of the nature of things-第38部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


In　war's　grim　business；　and　essayed　to　send
Outrageous　boars　against　the　foes。　And　some
Sent　on　before　their　ranks　puissant　lions
With　armed　trainers　and　with　masters　fierce
To　guide　and　hold　in　chains…　and　yet　in　vain；
Since　fleshed　with　pell…mell　slaughter；　fierce　they　flew；
And　blindly　through　the　squadrons　havoc　wrought；
Shaking　the　frightful　crests　upon　their　heads；
Now　here；　now　there。　Nor　could　the　horsemen　calm
Their　horses；　panic…breasted　at　the　roar；
And　rein　them　round　to　front　the　foe。　With　spring
The　infuriate　she…lions　would　up…leap
Now　here；　now　there；　and　whoso　came　apace
Against　them；　these　they'd　rend　across　the　face；
And　others　unwitting　from　behind　they'd　tear
Down　from　their　mounts；　and　twining　round　them；　bring
Tumbling　to　earth；　o'ermastered　by　the　wound；
And　with　those　powerful　fangs　and　hooked　claws
Fasten　upon　them。　Bulls　would　toss　their　friends；
And　trample　under　foot；　and　from　beneath
Rip　flanks　and　bellies　of　horses　with　their　horns；
And　with　a　threat'ning　forehead　jam　the　sod；
And　boars　would　gore　with　stout　tusks　their　allies；
Splashing　in　fury　their　own　blood　on　spears
Splintered　in　their　own　bodies；　and　would　fell
In　rout　and　ruin　infantry　and　horse。
For　there　the　beasts…of…saddle　tried　to　scape
The　savage　thrusts　of　tusk　by　shying　off；
Or　rearing　up　with　hoofs　a…paw　in　air。
In　vain…　since　there　thou　mightest　see　them　sink；
Their　sinews　severed；　and　with　heavy　fall
Bestrew　the　ground。　And　such　of　these　as　men
Supposed　well…trained　long　ago　at　home；
Were　in　the　thick　of　action　seen　to　foam
In　fury；　from　the　wounds；　the　shrieks；　the　flight；
The　panic；　and　the　tumult；　nor　could　men
Aught　of　their　numbers　rally。　For　each　breed
And　various　of　the　wild　beasts　fled　apart
Hither　or　thither；　as　often　in　wars　to…day
Flee　those　Lucanian　oxen；　by　the　steel
Grievously　mangled；　after　they　have　wrought
Upon　their　friends　so　many　a　dreadful　doom。
（If　'twas；　indeed；　that　thus　they　did　at　all：
But　scarcely　I'll　believe　that　men　could　not
With　mind　foreknow　and　see；　as　sure　to　come；
Such　foul　and　general　disaster。…　This
We；　then；　may　hold　as　true　in　the　great　All；
In　divers　worlds　on　divers　plan　create；…
Somewhere　afar　more　likely　than　upon
One　certain　earth。）　But　men　chose　this　to　do
Less　in　the　hope　of　conquering　than　to　give
Their　enemies　a　goodly　cause　of　woe；
Even　though　thereby　they　perished　themselves；
Since　weak　in　numbers　and　since　wanting　arms。
　　Now；　clothes　of　roughly　inter…plaited　strands
Were　earlier　than　loom…wove　coverings；
The　loom…wove　later　than　man's　iron　is；
Since　iron　is　needful　in　the　weaving　art；
Nor　by　no　other　means　can　there　be　wrought
Such　polished　tools…　the　treadles；　spindles；　shuttles；
And　sounding　yarn…beams。　And　nature　forced　the　men；
Before　the　woman　kind；　to　work　the　wool：
For　all　the　male　kind　far　excels　in　skill；
And　cleverer　is　by　much…　until　at　last
The　rugged　farmer　folk　jeered　at　such　tasks；
And　so　were　eager　soon　to　give　them　o'er
To　women's　hands；　and　in　more　hardy　toil
