Sink down into his grave- into oblivion- ye terrible shapes of the times of old!
Hark to the raging of the angry wind, sounding above the rolling sea! A storm approaches without, calling aloud for human lives. The sea has not put on a new mind with the new time. This night it is a horrible pit to devour up lives, and to-morrow, perhaps, it may be a glassy mirror- even as in the old time that we have buried. Sleep sweetly, if thou canst sleep!
Now it is morning.
The new time flings sunshine into the room. The wind still keeps up mightily. A wreck is announced- as in the old time.
During the night, down yonder by Lokken, the little fishing village with the red-tiled roofs- we can see it up here from the window- a ship has come ashore. It has struck, and is fast embedded in the sand; but the rocket apparatus has thrown a rope on board, and formed a bridge from the wreck to the mainland; and all on board are saved, and reach the land, and are wrapped in warm blankets; and to-day they are invited to the farm at the convent of Borglum. In comfortable rooms they encounter hospitality and friendly faces. They are addressed in the language of their country, and the piano sounds for them with melodies of their native land; and before these have died away, the chord has been struck, the wire of thought that reaches to the land of the sufferers announces that they are rescued. Then their anxieties are dispelled; and at even they join in the dance at the feast given in the great hall at Borglum. Waltzes and Styrian dances are given, and Danish popular songs, and melodies of foreign lands in these modern times.
Blessed be thou, new time! Speak thou of summer and of purer gales! Send thy sunbeams gleaming into our hearts and thoughts! On thy glowing canvas let them be painted- the dark legends of the rough hard times that are past!
波尔格龙的主教和他的亲族
我们现在是在尤兰,在那块“荒野的沼地”的另一边。我们可以听到“西海的呼啸声”;可以听到它的浪花的冲击声,而且这就在我们的身旁。不过我们面前现在涌现出了一个巨大的沙山,我们早就看见了它,现在我们在深沉的沙地上慢慢地赶着车子,正要向前走去。这座沙山上有一幢高耸入云的古老的建筑物——波尔格龙修道院。它剩下的最大的一翼现在仍然是一个教堂。有一天我们到这里来,时间很晚,不过天空却很明朗,因为这正是光明之夜的季节。我们能够望得很远,向周围望得很远,可以从沼地一直望到窝尔堡湾,望到荒地和草原,望到深沉的海的彼岸。
我们现在来到了山上,我们赶着车子在仓房和农庄之间走过。我们拐一个弯,走进那幢古老的建筑物的大门。这儿有许多菩提树沿着墙成行地立着。因为风暴打不到它们,所以长得非常茂盛,枝叶几乎把窗子都掩盖住了。
我们走上盘旋的石级,穿过那些用粗梁盖成顶的长廊。风在这儿发出奇怪的啸声,屋里屋外都是一样。谁也弄不清楚这是怎么回事情。是的,当人们害怕或者把别人弄得害怕的时候,人们就讲出很多道理或看出很多道理来。人们说:当我们在唱着弥撒的时候,有许多死灭了的古老大炮静静地从我们的身边走进教堂里去。人们可以在风的呼啸声中听到它们走过,而这就引起人们许多奇怪的想象——人们想起了那个远古的时代,结果就使我们走进了那个远古的时代里去:
在海滩上,有一只船搁浅了。主教的下属都在那儿。海所保留下来的人,他们却不保留。海洗净了从那些被打碎了的脑袋里流出来的血。那些搁浅的货物成了主教的财产,而这些货物的数量是很多的。海浦来许多整桶的贵重的酒,来充实这个修道院的酒窖;而这个酒窖里已经储藏了不少啤酒和蜜酒。厨房里的储藏量也是非常丰富的;有许多宰好了的牛羊、香肠和火腿。外面的水池里则有许多肥大的鲫鱼和鲜美的鲤鱼。
波尔格龙的主教是一位非常有权势的人,他拥有广大的土地,但是仍然希望扩大他占有的面积。所有的人必须在这位奥拉夫·格洛布面前低下头来。
他的一位住在蒂兰的富有的亲族死了。“亲族总是互相嫉恨的”;死者的未亡人现在可要体会这句话的真意了。除了教会的产业以外,她的丈夫统治着整个土地。她的儿子在外国:他小时候就被送出去研究异国风俗,因为这是他的志愿。他许多年来一直没有消息,可能已经躺在坟墓里,永远不会回来接替他母亲的统治了。
“怎么,让一个女人来统治吗?”主教说。
他召见她,然后让法庭把她传去。不过他这样做有什么好处呢?她从来没有触犯过法体,她有十足的理由来维护自己的权利。
波尔格龙的主教奥拉夫,你的意图是什么呢?你在那张光滑的羊皮纸上写下的是什么呢?你盖上印,用带子把它扎好,叫骑士带一个仆人把它送到国外,送到那辽远的教皇城里去,为的是什么呢?
现在是落叶和船只搁浅的季节,冰冻的冬天马上就要来。
他已经这样做了两次,最后他的骑士和仆人在欢迎声中回来了,从罗马带回教皇的训令——一封指责敢于违抗这位虔诚的主教的寡妇的训令:“她和她所有的一切应该受到上帝的诅咒。她应该从教会和教徒中驱逐出去。谁也不应该给她帮助。让她所有的朋友和亲戚避开她,像避开瘟疫和麻风病一样!”