Chapter 12. The Baleful Sacrifice

I resolved to go on no more sacred hunts. I was sickened at the horrible cruelty, the needless slaughter, the mad self-sacrifice which distinguished them. Ik werd misselijk van de afschuwelijke wreedheid, de onnodige slachting, de waanzinnige zelfopoffering die hen onderscheidde. I was overwhelmed with horror at the merciless destruction of brave comrades, whose wounds, so gallantly received, should have been enough to inspire pity even in a heart of stone. Je fus accablé d'horreur devant la destruction impitoyable de braves camarades, dont les blessures, si galamment reçues, auraient dû suffire à inspirer la pitié jusqu'à un cœur de pierre. The gentleness, the incessant kindness, the matchless generosity of these people seemed all a mockery. What availed it all when the same hand that heaped favors upon me, the guest, could deal death without compunction upon friends and relatives? A quoi cela servait-il quand la même main qui m'avait comblé de faveurs, l'invité, pouvait infliger la mort sans scrupule à mes amis et à mes parents ? Какая польза от всего этого, когда та же рука, которая одаривала меня, гостя, могла без сожаления нанести смерть друзьям и родственникам? It seemed quite possible for the Kohen to kill his own child, or cut the throat of his wife, if the humor seized him. Казалось, что Коэн вполне может убить собственного ребенка или перерезать горло своей жене, если юмор захватит его. And how long could I hope to be spared among a people who had this insane thirst for blood? И как долго я могу надеяться, что меня пощадят среди людей, которые испытывали безумную жажду крови?

Some more joms had passed, and the light season had almost ended. Прошло еще несколько джомов, и световой сезон почти закончился. The sun had been sinking lower and lower. The time had at last come when only a portion of his disk would be visible for a little while above the hills, and then he would be seen no more for six months of our time. This was the dark season, and, as I had already learned, its advent was always hailed with joy and celebrated with solemn services, for the dark season freed them from their long confinement, permitted them to go abroad, to travel by sea and land, to carry on their great works, to indulge in all their most important labors and favorite amusements. C'était la saison sombre, et, comme je l'avais déjà appris, son avènement était toujours salué avec joie et célébré avec des offices solennels, car la saison sombre les libérait de leur long confinement, leur permettait d'aller à l'étranger, de voyager par mer et par terre. , pour continuer leurs grands travaux, pour s'adonner à tous leurs travaux les plus importants et à leurs amusements préférés. Это было темное время года, и, как я уже знал, его приход всегда приветствовался радостью и отмечался торжественными службами, потому что темный сезон освободил их от долгого заточения, позволил им уехать за границу, путешествовать по морю и суше. , чтобы продолжать свои великие дела, заниматься всеми своими самыми важными трудами и любимыми развлечениями. The Kohen asked me to be present at the great festival, and I gladly consented. There seemed to be nothing in this that could be repellent. As I was anxious to witness some of their purely religious ceremonies, I wished to go. When I told Almah, she looked sad, but said nothing. I wondered at this, and asked her if she was going. She informed me that she would have to go, whereupon I assured her that this was an additional reason why I should go.

I went with Almah. The Kohen attended us with his usual kind and gracious consideration. It seemed almost as though he was our servant. He took us to a place where we could be seated, although all the others were standing. Almah wished to refuse, but I prevailed upon her to sit down, and she did so. Almah a voulu refuser, mais je l'ai convaincue de s'asseoir, et elle l'a fait.

The scene was upon the semicircular terrace in front of the cavern, and we were seated upon a stone platform beside the chief portal. La scène se passait sur la terrasse semi-circulaire devant la caverne, et nous étions assis sur une plate-forme de pierre à côté du portail principal. A vast crowd was gathered in front. Une foule immense était rassemblée devant. Before us arose the half-pyramid of which I have already spoken. The light was faint. It came from the disk of the sun, which was partly visible over the icy crest of the distant mountains. Far away the sea was visible, rising high over the tops of the trees, while overhead the brighter stars were plainly discernible. Au loin, la mer était visible, s'élevant au-dessus de la cime des arbres, tandis qu'au-dessus de nous, les étoiles les plus brillantes étaient clairement discernables.