To　harden　arms　and　hands。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　But　nature　herself；
Mother　of　things；　was　the　first　seed…sower
And　primal　grafter；　since　the　berries　and　acorns；
Dropping　from　off　the　trees；　would　there　beneath
Put　forth　in　season　swarms　of　little　shoots；
Hence　too　men's　fondness　for　ingrafting　slips
Upon　the　boughs　and　setting　out　in　holes
The　young　shrubs　o'er　the　fields。　Then　would　they　try
Ever　new　modes　of　tilling　their　loved　crofts；
And　mark　they　would　how　earth　improved　the　taste
Of　the　wild　fruits　by　fond　and　fostering　care。
And　day　by　day　they'd　force　the　woods　to　move
Still　higher　up　the　mountain；　and　to　yield
The　place　below　for　tilth；　that　there　they　might；
On　plains　and　uplands；　have　their　meadow…plats；
Cisterns　and　runnels；　crops　of　standing　grain；
And　happy　vineyards；　and　that　all　along
O'er　hillocks；　intervales；　and　plains　might　run
The　silvery…green　belt　of　olive…trees；
Marking　the　plotted　landscape；　even　as　now
Thou　seest　so　marked　with　varied　loveliness
All　the　terrain　which　men　adorn　and　plant
With　rows　of　goodly　fruit…trees　and　hedge　round
With　thriving　shrubberies　sown。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　But　by　the　mouth
To　imitate　the　liquid　notes　of　birds
Was　earlier　far　'mongst　men　than　power　to　make；
By　measured　song；　melodious　verse　and　give
Delight　to　ears。　And　whistlings　of　the　wind
Athrough　the　hollows　of　the　reeds　first　taught
The　peasantry　to　blow　into　the　stalks
Of　hollow　hemlock…herb。　Then　bit　by　bit
They　learned　sweet　plainings；　such　as　pipe　out…pours；
Beaten　by　finger…tips　of　singing　men；
When　heard　through　unpathed　groves　and　forest　deeps
And　woodsy　meadows；　through　the　untrod　haunts
Of　shepherd　folk　and　spots　divinely　still。
Thus　time　draws　forward　each　and　everything
Little　by　little　unto　the　midst　of　men；
And　reason　uplifts　it　to　the　shores　of　light。
These　tunes　would　soothe　and　glad　the　minds　of　mortals
When　sated　with　food；…　for　songs　are　welcome　then。
And　often；　lounging　with　friends　in　the　soft　grass
Beside　a　river　of　water；　underneath
A　big　tree's　branches；　merrily　they'd　refresh
Their　frames；　with　no　vast　outlay…　most　of　all
If　the　weather　were　smiling　and　the　times　of　the　year
Were　painting　the　green　of　the　grass　around　with　flowers。
Then　jokes；　then　talk；　then　peals　of　jollity
Would　circle　round；　for　then　the　rustic　muse
Was　in　her　glory；　then　would　antic　Mirth
Prompt　them　to　garland　head　and　shoulders　about
With　chaplets　of　intertwined　flowers　and　leaves；
And　to　dance　onward；　out　of　tune；　with　limbs
Clownishly　swaying；　and　with　clownish　foot
To　beat　our　mother　earth…　from　whence　arose
Laughter　and　peals　of　jollity；　for；　lo；
Such　frolic　acts　were　in　their　glory　then；
Being　more　new　and　strange。　And　wakeful　men
Found　solaces　for　their　unsleeping　hours
In　drawing　forth　variety　of　notes；
In　modulating　melodies；　in　running
With　puckered　lips　along　the　tuned　reeds；
Whence；　even　in　our　day　do　the　watchmen　guard
These　old　traditions；　and　have　learned　well
To　keep　true　measure。　And　yet　they　no　whit
Do　get　a　larger　fruit　of　gladsomeness
Than　got　the　woodland　aborigines
