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1、【英文读物】Ixion In HeavenPART I. An Errant King THE thunder groaned, the wind howled, the rain fell in hissing torrents, impenetrable darkness covered the earth. A blue and forky flash darted a momentary light over the landscape. A Doric temple rose in the centre of a small and verdant plain, surrounded
2、 on all sides by green and hanging woods.Jove is my only friend, exclaimed a wanderer, as he muffled himself up in his mantle; and were it not for the porch of his temple, this night, methinks, would complete the work of my loving wife and my dutiful subjects.The thunder died away, the wind sank int
3、o silence, the rain ceased, and the parting clouds exhibited the glittering crescent of the young moon. A sonorous and majestic voice sounded from the skies:Who art thou that hast no other friend than Jove? One whom all mankind unite in calling a wretch. Art thou a philosopher?If philosophy be endur
4、ance. But for the rest, I was sometime a king, and am now a scatterling. How do they call thee? Ixion of Thessaly.Ixion of Thessaly! I thought he was a happy man. I heard that he was just married.Father of Gods and men! for I deem thee such, Thessaly is not Olympus. Conjugal felicity is only the por
5、tion of the immortals!Hem! What! was Dia jealous, which is common; or false, which is commoner; or both, which is commonest?It may be neither. We quarrelled about nothing. Where there is little sympathy, or too much, the splitting of a straw is plot enough for a domestic tragedy. I was careless, her
6、 friends stigmatised me as callous; she cold, her friends styled her magnanimous. Public opinion was all on her side, merely because I did not choose that the world should interfere between me and my wife. Dia took the worlds advice upon every point, and the world decided that she always acted right
7、ly. However, life is life, either in a palace or a cave. I am glad you ordered it to leave off thundering.A cool dog this. And Dia left thee? No; I left her. What, craven?Not exactly. The truth is-tis a long story.I was over head and ears in debt.Ah! that accounts for everything. Nothing so harassin
8、g as a want of money! But what lucky fellows you mortals are with your post-obits! We Immortals are deprived of this resource. I was obliged to get up a rebellion against my father, because he kept me so short, and could not die.You could have married for money. I did. I had no opportunity, there wa
9、s so little female society in those days. When I came out, there were no heiresses except the Parcae, confirmed old maids; and no very rich dowager, except my grandmother, old Terra.Just the thing; the older the better. However, I married Dia, the daughter of Deioneus, with a prodigious portion; but
10、 after the ceremony the old gentleman would not fulfil his part of the contract without my giving up my stud. Can you conceive anything more unreasonable? I smothered my resentment at the time; for the truth is, my tradesmen all renewed my credit on the strength of the match, and so we went on very
11、well for a year; but at last they began to smell a rat, and grew importunate. I entreated Dia to interfere; but she was a paragon of daughters, and always took the side of her father. If she had only been dutiful to her husband, she would have been a perfect woman. At last I invited Deioneus to the
12、Larissa races, with the intention of conciliating him. The unprincipled old man bought the horse that I had backed, and by which I intended to have redeemed my fortunes, and withdrew it. My book was ruined. I dissembled my rage. I dug a pit in our garden, and filled it with burning coals. As my fath
13、er-in-law and myself were taking a stroll after dinner, the worthy Deioneus fell in, merely by accident. Dia proclaimed me the murderer of her father, and, as a satisfaction to her wounded feelings, earnestly requested her subjects to decapitate her husband. She certainly was the best of daughters.
