In the city of Florence， not far from the Piazza del Granduca， there runs a little cross-street， I think it is called Porta Rossa. In this street， in front of a kind of market hall where vegetables are sold， there lies a Pig artistically fashioned of metal. The fresh clear water pours from the snout of the creature， which has become a blackish-green from age; only the snout shines as if it had been polished， and indeed it has been， by many hundreds of children and poor people， who seize it with their hands， and place their mouths close to the mouth of the animal， to drink. It is a perfect picture to see the well-shaped creature clasped by a half-naked boy， who lays his red lips against its snout.

Every one who comes to Florence can easily find the place; he need only ask the first beggar he meets for the Metal Pig， and he will find it.

It was late on a winter evening. The mountains were covered with snow; but the moon shone， and moonlight in Italy is just as good as the light of a murky Northern winter's day; nay， it is better， for the air shines and lifts us up， while in the North the cold grey leaden covering seems to press us downwards to the earth--the cold damp earth， which will some day press down our coffin.

In the Grand Duke' s palace garden， under a roof of Pines where a thousand roses bloom in winter， a little ragged boy had been sitting all day long， a boy who might serve as a type of Italy， pretty and smiling， and yet suffering. He was hungry and thirsty， but no one gave him anything; and when it became dark， and the garden was to be closed， the porter turned him out. Long he stood musing on the bridge that spans the Arno， and looked at the stars， whose light glittered in the water between him and the splendid marble bridge.

He took the way towards the Metal Pig， half knelt down; clasped his arms round it， put his mouth against its shining snout， and drank the fresh water in deep draughts. Close by lay a few leaves of salad and one or two chestnuts; these were his supper. No one was in the street but himself--it belonged to him alone， and so he boldly sat down on the Pig's back， bent forward， so that his curly head rested on the head of the animal， and before he was aware fell asleep.

It was midnight. The Metal Pig stirred， and he heard it say quite distinctly， \"You little boy， hold tight， for now I am going to run，\" and away it ran with him.

This was a wonderful ride. First they got to the Piazza del Granduca， and the metal horse which carries the Duke' s statue neighed loudly， the painted coats of arms on the old council-house looked like transparent pictures， and Michael Angelo's \"David\" swung his sling: there was a strange life stirring among them. The metal groups representing Perseus， and the rape of the Sabines， stood there only too much alive: a cry of mortal fear escaped them， and resounded over the splendid lonely square.

By the Palazzo degli Uffizi， in the arcade， where the nobility assemble for the Carnival amusements， the Metal Pig stopped. \"Hold tight，\" said the creature， \"for now we are going upstairs.\" The little boy spoke not a word， for he was half frightened， half delighted.

They came into a long gallery where the boy had already been. The walls were adorned with pictures; here stood statues and busts， all in the most charming light， as if it had been broad day; but the most beautiful of all was when the door of a side room opened; the little boy could remember the splendour that was there， but on this night everything shone in the most glorious colour.

Here stood a beautiful woman， as radiant in beauty as nature and the greatest master of sculpture could make her: she moved her graceful limbs， dolphins sprang at her feet， and immortality shone out of her eyes. The world calls her the Venus de Medici. By her side are statues in which the spirit of life had been breathed into the stone; they are handsome unclothed men. One was sharpening a sword， and was called the Grinder; the Wrestling Gladiators formed another group; and the sword was sharpened， and they strove for the goddess of beauty.

The boy was dazzled by all this pomp: the walls gleamed with bright colours， and everything was life and movement there. In twofold form was seen the image of Venus， the earthly Venus， full and glowing， as Titian had seen her. The pictures of two lovely women; their beautiful unveiled limbs were stretched out on the soft cushions; their bosoms heaved， and their heads moved， so that the rich locks fell down over the rounded shoulders， while their dark eyes uttered glowing thoughts. But not one of all the pictures dared to step quite out of its frame. The Goddess of Beauty herself， the Gladiators and the Grinder， remained in their places， for the glory that shone from the Madonna， Jesus， and St. John， restrained them. The holy pictures were pictures no longer， they were the Holy Ones themselves.

What splendour， what beauty shone from hall to hall! And the little boy saw everything plainly， for the Metal Pig went step by step through all this scene of magnificence. Each fresh sight effaced the last. One picture only fixed itself firmly in his soul， especially through the very happy children introduced into it; the little boy had once nodded to these in the daylight.

