登陆注册
5371300000120

第120章

From the chains of thy earthly toil, From the clasp of thy mortal coil, From the prison where clay confined thee, The hands of the flame unbind thee!

O Soul! thou art free--all free!

As the winds in their ceaseless chase, When they rush o'er their airy sea, Thou mayst speed through the realms of space, No fetter is forged for thee!

Rejoice! o'er the sluggard tide Of the Styx thy bark can glide, And thy steps evermore shall rove Through the glades of the happy grove;Where, far from the loath'd Cocytus, The loved and the lost invite us.

Thou art slave to the earth no more!

O soul, thou art freed!--and we?--Ah! when shall our toil be o'er?

Ah! when shall we rest with thee?

And now high and far into the dawning skies broke the fragrant fire; it flushed luminously across the gloomy cypresses--it shot above the massive walls of the neighboring city; and the early fisherman started to behold the blaze reddening on the waves of the creeping sea.

But Ione sat down apart and alone, and, leaning her face upon her hands, saw not the flame, nor heard the lamentation of the music: she felt only one sense of loneliness--she had not yet arrived to that hallowing sense of comfort, when we know that we are not alone--that the dead are with us!

The breeze rapidly aided the effect of the combustibles placed within the pile. By degrees the flame wavered, lowered, dimmed, and slowly, by fits and unequal starts, died away--emblem of life itself; where, just before, all was restlessness and flame, now lay the dull and smouldering ashes.

The last sparks were extinguished by the attendants--the embers were collected. Steeped in the rarest wine and the costliest odorous, the remains were placed in a silver urn, which was solemnly stored in one of the neighboring sepulchres beside the road; and they placed within it the vial full of tears, and the small coin which poetry still consecrated to the grim boatman. And the sepulchre was covered with flowers and chaplets, and incense kindled on the altar, and the tomb hung round with many lamps.

But the next day, when the priest returned with fresh offerings to the tomb, he found that to the relics of heathen superstition some unknown hands had added a green palm-branch. He suffered it to remain, unknowing that it was the sepulchral emblem of Christianity.

When the above ceremonies were over, one of the Praeficae three times sprinkled the mourners from the purifying branch of laurel, uttering the last word, 'Ilicet!'--Depart!--and the rite was done.

But first they paused to utter--weepingly and many times--the affecting farewell, 'Salve Eternum!' And as Ione yet lingered, they woke the parting strain.

SALVE ETERNUM

I

Farewell! O soul departed!

Farewell! O sacred urn!

Bereaved and broken-hearted, To earth the mourners turn.

To the dim and dreary shore, Thou art gone our steps before!

But thither the swift Hours lead us, And thou dost but a while precede us, Salve--salve!

Loved urn, and thou solemn cell, Mute ashes!--farewell, farewell!

Salve--salve!

II

Ilicet--ire licet--Ah, vainly would we part!

Thy tomb is the faithful heart.

About evermore we bear thee;

For who from the heart can tear thee?

Vainly we sprinkle o'er us The drops of the cleansing stream;And vainly bright before us The lustral fire shall beam.

For where is the charm expelling Thy thought from its sacred dwelling?

Our griefs are thy funeral feast, And Memory thy mourning priest.

Salve--salve!

III

Ilicet--ire licet!

The spark from the hearth is gone Wherever the air shall bear it;The elements take their own--The shadows receive thy spirit.

It will soothe thee to feel our grief, As thou glid'st by the Gloomy River!

If love may in life be brief, In death it is fixed for ever.

Salve--salve!

In the hall which our feasts illume, The rose for an hour may bloom;But the cypress that decks the tomb--The cypress is green for ever!

Salve--salve!

同类推荐
  • Latter-Day Pamphlets

    Latter-Day Pamphlets

    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。
  • 伤寒溯源集

    伤寒溯源集

    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。
  • 天机经

    天机经

    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。
  • 台湾关系文献集零

    台湾关系文献集零

    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。
  • LITTLE NOVELS

    LITTLE NOVELS

    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
  • 洞真上清太微帝君步天纲飞地纪金简玉字上经

    洞真上清太微帝君步天纲飞地纪金简玉字上经

    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。
  • 军人热血

    军人热血

    本书叙述了军事奇才刘轩的一生。并且创建了一支出色的特战队——闪电特战队!
  • 魔贤武尊

    魔贤武尊

    国际巅峰武学宗师,有着国际宗师之称的张灵启,为了一部从未流传于世的功法而最终跌落华山之巅。再次醒来时,却发现自己到来了一个被称为魔武大陆的世界,变成了一个叫做张逍遥的乞丐。前世有着宗师称号的他,在这个被魔法与斗气割裂的世界,将塑造出怎样的辉煌,各种传奇的神器,各种绚烂的魔法,在这个名为魔武大陆的世界,争相绽放。感谢阅文书评团提供书评支持!
  • 极品娇妻好V5

