the golden bough-第116节

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white　roses　for　ever　red。　It　would　be　idle；　perhaps；　to　lay　much　weight　on　evidence　drawn　from　the　calendar　of　flowers；　and　in　particular　to　press　an　argument　so　fragile　as　the　bloom　of　the　rose。　Yet　so　far　as　it　counts　at　all；　the　tale　which　links　the　damask　rose　with　the　death　of　Adonis　points　to　a　summer　rather　than　to　a　spring　celebration　of　his　passion。　In　Attica；　certainly；　the　festival　fell　at　the　height　of　summer。　For　the　fleet　which　Athens　fitted　out　against　Syracuse；　and　by　the　destruction　of　which　her　power　was　permanently　crippled；　sailed　at　midsummer；　and　by　an　ominous　coincidence　the　sombre　rites　of　Adonis　were　being　celebrated　at　the　very　time。　As　the　troops　marched　down　to　the　harbour　to　embark；　the　streets　through　which　they　passed　were　lined　with　coffins　and　corpse…like　effigies；　and　the　air　was　rent　with　the　noise　of　women　wailing　for　the　dead　Adonis。　The　circumstance　cast　a　gloom　over　the　sailing　of　the　most　splendid　armament　that　Athens　ever　sent　to　sea。　Many　ages　afterwards；　when　the　Emperor　Julian　made　his　first　entry　into　Antioch；　he　found　in　like　manner　the　gay；　the　luxurious　capital　of　the　East　plunged　in　mimic　grief　for　the　annual　death　of　Adonis；　and　if　he　had　any　presentiment　of　coming　evil；　the　voices　of　lamentation　which　struck　upon　his　ear　must　have　seemed　to　sound　his　knell。

The　resemblance　of　these　ceremonies　to　the　Indian　and　European　ceremonies　which　I　have　described　elsewhere　is　obvious。　In　particular；　apart　from　the　somewhat　doubtful　date　of　its　celebration；　the　Alexandrian　ceremony　is　almost　identical　with　the　Indian。　In　both　of　them　the　marriage　of　two　divine　beings；　whose　affinity　with　vegetation　seems　indicated　by　the　fresh　plants　with　which　they　are　surrounded；　is　celebrated　in　effigy；　and　the　effigies　are　afterwards　mourned　over　and　thrown　into　the　water。　From　the　similarity　of　these　customs　to　each　other　and　to　the　spring　and　midsummer　customs　of　modern　Europe　we　should　naturally　expect　that　they　all　admit　of　a　common　explanation。　Hence；　if　the　explanation　which　I　have　adopted　of　the　latter　is　correct；　the　ceremony　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Adonis　must　also　have　been　a　dramatic　representation　of　the　decay　and　revival　of　plant　life。　The　inference　thus　based　on　the　resemblance　of　the　customs　is　confirmed　by　the　following　features　in　the　legend　and　ritual　of　Adonis。　His　affinity　with　vegetation　comes　out　at　once　in　the　common　story　of　his　birth。　He　was　said　to　have　been　born　from　a　myrrh…tree；　the　bark　of　which　bursting；　after　a　ten　months'　gestation；　allowed　the　lovely　infant　to　come　forth。　According　to　some；　a　boar　rent　the　bark　with　his　tusk　and　so　opened　a　passage　for　the　babe。　A　faint　rationalistic　colour　was　given　to　the　legend　by　saying　that　his　mother　was　a　woman　named　Myrrh；　who　had　been　turned　into　a　myrrh…tree　soon　after　she　had　conceived　the　child。　The　use　of　myrrh　as　incense　at　the　festival　of　Adonis　may　have　given　rise　to　the　fable。　We　have　seen　that　incense　was　burnt　at　the　corresponding　Babylonian　rites；　just　as　it　was　burnt　by　the　idolatrous　Hebrews　in　honour　of　the　Queen　of　Heaven；　who　was　no　other　than　Astarte。　Again；　the　story　that　Adonis　spent　half；　or　according　to　others　a　third；　of　the　year　in　the　lower　world　and　the　rest　of　it　in　the　upper　world；　is　explained　most　simply　and　naturally　by　supposing　that　he　represented　vegetation；　especially　the　corn；　which　lies　buried　in　the　earth　half　the　year　and　reappears　above　ground　the　other　half。　Certainly　of　the　annual　phenomena　of　nature　there　is　none　which　suggests　so　obviously　the　idea　of　death　and　resurrection　as　the　disappearance　and　reappearance　of　vegetation　in　autumn　and　spring。　Adonis　has　been　taken　for　the　sun；　but　there　is　nothing　in　the　sun's　annual　course　within　the　temperate　and　tropical　zones　to　suggest　that　he　is　dead　for　half　or　a　third　of　the　year　and　alive　for　the　other　half　or　two…thirds。　He　might；　indeed；　be　conceived　as　weakened　in　winter；　but　dead　he　could　not　be　thought　to　be；　his　daily　reappearance　contradicts　the　supposition。　Within　the　Arctic　Circle；　where　the　sun　annually　disappears　for　a　continuous　period　which　varies　from　twenty…four　hours　to　six　months　according　to　the　latitude；　his　yearly　death　and　resurrection　would　certainly　be　an　obvious　idea；　but　no　one　except　the　unfortunate　astronomer　Bailly　has　maintained　that　the　Adonis　worship　came　from　the　Arctic　regions。　On　the　other　hand；　the　annual　death　and　revival　of　vegetation　is　a　conception　which　readily　presents　itself　to　men　in　every　stage　of　savagery　and　civilisation；　and　the　vastness　of　the　scale　on　which　this　ever…recurring　decay　and　regeneration　takes　place；　together　with　man's　intimate　dependence　on　it　for　subsistence；　combine　to　render　it　the　most　impressive　annual　occurrence　in　nature；　at　least　within　the　temperate　zones。　It　is　no　wonder　that　a　phenomenon　so　important；　so　striking；　and　so　universal　should；　by　suggesting　similar　ideas；　have　given　rise　to　similar　rites　in　many　lands。　We　may；　therefore；　accept　as　probable　an　explanation　of　the　Adonis　worship　which　accords　so　well　with　the　facts　of　nature　and　with　the　analogy　of　similar　rites　in　other　lands。　Moreover；　the　explanation　is　countenanced　by　a　considerable　body　of　opinion　amongst　the　ancients　themselves；　who　again　and　again　interpreted　the　dying　and　reviving　god　as　the　reaped　and　sprouting　grain。