The Kohen ascended the pyramid, and others followed. At the base there was a crowd of men, with emaciated forms and faces, and coarse, squalid attire, who looked like the most abject paupers, and seemed the lowest in the land. À la base, il y avait une foule d'hommes, aux formes et aux visages émaciés, et aux vêtements grossiers et sordides, qui ressemblaient aux plus abjects pauvres et semblaient les plus bas du pays. Aan de basis was een menigte mannen, met uitgemergelde vormen en gezichten, en grove, smerige kleding, die eruitzagen als de meest ellendige paupers, en de laagste van het land leken. У основания была толпа людей с изможденными формами и лицами в грубой убогой одежде, которые выглядели как самые жалкие нищие и казались самыми низкими в стране. As the Kohen reached the summit there arose a strange sound--a mournful, plaintive chant, which seemed to be sung chiefly by the paupers at the base of the pyramid. Alors que le Kohen atteignait le sommet, un son étrange s'éleva, un chant lugubre et plaintif, qui semblait être chanté principalement par les pauvres à la base de la pyramide. Когда коэн достиг вершины, раздался странный звук - жалобное, жалобное песнопение, которое, казалось, пели в основном нищие у основания пирамиды. The words of this chant I could not make out, but the melancholy strain affected me in spite of myself. Les mots de ce chant, je ne pouvais pas comprendre, mais la tension mélancolique m'a touché malgré moi. De woorden van dit gezang kon ik niet verstaan, maar de melancholische spanning trof me ondanks mezelf. There was no particular tune, and nothing like harmony; but the effect of so many voices uniting in this strain was very powerful and altogether indescribable. In the midst of this I saw the crowd parting asunder so as to make way for something; and through the passage thus formed I saw a number of youths in long robes, who advanced to the pyramid, singing as they went. Au milieu de cela, je vis la foule s'écarter pour faire place à quelque chose ; et à travers le passage ainsi formé, j'ai vu un certain nombre de jeunes en longues robes, qui s'avançaient vers la pyramide, chantant en marchant. Посреди всего этого я увидел, как толпа расходится, чтобы уступить дорогу чему-то; и через проход, образованный таким образом, я увидел несколько юношей в длинных одеждах, которые подошли к пирамиде и пели на ходу. Then they ascended the steps, two by two, still singing, and at length reached the summit, where they arranged themselves in order. There were thirty of them and they arranged themselves in three rows of ten each, and as they stood they never ceased to sing, while the paupers below joined in the strain.

And now the sun was almost hidden, and there was only the faintest line from the upper edge of his disk perceptible over the icy mountain-tops. The light was a softened twilight glow. It was to be the last sight of the sun for six months, and this was the spectacle upon which he threw his parting beam. Ce devait être la dernière vue du soleil pendant six mois, et c'était le spectacle sur lequel il jeta son rayon d'adieu. So the sun passed away, and then there came the beginning of the long dark season. Alors le soleil disparut, et puis vint le début de la longue saison sombre. At first, however, there was rather twilight than darkness, and this twilight continued long. All this only served to heighten the effect of this striking scene; and as the light faded away, I looked with increasing curiosity upon the group at the top of the pyramid. Almah was silent. I half turned, and said something to her about the beauty of the view. She said nothing, but looked at me with such an expression that I was filled with amazement. I saw in her face something like a dreadful anticipation--something that spoke of coming evil. The feeling was communicated to me, and I turned my eyes back to the group on the pyramid with vague fears in my soul.

Those fears were but too well founded, for now the dread ceremony began. Ces craintes n'étaient que trop fondées, car maintenant la cérémonie de l'effroi commença. The Kohen drew his knife, and placed himself at the head of the stone table. One of the youths came forward, stepped upon it, and lay down on his back with his head toward the Kohen. L'un des jeunes s'avança, marcha dessus et s'allongea sur le dos, la tête tournée vers le Kohen. Один из юношей подошел к нему, наступил на него и лег на спину, повернув голову к Коэну. The mournful chant still went on. Then the Kohen raised his knife and plunged it into the heart of the youth. I sat for a moment rooted to the spot; then a groan burst from me in spite of myself. Je restai un instant cloué sur place ; puis un gémissement jaillit de moi malgré moi. Almah caught my hands in hers, which were as cold as ice.

