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安徒生童話故事第18篇：永恒的友情
引導語：永恒的友情大家知道作者是誰?是大家耳熟能詳的安徒生，我們一起來閱讀與學習這篇童話故事吧。
永恒的友情
我們飛離丹麥的海岸，
遠遠飛向陌生的國度，
在蔚藍美麗的海水邊，
我們踏上希臘的領土。
檸檬樹結滿了金黃果，
枝條被壓得垂向地上;
遍地起絨草長得繁多，
還有美麗的大理石像。
牧羊人坐著，狗在休息，
我們圍坐在他的四周，
聽他敘述“永恒的友誼”
這是古老的優美的風俗。
我們住的房子是泥土糊成的，不過門柱則是刻有長條凹槽的大理石。這些大理石是建造房子時從附近搬來的。屋頂很低，幾乎接近地面。它現在變成了棕色，很難看，不過它當初是用從山后砍來的、開著花的橄欖樹枝和新鮮的桂樹枝編成的。我們的住屋周圍的空間很狹窄。峻峭的石壁聳立著，露出一層黑黝黝的顏色。它們的頂上經常懸著一些云塊，很像白色的生物。我從來沒有聽到過一次鳥叫，這兒也從來沒有人在風笛聲中跳舞。不過這地方從遠古的時代起就是神圣的：它的名字就說明這一點，因為它叫做德爾菲①!那些莊嚴深黑的山頂上全蓋滿了雪。最高的一座山峰在紅色的晚霞中閃耀得最久——它就是帕那薩斯山②。一條溪流從它上面流下來，在我們的屋子旁邊流過——溪流從前也是神圣的。現在有一頭驢用腿把它攪渾了，但是水很急，一會兒它又變得清明如鏡。
每一塊地方和它神圣的寂靜，我記得多么清楚啊!在一間茅屋的中央，有一堆火在燒著。當那白熱的火焰在發著紅光的時候，人們就在它上面烤著面包。當雪花在我們的茅屋旁邊高高地堆起、幾乎要把這房子掩蓋住的時候，這就是我的母親最高興的時候。這時她就用雙手捧著我的頭，吻著我的前額，同時對我唱出她在任何其他的場合都不敢唱的歌——因為土耳其人是我們的統治者，不準人唱這支歌③。她唱道：
在奧林匹斯④的山頂上，在低矮的松樹林里，有一頭很老的赤鹿。它的眼睛里充滿了淚珠;它哭出紅色的、綠色的，甚至淡藍色的眼淚。這時有一頭紅褐色的小斑鹿走來，說：“什么東西叫你這樣難過，你哭得這樣厲害，哭出紅色的、綠色的，甚至淡藍色的眼淚呢?”赤鹿回答說：“土耳其人來到了我們村里，帶來了一群野狗打獵——一群厲害的野狗。”“我要把他們從這些島上趕走，”紅褐色的小斑鹿說，“我要把他們從這個島上趕到深海里去!”但是在黃昏還沒有到來以前，紅褐色的小斑鹿就已經被殺死了。在黑夜還沒有到來以前，赤鹿就被追趕著，終于也死去了。
當我的母親在唱這支歌的時候，她的眼睛都濕了，一顆淚珠掛在她長長的睫毛上。但是她不讓人看見她的淚珠，繼續在火焰上烤我們的黑面包。這時我就緊握著拳頭說：
“我們要殺掉土耳其人!”
