　itas　a　kind　of　protest　against　the　too　material　interpretation　of　the　symbolism　it　had　employedto　wind　up　its　religious　scheme　by　sweeping　into　the　chaos　of　oblivion　all　the　glorious　fabric　it　had　evoked；　and　proclaimingin　the　place　of　the　transient　gods　and　perishable　heaven　of　its　Asgaardthat　One　undivided　Deity；　at　whose　approach　the　pillars　of　Walhalla　wer