登陆注册
5166600000066

第66章

But the tune was changing, and at the change the man shivered for the air ran up to the high notes and then down to the deeps with an eldrich cry, like a hawk's scream at night, or a witch's song in the gloaming.It told of those who seek and never find, the quest that knows no fulfilment."There is a road," it cried, "which leads to the Moon and the Great Waters.No changehouse cheers it, and it has no end; but it is a fine road, a braw road--who will follow it?" And the man knew (though no one told him) that this was the Ballad of Grey Weather, which makes him who hears it sick all the days of his life for something which he cannot name.It is the song which the birds sing on the moor in the autumn nights, and the old crow on the treetop hears and flaps his wing.It is the lilt which men and women hear in the darkening of their days, and sigh for the unforgettable; and love-sick girls get catches of it and play pranks with their lovers.It is a song so old that Adam heard it in the Garden before Eve came to comfort him, so young that from it still flows the whole joy and sorrow of earth.

Then it ceased, and all of a sudden the man was rubbing his eyes on the hillside, and watching the falling dusk."I have heard the Rime," he said to himself, and he walked home in a daze.The whaups were crying, but none came near him, though he looked hard for the bird that had spoken with him.It may be that it was there and he did not know it, or it may be that the whole thing was only a dream; but of this I cannot say.

The next morning the man rose and went to the manse.

"I am glad to see you, Simon," said the minister, "for it will soon be the Communion Season, and it is your duty to go round with the tokens.""True," said the man, "but it was another thing I came to talk about," and he told him the whole tale.

"There are but two ways of it, Simon," said the minister."Either ye are the victim of witchcraft, or ye are a self-deluded man.

If the former (whilk I am loth to believe), then it behoves ye to watch and pray lest ye enter into temptation.If the latter, then ye maun put a strict watch over a vagrant fancy, and ye'll be quit o' siccan whigmaleeries."Now Simon was not listening but staring out of the window.

"There was another thing I had it in my mind to say," said he.

"I have come to lift my lines, for I am thinking of leaving the place.""And where would ye go?" asked the minister, aghast.

"I was thinking of going to Carlisle and trying my luck as a dealer, or maybe pushing on with droves to the South.""But that's a cauld country where there are no faithfu'

ministrations," said the minister.

"Maybe so, but I am not caring very muckle about ministrations,"said the man, and the other looked after him in horror.

When he left the manse he went to a Wise Woman, who lived on the left side of the kirkyard above Threepdaidle burn-foot.She was very old, and sat by the ingle day and night, waiting upon death.

To her he told the same tale.

She listened gravely, nodding with her head."Ach," she said, "Ihave heard a like story before.And where will you be going?""I am going south to Carlisle to try the dealing and droving"said the man, "for I have some skill of sheep.""And will ye bide there?" she asked.

"Maybe aye, and maybe no," he said."I had half a mind to push on to the big toun or even to the abroad.A man must try his fortune.""That's the way of men," said the old wife."I, too, have heard the Rime, and many women who now sit decently spinning in Kilmaclavers have heard it.But woman may hear it and lay it up in her soul and bide at hame, while a man, if he get but a glisk of it in his fool's heart, must needs up and awa' to the warld's end on some daft-like ploy.But gang your ways and fare-ye-weel.

My cousin Francie heard it, and he went north wi' a white cockade in his bonnet and a sword at his side, singing 'Charlie's come hame'.And Tam Crichtoun o' the Bourhopehead got a sough o'

it one simmers' morning, and the last we heard o' Tam he was fechting like a deil among the Frenchmen.Once I heard a tinkler play a sprig of it on the pipes, and a' the lads were wud to follow him.Gang your ways for I am near the end o'

mine."

And the old wife shook with her coughing.So the man put up his belongings in a pack on his back and went whistling down the Great South Road.

Whether or not this tale have a moral it is not for me to say.

The King (who told it me) said that it had, and quoted a scrap of Latin, for he had been at Oxford in his youth before he fell heir to his kingdom.One may hear tunes from the Rime, said he, in the thick of a storm on the scarp of a rough hill, in the soft June weather, or in the sunset silence of a winter's night.But let none, he added, pray to have the full music; for it will make him who hears it a footsore traveller in the ways o' the world and a masterless man till death.

