The Governor General left the house on foot, in company with his two adjutants, Captain Tiago, the Alcalde, the alferez, and Ibarra. The Civil Guards and the officials of the town preceded them and cleared the way. His Excellency had been invited to witness the procession from the house of the gobernadorcillo, in front of which a platform had been erected1 for the recitation of a loa, or religious poem, in honor of the Patron Saint. Ibarra had previously2 declined with pleasure an invitation to hear this poetical3 composition, as he had preferred to witness the procession from the house of Captain Tiago with Maria Clara and her friends. But, as His Excellency wished to hear the loa, there was no other remedy for Ibarra but to console himself with the hope of seeing her at the theatre.
The procession was headed by three sacristans carrying silver candlesticks. The children of the school, accompanied by their teacher, followed. Then came the small boys, with colored paper lanterns fastened to the ends of pieces of bamboo, each more or less adorned4 according to the caprices of the boy, for this part of the illumination was paid for entirely5 by themselves. However, they fulfilled this duty with a great deal of pleasure.
In the midst of it all, men serving as police, passed to and fro to see that the files of the procession were not broken or the people jammed together in a crowd. For this purpose they used their wands and inflicted7 some hard blows, thus managing to add to the brilliancy of the procession, to the edification of souls and to the glory of religious pomp. [126]
At the same time that the officers inflicted these sanctified floggings with their wands free of charge, others, to console those who had been punished, distributed wax and tallow candles, also free of charge.
“Se?or Alcalde,” said Ibarra, in a low voice, “do they inflict6 those blows to punish the sinners or merely for pleasure?”
“You are right, Se?or Ibarra,” replied the Governor General, who had overheard his question. “This spectacle ... barbarous ... astonishing to those who come from other countries, ought to be prohibited.”
Although it cannot be explained, the first saint who appeared was San Juan el Baptisto. On seeing him, you would say that the cousin of Our Saviour8 did not enjoy any great renown9 among these people. He had slender feet and legs and the face of a hermit10, and was carried along on an old wooden litter. In marked contrast to the representation of San Juan, was that of San Francisco, the founder11 of the great order. The latter was drawn12 in a car, and, as Tasio said: “What a car! How many lights and glass lanterns! Why, I have never seen you surrounded by so many illuminations, Giovanni Bernardone! And what music!”
Behind the music came a standard representing the same saint, but with seven wings. It was carried by the brothers of the Third Order, dressed in guingon and praying in a loud and mournful voice. The next in the procession was Santa Maria Magdalena, a most beautiful image with an abundant growth of hair, a handkerchief of embroidered13 pi?a cloth between her ring-covered fingers, and wearing a dress of silk adorned with gold-leaf. Lights and incense14 surrounded her. The glass tears from her eyes reflected the colors of the colored fire which was burned here and there, giving a fantastic aspect to the procession. Consequently, the sinful saint appeared to be weeping now green, now red and now blue tears. The people did not begin to burn these colored lights till San Francisco was passing; San Juan el Baptisto did not enjoy this honor, passing by quickly, ashamed perhaps to go dressed in skins among so many saints covered with gold and precious jewels. [127]
“There goes our saint!” cried the daughter of the gobernadorcillo to her visitors. “I loaned her my rings, but I did it to get to Heaven.”
Those carrying the illuminations stopped near the platform to hear the loa. The saints did the same. They and their carriers wanted to hear the verses. Those who carried San Juan, tired of waiting, squatted15 down in the characteristic Filipino manner, and found it convenient to leave their burden on the ground.
“You’ll get into trouble,” objected one.
“Jesús! In the sacristy, they leave him in a corner among spider-webs....”
After Magdalena came the women. They differed from the men in arrangement. Instead of the children, the old women came first and finally the unmarried women. Behind these came the car of the Virgin16, and behind that, the curate under his canopy17. Father Dámaso gave the following reason for putting the young women next to the Virgin’s car: “The Virgin likes young women, but not old ones.” Of course, this explanation caused many of the older women to make wry18 faces, but that did not change the taste of the Virgin.
San Diego followed Magdalena, but he did not seem to rejoice over the fact, for he was as precise in his behavior as on the morning when he followed along behind San Francisco. Six brothers of the Third Order drew the car. San Diego stopped before the platform and awaited for the people to salute19 him.
But it was necessary to await the car which contained the image of the Virgin. Preceding this car were some people dressed in a fantastic manner which made children cry and babies scream. In the midst of that dark mass of habits, hoods20 and girdles, to the sound of that monotonous21 and nasal prayer, one could see, like white jessamine, like fresh pansies among old rags, twelve young lassies dressed in white, crowned with flowers, with hair curled and eyes bright as the necklaces they wore. Seizing hold of two wide blue bands which were tied to the car of the Virgin, they drew it along, reminding one of doves drawing the car of Spring.
And now when the images were all attentive22, when this [128]child and that had been slapped sufficiently23 to make him listen to the verses, when everybody had his eyes fixed24 on the half open curtain, at last, an aaaah! of admiration25 escaped from the lips of all.
And the sight merited it. A young child appeared with wings, riding boots, a cordon26 over its shoulder, a belt and a plumed27 hat.
“The Se?or Alcalde!” cried some one, but the young prodigy28 recited a poem in such a manner that the Alcalde was not offended at the comparison.
The procession then continued. San Juan followed out his bitter career.
As the Virgin passed before the house of Captain Tiago, a heavenly song greeted her like the words of an archangel. It was a sweet, melodious29, supplicating30 voice, weeping the Ave Maria of Gounod. The music of the procession was silenced, the praying ceased, and Father Salví himself stopped. The voice trembled and brought tears to the cheeks of those who heard it. That voice expressed more than a salutation, a prayer, or a plaint.
From the window, where he was viewing the procession, Ibarra heard the voice, and melancholy31 took possession of his heart. He understood what that soul was suffering and what was expressed in that song. He was afraid to think of the cause of that grief.
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1
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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2
previously
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| adv.以前，先前（地） | |
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3
poetical
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| adj.似诗人的；诗一般的；韵文的；富有诗意的 | |
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4
adorned
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| [计]被修饰的 | |
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5
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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6
inflict
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| vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担 | |
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7
inflicted
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| 把…强加给，使承受，遭受( inflict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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8
saviour
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| n.拯救者，救星 | |
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9
renown
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| n.声誉，名望 | |
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10
hermit
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| n.隐士，修道者；隐居 | |
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11
Founder
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| n.创始者，缔造者 | |
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12
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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13
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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14
incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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15
squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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16
virgin
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| n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的 | |
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17
canopy
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| n.天篷，遮篷 | |
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18
wry
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| adj.讽刺的；扭曲的 | |
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19
salute
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| vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮 | |
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20
hoods
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| n.兜帽( hood的名词复数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩v.兜帽( hood的第三人称单数 )；头巾；（汽车、童车等的）折合式车篷；汽车发动机罩 | |
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21
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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22
attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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23
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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24
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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25
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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26
cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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27
plumed
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| 饰有羽毛的 | |
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28
prodigy
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| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
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29
melodious
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| adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的 | |
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30
supplicating
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| v.祈求，哀求，恳求( supplicate的现在分词 ) | |
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31
melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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32
pensive
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| a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的 | |
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