她又把歌詞念了一遍：
“‘我要把他們從這些島上趕到深海里去!’但是在黃昏還沒有到來以前，紅褐色的小斑鹿就已經被殺死了。在黑夜還沒有到來以前，赤鹿就被追趕著，終于也死去了。”
當我的父親回來的時候、我們已經孤獨地在我們的茅屋里過了好幾天和好幾夜了。我知道，他會帶給我勒龐多灣⑤的貝殼，甚至一把明亮的刀子呢。不過這次他帶給我們一個小孩子——一個半裸著的小女孩。他把她摟在他的羊皮大衣里。她是裹在一張皮里。當這張皮脫下來的時候，她就躺在我母親的膝上。她所有的東西只是黑頭發上系著的三枚小銀幣。我的父親說，這孩子的爸爸和媽媽都被土耳其人殺死了。他講了許多關于他們的故事，弄得我整夜都夢著土耳其人。父親自己也受了傷，媽媽把他臂上的傷包扎起來。他的傷勢很重，他的羊皮衣被血凝結得硬化了。這個小姑娘將成為我的妹妹。她是那么可愛，那么明朗!就是我母親的眼睛也沒有她的那樣溫柔。安娜達西亞——這是她的名字——將成為我的妹妹，因為她的父親，根據我們仍然保存著的一種古老風俗，已經跟我的父親連成為骨肉了：他們在年輕的時候曾結拜為兄弟，那時他們選了鄰近的一位最美麗、最賢淑的女子來舉行結拜的儀式。我常常聽到人們談起這種奇怪的優美風俗。
這個小小的女孩子現在是我的妹妹了;她坐在我的膝蓋上，我送給她鮮花和山鳥的羽毛。我們一起喝帕那薩斯山的水，我們在這茅屋的桂樹枝編的屋頂下頭挨著頭睡覺，我的母親一連好幾個冬天唱著關于那個紅色、綠色和淡藍色的淚珠的故事。不過我那時還不懂，這些淚珠反映著我的同胞們的無限的悲愁。
有一天，三個佛蘭克人⑥來了。他們的裝束跟我們的不同，他們的馬背著帳篷和床。有20多個帶著劍和毛瑟槍的土耳其人陪伴著他們，因為他們是土耳其總督的朋友。他們還帶著總督派人護送的命令。他們到這兒來只不過想看看我們的山，爬爬那聳立在雪層和云塊中的帕那薩斯山峰，瞧瞧我們茅屋附近的那些奇怪的黑石崖。他們在我們的茅屋里找不到空處，也忍受不了陣陣炊煙，先是彌漫在我們的屋頂下，然后從低矮的門溜出去。他們在我們屋子外邊的一塊狹小的空地上搭起帳篷，烤著羔羊和雞，倒出了濃烈的美酒，但是土耳其人卻不敢喝⑦。
當他們離去的時候，我把裹在羊皮里的妹妹安娜達西亞背在背上，跟著他們走了一段路。有一個佛蘭克人叫我站在一塊大石頭的前面，把我和她站在那兒的樣子畫下來，畫得非常生動，好像我們是一個人一樣;我從來沒有想到過這樣的事情，不過安娜達西亞和我的確像是一個人。她總是坐在我的膝上，或者穿著羊皮衣趴在我的背上。當我在做夢的時候，她就在我的夢中出現。
過了兩晚，許多別的人到我們的茅屋里來了。他們都帶著大刀和毛瑟槍。我的母親說，他們是勇敢的阿爾巴尼亞人。他們只住了一個很短的時期。我的妹妹安娜達西亞在他們當中的一個人的膝上坐過。當這人走了以后，系在她頭發上的銀幣就不再有三枚，而只剩下兩枚了。他們把煙草卷在紙里，然后吸著。年紀最大的一位談著他們應該走哪條路好，但是猶豫不決。
不過他們得作一個決定。他們終于走開了，我的父親也跟他們一同去了。不久，我們就聽到劈啪的槍聲。兵士們沖進我們的茅屋里來，把我的母親、我自己和安娜達西亞都俘虜去了。他們宣稱我們窩藏“強盜”，說我的父親做了“強盜”的向導，因此要把我們帶走。我看到了“強盜”們的尸首;我也看到了我父親的尸首。我大哭起來，哭到后來睡著了。當我醒來的時候，我們已經被關進牢里了。不過監牢并不比我們的茅屋更壞。我們吃了一點洋蔥。喝了一點從一個漆皮囊里倒出來的發了霉的酒，但是我們家里的東西也并不比這更好。
我記不起我們在牢里關了多久。不過許多白天和黑夜過去了。當我們出來的時候，已經要過神圣的耶穌復活節了。我把安娜達西亞背在背上，因為我的母親病了，她只能慢慢地走路。我們要走很長一段路才能到達海邊，到達勒龐多灣。我們走進一個教堂里去;金地上的神像射出光輝。這是安琪兒的畫像。啊，他們是多么美!不過我覺得我們的小安娜達西亞同樣美麗。教堂中央停著一口棺材，里面裝滿了玫瑰花。“這就是主基督，他作為美麗的花朵躺在那里面。”我的母親說。于是牧師就說：“耶穌升起來了!”大家都互相吻著：每人手中拿著一支燃著的蠟燭。我也拿著一支，小小的安娜達西亞也拿著一支。風笛奏起來了，男人手挽著手從教堂里舞出來，女人們在外面烤著復活節的羊。我們也被邀請了。我坐在火堆旁邊。一個年紀比我大一點的孩子用手摟著我的脖子，吻著我，同時說：“耶穌升起來了!”我們兩人，亞夫旦尼得斯和我，第一次就是這樣碰見的。
