the story of an african farm-第31章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



with　our　hand。



Existence　is　a　great　pot；　and　the　old　Fate　who　stirs　it　round　cares　nothing

what　rises　to　the　top　and　what　goes　down；　and　laughs　when　the　bubbles

burst。　　And　we　do　not　care。　　Let　it　boil　about。　　Why　should　we　trouble

ourselves？　　Nevertheless　the　physical　sensations　are　real。　　Hunger　hurts；

and　thirst；　therefore　we　eat　and　drink：　　inaction　pains　us；　therefore　we

work　like　galley…slaves。　　No　one　demands　it；　but　we　set　ourselves　to　build

a　great　dam　in　red　sand　beyond　the　graves。　　In　the　grey　dawn　before　the

sheep　are　let　out　we　work　at　it。　　All　day；　while　the　young　ostriches　we

tend　feed　about　us；　we　work　on　through　the　fiercest　heat。　　The　people

wonder　what　new　spirit　has　seized　us　now。　　They　do　not　know　we　are　working

for　life。　　We　bear　the　greatest　stones；　and　feel　a　satisfaction　when　we

stagger　under　them；　and　are　hurt　by　a　pang　that　shoots　through　our　chest。　

While　we　eat　our　dinner　we　carry　on　baskets　full　of　earth；　as　though　the

devil　drove　us。　　The　Kaffer　servants　have　a　story　that　at　night　a　witch　and

two　white　oxen　come　to　help　us。　　No　wall；　they　say；　could　grow　so　quickly

under　one　man's　hands。



At　night；　alone　in　our　cabin；　we　sit　no　more　brooding　over　the　fire。　　What

should　we　think　of　now？　　All　is　emptiness。　　So　we　take　the　old　arithmetic；

and　the　multiplication　table；　which　with　so　much　pains　we　learnt　long　ago

and　forgot　directly；　we　learn　now　in　a　few　hours；　and　never　forget　again。　

We　take　a　strange　satisfaction　in　working　arithmetical　problems。　　We　pause

in　our　building　to　cover　the　stones　with　figures　and　calculations。　　We　save

money　for　a　Latin　Grammar　and　Algebra；　and　carry　them　about　in　our　pockets；

poring　over　them　as　over　our　Bible　of　old。　　We　have　thought　we　were　utterly

stupid；　incapable　of　remembering　anything；　of　learning　anything。　　Now　we

find　that　all　is　easy。　　Has　a　new　soul　crept　into　this　old　body；　that　even

our　intellectual　faculties　are　changed？　　We　marvel；　not　perceiving　that

what　a　man　expends　in　prayer　and　ecstasy　he　cannot　have　over　for　acquiring

knowledge。　　You　never　shed　a　tear；　or　create　a　beautiful　image；　or　quiver

with　emotion；　but　you　pay　for　it　at　the　practical；　calculating　end　of　your

nature。　　You　have　just　so　much　force：　　when　the　one　channel　runs　over　the

other　runs　dry。



And　now　we　turn　to　Nature。　　All　these　years　we　have　lived　beside　her；　and

we　have　never　seen　her；　and　now　we　open　our　eyes　and　look　at　her。



The　rocks　have　been　to　us　a　blur　of　brown：　　we　bend　over　them；　and　the

disorganised　masses　dissolve　into　a　many…coloured；　many…shaped；　carefully…

arranged　form　of　existence。　　Here　masses　of　rainbow…tinted　crystals；　half…

fused　together；　there　bands　of　smooth　grey　and　red　methodically　overlying

each　other。　　This　rock　here　is　covered　with　a　delicate　silver　tracery；　in

some　mineral；　resembling　leaves　and　branches；　there　on　the　flat　stone；　on

which　we　so　often　have　sat　to　weep　and　pray；　we　look　down；　and　see　it

covered　with　the　fossil　footprints　of　great　birds；　and　the　beautiful

skeleton　of　a　fish。　　We　have　often　tried　to　picture　in　our　mind　what　the

fossiled　remains　of　creatures　must　be　like；　and　all　the　while　we　sat　on

them；　we　have　been　so　blinded　by　thinking　and　feeling　that　we　have　never

seen　the　world。



The　flat　plain　has　been　to　us　a　reach　of　monotonous　red。　　We　look　at　it；

and　every　handful　of　sand　starts　into　life。　　That　wonderful　people；　the

ants；　we　learn　to　know；　see　them　make　war　and　peace；　play　and　work；　and

build　their　huge　palaces。　　And　that　smaller　people　we　make　acquaintance

with；　who　live　in　the　flowers。　　The　bitto　flower　has　been　for　us　a　mere

blur　of　yellow；　we　find　its　heart　composed　of　a　hundred　perfect　flowers；

the　homes　of　the　tiny　black　people　with　red　stripes；　who　move　in　and　out　in

that　little　yellow　city。　　Every　bluebell　has　its　inhabitant。　　Every　day　the

karoo　shows　us　a　new　wonder　sleeping　in　its　teeming　bosom。



