Sometimes we passed through wildernesses9 of various trees, each contributing a different hue10 of verdure to the scene; the vine, also, marrying itself to the fig-tree, so that a man might sit in the shadow of both at once, and temper the luscious11 sweetness of the one fruit with the fresh flavor of the other. The wayside incidents were such as meeting a man and woman borne along as prisoners, handcuffed and in a cart; two men reclining across one another, asleep, and lazily lifting their heads to gaze at us as we passed by; a woman spinning with a distaff as she walked along the road. An old tomb or tower stood in a lonely field, and several caves were hollowed in the rocks, which might have been either sepulchres or habitations. Soracte kept us company, sometimes a little on one side, sometimes behind, looming13 up again and again, when we thought that we had done with it, and so becoming rather tedious at last, like a person who presents himself for another and another leave-taking after the one which ought to have been final. Honeysuckles sweetened the hedges along the road.
After leaving Borghetto, we crossed the broad valley of the Tiber, and skirted along one of the ridges14 that border it, looking back upon the road that we had passed, lying white behind us. We saw a field covered with buttercups, or some other yellow flower, and poppies burned along the roadside, as they did yesterday, and there were flowers of a delicious blue, as if the blue Italian sky had been broken into little bits, and scattered15 down upon the green earth. Otricoli by and by appeared, situated16 on a bold promontory17 above the valley, a village of a few gray houses and huts, with one edifice18 gaudily19 painted in white and pink. It looked more important at a distance than we found it on our nearer approach. As the road kept ascending20, and as the hills grew to be mountains, we had taken two additional horses, making six in all, with a man and boy running beside them, to keep them in motion. The boy had two club feet, so inconveniently21 disposed that it seemed almost inevitable22 for him to stumble over them at every step; besides which, he seemed to tread upon his ankles, and moved with a disjointed gait, as if each of his legs and thighs23 had been twisted round together with his feet. Nevertheless, he had a bright, cheerful, intelligent face, and was exceedingly active, keeping up with the horses at their trot24, and inciting25 them to better speed when they lagged. I conceived a great respect for this poor boy, who had what most Italian peasants would consider an enviable birthright in those two club feet, as giving him a sufficient excuse to live on charity, but yet took no advantage of them; on the contrary, putting his poor misshapen hoofs26 to such good use as might have shamed many a better provided biped. When he quitted us, he asked no alms of the travellers, but merely applied27 to Gaetano for some slight recompense for his well-performed service. This behavior contrasted most favorably with that of some other boys and girls, who ran begging beside the carriage door, keeping up a low, miserable28 murmur29, like that of a kennel-stream, for a long, long way. Beggars, indeed, started up at every point, when we stopped for a moment, and whenever a hill imposed a slower pace upon us; each village had its deformity or its infirmity, offering his wretched petition at the step of the carriage; and even a venerable, white-haired patriarch, the grandfather of all the beggars, seemed to grow up by the roadside, but was left behind from inability to join in the race with his light-footed juniors. No shame is attached to begging in Italy. In fact, I rather imagine it to be held an honorable profession, inheriting some of the odor of sanctity that used to be attached to a mendicant30 and idle life in the days of early Christianity, when every saint lived upon Providence31, and deemed it meritorious32 to do nothing for his support.
