the hunchback of notre dame-第12部分
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ts edifices; all sculptured in stone or wood; and already presenting complete specimens of the different domestic architectures of the Middle Ages; running back from the fifteenth to the eleventh century; from the casement which had begun to dethrone the arch; to the Roman semicircle; which had been supplanted by the ogive; and which still occupies; below it; the first story of that ancient house de la Tour Roland; at the corner of the Place upon the Seine; on the side of the street with the Tannerie。 At night; one could distinguish nothing of all that mass of buildings; except the black indentation of the roofs; unrolling their chain of acute angles round the place; for one of the radical differences between the cities of that time; and the cities of the present day; lay in the fa?ades which looked upon the places and streets; and which were then gables。 For the last two centuries the houses have been turned round。
In the centre of the eastern side of the Place; rose a heavy and hybrid construction; formed of three buildings placed in juxtaposition。 It was called by three names which explain its history; its destination; and its architecture: 〃The House of the Dauphin;〃 because Charles V。; when Dauphin; had inhabited it; 〃The Marchandise;〃 because it had served as town hall; and 〃The Pillared House〃 (~domus ad piloria~); because of a series of large pillars which sustained the three stories。 The city found there all that is required for a city like Paris; a chapel in which to pray to God; a ~plaidoyer~; or pleading room; in which to hold hearings; and to repel; at need; the King's people; and under the roof; an ~arsenac~ full of artillery。 For the bourgeois of Paris were aware that it is not sufficient to pray in every conjuncture; and to plead for the franchises of the city; and they had always in reserve; in the garret of the town hall; a few good rusty arquebuses。 The Grève had then that sinister aspect which it preserves to…day from the execrable ideas which it awakens; and from the sombre town hall of Dominique Bocador; which has replaced the Pillared House。 It must be admitted that a permanent gibbet and a pillory; 〃a justice and a ladder;〃 as they were called in that day; erected side by side in the centre of the pavement; contributed not a little to cause eyes to be turned away from that fatal place; where so many beings full of life and health have agonized; where; fifty years later; that fever of Saint Vallier was destined to have its birth; that terror of the scaffold; the most monstrous of all maladies because it comes not from God; but from man。
It is a consoling idea (let us remark in passing); to think that the death penalty; which three hundred years ago still encumbered with its iron wheels; its stone gibbets; and all its paraphernalia of torture; permanent and riveted to the pavement; the Grève; the Halles; the Place Dauphine; the Cross du Trahoir; the Marché aux Pourceaux; that hideous Montfau?on; the barrier des Sergents; the Place aux Chats; the Porte Saint…Denis; Champeaux; the Porte Baudets; the Porte Saint Jacques; without reckoning the innumerable ladders of the provosts; the bishop of the chapters; of the abbots; of the priors; who had the decree of life and death;without reckoning the judicial drownings in the river Seine; it is consoling to…day; after having lost successively all the pieces of its armor; its luxury of torment; its penalty of imagination and fancy; its torture for which it reconstructed every five years a leather bed at the Grand Chatelet; that ancient suzerain of feudal society almost expunged from our laws and our cities; hunted from code to code; chased from place to place; has no longer; in our immense Paris; any more than a dishonored corner of the Grève;than a miserable guillotine; furtive; uneasy; shameful; which seems always afraid of being caught in the act; so quickly does it disappear after having dealt its blow。
CHAPTER III。
KISSES FOR BLOWS。
When Pierre Gringoire arrived on the Place de Grève; he was paralyzed。 He had directed his course across the Pont aux Meuniers; in order to avoid the rabble on the Pont au Change; and the pennons of Jehan Fourbault; but the wheels of all the bishop's mills had splashed him as he passed; and his doublet was drenched; it seemed to him besides; that the failure of his piece had rendered him still more sensible to cold than usual。 Hence he made haste to draw near the bonfire; which was burning magnificently in the middle of the Place。 But a considerable crowd formed a circle around it。
〃Accursed Parisians!〃 he said to himself (for Gringoire; like a true dramatic poet; was subject to monologues) 〃there they are obstructing my fire! Nevertheless; I am greatly in need of a chimney corner; my shoes drink in the water; and all those cursed mills wept upon me! That devil of a Bishop of Paris; with his mills! I'd just like to know what use a bishop can make of a mill! Does he expect to become a miller instead of a bishop? If only my malediction is needed for that; I bestow it upon him! and his cathedral; and his mills! Just see if those boobies will put themselves out! Move aside! I'd like to know what they are doing there! They are warming themselves; much pleasure may it give them! They are watching a hundred fagots burn; a fine spectacle!〃