End

同类推荐
  • 徐氏笔精

    徐氏笔精

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 皇朝经世文续编_2

    皇朝经世文续编_2

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 春秋穀梁传注疏

    春秋穀梁传注疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 上清素灵上篇

    上清素灵上篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说仁王护国般若波罗蜜经疏神宝记

    佛说仁王护国般若波罗蜜经疏神宝记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 稀粥馒头

    稀粥馒头

    粥粥已经忘记这是第几天失声了……简介暂定还没想好先写着
  • 尘归尘 土归土

    尘归尘 土归土

    荆自以为还算得上一个清心寡欲的女子,她没料到自己会对一件身外之物这么念念不忘。那是一只天然水晶手镯,玲珑剔透的,却不是一味的冰清玉洁。无论戴在腕上,还是置于白缎精制的匣子里,总泛着微黄的银光,浸透了几千年的月色一般,有一种旷古而寂寥的景象。荆却总疑心这个光洁透亮的圈子,是用了眼泪凝固的冰制成的,那幽幽渺渺、隐隐约约的黄,正是泪水才有的颜色。而她即便不用手,哪怕只用了目光去触摸,也能感觉出它从里到外的沁凉。
  • 仙皇临九天

    仙皇临九天

    一念不死,你将神魂不灭!于是韩非开始了各种花样作死。无敌仙王,盖世道尊我统统都不怕。瞅你咋地了?我还惹你呢!抢仙女,偷神药,炸福地,杀圣子!你们不服就来弄死我啊!弄不死我?嘿嘿,你完蛋了!
  • 魔兽之传奇

    魔兽之传奇

    这是一个关于於宅男穿越到魔兽世界的故事。(上一本写崩了)
  • 曼哈顿情缘

    曼哈顿情缘

    本书一共十二篇,一年之中每月一篇,记录了以曼哈顿为背景的十二个小故事。本书与马修斯的《曼哈顿花絮》是姊妹篇,是又一本记录时节的纽约城市月历。本书与《曼哈顿花絮》是姊妹篇,都是以曼哈顿为背景的12个月里的12个小故事,故遵循上本书命名原则《曼哈顿**》,不按原名翻译。再者,本书言情较多,故名“情缘”。
  • 重生女王大人

    重生女王大人

    她英勇牺牲,从没想到当她再次睁开眼睛时,她的世界发生了如此天翻地覆的变化!我滴个神啊!有没有搞错!她居然会重生,还该死不死的重生在送她去黄泉的男人未婚妻身上。拜托,她暗恋多年的男人居然指着她的头要暴她脑袋,只因为他们势不两立?!拜托,石油大亨,我和你非亲非故的,你有必要送来一卡车一卡车的钞票吗?!天理何在!好吧!既然老天爷不让她痛痛快快的壮烈牺牲,非要让她重生逼她走上一条不归路,姐也不是省油的灯!【此文,男强女强,男主女主干净,一对一。】【此文,偶有小虐,小虐怡情。】【此文,求支持,求收藏。】…
  • 端州风物

    端州风物

    端州是广东肇庆市辖区,位于广东省中部偏西,西江中下游北岸,属于珠江三角洲经济区范围,是肇庆市政治、经济、文化中心,有2000多年的建城历史,是国家级历史文化名城,人文历史文化底蕴深厚。本书稿以记述了端州丰富多彩的历史文化遗迹、风景名胜、风物人情,图文并茂,语言生动,趣味良多,充分展示了端州作为历史文化名城的深厚历史文化底蕴,是了解和解读端州历史文化的一幅生动画卷。
  • 慧剑心魔

    慧剑心魔

    本书承接了《大唐游侠传》和《龙凤宝钗缘》,是“唐代三部曲”的最后一部。讲述着一众少年英雄的成长历程。光阴似箭,日月如梭,绿林几世恩怨,宿恨难消。当年被王燕羽一剑灭族的飞虎山窦家居然留下了一个遗孤窦元,卧薪尝胆三十年,学成绝艺登门寻仇,杀死了王燕羽、展元修夫妇。王燕羽临终之时嘱咐其子展伯承投奔王伯通当年的副手褚遂,且要其不得报仇,亦不许将父母被害之事告知绿林盟主、当年窦家义子铁摩勒。
  • 你如星辰入梦来

    你如星辰入梦来

    他是风头正盛的顶级偶像;她是初出茅庐的小透明编剧。误解对方身份的她拍着大明星的肩膀安慰道:“火是一定会火的,只是时间问题。”秦瑞舟从此对她印象深刻,不但堵墙角来腿咚,还努力用美食俘获她的心,逮住机会就耍个“美人计”,偶像包袱碎一地。她终于被他一个吻拐回家。不久之后,俞息宁躺在秦瑞舟怀里惴惴不安:“你这样算不算是偶像失格?”大明星吧唧一口亲在她脸上:“千金难买你开心。”
  • 一品农家女

    一品农家女

    揪紧被血浸染的衣裙,感受着腹中生命一点点流逝,苏子墨一脸绝望,哀求的看着面前的丈夫和闺蜜。“看在我们认识十年的份上,求求你们,救救我的孩子……”丈夫和闺蜜均一脸冷漠看着她苦苦挣扎。苏子墨泪涌眼眶,绝美的脸蛋惨白如纸,恨咬破唇,“为……为什么?”对她这么狠,对无辜的腹中孩子这么残忍?!“哎呀,陈尧,你没有告诉苏苏吗?咱们一直以来为的可只有她苏家的钱哟。这孩子……本……