Chapter 43 Prisoner of Shiron

one Switzerland is small, so it doesn't matter long distance.It’s not far from Bern to Lausanne, but with such a beautiful scenery, it’s even closer. However, just as the calculation was about to arrive, a large lake was filled with vastness.This is Lake Geneva, also known as Lake Leman, also translated as Lake Leimeng.We often see these different names in literary works, but they are actually the same lake.There are several language groups in Switzerland, so many of the same things have different names, and no one is willing to change their words, causing a lot of trouble for foreigners.However, the different names of Lake Geneva can be forgiven. It is a border lake, a small half of which extends to France, and it is surrounded by mountains and snow, with turbulent clouds and turbulent clouds. It is so rich that people are embarrassed to call it all by one name.

The beauty of Lake Zurich, which I met a few days ago, is so beautiful that it does not make people reluctant to leave after seeing it, but Lake Geneva is much more sticky.It's a pity that the schedule didn't allow it. We cursed and prayed in our hearts for a while, hoping that there would be a miraculous reason to stay for a few days.The further you go, the more beautiful the scenery will be, and the beauty itself is the reason to stop, but everyone looks at each other, and it seems that they still lack the last hammer to make a decision. Finally, the hammer rang, and my partners and I saw an old castle by the lake.In Europe, there are many ancient castles, but when they saw this one, no one could move, so there was a bang, and the hammer fell like a hammer.

In order to make the stay longer, you have to find a hotel to live in first.There is a small town called Montel in front of the castle. There are many small hotels scattered on the hillside beside the town, all of which are very old. We found the oldest one to stay, and we were full of prosperity.Most of the sense of affluence comes from windfall, and the so-called windfall is unplanned income. We caught it outside the plan for a day or two, and we can get close to the castle and the great lake without work pressure. light. The hotel is on a hillside, and it is very difficult to drive up. After getting off the car, you will see an old-fashioned glass wooden door. Push it open, and you will see a tall stone ladder.Carrying the suitcase and moving up step by step, I finally saw a small counter.The lady who checked in was a little flustered when she saw that we were carrying so much luggage, so she hurriedly said that there was a porter, so she raised her head in front of the stairs and called out a name, but she didn't agree, and apologized again and again to handle the check-in procedures and issue keys for us.

I was assigned to a room on the third floor. I carried my luggage and walked to the stairs. I found that the stairs going up from here were all made of wood, narrow and high-span, and creaked when I stepped on them.I gritted my teeth and climbed up, and finally reached a floor. I looked up and saw that the target was the first floor, so I still had to climb up two floors.I squinted and saw that there was a public living room next to it. It was not big, but there were pianos, candlesticks, velvet sofas, and embroidered cushions. It was very stylish. The style of everything in the world is the most shocking. I put down my luggage and walked in lightly. I immediately concluded that all the furnishings were old things, but they were very clean.This kind of judgment led to another judgment, that is, despite the fact that this hotel is nothing today, it should have been the place where high-level European nobles stayed a hundred years ago.When they traveled in the past, if they wanted mountains and rivers, they would not have a mansion. This kind of dwelling place is quite comfortable.All in all, human beings' extravagance during travel mainly occurred in the twentieth century.

Thinking about it this way, I will be motivated to go up the stairs again.The aristocrats and men and women have climbed over and over again, and today we should add our free and easy steps.I soon reached the third floor, put down my luggage and touched the key to open the door. What I saw in front of me was a small carpeted room with old furniture.The old-fashioned dressing table has been converted into a writing desk, but unfortunately it is too small; the old-fashioned wooden bed has pillars and a roof, but it is too high.The embarrassing thing is that the toilet has to be stuffed with so many modern equipments, it looks very embarrassed.Wires are wrapped around carved poles, and air conditioners are embedded in roll-up windows. People just want to say sorry to them when they see them.

I came out of the toilet and walked to the window of the main room. I wanted to see what was behind the two lace-edged curtains. I pulled it hard but didn't pull it. Instead, I shook some dust off.This made me a little unhappy, and I also thought that the European nobles were far less concerned about hygiene than they are now.Those who pay special attention to hygiene should be well-to-do homes that are often wiped down. The nobles want old decorations and candlelight atmosphere, which is inevitably mottled and dusty.So he lowered his hand and slowly pulled it open.I was stunned when I opened it, hey, I quickly patted my head to admit my mistake, how could I forget that there should be Lake Geneva and that old castle outside the window, we lived for them, how could we care about the toilet and dust first!I was very impatient about these things, so I went downstairs immediately to ask my friends to go out, but they just waited for a porter, and they didn't know when they would finish moving the luggage, so they all advised me, it was getting late, anyway, they had already moved in Yes, it’s not too late to watch it tomorrow, the rush will affect the first feeling.This made sense, but I didn't have time to wait. Without saying a word, I pushed the door downhill and walked towards the castle.