我的母親會織漁網。在這塊海灣地帶，人們對于漁網的需求很大。所以我們在這個海邊，在這個美麗的海邊，住了很久。海水的味道像眼淚一樣;海水的顏色使我記起了那只赤鹿的眼淚——一會兒變紅，一會兒變綠，一會兒變藍。
亞夫旦尼得斯會駕船。我常常和小安娜達西亞坐在船上。船在水面上行駛，像云塊在空中流動一樣。太陽落下去的時候，群山就染上一層深藍的顏色，這道山脈比那道山脈高，在最遠的地方是積雪的帕那薩斯山。山峰在晚霞中像火熱的鐵那樣發著光。這光輝好像是從山里面射出來的，因為當太陽落了以后，它仍然在清凈蔚藍的空中放射了很久。白色的海鳥們用翅膀點著海水。除此以外，海上是清靜無聲，像黑石山中的德爾菲一樣，我在船里仰天躺著，安娜達西亞靠在我的胸脯上，天上的星星照得比我們教堂里的燈光還亮。它們像我們在德爾菲的茅屋前面坐著時所看到的星星那樣，它們的方位一點也沒有改變。最后我似乎覺得已經回到那兒去了。忽然間，水里起了一陣響聲，船猛烈地搖動起來。我大聲叫喊，因為安娜達西亞落到水里去了。不過，沒有一會兒，亞夫旦尼得斯也非常敏捷，他立刻把她向我托上來!我們把她的衣服脫下，把水擠出來，然后又替她把衣服穿好。亞夫旦尼得斯也為自己這樣做了。我們停在水上，一直到衣服曬干為止，誰也不知道，我們這位干妹妹使我們感到多么驚慌。對于她的生命，亞夫旦尼得斯現在也做了一份貢獻。
夏天來了!太陽把樹上的葉子都烤得枯黃了。我懷戀著我們那些清涼的高山和山里新鮮的泉水，我的母親也懷戀著它們;因此一天晚上，我們就回到故鄉去。多么和平，多么安靜啊!我們在高高的麝香草上走過。雖然太陽把它的葉子曬焦了，它仍然發出芬芳的香氣。我們沒有遇到一個牧人，也沒有見到一間茅屋。處處是一片荒涼和靜寂。只有一顆流星說明天上還有生命在活動。我不知道，那清明蔚藍的天空自己在發著光呢，還是星星在發著光，我們可以清楚地看出群山的輪廓。我的母親燒起火，烤了幾個她隨身帶著的洋蔥。我和我的小妹妹睡在麝香草里，一點也不害怕那喉嚨里噴火的、丑惡的斯米特拉基⑧狼或山狗。我的母親坐在我們的旁邊——我想這已經夠了。
我們回到了老家;不過我們的茅屋已經成了一堆廢墟，現在我們得把它重建起來。有好幾個女人來幫助我的母親。不到幾天工夫，新的墻又砌起來了，還有夾竹桃枝子編的新屋頂。我的母親用樹皮和獸皮做了許多瓶套子。我看守牧師的一小群羊;安娜達西亞和小烏龜成了我的玩伴。
有一天我們親愛的亞夫旦尼得斯來拜訪我們。他說他非常想看我們，所以他跟我們在一起愉快地住了兩個整天。
一個月以后，他又來了。他說他要乘船到巴特拉和科孚去⑨，所以要先來和我們告別。他帶來一條大魚送給我的母親。他會講許多故事——不僅關于在勒龐多灣的漁夫的故事，而且關于那些像現在的土耳其人一樣統治過希臘的君主和英雄的故事。
我曾經看到玫瑰花樹上冒出一顆花苞。它花了許多天和許多星期的光陰才慢慢開成一朵玫瑰花。它美麗地在花枝上懸著，在我一點也沒有想到它會變得多大、多美和多紅以前，它就已經是這樣的一朵花了。安娜達西亞對我說來也是這樣。她現在成了一個美麗的姑娘了，而我也成了一個健壯的年輕人。蓋在我母親和安娜達西亞床上的狼皮，就是我親自從狼身上剝下來的——我用槍打死的狼。
好幾年過去了。一天晚上亞夫旦尼得斯來了。他現在長得很結實，棕色皮膚，像蘆葦一樣頎長。他跟我們大家親吻。他談到海洋，馬耳他的堡壘和埃及的奇怪的石冢⑩。他的這些故事聽起來很神奇，像是一個關于牧師的傳說。我懷著一種尊敬的心情望著他。
“你知道的東西真多啊!”我說。“你真會講!”