Many persons pass by this picture with indifference， and yet it contains a treasure of poetry. It represents the Saviour descending into hell. But these are not the damned whom the spectator sees around him， they are the heathens. The Florentine Angiolo Bronzino painted this picture. Most beautiful is the expression on the faces of the children，--the fullconfidence that they will get to heaven. Two little beings are already embracing， and onelittle one stretches out his hand towards another who stands below him， and points tohimself as if he were saying， \"I am going to heaven!\"The older people stand uncertain，hoping， or bowing in humble adoration before the Lord Jesus. The boy's eyes restedlonger on this picture than on any other. The Metal Pig stood still before it. A low sigh washeard. Did it come from the picture or from the animal? The boy lifted up his hands towards the smiling children; then the Pig ran away with him， away through the open vestibule.

\"Thanks and blessings to you， you dear thing!\" said the little boy， and caressed the Metal Pig， as it sprang down the steps with him.

\"Thanks and blessings to yourself，\" replied the Metal Pig. \"I have helped you， and you have helped me， for only with an innocent child on my back do I receive power to run! Yes， you see， I may even step into the rays of the lamp in front of the picture of the Madonna， I can carry you everywhere， only I may not go into the church. But from without， when you are with me， I may look in through the open door. Do not get down from my back; if you do so， I shall lie dead as you see me in the daytime at the Porta Rossa.\"

\"I will stay with you， my dear creature!\" cried the child.

So they went in hot haste through the streets of Florence， out into the place before the church of Santa Croce.

The folding doors flew open， and lights gleamed out from the altar through the church into the deserted square.（to be continned）

在佛羅倫薩城，離公爵廣場不遠的地方，延伸著一條橫街，我記得是叫波特·羅薩吧。在這條街道上，一個賣蔬菜的市場前面，有一只在工藝上非常時尚的金屬豬雕像。一股新鮮清澈的水從它的嘴里涌出來。因為年代久遠，豬已經(jīng)變成墨綠色。只有豬嘴還是錚亮錚亮的，像剛擦洗過的一樣。實際上也是這樣，每天都有許多小孩子和窮人用手去摸，還把自己的嘴湊近豬嘴巴去喝水。一個半裸的小男孩，將自己的小紅嘴唇貼到銅豬嘴上，緊緊地抱住銅豬，這種景象真算得上一幅完美的圖畫了。

每一個到佛羅倫薩來的人，很容易就能找到這個地方。他只要問問他碰見的第一個乞丐，就可以找到銅豬。

這是一個冬天的深夜。山上覆蓋著皚皚白雪，明月高照，這種意大利的月光，和冬日黑夜里北歐的月光不相上下。不，應該說更美，因為空中彌漫的月光讓人心情愉快，而北歐的空氣寒冷、灰暗，陰沉地覆蓋著，好像要把人們壓縮到地面上——那寒冷潮濕的土地，有一天會埋住我們的棺材的。

在公爵的王家花園里，一片松樹頂下面，冬天里盛開著一千株玫瑰。一個穿著破破爛爛的小男孩，一整天坐在那里。這個孩子真是代表了意大利的特征：漂亮，笑盈盈的，但又承受著艱辛。他又餓又渴，但沒有人施舍他任何東西。天黑后，花園就要關(guān)門了，園丁把他趕了出來。他久久地站在亞爾諾河的大橋上，若有所思，凝望著星星，星星的光輝在精美的大理石橋和他之間的水面上閃爍。

他走向銅豬，半跪下來，用雙臂抱著它，將嘴貼到銅豬閃光的嘴上，盡情地喝著那新鮮的水。附近的地面上落著幾片生菜葉，還有一兩個粟子，這就是他的晚餐了。街道上除了他，一個人影都沒有。這兒屬于他了，于是他大膽地騎在銅豬背上，身子向前傾，讓自己長著卷發(fā)的腦袋貼在豬頭上，不知不覺就睡過去了。

這時正是午夜，銅豬動了起來。他聽到銅豬清楚地說： “小孩子，抱緊我，我要跑起來啦?！庇谑撬称鹦∧泻⒕团?。

這是一次令人驚異的旅行。他們首先來到公爵廣場，身上騎著公爵塑像的銅馬仰天長嘯，老市政廳門上涂彩的外皮看起來像是透明的圖案，米開朗基羅的“大衛(wèi)”雕像在拋投石器。在這些東西中間，有一種奇異的生命力在涌動。刻畫珀修斯和薩比尼人悲慘境遇的銅像群矗立在那里，栩栩如生。他們發(fā)出的對死亡的恐懼的呼喊聲，在莊嚴的、孤寂的廣場上回響。