This old castle is really big. At first glance, it looks like five or six castles are squeezed together. Once squeezed, the middle one is squeezed out, and it stands tall and becomes the main building.The construction styles of the front, back, left and right buildings are not consistent, probably built in different ages, but the color tone is basically harmonious. After a long time, despite the wind and rain, they become even more pale, like several elderly survivors embracing each other in a catastrophe Together, you can't tell each other apart at a glance. The most eye-catching thing about this ancient castle is that it is integrated with the rock, as if it was born from there.The rock was originally a small island on the shore of the lake, which can only be entered by crossing a bridge, so it has become one with the big lake again, as if Lake Geneva has had this old reflection since the first day it was created.

Faced with such a historic site, one should not enter rashly. I slowly crossed the covered temporary bridge, walked to the end, but did not enter the door, and retreated because I saw two viewing trees protruding into the water under the bridge. Going down the corridor, he first went downhill to stand on the wooden corridor, raised his head and looked around. This old castle has a kind of deep charm.I know that I can interpret it as soon as I enter the door, but such an easy interpretation must be a misreading.It's like facing a Tang poem and immediately entering into the exploration of explaining the characters, grasping the local details but discarding the overall charm, what a loss outweighs the gain.I used up the two wooden corridors on the water, and took a few steps to see the various contrasts between the castle and the lake and mountains, and then continued to step back and look at it from various angles on the shore.Only then did I discover that there was a small sales department among the bushes on the shore.

Like the sales department of other scenic spots in Europe, everything sold here is directly related to the scene in front of you.Here I saw photos of the castle in various climatic conditions, in the morning fog, under the moonlight, and in the night tide.There is a book next to the photo. The title on the cover is CHILLON. For some reason, the photo below is exactly this old castle. It can be seen that it is an introductory book. I quickly picked out an English version and asked a gentleman in the sales department. It is said that this is the name of the ancient castle. According to his pronunciation, Chinese can be translated as Xilong, so the ancient castle is called Xilong Castle.

Most of the book is a long article by the head of the Hiron Castle Restoration Association, which introduces the history of the castle. In addition, a work by the British poet Byron is attached, called "The Prisoner of Hiron".The person in charge of the Restoration Association said in the article that it was Byron's work that made the castle famous in Europe, and people came here one after another, making Switzerland the cradle of modern tourism, and this castle became the first in Switzerland. Great view. It's Byron again!I remember that last year I was also instructed by Byron’s engraved name in the Temple of Poseidon in Greece. I was quite emotional when I thought of Su Manshu’s translation of "Don Juan" from his "Don Juan", but I was stunned here today.Because my understanding of Byron's works is only limited to "Don Juan". Although I also know that he has a poetic travelogue written for many years, I have never read it, and of course I don't know that he wrote this castle.The appendix in the book in my hand is not in poetic style, probably rewritten from his original work, right?This question has exceeded the knowledge level of the gentleman in the sales department. I asked him for a long time and he always gave the same answer: Yes, Byron!Byron!A fine Brit!