“不過最美的故事是你講給我聽的!”他說。“你曾經告訴過我一件事，我一直忘記不了——一件關于結拜兄弟的古老風俗。我倒很想按照這個風俗做呢!兄弟，我們到教堂去吧!像你的父親和安娜達西亞的父親那樣。你的妹妹安娜達西亞是一個最美麗、最純真的女子;讓她來做我們的證人吧!誰也比不上我們希臘人，我們有這樣一個美麗的風俗。”
安娜達西亞的臉兒紅起來了，像一朵新鮮的玫瑰。我的母親把亞夫旦記得斯吻了一下。
離開我們房子大約一點鐘的路程，在山上一塊有些松土和幾株稀疏的樹撒下一點蔭影的地方，立著一個小小的教堂。祭臺前面掛著一盞銀燈。
我穿著我最好的衣服：腰上束著一條白色的多褶短裙，身上穿著一件緊緊的紅上衣，我的菲茲帽⑾上的纓子是銀色的。我的腰帶內插著一把刀子和一把槍。亞夫旦尼得斯穿著希臘水手的藍制服，胸前掛著刻有圣母瑪利亞像的銀章，他的領巾是像富有的紳士所戴的那樣華貴。無論什么人一看就知道我們要去舉行一個莊嚴的儀式。我們走進這個簡陋的小教堂。從門外射進來的晚霞，照在燃著的燈上和繪在金底色的圣像上。我們在祭壇的臺階上跪下來，這時安娜達西亞在我們面前站著。她苗條的身上寬松地穿著一件白色的長袍;從她的雪白的頸項直到胸前掛著一個綴滿了新舊錢幣的鏈子，像一個完整的衣領，她的黑發攏到頭頂上，梳成一個髻，上面戴著小帽，帽子上綴有一些從古廟中尋來的金銀幣。任何希臘的女子也沒有她這樣的飾品。她的面孔發著光，她的眼睛像兩顆星星。
我們三個人一齊靜靜地祈禱著;于是她問我們：
“你們兩個人將成為共生死的朋友嗎?”
“是，”我們回答說。
“那么在任何情況下，請你們記住這句話：我的兄弟是我身體的一部分!我的秘密就是他的秘密，我的幸福就是他的幸福!自我犧牲、耐心——我所有的一切東西將為他所有，也正如為我所有一樣，成嗎?”
我們又回答說：“成!”
于是她把我們兩人的手合在一起，在我們的額上吻了一下。然后我們又靜靜地祈禱著。這時牧師從祭臺邊的門走出來，對我們三個人祝福。在祭臺的簾子后面，升起了圣者的歌聲。我們永恒的友誼現在建立起來了。當我們站起來的時候，我看到我的母親站在教堂的門邊痛哭。
在我們小小的茅屋里，在德爾菲的泉水旁邊，一切是多么愉快啊!亞夫旦尼得斯，在他離去的頭一天晚上，跟我一起默默地坐在一個山坡上面。他的手抱著我的腰，我的手圍著他的脖子;我們談到希臘的不幸，談到我們國家誰是可以信任的人。我們靈魂中的每一個思想，現在赤裸裸地暴露在我們面前。我緊握著他的手。
“有一件事你還得知道，這件事一直到現在只有蒼天和我知道，我整個的靈魂現在是在愛情中——一種比我對我的母親和你還要強烈的愛情!”
“你愛誰呢?”亞夫旦尼得斯問，于是他的臉和脖子就紅起來。
“我愛安娜達西亞!”我說——于是他的手在我的手里顫抖起來，他變得像死尸一樣慘白，我看到了這情景;我了解其中的道理!我相信我自己的手也在顫抖。我對他彎下腰來，吻了他的前額，低聲說：“我從來沒有對她表示過!也許她不愛我!兄弟，請想一想：我每天看到她，她是在我身旁長大的，她簡直成了我的靈魂的一部分!”
