第 33 节
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little practice in it; and only speak it very imperfectly。〃
〃Nor must you judge of Italian from what you have heard me speak;〃
said the man of Como; 〃I am not good at Italian; for the Milanese
speak amongst themselves a kind of jargon; composed of many
languages; and can only express themselves with difficulty in
Italian。 I have been doing my best to speak Italian; but should be
glad now to speak English; which comes to me much more glibly。〃
〃Are there any books in your dialect; or jergo; as I believe you
call it?〃 said I。
〃I believe there are a few;〃 said the Italian。
〃Do you know the word slandra?〃 said I。
〃Who taught you that word?〃 said the Italian。
〃Giovanni Gestra;〃 said I; 〃he was always using it。〃
〃Giovanni Gestra was a vulgar illiterate man;〃 said the Italian;
〃had he not been so he would not have used it。 It is a vulgar
word; Rossi would not have used it。〃
〃What is the meaning of it?〃 said the landlady eagerly。
〃To roam about in a dissipated manner;〃 said I。
〃Something more;〃 said the Italian。 〃It is considered a vulgar
word even in jergo。〃
〃You speak English remarkably well;〃 said I; 〃have you been long in
Britain?〃
〃I came over about four years ago;〃 said the Italian。
〃On your own account?〃 said I。
〃Not exactly; signore; my brother; who was in business in
Liverpool; wrote to me to come over and assist him。 I did so; but
soon left him; and took a shop for myself at Denbigh; where;
however; I did not stay long。 At present I travel for an Italian
house in London; spending the summer in Wales; and the winter in
England。〃
〃And what do you sell?〃 said I。
〃Weather…glasses; signore … pictures and little trinkets; such as
the country people like。〃
〃Do you sell many weather…glasses in Wales?〃 said I。
〃I do not; signore。 The Welsh care not for weather…glasses; my
principal customers for weather…glasses are the farmers of
England。〃
〃I am told that you can speak Welsh;〃 said I; 〃is that true?〃
〃I have picked up a little of it; signore。〃
〃He can speak it very well;〃 said the landlady; 〃and glad should I
be; sir; to hear you and him speak Welsh together。〃
〃So should I;〃 said the daughter who was seated nigh us; 〃nothing
would give me greater pleasure than to hear two who are not
Welshmen speaking Welsh together。〃
〃I would rather speak English;〃 said the Italian; 〃I speak a little
Welsh; when my business leads me amongst people who speak no other
language; but I see no necessity for speaking Welsh here。〃
〃It is a pity;〃 said I; 〃that so beautiful a country as Italy
should not be better governed。〃
〃It is; signore;〃 said the Italian; 〃but let us hope that a time
will speedily come when she will be so。〃
〃I don't see any chance of it;〃 said I。 〃How will you proceed in
order to bring about so desirable a result as the good government
of Italy?〃
〃Why; signore; in the first place we must get rid of the
Austrians。〃
〃You will not find it an easy matter;〃 said I; 〃to get rid of the
Austrians; you tried to do so a little time ago; but miserably
failed。〃
〃True; signore; but the next time we try perhaps the French will
help us。〃
〃If the French help you to drive the Austrians from Italy;〃 said I;
〃you must become their servants。 It is true you had better be the
servants of the polished and chivalrous French; than of the brutal
and barbarous Germans; but it is not pleasant to be a servant to
anybody。 However; I do not believe that you will ever get rid of
the Austrians; even if the French assist you。 The Pope for certain
reasons of his own favours the Austrians; and will exert all the
powers of priestcraft to keep them in Italy。 Alas; alas; there is
no hope for Italy! Italy; the most beautiful country in the world;
the birth…place of the cleverest people; whose very pedlars can
learn to speak Welsh; is not only enslaved; but destined always to
remain enslaved。〃
〃Do not say so; signore;〃 said the Italian; with a kind of groan。
〃But I do say so;〃 said I; 〃and what is more; one whose shoe…
strings; were he alive; I should not he worthy to untie; one of
your mighty ones; has said so。 Did you ever hear of Vincenzio
Filicaia?〃
〃I believe I have; signore; did he not write a sonnet on Italy?〃
〃He did;〃 said I; 〃would you like to hear it?
