While the unicorn was climbing his last hill Orion felt such fatigue11 that he could have gone little further, but now that the heavy head hung from his shoulders all his fatigue was gone and he trod with a lightness such as he had in the mornings, for it was his first unicorn. And his hounds seemed refreshed as though the blood they had lapped had some strange power in it, and they came home riotously12, gambolling13 and rushing ahead as when newly loosed from their kennels14.
Thus Orion came home over the downs in the night, till he saw the valley before him full of the smoke of Erl, where one late light was burning in a window of one of his towers. And, coming down the slopes by familiar ways, he brought his hounds to their kennels; and just before dawn had touched the heights of the downs he blew his horn before his postern door. And the aged15 guardian16 of the door when he opened it to Orion saw the great horn of the unicorn bobbing over his head.
This was the horn that was sent in later years as a gift from the Pope to King Francis. Benvenuto Cellini tells of it in his memoirs17. He tells how Pope Clement18 sent for him and a certain Tobbia, and ordered them to make designs for the setting of a unicorn's horn, the finest ever seen. Judge then of Orion's delight when the horn of the first unicorn he ever took was such as to be esteemed19 generations later the finest ever seen, and in no less a city than Rome, with all her opportunities to acquire and compare such things. For a number of these curious horns must have been available for the Pope to have selected for the gift the finest ever seen; but in the simpler days of my story the rarity of the horn was so great that unicorns20 were still considered fabulous21. The year of the gift to King Francis would be about 1530, the horn being mounted in gold; and the contract went to Tobbia and not to Benvenuto Cellini. I mention the date because there are those who care little for a tale if it be not here and there supported by history, and who even in history care more for fact than philosophy. If any such reader have followed the fortunes of Orion so far he will be hungry by now for a date or a historical fact. As for the date, I give him 1530. While for the historical fact I select that generous gift recorded by Benvenuto Cellini, because it may well be that just where he came to unicorns such a reader may have felt furthest away from history and have felt loneliest just at this point for want of historical things. How the unicorn's horn found its way from the Castle of Erl, and in what hands it wandered, and how it came at last to the City of Rome, would of course make another book.
But all that I need say now about that horn is that Orion took the whole head to Threl, who took off the skin and washed it and boiled the skull22 for hours, and replaced the skin and stuffed the neck with straw; and Orion set it in the midmost place among all the heads that hung in the high hall. And the rumour23 went all through Erl, as swift as unicorns gallop24, telling of this fine horn that Orion had won. So that the parliament of Erl met again in the forge of Narl. They sat at the table there debating the rumour; and others besides Threl had seen the head. And at first, for the sake of old divisions, some held to their opinion that there had been no unicorn. They drank Narl's goodly mead25 and argued against the monster. But after a while, whether Threl's argument convinced them, or whether as is more likely, they yielded from generosity26, which arose like a beautiful flower out of the mellow27 mead, whatever it was the debate of those that opposed the unicorn languished28, and when the vote was put it was declared that Orion had killed a unicorn, which he had hunted hither from beyond the fields we know.
And at this they all rejoiced; for they saw at last the magic for which they had longed, and for which they had planned so many years ago, when all were younger and had had more hope in their plans. And as soon as the vote was taken Narl brought out more mead, and they drank again to mark the happy occasion: for magic at last, said they, had come on Orion, and a glorious future surely awaited Erl. And the long room and the candles and the friendly men and the deep comfort of mead made it easy to look a little way forward into time and to see a year or so that had not yet come, and to see coming glories glowing a little way off. And they told again of the days, but nearer now, when the distant lands should hear of the vale they loved: they told again of the fame of the fields of Erl going from city to city. One praised its castle, another its huge high downs, another the vale itself all hidden from every land, another the dear quaint29 houses built by an olden folk, another the deep of the woods that lay over the sky-line; and all spoke30 of the time when the wide world should hear of it all, because of the magic that there was in Orion; for they knew that the world has a quick ear for magic, and always turns toward the wonderful even though it be nearly asleep. Their voices were high, praising magic, telling again of the unicorn, glorying in the future of Erl, when suddenly in the doorway31 stood the Freer. He was there in his long white robe with its trimming of mauve, in the door with the night behind him. As they looked, in the light of their candles, they could see he was wearing an emblem32, on a chain of gold round his neck. Narl bade him welcome, some moved a chair to the table; but he had heard them speak of the unicorn. He lifted his voice from where he stood, and addressed them. "Cursed be unicorns," he said, "and all their ways, and all things that be magic."
"Good Freer," said Narl, "we hunted no unicorn."
But the Freer raised up his hand against unicorns and cursed them yet. "Curst be their horn," he cried, "and the place where they dwell, and the lilies whereon they feed, curst be all songs that tell of them. Curst be they utterly34 with everything that dwelleth beyond salvation35."
