引导语：永恒的友情大家知道作者是谁?是大家耳熟能详的安徒生，我们一起来阅读与学习这篇童话故事吧。
永恒的友情
我们飞离丹麦的海岸，
远远飞向陌生的国度，
在蔚蓝美丽的海水边，
我们踏上希腊的领土。
柠檬树结满了金黄果，
枝条被压得垂向地上;
遍地起绒草长得繁多，
还有美丽的大理石像。
牧羊人坐着，狗在休息，
我们围坐在他的四周，
听他叙述“永恒的友谊”
这是古老的优美的风俗。
我们住的房子是泥土糊成的，不过门柱则是刻有长条凹槽的大理石。这些大理石是建造房子时从附近搬来的。屋顶很低，几乎接近地面。它现在变成了棕色，很难看，不过它当初是用从山后砍来的、开着花的橄榄树枝和新鲜的桂树枝编成的。我们的住屋周围的空间很狭窄。峻峭的石壁耸立着，露出一层黑黝黝的颜色。它们的顶上经常悬着一些云块，很像白色的生物。我从来没有听到过一次鸟叫，这儿也从来没有人在风笛声中跳舞。不过这地方从远古的时代起就是神圣的：它的名字就说明这一点，因为它叫做德尔菲①!那些庄严深黑的山顶上全盖满了雪。最高的一座山峰在红色的晚霞中闪耀得最久——它就是帕那萨斯山②。一条溪流从它上面流下来，在我们的屋子旁边流过——溪流从前也是神圣的。现在有一头驴用腿把它搅浑了，但是水很急，一会儿它又变得清明如镜。
每一块地方和它神圣的寂静，我记得多么清楚啊!在一间茅屋的中央，有一堆火在烧着。当那白热的火焰在发着红光的时候，人们就在它上面烤着面包。当雪花在我们的茅屋旁边高高地堆起、几乎要把这房子掩盖住的时候，这就是我的母亲最高兴的时候。这时她就用双手捧着我的头，吻着我的前额，同时对我唱出她在任何其他的场合都不敢唱的歌——因为土耳其人是我们的统治者，不准人唱这支歌③。她唱道：
在奥林匹斯④的山顶上，在低矮的松树林里，有一头很老的赤鹿。它的眼睛里充满了泪珠;它哭出红色的、绿色的，甚至淡蓝色的眼泪。这时有一头红褐色的小斑鹿走来，说：“什么东西叫你这样难过，你哭得这样厉害，哭出红色的、绿色的，甚至淡蓝色的眼泪呢?”赤鹿回答说：“土耳其人来到了我们村里，带来了一群野狗打猎——一群厉害的野狗。”“我要把他们从这些岛上赶走，”红褐色的小斑鹿说，“我要把他们从这个岛上赶到深海里去!”但是在黄昏还没有到来以前，红褐色的小斑鹿就已经被杀死了。在黑夜还没有到来以前，赤鹿就被追赶着，终于也死去了。
当我的母亲在唱这支歌的时候，她的眼睛都湿了，一颗泪珠挂在她长长的睫毛上。但是她不让人看见她的泪珠，继续在火焰上烤我们的黑面包。这时我就紧握着拳头说：
“我们要杀掉土耳其人!”