Murray's guide-book is exceedingly vague and unsatisfactory along this route; and whenever we asked Gaetano the name of a village or a castle, he gave some one which we had never heard before, and could find nothing of in the book. We made out the river Nar, however, or what I supposed to be such, though he called it Nera. It flows through a most stupendous mountain-gorge33; winding34 its narrow passage between high hills, the broad sides of which descend35 steeply upon it, covered with trees and shrubbery, that mantle a host of rocky roughnesses, and make all look smooth. Here and there a precipice36 juts37 sternly forth38. We saw an old castle on a hillside, frowning down into the gorge; and farther on, the gray tower of Narni stands upon a height, imminent39 over the depths below, and with its battlemented castle above now converted into a prison, and therefore kept in excellent repair. A long winding street passes through Narni, broadening at one point into a market-place, where an old cathedral showed its venerable front, and the great dial of its clock, the figures on which were numbered in two semicircles of twelve points each; one, I suppose, for noon, and the other for midnight. The town has, so far as its principal street is concerned, a city-like aspect, with large, fair edifices40, and shops as good as most of those at Rome, the smartness of which contrasts strikingly with the rude and lonely scenery of mountain and stream, through which we had come to reach it. We drove through Narni without stopping, and came out from it on the other side, where a broad, level valley opened before us, most unlike the wild, precipitous gorge which had brought us to the town. The road went winding down into the peaceful vale, through the midst of which flowed the same stream that cuts its way between the impending41 hills, as already described. We passed a monk42 and a soldier,—the two curses of Italy, each in his way,— walking sociably43 side by side; and from Narni to Terni I remember nothing that need be recorded.
Terni, like so many other towns in the neighborhood, stands in a high and commanding position, chosen doubtless for its facilities of defence, in days long before the mediaeval warfares of Italy made such sites desirable. I suppose that, like Narni and Otricoli, it was a city of the Umbrians. We reached it between eleven and twelve o'clock, intending to employ the afternoon on a visit to the famous falls of Terni; but, after lowering all day, it has begun to rain, and we shall probably have to give them up.
Half past eight o'clock.—It has rained in torrents44 during the afternoon, and we have not seen the cascade45 of Terni; considerably46 to my regret, for I think I felt the more interest in seeing it, on account of its being artificial. Methinks nothing was more characteristic of the energy and determination of the old Romans, than thus to take a river, which they wished to be rid of, and fling it over a giddy precipice, breaking it into ten million pieces by the fall. . . . We are in the Hotel delle tre Colonne, and find it reasonably good, though not, so far as we are concerned, justifying47 the rapturous commendations of previous tourists, who probably travelled at their own charges. However, there is nothing really to be complained of, either in our accommodations or table, and the only wonder is how Gaetano contrives48 to get any profit out of our contract, since the hotel bills would alone cost us more than we pay him for the journey and all. It is worth while to record as history of vetturino commissary customs, that for breakfast this morning we had coffee, eggs, and bread and butter; for lunch an omelette, some stewed49 veal50, and a dessert of figs51 and grapes, besides two decanters of a light-colored acid wine, tasting very like indifferent cider; for dinner, an excellent vermicelli soup, two young fowls52, fricasseed, and a hind12 quarter of roast lamb, with fritters, oranges, and figs, and two more decanters of the wine aforesaid.
This hotel is an edifice with a gloomy front upon a narrow street, and enterable through an arch, which admits you into an enclosed court; around the court, on each story, run the galleries, with which the parlors53 and sleeping-apartments communicate. The whole house is dingy54, probably old, and seems not very clean; but yet bears traces of former magnificence; for instance, in our bedroom, the door of which is ornamented55 with gilding56, and the cornices with frescos, some of which appear to represent the cascade of Terni, the roof is crossed with carved beams, and is painted in the interstices; the floor has a carpet, but rough tiles underneath57 it, which show themselves at the margin58. The windows admit the wind; the door shuts so loosely as to leave great cracks; and, during the rain to-day, there was a heavy shower through our ceiling, which made a flood upon the carpet. We see no chambermaids; nothing of the comfort and neatness of an English hotel, nor of the smart splendors59 of an American one; but still this dilapidated palace affords us a better shelter than I expected to find in the decayed country towns of Italy. In the album of the hotel I find the names of more English travellers than of any other nation except the Americans, who, I think, even exceed the former; and, the route being the favorite one for tourists between Rome and Florence, whatever merit the inns have is probably owing to the demands of the Anglo-Saxons. I doubt not, if we chose to pay for it, this hotel would supply us with any luxury we might ask for; and perhaps even a gorgeous saloon and state bedchamber.