“那么她是屬于你的!”他說，“屬于你的!我不能欺騙你——我也決不欺騙你!我也愛她呀!不過明天早晨我就要離去了。一年以后我們才能再見面。那時你們已經結婚了，會不會?我有一點錢，那是屬于你的。你得拿去，你應該拿去!”
我們在山上走過，一句話也沒有說。當我們走到母親門口的時候，天已經黑了很久。當我們走進門的時候，我母親不在，安娜達西亞舉起燈向我們走來，她用一種奇怪的悲哀的眼光望著亞夫旦尼得斯。
“明天你就要離開我們了!”她說。“這真使我感到難過!”
“使你難過!”他說。我覺得他的聲音里表示出來的苦痛，跟我心中的苦痛是一樣深。我說不出話來，不過他緊握著她的手，說道：
“我的這位兄弟愛你，你也愛他，是不是?他的沉默是他對你的愛情的明證。”
安娜達西亞顫抖起來，放聲大哭。這時我的眼中，我的思想中，只有她的存在。我張開雙臂抱著她說：“是的，我愛你!”
她把嘴唇貼在我的嘴上，雙手摟著我的脖子。不過那盞燈跌到地上去了，我們四周是一片黑暗——像親愛的。可憐的亞夫旦尼得斯的心一樣。
在天還沒有亮以前，他就起了床。他把大家都吻了一下，說了再會，就離去了。他把所有的錢都交給了我的母親，作為我們大家的用費。安娜達西亞成了我的未婚妻。幾天以后，她成了我的妻子。
①德爾菲(Delphi)是希臘的舊都。希臘的太陽神阿波羅的神廟就在這里。
②帕那薩斯山(Parnassus)在希臘的中部，有2459米高，神話中說是阿波羅和文藝女神居住的地方。
③從15世紀中葉起一直到19世紀初，希臘是被土耳其人占領的。
④奧林匹斯山(Olympus)是希臘東北部的一座大山，據神話上說，它是希臘眾神所住的地方。
⑤勒龐多灣(Lepanto)是希臘西部的一個海口。
⑥佛蘭克人(Frank)是古代住在萊茵河流域的一個德國民族。
⑦土耳其人一般信仰伊斯蘭教。
⑧斯米特拉基(Smidraki)是希臘迷信中的一種怪物。它是從人們拋到田野里去的羊腸子所產生出來的。
⑨巴特拉(Patras)是希臘西部的一個海口。科孚(Corfu)是希臘西北部的一個海島。
⑩指埃及的金字塔。
⑾菲茲帽(Fesz)是一種圓筒狀的紅色帽子。信仰伊斯蘭教的人一般都戴這種帽子。但在土耳其人統治下，希臘人也得戴這種帽子。
永恒的友情英文版：
The Shepherd’s Story of the Bond of Friendship
THE little dwelling in which we lived was of clay, but the door-posts were columns of fluted marble, found near the spot on which it stood. The roof sloped nearly to the ground. It was at this time dark, brown, and ugly, but had originally been formed of blooming olive and laurel branches, brought from beyond the mountains. The house was situated in a narrow gorge, whose rocky walls rose to a perpendicular height, naked and black, while round their summits clouds often hung, looking like white living figures. Not a singing bird was ever heard there, neither did men dance to the sound of the pipe. The spot was one sacred to olden times; even its name recalled a memory of the days when it was called “Delphi.” Then the summits of the dark, sacred mountains were covered with snow, and the highest, mount Parnassus, glowed longest in the red evening light. The brook which rolled from it near our house, was also sacred. How well I can remember every spot in that deep, sacred solitude! A fire had been kindled in the midst of the hut, and while the hot ashes lay there red and glowing, the bread was baked in them. At times the snow would be piled so high around our hut as almost to hide it, and then my mother appeared most cheerful. She would hold my head between her hands, and sing the songs she never sang at other times, for the Turks, our masters, would not allow it. She sang,—
“On the summit of mount Olympus, in a forest of dwarf firs, lay an old stag. His eyes were heavy with tears, and glittering with colors like dewdrops; and there came by a roebuck, and said, ’What ailest thee, that thou weepest blue and red tears?’ And the stag answered, ’The Turk has come to our city; he has wild dogs for the chase, a goodly pack.’ ’I will drive them away across the islands!’ cried the young roebuck; ’I will drive them away across the islands into the deep sea.’ But before evening the roebuck was slain, and before night the hunted stag was dead.”