在烏菲奇宮旁的拱道里，就是貴族們聚會歡度狂歡節(jié)的地方，銅豬停了下來。 “抱緊了，”銅豬說， “現(xiàn)在我們該爬臺階啦。”小男孩一句話也不說，因為他心中又驚又喜。

他們走進了一條長長的畫廊，這地方小男孩曾經(jīng)來過。墻上裝飾著圖案，畫廊里有許多全身立像和半身像，都籠罩在美麗的燈光中，好像是在白晝里一樣。當側(cè)面的房門打開的時候，最美的東西出現(xiàn)了。小男孩還能記得這美麗的景象，在這個夜晚，所有的東西都籠罩在最輝煌的色彩中。

這里站著的是一個美麗的婦人，美得光彩四射，就像活生生的一樣，只有最偉大的雕塑大師才能創(chuàng)造出來。她擺動著優(yōu)雅的肢體，海豚在她的腳邊跳躍，她的眼里透射出不朽的光輝。人們都叫她“維納斯”。她的旁邊有許多雕像，生命力也注入到了這些石頭中——他們是些瀟灑的裸體男人。其中一個人在磨劍，人們都叫他“磨劍者”。搏擊的武士組成了另一群石像，劍已磨快了，他們正在為爭奪美麗女神而戰(zhàn)斗。

小男孩被這壯觀的景象驚呆了。墻壁上閃耀著明快的色彩，所有的東西都煥發(fā)出生命，活動了起來。維納斯的塑像顯現(xiàn)出雙重形象——世上的維納斯，那么豐滿，那么光彩照人，就是提香見到她時的樣子。這是兩個可愛女人的塑像，她們露出的美麗四肢，在柔軟的墊子上伸展開；她們的胸部起伏著，腦袋在晃動，密密的卷發(fā)披在渾圓的肩膀上，烏黑的眼睛透露出火熱的思想。但沒有一個塑像敢從基座上走出來。美神，武士和磨劍者，都還在自己原來的位置上，因為圣母、耶穌和圣約翰的光輝，把他們限制住了。圣像已經(jīng)不再是塑像，而是神自身了。

從一個大廳到另一個大廳，都那么輝煌，那么流光溢彩。小男孩把這些東西都看得清清楚楚，他一步一步，緩緩地穿過這壯麗美景。每一個新的圖畫，都讓前一個相形失色。但有一幅圖畫卻牢牢地占據(jù)著他的心，因為畫上有許多天真快樂的孩子，小男孩在白天的時候曾經(jīng)對這些孩子點頭致意。

許多人經(jīng)過這幅畫的時候，一點也不在意。但這畫卻飽含著詩意，表現(xiàn)的是救世主落入地獄的故事。但救世主身邊的不是被詛咒的人，而是異教徒。佛羅倫薩的安吉奧羅·布隆切諾創(chuàng)作了這幅畫。畫中最美的是孩子們臉上的表情——他們堅信自己能夠升入天堂。兩個小家伙擁抱在一起，還有一個小孩向站在他下面的人伸出了手，還指著自己，好像在說， “我要進天堂了!”年紀大一些的人都充滿疑慮地站在那兒，若有所待，或者向耶穌謙恭地低下頭。小男孩眼睛盯著這幅畫，比觀察任何一幅畫的時間都長。銅豬在畫的前面靜靜地停下來。這時傳來一聲輕微的嘆息。這嘆息來自畫中，還是發(fā)自銅豬之口呢？小男孩沖著畫上微笑的孩子們舉起了手，但銅豬又背著他跑了，跑過那個敞開的門洞。

“謝謝你，祝福你，親愛的！”小男孩說。他愛撫地拍打著銅豬，銅豬帶著他躍下臺階。

“謝謝你，祝福你！”銅豬答道， “我?guī)椭四?，你也幫助了我，因為只有一個天真無邪的孩子騎在我背上的時候，我才能獲得奔跑的力量！是的，你瞧，我還可以走到圣母像前的燈影里面去呢。我可以帶著你到任何一個地方，除了不能進教堂。不過只要你和我在一起，我就能通過敞開的門看見天堂里面的一切。別從我的背上下來，如果你下來了，我就會失去生命，就像你白天在波爾塔·羅薩那兒看到我時的那樣?！?/p>

“我會和你在一起的，親愛的生靈！”孩子喊道。

于是他們?nèi)亠w奔，穿過佛羅倫薩的大街小巷，來到圣克羅塞教堂前的廣場上。

教堂的折疊門敞開了，祭壇上的燈光照射出來，穿過教堂，照到?jīng)]有人跡的廣場。

（未完待續(xù)）