她又把歌词念了一遍：
“‘我要把他们从这些岛上赶到深海里去!’但是在黄昏还没有到来以前，红褐色的小斑鹿就已经被杀死了。在黑夜还没有到来以前，赤鹿就被追赶着，终于也死去了。”
当我的父亲回来的时候、我们已经孤独地在我们的茅屋里过了好几天和好几夜了。我知道，他会带给我勒庞多湾⑤的贝壳，甚至一把明亮的刀子呢。不过这次他带给我们一个小孩子——一个半裸着的小女孩。他把她搂在他的羊皮大衣里。她是裹在一张皮里。当这张皮脱下来的时候，她就躺在我母亲的膝上。她所有的东西只是黑头发上系着的三枚小银币。我的父亲说，这孩子的爸爸和妈妈都被土耳其人杀死了。他讲了许多关于他们的故事，弄得我整夜都梦着土耳其人。父亲自己也受了伤，妈妈把他臂上的伤包扎起来。他的伤势很重，他的羊皮衣被血凝结得硬化了。这个小姑娘将成为我的妹妹。她是那么可爱，那么明朗!就是我母亲的眼睛也没有她的那样温柔。安娜达西亚——这是她的名字——将成为我的妹妹，因为她的父亲，根据我们仍然保存着的一种古老风俗，已经跟我的父亲连成为骨肉了：他们在年轻的时候曾结拜为兄弟，那时他们选了邻近的一位最美丽、最贤淑的女子来举行结拜的仪式。我常常听到人们谈起这种奇怪的优美风俗。
这个小小的女孩子现在是我的妹妹了;她坐在我的膝盖上，我送给她鲜花和山鸟的羽毛。我们一起喝帕那萨斯山的水，我们在这茅屋的桂树枝编的屋顶下头挨着头睡觉，我的母亲一连好几个冬天唱着关于那个红色、绿色和淡蓝色的泪珠的故事。不过我那时还不懂，这些泪珠反映着我的同胞们的无限的悲愁。
有一天，三个佛兰克人⑥来了。他们的装束跟我们的不同，他们的马背着帐篷和床。有20多个带着剑和毛瑟枪的土耳其人陪伴着他们，因为他们是土耳其总督的朋友。他们还带着总督派人护送的命令。他们到这儿来只不过想看看我们的山，爬爬那耸立在雪层和云块中的帕那萨斯山峰，瞧瞧我们茅屋附近的那些奇怪的黑石崖。他们在我们的茅屋里找不到空处，也忍受不了阵阵炊烟，先是弥漫在我们的屋顶下，然后从低矮的门溜出去。他们在我们屋子外边的一块狭小的空地上搭起帐篷，烤着羔羊和鸡，倒出了浓烈的美酒，但是土耳其人却不敢喝⑦。
当他们离去的时候，我把裹在羊皮里的妹妹安娜达西亚背在背上，跟着他们走了一段路。有一个佛兰克人叫我站在一块大石头的前面，把我和她站在那儿的样子画下来，画得非常生动，好像我们是一个人一样;我从来没有想到过这样的事情，不过安娜达西亚和我的确像是一个人。她总是坐在我的膝上，或者穿着羊皮衣趴在我的背上。当我在做梦的时候，她就在我的梦中出现。
过了两晚，许多别的人到我们的茅屋里来了。他们都带着大刀和毛瑟枪。我的母亲说，他们是勇敢的阿尔巴尼亚人。他们只住了一个很短的时期。我的妹妹安娜达西亚在他们当中的一个人的膝上坐过。当这人走了以后，系在她头发上的银币就不再有三枚，而只剩下两枚了。他们把烟草卷在纸里，然后吸着。年纪最大的一位谈着他们应该走哪条路好，但是犹豫不决。
不过他们得作一个决定。他们终于走开了，我的父亲也跟他们一同去了。不久，我们就听到劈啪的枪声。兵士们冲进我们的茅屋里来，把我的母亲、我自己和安娜达西亚都俘虏去了。他们宣称我们窝藏“强盗”，说我的父亲做了“强盗”的向导，因此要把我们带走。我看到了“强盗”们的尸首;我也看到了我父亲的尸首。我大哭起来，哭到后来睡着了。当我醒来的时候，我们已经被关进牢里了。不过监牢并不比我们的茅屋更坏。我们吃了一点洋葱。喝了一点从一个漆皮囊里倒出来的发了霉的酒，但是我们家里的东西也并不比这更好。
我记不起我们在牢里关了多久。不过许多白天和黑夜过去了。当我们出来的时候，已经要过神圣的耶稣复活节了。我把安娜达西亚背在背上，因为我的母亲病了，她只能慢慢地走路。我们要走很长一段路才能到达海边，到达勒庞多湾。我们走进一个教堂里去;金地上的神像射出光辉。这是安琪儿的画像。啊，他们是多么美!不过我觉得我们的小安娜达西亚同样美丽。教堂中央停着一口棺材，里面装满了玫瑰花。“这就是主基督，他作为美丽的花朵躺在那里面。”我的母亲说。于是牧师就说：“耶稣升起来了!”大家都互相吻着：每人手中拿着一支燃着的蜡烛。我也拿着一支，小小的安娜达西亚也拿着一支。风笛奏起来了，男人手挽着手从教堂里舞出来，女人们在外面烤着复活节的羊。我们也被邀请了。我坐在火堆旁边。一个年纪比我大一点的孩子用手搂着我的脖子，吻着我，同时说：“耶稣升起来了!”我们两人，亚夫旦尼得斯和我，第一次就是这样碰见的。