After dinner, J——- and I walked out in the dusk to see what we could of Terni. We found it compact and gloomy (but the latter characteristic might well enough be attributed to the dismal60 sky), with narrow streets, paved from wall to wall of the houses, like those of all the towns in Italy; the blocks of paving-stone larger than the little square torments61 of Rome. The houses are covered with dingy stucco, and mostly low, compared with those of Rome, and inhospitable as regards their dismal aspects and uninviting doorways62. The streets are intricate, as well as narrow; insomuch that we quickly lost our way, and could not find it again, though the town is of so small dimensions, that we passed through it in two directions, in the course of our brief wanderings. There are no lamp-posts in Terni; and as it was growing dark, and beginning to rain again, we at last inquired of a person in the principal piazza63, and found our hotel, as I expected, within two minutes' walk of where we stood.
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1
picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势，用假象骗人；n.虚张声势，欺骗 | |
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sweeping
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| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
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fortresses
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| 堡垒，要塞( fortress的名词复数 ) | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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mantle
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| n.斗篷，覆罩之物，罩子；v.罩住，覆盖，脸红 | |
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ivy
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| n.常青藤，常春藤 | |
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propped
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| 支撑，支持，维持( prop的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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wildernesses
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| 荒野( wilderness的名词复数 )； 沙漠； （政治家）在野； 不再当政（或掌权） | |
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hue
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| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
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luscious
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| adj.美味的；芬芳的；肉感的，引与性欲的 | |
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hind
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| adj.后面的，后部的 | |
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looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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14
ridges
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| n.脊( ridge的名词复数 )；山脊；脊状突起；大气层的)高压脊 | |
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15
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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16
situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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promontory
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| n.海角；岬 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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gaudily
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| adv.俗丽地 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的，向上的 | |
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21
inconveniently
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| ad.不方便地 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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thighs
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| n.股，大腿( thigh的名词复数 )；食用的鸡（等的）腿 | |
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24
trot
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| n.疾走，慢跑；n.老太婆；现成译本；(复数）trots:腹泻（与the 连用）；v.小跑，快步走，赶紧 | |
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inciting
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| 刺激的，煽动的 | |
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hoofs
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| n.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的名词复数 )v.（兽的）蹄，马蹄( hoof的第三人称单数 ) | |
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27
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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28
miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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29
murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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30
mendicant
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| n.乞丐；adj.行乞的 | |
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providence
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| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
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meritorious
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| adj.值得赞赏的 | |
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gorge
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| n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃 | |
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34
winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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35
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖，危急的处境 | |
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juts
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| v.（使）突出( jut的第三人称单数 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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imminent
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| adj.即将发生的，临近的，逼近的 | |
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40
edifices
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| n.大建筑物( edifice的名词复数 ) | |
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impending
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| a.imminent, about to come or happen | |
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42
monk
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| n.和尚，僧侣，修道士 | |
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sociably
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| adv.成群地 | |
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44
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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45
cascade
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| n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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46
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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47
justifying
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| 证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
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48
contrives
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的第三人称单数 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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49
stewed
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| adj.焦虑不安的，烂醉的v.炖( stew的过去式和过去分词 )；煨；思考；担忧 | |
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50
veal
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| n.小牛肉 | |
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51
figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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52
fowls
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| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
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53
parlors
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| 客厅( parlor的名词复数 )； 起居室； （旅馆中的）休息室； （通常用来构成合成词）店 | |
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54
dingy
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| adj.昏暗的，肮脏的 | |
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55
ornamented
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| adj.花式字体的v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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56
gilding
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| n.贴金箔，镀金 | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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margin
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| n.页边空白；差额；余地，余裕；边，边缘 | |
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splendors
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| n.华丽( splendor的名词复数 )；壮丽；光辉；显赫 | |
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60
dismal
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| adj.阴沉的，凄凉的，令人忧郁的，差劲的 | |
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61
torments
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| （肉体或精神上的）折磨，痛苦( torment的名词复数 )； 造成痛苦的事物[人] | |
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62
doorways
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| n.门口，门道( doorway的名词复数 ) | |
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piazza
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| n.广场；走廊 | |
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