Моби Дик/Moby Dick (Герман Мелвилл). Страница 223 из 297

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When

the

vast

body

had

at

last

been

stripped

of

its

fathomdeep

enfoldings

,

and

the

bones

become

dust

dry

in

the

sun

,

then

the

skeleton

was

carefully

transported

up

the

Pupella

glen

,

where

a

grand

temple

of

lordly

palms

now

sheltered

it

.

The

ribs

were

hung

with

trophies

;

the

vertebrae

were

carved

with

Arsacidean

annals

,

in

strange

hieroglyphics

;

in

the

skull

,

the

priests

kept

up

an

unextinguished

aromatic

flame

,

so

that

the

mystic

head

again

sent

forth

its

vapory

spout

;

while

,

suspended

from

a

bough

,

the

terrific

lower

jaw

vibrated

over

all

the

devotees

,

like

the

hair-hung

sword

that

so

affrighted

Damocles

.

It

was

a

wondrous

sight

.

The

wood

was

green

as

mosses

of

the

Icy

Glen

;

the

trees

stood

high

and

haughty

,

feeling

their

living

sap

;

the

industrious

earth

beneath

was

as

a

weaver

's

loom

,

with

a

gorgeous

carpet

on

it

,

whereof

the

ground-vine

tendrils

formed

the

warp

and

woof

,

and

the

living

flowers

the

figures

.

All

the

trees

,

with

all

their

laden

branches

;

all

the

shrubs

,

and

ferns

,

and

grasses

;

the

message-carrying

air

;

all

these

unceasingly

were

active

.

Through

the

lacings

of

the

leaves

,

the

great

sun

seemed

a

flying

shuttle

weaving

the

unwearied

verdure

.

Oh

,

busy

weaver

!

unseen

weaver

!

--

pause

!

--

one

word

!

--

whither

flows

the

fabric

?

what

palace

may

it

deck

?

wherefore

all

these

ceaseless

toilings

?

Speak

,

weaver

!

--

stay

thy

hand

!

--

but

one

single

word

with

thee

!

Nay

--

the

shuttle

flies

--

the

figures

float

from

forth

the

loom

;

the

fresher-rushing

carpet

for

ever

slides

away

.

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The

weaver-god

,

he

weaves

;

and

by

that

weaving

is

he

deafened

,

that

he

hears

no

mortal

voice

;

and

by

that

humming

,

we

,

too

,

who

look

on

the

loom

are

deafened

;

and

only

when

we

escape

it

shall

we

hear

the

thousand

voices

that

speak

through

it

.

For

even

so

it

is

in

all

material

factories

.

The

spoken

words

that

are

inaudible

among

the

flying

spindles

;

those

same

words

are

plainly

heard

without

the

walls

,

bursting

from

the

opened

casements

.

Thereby

have

villainies

been

detected

.

Ah

,

mortal

!

then

,

be

heedful

;

for

so

,

in

all

this

din

of

the

great

world

's

loom

,

thy

subtlest

thinkings

may

be

overheard

afar

.

Now

,

amid

the

green

,

life-restless

loom

of

that

Arsacidean

wood

,

the

great

,

white

,

worshipped

skeleton

lay

lounging

--

a

gigantic

idler

!

Yet

,

as

the

ever-woven

verdant

warp

and

woof

intermixed

and

hummed

around

him

,

the

mighty

idler

seemed

the

sunning

weaver

;

himself

all

woven

over

with

the

vines

;

every

month

assuming

greener

,

fresher

verdure

;

but

himself

a

skeleton

.

Life

folded

Death

;

Death

trellised

Life

;

the

grim

god

wived

with

youthful

Life

,

and

begat

him

curly-headed

glories

.

Now

,

when

with

royal

Tranquo

I

visited

this

wondrous

whale

,

and

saw

the

skull

an

altar

,

and

the

artificial

smoke

ascending

from

where

the

real

jet

had

issued

,

I

marvelled

that

the

king

should

regard

a

chapel

as

an

object

of

vertu

.

He

laughed

.

But

more

I

marvelled

that

the

priests

should

swear

that

smoky

jet

of

his

was

genuine

.

To

and

fro

I

paced

before

this

skeleton

--

brushed

the

vine

aside

--

broke

through

the

ribs

--

and

with

a

ball

of

Arsacidean

twine

,

wandered

,

eddied

long

amid

its

many

winding

,

shaded

colonnades

and

arbors

.

But

soon

my

line

was

out

;

and

following

back

,

I

emerged

from

the

opening

where

I

entered

.

I

saw

no

living

thing

within

;

naught

was

there

but

bones

.

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Cutting

me

a

green

measuring-rod

,

I

once

more

dived

within

the

skeleton

.

From

their

arrow-slit

in

the

skull

,

the

priests

perceived

me

taking

the

altitude

of

the

final

rib

,

"

How

now

!

"

they

shouted

;

"

Dar

's

t

thou

measure

this

our

god

!

That

's

for

us

.

"

"

Aye

,

priests

--

well

,

how

long

do

ye

make

him

,

then

?

"

But

hereupon

a

fierce

contest

rose

among

them

,

concerning

feet

and

inches

;

they

cracked

each

other

's

sconces

with

their

yard-sticks

--

the

great

skull

echoed

--

and

seizing

that

lucky

chance

,

I

quickly

concluded

my

own

admeasurements

.

These

admeasurements

I

now

propose

to

set

before

you

.

But

first

,

be

it

recorded

,

that

,

in

this

matter

,

I

am

not

free

to

utter

any

fancied

measurements

I

please

.

Because

there

are

skeleton

authorities

you

can

refer

to

,

to

test

my

accuracy

.

There

is

a

Leviathanic

Museum

,

they

tell

me

,

in

Hull

,

England

,

one

of

the

whaling

ports

of

that

country

,

where

they

have

some

fine

specimens

of

fin-backs

and

other

whales

.

Likewise

,

have

heard

that

in

the

museum

of

Manchester

,

in

New

Hampshire

,

they

have

what

the

proprietors

call

"

the

only

perfect

specimen

of

a

Greenland

or

River

Whale

in

the

United

States

.

"

Moreover

,

at

a

place

in

Yorkshire

,

England

,

Burton

Constable

by

name

,

a

certain

Sir

Clifford

Constable

has

in

his

possession

the

skeleton

of

a

Sperm

Whale

,

but

of

moderate

size

,

by

no

means

of

the

full-grown

magnitude

of

my

friend

King

Tranquo

's

.

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