MOUNTED on the Cork1 car next morning, we passed the estuaries2 of Bantry Bay, where, the tide being out, the heron stood, lone3 and aristocratic, and the curlew ran nimbly among the dank seaweed. By the roadside, the goats, tied in pairs, and cruelly hoppled, tumbled over the embankments as we passed. We went by the picturesque4 old ruins of Carriginass, and by various sights and scenes, until we reached the Pass of Keimaneigh, a defile5 through the mountains, the appropriate refuge of the Rockites, in 1822, and an elegant situation for a still. Burns, that poetical6 gauger7, might have been happy here, so long as, dreamily wandering among the heath-clad steeps, he had confined his attentions to the beauties of nature, and ignored the paraphernalia8 of art; but a more practical man, intent on business, would have had but an uncomfortable home of it, until a bullet put an end to his dreary9 quest, and
“The de'il flew away with the exciseman.”
The driver pulled up his horses by a way-side cottage, and inquired whether we wished to see Gougane-barra. It was only a mile or so out of our route, Patrick there would take us in his car, and he would wait for us with all the pleasure in life. So, making this little deflection, we reached, as speedily as a good pony10 could take us over bad roads, the gloomy lake and mountains. Here we were received by a troop of juvenile11 guides, led on by an old man, who with a long white beard, and staff, intended, I believe, to give us the idea of a venerable and pious12 pilgrim, to remind us probably of St. Fion Bar, the “Saint of the Silver Locks,” who founded a monastery13 here; but roguery so twinkled in his eye, and imposition so quavered in his voice, that I have no hesitation14 in speaking with regard to him, as the Edinburgh Review spake of Edgar Poe:—“He was a blackguard of undeniable mark.”
The Irish poet Callanan sings,
“There is a green island in lone Gougane-barra,
We visited the “green island,” reaching it by an overland route (a method of access which I do not remember to have noticed out of Ireland); and the “Allua of Songs” was represented by a discordant17 din15 in Anglo-Irish, from the illustrious humbug18 in the beard, and his satellites, which would have interested us in a greater degree, had we understood only a twentieth part of it.
Ultimately, we caught a small boy, intelligent and intelligible19, and he told us how the great Saint had here made himself deliciously miserable20, feasting upon the idea of his fasts; contemplating21 his macerations in the lake, as complacently22 as a cornet his new uniform, or his sister her first ball-dress, in the glass; whipping himself as industriously23 as a schoolboy his top; hugging himself in his hair shirt, and nestling cosily24 as a child in its crib, in a bed composed of ashes and broken glass.
These and other austerities by which the Reverend Mr. Bar so signally extinguished himself, have made Gougane-barra, even to this day, a great resort for pilgrims; you see “the Stations,” and you see graven upon a stone, which was formerly25 an altar-stone, the list of prayers to be said there; and you hear of many wonderful cures, which have been performed (I always like that story of the priest, who was overheard, while telling his friend, that he must be so good as to excuse his absence, as he was engaged “to rehearse a miracle at two 0 clock!”) at the Holy Well hard by,—the very well, it may be, to which Larry O'Toole took Sheelah, his wife, and Phelim (as they thought) was “the consekins of that manoover.”
These pilgrims, some fifty years ago, used to drink diligently26 as soon as they had finished their prayers, laying aside the staff for the shillelagh, and kicking off their sandals for a jig27 on the green. Having paid off the old score, they began a new account like gentlemen, just as an undergraduate, having advanced ten pounds to his tailor, immediately orders clothes to the amount of twenty.
Regaining28 the car and main road, we pass by small silvery lakes from which the trout29 are leaping, “bekase,” says our driver, “the wather's so full o' fish that whinever they want to turn round they must jist jump out and do it in the air,” through a country prettily30 diversified31 with
as are only to be seen in Ireland, and so come to Inchigeela.
À propos of cornfields, I must not forget a striking example of scientific ingenuity35, which we saw in this neighbourhood. A small cornstack had been raised, so grievously out of the perpendicular36, that the tower of Pisa would have looked severely37 straight by it. But the builder saw his error, before it was too late, and had gloriously saved his cereal structure, by erecting38 another, opposite to and abutting39 towards it, until they supported each other, like the commencement of those card houses, which we built in early youth, a chevron40 in heraldry, or two drunken sots “seeing each other home.”
At Inchigeela's clean and comfortable inn, we had a capital luncheon41 for ninepence, and then “lionised” the village. The first object of interest was a pig, asleep under a tree by the brookside.
