登陆注册
5202200000074

第74章

A dagger was displayed on the table of cypress-wood at the head of the bed; the sight of the gleaming blade fired her with a sanguinary desire.Mournful voices lingered at a distance in the shade, and like a chorus of geniuses urged her on.She approached it; she seized the steel by the handle.At the rustling of her dress Matho half opened his eyes, putting forth his mouth upon her hands, and the dagger fell.

Shouts arose; a terrible light flashed behind the canvas.Matho raised the latter; they perceived the camp of the Libyans enveloped in great flames.

Their reed huts were burning, and the twisting stems burst in the smoke and flew off like arrows; black shadows ran about distractedly on the red horizon.They could hear the shrieks of those who were in the huts; the elephants, oxen, and horses plunged in the midst of the crowd crushing it together with the stores and baggage that were being rescued from the fire.Trumpets sounded.There were calls of "Matho!

Matho!" Some people at the door tried to get in.

"Come along! Hamilcar is burning the camp of Autaritus!"He made a spring.She found herself quite alone.

Then she examined the zaimph; and when she had viewed it well she was surprised that she had not the happiness which she had once imagined to herself.She stood with melancholy before her accomplished dream.

But the lower part of the tent was raised, and a monstrous form appeared.Salammbo could at first distinguish only the two eyes and a long white beard which hung down to the ground; for the rest of the body, which was cumbered with the rags of a tawny garment, trailed along the earth; and with every forward movement the hands passed into the beard and then fell again.Crawling in this way it reached her feet, and Salammbo recognised the aged Gisco.

In fact, the Mercenaries had broken the legs of the captive Ancients with a brass bar to prevent them from taking to flight; and they were all rotting pell-mell in a pit in the midst of filth.But the sturdiest of them raised themselves and shouted when they heard the noise of platters, and it was in this way that Gisco had seen Salammbo.He had guessed that she was a Carthaginian woman by the little balls of sandastrum flapping against her cothurni; and having a presentiment of an important mystery he had succeeded, with the assistance of his companions, in getting out of the pit; then with elbows and hands he had dragged himself twenty paces further on as far as Matho's tent.Two voices were speaking within it.He had listened outside and had heard everything.

"It is you!" she said at last, almost terrified.

"Yes, it is I!" he replied, raising himself on his wrists."They think me dead, do they not?"She bent her head.He resumed:

"Ah! why have the Baals not granted me this mercy!" He approached so close he was touching her."They would have spared me the pain of cursing you!"Salammbo sprang quickly back, so much afraid was she of this unclean being, who was as hideous as a larva and nearly as terrible as a phantom.

"I am nearly one hundred years old," he said."I have seen Agathocles;I have seen Regulus and the eagles of the Romans passing over the harvests of the Punic fields! I have seen all the terrors of battles and the sea encumbered with the wrecks of our fleets! Barbarians whom I used to command have chained my four limbs like a slave that has committed murder.My companions are dying around me, one after the other; the odour of their corpses awakes me in the night; I drive away the birds that come to peck out their eyes; and yet not for a single day have I despaired of Carthage! Though I had seen all the armies of the earth against her, and the flames of the siege overtop the height of the temples, I should have still believed in her eternity! But now all is over! all is lost! The gods execrate her! A curse upon you who have quickened her ruin by your disgrace!"She opened her lips.

"Ah! I was there!" he cried."I heard you gurgling with love like a prostitute; then he told you of his desire, and you allowed him to kiss your hands! But if the frenzy of your unchastity urged you to it, you should at least have done as do the fallow deer, which hide themselves in their copulations, and not have displayed your shame beneath your father's very eyes!""What?" she said.

"Ah! you did not know that the two entrenchments are sixty cubits from each other and that your Matho, in the excess of his pride, has posted himself just in front of Hamilcar.Your father is there behind you;and could I climb the path which leads to the platform, I should cry to him: 'Come and see your daughter in the Barbarian's arms! She has put on the garment of the goddess to please him; and in yielding her body to him she surrenders with the glory of your name the majesty of the gods, the vengeance of her country, even the safety of Carthage!'"The motion of his toothless mouth moved his beard throughout its length; his eyes were riveted upon her and devoured her; panting in the dust he repeated:

"Ah! sacrilegious one! May you be accursed! accursed! accursed!"Salammbo had drawn back the canvas; she held it raised at arm's length, and without answering him she looked in the direction of Hamilcar.

"It is this way, is it not?" she said.

"What matters it to you? Turn away! Begone! Rather crush your face against the earth! It is a holy spot which would be polluted by your gaze!"She threw the zaimph about her waist, and quickly picked up her veils, mantle, and scarf."I hasten thither!" she cried; and making her escape Salammbo disappeared.