"Be firm," she said, "or we are both lost. «Будь тверд, - сказала она, - или мы оба потеряны». Be firm, Atam-or!" "I must go," said I, and I tried to rise. "Don't move," she said, "for your life! We are lost if you move. Keep still--restrain yourself--shut your eyes." Ne bougez pas, retenez-vous, fermez les yeux." I tried to do so, but could not. There was a horrible fascination about the scene which forced me to look and see all. The Kohen took the victim, and drawing it from the altar, threw it over the precipice to the ground beneath. Le Cohen prit la victime, et la tirant de l'autel, la jeta par-dessus le précipice jusqu'au sol en dessous. Then a loud shout burst forth from the great crowd. Alors un grand cri jaillit de la grande foule. "Sibgu Sibgin! Ranenu! Hodu lecosck!" which means, "Sacrifice the victims! Rejoice! Give thanks to darkness!" Then another of the youths went forward amid the singing, and laid himself down to meet the same fate; and again the corpse was flung from the top of the pyramid, and again the shout arose. All the others came forward in the same manner. Oh, horrible, horrible, thrice horrible spectacle! Oh, horrible, horrible, trois fois horrible spectacle ! I do not remember how I endured it. I sat there with Almah, trying to restrain myself as she had entreated me, more for her sake than for my own, a prey to every feeling of horror, anguish, and despair. J'étais assis là avec Almah, essayant de me retenir comme elle m'avait supplié, plus pour elle que pour moi, en proie à tous les sentiments d'horreur, d'angoisse et de désespoir. How it all ended I do not know, nor do I know how I got away from the place; for I only remember coming back to my senses in the lighted grotto, with Almah bending anxiously over me.

After this there remained a dark mystery and an ever-present horror. I found myself among a people who were at once the gentlest of the human race and the most blood-thirsty--the kindest and the most cruel. This mild, amiable, and self-sacrificing Kohen, how was it possible that he should transform himself to a fiend incarnate? Ce Kohen doux, aimable et plein d'abnégation, comment était-il possible qu'il se transforme en un démon incarné ? And for me and for Almah, what possible hope could there be? Какая надежда могла быть у меня и у Альмы? What fate might they have in reserve for us? Of what avail was all this profound respect, this incessant desire to please, this attention to our slightest wish, this comfort and luxury and splendor, this freedom of speech and action? A quoi servait tout ce respect profond, ce désir incessant de plaire, cette attention à notre moindre désir, ce confort et ce luxe et cette splendeur, cette liberté de parole et d'action ? Was it anything better than a mockery? Était-ce mieux qu'une moquerie ? Might it not be the shallow kindness of the priest to the victim reserved for the sacrifice? Ne serait-ce pas la gentillesse superficielle du prêtre envers la victime réservée au sacrifice ? Was it, after all, in any degree better than the kindness of the cannibal savages on those drear outer shores who received us with such hospitality, but only that they might destroy us at last? Après tout, était-ce mieux que la bonté des sauvages cannibales de ces mornes rivages extérieurs qui nous ont reçus avec une telle hospitalité, mais seulement pour qu'ils puissent enfin nous détruire ? Было ли это, в конце концов, лучше, чем доброта дикарей-людоедов на тех унылых внешних берегах, которые приняли нас с таким гостеприимством, но только для того, чтобы в конце концов уничтожить нас? Might they not all belong to the same race, dwelling as they did in caverns, shunning the sunlight, and blending kindness with cruelty? N'appartiendraient-ils pas tous à la même race, habitant comme dans des cavernes, fuyant la lumière du soleil et mêlant bonté et cruauté ? Zouden ze niet allemaal tot hetzelfde ras kunnen behoren, terwijl ze in grotten wonen, het zonlicht mijden en vriendelijkheid met wreedheid vermengen? Разве все они не принадлежат к одной и той же расе, обитая, как и в пещерах, избегая солнечного света и смешивая доброту с жестокостью? It was an awful thought!

Yet I had one consolation. Almah was with me, and so long as she was spared to me I could endure this life. Альма была со мной, и пока она была пощадила меня, я мог вынести эту жизнь. I tried for her sake to resist the feelings that were coming over me. I saw that she too was a prey to ever-deepening sadness. Я видел, что она тоже была жертвой все углубляющейся печали. She felt as I did, and this despair of soul might wreck her young life if there were no alleviation. Elle se sentait comme moi, et ce désespoir de l'âme pourrait ruiner sa jeune vie s'il n'y avait pas de soulagement. And so I sought to alleviate her distress and to banish her sadness. The songs of these people had much impressed me; and one day, as I talked about this with Almah, she brought forth a musical instrument of peculiar shape, which was not unlike a guitar, though the shape was square and there were a dozen strings. Les chansons de ces gens m'avaient beaucoup impressionné; et un jour, alors que j'en parlais avec Almah, elle a sorti un instrument de musique de forme particulière, qui n'était pas sans rappeler une guitare, bien que la forme soit carrée et qu'il y ait une douzaine de cordes. Upon this she played, singing at the same time some songs of a plaintive character. An idea now occurred to me to have an instrument made according to my own plans, which should be nothing less than a violin. L'idée me vint alors de faire fabriquer un instrument selon mes propres plans, qui ne devrait être rien de moins qu'un violon. Almah was delighted at the proposal, and at once found a very clever workman, who under my direction succeeded in producing one which served my purpose well. Almah fut ravi de la proposition et trouva immédiatement un ouvrier très intelligent qui, sous ma direction, réussit à en produire un qui servait bien mon objectif. I was a good violinist, and in this I was able to find solace for myself and for Almah for many a long hour.

