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.and it is entirely in this sense that the witchesin Italy, who, may claim with some right to be its true inheritors, have preserved and understood the myth.ItCHAPTER IX.Tana and Endamone, or Diana and Endyinion 32 ARADIA, or the Gospel of the Witchesis a realisation of forbidden or secret love, with attraction to the dimly seen beautiful-by moonlight, with thefairy or witch-like charm of the supernatural-a romance all combined in a single strange form-the spell ofNight!"There is a dangerous silence in that hour,A stillness which leaves rooni for the full soulTo open all itself, without the powerOf calling wholly back its self-control;The silver light which, hallowing tree and tower,Sheds beauty and deep softness o'er the whole,Breathes also to the heart, and o'er it throwsA loving languor which is not repose."This is what is meant by the myth of Diana and Endymion.It is the making divine or æsthetic (which to theGreeks was one and the same) that which is impassioned, secret, and forbidden.It was the charm of the stolenwaters which are sweet, intensified to poetry.And it is remarkable that it has been so strangely preserved inItalian witch traditions.CHAPTER X.Madonna Diana"The Madonna is essentially the goddess of the moon._"Naples in the Nineties," by E.N.Rolfe.Once there was, in the very old time in Cettardo Alto, a girl of astonishing beauty, and she was betrothed to ayoung man who was as remarkable for good looks as herself; but though well born and bred, the fortune ormisfortunes of war or fate had made them both extremely poor.And if the young lady had one fault, it washer great pride, nor would she willingly be married unless in good style, with luxury and festivity, in a finegarment, with many bridesmaids of rank.And this became to the beautiful Rorasa-for such was her name-such an object of desire, that her head washalf turned with it, and the other girls of her acquaintance, to say nothing of the many men whom she hadrefused, mocked her so bitterly, asking her when the fine, wedding was to be, with many other jeers andsneers, that at last in a moment of madness she went to the top of a high tower, whence she cast herself; andto make it worse.there was below a terrible ravine (balza), into which she fell.Yet she took no harm, for as she fell there appeared to her a very beautiful woman, truly not of earth, whotook her by the hand and bore her through the air to a safe place.Then all the people round about who saw or heard of this thing cried out, "Lo, a miracle!" and they came andmade a great festival, and would fain persuade Rorasa that she had been saved by the Madonna.But the lady who had saved her, coming to her secretly, said: "If thou hast any desire, follow the Gospel ofDiana, or what is called the Gospel of the Witches (Il Vangelo delle Strege), who worship the moon.""Se la Luna adoreraiTutto tu otterai""If thou adorest Luna, thenWhat thou desir'st thou shalt obtain!"CHAPTER X.Madonna Diana 33 ARADIA, or the Gospel of the WitchesThen the beautiful girl went forth alone by night to the fields, and kneeling on a stone in an old ruin, sheworshipped the moon and invoked Diana thus:-Diana, bella Diana!Tu che della grande cadutaMi ai bene salvata!Ti prego di farmi una altra grazia,Di farmi far' un bello sposalizio,Una sposalizio ricco e 'compagnatoDa molte signore.Se questa grazia mi faraiSempre il Vangelo delle Stregelo asseriro.Diana, beautiful Diana!Thou who didst save from a dreadful deathWhen I did fall into the dark ravine!I pray thee grant me still another grace.Give me one glorious wedding, and with itFull many bridesmaids, beautiful and grand;And if this favour thou wilt grant to me,True to the Witches' Gospel I will be!When Rorasa awoke in the morning, she found her self in another house, where all was far more magnificent,and having risen, a beautiful maid led her into another room, where she was dressed in a superbwedding-garment of white silk with diamonds, for it was her wedding-dress indeed.Then there appeared tenyoung ladies, all splendidly attired, and with them and many distinguished persons she went to the church ina carriage.And all the streets were filled with music and people bearing flowers.So she found the bridegroom, and was wedded to her heart's desire, ten times more grandly than she had everdreamed of.Then, after the ceremony, there was spread a feast at which all the nobility of Cettardo werepresent, and, moreover, the whole town, rich and poor, were feasted.When the wedding was finished, the bridesmaids made every one a magnificent present to the bride-onegave diamonds, another a parchment (written) in gold, after which they asked permission to go all togetherinto the sacristy.And there they remained for some hours undisturbed, till the priest sent his chierico toinquire whether they wanted anything.But what was the youth's amazement at beholding, not the tenbridesmaids, but their ten Images or likenesses in wood and in terra-cotta, with that of Diana standing on amoon, and they were all so magnificently made and adorned as to be of immense value.Therefore the priest put these images into the church, which is the most ancient in Cettardo, and now in manychurches you may see the Madonna and the Moon, but it is Diana-la Dea della Luna [ Pobierz caÅ‚ość w formacie PDF ]