(I may add bene curandâ, as the bacon that is to be cannot possibly hear), and so serenely42 dignified43 in its complete repose44, so “mildly majestical,” that one almost expected to see a point-lace nightcap, and fair girls fanning away the flies! He looked as happy as Gryllus, that companion of Ulysses, who, being transformed into a pig by Circe, and, being subsequently offered redintegration, preferred the swinish estate; huge and handsome as the famous boar, who ate the Reverend Mr. Haydn, after the victory of the rebels at Enniscorihy; 1 obese45 and sleepy, as Silenus, when found by the shepherds, Chromis and Mnasylus; 2 refreshed and comfortable, like that great O'Neill, who (Camden says so) was wont46 to plunge47 himself into the mire48, as a cooler and restorative, after great excess.
2 Virgil. Edogue vi. 13.
Progressing, we come to the Constabulary Barracks, where a couple of constables50, with such moustaches as would make a young Cornet groan51, are polishing up their carbines. Our London police are well-favoured in appearance, but if the Irish constables were to take their place, there would not be a single female-servant, to be “warranted heart-whole,” in the great Metropolis52, and the very name of Meat-safe would become a by-word and a laughing-stock.
In the river hard by, a girl, standing53 ankle-deep, from time to time, like the young lady in “the Soldiers Tear” held aloft a snowy—never mind what; and, having plunged54 it into the stream, and placed it upon a stone, belaboured it (as though it were a drunken husband) with an implement55 of wood, which much resembled a villager's clumsy cricket-bat.
Two Schools, and one actually at work! real pupils, making the pace too severe to last (when they saw us looking at them), with real slate-pencils over real slates56! I wonder whether they were doing the “Irish Arithmetic,” of which O'Hara declares the following to be a faithful specimen:—
“Twice 5 is 6;
The 9s in 4 you can't;
So dot 3, and carry 1;
And let the rest walk!”
Returning, after a prolonged and pleasant stroll, we found the horses in the car, and the driver seated on his box. Now, an English coachman would have yelled at us, and English passengers would have scowled57 on us, for detaining them; but the Irishman gave us a pleasant smile of recognition, as though it was very kind of us to come back at all, and did not start for full five minutes, to assure us that we had caused no inconvenience. Certainly, it was one of those warm, still, delicious summer days on which nobody wants to start, satisfied with the calm enjoyment58 of the present, and so absorbed and occupied in doing nothing, that it seems to be quite a triumphal effort to rouse one's-self and light a cigar! At length, our charioteer speaks to his horses, whose drooping59 heads acknowledge the soporific influence of the day; and, awaking from their favourite night-mares, they bear us on our road to Cork.
Now we pass the tower, antique and ivy-clad, of Carrigadrohid, (nice name for a naughty pointer, requiring frequent reprimands on a broiling60 day in September!); a handsome residence on the hill beyond, with the pleasant waters of the river Lee, which accompanies us from its source at Gougatie-Barra to Cork, winding61 below it; and change horses at Dripsey. Between this latter place and Cork, the signs of civilisation62 became so painfully prominent, and the scenery so excruciatingly English, that, having secured ourselves by our rug-straps, to the iron bar behind us, our “custom always of an afternoon,” when we felt inclined for a siesta63, we closed our eyes in sadness, and tried to dream of Connamara and Killarney. But sights, too dreadful for description, scared sleep away. Carts, whereupon was gaudily64 emblazoned “Albert Bakery,” and “Collard and Collard” fascinated our unwilling65 gaze; and we shortly found ourselves among the suburbs disgustingly neat, and the houses offensively comfortable, of “that beautiful city called Cork.”
On the right and left, as you approach, are two very imposing66 and extensive structures, Queen's College, and (“great wit to madness nearly is allied”) the Lunatic Asylum,—the latter so large, that it might have been erected67 to accommodate those numerous patients who have lost their reason in vain attempts to understand Mr. Bradshaw's Railway Guide.
Cork is, indeed, a “beautiful city,” delightfully68 situated69, handsomely built, and having more the appearance of energy, prosperity, and comfort, than any other city we saw in Ireland. To my fancy the old prophecy is fulfilled,—
“Limerick was, Dublin is, and Cork shall be
The finest city of the three.”
The river Lee, dividing here, flows round the island on which principally the city stands; and upon the wooded hills above, the richer part of the community have their pleasant, healthful homes.
