the golden bough-第102部分

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The　last　king　of　Byblus　bore　the　ancient　name　of　Cinyras；　and　was　beheaded　by　Pompey　the　Great　for　his　tyrannous　excesses。　His　legendary　namesake　Cinyras　is　said　to　have　founded　a　sanctuary　of　Aphrodite；　that　is；　of　Astarte；　at　a　place　on　Mount　Lebanon；　distant　a　day's　journey　from　the　capital。　The　spot　was　probably　Aphaca；　at　the　source　of　the　river　Adonis；　half…way　between　Byblus　and　Baalbec；　for　at　Aphaca　there　was　a　famous　grove　and　sanctuary　of　Astarte　which　Constantine　destroyed　on　account　of　the　flagitious　character　of　the　worship。　The　site　of　the　temple　has　been　discovered　by　modern　travellers　near　the　miserable　village　which　still　bears　the　name　of　Afka　at　the　head　of　the　wild；　romantic；　wooded　gorge　of　the　Adonis。　The　hamlet　stands　among　groves　of　noble　walnut…trees　on　the　brink　of　the　lyn。　A　little　way　off　the　river　rushes　from　a　cavern　at　the　foot　of　a　mighty　amphitheatre　of　towering　cliffs　to　plunge　in　a　series　of　cascades　into　the　awful　depths　of　the　glen。　The　deeper　it　descends；　the　ranker　and　denser　grows　the　vegetation；　which；　sprouting　from　the　crannies　and　fissures　of　the　rocks；　spreads　a　green　veil　over　the　roaring　or　murmuring　stream　in　the　tremendous　chasm　below。　There　is　something　delicious；　almost　intoxicating；　in　the　freshness　of　these　tumbling　waters；　in　the　sweetness　and　purity　of　the　mountain　air；　in　the　vivid　green　of　the　vegetation。　The　temple；　of　which　some　massive　hewn　blocks　and　a　fine　column　of　Syenite　granite　still　mark　the　site；　occupied　a　terrace　facing　the　source　of　the　river　and　commanding　a　magnificent　prospect。　Across　the　foam　and　the　roar　of　the　waterfalls　you　look　up　to　the　cavern　and　away　to　the　top　of　the　sublime　precipices　above。　So　lofty　is　the　cliff　that　the　goats　which　creep　along　its　ledges　to　browse　on　the　bushes　appear　like　ants　to　the　spectator　hundreds　of　feet　below。　Seaward　the　view　is　especially　impressive　when　the　sun　floods　the　profound　gorge　with　golden　light；　revealing　all　the　fantastic　buttresses　and　rounded　towers　of　its　mountain　rampart；　and　falling　softly　on　the　varied　green　of　the　woods　which　clothe　its　depths。　It　was　here　that；　according　to　the　legend；　Adonis　met　Aphrodite　for　the　first　or　the　last　time；　and　here　his　mangled　body　was　buried。　A　fairer　scene　could　hardly　be　imagined　for　a　story　of　tragic　love　and　death。　Yet；　sequestered　as　the　valley　is　and　must　always　have　been；　it　is　not　wholly　deserted。　A　convent　or　a　village　may　be　observed　here　and　there　standing　out　against　the　sky　on　the　top　of　some　beetling　crag；　or　clinging　to　the　face　of　a　nearly　perpendicular　cliff　high　above　the　foam　and　the　din　of　the　river；　and　at　evening　the　lights　that　twinkle　through　the　gloom　betray　the　presence　of　human　habitations　on　slopes　which　might　seem　inaccessible　to　man。　In　antiquity　the　whole　of　the　lovely　vale　appears　to　have　been　dedicated　to　Adonis；　and　to　this　day　it　is　haunted　by　his　memory；　for　the　heights　which　shut　it　in　are　crested　at　various　points　by　ruined　monuments　of　his　worship；　some　of　them　overhanging　dreadful　abysses；　down　which　it　turns　the　head　dizzy　to　look　and　see　the　eagles　wheeling　about　their　nests　far　below。　One　such　monument　exists　at　Ghineh。　The　face　of　a　great　rock；　above　a　roughly　hewn　recess；　is　here　carved　with　figures　of　Adonis　and　Aphrodite。　He　is　portrayed　with　spear　in　rest；　awaiting　the　attack　of　a　bear；　while　she　is　seated　in　an　attitude　of　sorrow。　Her　grief…stricken　figure　may　well　be　the　mourning　Aphrodite　of　the　Lebanon　described　by　Macrobius；　and　the　recess　in　the　rock　is　perhaps　her　lover's　tomb。　Every　year；　in　the　belief　of　his　worshippers；　Adonis　was　wounded　to　death　on　the　mountains；　and　every　year　the　face　of　nature　itself　was　dyed　with　his　sacred　blood。　So　year　by　year　the