我的母亲会织渔网。在这块海湾地带，人们对于渔网的需求很大。所以我们在这个海边，在这个美丽的海边，住了很久。海水的味道像眼泪一样;海水的颜色使我记起了那只赤鹿的眼泪——一会儿变红，一会儿变绿，一会儿变蓝。
亚夫旦尼得斯会驾船。我常常和小安娜达西亚坐在船上。船在水面上行驶，像云块在空中流动一样。太阳落下去的时候，群山就染上一层深蓝的颜色，这道山脉比那道山脉高，在最远的地方是积雪的帕那萨斯山。山峰在晚霞中像火热的铁那样发着光。这光辉好像是从山里面射出来的，因为当太阳落了以后，它仍然在清净蔚蓝的空中放射了很久。白色的海鸟们用翅膀点着海水。除此以外，海上是清静无声，像黑石山中的德尔菲一样，我在船里仰天躺着，安娜达西亚靠在我的胸脯上，天上的星星照得比我们教堂里的灯光还亮。它们像我们在德尔菲的茅屋前面坐着时所看到的星星那样，它们的方位一点也没有改变。最后我似乎觉得已经回到那儿去了。忽然间，水里起了一阵响声，船猛烈地摇动起来。我大声叫喊，因为安娜达西亚落到水里去了。不过，没有一会儿，亚夫旦尼得斯也非常敏捷，他立刻把她向我托上来!我们把她的衣服脱下，把水挤出来，然后又替她把衣服穿好。亚夫旦尼得斯也为自己这样做了。我们停在水上，一直到衣服晒干为止，谁也不知道，我们这位干妹妹使我们感到多么惊慌。对于她的生命，亚夫旦尼得斯现在也做了一份贡献。
夏天来了!太阳把树上的叶子都烤得枯黄了。我怀恋着我们那些清凉的高山和山里新鲜的泉水，我的母亲也怀恋着它们;因此一天晚上，我们就回到故乡去。多么和平，多么安静啊!我们在高高的麝香草上走过。虽然太阳把它的叶子晒焦了，它仍然发出芬芳的香气。我们没有遇到一个牧人，也没有见到一间茅屋。处处是一片荒凉和静寂。只有一颗流星说明天上还有生命在活动。我不知道，那清明蔚蓝的天空自己在发着光呢，还是星星在发着光，我们可以清楚地看出群山的轮廓。我的母亲烧起火，烤了几个她随身带着的洋葱。我和我的小妹妹睡在麝香草里，一点也不害怕那喉咙里喷火的、丑恶的斯米特拉基⑧狼或山狗。我的母亲坐在我们的旁边——我想这已经够了。
我们回到了老家;不过我们的茅屋已经成了一堆废墟，现在我们得把它重建起来。有好几个女人来帮助我的母亲。不到几天工夫，新的墙又砌起来了，还有夹竹桃枝子编的新屋顶。我的母亲用树皮和兽皮做了许多瓶套子。我看守牧师的一小群羊;安娜达西亚和小乌龟成了我的玩伴。
有一天我们亲爱的亚夫旦尼得斯来拜访我们。他说他非常想看我们，所以他跟我们在一起愉快地住了两个整天。
一个月以后，他又来了。他说他要乘船到巴特拉和科孚去⑨，所以要先来和我们告别。他带来一条大鱼送给我的母亲。他会讲许多故事——不仅关于在勒庞多湾的渔夫的故事，而且关于那些像现在的土耳其人一样统治过希腊的君主和英雄的故事。
我曾经看到玫瑰花树上冒出一颗花苞。它花了许多天和许多星期的光阴才慢慢开成一朵玫瑰花。它美丽地在花枝上悬着，在我一点也没有想到它会变得多大、多美和多红以前，它就已经是这样的一朵花了。安娜达西亚对我说来也是这样。她现在成了一个美丽的姑娘了，而我也成了一个健壮的年轻人。盖在我母亲和安娜达西亚床上的狼皮，就是我亲自从狼身上剥下来的——我用枪打死的狼。
好几年过去了。一天晚上亚夫旦尼得斯来了。他现在长得很结实，棕色皮肤，像芦苇一样颀长。他跟我们大家亲吻。他谈到海洋，马耳他的堡垒和埃及的奇怪的石冢⑩。他的这些故事听起来很神奇，像是一个关于牧师的传说。我怀着一种尊敬的心情望着他。
“你知道的东西真多啊!”我说。“你真会讲!”