And when my mother sang thus, her eyes would become moist; and on the long eyelashes were tears, but she concealed them and watched the black bread baking in the ashes. Then I would clench my fist, and cry, “We will kill these Turks!” But she repeated the words of the song, “I will drive them across the islands to the deep sea; but before evening came the roebuck was slain, and before the night the hunted stag was dead.”
We had been lonely in our hut for several days and nights when my father came home. I knew he would bring me some shells from the gulf of Lepanto, or perhaps a knife with a shining blade. This time he brought, under his sheep-skin cloak, a little child, a little half-naked girl. She was wrapped in a fur; but when this was taken off, and she lay in my mother’s lap, three silver coins were found fastened in her dark hair; they were all her possessions. My father told us that the child’s parents had been killed by the Turks, and he talked so much about them that I dreamed of Turks all night. He himself had been wounded, and my mother bound up his arm. It was a deep wound, and the thick sheep-skin cloak was stiff with congealed blood. The little maiden was to be my sister. How pretty and bright she looked: even my mother’s eyes were not more gentle than hers. Anastasia, as she was called, was to be my sister, because her father had been united to mine by an old custom, which we still follow. They had sworn brotherhood in their youth, and the most beautiful and virtuous maiden in the neighborhood was chosen to perform the act of consecration upon this bond of friendship. So now this little girl was my sister. She sat in my lap, and I brought her flowers, and feathers from the birds of the mountain. We drank together of the waters of Parnassus, and dwelt for many years beneath the laurel roof of the hut, while, winter after winter, my mother sang her song of the stag who shed red tears. But as yet I did not understand that the sorrows of my own countrymen were mirrored in those tears.
One day there came to our hut Franks, men from a far country, whose dress was different to ours. They had tents and beds with them, carried by horses; and they were accompanied by more than twenty Turks, all armed with swords and muskets. These Franks were friends of the Pacha, and had letters from him, commanding an escort for them. They only came to see our mountain, to ascend Parnassus amid the snow and clouds, and to look at the strange black rocks which raised their steep sides near our hut. They could not find room in the hut, nor endure the smoke that rolled along the ceiling till it found its way out at the low door; so they pitched their tents on a small space outside our dwelling. Roasted lambs and birds were brought forth, and strong, sweet wine, of which the Turks are forbidden to partake.
When they departed, I accompanied them for some distance, carrying my little sister Anastasia, wrapped in a goat-skin, on my back. One of the Frankish gentlemen made me stand in front of a rock, and drew us both as we stood there, so that we looked like one creature. I did not think of it then, but Anastasia and I were really one. She was always sitting on my lap, or riding in the goat-skin on my back; and in my dreams she always appeared to me.
Two nights after this, other men, armed with knives and muskets, came into our tent. They were Albanians, brave men, my mother told me. They only stayed a short time. My sister Anastasia sat on the knee of one of them; and when they were gone, she had not three, but two silver coins in her hair—one had disappeared. They wrapped tobacco in strips of paper, and smoked it; and I remember they were uncertain as to the road they ought to take. But they were obliged to go at last, and my father went with them. Soon after, we heard the sound of firing. The noise continued, and presently soldiers rushed into our hut, and took my mother and myself and Anastasia prisoners. They declared that we had entertained robbers, and that my father had acted as their guide, and therefore we must now go with them. The corpses of the robbers, and my father’s corpse, were brought into the hut. I saw my poor dead father, and cried till I fell asleep. When I awoke, I found myself in a prison; but the room was not worse than our own in the hut. They gave me onions and musty wine from a tarred cask; but we were not accustomed to much better fare at home. How long we were kept in prison, I do not know; but many days and nights passed by. We were set free about Easter-time. I carried Anastasia on my back, and we walked very slowly; for my mother was very weak, and it is a long way to the sea, to the Gulf of Lepanto.