This thin book costs seven Swiss francs, which is not cheap, but it must be bought.I found an empty chair and sat down to browse roughly, only to realize that the Chillon Castle in front of me is really amazing. According to the book, a monastery was built in this place in the ninth century AD, and it was rebuilt into the current pattern in the thirteenth century. It was a fortress-style house of the feudal lords at that time.The lord who lived here once ruled all over the world, looked down on France and Italy, and was no different from a little king.The castle includes more than two dozen buildings, including magnificent halls, courtyards, bedrooms, chapels and the residence of the chancellor. It was once a place where elegant men and women from far and near flocked.There is a basement at the bottom, which was once a prison, where many important prisoners were imprisoned. Byron's "Prisoner of Chiron" was written by one of Geneva's national heroes, Bonivard. Fortunately, this book made me understand the strength of this building.The most extravagant power directly tramples on the most desperate unjust prison, and then they are sealed together by stubborn stones, beaten by white waves, embellished by empty haze and silvery snow-capped mountains.The smug duke and the fragrant woman both know that there are a few unyielding souls nearby, listening to the same wind and tide. I know this will excite Byron.He will stop, he will wander, he will groan, he will hold a pen.He will feel that this castle preceded him to write poems by the lake.He just discriminates the aftertaste and picks it out. He has never been so passive, but willingly. At this point, I can also stride into the Hiron Castle, because I will not get lost in the trivialities of explaining Chinese characters. Of course, look at the lord's mansion first, to appreciate the safety built with solid stones and large lakes in the era of war and chaos, and the comfort of admiring the cold water and snow-capped mountains in front of a huge fireplace.But because of Byron, he had to walk in a hurry, hoping to see Bonnivar's cell soon. see.This basement is majestic, with thick stone pillars rising from the ground to form a dense vault, but there are veins of original stone on the walls and underground, which is very atmospheric.The most important landscape here is a few wooden pillars, which are reinforced on the rock wall with iron bars, tied with two iron rings, and iron chains hanging from the upper ends, and iron shackles are hung. Byron said Bonnivar's father had died for his belief in freedom, leaving him and his two younger brothers in the basement.The three are locked on different pillars, they can see each other but cannot touch each other Such a situation makes people have to come and can't bear to stay for a long time.I stumbled out, found another place to sit down, followed the strong feeling just now, and re-read the abbreviated version of "Prisoner of Shillon". It was dusk and the castle was about to close.Twilight is the most time-experienced, and therefore the most accessible to Byron's pen, so let me read it here. two Byron begins by describing the frightening scene in which Bonnivar shares a room with his two younger brothers.Logically speaking, it would be better for three people to be imprisoned together than one person, but in fact, it is more cruel than anything else to comfort each other with faces and voices while being unable to move. First, each talked about the glimmer of hope in their imagination, over and over again.It was over soon, and everyone knew that this hope did not exist, so they told the story.The stories that the brothers know are similar, most of them come from their mothers, but they avoid talking about their mothers.Telling the happiest stories brings out the sad notes, so clear your throat and sing instead, song after song, singing as passionately as you can.Singing and rapping, whoever stops will make the other two worry, so they stop each other.Finally, they realized that their voices became weaker and weaker, their articulation became more and more slurred, and they couldn't tell whose voice it was. They just thought it was the echo in the tomb. Bonnivar watched the two remaining brothers every day.The eldest brother used to be a great hunter. He was physically strong, fierce and aggressive, and could easily walk through the herds of beasts. If it was necessary to fight a large number of powerful enemies, he must be the first to go forward.Unexpectedly, in this dark prison, he couldn't bear it the most.It is the worst torture for a warrior like him not to take a single step. He withers quickly and goes to death.Bonnivar wanted to hold him up and caress his gradually limp and cold hands, but he couldn't.The jailer buried the brother's body shallowly in the mud before Bonnivar's eyes. Bonnivar begged them to be buried outside so that the sun could shine on his brother's grave, but all he got was a sneer.Thus, the pillars with hollow rings hanging on the shallow soil where no flowers grow, became a monument of murder. The little brother is as handsome as his mother, and was once loved by the whole family.When he was dying, he was afraid that the last living brother Bonival in his family would be sad, but he kept gentle and quiet all the time, without a single moan, and only uttered the happiest sentences in his short life, which later became a few words , so that my brother can sustain himself in happiness.When he couldn't even utter a single word, only a soft sigh was left, not a sigh that death was approaching, but a sigh that could no longer make his brother happy, until the sigh was no longer heard. The two brothers were dead before their eyes, buried under their feet, and this moved the hard-hearted jailer, who suddenly felt sympathy for Bonivard, and released him from the chains, so that he could walk about the cell.But every time he walked to the place where his younger brother was buried, he stopped in a hurry, trembling. He began to dig holes in the wall, not to escape from prison, but to climb up the window and look at the lake and green hills through the iron bars.He saw at last, more than he had imagined, islands on the lake and snow on top of the mountains.Everything is so peaceful. On an unknown day, Bonnivar was released, but at this time, he was completely indifferent.He was so used to prison that he felt that leaving prison was like leaving his hometown and hermitage.He was surprised that spiders and mice had been with him all these years, and he was the only one who could kill them in this space. It can be seen that their situation is worse than his own, but the strange thing is that they have always had the freedom to escape, why have they not escaped? ? The belated freedom is exchanged for bitter thoughts and long sighs. After reading this abbreviation, I don’t know whether it is accurate, I looked up at the lake, island, green hills, and snow tops in the twilight.Time has evaporated the poet's full of passion and multiple meanings, and now we can't even figure out the purpose and object of the struggle of the Bonnival brothers, but as long as it is a good work, even if it dries, it may leave an allegorical structure.Once allegorized, the coverage is wider, the extension is longer, and the space that can be filled is larger. I think that even the first group of British readers who came to Chillon Castle after reading Byron’s works did not come to commemorate Bonnival, but to appreciate a tragic scene created by Byron.It is impossible for them to just linger in the cell, but they will put more interest in the ancient lake and mountains that are integrated with the castle.With Byron's story, they knew that there was a pair of eyes in an extreme state of life in a certain corner of the lake and mountain, and the lake and mountain were even more precious because of these eyes. If, as people say, Chillon Castle has become an important starting point of modern European tourism because of Byron's chanting, then we should really be gratified for the height that this starting point has reached. The allegorized "Prisoner of Chiron" may tell people: freedom and nature are closely connected, and they are likely to hide at the same time; when we cannot get close to them beyond the distance, that is the real meaning of prisoner. Maybe it will also say: People cannot help and comfort each other in an unfree space, even if they want to, they can only wither together. Maybe it will also say: Everyone may be imprisoned, or they may be used to being imprisoned, but there is always a desire different from that of a worm, and finally digs the wall and faces the window, peeps in a panic, and is released. Of course, these have nothing to do with Byron's original meaning.The later effects of many poems are not from the author's original expectations.However, history still forcibly blends some kind of spiritual variation of them into the footsteps of people coming and going. For this, Switzerland should forever be grateful to Byron.Even if a person is naturally beautiful, if he is not nurtured by many loving eyes, he will be unconscious and ignorant, and will fend for himself; Switzerland is the same, if there are not so many tourists, it will be beautiful and lonely, and rich and boring.Byron inadvertently changed all that, but Switzerland has traditionally been quiet and not very thankful.Then we don't have to force it, but fortunately Byron never cared.