Iraçéma: the Honey-lips, a Legend of Brazil/Chapter 7
CHAPTER VII.
Iraçéma threaded the trees silent as a shade; her sparkling eyes pierced through the foliage like star-beams. She listened to the profound silence of the night and inhaled the balm-blowing breeze.
She stopped. A shadow glided amongst the boughs and the leaves were crackled by a light step, unless indeed the report was the buzzing of some insect. Slowly the soft sound waxed louder, and with it the shadow became darker.
It was a warrior.
With one bound the virgin confronted him, trembling with fear, and still more with wrath.
"Iraçéma!" exclaimed the brave, recoiling.
"The Anhánga[1] hath doubtless disturbed the sleep of Irapúam, that he has lost himself in the Juréma wood, where no warrior enters save by the will of Araken."
"It was not the Anhánga, but the thought of Iraçéma that disturbed the sleep of the bravest of the Tabajára braves. Irapúam hath descended from his eyrie to follow up the plain the white crane of the river. He came, and Iraçéma fled from his gaze. The voices of the Taba related in the hearing of the Chief that a stranger had sat under the roof-tree of Araken."
The virgin trembled. The warrior fixed upon her his burning eyes.
The heart here in Irapúam's breast became a tiger's heart. It panted with rage. He came scenting the quarry.
"The stranger is in this wood, and Iraçéma accompanied him. Irapúam will drink all his blood: when that of the white warrior shall fill the veins of the Tabajára Chief, perhaps the daughter of Araken may love him."
The maiden՚s black pupils flashed in the dark, and a smile of contempt dropped from her lips, bitter as the gouts of caustic milk which the Euphorbia sheds.
"Never will Iraçéma give herself to the basest of the Tabajára braves. The spirit of Tupan alone fills her breast. Vile is the vampire that hides from the light and drinks the blood of the sleeping victim."
"Daughter of Araken! provoke not the Ounce. The name of Irapúam flies farther than the Goaná[2] of the lake when he scents the rain beyond the mountains. Let the white warrior appear, and let Iraçéma open her arms to the victor."
"The white warrior is the guest of Araken. Peace brought him to the plains of Ipú, and peace guards him here. Whoso offends the stranger shall offend the Pagé."
The Tabajára chief roared lion-like in his rage.
"The fury of Irapúam now hears only the vengeance-cry. The stranger shall die."
"The daughter of Araken is stronger than the Chief of warriors," said Iraçéma, seizing the wartrumpet.[3] "She holds here the voice of the Tupan-god, who calls on his people."
"But she will not call," said the Chief scoffingly.
"No, because Irapúam shall be punished by the hand of Iraçéma. His first step will be the step of death."
The virgin with one bound retreated as much as she had advanced and drew her bow. The chief still grasped the handle of his formidable tomahawk, but he felt for the first time that it was heavy for his strong arm. The blow that was about to strike Iraçéma had already wounded his own heart. He then knew how easily the strongest brave is, out of his very strength, vanquished by love.
"The shadow of Iraçéma will not always hide the stranger from the vengeance of Irapúam. Vile is the warrior who allows himself to be protected by a woman."
Thus saying, the Chief vanished amongst the trees.
The virgin, always on the watch, returned to the sleeping Christian, and guarded him for the rest of the night. The emotions so lately undergone agitated her soul, and ripened all those sweet affections of her heart which the stranger's eyes had quickened to life.
She longed to protect him from all peril, to shelter him as though she were an impenetrable asylum. Then, deeds following her thoughts, she passed her arms round the sleeping warrior's neck and she pillowed his head upon her bosom.
But when the joy of seeing the stranger saved from the perils of the night had passed away, the thought of new dangers about to arise caused her the liveliest disquiet.
"The love of Iraçéma is like the wind of the desert-sands; it kills the flower of the forest," sighed the virgin.
And slowly she withdrew.
This work is a translation and has a separate copyright status to the applicable copyright protections of the original content.
| Original: |
This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
|---|---|
| Translation: |
This work was published before January 1, 1931, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago.
Public domainPublic domainfalsefalse |