“不过最美的故事是你讲给我听的!”他说。“你曾经告诉过我一件事，我一直忘记不了——一件关于结拜兄弟的古老风俗。我倒很想按照这个风俗做呢!兄弟，我们到教堂去吧!像你的父亲和安娜达西亚的父亲那样。你的妹妹安娜达西亚是一个最美丽、最纯真的女子;让她来做我们的证人吧!谁也比不上我们希腊人，我们有这样一个美丽的风俗。”
安娜达西亚的脸儿红起来了，像一朵新鲜的玫瑰。我的母亲把亚夫旦记得斯吻了一下。
离开我们房子大约一点钟的路程，在山上一块有些松土和几株稀疏的树撒下一点荫影的地方，立着一个小小的教堂。祭台前面挂着一盏银灯。
我穿着我最好的衣服：腰上束着一条白色的多褶短裙，身上穿着一件紧紧的红上衣，我的菲兹帽⑾上的缨子是银色的。我的腰带内插着一把刀子和一把枪。亚夫旦尼得斯穿着希腊水手的蓝制服，胸前挂着刻有圣母玛利亚像的银章，他的领巾是像富有的绅士所戴的那样华贵。无论什么人一看就知道我们要去举行一个庄严的仪式。我们走进这个简陋的小教堂。从门外射进来的晚霞，照在燃着的灯上和绘在金底色的圣像上。我们在祭坛的台阶上跪下来，这时安娜达西亚在我们面前站着。她苗条的身上宽松地穿着一件白色的长袍;从她的雪白的颈项直到胸前挂着一个缀满了新旧钱币的链子，像一个完整的衣领，她的黑发拢到头顶上，梳成一个髻，上面戴着小帽，帽子上缀有一些从古庙中寻来的金银币。任何希腊的女子也没有她这样的饰品。她的面孔发着光，她的眼睛像两颗星星。
我们三个人一齐静静地祈祷着;于是她问我们：
“你们两个人将成为共生死的朋友吗?”
“是，”我们回答说。
“那么在任何情况下，请你们记住这句话：我的兄弟是我身体的一部分!我的秘密就是他的秘密，我的幸福就是他的幸福!自我牺牲、耐心——我所有的一切东西将为他所有，也正如为我所有一样，成吗?”
我们又回答说：“成!”
于是她把我们两人的手合在一起，在我们的额上吻了一下。然后我们又静静地祈祷着。这时牧师从祭台边的门走出来，对我们三个人祝福。在祭台的帘子后面，升起了圣者的歌声。我们永恒的友谊现在建立起来了。当我们站起来的时候，我看到我的母亲站在教堂的门边痛哭。
在我们小小的茅屋里，在德尔菲的泉水旁边，一切是多么愉快啊!亚夫旦尼得斯，在他离去的头一天晚上，跟我一起默默地坐在一个山坡上面。他的手抱着我的腰，我的手围着他的脖子;我们谈到希腊的不幸，谈到我们国家谁是可以信任的人。我们灵魂中的每一个思想，现在赤裸裸地暴露在我们面前。我紧握着他的手。
“有一件事你还得知道，这件事一直到现在只有苍天和我知道，我整个的灵魂现在是在爱情中——一种比我对我的母亲和你还要强烈的爱情!”
