友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!阅读过程发现任何错误请告诉我们,谢谢!! 报告错误
九色书籍 返回本书目录 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 进入书吧 加入书签

the heroes-第1章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!






The Heroes; or Greek Fairy Tales For My Children

by Charles Kingsley





PREFACE



MY DEAR CHILDREN;

Some of you have heard already of the old Greeks; and all of  you; as you grow up; will hear more and more of them。  Those  of you who are boys will; perhaps; spend a great deal of time  in reading Greek books; and the girls; though they may not  learn Greek; will be sure to come across a great many stories  taken from Greek history; and to see; I may say every day;  things which we should not have had if it had not been for  these old Greeks。  You can hardly find a well…written book  which has not in it Greek names; and words; and proverbs; you  cannot walk through a great town without passing Greek  buildings; you cannot go into a well…furnished room without  seeing Greek statues and ornaments; even Greek patterns of  furniture and paper; so strangely have these old Greeks left  their mark behind them upon this modern world in which we now  live。  And as you grow up; and read more and more; you will  find that we owe to these old Greeks the beginners of all our  mathematics and geometry … that is; the science and knowledge  of numbers; and of the shapes of things; and of the forces  which make things move and stand at rest; and the beginnings  of our geography and astronomy; and of our laws; and freedom;  and politics … that is; the science of how to rule a country;  and make it peaceful and strong。  And we owe to them; too;  the beginning of our logic … that is; the study of words and  of reasoning; and of our metaphysics … that is; the study of  our own thoughts and souls。  And last of all; they made their  language so beautiful that foreigners used to take to it  instead of their own; and at last Greek became the common  language of educated people all over the old world; from  Persia and Egypt even to Spain and Britain。  And therefore it  was that the New Testament was written in Greek; that it  might be read and understood by all the nations of the Roman  empire; so that; next to the Jews; and the Bible which the  Jews handed down to us; we owe more to these old Greeks than  to any people upon earth。

Now you must remember one thing … that 'Greeks' was not their  real name。  They called themselves always 'Hellens;' but the  Romans miscalled them Greeks; and we have taken that wrong  name from the Romans … it would take a long time to tell you  why。  They were made up of many tribes and many small  separate states; and when you hear in this book of Minuai;  and Athenians; and other such names; you must remember that  they were all different tribes and peoples of the one great  Hellen race; who lived in what we now call Greece; in the  islands of the Archipelago; and along the coast of Asia Minor  (Ionia; as they call it); from the Hellespont to Rhodes; and  had afterwards colonies and cities in Sicily; and South Italy  (which was called Great Greece); and along the shores of the  Black Sea at Sinope; and Kertch; and at Sevastopol。  And  after that; again; they spread under Alexander the Great; and  conquered Egypt; and Syria; and Persia; and the whole East。   But that was many hundred years after my stories; for then  there were no Greeks on the Black Sea shores; nor in Sicily;  or Italy; or anywhere but in Greece and in Ionia。  And if you  are puzzled by the names of places in this book; you must  take the maps and find them out。  It will be a pleasanter way  of learning geography than out of a dull lesson…book。

Now; I love these old Hellens heartily; and I should be very  ungrateful to them if I did not; considering all that they  have taught me; and they seem to me like brothers; though  they have all been dead and gone many hundred years ago。  So  as you must learn about them; whether you choose or not; I  wish to be the first to introduce you to them; and to say;  'Come hither; children; at this blessed Christmas time; when  all God's creatures should rejoice together; and bless Him  who redeemed them all。  Come and see old friends of mine;  whom I knew long ere you were born。  They are come to visit  us at Christmas; out of the world where all live to God; and  to tell you some of their old fairy tales; which they loved  when they were young like you。'

For nations begin at first by being children like you; though  they are made up of grown men。  They are children at first  like you … men and women with children's hearts; frank; and  affectionate; and full of trust; and teachable; and loving to  see and learn all the wonders round them; and greedy also;  too often; and passionate and silly; as children are。