Syrian　damsels　lamented　his　untimely　fate；　while　the　red　anemone；　his　flower；　bloomed　among　the　cedars　of　Lebanon；　and　the　river　ran　red　to　the　sea；　fringing　the　winding　shores　of　the　blue　Mediterranean；　whenever　the　wind　set　inshore；　with　a　sinuous　band　of　crimson。

Chapter　31。　Adonis　in　Cyprus。

THE　ISLAND　of　Cyprus　lies　but　one　day's　sail　from　the　coast　of　Syria。　Indeed；　on　fine　summer　evenings　its　mountains　may　be　descried　looming　low　and　dark　against　the　red　fires　of　sunset。　With　its　rich　mines　of　copper　and　its　forests　of　firs　and　stately　cedars；　the　island　naturally　attracted　a　commercial　and　maritime　people　like　the　Phoenicians；　while　the　abundance　of　its　corn；　its　wine；　and　its　oil　must　have　rendered　it　in　their　eyes　a　Land　of　Promise　by　comparison　with　the　niggardly　nature　of　their　own　rugged　coast；　hemmed　in　between　the　mountains　and　the　sea。　Accordingly　they　settled　in　Cyprus　at　a　very　early　date　and　remained　there　long　after　the　Greeks　had　also　established　themselves　on　its　shores；　for　we　know　from　inscriptions　and　coins　that　Phoenician　kings　reigned　at　Citium；　the　Chittim　of　the　Hebrews；　down　to　the　time　of　Alexander　the　Great。　Naturally　the　Semitic　colonists　brought　their　gods　with　them　from　the　mother…land。　They　worshipped　Baal　of　the　Lebanon；　who　may　well　have　been　Adonis；　and　at　Amathus　on　the　south　coast　they　instituted　the　rites　of　Adonis　and　Aphrodite；　or　rather　Astarte。　Here；　as　at　Byblus；　these　rites　resembled　the　Egyptian　worship　of　Osiris　so　closely　that　some　people　even　identified　the　Adonis　of　Amathus　with　Osiris。

But　the　great　seat　of　the　worship　of　Aphrodite　and　Adonis　in　Cyprus　was　Paphos　on　the　south…western　side　of　the　island。　Among　the　petty　kingdoms　into　which　Cyprus　was　divided　from　the　earliest　times　until　the　end　of　the　fourth　century　before　our　era　Paphos　must　have　ranked　with　the　best。　It　is　a　land　of　hills　and　billowy　ridges；　diversified　by　fields　and　vineyards　and　intersected　by　rivers；　which　in　the　course　of　ages　have　carved　for　themselves　beds　of　such　tremendous　depth　that　travelling　in　the　interior　is　difficult　and　tedious。　The　lofty　range　of　Mount　Olympus　（the　modern　Troodos）；　capped　with　snow　the　greater　part　of　the　year；　screens　Paphos　from　the　northerly　and　easterly　winds　and　cuts　it　off　from　the　rest　of　the　island。　On　the　slopes　of　the　range　the　last　pine…woods　of　Cyprus　linger；　sheltering　here　and　there　monasteries　in　scenery　not　unworthy　of　the　Apennines。　The　old　city　of　Paphos　occupied　the　summit　of　a　hill　about　a　mile　from　the　sea；　the　newer　city　sprang　up　at　the　harbour　some　ten　miles　off。　The　sanctuary　of　Aphrodite　at　Old　Paphos　（the　modern　Kuklia）　was　one　of　the　most　celebrated　shrines　in　the　ancient　world。　According　to　Herodotus；　it　was　founded　by　Phoenician　colonists　from　Ascalon；　but　it　is　possible　that　a　native　goddess　of　fertility　was　worshipped　on　the　spot　before　the　arrival　of　the　Phoenicians；　and　that　the　newcomers　identified　her　with　their　own　Baalath　or　Astarte；　whom　she　may　have　closely　resembled。　If　two　deities　were　thus　fused　in　one；　we　may　suppose　that　they　were　both　varieties　of　that　great　goddess　of　motherhood　and　fertility　whose　worship　appears　to　have　been　spread　all　over　Western　Asia　from　a　very　early　time。　The　supposition　is　confirmed　as　well　by　the　archaic　shape　of　her　image　as　by　the　licentious　character　of　her　rites；　for　both　that　shape　and　those　rites　were　shared　by　her　with　other　Asiatic　deities。　Her　image　was　simply　a　white　cone　or　pyramid。　In　like　manner；　a　cone　was　the　emblem　of　Astarte　at　Byblus；　of　the　native　goddess　whom　the　Greeks　called　Artemis　at　Perga　in　Pamphylia；　and　of　the　sun…god　Heliogabalus　at　Emesa　in　Syria。　Conical　stones；　which　apparently　served　as　idols；　have　also　been　found　at　Golgi　in　Cyprus；　and　in　the　Phoenician　temples　of　Malta；　and　cones　of　sandstone　came　to　light　at　the　shrine　of　the　Mistress　of　Torquoise　among　the　barren　hills　and　frowning　precipices　of　Sinai。

