登陆注册
5419700000063

第63章

"Master of Life!" he cried, desponding, "Must our lives depend on these things?"On the next day of his fasting By the river's brink he wandered, Through the Muskoday, the meadow, Saw the wild rice, Mahnomonee, Saw the blueberry, Meenahga, And the strawberry, Odahmin, And the gooseberry, Shahbomin, And the grape-vine, the Bemahgut, Trailing o'er the alder-branches, Filling all the air with fragrance!

"Master of Life!" he cried, desponding, "Must our lives depend on these things?"On the third day of his fasting By the lake he sat and pondered, By the still, transparent water;Saw the sturgeon, Nahma, leaping, Scattering drops like beads of wampum, Saw the yellow perch, the Sahwa, Like a sunbeam in the water, Saw the pike, the Maskenozha, And the herring, Okahahwis, And the Shawgashee, the crawfish!

"Master of Life!" he cried, desponding, "Must our lives depend on these things?"On the fourth day of his fasting In his lodge he lay exhausted;From his couch of leaves and branches Gazing with half-open eyelids, Full of shadowy dreams and visions, On the dizzy, swimming landscape, On the gleaming of the water, On the splendor of the sunset.

And he saw a youth approaching, Dressed in garments green and yellow, Coming through the purple twilight, Through the splendor of the sunset;Plumes of green bent o'er his forehead, And his hair was soft and golden.

Standing at the open doorway, Long he looked at Hiawatha, Looked with pity and compassion On his wasted form and features, And, in accents like the sighing Of the South-Wind in the tree-tops, Said he, "O my Hiawatha!

All your prayers are heard in heaven, For you pray not like the others;Not for greater skill in hunting, Not for greater craft in fishing, Not for triumph in the battle, Nor renown among the warriors, But for profit of the people, For advantage of the nations.

"From the Master of Life descending, I, the friend of man, Mondamin, Come to warn you and instruct you, How by struggle and by labor You shall gain what you have prayed for.

Rise up from your bed of branches, Rise, O youth, and wrestle with me!"Faint with famine, Hiawatha Started from his bed of branches, From the twilight of his wigwam Forth into the flush of sunset Came, and wrestled with Mondamin;At his touch he felt new courage Throbbing in his brain and bosom, Felt new life and hope and vigor Run through every nerve and fibre.

So they wrestled there together In the glory of the sunset, And the more they strove and struggled, Stronger still grew Hiawatha;Till the darkness fell around them, And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, From her nest among the pine-trees, Gave a cry of lamentation, Gave a scream of pain and famine.

"'T is enough!" then said Mondamin, Smiling upon Hiawatha, "But tomorrow, when the sun sets, I will come again to try you."And he vanished, and was seen not;

Whether sinking as the rain sinks, Whether rising as the mists rise, Hiawatha saw not, knew not, Only saw that he had vanished, Leaving him alone and fainting, With the misty lake below him, And the reeling stars above him.

On the morrow and the next day, When the sun through heaven descending, Like a red and burning cinder From the hearth of the Great Spirit, Fell into the western waters, Came Mondamin for the trial, For the strife with Hiawatha;Came as silent as the dew comes, From the empty air appearing, Into empty air returning, Taking shape when earth it touches, But invisible to all men In its coming and its going.

Thrice they wrestled there together In the glory of the sunset, Till the darkness fell around them, Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, From her nest among the pine-trees, Uttered her loud cry of famine, And Mondamin paused to listen.

Tall and beautiful he stood there, In his garments green and yellow;To and fro his plumes above him, Waved and nodded with his breathing, And the sweat of the encounter Stood like drops of dew upon him.

And he cried, "O Hiawatha!

Bravely have you wrestled with me, Thrice have wrestled stoutly with me, And the Master of Life, who sees us, He will give to you the triumph!"Then he smiled, and said: "To-morrow Is the last day of your conflict, Is the last day of your fasting.

You will conquer and o'ercome me;

Make a bed for me to lie in, Where the rain may fall upon me, Where the sun may come and warm me;Strip these garments, green and yellow, Strip this nodding plumage from me, Lay me in the earth, and make it Soft and loose and light above me.

"Let no hand disturb my slumber, Let no weed nor worm molest me, Let not Kahgahgee, the raven, Come to haunt me and molest me, Only come yourself to watch me, Till I wake, and start, and quicken, Till I leap into the sunshine."And thus saying, he departed;

Peacefully slept Hiawatha, But he heard the Wawonaissa, Heard the whippoorwill complaining, Perched upon his lonely wigwam;Heard the rushing Sebowisha, Heard the rivulet rippling near him, Talking to the darksome forest;Heard the sighing of the branches, As they lifted and subsided At the passing of the night-wind, Heard them, as one hears in slumber Far-off murmurs, dreamy whispers:

Peacefully slept Hiawatha.

On the morrow came Nokomis, On the seventh day of his fasting, Came with food for Hiawatha, Came imploring and bewailing, Lest his hunger should o'ercome him, Lest his fasting should be fatal.

