Daphne: An Autumn PastoralSherwood, Margaret Pollock
General
Daphne: An Autumn Pastoral
Sherwood, Margaret Pollock
Italy -- Fiction
"Did people ever dare tell the truth about the gods? Never! They made
up a notion of what a divine nose should be and bestowed it upon all
the gods impartially. So with the forehead, so with the hair. I
assure you, Miss Willis, we are much more individual than Greek art
would lead you to expect."
"Do you mind just telling me why you are keeping sheep now?"
"I will, if you will promise not to consider a question of mine
impertinent."
"What is the question?"
"I only wished to know why an American young lady should bear a Greek
name? It is a beautiful name, and one that is a favorite of mine as
you may know."
"I didn't know," said Daphne. "It was given me by my father. He was
born in America, but he had a Greek soul. He has always longed to live
in Greece, but he has to go on preaching, preaching, for he is a
rector, you know, in a little church in New York, that isn't very rich,
though it is very old. All his life he has been hungry for the beauty
and the greatness of the world over here."
"That accounts for your expression," observed Apollo.
"What expression?"
"That isn't the question I promised to answer. If you will take a few
steps out of your way, I can satisfy you in regard to the first one you
asked."
He rose, and the white shepherd dog sprang ahead, barking joyously. The
sheep looked up and nibbled in anxious haste, fearing that any other
bit of pasture might be less juicy than this. Daphne followed the
shepherd god to a little clump of oak trees, where she saw a small,
rough gray tent, perhaps four feet in height. Under it, on brown
blankets, lay a bearded man, whose eyes lighted at Apollo's approach.
A blue bowl with a silver spoon in it stood on the ground near his
head, and a small heap of charred sticks with an overhanging kettle
showed that cooking had been done there.
"The shepherd has a touch of fever," explained the guide. "Meanwhile,
somebody must take care of the sheep. I am glad to get back my two
occupations as shepherd and physician at the same time."
The dog and his master accompanied her part way down the hill, and the
girl was silent, for her mind was busy, revolving many thoughts. At
the top of the last height above the villa she stopped and looked at
her companion. The sun was setting, and a golden haze filled the air.
It ringed with light the figure before her, standing there, the face,
with its beauty of color, and its almost insolent joyousness, rising
above the rough sheepskin coat.
"Who are you?" she gasped, terrified. "Who are you, really?" The
confused splendor dazzled her eyes, and she turned and ran swiftly down
the hill.
CHAPTER V
"A man is ill," observed Daphne, in the Roman tongue.
"What?" demanded Giacomo.
"A man is ill," repeated Daphne firmly. She had written it out, and
she knew that it was right.
"Her mind wanders," Giacomo hinted to his wife.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account