At first she walked through the darkness without meeting any one, for all were betaking themselves to the fire; the uproar was increasing and great flames purpled the sky behind; a long terrace stopped her.

同类推荐
  • The Well of the Saints

    The Well of the Saints

    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。
  • 杜甫集

    杜甫集

    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。
  • 清代台湾大租调查书

    清代台湾大租调查书

    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。
  • 苏州竹庵衍禅师语录

    苏州竹庵衍禅师语录

    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。
  • 汤头歌诀

    汤头歌诀

    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
  • Pioneers of the Old Southwest

    Pioneers of the Old Southwest

    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。
  • 卫临巅峰

    卫临巅峰

    重回2005年的陆磊终于成为了篮球场上最令人生畏的大魔王,他有天赋,有技术,还有洞悉一切的神秘力量;“姚哥,别听那个秃顶的,增重有什么用?跟着我打死亡五小吧!”
  • 我的师妹是圣女

    我的师妹是圣女

    作为圣门的大师兄,文诺希望自己是个伟大的人。于是伟大的人回到圣门后第一天,就把圣女师妹心中的形象摧毁,轰塌成废墟。看上去像是主角的人,历经千辛万苦走上大雪山。本应脚踩圣门大师兄,手牵圣门圣女,立于大陆巅峰……
  • 圣多罗菩萨一百八名陀罗尼经

    圣多罗菩萨一百八名陀罗尼经

    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。
  • 清慕已久

    清慕已久

    前生北清奈觉得自己很傻一味的追逐这个林慕白的脚步,最后原来她生孩子不过是为了救他的妹妹,她只能看着自己的孩子被他们强行从肚子里拿出来,他甚至都不曾看过她一眼。她被囚禁在医院里。得知了这些年的一切,家族的破产闺蜜的去世甚至未睁开眼睛看看这个世界的孩子,统统都是他们报复她的手段。原来这一切都是因为她而起她含着泪跳下楼她想着也许就是解脱。只是没想到她竟然重生了回到了自己的十八岁她发誓绝对不会再让前世的种种在发生。她对他避而不见,但是他却没了前世的高冷甚至像是一个小狼狗一样不让她离开。她逃离他步步紧逼。他说:“奈奈和我回家吧!”
  • 中学生珍藏一生的美文

    中学生珍藏一生的美文

    《品悟成长心灵书系》之《中学生珍藏一生的美文(第1季珍藏版)》,书中包括了:《笨小孩的成长》、《精彩极了和糟糕透了》、《少年哀歌》、《我为什么而活着》、《真实的高贵》、《假如给我三天光明》、《我要笑遍世界》、《人人想当别人》、《机会在敲门》、《哨子》、《爱怕什么》、《不死鸟》、《读书示小妹生日书》、《对陌生人的责任》、《回家》等作品。
  • 猎恋之九尾郎君

    猎恋之九尾郎君

    千世轮回,爱而不得,一怒撕下生死簿,从此由她做主。一朝丧母,其父所为,一怒立下千年咒,从此谋筹天下。且看今生,三界六道,谋得彼此十丈方圆。猎妖天师,九尾狐妖,痴缠过后,谱写繁华。--情节虚构,请勿模仿
  • 穿越风云是非多

    穿越风云是非多

    顾晓白,一个穿越到修真世界的逗比,正秉持傻白甜的终极模式,挑战所有仙君的神经。什么救世主还是天选之人,穿越嘛,玩的开心是最重要的——要是能建个后宫,就更好啦!【情节虚构,请勿模仿】
  • 历史的格调与声音

    历史的格调与声音

    如果历史是一出波澜壮阔的音乐剧,历史的格调就是某个时代留下来的回响和印记。动人的篇章、优美的旋律、悠远的意境、高雅的品位、处处在人的耳边回响,仿佛是历史的脚步声由远及近。历史虽然已经逝去,但余波未了,仍留给后人无尽的遐思。历史的格调是什么?它是丰富的,我们依然离不开对它的体味;它是现在的,我们时刻都能记忆起它的形式。历史的声音又是什么?只有认真聆听来自历史深处的声音,才会明白人生的意义与价值。
  • 当代学者视野中的马克思主义哲学:西方学者卷(上卷)

    当代学者视野中的马克思主义哲学:西方学者卷(上卷)

    本书由吴晓明主编,汇集了当代学者对马克思主义哲学的种种解说和阐释,使马克思主义哲学研究的当代境遇凸显出来,使马克思主义哲学与时代课题的联系多方面地显示出来。这套丛书所选材料中的立场、观点和方法并不一致,它们之间的差别有时非常大甚至可能是对立的,但也正因为如此,这些研究材料的作用和意义就会是多重的,其中所包含的一致、差别和对立能够为马克思主义哲学中国化提供不同的参考维度,提供较大的思考空间。