On looking more closely; he perceived that the circle was much larger than was required simply for the purpose of getting warm at the king's fire; and that this concourse of people had not been attracted solely by the beauty of the hundred fagots which were burning。
In a vast space left free between the crowd and the fire; a young girl was dancing。
Whether this young girl was a human being; a fairy; or an angel; is what Gringoire; sceptical philosopher and ironical poet that he was; could not decide at the first moment; so fascinated was he by this dazzling vision。
She was not tall; though she seemed so; so boldly did her slender form dart about。 She was swarthy of complexion; but one divined that; by day; her skin must possess that beautiful golden tone of the Andalusians and the Roman women。 Her little foot; too; was Andalusian; for it was both pinched and at ease in its graceful shoe。 She danced; she turned; she whirled rapidly about on an old Persian rug; spread negligently under her feet; and each time that her radiant face passed before you; as she whirled; her great black eyes darted a flash of lightning at you。
All around her; all glances were riveted; all mouths open; and; in fact; when she danced thus; to the humming of the Basque tambourine; which her two pure; rounded arms raised above her head; slender; frail and vivacious as a wasp; with her corsage of gold without a fold; her variegated gown puffing out; her bare shoulders; her delicate limbs; which her petticoat revealed at times; her black hair; her eyes of flame; she was a supernatural creature。
〃In truth;〃 said Gringoire to himself; 〃she is a salamander; she is a nymph; she is a goddess; she is a bacchante of the Menelean Mount!〃
At that moment; one of the salamander's braids of hair became unfastened; and a piece of yellow copper which was attached to it; rolled to the ground。
〃Hé; no!〃 said he; 〃she is a gypsy!〃
All illusions had disappeared。
She began her dance once more; she took from the ground two swords; whose points she rested against her brow; and which she made to turn in one direction; while she turned in the other; it was a purely gypsy effect。 But; disenchanted though Gringoire was; the whole effect of this picture was not without its charm and its magic; the bonfire illuminated; with a red flaring light; which trembled; all alive; over the circle of faces in the crowd; on the brow of the young girl; and at the background of the Place cast a pallid reflection; on one side upon the ancient; black; and wrinkled fa?ade of the House of Pillars; on the other; upon the old stone gibbet。
Among the thousands of visages which that light tinged with scarlet; there was one which seemed; even more than all the others; absorbed in contemplation of the dancer。 It was the face of a man; austere; calm; and sombre。 This man; whose costume was concealed by the crowd which surrounded him; did not appear to be more than five and thirty years of age; nevertheless; he was bald; he had merely a few tufts of thin; gray hair on his temples; his broad; high forehead had begun to be furrowed with wrinkles; but his deep…set eyes sparkled with extraordinary youthfulness; an ardent life; a profound passion。 He kept them fixed incessantly on the gypsy; and; while the giddy young girl of sixteen danced and whirled; for the pleasure of all; his revery seemed to become more and more sombre。 From time to time; a smile and a sigh met upon his lips; but the smile was more melancholy than the sigh。
The young girl; stopped at length; breathless; and the people applauded her lovingly。
〃Djali!〃 said the gypsy。
Then Gringoire saw come up to her; a pretty little white goat; alert; wide…awake; glossy; with gilded horns; gilded hoofs; and gilded collar; which he had not hitherto perceived; and which had remained lying curled up on one corner of the carpet watching his mistress dance。
〃Djali!〃 said the dancer; 〃it is your turn。〃
And; seating herself; she gracefully presented her tambourine to the goat。
〃Djali;〃 she continued; 〃what month is this?〃
The goat lifted its fore foot; and struck one blow upon the tambourine。 It was the first month in the year; in fact。
〃Djali;〃 pursued the young girl; turning her tambourine round; 〃what day of the month is this?〃
Djali raised his little gilt hoof; and struck six blows on the tambourine。
〃Djali;〃 pursued the Egyptian; with still another movement of the tambourine; 〃what hour of the day is it?〃
Djali struck seven blows。 At that moment; the clock of the Pillar House rang out seven。
The people were amazed。
〃There's sorcery at the bottom of it;〃 said a sinister voice in the crowd。 It was that of the bald man; who never removed his eyes from the gypsy。
She shuddered and turned round; but applause broke forth and drowned the morose exclamation。
It even effaced it so completely from her mind; that she continued