    极品娇妻好V5

    6岁那年,她的亲生父亲去世,在父亲的葬礼上,她第一次看见他。他叫严寒,从法律上来讲,是她的监护人。她太固执,明知道他和她没关系,却因为他长的跟爸爸有几分相似,执意叫他--爸爸。哪怕,他恼羞成怒的吼她:“我说了,我不是你爸爸!”她喜欢他,从小就喜欢他。可那时候,她以为那种喜欢,是女儿对爸爸的喜欢,不是女人对男人的喜欢。直到16岁那年,她亲生父亲祭日的那天,他喝的烂醉如泥,不顾一切的强\暴了她。那时候,她才发现,她对他的喜欢,已经超出了她的预期…对那一夜,他没有任何解释,她始终无法释怀。直到她差点葬身大海,他舍命救她,她才发现,原来,他心里不是没有她…撞见他和别的女人全身赤\裸的躺在大床上,那个女人不是别人,却是她最信任的学姐。她哭着跑出去,他没有追上来做任何解释。他说:“梦梦,我要结婚了!”终于,他娶了别人,他说过,这辈子都不可能娶她…她傻傻的选择了不相信…意外怀孕,无限欣喜,却换来他一句:“孩子绝对不能生下来,打掉!”她骗他说孩子打掉了…她终于找着机会逃跑了。3年之后…她带着一对龙凤胎回来...+++++简介无能,一对一,有宠有虐,结局完美,欢迎跳坑收藏+++++推荐陌陌的【完结文】:禁忌兄妹霸道之恋=《爱妹》穿越野兽系痴情男人=《狂君》纠葛爱恋总裁情人=《狼吻》推荐四星好友烟茫的新文《痛婚》推荐新晋写手盈汐新文《魔鬼的私宠天后》推荐三星好友南湖微风新文《一等弃妃》
  • 我本反派

    我本反派

    结怨神道大帝李世易、暗算盟友先辈长老易剑心、强上侍神女帝慕千紫...累累罪行径,苏刑一夜醒来,发现自己一手的烂牌,看似花团锦簇,却即将成为神乾帝国开国初最无脑的反派。无奈,为了不成为别人的垫脚石,苏刑不得不逆天改命,将反派做到底。反命、反人...,直至最后,反到了拨弄这一切的源头——看似无常无序的天与地!
  • 第三脑:透过皮肤看健康

    第三脑:透过皮肤看健康

    皮肤是人体最大、最重的器官。中医上有“望表辨病”,“表”即包括皮肤。通过对皮肤的各种变化来诊断人体的各种疾病症状,虽然简单,但是却少有人知晓。本书以很强的实用性和可操作性为人们揭示皮肤暗藏的身体和心理健康信息,并给出相应的保健养生意见。
  • 孽海情天梦红楼

    孽海情天梦红楼

    这是一个昏庸腐败的家。几个追求爱情自由和个性解放的年青人生活在这里。这里有道貌岸然的长辈,欺上昧下,附庸风雅的文人,颐指气使的主子,草菅人命。最终,他们淹没在腐朽的世俗中,死的死、散的散,最终落了个白茫茫大地真干净。
  • 锦愿

    锦愿

    重回往昔,她不再是人傻心眼少的宋家大小姐,更何况这次还有位“保护神”罩着无法无天的她。不久她就回过神,天下没有白吃的午餐,这位“保护神”根本是别有用心……某宋道,“报仇雪恨之后,就当个轻松自在的‘闲人’。”某卫开口:“嗯,闲着也是闲着,不如来本王这里闲着。”某宋:“……”某卫:“不愿意?我有名正言顺的娃娃亲!不准跑。”
  • 明白为什么奋斗:优秀员工要明白的28个本质问题

    明白为什么奋斗:优秀员工要明白的28个本质问题

    工作这么辛苦,为什么还要工作?我们是在为老板打工,还是在为自己工作?你为什么要工作,你的工作和公司有什么关系?公司为你做得多,还是你对公司的贡献大?为什么要做一个忠诚于公司的人?为什么优秀的员工不会找借口?如何理解“任务之中包含机遇”这句话?为什么工作之中要学会感恩?阅读《明白为什么奋斗:优秀员工要明白的28个本质问题》,这些萦绕于你心头的困惑都将一一解开,同时,也会让你对工作有进一步的认识,带你走进一个全新的工作境界。
  • 花斑

    花斑

    这人一上了岁数,更年期一到,光景就是不一样。何美兰在镜子前匆匆抹完脸,往手里沾点嫩肤霜,准备搽上额头的时候,眼睛一扫,看到自己左脸颊上有那么深深的一块斑渍。她拿了毛巾擦,擦来擦去都擦不掉,这才确信自己的眼睛都花了,看不见脸上长花斑了。话说人到中年,可总有操不完的心。眼看着总算将儿子毛毛送进了大学,老公却不能省事。何美兰想着就叹出一声气,收拾好盘盏,拎了皮包,就出了门。老公徐怀义住院了。五十出头的年纪,却得了心脏病。这也难怪老徐,厂里一沓子的事情要处理,长年身心疲劳,这病上身也不意外。