the complete poetical works-第41部分
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All the wild…flowers of the forest;
All the lilies of the prairie;
When on earth they fade and perish;
Blossom in that heaven above us。〃
When he heard the owls at midnight;
Hooting; laughing in the forest;
〃What is that?〃 he cried in terror;
〃What is that;〃 he said; 〃Nokomis?〃
And the good Nokomis answered:
〃That is but the owl and owlet;
Talking in their native language;
Talking; scolding at each other。〃
Then the little Hiawatha
Learned of every bird its language;
Learned their names and all their secrets;
How they built their nests in Summer;
Where they hid themselves in Winter;
Talked with them whene'er he met them;
Called them 〃Hiawatha's Chickens。〃
Of all beasts he learned the language;
Learned their names and all their secrets;
How the beavers built their lodges;
Where the squirrels hid their acorns;
How the reindeer ran so swiftly;
Why the rabbit was so timid;
Talked with them whene'er he met them;
Called them 〃Hiawatha's Brothers。〃
Then Iagoo; the great boaster;
He the marvellous story…teller;
He the traveller and the talker;
He the friend of old Nokomis;
Made a bow for Hiawatha;
From a branch of ash he made it;
From an oak…bough made the arrows;
Tipped with flint; and winged with feathers;
And the cord he made of deer…skin。
Then he said to Hiawatha:
〃Go; my son; into the forest;
Where the red deer herd together;
Kill for us a famous roebuck;
Kill for us a deer with antlers!〃
Forth into the forest straightway
All alone walked Hiawatha
Proudly; with his bow and arrows;
And the birds sang round him; o'er him;
〃Do not shoot us; Hiawatha!〃
Sang the robin; the Opechee;
Sang the bluebird; the Owaissa;
〃Do not shoot us; Hiawatha!〃
Up the oak…tree; close beside him;
Sprang the squirrel; Adjidaumo;
In and out among the branches;
Coughed and chattered from the oak…tree;
Laughed; and said between his laughing;
〃Do not shoot me; Hiawatha!〃
And the rabbit from his pathway
Leaped aside; and at a distance
Sat erect upon his haunches;
Half in fear and half in frolic;
Saying to the little hunter;
〃Do not shoot me; Hiawatha!〃
But he heeded not; nor heard them;
For his thoughts were with the red deer;
On their tracks his eyes were fastened;
Leading downward to the river;
To the ford across the river;
And as one in slumber walked he。
Hidden in the alder…bushes;
There he waited till the deer came;
Till he saw two antlers lifted;
Saw two eyes look from the thicket;
Saw two nostrils point to windward;
And a deer came down the pathway;
Flecked with leafy light and shadow。
And his heart within him fluttered;
Trembled like the leaves above him;
Like the birch…leaf palpitated;
As the deer came down the pathway。
Then; upon one knee uprising;
Hiawatha aimed an arrow;
Scarce a twig moved with his motion;
Scarce a leaf was stirred or rustled;
But the wary roebuck started;
Stamped with all his hoofs together;
Listened with one foot uplifted;
Leaped as if to meet the arrow;
Ah! the singing; fatal arrow;
Like a wasp it buzzed and stung him!
Dead he lay there in the forest;
By the ford across the river;
Beat his timid heart no longer;
But the heart of Hiawatha
Throbbed and shouted and exulted;
As he bore the red deer homeward;
And Iagoo and Nokomis
Hailed his coming with applauses。
From the red deer's hide Nokomis
Made a cloak for Hiawatha;
From the red deer's flesh Nokomis
Made a banquet to his honor。
All the village came and feasted;
All the guests praised Hiawatha;
Called him Strong…Heart; Soan…ge…taha!
Called him Loon…Heart; Mahn…go…taysee!
IV
HIAWATHA AND MUDJEKEEWIS
Out of childhood into manhood
Now had grown my Hiawatha;
Skilled in all the craft of hunters;
Learned in all the lore of old men;
In all youthful sports and pastimes;
In all manly arts and labors。
Swift of foot was Hiawatha;
He could shoot an arrow from him;
And run forward with such fleetness;
That the arrow fell behind him!
Strong of arm was Hiawatha;
He could shoot ten arrows upward;
Shoot them with such strength and swiftness;
That the tenth had left the bow…string
Ere the first to earth had fallen!
He had mittens; Minjekahwun;
Magic mittens made of deer…skin;
When upon his hands he wore them;
He could smite the rocks asunder;
He could grind them into powder。
He had moccasins enchanted;
Magic moccasins of deer…skin;
When he bound them round his ankles;
When upon his feet he tied them;
At each stride a mile he measured!