14、There was no withstanding public opinion, an infuriated rabble, and a magnanimous wife at the same time. They surrounded my palace: I cut my way through the greasy-capped multitude, sword in hand, and gained a neighbouring Court, where I solicited my brother princes to purify me from the supposed mu
15、rder. If I had only murdered a subject, they would have supported me against the people; but Deioneus being a crowned head, like themselves, they declared they would not countenance so immoral a being as his son-in-law. And so, at length, after much wandering, and shunned by all my species, I am her
16、e, Jove, in much higher society than I ever expected to mingle.Well, thou art a frank dog, and in a sufficiently severe scrape. The Gods must have pity on those for whom men have none. It is evident that Earth is too hot for thee at present, so I think thou hadst better come and stay a few weeks wit
17、h us in Heaven. Take my thanks for hecatombs, great Jove. Thou art, indeed, a God!I hardly know whether our life will suit you. We dine at sunset; for Apollo is so much engaged that he cannot join us sooner, and no dinner goes off well without him. In the morning you are your own master, and must fi
18、nd amusement where you can. Diana will show you some tolerable sport. Do you shoot?No arrow surer. Fear not for me, ?giochus: I am always at home. But how am I to get to you? I will send Mercury; he is the best travelling companion in the world. What ho! my Eagle!The clouds joined, and darkness agai
19、n fell over the earth.So! tread softly. Dont be nervous. Are you sick?A little nausea; tis nothing.The novelty of the motion. The best thing is a beefsteak. We will stop at Taurus and take one.You have been a great traveller, Mercury?I have seen the world.Ah! a wondrous spectacle. I long to travel.T
20、he same thing over and over again. Little novelty and much change. I am wearied with exertion, and if I could get a pension would retire.And yet travel brings wisdom.It cures us of care. Seeing much we feel little, and learn how very petty are all those great affairs which cost us such anxiety.I fee
21、l that already myself. Floating in this blue aether, what the devil is my wife to me, and her dirty Earth! My persecuting enemies seem so many pismires; and as for my debts, which have occasioned me so many brooding moments, honour and infamy, credit and beggary, seem to me alike ridiculous.Your min
22、d is opening, Ixion. You will soon be a man of the world. To the left, and keep clear of that star.Who lives there?The Fates know, not I. Some low people who are trying to shine into notice. Tis a parvenu planet, and only sprung into space within this century. We do not visit them.Poor devils! I fee
23、l hungry.All right. We shall get into Heaven by the first dinner bolt. You cannot arrive at a strange house at a better moment. We shall just have time to dress. I would not spoil my appetite by luncheon. Jupiter keeps a capital cook.I have heard of Nectar and Ambrosia. Poh! nobody touches them. The
24、y are regular old-fashioned celestial food, and merely put upon the side-table. Nothing goes down in Heaven now but infernal cookery. We took our chef from Proserpine.Were you ever in Hell?Several times. Tis the fashion now among the Olympians to pass the winter there. Is this the season in Heaven?
25、Yes; you are lucky. Olympus is quite full. It was kind of Jupiter to invite me. Ay! he has his good points. And, no doubt, he has taken a liking to you, which is all very well. But be upon your guard. He has no heart, and is as capricious as he is tyrannical.Gods cannot be more unkind to me than men
26、 have been.All those who have suffered think they have seen the worst. A great mistake. However, you are now in the high road to preferment, so we will not be dull. There are some good fellows enough amongst us. You will like old Neptune. Is he there now?Yes, he generally passes his summer with us.
27、There is little stirring in the ocean at that season. I am anxious to see Mars.Oh! a brute, more a bully than a hero. Not at all in the best set. These mustachioed gentry are by no means the rage at present in Olympus. The women are all literary now, and Minerva has quite eclipsed Venus. Apollo is o
28、ur hero. You must read his last work.I hate reading.So do I. I have no time, and seldom do anything in that way but glance at a newspaper. Study and action will not combine.I suppose I shall find the Goddesses very proud?You will find them as you find women below, of different dispositions with the
29、same object. Venus is a flirt; Minerva a prude, who fancies she has a correct taste and a strong mind; and Juno a politician. As for the rest, faint heart never won fair lady; take a friendly hint, and do not be alarmed.I fear nothing. My mind mounts with my fortunes. We are above the clouds. They f
30、orm beneath us a vast and snowy region, dim and irregular, as I have sometimes seen them clustering upon the horizons ridge at sunset, like a raging sea stilled by some sudden supernatural frost and frozen into form! How bright the air above us, and how delicate its fragrant breath! I scarcely breat
31、he, and yet my pulses beat like my first youth. I hardly feel my being. A splendour falls upon your presence. You seem, indeed, a God! Am I so glorious? This, this is Heaven!The travellers landed on a vast flight of sparkling steps of lapis-lazuli. Ascending, they entered beautiful gardens; winding
