真挚的友谊(下)

Aphtanides knew how to manage a boat, and I often sat in it, with my little Anastasia, while it glided on through the water, swift as a bird flying through the air. Then, when the sun sank down, the mountains were tinted with a deeper and deeper blue, one range peeped over the other, and behind them all stood Parnassus with its snow-crowned summit. The mountain-top gleamed in the evening rays like glowing iron, and it seemed as though the light came from within it; for long after the sun had set, the mountain still shone through the clear blue air. The white water-birds touched the surface of the sea with their wings, otherwise all here was as calm and quiet as among the black rocks at Delphi. I lay on my back in the boat, Anastasia leaned against me, and the stars above us shone brighter than the lamps in our church. They were the same stars, and they stood exactly in the same positions above me, as when I had sat in front of our hut at Delphi; and at last I almost fancied I was back there. Suddenly there was a splash in the water, and the boat rocked violently. I cried out, for Anastasia had fallen into the water; but in a moment Aphtanides had sprung in after her, and was holding her up to me! We took off her clothes, wrung out the water, and then dressed her again. Aphtanides did the same for himself, and we remained on the water till they were dry; and no one knew what a fright we had had for our little adopted sister, in whose life Aphtanides now had a part.

The summer came. The sun bured so hot that the leaves turned yellow on the trees. I thought of our cool mountains, and of the fresh water they contained; my mother, too, longed for them; and one evening we wandered home. What peace, what silence! We walked on through the thick thyme, still fragrant though the sun had scorched its leaves. Not a single herdsman did we meet, not one solitary hut did we pass. Everything was quiet and deserted; but a shooting star announced that in heaven there was yet life. I know not if the clear blue air gleamed with light of its own, or if the radiance came from the stars; but we could see the outlines of the mountains quite plainly. My mother lighted a fire, roasted some roots she had brought with her, and I and my little sister slept among the thyme, without fear of the ugly Smidraki, from whose throat fire spurts forth, or of the wolf and jackal; for my mother sat beside us, and I thought that was enough.

We reached our old home; but the hut was a heap of ruins, and a new one had to be built. A few women lent my mother their aid, and in a few days walls were raised, and covered with a new roof of oleander branches. My mother made many bottle-cases of bark and skins; I kept the priest's little flock, and Anastasia and the little tortoises were my playmates.

Once we had a visit from our beloved Aphtanides, who said he had greatly longed to see us, and who stayed with us two whole happy days.

A month afterwards he came again, and told us that he was going in a ship to Corfu and Patras, but must bid us good-bye first; and he had brought a large fish for our mother. He had a great deal to tell, not only of the fishermen yonder in the Gulf of Lepanto, but also of Kings and heroes, who had once ruled in Greece, just as the Turks rule now.

I have seen a bud on a rose bush gradually unfold through days and weeks, till it became a rose, and hung there in its beauty, before I was aware how large and beautiful and red it had become; and the same thing I now saw in Anastasia. She was now a beautiful grown girl, and I had become a stout stripling. The wolf-skins that covered my mother's and Anastasia's bed, I had myself taken from wolves that had fallen beneath my shots.

Years had gone by, when one evening Aphtanides came in, slender as a reed, strong and brown. He kissed us all, and had much to tell of the great ocean, of the fortifications of Malta, and of the marvellous sepulchres of Egypt. It sounded strange as a legend of the priests, and I looked up to him with a kind of veneration.

"How much you know!" I exclaimed; "what wonders you can tell of!"

"But you have told me the finest thing, after all," he replied. "You told me of a thing that has never been out of my thoughts--of the good old custom of the bond of friendship, a custom I should like to follow. Brother, let you and I go to church, as your father and Anastasia's went before us. Your sister Anastasia is the most beautiful and most innocent of girls; she shall consecrate us! No people has such grand old customs as we Greeks."

Anastasia blushed like a young rose, and my mother kissed Aphtanides.

A couple of miles from our house, there where loose earth lies on the hill, and a few scattered trees give a shelter, stood the little church; a silver lamp hung in front of the altar.

