The missionaries1 spent their first four or five nights in the marketplace, and went into the village in the morning to preach the gospel. They asked who the king of the village was, but the villagers told them that there was no king. "We have men of high title and the chief priests and the elders," they said.
It was not very easy getting the men of high title and the elders together after the excitement of the first day. But the arrivees persevered2, and in the end they were received by them They asked for a plot of land to build on,
An evil forest was where the clan3 buried all those who died of the really evil diseases, like leprosy and smallpox4. It was also the dumping ground for highly potent5 fetishes of great medicine men when they died. An evil forest was, therefore, alive with sinister6 forces and powers of darkness. It was such a forest that, the rulers of Mbanta gave to the missionaries. They did not really want them near to the clan, and so they made them that offer which nobody in his right senses would accept.
"They want a piece of land to build their shrine7," said Uchendu to his peers when they consulted among themselves. "We shall give them a piece of land." He paused, and there was a murmur8 of surprise and disagreement. "Let us give them a portion of the Evil Forest. They boast about victory over death. Let us give them a real battlefield in which to show their victory." They laughed and agreed, and sent for the missionaries, whom they had asked to leave them for a while so that they might "whisper together." They offered them as much of the Evil Forest as they cared to take. And to their greatest amazement9 the missionaries thanked them and burst into song.
"They do not understand," said some of the elders. "But they will understand when they go to their plot of land tomorrow morning." And they dispersed10.
The next morning the crazy men actually began to clear a part of the forest and to build their house. The inhabitants of Mbanta expected them all to be dead within four days. The first day passed and the second and third and fourth, and none of them died. Everyone was puzzled. And then it became known that the white man's fetish had unbelievable power. It was said that he wore glasses on his eyes so that he could see and talk to evil spirits. Not long after, he won his first three converts.
Although Nwoye had been attracted to the new faith from the very first day, he kept it secret. He dared not go too near the missionaries for fear of his father. But whenever they came to preach in the open marketplace or the village play
ground, Nwoye was there. And he was already beginning to know some of the simple stories they told.
"We have now built a church," said Mr. Kiaga, the interpreter, who was now in charge of the infant congregation. The white man had gone back to Umuofia, where he built his headquarters and from where he paid regular visits to Mr. Kiaga's congregation at Mbanta.
"We have now built a church," said Mr. Kiaga, "and we want you all to come in every seventh day to worship the true God."
On the following Sunday, Nwoye passed and repassed the little red-earth and thatch11 building without summoning enough courage to enter. He heard the voice of singing and although it came from a handful of men it was loud and confident. Their church stood on a circular clearing that looked like the open mouth of the Evil Forest. Was it waiting to snap its teeth together? After passing and re-passing by the church, Nwoye returned home.
It was well known among the people of Mbanta that their gods and ancestors were sometimes long-suffering and would deliberately12 allow a man to go on defying them. But even in such cases they set their limit at seven market weeks or twenty-eight days. Beyond that limit no man was suffered to go. And so excitement mounted in the village as the seventh week approached since the impudent13 missionaries buill their church in the Evil Forest. The villagers were so certain about the doom14 that awaited these men that one or two converts thought it wise to suspend their allegiance to the new faith.
At last the day came by which all the missionaries should have died. But they were still alive, building a new red-earth and thatch house for their teacher, Mr. Kiaga. That week they won a handful more converts. And for the first time they had a woman. Her name was Nneka, the wife of Amadi, who was a prosperous farmer. She was very heavy with child.
Nneka had had four previous pregnancies15 and child-births. But each time she had borne twins, and they had been immediately thrown away. Her husband and his family were already becoming highly critical of such a woman and were not unduly16 perturbed17 when they found she had fled to join the Christians18. It was a good riddance.
One morning Okonkwo's cousin, Amikwu, was passing by the church on his way from the neighboring village, when he saw Nwoye among the Christians. He was greatly surprised, and when he got home he went straight to Okonkwo's hut and told him what he had seen. The women began to talk excitedly, but Okonkwo sat unmoved.
It was late afternoon before Nwoye returned. He went into the obi and saluted19 his father, but he did not answer. Nwoye turned round to walk into the inner compound when his father, suddenly overcome with fury, sprang to his feet and gripped him by the neck.
"Where have you been?" he stammered20.
Nwoye struggled to free himself from the choking grip.