Now, although I have deplored70 our transition from the wild scenery of Connamara and Kerry to the formalities of cultivation71 and refinement72, I am not so bigoted73 as to deny that civilisation has its advantages; and, among them, I would specially74 include “the Imperial Hotel” in Pembroke Street. An excellent dinner, in pleasant society (the exception being a vulgar, garrulous75 old female, who ate with her knife, and told us how, in one of the foreign churches, she had “tried very 'ard to convert an aconite, quite a genteel young man,”) followed by some irreproachable76 claret,
disposed us to criticise78 very leniently79 the defects and inferiorities of art; and we left our inn to see the fireworks in the Mardyke Gardens, not only consoled, but cheery. All Cork appeared to be going in procession up that long avenue of fine old trees; and as the subsequent exhibition appeared to be quite satisfactory, I can pay “all Cork” the compliment of saying, that it is very easily pleased. To us, as we stood in the long, damp grass, and the varnish80 was retiring from our favourite boots, intervals of twenty minutes between the pyrotechnic performances soon began to be rather tedious; and we longed to repeat an experiment, originally introduced at the Henley Regatta, when a dozen of us combining, applied81 our cigars to all the “fixed pieces” at once, and the grand design, which was to crown the whole, anticipated its glories by a couple of hours, and wished the bewildered spectators “Good Night” (in glittering letters two feet long) almost as soon as they had paid for their admission!
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1
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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estuaries
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| （江河入海的）河口，河口湾( estuary的名词复数 ) | |
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3
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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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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defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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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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gauger
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| n.收税官 | |
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paraphernalia
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| n.装备；随身用品 | |
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dreary
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| adj.令人沮丧的，沉闷的，单调乏味的 | |
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pony
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| adj.小型的；n.小马 | |
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juvenile
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| n.青少年，少年读物；adj.青少年的，幼稚的 | |
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pious
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| adj.虔诚的；道貌岸然的 | |
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monastery
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| n.修道院，僧院，寺院 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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discordant
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| adj.不调和的 | |
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humbug
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| n.花招，谎话，欺骗 | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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miserable
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| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
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contemplating
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| 深思，细想，仔细考虑( contemplate的现在分词 )； 注视，凝视； 考虑接受（发生某事的可能性）； 深思熟虑，沉思，苦思冥想 | |
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complacently
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| adv. 满足地, 自满地, 沾沾自喜地 | |
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23
industriously
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cosily
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| adv.舒适地，惬意地 | |
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formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 | |
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diligently
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| ad.industriously;carefully | |
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jig
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| n.快步舞（曲）；v.上下晃动；用夹具辅助加工；蹦蹦跳跳 | |
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regaining
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| 复得( regain的现在分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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trout
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| n.鳟鱼；鲑鱼(属) | |
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prettily
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| adv.优美地；可爱地 | |
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diversified
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| adj.多样化的，多种经营的v.使多样化，多样化( diversify的过去式和过去分词 )；进入新的商业领域 | |
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32
abode
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| n.住处，住所 | |
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intervals
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| n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息 | |
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rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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ingenuity
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| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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erecting
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| v.使直立，竖起( erect的现在分词 )；建立 | |
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abutting
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| adj.邻接的v.（与…）邻接( abut的现在分词 )；（与…）毗连；接触；倚靠 | |
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40
chevron
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| n.V形臂章；V形图案 | |
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41
luncheon
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| n.午宴，午餐，便宴 | |
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42
serenely
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| adv.安详地，宁静地，平静地 | |
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dignified
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| a.可敬的，高贵的 | |
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repose
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| v.(使)休息；n.安息 | |
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obese
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| adj.过度肥胖的，肥大的 | |
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wont
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| adj.习惯于；v.习惯；n.习惯 | |
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plunge
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| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
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mire
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| n.泥沼，泥泞；v.使...陷于泥泞，使...陷入困境 | |
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sketches
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| n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概 | |
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constables
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| n.警察( constable的名词复数 ) | |
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51
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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52
metropolis
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| n.首府；大城市 | |
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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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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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55
implement
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| n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行 | |
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56
slates
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| （旧时学生用以写字的）石板( slate的名词复数 )； 板岩； 石板瓦； 石板色 | |
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scowled
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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59
drooping
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| adj. 下垂的，无力的 动词droop的现在分词 | |
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broiling
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| adj.酷热的，炽热的，似烧的v.（用火）烤（焙、炙等）( broil的现在分词 )；使卷入争吵；使混乱；被烤（或炙） | |
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winding
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| n.绕，缠，绕组，线圈 | |
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civilisation
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| n.文明，文化，开化，教化 | |
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siesta
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| n.午睡 | |
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gaudily
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| adv.俗丽地 | |
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unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
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67
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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delightfully
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| 大喜，欣然 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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deplored
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| v.悲叹，痛惜，强烈反对( deplore的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cultivation
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| n.耕作，培养，栽培（法），养成 | |
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refinement
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| n.文雅；高尚；精美；精制；精炼 | |
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bigoted
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| adj.固执己见的，心胸狭窄的 | |
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specially
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| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
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garrulous
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| adj.唠叨的，多话的 | |
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irreproachable
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| adj.不可指责的，无过失的 | |
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winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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criticise
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| v.批评，评论；非难 | |
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leniently
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| 温和地，仁慈地 | |
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varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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