I had put on my best clothes: the white fustanella fell in rich folds round my hips, the red jacket fitted tight and close, the tassel on my fez cap was silver, and in my girdle gleamed a knife and my pistols. Aphtanides was clad in the blue garb worn by Greek sailors; on his chest hung a silver plate with the figure of the Virgin Mary; his scarf was as costly as those worn by rich lords. Every one could see that we were about to go through a solemn ceremony. We stepped into the little simple church, where the evening sunlight, streaming through the door, gleamed on the burning lamp and the pictures on golden ground. We knelt down on the altar steps, and Anastasia came before us. A long white garment hung loose over her graceful form; on her white neck and bosom hung a chain, covered with old and new coins, forming a kind of collar. Her black hair was fastened in a knot, and confined by a headdress made of silver and gold coins that had been found in the old temples. No Greek girl had more beautiful ornaments than she. Her countenance glowed, and her eyes were like two stars.

We all three prayed silently; and then she said to us:

"Will you be friends in life and in death?"

"Yes," we replied.

"Will you, whatever may happen, remember this: my brother is a part of myself. My secrets are his, my happiness is his. Self-sacrifice, patience--everything in me belongs to him as to me?"

And we again answered, "Yes."

Then she joined our hands and kissed us on the forehead, and we again prayed silently. Then the priest came through the door near the altar, and blessed us all three; and a song, sung by the other holy men, sounded from behind the altar screen, and the bond of eternal friendship was concluded. When we rose, I saw my mother standing by the church door weeping heartily.

How cheerful it was now, in our little hut, and by the springs of Delphi! On the evening before his departure, Aphtanides sat thoughtful with me on the declivity of a mountain; his arm was flung round my waist, and mine was round his neck; we spoke of the sorrows of Greece, and of the men whom the country could trust. Every thought of our souls lay clear before each of us, and I seized his hand.

"One thing thou must still know, one thing that till now has been a secret between myself and Heaven. My whole soul is filled with love! With a love stronger than the love I bear to my mother and to thee!"

"And whom do you love?" asked Aphtanides, and his face and neck grew red as fire.

"I love Anastasia," I replied--and his hand trembled in mine, and he became pale as a corpse. I saw it; I understood the cause; and I believe my hand trembled. I bent towards him, kissed his forehead, and whispered, "I have never spoken of it to her, and perhaps she does not love me. Brother, think of this: I have seen her daily; she has grown up beside me, and has become a part of my soul!"

"And she shall be thine!" he exclaimed, "thine! I may not deceive thee, nor will I do so. I also love her; but tomorrow I depart, in a year we shall see each other once more, and then you will be married, will you not? I have a little gold of my own; it shall be thine. Thou must, thou shalt take it."

And we wandered home silently across the mountain. It was late in the evening when we stood at my mother's door.

Anastasia held the lamp upwards as we entered; my mother was not there. She gazed at Aphtanides with a strangely mournful gaze.

"Tomorrow you are going from us," she said: "I am very sorry for it."

"Sorry!" he repeated, and in his voice there seemed a trouble as great as the grief I myself felt. I could not speak, but he seized her hand, and said, "Our brother yonder loves you, and he is dear to you, is he not? His very silence is a proof of his affection."

Anastasia trembled and burst into tears. Then I saw no one but her, thought of none but her, and threw my arms round her, and said, "I love thee!" She pressed her lips to mine, and flung her arms round my neck; but the lamp had fallen to the ground, and all was dark around us--dark as in the heart of poor Aphtanides.

Before daybreak he rose, kissed us all, said farewell, and went away. He had given all his money to my mother for us. Anastasia was my betrothed, and a few days afterwards she became my wife.

阿夫坦尼蒂斯会驾船，我常常带着安娜斯达西亚坐他的船。船儿在海上航行，就像一只鸟儿轻快地划过天空。当太阳落下去的时候，山峰被染上越来越深的蓝色，一座比一座高，最远处的是帕那萨斯山，露出白雪覆盖的山顶。在太阳落山后很久，帕那萨斯山仍然闪耀在明亮、蔚蓝的天空里。白色的水鸟用翅膀轻点着海面，其余的一切都寂静无声，就像德尔菲的黑石山一样。我平躺在船上，安娜斯达西亚靠着我，头顶上星星比教堂的灯光还要亮。它们还是那些星星，和我在德尔菲的小屋前看到的星星一样，都还在同一位置。后来，我差点幻想自己是回到了德尔菲老家。突然，海水激起了水花，船剧烈地摇晃起来。我大叫一声，因为安娜斯达西亚掉进了水里。但一转眼的工夫，阿夫坦尼蒂斯跳进水中，把她托起来递给我!我们脱下她的湿衣服，拧干了水，然后再给她穿上。阿夫坦尼蒂斯也把自己的衣服拧干。我们留在船上，直到他俩身上都晾干。没有人知道，因为这个过继的妹妹，我们受了多大的惊吓!现在，在她的生命中，阿夫坦尼蒂斯也占据了其中的一部分。

