annr.pandora-第14部分

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　It　was　nauseating　trivia　like　this　which　of　course　protected　me　from　my　full　and　inevitable　grief　and　shock　over　what　happened。　Worry　about　whether　your　dress　is　properly　girdled。　Don't　see　your　Father　lying　dead　with　his　own　dagger　in　his　chest。
　As　for　Antioch；　I　had　been　far　too　embroiled　in　the　life　of　Rome　to　know　or　hear　much　about　this　city。　If　Tiberius　had　stationed　his　〃heir；〃　Germanicus；　there　to　get　him　away　from　Roman　popularity；　then　I　thought：　Antioch　must　be　the　end　of　the　civilized　world。
　Why　in　the　name　of　the　gods　had　I　not　run　away　in　Alexandria；　I　thought？　Alexandria　was　the　greatest　city　in　the　Empire；　next　to　Rome。　It　was　a　young　city；　built　by　Alexander；　for　whom　it　was　named；　but　it　was　a　marvelous　port。　No　one　would　ever　dare　raze　the　Temple　of　Isis　in　Alexandria。　Isis　was　an　Egyptian　goddess；　wife　of　the　powerful　Osiris。
　But　what　had　that　to　do　with　things？　I　must　have　been　plotting　in　the　back　of　my　mind　already；　but　I　didn't　allow　any　conscious　plot　to　surface　and　blemish　my　highborn　Roman　moral　character。
　I　quietly　thanked　my　Hebrew　guardians　for　this　intelligence；　for　keeping　it　even　from　the　young　Roman　Marcellus；　the　other　man　they　had　rescued　from　the　Emperor's　assassins；　and　I　asked　for　frank　answers　to　my　questions　regarding　my　brothers。
　〃All　taken　by　surprise；〃　said　Jacob。　〃The　Delatores；　those　spies　of　the　Praetorian　Guard；　are　so　swift。　And　your　Father　had　so　many　sons。　It　was　your　eldest　brother's　slaves　who　jumped　the　wall　at　their　Master's　mand　and　ran　to　warn　your　Father。〃
　Antony。　I　hope　you　shed　their　blood。　I　know　you　fought　with　your　last　breath。　And　my　niece；　my　little　niece　Flora；　had　she　run　screaming　from　them；　or　did　they　do　it　with　mercy'？　The　Praetorian　Guard　doing　anything　with　mercy！　Stupid　to　even　think　so。
　I　didn't　say　anything　aloud。　Just　sighed。
　After　all；　when　they　looked　at　me；　these　two　Jewish　merchants　beheld　the　body　and　face　of　a　woman；　naturally　my　protectors　should　think　a　woman　was　inside　of　me。　The　disparity　between　outward　appearances　and　inner　disposition　had　disturbed　me　all　my　life。　Why　disturb　Jacob　and　David？　On　to　Antioch。
　But　I　had　no　intention　of　living　in　any　oldfashioned　Greek　family；　if　such　still　existed　in　the　Greek　city　of　Antioch；　a　family　in　which　women　lived　apart　from　the　men；　and　wove　wool　all　day；　never　going　out；　having　no　part　in　the　life　of　the　world　whatsoever。
　I'd　been　taught　all　the　virtuous　female　arts　by　my　nurses　and　I　could　indeed　do　anything　with　yarn　or　thread　or　loom　that　any　other　woman　could　do；　but　I　knew　well　what　the　〃Old　Greek　Ways〃　had　been；　and　I　remembered　vaguely　my　Father's　Mother；　who　had　died　when　I　was　very　young　…　a　virtuous　Roman　matron　who　was　always　making　wool。　So　they　had　said　of　her　in　her　Epitaph；　and　in　fact；　they　had　said　in　my　Mother's　Epitaph：　〃She　kept　the　House。　She　made　wool。〃
　And　so　they　had　said　of　my　Mother！　The　very　same　tiresome　words。
　Well；　no　one　was　going　to　say　that　on　mine。　（How　humorous　to　reflect　on　the　fact　now；　thousands　of　years　later；　that　I　have　no　Epitaph！）
　What　I　failed　to　realize　in　my　overall　dejection　was　that　the　Roman　world　was　enormous；　and　the　Eastern　portion　of　it　differed　dramatically　from　the　Northern　barbarian　lands；　where　my　brothers　had　fought。
　The　entire　of　Asia　Minor；　towards　which　we　sailed；　had　been　conquered　by　Alexander　of　Macedon　hundreds　of　years　before。　As　you　know；　Alexander　had　been　the　pupil　of　Aristotle。　Alexander　had　wanted　to　spread　Greek　culture　everywhere。　And　in　Asia　Minor　Greek　ideas　and　styles　found　not　mere　country　towns　or　farmers；　but　ancient　cultures；　like　the　Empire　of　Syria；　willing　to　receive　the　new　ideas；　the　grace　and　beauty　of　the　Greek　enlightenment；　and　willing　to　bring　in　tune　with　it　their　own　centuries…old　literature；　religion；　styles　of　life　and　dress。
　Antioch　had　been　built　by　a　general　of　Alexander　the　Great　who　sought　to　rival　the　beauty　of　other　Hellenistic　cities；　with　splendid　Temples；　administrative　buildings　and　libraries　of　books　in　the　Greek　language；　its　schools　where　Greek　philosophy　was　taught。　A　Hellenistic　government　was　established　…　quite　enlightened　pared　to　ancient　Eastern　despotism；　and　yet　there　lay　beneath　all　this　the　knowledge　and　customs　and　possibly　the　wisdom　of　the　mysterious　East。