〃Very much; signore。〃
I repeated Filicaia's glorious sonnet on Italy; and then asked him
if he understood it。
〃Only in part; signore; for it is composed in old Tuscan; in which
I am not much versed。 I believe I should comprehend it better if
you were to say it in English。〃
〃Do say it in English;〃 said the landlady and her daughter: 〃we
should so like to hear it in English。〃
〃I will repeat a translation;〃 said I; 〃which I made when a boy;
which though far from good; has; I believe; in it something of the
spirit of the original:…
〃O Italy! on whom dark Destiny
The dangerous gift of beauty did bestow;
From whence thou hast that ample dower of wo;
Which on thy front thou bear'st so visibly。
Would thou hadst beauty less or strength more high;
That more of fear; and less of love might show;
He who now blasts him in thy beauty's glow;
Or woos thee with a zeal that makes thee die;
Then down from Alp no more would torrents rage
Of armed men; nor Gallic coursers hot
In Po's ensanguin'd tide their thirst assuage;
Nor girt with iron; not thine own; I wot;
Wouldst thou the fight by hands of strangers wage
Victress or vanquish'd slavery still thy lot。〃
CHAPTER XXV
Lacing…up High…lows … The Native Village … Game Leg … Croppies Lie
Down … Keeping Faith … Processions … Croppies Get Up … Daniel
O'Connell。
I SLEPT in the chamber communicating with the room in which I had
dined。 The chamber was spacious and airy; the bed first…rate; and
myself rather tired; so that no one will be surprised when I say
that I had excellent rest。 I got up; and after dressing myself
went down。 The morning was exceedingly brilliant。 Going out I saw
the Italian lacing up his high…lows against a step。 I saluted him;
and asked him if he was about to depart。
〃Yes; signore; I shall presently start for Denbigh。〃
〃After breakfast I shall start for Bangor;〃 said I。
〃Do you propose to reach Bangor to…night; signore?〃
〃Yes;〃 said I。
〃Walking; signore?〃
〃Yes;〃 said I; 〃I always walk in Wales。〃
〃Then you will have rather a long walk; signore; for Bangor is
thirty…four miles from here。〃
I asked him if he was married。
〃No; signore; but my brother in Liverpool is。〃
〃To an Italian?〃
〃No; signore; to a Welsh girl。〃
〃And I suppose;〃 said I; 〃you will follow his example by marrying
one; perhaps that good…looking girl the landlady's daughter we were
seated with last night?〃
〃No; signore; I shall not follow my brother's example。 If ever I
take a wife she shall be of my own village; in Como; whither I hope
to return; as soon as I have picked up a few more pounds。〃
〃Whether the Austrians are driven away or not?〃 said I。
〃Whether the Austrians are driven away or not … for to my mind
there is no country like Como; signore。〃
I ordered breakfast; whilst taking it in the room above I saw
through the open window the Italian trudging forth on his journey;
a huge box on his back; and a weather…glass in his hand … looking
the exact image of one of those men; his country people; whom forty
years before I had known at N…。 I thought of the course of time;
sighed and felt a tear gather in my eye。
My breakfast concluded; I paid my bill; and after inquiring the way
to Bangor; and bidding adieu to the kind landlady and her daughter;
set out from Cerrig y Drudion。 My course lay west; across a flat
country; bounded in the far distance by the mighty hills I had seen
on the preceding evening。 After walking about a mile I overtook a
man with a game leg; that is a leg which; either by nature or
accident not being so long as its brother leg; had a patten
attached to it; about five inches high; to enable it to do duty
with the other … he was a fellow with red shock hair and very red
features; and was dressed in ragged coat and breeches and a hat
which had lost part of its crown; and all its rim; so that even
without a game leg he would have looked rather a queer figure。 In
his hand he carried a fiddle。
〃Good morning to you;〃 said I。
〃A good morning to your hanner; a merry afternoon and a roaring;
joyous evening … that is the worst luck I wish to ye。〃
〃Are you a native of these parts?〃 said I。
〃Not exactly; your hanner … I am a native of the city of Dublin;
or; what's all the same thing; of the village of Donnybrook; which
is close by it。〃
〃A celebrated place;〃 said I。
〃Your hanner may say that; all the world has heard of Donnybrook;
owing to the humours of its fair。 Many is the merry tune I have
played to the boys at that fair。〃
〃You are a professor of music; I suppose?〃
〃And not a very bad one; as your hanner will say; if you allow me
to play you a tune。〃
〃Can you play Croppies Lie Down?〃
〃I cannot; your hanner; my fingers never learnt to play such a
blackguard tune; but if you wish to he