2、The Twilight Poem ...
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It was in 1893 when Ryan first came to Sandymount. It is not as famous as Dublin though it is near the capital of Ireland.
It is a pity that the weather in Sandymount is very similar to London. It rains all the year round and only one fifth of the year are sunny days.
In the end of the street, the sun was setting down little by little. Ryan was not afraid of light. He just hated the feeling when the weak sunshine touched his skin. His face was hidden in the shadow of the sunset.
Now his destination was over there, but he was not hurry to go there. He decided to drink some Cognac in the pub. Ryan liked old things made by wood so when he saw the pub which put its name on a beautiful moldy board, he opened the wooden door with no hesitation. He wasn’t a precisian, the most important thing he cared about was his heart though it wasn’t beating at all.
He loved darkness, art and all the beautiful creatures. So there’s no exception to this journey. He came to Ireland to meet a poet named William.
Passersby outside the pub became fewer and fewer. Darkness began to swallow Sandymount. Ryan’s life started.
Walking on the edge of darkness, drinking blood and hunting for spirit, Ryan repeated his life in this way. Though he thought it was a waste of time, he had to do this. He had enough time to spend his endless life. Time was not precious to him, but for others it is their money and life. The owner of the pub was a hospitable man and he was talking to some guests near him with his Irish accent loudly. The bar counter was full of laughter. Ryan shook his empty glass and smiled, “I love Cognac, could I have one more” Ryan’s voice wasn’t that loud and he had some London accent. It was this special accent that attracted the owner’s attention and he brought a new bottle of Cognac walked towards Ryan.
“For journey,young man” The owner asked.
“To visit my friend.” Ryan answered.
“Oh, friend!” He shouted, “All the people here are your friends! Welcome to Sandymount!” Obviously, he was drunk.
Ryan ordered some other wine and waited. He was waiting for meaningless time. Some people once warned him he would pay for his sloppy behaviour.
After finishing the last glass of wine, Ryan looked at his watch, five to eight. It is time to leave now. He said to himself.
Leaving the pub, now Ryan was standing in front of the hotel. On the second floor, dim light went though the window. He could see William. He was sitting by the window, writing something. Ryan could read his mind, but he gave up.
Life is too long and boring. If you know everything about others, it could be even boring.
“Good night, my poet.”
Ryan walked along upstairs and stopped at the door where William lived. He knocked at the door. The sound of putting the pen down came into his ears.
The door opened. A young man was standing with his back towards the dim light. He seemed to be thirty or more, but his eyes were so bright that Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off him.
For so manyyears, Ryan was living without sunshine. He never minded about it. If a person can get endless life, it’s not that necessary to lose the light. Ryan was born in 1509 and became a blood drinker when he was only twenty-four. He had almost living for four centuries.
“Good night.” The young man said and smiled, “Are you Mr. Fearghail”
“Yes, I am Ryan Fearghail. ”
“Pleasure to see you, Mr. Fearghail. I’m William…”The young man said and before he could finish his sentence, Ryan interrupted him with a gentle voice, “Nice to see you, William.”
He is so beautiful. William said in his heart. This man is just like a perfect statue with golden hair, fair skin and sapphire eyes. Maybe he is not a mortal. He’s a kind of old stirps like many books wrote.
“Please come in, Mr. Fearghail.”
“Call me Ryan. I heard that Sandymount was your hometown.”
“Yes, I was born here. Well…Would you like to drink some coffee”
“ Why not ” Ryan smiled and sat into the soft sofa. He knew there was something on the desk. The strong smell of ink made Ryan curious.
“What’s on the desk, William”
“ My new poem for Miss Gonne.” William said and gave the cup of coffee to Ryan.
Ryan stood up and walked towards to the desk. He took the paper and then began to read it, using his charming accent.
“When you are old and grey and full of sleep,
And nodding by the fire, take down this book,
And slowly read, and dream of the soft look.
Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep;
How many loved your moments of glad grace,
And loved your beauty with love false or true,
But one man loved the pilgrim Soul in you,
And loved the sorrows of your changing face;
And bending down beside the glowing bars,
Murmur, a little sadly, how Love fled
And paced upon the mountains overhead
And hid his face amid a crowd of stars. ”
After reading this little poem, Ryan silenced for a while. A kind of sadness appeared on his face. William couldn’t tell what the feeling it was. He guessed that maybe he was a man whose life was full of pain.
“What’s its name, William”
“When you are old. Its name is When you are old.”
“Good name.” Ryan said and finished his coffee, “William, let me ask you a question. If I can’t get old, how can I judge whether the love I get is true or not”
“No matter who you are and what you do, there still be someone who loves you not only byyour appearance and your position. What she really loves is your inherence. Time will prove everything, Mr. Vampire.”
“You are right, William. Time will prove everything. I have to wait.”
Ryan disappeared by the window. His figure in the moonlight looked desolate. The fragrance of rose which Ryan had brought still remained on the paper. William picked it up and his fingertip stroked over the signature of the poem——W.B. Yeats.
——The end
作者有话说第2章 The Twilight Poem
