On the 29th of May, 1852, as the sun was going down the blue arch of the western sky, I reached the top of Mars Hill, in Athens, and seated myself in the seat where St. Paul rested from his display of power over a bigoted8 people, when he said, “I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious9.”
When St. Paul stood on Mars Hill, Athens was a voluptuous10 city to look at. There was the white marble temple of Apollo, Jupiter, Minerva, Juno and Mars, besides temples to the sun and moon, and one to the “unknown god,” all of which were reared up in the most conspicuous11 reigns12 of those gods over the minds of all the inhabitants of Athens in a limited degree. As I descended14 Mars Hill, I turned to the right and entered the temple of Bacchus, who is described in the classical dictionary thus: “son of Jupiter and Semele, and god of wine and drunkards, nourished till a proper time of birth in his fathers thigh15, after the death of his mother, whom Jupiter, at her request, visited in all his majesty16. Semele, who was a mortal and unable to bear the presence of a god, was consumed to ashes.” An old man was in the temple to keep people from breaking pieces off from the beautiful temple’s treasure, which was the tomb of Bacchus, with the god carved on the sides, drinking his delight. I did not know what god’s temple this was, and enquired17 of the old man, he could not speak any European language, but was quite successful in conveying the information I wanted; he took an old gourd18 and scooped19 some water up from the bottom of a bucket, and drank it with great hilarity20, at the same time pointing to Bacchus, as if he would say, “he drank!” I said, “You mean to say this is the temple of Bacchus, the god of wine and drunkards, do you?” he bowed towards his toes and then stood erect21, and tried to make me understand that the rest of the tombs there were gods and goddesses, of which Apollo loved either sexually or valorously. There were no windows to the temple, the only inlet was the door, but though the door was shut, it was as light inside as one would wish. The marble was transparent22, and when the sun shone upon its roof or walls, it forced its light through in a determined23 way.
As I left this veritable tomb and sepulchre of the great god of wine and drunkards, my guide pointed24 to an aperture25 from the heart of a hill, and said, that entrance goes to the cave where Socrates was poisoned. We then went up the most imposing26 ruins of Athens, the Acropolis. The temples there looked down upon the rest of the temples of Athens, like Jupiter would at the feast of gods, it was higher and more stupendous than all. There was the seats of solid blocks of white marble of the twelve judges. They were all in a row, and only one broke. They were solid blocks with scooping27 apertures28, for a man to place his rotundity in comfortable quarters. Round about the ruins were balls and cannon29, grape, and several bursted shells, but one half of this tremendous mass of splendid ruins stood upright, as when it first took its stand among the wonders of the world, as a temple of wisdom. This temple makes it impossible for us to pronounce ourselves the “light of all ages.”
The great god of this temple was the Ammon of the Africans, the Belus of the Babylonians and the Ossiris of the Egyptians; from him, mankind receives his blessings30, and their blessings of miseries31, and he is looked upon as one acquainted with everything, past, present and future. Saturn32 was Jupiter’s father, and conspired33 against his son and in consequence was banished34 from his kingdom. Now Jupiter became ruler of the universe and sole master of the Empire of the world, and divided with his brothers, reserving for himself the kingdom of heaven, and giving the Empires of the sea to Neptune35, and that of the infernal regions to Pluto36. The sea moved at his wrath37, and hell burned his opposers, and he looked down from heaven at the commotion38 of his wrath till the men on earth considered their welfare only secured by worshipping his smile. Athens and all her superstition39 is gone now, and the godly man now laughs at the folly40 of the wisdom that all talent of old times craved41 for. On Mars hill where St. Paul thundered the decrees of God against gods, though nothing to designate the spot, there the Christian42 of to-day would rather stake his salvation43 than from the most sacred abode44 of Jupiter and Juno. But there is still weak minds in Athens, for as I descend13 I see on the side of a hill that celebrated45 stone where females used to come from all parts of Italy as well as Greece to slide down on it, as a true avoidance of barrenness. This stone is as slick as a piece of soap, so slick a lizzard could not run down it. For nearly three thousand years two and three thousand women per day have slid down it in a sitting posture46. The guide books call it the “substitute rock for female barrenness.” Many a bruise47 has this rock given in receiving its polish. Hundreds of boys and young men are here at present, sliding down it for fun.
I see, seated about fifty feet away from it, the Tennessee negro I described at Constantinople, Frank Parish. A Scotchwoman is seated beside him, and seems to be proud of him as a beaux. She is a lady’s maid that came here yesterday from the Sublime49 Porte with her mistress and Frank. The Scotch48 lady insisted on Frank taking a slide with the young men, but for Frank it was no joke, as he was an extraordinary large man. But Frank, being as full of conspicuousness50 as any other man, it only required a little coaxing51 to get him started; at last he seated himself for a slide, but he did not much like to let go lest there would be a crash up. He anchored himself to the top and hesitated some, paused and looked like a fool. An Irish servant that was with the same family as the Scotchwoman, encouraged Frank, by saying, “be a marn,” Frank said, “if I am not a man there is none about here,” just to fill up the pause of suspense52; but while Frank was looking and studying, the Irishman loosened his hands, and he went down like a colossus; seeing that he had broke no bones, he got up with a smile and felt himself all over to see if he was safe and sound. The Irishman said, “how did it feel my marn?” Frank pronounced it the most pleasant sensation he ever experienced. “Then ye never dreamed that ye were married,” said the Irishman. Frank said he had, but had forgot it. The Scotchwoman wished to know if that was a pleasant dream; the Irishman said, “it was the most pleasant dream a marn could have, and the most unpleasant was to find it a lie.”