　The　Romans　had　conquered　Antioch　early　on　because　it　was　a　huge　trade　center。　It　was　unique　in　this　way；　as　Jacob　showed　to　me；　drawing　a　crude　map　with　his　wet　finger　on　the　wooden　table。　Antioch　was　a　port　of　the　great　Mediterranean　because　she　was　only　twenty　miles　up　the　Orontes　River。
　Yet　on　the　Eastern　side　she　was　open　to　the　desert：　all　the　old　caravan　routes　came　to　Antioch；　the　camel　merchants　who　brought　fantastic　wares　from　fabled　lands　…　lands　we　know　now　to　have　been　India　and　China　…　silk；　carpet　and　jewels　which　never　reached　the　markets　of　Rome。
　Countless　other　traders　came　and　went　to　Antioch。　Fine　roads　connected　it　in　the　East　with　the　Euphrates　River　and　the　Parthian　Empire　beyond；　and　to　the　South　you　could　go　to　Damascus　and　Judea；　and　to　the　North；　of　course；　lay　all　the　cities　made　by　Alexander；　which　had　flowered　under　Roman　rule。
　Roman　soldiers　loved　it　there。　It　was　an　easy　and　interesting　life。　And　Antioch　loved　the　Romans　because　the　Romans　protected　the　trade　routes；　and　the　caravans；　and　kept　peace　in　the　port。
　〃You　will　find　open　places；　arcades；　Temples；　all　that　you　seek　and　such　markets　you　would　not　believe。　There　are　Romans　everywhere。　I　hope　to　One　Most　High　that　you　are　not　recognized　by　someone　from　your　own　background！　That　is　one　danger　of　which　your　Father　had　no　time　to　plan。〃
　I　waved　it　away。
　〃Does　it　have　teachers　now；　and　markets　of　books？〃
　〃From　everywhere。　You　will　find　books　which　no　one　can　read。　And　Greek　is　spoken　by　everyone。　You　have　to　go　out　in　the　country　to　find　some　poor　farmer　who　does　not　understand　Greek。　Latin　has　now　bee　mon。
　〃The　philosophers　never　stop；　they　speak　of　Plato　and　Pythagoras；　names　that　don't　mean　much　to　me；　they　talk　about　Chaldean　magic　from　Babylon。　Of　course　there　are　Temples　to　every　imaginable　god。〃
　He　went　on；　reflecting　as　he　spoke：
　〃The　Hebrews？　I　think　personally　they　are　too　worldly　…　they　want　to　hang　around　in　short　tunics　with　the　Greeks　and　go　to　the　public　baths。　They　are　too　interested　in　the　Greek　philosophy。　It　invades　everything；　all　this　thinking　that　Greeks　did。　Not　good。　But　a　Greek　city　is　an　inviting　world。〃
　He　glanced　up。　His　Father　was　watching　over　us；　and　we　were　too　dose　together；　at　this　table　on　the　deck。
　He　hastily　filled　me　in　on　other　facts：
　Germanicus　Julius　Caesar；　heir　to　the　Imperial　throne；　the　official　adopted　son　of　Tiberius；　had　been　granted　the　Imperium　Maius　in　Antioch。　That　is；　he　controlled　all　of　this　territory。　And　Gnaeus　Calpurnius　Piso　was　the　governor　of　Syria。
　I　assured　him　that　they　would　know　nothing　of　me　or　my　old…fashioned　family　or　our　quiet；　old　house　on　the　Palatine　Hill；　squeezed　between　so　many　other　extravagant　new　mansions。
　〃It's　all　Roman…style；〃　Jacob　protested。　〃You'll　see。　And　you　e　with　money！　And　forgive　me；　but　you　are　still　beautiful　at　your　age；　you　have　fresh　skin　and　you　move　your　limbs　like　a　girl。〃
　I　sighed　and　gave　Jacob　thanks。　Time　for　him　to　break　away　unless　we　wanted　his　Father　ing　down　upon　us。
　I　watched　the　ever　rolling　blue　waves。
　I　was　thankful　in　secret　that　our　family　had　withdrawn　from　the　parties　and　banquets　at　the　Imperial　Palace；　but　then　I　blamed　myself　for　such　thankfulness；　knowing　that　our　reclusiveness　must　have　paved　the　way　for　our　downfall。
　I'd　seen　Germanicus　on　his　triumphal　procession　through　Rome；　a　gorgeous　young　man；　much　as　Alexander　had　been；　and　I　knew　from　my　Father　and　my　brothers　that　Tiberius；　fearing　the　popularity　of　his　appointed　heir；　had　sent　him　off　to　the　East　to　get　him　away　from　the　Roman　crowds。
　The　Governor　Piso？　I　had　never　laid　eyes　on　him。　The　gossip　was　that　he　was　sent　East　to　devil　Germanicus。　Oh；　such　a　waste　of　talent　and　thought。
　Jacob　returned　to　me。
　〃Well；　you　go　nameless　and　unknown　into　this　vast　city；〃　said　Jacob。　〃And　you　have　protectors　of　high　character　who　are　beloved　of　Germanicus。　He's　young　and