The　character　of　Tammuz　or　Adonis　as　a　corn…spirit　comes　out　plainly　in　an　account　of　his　festival　given　by　an　Arabic　writer　of　the　tenth　century。　In　describing　the　rites　and　sacrifices　observed　at　the　different　seasons　of　the　year　by　the　heathen　Syrians　of　Harran；　he　says：　Tammuz　（July）。　In　the　middle　of　this　month　is　the　festival　of　el…B？gat；　that　is；　of　the　weeping　women；　and　this　is　the　Ta…uz　festival；　which　is　celebrated　in　honour　of　the　god　Ta…uz。　The　women　bewail　him；　because　his　lord　slew　him　so　cruelly；　ground　his　bones　in　a　mill；　and　then　scattered　them　to　the　wind。　The　women　（during　this　festival）　eat　nothing　which　has　been　ground　in　a　mill；　but　limit　their　diet　to　steeped　wheat；　sweet　vetches；　dates；　raisins；　and　the　like。　Ta…uz；　who　is　no　other　than　Tammuz；　is　here　like　Burns's　John　Barleycorn：

They　wasted　o'er　a　scorching　flame　The　marrow　of　his　bones；　But　a　miller　us'd　him　worst　of　all　For　he　crush'd　him　between　two　stones。

This　concentration；　so　to　say；　of　the　nature　of　Adonis　upon　the　cereal　crops　is　characteristic　of　the　stage　of　culture　reached　by　his　worshippers　in　historical　times。　They　had　left　the　nomadic　life　of　the　wandering　hunter　and　herdsman　far　behind　them；　for　ages　they　had　been　settled　on　the　land；　and　had　depended　for　their　subsistence　mainly　on　the　products　of　tillage。　The　berries　and　roots　of　the　wilderness；　the　grass　of　the　pastures；　which　had　been　matters　of　vital　importance　to　their　ruder　forefathers；　were　now　of　little　moment　to　them：　more　and　more　their　thoughts　and　energies　were　engrossed　by　the　staple　of　their　life；　the　corn；　more　and　more　accordingly　the　propitiation　of　the　deities　of　fertility　in　general　and　of　the　corn…spirit　in　particular　tended　to　become　the　central　feature　of　their　religion。　The　aim　they　set　before　themselves　in　celebrating　the　rites　was　thoroughly　practical。　It　was　no　vague　poetical　sentiment　which　prompted　them　to　hail　with　joy　the　rebirth　of　vegetation　and　to　mourn　its　decline。　Hunger；　felt　or　feared；　was　the　mainspring　of　the　worship　of　Adonis。

It　has　been　suggested　by　Father　Lagrange　that　the　mourning　for　Adonis　was　essentially　a　harvest　rite　designed　to　propitiate　the　corngod；　who　was　then　either　perishing　under　the　sickles　of　the　reapers；　or　being　trodden　to　death　under　the　hoofs　of　the　oxen　on　the　threshing…floor。　While　the　men　slew　him；　the　women　wept　crocodile　tears　at　home　to　appease　his　natural　indignation　by　a　show　of　grief　for　his　death。　The　theory　fits　in　well　with　the　dates　of　the　festivals；　which　fell　in　spring　or　summer；　for　spring　and　summer；　not　autumn；　are　the　seasons　of　the　barley　and　wheat　harvests　in　the　lands　which　worshipped　Adonis。　Further；　the　hypothesis　is　confirmed　by　the　practice　of　the　Egyptian　reapers；　who　lamented；　calling　upon　Isis；　when　they　cut　the　first　corn；　and　it　is　recommended　by　the　analogous　customs　of　many　hunting　tribes；　who　testify　great　respect　for　the　animals　which　they　kill　and　eat。

Thus　interpreted　the　death　of　Adonis　is　not　the　natural　decay　of　vegetation　in　general　under　the　summer　heat　or　the　winter　cold；　it　is　the　violent　destruction　of　the　corn　by　man；　who　cuts　it　down　on　the　field；　stamps　it　to　pieces　on　the　threshing…floor；　and　grinds　it　to　powder　in　the　mill。　That　this　was　indeed　the　principal　aspect　in　which　Adonis　presented　himself　in　later　times　to　the　agricultural　peoples　of　the　Levant；　may　be　admitted；　but　whether　from　the　beginning　he　had　been　the　corn　and　nothing　but　the　corn；　may　be　doubted。　At　an　earlier　period　he　may　have　been　to　the　herdsman；　above　all；　the　tender　herbage　which　sprouts　after　rain；　offering　rich　pasture　to　the　lean　and　hungry　cattle。　Earlier　still　he　may　have　embodied　the　spirit　of　the　nuts　and　berries　which　the　autumn　woods　yield　to　the　savage　hunter　and　his　squaw。　And　just　as　the　husband…man　must　propitiate　the　spirit　of　the　corn　which　he　consumes；　so　the　herdsman　must　appease　the　spirit　of　the　grass　and　leaves　which　hi