32、walks that yielded to the feet, and accelerated your passage by their rebounding pressure; fragrant shrubs covered with dazzling flowers, the fleeting tints of which changed every moment; groups of tall trees, with strange birds of brilliant and variegated plumage, singing and reposing in their shee
33、ny foliage, and fountains of perfumes.Before them rose an illimitable and golden palace, with high spreading domes of pearl, and long windows of crystal. Around the huge portal of ruby was ranged a company of winged genii, who smiled on Mercury as he passed them with his charge.The Father of Gods an
34、d men is dressing, said the son of Maia. I shall attend his toilet and inform him of your arrival. These are your rooms. Dinner will be ready in half an hour. I will call for you as I go down. You can be formally presented in the evening. At that time, inspired by liqueurs and his matchless band of
35、wind instruments, you will agree with the world that ?giochus is the most finished God in existence.Now, Ixion, are you ready? Even so. What says Jove? He smiled, but said nothing. He was trying on a new robe. By this time he is seated. Hark! the thunder. Come on!They entered a cupolaed hall. Seats
36、of ivory and gold were ranged round a circular table of cedar, inlaid with the campaigns against the Titans, in silver exquisitely worked, a nuptial present of Vulcan. The service of gold plate threw all the ideas of the King of Thessaly as to royal magnificence into the darkest shade. The enormous
37、plateau represented the constellations. Ixion viewed the Father of Gods and men with great interest, who, however, did not notice him. He acknowledged the majesty of that countenance whose nod shook Olympus. Majestically robust and luxuriantly lusty, his tapering waist was evidently immortal, for it
38、 defied Time, and his splendid auburn curls, parted on his forehead with celestial precision, descended over cheeks glowing with the purple radiancy of perpetual manhood.The haughty Juno was seated on his left hand and Ceres on his right. For the rest of the company there was Neptune, Latona, Minerv
39、a, and Apollo, and when Mercury and Ixion had taken their places, one seat was still vacant.Where is Diana? inquired Jupiter, with a frown.My sister is hunting, said Apollo.She is always too late for dinner, said Jupiter. No habit is less Goddess-like.Godlike pursuits cannot be expected to induce Go
40、ddess-like manners, said Juno, with a sneer.I have no doubt Diana will be here directly, said Latona, mildly.Jupiter seemed pacified, and at that instant the absent guest returned.Good sport, Di? inquired Neptune.Very fair, uncle. Mamma, continued the sister of Apollo, addressing herself to Juno, wh
41、om she ever thus styled when she wished to conciliate her, I have brought you a new peacock.Juno was fond of pets, and was conciliated by the present.Bacchus made a great noise about this wine, Mercury, said Jupiter, but I think with little cause. What think you?It pleases me, but I am fatigued, and
42、 then all wine is agreeable.You have had a long journey, replied the Thunderer. Ixion, I am glad to see you in Heaven.Your Majesty arrived to-day? inquired Minerva, to whom the King of Thessaly sat next.Within this hour.You must leave off talking of Time now, said Minerva, with a severe smile. Pray
43、is there anything new in Greece?I have not been at all in society lately.No new edition of Homer? I admire him exceedingly.All about Greece interests me, said Apollo, who, although handsome, was a somewhat melancholy lack-a-daisical looking personage, with his shirt collar thrown open, and his long
44、curls theatrically arranged. All about Greece interests me. I always consider Greece my peculiar property. My best poems were written at Delphi. I travelled in Greece when I was young. I envy mankind.Indeed! said Ixion.Yes: they at least can look forward to a termination of the ennui of existence, b
45、ut for us Celestials there is no prospect. Say what they like, immortality is a bore.You eat nothing, Apollo, said Ceres.Nor drink, said Neptune.To eat, to drink, what is it but to live; and what is life but death, if death be that which all men deem it, a thing insufferable, and to be shunned. I re
46、fresh myself now only with soda-water and biscuits. Ganymede, bring some.Now, although the cuisine of Olympus was considered perfect, the forlorn poet had unfortunately fixed upon the only two articles which were not comprised in its cellar or larder. In Heaven, there was neither soda-water nor bisc
47、uits. A great confusion consequently ensued; but at length the bard, whose love of fame was only equalled by his horror of getting fat, consoled himself with a swan stuffed with truffles, and a bottle of strong Tenedos wine.What do you think of Homer? inquired Minerva of Apollo. Is he not delightful
48、?If you think so.Nay, I am desirous of your opinion.Then you should not have given me yours, for your taste is too fine for me to dare to differ with it.I have suspected, for some time, that you are rather a hereticWhy, the truth is, replied Apollo, playing with his rings, I do not think much of Homer. Homer was not esteemed in his own age, and our contemporaries are generally our best judges. The fact is, there are very few people who are qualified to decide upon matters of taste. A certain set, for certain reasons