“你爱谁呢?”亚夫旦尼得斯问，于是他的脸和脖子就红起来。
“我爱安娜达西亚!”我说——于是他的手在我的手里颤抖起来，他变得像死尸一样惨白，我看到了这情景;我了解其中的道理!我相信我自己的手也在颤抖。我对他弯下腰来，吻了他的前额，低声说：“我从来没有对她表示过!也许她不爱我!兄弟，请想一想：我每天看到她，她是在我身旁长大的，她简直成了我的灵魂的一部分!”
“那么她是属于你的!”他说，“属于你的!我不能欺骗你——我也决不欺骗你!我也爱她呀!不过明天早晨我就要离去了。一年以后我们才能再见面。那时你们已经结婚了，会不会?我有一点钱，那是属于你的。你得拿去，你应该拿去!”
我们在山上走过，一句话也没有说。当我们走到母亲门口的时候，天已经黑了很久。当我们走进门的时候，我母亲不在，安娜达西亚举起灯向我们走来，她用一种奇怪的悲哀的眼光望着亚夫旦尼得斯。
“明天你就要离开我们了!”她说。“这真使我感到难过!”
“使你难过!”他说。我觉得他的声音里表示出来的苦痛，跟我心中的苦痛是一样深。我说不出话来，不过他紧握着她的手，说道：
“我的这位兄弟爱你，你也爱他，是不是?他的沉默是他对你的爱情的明证。”
安娜达西亚颤抖起来，放声大哭。这时我的眼中，我的思想中，只有她的存在。我张开双臂抱着她说：“是的，我爱你!”
她把嘴唇贴在我的嘴上，双手搂着我的脖子。不过那盏灯跌到地上去了，我们四周是一片黑暗——像亲爱的。可怜的亚夫旦尼得斯的心一样。
在天还没有亮以前，他就起了床。他把大家都吻了一下，说了再会，就离去了。他把所有的钱都交给了我的母亲，作为我们大家的用费。安娜达西亚成了我的未婚妻。几天以后，她成了我的妻子。
①德尔菲(Delphi)是希腊的旧都。希腊的太阳神阿波罗的神庙就在这里。
②帕那萨斯山(Parnassus)在希腊的中部，有2459米高，神话中说是阿波罗和文艺女神居住的地方。
③从15世纪中叶起一直到19世纪初，希腊是被土耳其人占领的。
④奥林匹斯山(Olympus)是希腊东北部的一座大山，据神话上说，它是希腊众神所住的地方。
⑤勒庞多湾(Lepanto)是希腊西部的一个海口。
⑥佛兰克人(Frank)是古代住在莱茵河流域的一个德国民族。
⑦土耳其人一般信仰伊斯兰教。
⑧斯米特拉基(Smidraki)是希腊迷信中的一种怪物。它是从人们抛到田野里去的羊肠子所产生出来的。
⑨巴特拉(Patras)是希腊西部的一个海口。科孚(Corfu)是希腊西北部的一个海岛。
⑩指埃及的金字塔。
⑾菲兹帽(Fesz)是一种圆筒状的红色帽子。信仰伊斯兰教的人一般都戴这种帽子。但在土耳其人统治下，希腊人也得戴这种帽子。
永恒的友情英文版：
The Shepherd’s Story of the Bond of Friendship
THE little dwelling in which we lived was of clay, but the door-posts were columns of fluted marble, found near the spot on which it stood. The roof sloped nearly to the ground. It was at this time dark, brown, and ugly, but had originally been formed of blooming olive and laurel branches, brought from beyond the mountains. The house was situated in a narrow gorge, whose rocky walls rose to a perpendicular height, naked and black, while round their summits clouds often hung, looking like white living figures. Not a singing bird was ever heard there, neither did men dance to the sound of the pipe. The spot was one sacred to olden times; even its name recalled a memory of the days when it was called “Delphi.” Then the summits of the dark, sacred mountains were covered with snow, and the highest, mount Parnassus, glowed longest in the red evening light. The brook which rolled from it near our house, was also sacred. How well I can remember every spot in that deep, sacred solitude! A fire had been kindled in the midst of the hut, and while the hot ashes lay there red and glowing, the bread was baked in them. At times the snow would be piled so high around our hut as almost to hide it, and then my mother appeared most cheerful. She would hold my head between her hands, and sing the songs she never sang at other times, for the Turks, our masters, would not allow it. She sang,—
“On the summit of mount Olympus, in a forest of dwarf firs, lay an old stag. His eyes were heavy with tears, and glittering with colors like dewdrops; and there came by a roebuck, and said, ’What ailest thee, that thou weepest blue and red tears?’ And the stag answered, ’The Turk has come to our city; he has wild dogs for the chase, a goodly pack.’ ’I will drive them away across the islands!’ cried the young roebuck; ’I will drive them away across the islands into the deep sea.’ But before evening the roebuck was slain, and before night the hunted stag was dead.”