In　olden　times。　For　what　we　have　at　hand…
If　theretofore　naught　sweeter　we　have　known…
That　chiefly　pleases　and　seems　best　of　all；
But　then　some　later；　likely　better；　find
Destroys　its　worth　and　changes　our　desires
Regarding　good　of　yesterday。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　And　thus
Began　the　loathing　of　the　acorn；　thus
Abandoned　were　those　beds　with　grasses　strewn
And　with　the　leaves　beladen。　Thus；　again；
Fell　into　new　contempt　the　pelts　of　beasts…
Erstwhile　a　robe　of　honour；　which；　I　guess；
Aroused　in　those　days　envy　so　malign
That　the　first　wearer　went　to　woeful　death
By　ambuscades；…　and　yet　that　hairy　prize；
Rent　into　rags　by　greedy　foemen　there
And　splashed　by　blood；　was　ruined　utterly
Beyond　all　use　or　vantage。　Thus　of　old
'Twas　pelts；　and　of　to…day　'tis　purple　and　gold
That　cark　men's　lives　with　cares　and　weary　with　war。
Wherefore；　methinks；　resides　the　greater　blame
With　us　vain　men　to…day：　for　cold　would　rack；
Without　their　pelts；　the　naked　sons　of　earth；
But　us　it　nothing　hurts　to　do　without
The　purple　vestment；　broidered　with　gold
And　with　imposing　figures；　if　we　still
Make　shift　with　some　mean　garment　of　the　Plebs。
So　man　in　vain　futilities　toils　on
Forever　and　wastes　in　idle　cares　his　years…
Because；　of　very　truth；　he　hath　not　learnt
What　the　true　end　of　getting　is；　nor　yet
At　all　how　far　true　pleasure　may　increase。
And　'tis　desire　for　better　and　for　more
Hath　carried　by　degrees　mortality
Out　onward　to　the　deep；　and　roused　up
From　the　far　bottom　mighty　waves　of　war。
　　But　sun　and　moon；　those　watchmen　of　the　world；
With　their　own　lanterns　traversing　around
The　mighty；　the　revolving　vault；　have　taught
Unto　mankind　that　seasons　of　the　years
Return　again；　and　that　the　Thing　takes　place
After　a　fixed　plan　and　order　fixed。
　　Already　would　they　pass　their　life；　hedged　round
By　the　strong　towers；　and　cultivate　an　earth
All　portioned　out　and　boundaried；　already
Would　the　sea　flower　and　sail…winged　ships；
Already　men　had；　under　treaty　pacts；
Confederates　and　allies；　when　poets　began
To　hand　heroic　actions　down　in　verse；
Nor　long　ere　this　had　letters　been　devised…
Hence　is　our　age　unable　to　look　back
On　what　has　gone　before；　except　where　reason
Shows　us　a　footprint。
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Sailings　on　the　seas；
Tillings　of　fields；　walls；　laws；　and　arms；　and　roads；
Dress　and　the　like；　all　prizes；　all　delights
Of　finer　life；　poems；　pictures；　chiselled　shapes
Of　polished　sculptures…　all　these　arts　were　learned
By　practice　and　the　mind's　experience；
As　men　walked　forward　step　by　eager　step。
Thus　time　draws　forward　each　and　everything
Little　by　little　into　the　midst　of　men；
And　reason　uplifts　it　to　the　shores　of　light。
For　one　thing　after　other　did　men　see
Grow　clear　by　intellect；　till　with　their　arts
They've　now　achieved　the　supreme　pinnacle。

BOOK　VI

PROEM

'Twas　Athens　first；　the　glorious　in　name；
That　whilom　gave　to　hapless　sons　of　men
The　sheaves　of　harvest；　and　re…ordered　life；
And　decreed　laws；　and　she　the　first　that　gave
Life　its　sweet　solaces；　when　she　begat
A　man　of　heart　so　wise；　who　whilom　poured
Al