登陆注册
15540700000005

第5章 THE YOUNG KING(5)

And a man came out of the crowd and spake bitterly to him,and said,'Sir,knowest thou not that out of the luxury of the rich cometh the life of the poor?By your pomp we are nurtured,and your vices give us bread.To toil for a hard master is bitter,but to have no master to toil for is more bitter still.Thinkest thou that the ravens will feed us?And what cure hast thou for these things?Wilt thou say to the buyer,"Thou shalt buy for so much,"and to the seller,"Thou shalt sell at this price"?I trow not.

Therefore go back to thy Palace and put on thy purple and fine linen.What hast thou to do with us,and what we suffer?'

'Are not the rich and the poor brothers?'asked the young King.

'Ay,'answered the man,'and the name of the rich brother is Cain.'

And the young King's eyes filled with tears,and he rode on through the murmurs of the people,and the little page grew afraid and left him.

And when he reached the great portal of the cathedral,the soldiers thrust their halberts out and said,'What dost thou seek here?

None enters by this door but the King.'

And his face flushed with anger,and he said to them,'I am the King,'and waved their halberts aside and passed in.

And when the old Bishop saw him coming in his goatherd's dress,he rose up in wonder from his throne,and went to meet him,and said to him,'My son,is this a king's apparel?And with what crown shall I crown thee,and what sceptre shall I place in thy hand?

Surely this should be to thee a day of joy,and not a day of abasement.'

'Shall Joy wear what Grief has fashioned?'said the young King.

And he told him his three dreams.

And when the Bishop had heard them he knit his brows,and said,'My son,I am an old man,and in the winter of my days,and I know that many evil things are done in the wide world.The fierce robbers come down from the mountains,and carry off the little children,and sell them to the Moors.The lions lie in wait for the caravans,and leap upon the camels.The wild boar roots up the corn in the valley,and the foxes gnaw the vines upon the hill.

The pirates lay waste the sea-coast and burn the ships of the fishermen,and take their nets from them.In the salt-marshes live the lepers;they have houses of wattled reeds,and none may come nigh them.The beggars wander through the cities,and eat their food with the dogs.Canst thou make these things not to be?Wilt thou take the leper for thy bedfellow,and set the beggar at thy board?Shall the lion do thy bidding,and the wild boar obey thee?

Is not He who made misery wiser than thou art?Wherefore I praise thee not for this that thou hast done,but I bid thee ride back to the Palace and make thy face glad,and put on the raiment that beseemeth a king,and with the crown of gold I will crown thee,and the sceptre of pearl will I place in thy hand.And as for thy dreams,think no more of them.The burden of this world is too great for one man to bear,and the world's sorrow too heavy for one heart to suffer.'

'Sayest thou that in this house?'said the young King,and he strode past the Bishop,and climbed up the steps of the altar,and stood before the image of Christ.

He stood before the image of Christ,and on his right hand and on his left were the marvellous vessels of gold,the chalice with the yellow wine,and the vial with the holy oil.He knelt before the image of Christ,and the great candles burned brightly by the jewelled shrine,and the smoke of the incense curled in thin blue wreaths through the dome.He bowed his head in prayer,and the priests in their stiff copes crept away from the altar.

And suddenly a wild tumult came from the street outside,and in entered the nobles with drawn swords and nodding plumes,and shields of polished steel.'Where is this dreamer of dreams?'they cried.'Where is this King who is apparelled like a beggar -this boy who brings shame upon our state?Surely we will slay him,for he is unworthy to rule over us.'

And the young King bowed his head again,and prayed,and when he had finished his prayer he rose up,and turning round he looked at them sadly.

And lo!through the painted windows came the sunlight streaming upon him,and the sun-beams wove round him a tissued robe that was fairer than the robe that had been fashioned for his pleasure.The dead staff blossomed,and bare lilies that were whiter than pearls.

The dry thorn blossomed,and bare roses that were redder than rubies.Whiter than fine pearls were the lilies,and their stems were of bright silver.Redder than male rubies were the roses,and their leaves were of beaten gold.

