Directly opposite this first door, there were two other doors on the far side of the arena. These two doors were exactly alike and stood side by side. It was now the duty of the accused person to walk directly toward these two doors and to open one of them.He could open either door he pleased. He was subject to no force
or obligation. It was completely a matter of chance. But if he opened the one door, out of it came a hungry tiger, the fiercest animal that could be found anywhere. This tiger immediately jumped upon him and tore him to pieces. In this manner the king considered the accused man to have been punished for his crime.
If, however, the man was lucky enough to open the other door,then there came out a young lady, the most beautiful of her class that could be found anywhere in the country. This young woman was always chosen carefully to suit the character and position of the man in every way. in She was the reward for being proved innocent, and he was immediately married to her publicly in the arena before all the people.
In a village at the foot of the mountains there lived many years ago, a simple good-natured fellow, whose name was Rip Van Winkle.
Although a pleasant, kind man, Rip was very lazy. His friends liked him very much, but his wife scolded him all day for his laziness. Rip had only one way to reply to her: he shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, but said nothing. Sometimes he would take his gun and his dog Wolf, leave the house and go for long walks in the mountains.
One fine autumn day Rip and his dog Wolf went out hunting to one of the highest parts of the mountains.
Latc in the afternoon he felt tired and lay down under a big tree. Through an opening among the trees he could see all the lower country for many miles. He enjoyed the lovely scenery very much. But it was getting late. He must go back. He sighed as he thought of his wife and her scoldings. He was about to start homeward when suddenly he heard a voice calling him:
"Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!"
He looked around, but he could see nobody. He thought it was a mistake, but he heard the same voice calling:
"Rip Van Winkle! Rip Van Winkle!"
At the same time his dog Wolf came to his master's side,growling and looking fearfully down among the trees.
Rip looked in the same direction and saw a strange figure coming slowly up the mountain. It was a little old man bending under something he carried on his back.
Rip was surprised to see anyone in this lonely place and was still more surprised at the appearance of the old man. The stranger was short, with thick bushy hair and a long grey beard. He was dressed in a strange way. The man made signs for Rip to come down and help him. As usual, Rip was ready to give his help,
though he did not quite like the strange man. He took the loadfrom him. It was a keg. It was very heavy, evidently full of wine.
As they went up, Rip heard long rolling sounds, like distant thunder. He stopped and listened. He thought it was one of those thunder storms which often took place in the mountains, and went on. After some time they came to a hollow lying between two high mountains.
IV. The Doom of Laocoon
"But what about the horse?''cried the crowd of Trojans, "What about the horse?"
"The horse," said Sinon, "was built as thesoothsayer, Calchas, had directed. Otherwise, the ships could never have sailed. There it is now,standing among the reeds. The soothsayers declared that it would carry happiness and prosperity and peace wherever it should go. But the Greeks were unwilling that it should ever do
any good to Troy. Therefore they built it so wide and high that it cannot be taken through your gates. They placed it among the reeds by the shore, hoping that the waves might carry it to deep sea.
"Ah, that is their plan, is it?" cried the excited Trojans. "Well, we shall see whether Troy is not made happy and prosperous by such a piece of work." And, forgetting Sinon, the whole company, with the king's officer at its head, rushed madly to the spot where the great horse stood.
"Beware, my countrymen, beware!" cried the voice of old Laocoon, as he struggled through the crowd. "This is a trick of the Greeks. The horse will not bring you happiness and prosperity,but rather misery and ruin. Drive it into the sea, burn it to ashes,but do not receive it into the city."
With these words he threw his spear at the huge image. The weapon struck it full in the breast, and those who stood nearest declared that they heard deep hollow groans and a sound like the rattle of shields coming from the throat of the monster.
"To the sea with it! To the sea with it!" cried a few who believed in the old priest.
But the greater number shouted, "To the city with it! To the city with it! We will prove ourselves cleverer than the Greeks!''
Some ran to the city for ropes and wheels, and others hurried to make an opening in the wall large enough for the monster to pass through.
The followers of Laocoon were too few and weak to object or resist; and the old priest, with his two sons as assistants, left the crowd and went out on the beach to offer a sacrifice to Apollo,as was the custom of his country. He had built an altar of smooth stones and was preparing the sacrifice, when fearful cries were heard among the people by the shore,and all fled away in terror. Laocoon, looking up, saw the cause of the alarm.
Hamlet, the young prince of Denmark was once the happiest young man in the country, but a great trouble came into his life. His father died suddenly in a mysterious way, so that Hamlet became very sad and upset. Hamlet was told that
the old King had died from the bite of a snake when he was asleep one afternoon in the garden.Soon after his death, Claudius, brother of the dead King and uncle of Hamlet, married the Queen and now was the King.
Hamlet did not love his uncle and it troubled him to think that his mother had married such a man. He slowly began to wonder whether Claudius had caused his father to be killed in order that he himself might become King, and whether his mother had known all about it——and this last thought drove him nearly mad.
The new King and Queen noticed that the prince was dull and unhappy. They did not realize be suspected them of a terrible crime, so they tried hard to cheer
him up. But although they advised him to dress and behave more cheerfully, he would not doso. At last they decided it was the result of his being in love.
At this time a strange story was told to Hamlet. For three nights the guards of soldiers in front of the castle had seen a ghost.Hamlet's best friend, Horatio, had also seen it and brought the news to the prince. The ghost had appeared in the middle of the night. It was dressed just like the old dead King, and its face was just like his face. It wore a sad look12, and when the guard had spoken to it, it had not answered, though once it seemed about to speak when the sun rose and it disappeared. Hamlet questioned the soldiers, and from their answer he felt sure that the story was true, so he determined to sit up next night and watch for the ghost.
On the next night, Hamlet, Horatio, and one of the soldiers met at midnight in front of the castle. As they stood listening,Horatio suddenly touched Hamlet on the shoulder.
"Look, my lord," he whispered, "look, it comes." The ghost had come again.
When Hamlet saw how like the dead King the ghost was, he asked him, "What does your coming mean, you, who are so like my father? Are you really he, or another? What do you want me to do?"
…… |
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发表于 2006-11-25 18:52:38
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