Thus these old Greeks were teachable; and learnt from all the  nations round。  From the Phoenicians they learnt  shipbuilding; and some say letters beside; and from the  Assyrians they learnt painting; and carving; and building in  wood and stone; and from the Egyptians they learnt astronomy;  and many things which you would not understand。  In this they  were like our own forefathers the Northmen; of whom you love  to hear; who; though they were wild and rough themselves;  were humble; and glad to learn from every one。  Therefore God  rewarded these Greeks; as He rewarded our forefathers; and  made them wiser than the people who taught them in everything  they learnt; for He loves to see men and children open… hearted; and willing to be taught; and to him who uses what  he has got; He gives more and more day by day。  So these  Greeks grew wise and powerful; and wrote poems which will  live till the world's end; which you must read for yourselves  some day; in English at least; if not in Greek。  And they  learnt to carve statues; and build temples; which are still  among the wonders of the world; and many another wondrous  thing God taught them; for which we are the wiser this day。

For you must not fancy; children; that because these old  Greeks were heathens; therefore God did not care for them;  and taught them nothing。

The Bible tells us that it was not so; but that God's mercy  is over all His works; and that He understands the hearts of  all people; and fashions all their works。  And St。 Paul told  these old Greeks in after times; when they had grown wicked  and fallen low; that they ought to have known better; because  they were God's offspring; as their own poets had said; and  that the good God had put them where they were; to seek the  Lord; and feel after Him; and find Him; though He was not far  from any one of them。  And Clement of Alexandria; a great  Father of the Church; who was as wise as he was good; said  that God had sent down Philosophy to the Greeks from heaven;  as He sent down the Gospel to the Jews。

For Jesus Christ; remember; is the Light who lights every man  who comes into the world。  And no one can think a right  thought; or feel a right feeling; or understand the real  truth of anything in earth and heaven; unless the good Lord  Jesus teaches him by His Spirit; which gives man  understanding。

But these Greeks; as St。 Paul told them; forgot what God had  taught them; and; though they were God's offspring;  worshipped idols of wood and stone; and fell at last into sin  and shame; and then; of course; into cowardice and slavery;  till they perished out of that beautiful land which God had  given them for so many years。

For; like all nations who have left anything behind them;  beside mere mounds of earth; they believed at first in the  One True God who made all heaven and earth。 But after a  while; like all other nations; they began to worship other  gods; or rather angels and spirits; who (so they fancied)  lived about their land。  Zeus; the Father of gods and men  (who was some dim remembrance of the blessed true God); and  Hera his wife; and Phoebus Apollo the Sun…god; and Pallas  Athene who taught men wisdom and useful arts; and Aphrodite  the Queen of Beauty; and Poseidon the Ruler of the Sea; and  Hephaistos the King of the Fire; who taught men to work in  metals。  And they honoured the Gods of the Rivers; and the  Nymph…maids; who they fancied lived in the caves; and the  fountains; and the glens of the forest; and all beautiful  wild places。  And they honoured the Erinnues; the dreadful  sisters; who; they thought; haunted guilty men until their  sins were purged away。  And many other dreams they had; which  parted the One God into many; and they said; too; that these  gods did things which would be a shame and sin for any man to  do。  And when their philosophers arose; and told them that  God was One; they would not listen; but loved their idols;  and their wicked idol feasts; till they all came to ruin。   But we will talk of such sad things no more。

But; at the time of which this little book speaks; they had  not fallen as low as that。  They worshipped no idols; as far  as I can find; and they still believed in the last six of the  ten commandments; and knew well what was right and what was  wrong。  And they believed (and that was what gave them  courage) that the gods loved men; and taught them; and that  without the gods men were sure to come to ruin。  And in that  they were right enough; as we know … more right even than  they thought; for without God we can do nothing; and all  wisdom comes from Him。

Now; you must not think of them
返回目录 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!