夏天到了。太阳火辣辣地烤着，树叶变成了黄色。我怀念自己凉爽的山间，和山上流下来的清新的泉水。妈妈也思念家乡。一天晚上，我们朝家乡走去。多么安宁，多么寂静！

我们穿过浓密的麝香草丛，尽管太阳烤焦了它的叶子，它依然散发出芬芳。我们没有遇见一个牧人，没有见到一个小屋，一切都笼罩在寂静和荒凉中。但一颗流星划过天空，宣布着生命的存在。我不知道是明净、蔚蓝的天空自己发的光呢，还是星星发出的光芒，但我们可以清晰地看到群山的轮廓。妈妈点起了一堆火，烤了几个她随身带的洋葱。我和小妹妹睡在麝香草丛中，一点也不害怕喉咙里会喷火的斯米特拉基怪兽。我们也不怕野狼和豺狗。妈妈坐在我们旁边，我想这就足够了。

我们回到了老家，但小屋已经成为一堆荒土。我们建了一座新房子，几个妇女帮妈妈的忙，几天之后，墙就垒起来了，并且用竹桃枝做了新屋顶。妈妈用树皮和兽皮做了好多瓶瓶罐罐，我负责照料神父的一小群羊，安娜斯达西亚和一些小乌龟是我的小伙伴。

一次，我们亲爱的阿夫坦尼蒂斯来看我们。他说，他早就想来看望我们了，他和我们一起整整度过了快乐的两天。

一个月后，他又来了。他告诉我们，他要开船到巴特拉和科孚去，先来和我们告别。他给我妈妈带来了一条大鱼。他有很多话要对我们说，不仅是关于勒庞多湾的渔夫的故事，还有国王们和英雄们的故事――他们曾经统治过希腊，就像现在她归土耳其统治一样。

我看见过玫瑰花上的一朵花蕾，经过几天，几个星期，一点点地开放，直到成为一朵盛开的玫瑰花。它美丽地挂在枝头，我还没有来得及想它会有多大，多美，多红，它已经绽放了。这就像现在的安娜斯达西亚一样，她已经长成了一个美丽的大姑娘了。而我呢，也长成了一个健壮的大小伙子。铺在妈妈和安娜斯达西亚床上的狼皮，就是我从自己射死的狼身上剥下来的。

时间一年一年地过去。一天晚上，阿夫坦尼蒂斯来了，细长的身材像一根芦苇，但肌肉很结实，皮肤是棕色的。他吻了我们每一个人，告诉我们很多关于大洋、马耳他城堡和埃及奇异的金字塔的故事。这些话听起来像是神父们的传奇故事，我怀着敬仰的心情望着他。

“你知道的事情真多！”我叫道， “你讲的东西多么奇妙！”

“但你告诉我的才是最美的故事！”他答道， “你对我讲了一件事情，我从没有忘记过――那是关于结交友情的古老、美好的风俗，我一直愿意追随这一风俗。兄弟，让我们去教堂吧，就像先前你父亲和安娜斯达西亚父亲所做的那样。你的妹妹安娜斯达西亚是最美丽、最纯真的女孩，让她作我们的证人吧！没有任何一个民族像我们希腊人一样，拥有如此古老而伟大的风俗。”