The first time that I played was memorable. As the tones floated through the air they caught the ears of those outside, and soon great numbers came into the apartment, listening in amazement and in rapt attention. Alors que les sons flottaient dans l'air, ils attrapèrent les oreilles de ceux qui étaient à l'extérieur, et bientôt un grand nombre entra dans l'appartement, écoutant avec étonnement et avec une attention passionnée. Even the painful light was disregarded in the pleasure of this most novel sensation, and I perceived that if the sense of sight was deficient among them, that of hearing was sufficiently acute. Même la lumière douloureuse était négligée dans le plaisir de cette sensation si nouvelle, et je m'aperçus que si le sens de la vue manquait chez eux, celui de l'ouïe était suffisamment aigu. I played many times, and sometimes sang from among the songs of different nations; but those which these people liked best were the Irish and Scottish melodies--those matchless strains created by the genius of the Celtic race, and handed down from immemorial ages through long generations. J'ai joué plusieurs fois, et parfois chanté parmi les chansons de différentes nations ; mais celles que ces gens préféraient étaient les mélodies irlandaises et écossaises, ces accents incomparables créés par le génie de la race celtique et transmis depuis des âges immémoriaux à travers de longues générations. In these there was nothing artificial, nothing transient. They were the utterance of the human heart, and in them there was that touch of nature which makes all men kin. Ils étaient l'expression du cœur humain, et il y avait en eux cette touche de nature qui rend tous les hommes apparentés. These were the immortal passions which shall never cease to affect the soul of man, and which had power even here; the strains of love, of sadness, and of pathos were sweet and enticing to this gentle race; for in their mild manners and their outburst of cruelty they seemed to be not unlike the very race which had created this music, since the Celt is at once gentle and blood-thirsty. C'étaient les passions immortelles qui ne cesseront jamais d'affecter l'âme de l'homme, et qui avaient du pouvoir même ici ; les tensions de l'amour, de la tristesse et du pathétique étaient douces et séduisantes pour cette race douce ; car, par leurs manières douces et leur explosion de cruauté, ils semblaient ressembler à la race même qui avait créé cette musique, puisque le Celte est à la fois doux et sanguinaire. Это были бессмертные страсти, которые никогда не перестанут влиять на душу человека и которые имели силу даже здесь; нотки любви, печали и пафоса были милы и соблазнительны для этой нежной расы; ибо по своим мягким манерам и всплеску жестокости они, казалось, мало чем отличались от той самой расы, которая создала эту музыку, поскольку кельты одновременно нежны и кровожадны.

I played "Tara," "Bonnie Doon," "The Last Rose of Summer," "The Land of the Leal," "Auld Lang Syne," "Lochaber." Ik speelde 'Tara', 'Bonnie Doon', 'The Last Rose of Summer', 'The Land of the Leal', 'Auld Lang Syne', 'Lochaber'. They stood entranced, listening with all their souls. They seemed to hunger and thirst after this music, and the strains of the inspired Celtic race seemed to come to them like the revelation of the glory of heaven. Ils semblaient avoir faim et soif de cette musique, et les accents de la race celtique inspirée semblaient leur venir comme la révélation de la gloire du ciel. Then I played more lively airs. Daarna speelde ik meer levendige airs. Some I played a second time, singing the words. They seemed eager to have the same one played often. Казалось, они хотели, чтобы почаще играли в один и тот же. At last a grisly thought came to me: it was that they would learn these sweet strains, and put their own words to them so as to use them at the awful sacrifices. Enfin, une pensée macabre m'est venue : c'était qu'ils apprendraient ces doux accents et leur mettraient leurs propres mots afin de les utiliser lors d'horribles sacrifices. After that I would play no more.

It is a land of tender love and remorseless cruelty. C'est une terre d'amour tendre et de cruauté sans remords. Music is all-powerful to awaken the one, but powerless to abate the other; and the eyes that weep over the pathetic strains of "Lochaber" can gaze without a tear upon the death-agonies of a slaughtered friend. La musique est toute-puissante pour éveiller l'un, mais impuissante pour apaiser l'autre ; et les yeux qui pleurent sur les accents pathétiques de "Lochaber" peuvent contempler sans une larme l'agonie d'un ami massacré. Музыка всемогуща, чтобы пробудить одно, но бессильна ослабить другое; и глаза, которые плачут над жалкими звуками "Lochaber", могут без слез смотреть на агонию убитого друга.