And when my mother sang thus, her eyes would become moist; and on the long eyelashes were tears, but she concealed them and watched the black bread baking in the ashes. Then I would clench my fist, and cry, “We will kill these Turks!” But she repeated the words of the song, “I will drive them across the islands to the deep sea; but before evening came the roebuck was slain, and before the night the hunted stag was dead.”
We had been lonely in our hut for several days and nights when my father came home. I knew he would bring me some shells from the gulf of Lepanto, or perhaps a knife with a shining blade. This time he brought, under his sheep-skin cloak, a little child, a little half-naked girl. She was wrapped in a fur; but when this was taken off, and she lay in my mother’s lap, three silver coins were found fastened in her dark hair; they were all her possessions. My father told us that the child’s parents had been killed by the Turks, and he talked so much about them that I dreamed of Turks all night. He himself had been wounded, and my mother bound up his arm. It was a deep wound, and the thick sheep-skin cloak was stiff with congealed blood. The little maiden was to be my sister. How pretty and bright she looked: even my mother’s eyes were not more gentle than hers. Anastasia, as she was called, was to be my sister, because her father had been united to mine by an old custom, which we still follow. They had sworn brotherhood in their youth, and the most beautiful and virtuous maiden in the neighborhood was chosen to perform the act of consecration upon this bond of friendship. So now this little girl was my sister. She sat in my lap, and I brought her flowers, and feathers from the birds of the mountain. We drank together of the waters of Parnassus, and dwelt for many years beneath the laurel roof of the hut, while, winter after winter, my mother sang her song of the stag who shed red tears. But as yet I did not understand that the sorrows of my own countrymen were mirrored in those tears.
One day there came to our hut Franks, men from a far country, whose dress was different to ours. They had tents and beds with them, carried by horses; and they were accompanied by more than twenty Turks, all armed with swords and muskets. These Franks were friends of the Pacha, and had letters from him, commanding an escort for them. They only came to see our mountain, to ascend Parnassus amid the snow and clouds, and to look at the strange black rocks which raised their steep sides near our hut. They could not find room in the hut, nor endure the smoke that rolled along the ceiling till it found its way out at the low door; so they pitched their tents on a small space outside our dwelling. Roasted lambs and birds were brought forth, and strong, sweet wine, of which the Turks are forbidden to partake.
When they departed, I accompanied them for some distance, carrying my little sister Anastasia, wrapped in a goat-skin, on my back. One of the Frankish gentlemen made me stand in front of a rock, and drew us both as we stood there, so that we looked like one creature. I did not think of it then, but Anastasia and I were really one. She was always sitting on my lap, or riding in the goat-skin on my back; and in my dreams she always appeared to me.
Two nights after this, other men, armed with knives and muskets, came into our tent. They were Albanians, brave men, my mother told me. They only stayed a short time. My sister Anastasia sat on the knee of one of them; and when they were gone, she had not three, but two silver coins in her hair—one had disappeared. They wrapped tobacco in strips of paper, and smoked it; and I remember they were uncertain as to the road they ought to take. But they were obliged to go at last, and my father went with them. Soon after, we heard the sound of firing. The noise continued, and presently soldiers rushed into our hut, and took my mother and myself and Anastasia prisoners. They declared that we had entertained robbers, and that my father had acted as their guide, and therefore we must now go with them. The corpses of the robbers, and my father’s corpse, were brought into the hut. I saw my poor dead father, and cried till I fell asleep. When I awoke, I found myself in a prison; but the room was not worse than our own in the hut. They gave me onions and musty wine from a tarred cask; but we were not accustomed to much better fare at home. How long we were kept in prison, I do not know; but many days and nights passed by. We were set free about Easter-time. I carried Anastasia on my back, and we walked very slowly; for my mother was very weak, and it is a long way to the sea, to the Gulf of Lepanto.
