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lavengro-第39部分
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designated; and with much semblance of justice; as thieves and
vagabonds。 But where did this speech come from; and who were they
who spoke it? These were questions which I could not solve; and
which Jasper himself; when pressed; confessed his inability to
answer。 'But; whoever we be; brother;' said he; 'we are an old
people; and not what folks in general imagine; broken gorgios; and;
if we are not Egyptians; we are at any rate Rommany Chals!'
'Rommany Chals! I should not wonder after all;' said I; 'that
these people had something to do with the founding of Rome。 Rome;
it is said; was built by vagabonds; who knows but that some tribe
of the kind settled down thereabouts; and called the town which
they built after their name; but whence did they come originally?
ah! there is the difficulty。'
But abandoning these questions; which at that time were far too
profound for me; I went on studying the language; and at the same
time the characters and manners of these strange people。 My rapid
progress in the former astonished; while it delighted; Jasper。
'We'll no longer call you Sap…engro; brother;' said he; but rather
Lav…engro; which in the language of the gorgios meaneth Word…
master。' 'Nay; brother;' said Tawno Chikno; with whom I had become
very intimate; 'you had better call him Cooro…mengro; I have put on
THE GLOVES with him; and find him a pure fist…master; I like him
for that; for I am a Cooro…mengro myself; and was born at
Brummagem。'
'I likes him for his modesty;' said Mrs。 Chikno; 'I never hears any
ill words come from his mouth; but; on the contrary; much sweet
language。 His talk is golden; and he has taught my eldest to say
his prayers in Rommany; which my rover had never the grace to do。'
'He is the pal of my rom;' said Mrs。 Petulengro; who was a very
handsome woman; 'and therefore I likes him; and not the less for
his being a rye; folks calls me high…minded; and perhaps I have
reason to be so; before I married Pharaoh I had an offer from a
lord … I likes the young rye; and; if he chooses to follow us; he
shall have my sister。 What say you; mother? should not the young
rye have my sister Ursula?'
'I am going to my people;' said Mrs。 Herne; placing a bundle upon a
donkey; which was her own peculiar property; 'I am going to
Yorkshire; for I can stand this no longer。 You say you like him:
in that we differs; I hates the gorgio; and would like; speaking
Romanly; to mix a little poison with his waters。 And now go to
Lundra; my children; I goes to Yorkshire。 Take my blessing with
ye; and a little bit of a gillie to cheer your hearts with when ye
are weary。 In all kinds of weather have we lived together; but now
we are parted。 I goes broken…hearted … I can't keep you company;
ye are no longer Rommany。 To gain a bad brother; ye have lost a
good mother。'
CHAPTER XVIII
What profession? … Not fitted for a Churchman … Erratic course …
The bitter draught … Principle of woe … Thou wouldst be joyous …
What ails you? … Poor child of clay。
SO the gypsies departed; Mrs。 Herne to Yorkshire; and the rest to
London: as for myself; I continued in the house of my parents;
passing my time in much the same manner as I have already
described; principally in philological pursuits; but I was now
sixteen; and it was highly necessary that I should adopt some
profession; unless I intended to fritter away my existence; and to
be a useless burden to those who had given me birth; but what
profession was I to choose? there being none in the wide world
perhaps for which I was suited; nor was there any one for which I
felt any decided inclination; though perhaps there existed within
me a lurking penchant for the profession of arms; which was natural
enough; as; from my earliest infancy; I had been accustomed to
military sights and sounds; but this profession was then closed; as
I have already hinted; and; as I believe; it has since continued;
to those who; like myself; had no better claims to urge than the
services of a father。
My father; who; for certain reasons of his own; had no very high
opinion of the advantages resulting from this career; would have
gladly seen me enter the Church。 His desire was; however;
considerably abated by one or two passages of my life; which
occurred to his recollection。 He particularly dwelt on the
unheard…of manner in which I had picked up the Irish language; and
drew from thence the conclusion that I was not fitted by nature to
cut a respectable figure at an English university。 'He will fly
off in a tangent;' said he; 'and; when called upon to exhibit his
skill in Greek; will be found proficient in Irish; I have observed
the poor lad attentively; and really do not know what to make of
him; but I am afraid he will never make a churchman!' And I have
no doubt that my excellent father was right; both in his premisses
and the conclusion at which he arrived。 I had undoubtedly; at one
period of my life; forsaken Greek for Irish; and the instructions
of a learned Protestant divine for those of a Papist gossoon; the
card…fancying Murtagh; and of late; though I kept it a strict
secret; I had abandoned in a great measure the study of the
beautiful Italian; and the recitation of the sonorous terzets of
the Divine Comedy; in which at one time I took the greatest
delight; in order to become acquainted with the broken speech; and
yet more broken songs; of certain houseless wanderers whom I had
met at a horse fair。 Such an erratic course was certainly by no
means in consonance with the sober and unvarying routine of college
study。 And my father; who was a man of excellent common sense;
displayed it in not pressing me to adopt a profession which
required qualities of mind which he saw I did not possess。
Other professions were talked of; amongst which the law; but now an
event occurred which had nearly stopped my career; and merged all
minor points of solicitude in anxiety for my life。 My strength and
appetite suddenly deserted me; and I began to pine and droop。 Some
said that I had overgrown myself; and that these were the symptoms
of a rapid decline; I grew worse and worse; and was soon stretched
upon my bed; from which it seemed scarcely probable that I should
ever more rise; the physicians themselves giving but slight hopes
of my recovery: as for myself; I made up my mind to die; and felt
quite resigned。 I was sadly ignorant at that time; and; when I
thought of death; it appeared to me little else than a pleasant
sleep; and I wished for sleep; of which I got but little。 It was
well that I did not die that time; for I repeat that I was sadly
ignorant of many important things。 I did not die; for somebody
coming gave me a strange; bitter draught; a decoction; I believe;
of a bitter root which grows on commons and desolate places: and
the per
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