He stood there in the raiment of a king,and the gates of the jewelled shrine flew open,and from the crystal of the many-rayed monstrance shone a marvellous and mystical light.He stood there in a king's raiment,and the Glory of God filled the place,and the saints in their carven niches seemed to move.In the fair raiment of a king he stood before them,and the organ pealed out its music,and the trumpeters blew upon their trumpets,and the singing boys sang.

And the people fell upon their knees in awe,and the nobles sheathed their swords and did homage,and the Bishop's face grew pale,and his hands trembled.'A greater than I hath crowned thee,'he cried,and he knelt before him.

And the young King came down from the high altar,and passed home through the midst of the people.But no man dared look upon his face,for it was like the face of an angel.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 奇零集:郁达夫作品精选

    奇零集:郁达夫作品精选

    本书是感悟文学大师经典,本套丛书选文广泛、丰富,且把阅读文学与掌握知识结合起来,既能增进广大读者阅读经典文学的乐趣,又能使我们体悟人生的智慧和生活哲理。本套图书格调高雅,知识丰富,具有极强的可读性、权威性和系统性,非常适合广大读者阅读和收藏,也非常适合各级图书馆装备陈列。
  • 龙海传奇

    龙海传奇

    一场关于龙海的浩劫,关系着李家和龙之间的恩怨,一场孩子们之间的友谊,最终迎来最好的结局。
  • 道极九宇

    道极九宇

    人皇沉沦,魔神,妖帝联合攻击人族,邪灵族趁虚而入,人族危机。天地间大道三千,八百旁门,另有各种奇异灵体。玄极世界各大家族,宗门,王朝林立!在这里只有强者才走话语权,崇尚武力是这里不变的传统!!主角羽尘在机缘巧合之下,与一只异兽签下灵兽契约!闯进一个生死之局!一次次逢凶化吉!一次次刀山火海!只为心中不变的信念!!
  • 仙道英雄传

    仙道英雄传

    想为父母报仇的李复来到偃州城竟沦为乞丐,被人痛打,被人贩卖,却因祸得福,被一位仙女发现其具有上品的修炼灵脉并被招入仙门。李复无意引来了别人的仇恨,害得心爱之人受到重伤,他为治好心爱之人,勇敢地踏上了充满磨难的征程。身为男儿,不畏生死,尽显英雄!
  • 天狩之境

    天狩之境

    非是之人如何,似阿修罗道又如何。六界之大为何就没有我琉璃的栖身之所。你们逼我,所有的人都逼我,逼我堕天,逼我成魔。我不怕,因为有一个人,为我种了满山的千骨橘,等了我千年。可是你,御璟仙尊,你利用我对你的爱害死了他,你可知道他是谁!你死,只是重入轮回。他灭,却是永不再生!我好恨!好恨啊!老天!我为你献出所有,愿意为了众生放弃心中卑微的爱意,可是你为何还不放过我,放过我身边所有爱我的人,为什么要让他们一个个的在我眼前死去!既然天容不下我,我便逆天!玉跑刀再现,太渊魔神觉醒。御璟仙尊,你给我好好的看着,看我琉璃怎样带领冥、妖、魔三界的大军血洗天都,怎样让六界在我的九冥玄火中变成真正的赤炼地狱!
  • 全员加速

    全员加速

    以全员加速中为主题的一本书,书中有任务和剧情(自编)供大家参考。有兴趣的可以可看一下。谢谢
  • 仙侠奇缘之轮回

    仙侠奇缘之轮回

    这是短篇小说希望大家多多指教有什么不对的指出来。谢谢
  • 穿啊一日回溯

    穿啊一日回溯

    动漫世界中的旅行,恩怨情仇,是是非非,善恶难辨
  • 午夜86路

    午夜86路

    她,在车站等了整整十年,怨恨使她成为杀人狂魔。她体内的恶魔,将以怨魂的方式重生。红色的世界响起死亡的赞歌,迎接恶魔的回归!
  • 强势宠爱:席先生请自重!

    强势宠爱:席先生请自重!

    拜他姑姑所赐,她被迫送到国外。七年,让她一个人在陌生的国度中挣扎。直到一份合约迫使她不得不回国签订,只要签订完合同,她就可以永远离开这片故土。她跟他斗智斗勇却每每战败,忍无可忍去找他谈判,“席总,就当我求你把这合同签了行不行?”他却只回了一句,“容总,我把合同签了你不走行不行?”