On our arrival, we entered a church, in which there were beautiful pictures in golden frames. They were pictures of angels, fair and bright; and yet our little Anastasia looked equally beautiful, as it seemed to me. In the centre of the floor stood a coffin filled with roses. My mother told me it was the Lord Jesus Christ who was represented by these roses. Then the priest announced, “Christ is risen,” and all the people greeted each other. Each one carried a burning taper in his hand, and one was given to me, as well as to little Anastasia. The music sounded, and the people left the church hand-in-hand, with joy and gladness. Outside, the women were roasting the paschal lamb. We were invited to partake; and as I sat by the fire, a boy, older than myself, put his arms round my neck, and kissed me, and said, “Christ is risen.” And thus it was that for the first time I met Aphtanides.
My mother could make fishermen’s nets, for which there was a great demand here in the bay; and we lived a long time by the side of the sea, the beautiful sea, that had a taste like tears, and in its colors reminded me of the stag that wept red tears; for sometimes its waters were red, and sometimes green or blue. Aphtanides knew how to manage our boat, and I often sat in it, with my little Anastasia, while it glided on through the water, swift as a bird flying through the air. Then, when the sun set, how beautifully, deeply blue, would be the tint on the mountains, one rising above the other in the far distance, and the summit of mount Parnassus rising above them all like a glorious crown. Its top glittered in the evening rays like molten gold, and it seemed as if the light came from within it; for long after the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, the mountain-top would glow in the clear, blue sky. The white aquatic birds skimmed the surface of the water in their flight, and all was calm and still as amid the black rocks at Delphi. I lay on my back in the boat, Anastasia leaned against me, while the stars above us glittered more brightly than the lamps in our church. They were the same stars, and in the same position over me as when I used to sit in front of our hut at Delphi, and I had almost begun to fancy I was still there, when suddenly there was a splash in the water—Anastasia had fallen in; but in a moment Aphtanides has sprung in after her, and was now holding her up to me. We dried her clothes as well as we were able, and remained on the water till they were dry; for we did not wish it to be known what a fright we had had, nor the danger which our little adopted sister had incurred, in whose life Aphtanides had now a part.
The summer came, and the burning heat of the sun tinted the leaves of the trees with lines of gold. I thought of our cool mountain-home, and the fresh water that flowed near it; my mother, too, longed for if, and one evening we wandered towards home. How peaceful and silent it was as we walked on through the thick, wild thyme, still fragrant, though the sun had scorched the leaves. Not a single herdsman did we meet, not a solitary hut did we pass; everything appeared lonely and deserted—only a shooting star showed that in the heavens there was yet life. I know not whether the clear, blue atmosphere gleamed with its own light, or if the radiance came from the stars; but we could distinguish quite plainly the outline of the mountains. My mother lighted a fire, and roasted some roots she had brought with her, and I and my little sister slept among the bushes, without fear of the ugly smidraki,1 from whose throat issues fire, or of the wolf and the jackal; for my mother sat by us, and I considered her presence sufficient protection.
We reached our old home; but the cottage was in ruins, and we had to build a new one. With the aid of some neighbors, chiefly women, the walls were in a few days erected, and very soon covered with a roof of olive-branches. My mother obtained a living by making bottle-cases of bark and skins, and I kept the sheep belonging to the priests, who were sometimes peasants,2 while I had for my playfellows Anastasia and the turtles.
Once our beloved Aphtanides paid us a visit. He said he had been longing to see us so much; and he remained with us two whole happy days. A month afterwards he came again to wish us good-bye, and brought with him a large fish for my mother. He told us he was going in a ship to Corfu and Patras, and could relate a great many stories, not only about the fishermen who lived near the gulf of Lepanto, but also of kings and heroes who had once possessed Greece, just as the Turks possess it now.
I have seen a bud on a rose-bush gradually, in the course of a few weeks, unfold its leaves till it became a rose in all its beauty; and, before I was aware of it, I beheld it blooming in rosy loveliness. The same thing had happened to Anastasia. Unnoticed by me, she had gradually become a beautiful maiden, and I was now also a stout, strong youth. The wolf-skins that covered the bed in which my mother and Anastasia slept, had been taken from wolves which I had myself shot.
Years had gone by when, one evening, Aphtanides came in. He had grown tall and slender as a reed, with strong limbs, and a dark, brown skin. He kissed us all, and had so much to tell of what he had seen of the great ocean, of the fortifications at Malta, and of the marvellous sepulchres of Egypt, that I looked up to him with a kind of veneration. His stories were as strange as the legends of the priests of olden times.
“How much you know!” I exclaimed, “and what wonders you can relate?”
