THE METAL PIGWord文档下载推荐.docx

1、 but clear, fresh water pours from thesnout, which shines as if it had been polished, and so indeed ithas, for hundreds of poor people and children seize it in theirhands as they place their mouths close to the mouth of the animal,to drink. It is quite a picture to see a half-naked boy clasping thew

2、ell-formed creature by the head, as he presses his rosy lipsagainst its jaws. Every one who visits Florence can very quicklyfind the place; he has only to ask the first beggar he meets for theMetal Pig, and he will be told where it is. It was late on a winter evening; the mountains were covered with

3、snow, but the moon shone brightly, and moonlight in Italy is like adull winters day in the north; indeed it is better, for clear airseems to raise us above the earth, while in the north a cold, gray,leaden sky appears to press us down to earth, even as the cold dampearth shall one day press on us in

4、 the grave. In the garden of thegrand dukes palace, under the roof of one of the wings, where athousand roses bloom in winter, a little ragged boy had been sittingthe whole day long; a boy, who might serve as a type of Italy,lovely and smiling, and yet still suffering. He was hungry andthirsty, yet

5、no one gave him anything; and when it became dark, andthey were about to close the gardens, the porter turned him out. Hestood a long time musing on the bridge which crosses the Arno, andlooking at the glittering stars, reflected in the water which flowedbetween him and the elegant marble bridge Del

6、la Trinita. He thenwalked away towards the Metal Pig, half knelt down, clasped it withhis arms, and then put his mouth to the shining snout and drank deepdraughts of the fresh water. Close by, lay a few salad-leaves andtwo chestnuts, which were to serve for his supper. No one was in thestreet but hi

7、mself; it belonged only to him, so he boldly seatedhimself on the pigs back, leaned forward so that his curly head couldrest on the head of the animal, and, before he was aware, he fellasleep. It was midnight. The Metal Pig raised himself gently, and theboy heard him say quite distinctly, Hold tight

8、, little boy, for Iam going to run; and away he started for a most wonderful ride.First, they arrived at the Piazza del Granduca, and the metal horsewhich bears the dukes statue, neighed aloud. The paintedcoats-of-arms on the old council-house shone like transparentpictures, and Michael Angelos Davi

9、d tossed his sling; it was as ifeverything had life. The metallic groups of figures, among whichwere Perseus and the Rape of the Sabines, looked like livingpersons, and cries of terror sounded from them all across the noblesquare. By the Palazzo degli Uffizi, in the arcade, where the nobilityassembl

10、e for the carnival, the Metal Pig stopped. Hold fast, saidthe animal; hold fast, for I am going up stairs. The little boy said not a word; he was half pleased and halfafraid. They entered a long gallery, where the boy had been before.The walls were resplendent with paintings; here stood statues andb

11、usts, all in a clear light as if it were day. But the grandestappeared when the door of a side room opened; the little boy couldremember what beautiful things he had seen there, but to-nighteverything shone in its brightest colors. Here stood the figure of abeautiful woman, as beautifully sculptured

12、 as possible by one of thegreat masters. Her graceful limbs appeared to move; dolphins sprang ather feet, and immortality shone from her eyes. The world called herthe Venus de Medici. By her side were statues, in which the spirit oflife breathed in stone; figures of men, one of whom whetted his swor

13、d,and was named the Grinder; wrestling gladiators formed anothergroup, the sword had been sharpened for them, and they strove forthe goddess of beauty. The boy was dazzled by so much glitter; for thewalls were gleaming with bright colors, all appeared living reality. As they passed from hall to hall

14、, beauty everywhere showed itself;and as the Metal Pig went step by step from one picture to theother, the little boy could see it all plainly. One glory eclipsedanother; yet there was one picture that fixed itself on the littleboys memory, more especially because of the happy children itrepresented, for these the little boy had seen in daylight. Manypass this picture by with indifference, and yet it contains a treasureof poetic feeling; it represents Christ descending into Hades. Theyare not the lost whom the spectator sees, but the heathen of