Page:Modern Greek folklore and ancient Greek religion - a study in survivals.djvu/565

 put into his mouth. In this fragment the first two lines are the dead man's complaint, the next two are an answer returned to him, and then again he takes up his parable. The second example which I will give is from a lamentation for a young girl. The first few lines are addressed by the father and mother to their dead child, and with a quaint directness contrast the gloom of the lower world with the simple joys of a peasant's life here above; while the last three lines are an answer put into the dead girl's mouth.

'Dear child, there where thou purposest to hie thee down, in Hades, There, sure, no cock doth ever crow, nor hen is heard a-clucking, There is no spring of water found, nor grass in meadows growing. Art hungered? nought thou tastest there; athirst? there nought thou drinkest; Would'st lay thee down and take thy rest? of sleep no fill thou takest. Then stay, dear child, in thine own house, stay then with thine own kindred.' 'Nay, I may not, dear father mine and mother deep-beloved, Yesterday was my marriage-day, late yestere'en my wedding, Hades I for my husband have, the tomb for my new mother .'

In this dirge, it may be noticed, there is no complaint on the part of the dead girl; the lamentation and the gloomy description of Hades are assigned to her parents. And indeed her reply is, I think, intended to be by way of consolation. It is true that she does not deny their cheerless prognostications nor attempt to paint a brighter picture of the nether world, but she represents her death as no greater breaking of old ties than is marriage; at an actual marriage indeed the same kind of distressful presages are chanted by the girl's companions, and even the bride herself is bound by propriety to exhibit a sullen and regretful demeanour. Very true of Greek marriages and of Greek funerals is the proverb, [Greek: mêd' apo tê lupê leipoun gelia mêd' apo tê chara ta klammata] , 'Mourning hath its mirth and joy its tears.' But the consolatory tone is far more pronounced in some other passages from the same collection. A good example is found in the message which a Klepht—one of those patriot-outlaws who struggled against Turkish domination—is made to send, as he lies dying, to his mother:, ('joy'), as I have pointed out elsewhere, is indeed often used technically of marriage.]