Synge And The Ireland Of His Time-第5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！


　excitement；　whether　it　is　but　the　hysterical　excitement　of　the　women　over　the　pigs；　or　some　primary　passion。　once　indeed；　the　hidden　passion　instead　of　finding　expression　by　its　choice　among　the　passions　of　others；　shows　itself　in　the　most　direct　way　of　all；　that　of　dream。　last　night；　he　writes；　at　innismaan；　after　walking　in　a　dream　among　buildings　with　strangely　intense　light　on　them；　i　heard　a　faint　rhythm　of　music　beginning　far　away　on　some　stringed　instrument。

it　came　closer　to　me；　gradually　increasing　in　quickness　and　volume　with　an　irresistibly　definite　progression。

when　it　was　quite　near　the　sound　began　to　move　in　my　nerves　and　blood；　to　urge　me　to　dance　with　them。

i　knew　that　if　i　yielded　i　would　be　carried　away　into　some　moment　of　terrible　agony；　so　i　struggled　to　remain　quiet；　holding　my　knees　together　with　my　hands。

the　music　increased　continually；　sounding　like　the　strings　of　harps　tuned　to　a　forgotten　scale；　and　having　a　resonance　as　searching　as　the　strings　of　the　cello。

then　the　luring　excitement　became　more　powerful　than　my　will；　and　my　limbs　moved　in　spite　of　me。

in　a　moment　i　was　swept　away　in　a　whirlwind　of　notes。　my　breath　and　my　thoughts　and　every　impulse　of　my　body　became　a　form　of　the　dance；　till　i　could　not　distinguish　between　the　instrument　or　the　rhythm　and　my　own　person　or　consciousness。　for　a　while　it　seemed　an　excitement　that　was　filled　with　joy；　then　it　grew　into　an　ecstasy　where　all　existence　was　lost　in　the　vortex　of　movement。　i　could　not　think　that　there　had　been　a　life　beyond　the　whirling　of　the　dance。

then　with　a　shock；　the　ecstasy　turned　to　agony　and　rage。　i　struggled　to　free　myself　but　seemed　only　to　increase　the　passion　of　the　steps　i　moved　to。　when　i　shrieked　i　could　only　echo　the　notes　of　the　rhythm。　at　last；　with　a　movement　of　uncontrollable　frenzy　i　broke　back　to　consciousness　and　awoke。

i　dragged　myself　trembling　to　the　window　of　the　cottage　and　looked　out。　the　moon　was　glittering　across　the　bay　and　there　was　no　sound　anywhere　on　the　island。

　％％。



Synge　And　The　Ireland　Of　His　TimeXIII

gxiaoshuowang
in　all　drama　which　would　give　direct　expression　to　reverie；　to　the　speech　of　the　soul　with　itself；　there　is　some　device　that　checks　the　rapidity　of　dialogue。　when　oedipus　speaks　out　of　the　most　vehement　passions；　he　is　conscious　of　the　presence　of　the　chorus；　men　before　whom　he　must　keep　up　appearances　children　latest　born　of　cadmus　line　who　do　not　share　his　passion。　nobody　is　hurried　or　breathless。　we　listen　to　reports　and　discuss　them；　taking　part　as　it　were　in　a　council　of　state。　nothing　happens　before　our　eyes。　the　dignity　of　greek　drama；　and　in　a　lesser　degree　of　that　of　corneille　and　racine　depends；　as　contrasted　with　the　troubled　　life　of　shakespearean　drama；　on　an　almost　even　speed　of　dialogue；　and　on　a　so　continuous　exclusion　of　the　animation　of　mon　life；　that　thought　remains　lofty　and　language　rich。　shakespeare；　upon　whose　stage　everything　may　happen；　even　the　blinding　of　gloster；　and　who　has　no　formal　check　except　what　is　implied　in　the　slow；　elaborate　structure　of　blank　verse；　obtains　time　for　reverie　by　an　often　encumbering　euphuism；　and　by　such　a　loosening　of　his　plot　as　will　give　his　characters　the　leisure　to　look　at　life　from　without。　maeterlinck；　to　name　the　first　modern　of　the　old　way　who　es　to　mind？？reaches　the　same　end；　by　choosing　instead　of　human　beings　persons　who　are　as　faint　as　a　breath　upon　a　looking？glass；　symbols　who　can　speak　a　language　slow　and　heavy　with　dreams　because　their　own　life　is　but　a　dream。　modern　drama；　on　the　other　hand；　which　accepts　the　tightness　of　the　classic　plot；　while　expressing　life　directly；　has　been　driven　to　make　indirect　its　expression　of　the　mind；　which　it　leaves　to　be　inferred　from　some　mon？place　sentence　or　gesture　as　we　infer　it　in　ordinary　life；　and　this　is；　i　believe；　the　cause　of　the　perpetual　disappointment　of　the　hope　imagined　this　hundred　years　that　france　or　spain　or　germany　or　scandinavia　will　at　last　produce　the　master　we　await。