But he tasted not, and touched not, Only said to her, "Nokomis, Wait until the sun is setting, Till the darkness falls around us, Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, Crying from the desolate marshes, Tells us that the day is ended."Homeward weeping went Nokomis, Sorrowing for her Hiawatha, Fearing lest his strength should fail him, Lest his fasting should be fatal.

He meanwhile sat weary waiting For the coming of Mondamin, Till the shadows, pointing eastward, Lengthened over field and forest, Till the sun dropped from the heaven, Floating on the waters westward, As a red leaf in the Autumn Falls and floats upon the water, Falls and sinks into its bosom.

同类推荐
  • 翦勝野聞

    翦勝野聞

    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。
  • 五大牛王雨宝陀罗尼仪轨

    五大牛王雨宝陀罗尼仪轨

    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。
  • 国朝宋学渊源记

    国朝宋学渊源记

    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。
  • 大方广如来秘密藏经

    大方广如来秘密藏经

    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。
  • 戒子通录

    戒子通录

    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。
热门推荐
  • 营养煲汤精华

    营养煲汤精华

    《营养煲汤精华》为您介绍的是家常汤系。无汤不上席、无汤不成宴,国人嗜汤由来已久,而喝汤的习惯更是千百年养成的。一碗美味的汤煲,不仅要享受其鲜美的味道,更要注重对营养汤煲中各种清润滋补精髓的吸收。不论季节、不论老幼,一碗好汤总是会带来全身的舒爽。不管是香浓醇美的浓香肉汤,还是鲜美清淡的清新蔬果汤,亦或是鲜香爽口的海鲜汤,都是餐桌上一道靓丽的风景线。一碗好汤,保全家健康。
  • 名字与文化

    名字与文化

    名字与文化密不可分,名字透射着社会秩序、礼节礼仪、价值判断、宗教信仰、群体审美等文化信息。一些人的名字简直就是时代变革和发展的关键词,透过他们的名字我们可以追寻历史发展的轨迹,体味不同时代的风貌。本书从文化的角度探讨中西人名,包括真实名字、绰号、外号、笔名、庙号、谥号、年号等。通过对名字的分析,我们可以从中看出中西文化的差异以及精彩纷呈的文化表征。
  • 御狐霁月

    御狐霁月

    倾城绝恋,有虐有甜。“术法给你,权力给你,我的心也给你!”妖王暖帝宠妻攻略。小初:“夜空,我们从此信马由缰,不问红尘!”妖王:“指尖芳华,弹指一挥,世事变迁不能回。我不能陪你了,你该何去何从。”
  • 牟梨曼陀罗咒经

    牟梨曼陀罗咒经

    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。
  • 此去经年:我们回忆里再相爱

    此去经年:我们回忆里再相爱

    命运的捉弄,使得她爱上了一个本是和她无缘的人,她始终都在为他付出,希望自己能够将他改变,但他始终对她都是冷漠的,最终,她成功了,但是他们却已是不可能了。
  • 施公案

    施公案

    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。
  • 独家钟情:带着婚约闯心房

    独家钟情:带着婚约闯心房

    她只是一个图书馆员?错!不仅仅吃定军长,搞定一片区的黑白道,还能轻而易举名利双收,大获广电局好评。追求爱情,勇闯军长心房的路途中,如果再出现一位志同道合的伙伴,开一家火锅店,那才到了称霸全场的时候!正是真爱无敌,爱上便不要错过。
  • 我知道你很难过

    我知道你很难过

    这本书,给所有又寂寞又坚强的人。我知道你很难过,挥别错的,才能和对的相逢。“暖读”系列18篇治愈爱情故事,记录为爱所伤的疼痛、被爱所误的迷茫和逃离爱情的孤单。每个心怀美好的人,都应该且值得拥有爱情。愿这些故事带给你抚慰和答案。
  • 一切秘密最上名义大教王仪轨

    一切秘密最上名义大教王仪轨

    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。
  • 天命贵妻,佞相的悍妇填房

    天命贵妻,佞相的悍妇填房

    【正文已完结,番外进行中。。。】当凶残女穿越成下堂妇,怎一个精彩了得。前婆婆隔空传话:“我儿要娶得是体面的千金小姐,纵是妾侍你都不要妄想。”前相公痛心疾首:“你我情深似海,妾侍又如何?你何苦要去介意那世俗名分?”某千金笑里藏刀:“妹妹即已被休弃,万万不要做那些不要脸面的事,和我相公藕、断、丝、连。”县太爷姿态甚高:“看你模样还算周正,既是续弦,不下蛋亦没什么关系。”某弃妇冷笑连连:“赚钱是第一,收拾这些杂碎乃顺手。”片段二:“顾四儿,去把爷昨儿藏在靴子里五十两银票取出。”某贪官悄声吩咐道,“中丞大人邀爷吃花酒,身为男人不能失了体面。”“什么?”小厮震惊侧目,“爷您真不知死活。”