"Answer me," roared Okonkwo, "before I kill you!" He seized a heavy stick that lay on the dwarf21 wall and hit him two or three savage22 blows.
"Answer me!" he roared again. Nwoye stood looking at him and did not say a word. The women were screaming outside, afraid to go in.
"Leave that boy at once!" said a voice in the outer compound. It was Okonkwo's uncle, Uchendu. "Are you mad?"
Okonkwo did not answer. But he left hold of Nwoye, who walked away and never returned.
He went back to the church and told Mr. Kiaga that he had decided23 to go to Umuofia where the white missionary24 had set up a school to teach young Christians to read and write.
Mr. Kiaga's joy was very great. "Blessed is he who forsakes25 his father and his mother for my sake," he intoned. "Those that hear my words are my father and my mother."
Nwoye did not fully26 understand. But he was happy to leave his father. He would return later to his mother and his brothers and sisters and convert them to the new faith.
As Okonkwo sat in his hut that night, gazing into a log fire, he thought over the matter. A sudden fury rose within him and he felt a strong desire to take up his machete, go to the church and wipe out the entire vile27 and miscreant28 gang. But on further thought he told himself that Nwoye was not worth fighting for. Why, he cried in his heart, should he, Okonkwo, of all people, be cursed with such a son? He saw clearly in it the finger of his personal god or chi. For how else could he explain his great misfortune and exile and now his despicable son's behavior? Now that he had time to think of it, his son's crime stood out in its stark29 enormity. To abandon the gods of one's father and go about with a lot of effeminate men clucking like old hens was the very depth of abomination. Suppose when he died all his male children decided to follow Nwoye's steps and abandon their ancestors? Okonkwo felt a cold shudder30 run through him at the terrible prospect31, like the prospect of annihilation. He saw himself and his fathers crowding round their ancestral shrine waiting in vain for worship and sacrifice and finding nothing but ashes of bygone days, and his children the while praying to the white man's god. If such a thing were ever to happen, he, Okonkwo, would wipe them off the face of the earth.
Okonkwo was popularly called the "Roaring Flame." As he looked into the log fire he recalled the name. He was a flaming fire. How then could he have begotten32 a son like Nwoye, degenerate33 and effeminate? Perhaps he was not his son. No! he could not be. His wife had played him false. He would teach her! But Nwoye resembled his grandfather, Unoka, who was Okonkwo's father. He pushed the thought out of his mind. He, Okonkwo, was called a flaming fire. How could he have begotten a woman for a son? At Nwoye's age Okonkwo had already become famous throughout Umuofia for his wrestling and his fearlessness.
He sighed heavily, and as if in sympathy the smoldering34 log also sighed. And immediately Okonkwo's eyes were opened and he saw the whole matter clearly. Living fire begets35 cold, impotent ash. He sighed again, deeply.
收听单词发音 |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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clan
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| n.氏族，部落，宗族，家族，宗派 | |
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smallpox
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| n.天花 | |
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potent
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| adj.强有力的，有权势的；有效力的 | |
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sinister
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| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
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shrine
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| n.圣地，神龛，庙；v.将...置于神龛内，把...奉为神圣 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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dispersed
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| adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的 | |
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thatch
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| vt.用茅草覆盖…的顶部；n.茅草(屋) | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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pregnancies
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| 怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 ) | |
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unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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perturbed
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| adj.烦燥不安的v.使（某人）烦恼，不安( perturb的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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saluted
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| v.欢迎，致敬( salute的过去式和过去分词 )；赞扬，赞颂 | |
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stammered
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| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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savage
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| adj.野蛮的；凶恶的，残暴的；n.未开化的人 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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forsakes
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| 放弃( forsake的第三人称单数 )； 弃绝； 抛弃； 摒弃 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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vile
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| adj.卑鄙的，可耻的，邪恶的；坏透的 | |
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miscreant
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| n.恶棍 | |
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stark
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| adj.荒凉的；严酷的；完全的；adv.完全地 | |
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shudder
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| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
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prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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begotten
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| v.为…之生父( beget的过去分词 )；产生，引起 | |
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degenerate
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| v.退步，堕落；adj.退步的，堕落的；n.堕落者 | |
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smoldering
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| v.用文火焖烧，熏烧，慢燃( smolder的现在分词 ) | |
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begets
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| v.为…之生父( beget的第三人称单数 )；产生，引起 | |
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