第 33 节
作者:随便看看      更新:2021-02-25 00:46      字数:9322
  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