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egypt-第24部分

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remained imposing and unique。 They repaired its ruins; and built here

temple after temple; in a style which hardly ever changes。 Even in the

ages of decadence everything that raised itself from the old; sacred

soil; seemed to be impregnated a little with the ancient grandeur。



And it was only when the early Christians ruled here; and after them

the Moslem iconoclasts; that the destruction became final。 To these

new believers; who; in their simplicity; imagined themselves to be

possessed of the ultimate religious formula and to know by His right

name the great Unknowable; Thebes became the haunt of 〃false gods;〃

the abomination of abominations; which it behoved them to destroy。



And so they set to work; penetrating with an ever…present fear into

the profound depths of the gloomy sanctuaries; mutilating first of all

the thousands of visages whose disconcerting smile frightened them;

and then exhausting themselves in the effort to uproot the colossi;

which even with the help of levers; they could not move。 It was no

easy task indeed; for everything was as solid as geological masses; as

rocks or promontories。 But for five or six hundred years the town was

given over to the caprice of desecrators。



And then came the centuries of silence and oblivion under the shroud

of the desert sands; which; thickening each year; proceeded to bury;

and; in the event; to preserve for us; this peerless relic。



And now; at last; Thebes is being exhumed and restored to a semblance

of lifenow; after a cycle of seven or eight thousand years; when our

Western humanity; having left the primitive gods that we see here; to

embrace the Christian conception; which; even yesterday; made it live;

is in way of denying everything; and struggles before the enigma of

death in an obscurity more dismal and more fearful than in the

commencement of the ages。 (More dismal and more fearful still in this;

that plea of youth is gone。) From all parts of Europe curious and

unquiet spirits; as well as mere idlers; turn their steps towards

Thebes; the ancient mother。 Men clear the rubbish from its remains;

devise ways of retarding the enormous fallings of its ruins; and dig

in its old soil; stored with hidden treasure。



And this evening on one of the portals to which I have just mounted

that which opens at the north…west and terminates the colossal artery

of temples and palaces; many very diverse groups have already taken

their places; after the pilgrimage of the day amongst the ruins。 And

others are hastening towards the staircase by which we have just

climbed; so as not to miss the grand spectacle of the sun setting;

always with the same serenity; the same unchanging magnificence;

behind the town which once was consecrated to it。



French; German; English; I see them below; a lot of pygmy figures;

issuing from the hypostyle hall; and making their way towards us。 Mean

and pitiful they look in their twentieth…century travellers' costumes;

hurrying along that avenue where once defiled so many processions of

gods and goddesses。 And yet this; perhaps; is the only occasion on

which one of these bands of tourists does not seem to me altogether

ridiculous。 Amongst these groups of unknown people; there is none who

is not collected and thoughtful; or who does not at least pretend to

be so; and there is some saving quality of grace; even some grandeur

of humility; in the sentiment which has brought them to this town of

Amen; and in the homage of their silence。



We are so high on this portal that we might fancy ourselves upon a

tower; and the defaced stones of which it is built are immeasurably

large。 Instinctively each one sits with his face to the glowing sun;

and consequently to the outspread distances of the fields and the

desert。



Before us; under our feet; an avenue stretches away; prolonging

towards the fields the pomp of the dead cityan avenue bordered by

monstrous rams; larger than buffaloes; all crouched on their pedestals

in two parallel rows in the traditional hieratic pose。 The avenue

terminates beyond at a kind of wharf or landing…stage which formerly

gave on to the Nile。 It was there that the God Amen; carried and

followed by long trains of priests; came every year to take his golden

barge for a solemn procession。 But it leads to…day only to the

cornfields; for; in the course of successive centuries; the river has

receded little by little and now winds its course a thousand yards

away in the direction of Libya。



We can see; beyond; the old sacred Nile between the clusters of palm…

trees on its banks; meandering there like a rosy pathway; which

remains; nevertheless; in this hour of universal incandescence;

astonishingly pale; and gleams occasionally with a bluish light。 And

on the farther bank; from one end to the other of the western horizon;

stretches the chain of the Libyan mountains behind which the sun is

about to plunge; a chain of red sandstone; parched since the beginning

of the worldwithout a rival in the preservation to perpetuity of

dead bodieswhich the Thebans perforated to its extreme depths to

fill it with sarcophagi。



We watch the sun descend。 But we turn also to see; behind us; the

ruins in this the traditional moment of their apotheosis。 Thebes; the

immense town…mummy; seems all at once to be ablazeas if its old

stones were able still to burn; all its blocks; fallen or upright;

appear to have been suddenly made ruddy by the glow of fire。



On this side; too; the view embraces great peaceful distances。 Past

the last pylons; and beyond the crumbling ramparts the country; down

there behind the town; presents the same appearance as that we were

facing a moment before。 The same cornfields; the same woods of date…

trees; that make a girdle of green palms around the ruins。 And; right

in the background; a chain of mountains is lit up and glows with a

vivid coral colour。 It is the chain of the Arabian desert; lying

parallel to that of Libya; along the whole length of the Nile Valley

which is thus guarded on right and left by stones and sand stretched

out in profound solitudes。



In all the surrounding country which we command from this spot there

is no indication of the present day; only here and there; amongst the

palm…trees; the villages of the field labourers; whose houses of dried

earth can scarcely have changed since the days of the Pharaohs。 Our

contemporary desecrators have up till now respected the infinite

desuetude of the place; and; for the tourists who begin to haunt it;

no one yet has dared to build a hotel。



Slowly the sun descends; and behind us the granites of the town…mummy

seem to burn more and more。 It is true that a slight shadow of a

warmer tint; an amaranth violet; begins to encroach upon the lower

parts; spreading along the avenues and over the open spaces。 But

everything that rises into the skythe friezes of the temples; the

capitals of the columns; the sharp points of the obelisksare still

red as glowing embers。 These all become imbued with light and continue

to glow and shed a rosy illumination until the end of the twilight。



It is a glorious hour; even for the old dust of Egypt; which fills the

air eternally; without detracting at all from its wonderful clearness。

It savours of spices; of the Bedouin; of the bitumen of the

sarcophagus。 And here now it is playing the role of those powders of

different shades of gold which the Japanese use for the backgrounds of

their lacquered landscapes。 It reveals itself everywhere; close to and

on the horizon; modifying at its pleasure the colour of things; and

giving them a kind of metallic lustre。 The phantasy of its changes is

unimaginable。 Even in the distances of the countryside; it is busy

indicating by little trailing clouds of gold the smallest pathways

traversed by the herds。



And now the disc of the God of Thebes has disappeared behind the

Libyan mountains; after changing its light from red to yellow and from


yellow to green。



And thereupon the tourists; judging that the display is over for the

night; commence to descend and make ready for departure。 Some in

carriages; others on donkeys; they go to recruit themselves with the

electricity and elegance of Luxor; the neighbouring town (wines and

spirits are paid for as extras; and we dress for dinner)。 And the dust

condescends to mark their exodus also by a last cloud of gold beneath

the palm…trees of the road。



An immediate solemnity succeeds to their departure。 Above the mud

houses of the fellah villages rise slender columns of smoke; which are

of a periwinkle…blue in the midst of the still yellow atmosphere。 They

tell of the humble life of these little homesteads; subsisting here;

where in the backward of the ages were so many palaces and splendours。



And the first bayings of the watchdogs announce already the vague

uneasiness of the evenings around the ruins。 There is no one now

within the mummy…to
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