In　Cyprus　it　appears　that　before　marriage　all　women　were　formerly　obliged　by　custom　to　prostitute　themselves　to　strangers　at　the　sanctuary　of　the　goddess；　whether　she　went　by　the　name　of　Aphrodite；　Astarte；　or　what　not。　Similar　customs　prevailed　in　many　parts　of　Western　Asia。　Whatever　its　motive；　the　practice　was　clearly　regarded；　not　as　an　orgy　of　lust；　but　as　a　solemn　religious　duty　performed　in　the　service　of　that　great　Mother　Goddess　of　Western　Asia　whose　name　varied；　while　her　type　remained　constant；　from　place　to　place。　Thus　at　Babylon　every　woman；　whether　rich　or　poor；　had　once　in　her　life　to　submit　to　the　embraces　of　a　stranger　at　the　temple　of　Mylitta；　that　is；　of　Ishtar　or　Astarte；　and　to　dedicate　to　the　goddess　the　wages　earned　by　this　sanctified　harlotry。　The　sacred　precinct　was　crowded　with　women　waiting　to　observe　the　custom。　Some　of　them　had　to　wait　there　for　years。　At　Heliopolis　or　Baalbec　in　Syria；　famous　for　the　imposing　grandeur　of　its　ruined　temples；　the　custom　of　the　country　required　that　every　maiden　should　prostitute　herself　to　a　stranger　at　the　temple　of　Astarte；　and　matrons　as　well　as　maids　testified　their　devotion　to　the　goddess　in　the　same　manner。　The　emperor　Constantine　abolished　the　custom；　destroyed　the　temple；　and　built　a　church　in　its　stead。　In　Phoenician　temples　women　prostituted　themselves　for　hire　in　the　service　of　religion；　believing　that　by　this　conduct　they　propitiated　the　goddess　and　won　her　favour。　It　was　a　law　of　the　Amorites；　that　she　who　was　about　to　marry　should　sit　in　fornication　seven　days　by　the　gate。　At　Byblus　the　people　shaved　their　heads　in　the　annual　mourning　for　Adonis。　Women　who　refused　to　sacrifice　their　hair　had　to　give　themselves　up　to　strangers　on　a　certain　day　of　the　festival；　and　the　money　which　they　thus　earned　was　devoted　to　the　goddess。　A　Greek　inscription　found　at　Tralles　in　Lydia　proves　that　the　practice　of　religious　prostitution　survived　in　that　country　as　late　as　the　second　century　of　our　era。　It　records　of　a　certain　woman；　Aurelia　Aemilia　by　name；　not　only　that　she　herself　served　the　god　in　the　capacity　of　a　harlot　at　his　express　command；　but　that　her　mother　and　other　female　ancestors　had　done　the　same　before　her；　and　the　publicity　of　the　record；　engraved　on　a　marble　column　which　supported　a　votive　offering；　shows　that　no　stain　attached　to　such　a　life　and　such　a　parentage。　In　Armenia　the　noblest　families　dedicated　their　daughters　to　the　service　of　the　goddess　Anaitis　in　her　temple　of　Acilisena；　where　the　damsels　acted　as　prostitutes　for　a　long　time　before　they　were　given　in　marriage。　Nobody　scrupled　to　take　one　of　these　girls　to