安娜斯达西亚脸涨得通红，像一朵刚刚绽放的玫瑰。妈妈吻了安娜斯达西亚。

离我们家几里路的地方，山脚下有一堆松土，还有几棵稀稀落落的树。树荫下就是小教堂，一盏银灯挂在祭坛前面。

我穿上自己最好的衣服。白色的多褶短裙，飘在我的臀部；红色的上衣，紧紧罩住我的上身；菲兹帽的缨子是银白色的，腰带上的刀子和手枪，闪闪发亮。阿夫坦尼蒂斯穿着希腊水手蓝色的长袍，胸前挂着一枚银章，上面是圣母玛利亚的神像，他的围巾像富有的绅士戴的那么名贵。每个人都看得出，我们将举行一场神圣的仪式。我们一起走进简朴的小教堂，落日的余辉照进了大门，浸染着点亮的灯烛和金色背景上的圣像。我们跪在圣坛前，安娜斯达西亚走到我们前面。她优雅的身段上，宽松地罩着一件白色的长袍；她白净的脖子和胸前，挂着一条链子，链子上挂满新旧银币，组成了衣领的形状；她乌黑的头发系成了一个结，用金币银币做成的小帽罩住，这些钱币是从古老的神庙里找来的。没有一个希腊女孩打扮得比她更好看了。她光彩照人，一双眼睛像是两颗闪亮的星星。

我们都默默地祈祷，然后她对我们说：

“你们无论生死，都是朋友吗？”

“是的，”我们答道。

“不管发生什么事，你们都要记住：我的兄弟是我的一部分。我的秘密就是他的秘密，我的幸福就是他的幸福。自我牺牲、忍耐――我所有的东西也都属于他，你们能做到吗？”

我们再次答道： “是的。”

然后，她把我们的手拉在一起，吻了我们的额头，我们再次默默地祈祷。神父从圣坛旁边的门走过来，祝福我们三个。其他神职人员一齐唱一支歌，歌声从圣坛后面传过来，“永恒的友谊”仪式结束了。我们站起来的时候，我看见妈妈站在教堂门口，失声痛哭。

现在，在我们的小屋里，在德尔菲的泉水旁，是多么欢乐呀!晚上，在阿夫坦尼蒂斯临走之前，他默默地和我坐在一个山坡上。他的一条胳膊搂着我的腰，而我则搂着他的脖子。我们谈论着希腊的苦难，谈论着谁是国家可以信赖的人。我们心中的每一个想法，都毫无保留地说给对方听。我握紧他的手。

“你必须知道一件事，这件至今只是上帝和我之间的秘密。我的心里充满了爱！是一种比对母亲、对你更强烈的爱！”

“那是谁呢？”阿夫坦尼蒂斯问道；他的脸和脖子红得像火一样。

“我爱安娜斯达西亚，”我答道――他的手在我的手里颤抖起来，脸色像尸体一样变得惨白。我发现了，我知道其中的原因。我知道自己的手也颤抖起来。我躬下身子，吻了他的额头，小声说， “我从没有对她表白过，也许她不爱我。兄弟，请想想：我每天都看见她，她就在我的身边长大，已经成了我灵魂的一部分！”

“她应该属于你！”他叫道， “她是你的！我不会骗你，也不想骗你。我也爱她！但明天我就要离开了。一年后我们还会见面，那时你该结婚了吧，不是吗？我有一点金子，它是属于你的。你一定拿着，也应该拿着。”

我们默默地从山里走回家。我们回到妈妈的门前时，夜已经深了。

我们进屋的时候，安娜斯达西亚举着灯，妈妈不在。她用一种奇怪、忧伤的眼神望着阿夫坦尼蒂斯。

“明天你就要离开我们了，”她说， “我很难过。”

“对不起！”他答道，他声音里所包含的痛苦，和我内心的痛苦一样剧烈。我说不出什么话，但阿夫坦尼蒂斯拉住安娜斯达西亚的手，说： “我的这位兄弟爱你，你也爱他，不是吗?他的沉默不语，正是爱情的证明呀。”

安娜斯达西亚颤抖起来，放声大哭。这时我的眼里，我的心里，只有她一个人。我张开双臂，紧紧地搂住她，说： “我爱你！”安娜斯达西亚把嘴唇紧贴在我的唇上，双手搂住我的脖子。灯跌落在地上，我们四周一片漆黑――黯然像可怜的阿夫坦尼蒂斯的内心一样。

天亮前，阿夫坦尼蒂斯就起床了，吻了我们，和我们道别，然后就上路了。他把所有的钱都给了我妈妈，让她留给我们用。安娜斯达西亚和我订了婚，不久以后，她成了我的妻子。