He paused to allow them to renounce36 the unicorns, standing37 still in the doorway, looking sternly into the room.
And they thought of the sleekness39 of the unicorn's hide, his swiftness, the grace of his neck, and his dim beauty cantering by when he came past Erl in the evening. They thought of his stalwart and redoubtable40 horn; they remembered old songs that told of him. They sat in uneasy silence and would not renounce the unicorn.
And the Freer knew what they thought and he raised his hand again, clear in the candle-light with the night behind him. "Curst be their speed," he said, "and their sleek38 white hide; curst be their beauty and all that they have of magic, and everything that walks by enchanted41 streams."
And still he saw in their eyes a lingering love for those things that he forbade, and therefore he ceased not yet. He lifted his voice yet louder and continued, with his eye sternly upon those troubled faces: "And curst be trolls, elves, goblins and fairies upon the Earth, and hypogriffs and Pegasus in the air, and all the tribes of the mer-folk under the sea. Our holy rites42 forbid them. And curst be all doubts, all singular dreams, all fancies. And from magic may all true folk be turned away. Amen."
He turned round suddenly and was into the night. A wind loitered about the door, then flapped it to. And the large room in the forge of Narl was as it had been but a few moments before, yet the mellow mood of it seemed dulled and dim. And then Narl spoke, rising up at the table's end and breaking the gloom of the silence. "Did we plan our plans," he said, "so long ago, and put our faith in magic, that we should now renounce magical things and curse our neighbours, the harmless folk beyond the fields we know, and the beautiful things of the air, and dead mariners43' lovers dwelling44 beneath the sea?"
And then one rose with his horn of mead held high, then another and then another, till all were standing upright all round the light of the candles. "Magic!" one cried. And the rest with one accord took up his cry till all were shouting "Magic."
The Freer on his homeward way heard that cry of Magic, he gathered his sacred robe more closely around him and clutched his holy things, and said a spell that kept him from sudden demons46 and the doubtful things of the mist.
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1
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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2
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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3
unicorn
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| n.(传说中的)独角兽 | |
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4
dangling
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| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
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5
eluding
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| v.（尤指机敏地）避开( elude的现在分词 )；逃避；躲避；使达不到 | |
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6
trophy
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| n.优胜旗，奖品，奖杯，战胜品，纪念品 | |
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7
slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 )； 吊挂； 遣送； 押往 | |
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8
thong
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| n.皮带；皮鞭；v.装皮带 | |
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9
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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10
smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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11
fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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12
riotously
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| adv.骚动地，暴乱地 | |
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13
gambolling
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| v.蹦跳，跳跃，嬉戏( gambol的现在分词 ) | |
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14
kennels
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| n.主人外出时的小动物寄养处，养狗场；狗窝( kennel的名词复数 )；养狗场 | |
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15
aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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16
guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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17
memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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18
clement
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| adj.仁慈的；温和的 | |
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19
esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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20
unicorns
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| n.（传说中身体似马的）独角兽( unicorn的名词复数 )；一角鲸；独角兽标记 | |
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21
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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22
skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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23
rumour
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| n.谣言，谣传，传闻 | |
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24
gallop
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| v./n.(马或骑马等)飞奔；飞速发展 | |
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25
mead
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| n.蜂蜜酒 | |
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26
generosity
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| n.大度，慷慨，慷慨的行为 | |
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27
mellow
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| adj.柔和的；熟透的；v.变柔和；(使)成熟 | |
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28
languished
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| 长期受苦( languish的过去式和过去分词 )； 受折磨； 变得（越来越）衰弱； 因渴望而变得憔悴或闷闷不乐 | |
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29
quaint
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| adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的 | |
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30
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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31
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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32
emblem
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| n.象征，标志；徽章 | |
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33
awe
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| n.敬畏，惊惧；vt.使敬畏，使惊惧 | |
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34
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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35
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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36
renounce
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| v.放弃；拒绝承认，宣布与…断绝关系 | |
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37
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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38
sleek
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| adj.光滑的，井然有序的；v.使光滑，梳拢 | |
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39
sleekness
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| 油滑； 油光发亮； 时髦阔气； 线条明快 | |
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40
redoubtable
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| adj.可敬的；可怕的 | |
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41
enchanted
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| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
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42
rites
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| 仪式，典礼( rite的名词复数 ) | |
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43
mariners
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| 海员，水手（mariner的复数形式） | |
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44
dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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45
quaffed
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| v.痛饮( quaff的过去式和过去分词 )；畅饮；大口大口将…喝干；一饮而尽 | |
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46
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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