the　divisions　in　the　arts　are　almost　all　in　the　first　instance　technical；　and　the　great　schools　of　drama　have　been　divided　from　one　another　by　the　form　or　the　metal　of　their　mirror；　by　the　check　chosen　for　the　rapidity　of　dialogue。　synge　found　the　check　that　suited　his　temperament　in　an　elaboration　of　the　dialects　of　kerry　and　aran。　the　cadence　is　long　and　meditative；　as　befits　the　thought　of　men　who　are　much　alone；　and　who　when　they　meet　in　one　anothers　houses？？as　their　way　is　at　the　days　end？？listen　patiently；　each　man　speaking　in　turn　and　for　some　little　time；　and　taking　pleasure　in　the　vaguer　meaning　of　the　words　and　in　their　sound。　their　thought；　when　not　merely　practical；　is　as　full　of　traditional　wisdom　and　extravagant　pictures　as　that　of　some　aeschylean　chorus；　and　no　matter　what　the　topic　is；　it　is　as　though　the　present　were　held　at　arms　length。　it　is　the　reverse　of　rhetoric；　for　the　speaker　serves　his　own　delight；　though　doubtless　he　would　tell　you　that　like　rafterys　whiskey？　drinking　it　was　but　for　the　panys　sake。　a　medicinal　manner　of　speech　too；　for　it　could　not　even　express；　so　little　abstract　it　is　and　so　rammed　with　life；　those　worn　generalizations　of　national　propaganda。　ill　be　telling　you　the　finest　story　youd　hear　any　place　from　dundalk　to　ballinacree　with　great　queens　in　it；　making　themselves　matches　from　the　start　to　the　end；　and　they　with　shiny　silks　on　them　。。。　ive　a　grand　story　of　the　great　queens　of　ireland；　with　white　necks　on　them　the　like　of　sarah　casey；　and　fine　arms　would　hit　you　a　slap。。。。　what　good　am　i　this　night；　god　help　me？　what　good　are　the　grand　stories　i　have　when　its　few　would　listen　to　an　old　woman；　few　but　a　girl　maybe　would　be　in　great　fear　the　time　her　hour　was　e；　or　a　little　child　wouldnt　be　sleeping　with　the　hunger　on　a　cold　night。　that　has　the　flavour　of　homer；　of　the　bible；　of　villon；　while　cervantes　would　have　thought　it　sweet　in　the　mouth　though　not　his　food。　this　use　of　irish　dialect　for　noble　purpose　by　synge；　and　by　lady　gregory；　who　had　it　already　in　her　cuchulain　of　muirthemne；　and　by　dr。　hyde　in　those　first　translations　he　has　not　equalled　since；　has　done　much　for　national　dignity。　when　i　was　a　boy　i　was　often　troubled　and　sorrowful　because　scottish　dialect　was　capable　of　noble　use；　but　the　irish　of　obvious　roystering　humour　only；　and　this　error　fixed　on　my　imagination　by　so　many　novelists　and　rhymers　made　me　listen　badly。　synge　wrote　down　words　and　phrases　wherever　he　went；　and　with　that　knowledge　of　irish　which　made　all　our　country　idioms　easy　to　his　hand；　found　it　so　rich　a　thing；　that　he　had　begun　translating　into　it　fragments　of　the　great　literatures　of　the　world；　and　had　planned　a　plete　version　of　the　imitation　of　christ。　it　gave　him　imaginative　richness　and　yet　left　to　him　the　sting　and　tang　of　reality。　how　vivid　in　his　translation　from　villon　are　those　eyes　with　a　big　gay　look　out　of　them　would　bring　folly　from　a　great　scholar。　more　vivid　surely　than　anything　in　swinburnes　version；　and　how　noble　those　words　which　are　yet　simple　country　speech；　in　which　his　petrarch　mourns　that　death　came　upon　laura　just　as　time　was　making　chastity　easy；　and　the　day　e　when　lovers　may　sit　together　and　say　out　all　things　arc　in　their　hearts；　and　my　sweet　enemy　was　making　a　start；　little　by　little；　to　give　over　her　great　wariness；　the　way　she　was　wringing　a　sweet　thing　out　of　my　sharp　sorrow。

　％％。



Synge　And　The　Ireland　Of　His　TimeXIV

＊＝
once　when　i　had　been　saying　that　though　it　seemed　to　me　that　a　conventional　descriptive　passage　encumbered　the　action　at　the　moment　of　crisis。　i　liked　the　shadow　of　the　glen　better　than　riders　to　the　sea　that　is；　for　all　the　nobility　of　its　end；　its　mood　of　greek　tragedy；　too　passive　in　suffering；　and　had　quoted　from　matthew　arnolds　introduction　to　empedocles　on　etna；　synge　answered；　it　is　a　curious　thing　that　〃the　riders　to　the　　sea〃　succeeds　with　an　english　but　not　with　an　irish　audience；　and　〃the　shadow　of　the　glen〃　which　is　not　liked　by　an　english　audience　is　always　liked　in　ireland；　though　it　is　disliked　there　in　theory。　since　then　the　riders　to　the　sea　has　grown　into　great　popularity　in　dublin；　partly　because　with　the　tactical　instinct　of　an　irish　mob；　the　demonstrators　against　the　playboy　both　in　the　press　and　in　the　theatre；　where　it　began　the　evening；　selected　it　for　applause。　it　is　now　what　shelleys　cloud　was　for　many　years；　a　fort　to　those　who　do　not　like　to　deny　altogether　the　genius　they　cannot　understand。　yet　i　am　certain　that；　in　the　long　run；　his　grotesque　plays　with　their　lyric　beauty；　their　violent　laughter；　the　playboy　of　the　western　world　most　of　all；　will　be　loved　for　holding　so　much　of　the　mind　of　ireland。　synge　has　written　of　the　playboy　anyone　who　has　lived　in　real　intimacy　with　the　irish　peasantry　will　know　that　the　wildest　sayings　in　this　play　are　tame　indeed　pared　with　the　fancies　one　may　hear　at　any　little　hillside　cottage　of　geesala；　or　carraroe；　or　dingle　bay。

it　is　the　strangest；　the　most　beautiful　expression　in　drama　of　that　irish　fantasy；　which　overflowing　through　all　irish　literature　that　has　e　out　of　ireland　itself　（pare　the　fantastic　irish　account　of　the　battle　of　clontarf　with　the　sober　norse　account）　is　the　unbroken　character　of　irish　geniu