Starting from the “female substitute for barrenness,” we met a man with a telescope, and we all wanted to take a fair view of Athens. The Irishman borrowed it from the man and took the first squint53. He pointed to a fine house towards the Kings palace, and there he looked alone. When I obtained it I looked there too, and saw a beautiful Grecian maid combing her long black hair; gazing at her until she finished, I got a most ungentlemanly view of a lady, from which, in all due respect to her, I had to refrain, and took another direction in search of fair views. We went down the hill, and as we moved along the Grecian ladies’ and gentlemen’s walks, I, though mixed up in a crowd of different people, was determined to hear Frank talk to this Scotchwoman. He was telling her of his business, which was still going on in Nashville, Tennessee, and of how many improvements he intended to make in his bath house and barber shop, when he returned, with things that he had already bought in Paris. She believed it all, and Frank was in his glory. I noticed their actions particularly, and was upon the eve of hearing their loveliest words, when she stopped as if it was a great sacrifice to her to give up his company. They lingered some time, as they would fain go on, but as she was going to her mistress’ hotel, and Frank to his, they must part. Frank was well versed54 for the occasion, in Byron. He took her by the hand and looked her in the face affectionately, and said with emotion,
“Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh give me back my heart.”
As Frank was going to my hotel I thought it well to make his acquaintance; he said he saw me at Constantinople, but as I was an American, he did not deem it necessary to make my acquaintance, as I knew that he was a mere55 barber from Tennessee. He also told me he had been married several times, and was now engaged at home. The day after this, I was outside of Athens at what is called “the amusement grounds” of Athens, for the people repair there every evening to hear the national band play. This band comes from Bavaria, where Greece got her present king. King Otho is the son of the King of Bavaria. Here the king rides out every evening, and here Frank took another liberty with royalty56. As the King and his wife rode up to the band, his horses stopped just at Frank’s elbow, and Frank walked to the carriage and offered his red hand to the king, and it was, through courtesy, accepted. Athens is to-day a small town, and the King lives here. The whole population of Greece is not quite a million. Our slaves would make four kingdoms as powerful in population as Greece. Oh, when will we be the “Freest government in the world?” We looked from the Acropolis down upon a village, but in old times we looked upon a town. “Ah! Greece, they love thee least who owe thee most.” The women are still pretty, and what is like a Grecian nose? Come, pilgrim, and see Athens in the days when it is not even a shadow of its former greatness, and ask yourself if power constitutes stability. Yes, go upon the Acropolis and gaze downward to the top of Mars’ hill, and look at the council stand of St. Paul; raise your eyes and turn them eastward57, and if your imagination is as good as your sight, you will see the sea that in old times was covered over with the fleet of Alexander the Great. Further off from the shore, in the year of our Lord 1191, Richard I. of England, the lion-hearted, crusaded along with men, women, children, cattle and dogs, to put down infidelity on the sacred plains of Palestine, where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob walked as types of moral light for the salvation of mankind. Now, as you stand there on the Acropolis, as Cecrops himself has stood, be not disgusted at what you see below, of the so much written of towns, for though now you see Athens, it is true you do not see herself, but “Athens a sepulchre.”
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1
dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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originality
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| n.创造力，独创性；新颖 | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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wooly
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| adj.毛茸茸的；糊涂的 | |
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6
epoch
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| n.(新)时代；历元 | |
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7
authentic
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| a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的 | |
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bigoted
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| adj.固执己见的，心胸狭窄的 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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voluptuous
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| adj.肉欲的，骄奢淫逸的 | |
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11
conspicuous
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| adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的 | |
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12
reigns
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| n.君主的统治( reign的名词复数 )；君主统治时期；任期；当政期 | |
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13
descend
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| vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降 | |
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14
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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15
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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16
majesty
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| n.雄伟，壮丽，庄严，威严；最高权威，王权 | |
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17
enquired
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| 打听( enquire的过去式和过去分词 )； 询问； 问问题； 查问 | |
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18
gourd
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| n.葫芦 | |
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19
scooped
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| v.抢先报道( scoop的过去式和过去分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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20
hilarity
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| n.欢乐；热闹 | |
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21
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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22
transparent
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| adj.明显的，无疑的；透明的 | |
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23
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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24
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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25
aperture
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| n.孔，隙，窄的缺口 | |
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26
imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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scooping
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| n.捞球v.抢先报道( scoop的现在分词 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等） | |
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28
apertures
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| n.孔( aperture的名词复数 )；隙缝；（照相机的）光圈；孔径 | |
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29
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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30
blessings
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| n.（上帝的）祝福( blessing的名词复数 )；好事；福分；因祸得福 | |
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31
miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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32
Saturn
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| n.农神，土星 | |
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33
conspired
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| 密谋( conspire的过去式和过去分词 )； 搞阴谋； （事件等）巧合； 共同导致 | |
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34
banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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35
Neptune
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| n.海王星 | |
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Pluto
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| n.冥王星 | |
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37
wrath
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| n.愤怒，愤慨，暴怒 | |
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38
commotion
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| n.骚动，动乱 | |
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39
superstition
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| n.迷信，迷信行为 | |
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40
folly
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| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
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41
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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42
Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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43
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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44
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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45
celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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46
posture
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| n.姿势，姿态，心态，态度；v.作出某种姿势 | |
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47
bruise
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| n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤 | |
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48
scotch
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| n.伤口，刻痕；苏格兰威士忌酒；v.粉碎，消灭，阻止；adj.苏格兰(人)的 | |
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49
sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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50
conspicuousness
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| 显著，卓越，突出； 显著性 | |
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51
coaxing
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| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
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52
suspense
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| n.（对可能发生的事）紧张感，担心，挂虑 | |
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53
squint
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| v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的 | |
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54
versed
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| adj. 精通，熟练 | |
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55
mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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56
royalty
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| n.皇家，皇族 | |
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57
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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