On our arrival, we entered a church, in which there were beautiful pictures in golden frames. They were pictures of angels, fair and bright; and yet our little Anastasia looked equally beautiful, as it seemed to me. In the centre of the floor stood a coffin filled with roses. My mother told me it was the Lord Jesus Christ who was represented by these roses. Then the priest announced, “Christ is risen,” and all the people greeted each other. Each one carried a burning taper in his hand, and one was given to me, as well as to little Anastasia. The music sounded, and the people left the church hand-in-hand, with joy and gladness. Outside, the women were roasting the paschal lamb. We were invited to partake; and as I sat by the fire, a boy, older than myself, put his arms round my neck, and kissed me, and said, “Christ is risen.” And thus it was that for the first time I met Aphtanides.
My mother could make fishermen’s nets, for which there was a great demand here in the bay; and we lived a long time by the side of the sea, the beautiful sea, that had a taste like tears, and in its colors reminded me of the stag that wept red tears; for sometimes its waters were red, and sometimes green or blue. Aphtanides knew how to manage our 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 set, how beautifully, deeply blue, would be the tint on the mountains, one rising above the other in the far distance, and the summit of mount Parnassus rising above them all like a glorious crown. Its top glittered in the evening rays like molten gold, and it seemed as if the light came from within it; for long after the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, the mountain-top would glow in the clear, blue sky. The white aquatic birds skimmed the surface of the water in their flight, and all was calm and still as amid the black rocks at Delphi. I lay on my back in the boat, Anastasia leaned against me, while the stars above us glittered more brightly than the lamps in our church. They were the same stars, and in the same position over me as when I used to sit in front of our hut at Delphi, and I had almost begun to fancy I was still there, when suddenly there was a splash in the water—Anastasia had fallen in; but in a moment Aphtanides has sprung in after her, and was now holding her up to me. We dried her clothes as well as we were able, and remained on the water till they were dry; for we did not wish it to be known what a fright we had had, nor the danger which our little adopted sister had incurred, in whose life Aphtanides had now a part.
The summer came, and the burning heat of the sun tinted the leaves of the trees with lines of gold. I thought of our cool mountain-home, and the fresh water that flowed near it; my mother, too, longed for if, and one evening we wandered towards home. How peaceful and silent it was as we walked on through the thick, wild thyme, still fragrant, though the sun had scorched the leaves. Not a single herdsman did we meet, not a solitary hut did we pass; everything appeared lonely and deserted—only a shooting star showed that in the heavens there was yet life. I know not whether the clear, blue atmosphere gleamed with its own light, or if the radiance came from the stars; but we could distinguish quite plainly the outline of the mountains. My mother lighted a fire, and roasted some roots she had brought with her, and I and my little sister slept among the bushes, without fear of the ugly smidraki,1 from whose throat issues fire, or of the wolf and the jackal; for my mother sat by us, and I considered her presence sufficient protection.
We reached our old home; but the cottage was in ruins, and we had to build a new one. With the aid of some neighbors, chiefly women, the walls were in a few days erected, and very soon covered with a roof of olive-branches. My mother obtained a living by making bottle-cases of bark and skins, and I kept the sheep belonging to the priests, who were sometimes peasants,2 while I had for my playfellows Anastasia and the turtles.
Once our beloved Aphtanides paid us a visit. He said he had been longing to see us so much; and he remained with us two whole happy days. A month afterwards he came again to wish us good-bye, and brought with him a large fish for my mother. He told us he was going in a ship to Corfu and Patras, and could relate a great many stories, not only about the fishermen who lived near the gulf of Lepanto, but also of kings and heroes who had once possessed Greece, just as the Turks possess it now.
I have seen a bud on a rose-bush gradually, in the course of a few weeks, unfold its leaves till it became a rose in all its beauty; and, before I was aware of it, I beheld it blooming in rosy loveliness. The same thing had happened to Anastasia. Unnoticed by me, she had gradually become a beautiful maiden, and I was now also a stout, strong youth. The wolf-skins that covered the bed in which my mother and Anastasia slept, had been taken from wolves which I had myself shot.