Much he questioned old Nokomis
Of his father Mudjekeewis;
Learned from her the fatal secret
Of the beauty of his mother;
Of the falsehood of his father;
And his heart was hot within him;
Like a living coal his heart was。
Then he said to old Nokomis;
〃I will go to Mudjekeewis;
See how fares it with my father;
At the doorways of the West…Wind;
At the portals of the Sunset!〃
From his lodge went Hiawatha;
Dressed for travel; armed for hunting;
Dressed in deer…skin shirt and leggings;
Richly wrought with quills and wampum;
On his head his eagle…feathers;
Round his waist his belt of wampum;
In his hand his bow of ash…wood;
Strung with sinews of the reindeer;
In his quiver oaken arrows;
Tipped with jasper; winged with feathers;
With his mittens; Minjekahwun;
With his moccasins enchanted。
Warning said the old Nokomis;
〃Go not forth; O Hiawatha!
To the kingdom of the West…Wind;
To the realms of Mudjekeewis;
Lest he harm you with his magic;
Lest he kill you with his cunning!〃
But the fearless Hiawatha
Heeded not her woman's warning;
Forth he strode into the forest;
At each stride a mile he measured;
Lurid seemed the sky above him;
Lurid seemed the earth beneath him;
Hot and close the air around him;
Filled with smoke and fiery vapors;
As of burning woods and prairies;
For his heart was hot within him;
Like a living coal his heart was。
So he journeyed westward; westward;
Left the fleetest deer behind him;
Left the antelope and bison;
Crossed the rushing Esconaba;
Crossed the mighty Mississippi;
Passed the Mountains of the Prairie;
Passed the land of Crows and Foxes;
Passed the dwellings of the Blackfeet;
Came unto the Rocky Mountains;
To the kingdom of the West…Wind;
Where upon the gusty summits
Sat the ancient Mudjekeewis;
Ruler of the winds of heaven。
Filled with awe was Hiawatha
At the aspect of his father。
On the air about him wildly
Tossed and streamed his cloudy tresses;
Gleamed like drifting snow his tresses;
Glared like Ishkoodah; the comet;
Like the star with fiery tresses。
Filled with joy was Mudjekeewis
When he looked on Hiawatha;
Saw his youth rise up before him
In the face of Hiawatha;
Saw the beauty of Wenonah
From the grave rise up before him。
〃Welcome!〃 said he; 〃Hiawatha;
To the kingdom of the West…Wind!
Long have I been waiting for you!
Youth is lovely; age is lonely;
Youth is fiery; age is frosty;
You bring back the days departed;
You bring back my youth of passion;
And the beautiful Wenonah!〃
Many days they talked together;
Questioned; listened; waited; answered;
Much the mighty Mudjekeewis
Boasted of his ancient prowess;
Of his perilous adventures;
His indomitable courage;
His invulnerable body。
Patiently sat Hiawatha;
Listening to his father's boasting;
With a smile he sat and listened;
Uttered neither threat nor menace;
Neither word nor look betrayed him;
But his heart was hot within him;
Like a living coal his heart was。
Then he said; 〃O Mudjekeewis;
Is there nothing that can harm you?
Nothing that you are afraid of?〃
And the mighty Mudjekeewis;
Grand and gracious in his boasting;
Answered; saying; 〃There is nothing;
Nothing but the black rock yonder;
Nothing but the fatal Wawbeek!〃
And he looked at Hiawatha
With a wise look and benignant;
With a countenance paternal;
Looked with pride upon the beauty
Of his tall and graceful figure;
Saying; 〃O my Hiawatha!
Is there anything can harm you?
Anything you are afraid of?〃
But the wary Hiawatha
Paused awhile; as if uncertain;
Held his peace; as if resolving;
And then answered; 〃There is nothing;
Nothing but the bulrush yonder;
Nothing but the great Apukwa!〃
And as Mudjekeewis; rising;
Stretched his hand to pluck the bulrush;
Hiawatha cried in terror;
Cried in well…dissembled terror;
〃Kago! kago! do not touch it!〃
〃Ah; kaween!〃 said Mudjekeewis;
〃No indeed; I will not touch it!〃
Then they talked of other matters;
First of Hiawatha's brothers;
First of Wabun; of the East…Wind;
Of the South…Wind; Shawondasee;
Of the North; Kabibonokka;
Then of Hiawatha's mother;
Of the beautiful Wenonah;
Of her birth upon the meadow;
Of her death; as old Nokomis
Had remembered and related。
And he cried; 〃O Mudjekeewis;
It was you who killed Wenonah;
Took her young life and her beauty;
Broke the Lily of the Prairie;
Trampled it beneath your footsteps;
You confess it! you confess it!〃
And the mighty Mudjekeewis
Tossed upon the wind his tresses;
Bowed his hoary head in anguish;
With a silent nod assented。
Then up started Hiawatha;
And with threatening look and gesture
Laid his hand upon the black rock;
On the fatal Wawbeek laid it;
With his mittens; Minjekahwun;
Rent the jutting crag asunder;
Smote and crushed it into fragments;
Hurled them madly at his father;
The remorseful Mudjekeewis;
For his heart was hot within him;
Like a living coal his heart was。
But the ruler of the West…Wind
Blew the fragments backward from him;
With the breathing of his nostrils;
With the tempest of his anger;
Blew them back at his assailant;
Seized the bulrush; the Apukwa;
Dragged it with its roots and fibres
From the margin of the me