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！
e crier's voice； and even now he could still hear it as it grew dimmer and dimmer in the distance。
The night was very quiet。 It was always quiet except on moonlight nights。 Darkness held a vague terror for these people； even the bravest among them。 Children were warned not to whistle at night for fear of evil spirits。 Dangerous animals became even more sinister and uncanny in the dark。 A snake was never called by its name at night； because it would hear。 It was called a string。 And so on this particular night as the crier's voice was gradually swallowed up in the distance； silence returned to the world； a vibrant silence made more intense by the universal trill of a million million forest insects。
On a moonlight night it would be different。 The happy voices of children playing in open fields would then be heard。 And perhaps those not so young would be playing in pairs in less open places； and old men and women would remember their youth。 As the Ibo say： 〃When the moon is shining the cripple bees hungry for a walk。〃
But this particular night was dark and silent。 And in all the nine villages of Umuofia a town crier with his ogene asked every man to be present tomorrow morning。 Okonkwo on his bamboo bed tried to figure out the nature of the emergency … war with a neighboring clan？ That seemed the most likely reason； and he was not afraid of war。 He was a man of action； a man of war。 Unlike his father he could stand the look of blood。 In Umuofia's latest war he was the first to bring home a human head。 That was his fifth head and he was not an old man yet。 On great occasions such as the funeral of a village celebrity he drank his palm…wine from his first human head。
In the morning the market place was full。 There must have been about ten thousand men there； all talking in low voices。 At last Ogbuefi Ezeugo stood up in the midst of them and bellowed four times； 〃Umuofia kwenu；〃 and on each occasion he faced a different direction and seemed to push the air with a clenched fist。 And ten thousand men answered 〃Yaa！〃 each time。 Then there was perfect silence。 Ogbuefi Ezeugo was a powerful orator and was always chosen to speak on such occasions。 He moved his hand over his white head and stroked his white beard。 He then adjusted his cloth； which was passed under his right arm…pit and tied above his left shoulder。
〃Umuofia kwenu；〃 he bellowed a fifth time； and the crowd yelled in answer。 And then suddenly like one possessed he shot out his left hand and pointed in the direction of Mbaino； and said through gleaming white teeth firmly clenched： 〃Those sons of wild animals have dared to murder a daughter of Umuofia。〃 He threw his head down and gnashed his teeth； and allowed a murmur of suppressed anger to sweep the crowd。 When he began again； the anger on his face was gone； and in its place a sort of smile hovered； more terrible and more sinister than the anger。 And in a clear unemotional voice he told Umuofia how their daughter had gone to market at Mbaino and had been killed。 That woman； said Ezeugo； was the wife of Ogbuefi Udo； and he pointed to a man who sat near him with a bowed head。 The crowd then shouted with ainger and thirst for blood。
Many others spoke； and at the end it was decided to follow the normal course of action。 An ultimatum was immediately dispatched to Mbaino asking them to choose between war … on the one hand； and on the other the offer of a young man and a virgin as pensation。
Umuofia was feared by all its neighbors。 It was powerful in war and in magic； and its priests and medicine men were feared in all the surrounding country。 Its most potent war…medicine was as old as the clan itself。 Nobody knew how old。 But on one point there was general agreement—the active principle in that medicine had been an old woman with one leg。 In fact； the medicine itself was called agadi…nwayi； or old woman。 It had its shrine in the centre of Umuofia； in a cleared spot。 And if anybody was so foolhardy as to pass by the shrine after dusk he was sure to see the old woman hopping about。
And so the neighboring clans who naturally knew of these things feared Umuofia； and would not go to war against it without first trying a peaceful settlement。 And in fairness to Umuofia it should be recorded that it never went to war unless its case was clear and just and was accepted as such by its Oracle … the Oracle of the Hills and the Caves。 And there were indeed occasions when the Oracle had forbidden Umuofia to wage a war。 If the clan had disobeyed the Oracle they would surely have been beaten； because their dreaded agadi…nwayi would never fight what the Ibo call a fight of blame。
But the war that now threatened was a just war。 Even the enemy clan knew that。 And so when Okonkwo of Umuofia arrived at Mbaino as the proud and imperious emissary of war； he was treated with great honor and respect； and two days later he returned home with a lad of fifteen and a young virgin。 The lad's name was Ikemefuna； whose sad story is still told in Umuofia unto this day。
The elders； or ndichie； met to hear a report of Okonkwo's mission。 At the end they decided； as everybody knew they would； that the girl should go to Ogbuefi Udo to replace his murdered wife。 As for the boy； he belonged to the clan as a whole； and there was no hurry to decide his fate。 Okonkwo was； therefore； asked on behalf of the clan to look after him in the interim。 And so for three years Ikemefuna lived in Okonkwo's household。
Qkonkwo ruled his household with a heavy hand。 His wives； especially the youngest； lived in perpetual fear of his fiery temper； and so did his little children。 Perhaps down in his heart Okonkwo was not a cruel man。 But his whole life was dominated by fear； the fear of failure and of weakness。 It was deeper and more intimate than the fear of evil and capricious gods and of magic； the fear of the forest； and of the forces of nature； malevolent； red in tooth and claw。 Okonkwo's fear was greater than these。 It was not external but lay deep within himself。 It was the fear of himself； lest he should be found to resemble his father。 Even as a little boy he had resented his father's failure and weakness； and even now he still remembered how he had suffered when a playmate had told him that his father was agbala。 That was how Okonkwo first came to know that agbala was not only another name for a woman； it could also mean a man who had taken no title。 And so Okonkwo was ruled by one passion … to hate everything that his father Unoka had loved。 One of those things was gentleness and another was idleness。
During the planting season Okonkwo worked daily on his farms from cock…crow until the chickens went to roost。 He was a very strong man and rarely felt fatigue。 But his wives and young children were not as strong； and so they suffered。 But they dared not plain openly。 Okonkwo's first son； Nwoye； was then twelve years old but was already causing his father great anxiety for his incipient laziness。 At any rate； that was how it looked to his father； and he sought to correct him by constant nagging and beating。 And so Nwoye was developing into a sad…faced youth。
Okonkwo's prosperity was visible in his household。 He had a large