Years had gone by when, one evening, Aphtanides came in. He had grown tall and slender as a reed, with strong limbs, and a dark, brown skin. He kissed us all, and had so much to tell of what he had seen of the great ocean, of the fortifications at Malta, and of the marvellous sepulchres of Egypt, that I looked up to him with a kind of veneration. His stories were as strange as the legends of the priests of olden times.
“How much you know!” I exclaimed, “and what wonders you can relate?”
“I think what you once told me, the finest of 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 father once did. Your sister Anastasia is the most beautiful and most innocent of maidens, and she shall consecrate the deed. No people have such grand old customs as we Greeks.”
Anastasia blushed like a young rose, and my mother kissed Aphtanides.
At about two miles from our cottage, where the earth on the hill is sheltered by a few scattered trees, stood the little church, with a silver lamp hanging before the altar. I put on my best clothes, and the white tunic fell in graceful folds over my hips. The red jacket fitted tight and close, the tassel on my Fez cap was of silver, and in my girdle glittered a knife and my pistols. Aphtanides was clad in the blue dress worn by the Greek sailors; on his breast hung a silver medal with the figure of the Virgin Mary, and his scarf was as costly as those worn by rich lords. Every one could see that we were about to perform a solemn ceremony. When we entered the little, unpretending church, the evening sunlight streamed through the open door on the burning lamp, and glittered on the golden picture frames. We knelt down together on the altar steps, and Anastasia drew near and stood beside us. A long, white garment fell in graceful folds over her delicate form, and on her white neck and bosom hung a chain entwined with old and new coins, forming a kind of collar. Her black hair was fastened into a knot, and confined by a headdress formed of gold and silver coins which had been found in an ancient temple. No Greek girl had more beautiful ornaments than these. Her countenance glowed, and her eyes were like two stars. We all three offered a silent prayer, and then she said to us, “Will you be friends in life and in death?”
“Yes,” we replied.
“Will you each remember to say, whatever may happen, ’My brother is a part of myself; his secret is my secret, my happiness is his; self-sacrifice, patience, everything belongs to me as they do to him?’ ”
And we again answered, “Yes.” Then she joined out hands and kissed us on the forehead, and we again prayed silently. After this a priest came through a door near the altar, and blessed us all three. Then a song was sung by other holy men behind the altar-screen, and the bond of eternal friendship was confirmed. When we arose, I saw my mother standing by the church door, weeping.
How cheerful everything seemed now in our little cottage by the Delphian springs! On the evening before his departure, Aphtanides sat thoughtfully beside me on the slopes of the mountain. His arm was flung around me, and mine was round his neck. We spoke of the sorrows of Greece, and of the men of the country who could be trusted. Every thought of our souls lay clear before us. Presently I seized his hand: “Aphtanides,” I exclaimed, “there is one thing still that you must 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.
Then 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 too. I bent towards him, I kissed his forehead, and whispered, “I have never spoken of this 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 wrong thee, nor will I do so. I also love her, but tomorrow I depart. In a year we will see each other again, but then you will be married; shall it not be so? I have a little gold of my own, it shall be yours. You must and shall take it.”
We wandered silently homeward across the mountains. It was late in the evening when we reached my mother’s door. Anastasia held the lamp as we entered; my mother was not there. She looked at Aphtanides with a sweet but mournful expression on her face. “To-morrow you are going to leave us,” she said. “I am very sorry.”
“Sorry!” he exclaimed, and his voice was troubled with a grief as deep as my own. I could not speak; but he seized her hand and said, “Our brother yonder loves you, and is he not dear to you? His very silence now proves his affection.”
Anastasia trembled, and burst into tears. Then I saw no one, thought of none, but her. I threw my arms round her, and pressed my lips to hers. As she flung her arms round my neck, the lamp fell to the ground, and we were in darkness, dark as the heart of poor Aphtanides.
Before daybreak he rose, kissed us all, and said “Farewell,” and went away. He had given all his money to my mother for us. Anastasia was betrothed to me, and in a few days afterwards she became my wife.
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