“I think what you once told me, the finest of all,” he replied; “you told me of a thing that has never been out of my thoughts—of the good old custom of ’the bond of friendship,’—a custom I should like to follow. Brother, let you and I go to church, as your father and Anastasia’s father once did. Your sister Anastasia is the most beautiful and most innocent of maidens, and she shall consecrate the deed. No people have such grand old customs as we Greeks.”
Anastasia blushed like a young rose, and my mother kissed Aphtanides.
At about two miles from our cottage, where the earth on the hill is sheltered by a few scattered trees, stood the little church, with a silver lamp hanging before the altar. I put on my best clothes, and the white tunic fell in graceful folds over my hips. The red jacket fitted tight and close, the tassel on my Fez cap was of silver, and in my girdle glittered a knife and my pistols. Aphtanides was clad in the blue dress worn by the Greek sailors; on his breast hung a silver medal with the figure of the Virgin Mary, and his scarf was as costly as those worn by rich lords. Every one could see that we were about to perform a solemn ceremony. When we entered the little, unpretending church, the evening sunlight streamed through the open door on the burning lamp, and glittered on the golden picture frames. We knelt down together on the altar steps, and Anastasia drew near and stood beside us. A long, white garment fell in graceful folds over her delicate form, and on her white neck and bosom hung a chain entwined with old and new coins, forming a kind of collar. Her black hair was fastened into a knot, and confined by a headdress formed of gold and silver coins which had been found in an ancient temple. No Greek girl had more beautiful ornaments than these. Her countenance glowed, and her eyes were like two stars. We all three offered a silent prayer, and then she said to us, “Will you be friends in life and in death?”
“Yes,” we replied.
“Will you each remember to say, whatever may happen, ’My brother is a part of myself; his secret is my secret, my happiness is his; self-sacrifice, patience, everything belongs to me as they do to him?’ ”
And we again answered, “Yes.” Then she joined out hands and kissed us on the forehead, and we again prayed silently. After this a priest came through a door near the altar, and blessed us all three. Then a song was sung by other holy men behind the altar-screen, and the bond of eternal friendship was confirmed. When we arose, I saw my mother standing by the church door, weeping.
How cheerful everything seemed now in our little cottage by the Delphian springs! On the evening before his departure, Aphtanides sat thoughtfully beside me on the slopes of the mountain. His arm was flung around me, and mine was round his neck. We spoke of the sorrows of Greece, and of the men of the country who could be trusted. Every thought of our souls lay clear before us. Presently I seized his hand: “Aphtanides,” I exclaimed, “there is one thing still that you must know,—one thing that till now has been a secret between myself and Heaven. My whole soul is filled with love,—with a love stronger than the love I bear to my mother and to thee.”
“And whom do you love?” asked Aphtanides. And his face and neck grew red as fire.
“I love Anastasia,” I replied.
Then his hand trembled in mine, and he became pale as a corpse. I saw it, I understood the cause, and I believe my hand trembled too. I bent towards him, I kissed his forehead, and whispered, “I have never spoken of this to her, and perhaps she does not love me. Brother, think of this; I have seen her daily, she has grown up beside me, and has become a part of my soul.”
“And she shall be thine,” he exclaimed; “thine! I may not wrong thee, nor will I do so. I also love her, but tomorrow I depart. In a year we will see each other again, but then you will be married; shall it not be so? I have a little gold of my own, it shall be yours. You must and shall take it.”
We wandered silently homeward across the mountains. It was late in the evening when we reached my mother’s door. Anastasia held the lamp as we entered; my mother was not there. She looked at Aphtanides with a sweet but mournful expression on her face. “To-morrow you are going to leave us,” she said. “I am very sorry.”
“Sorry!” he exclaimed, and his voice was troubled with a grief as deep as my own. I could not speak; but he seized her hand and said, “Our brother yonder loves you, and is he not dear to you? His very silence now proves his affection.”
Anastasia trembled, and burst into tears. Then I saw no one, thought of none, but her. I threw my arms round her, and pressed my lips to hers. As she flung her arms round my neck, the lamp fell to the ground, and we were in darkness, dark as the heart of poor Aphtanides.
Before daybreak he rose, kissed us all, and said “Farewell,” and went away. He had given all his money to my mother for us. Anastasia was betrothed to me, and in a few days afterwards she became my wife.
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