On　our　way　back　to　work　we　pause　and　stand　to　see　the　ground…spider　make

its　trap；　bury　itself　in　the　sand；　and　then　wait　for　the　falling　in　of　its

enemy。



Further　on　walks　a　horned　beetle；　and　near　him　starts　open　the　door　of　a

spider；　who　peeps　out　carefully；　and　quickly　pulls　it　down　again。　　On　a

karoo…bush　a　green　fly　is　laying　her　silver　eggs。　　We　carry　them　home；　and

see　the　shells　pierced；　the　spotted　grub　come　out；　turn　to　a　green　fly；　and

flit　away。　　We　are　not　satisfied　with　what　Nature　shows　us；　and　we　see

something　for　ourselves。　　Under　the　white　hen　we　put　a　dozen　eggs；　and

break　one　daily；　to　see　the　white　spot　wax　into　the　chicken。　　We　are　not

excited　or　enthusiastic　about　it；　but　a　man　is　not　to　lay　his　throat　open；

he　must　think　of　something。　　So　we　plant　seeds　in　rows　on　our　dam…wall；　and

pull　one　up　daily　to　see　how　it　goes　with　them。　　Alladeen　buried　her

wonderful　stone；　and　a　golden　palace　sprung　up　at　her　feet。　　We　do　far

more。　　We　put　a　brown　seed　in　the　earth；　and　a　living　thing　starts　out

starts　upwardwhy；　no　more　than　Alladeen　can　we　saystarts　upward；　and

does　not　desist　till　it　is　higher　than　our　heads；　sparkling　with　dew　in　the

early　morning；　glittering　with　yellow　blossoms；　shaking　brown　seeds　with

little　embryo　souls　on　to　the　ground。　　We　look　at　it　solemnly；　from　the

time　it　consists　of　two　leaves　peeping　above　the　ground　and　a　soft　white

root；　till　we　have　to　raise　our　faces　to　look　at　it；　but　we　find　no　reason

for　that　upward　starting。



We　look　into　dead　ducks　and　lambs。　　In　the　evening　we　carry　them　home；

spread　newspapers　on　the　floor；　and　lie　working　with　them　till　midnight。　

With　a　started　feeling　near　akin　to　ecstasy　we　open　the　lump　of　flesh

called　a　heart；　and　find　little　doors　and　strings　inside。　　We　feel　them；

and　put　the　heart　away；　but　every　now　and　then　return　to　look；　and　to　feel

them　again。　　Why　we　like　them　so　we　can　hardly　tell。



A　gander　drowns　itself　in　our　dam。　　We　take　it　out；　and　open　it　on　the

bank；　and　kneel　looking　at　it。　　Above　are　the　organs　divided　by　delicate

tissues；　below　are　the　intestines　artistically　curved　in　a　spiral　form；　and

each　tier　covered　by　a　delicate　network　of　blood…vessels　standing　out　red

against　the　faint　blue　background。　　Each　branch　of　the　blood…vessels　is

comprised　of　a　trunk；　bifurcating　and　rebifurcating　into　the　most　delicate；

hair…like　threads；　symmetrically　arranged。　　We　are　struck　with　its　singular

beauty。　　And；　moreoverand　here　we　drop　from　our　kneeling　into　a　sitting

posturethis　also　we　remark：　　of　that　same　exact　shape　and　outline　is　our

thorn…tree　seen　against　the　sky　in　mid…winter：　　of　that　shape　also　is

delicate　metallic　tracery　between　our　rocks；　in　that　exact　path　does　our

water　flow　when　without　a　furrow　we　lead　it　from　the　dam；　so　shaped　are　the

antlers　of　the　horned　beetle。　　How　are　these　things　related　that　such　deep

union　should　exist　between　them　all？　　Is　it　chance？　　Or；　are　they　not　all

the　fine　branches　of　one　trunk；　whose　sap　flows　through　us　all？　　That　would

explain　it。　　We　nod　over　the　gander's　inside。



This　thing　we　call　existence；　is　it　not　a　something　which　has　its　roots　far

down　below　in　the　dark；　and　its　branches　stretching　out　into　the　immensity

above；　which　we　among　the　branches　cannot　see？　　Not　a　chance　jungle；　a

living　thing；　a　One。　　The　thought　gives　us　intense　satisfaction；　we　cannot

tell　why。



We　nod　over　the　gander；　then　start　up　suddenly；　look　into　the　blue　sky；

throw　the　dead　gander　and　the　refuse　into　the　dam；　and　go　to　work　again。



And　so；　it　comes　to　pass　in　time；　that　the　earth　ceases　for　us　to　be　a

weltering　chaos。　　We　walk　in　the　great　hall　of　life；　looking　up　and　round

reverentially。　　Nothing　is　despicableall　is　meaning…full；　nothing　is

smallall　is　part　of　a　whole；　whose　beginning　and　end　we　know　not。　　The

life　that　throbs　in　us　is　a　beginning　and　end　we　know　not。　　The　life　that

throbs　in　us　is　a　pulsation　from　it；　too　mighty　for　our　comprehension；　not

too　small。



And　so；　it　comes　to　pass　at　last；　that　whereas　the　sky　was　at　fir