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1、Mandoes,womanis.ROBERTGRAVESContentsEPIGRAPHiiTHECLEFT1ABOUTTHEAUTHOROTHERBOOKSBYDORISLESSINGCREDITSCOVERCOPYRIGHTABOUTTHEPUBLISHERMerchantWetravelnotfortraffickingalone:Byhotterwindsourfieryheartsarefanned:ForlustofknowingwhatshouldnotbeknownWemaketh
2、eGoldenJourneytoSamarkand.TheMasteroftheCaravanOpenthegate,Owatchmanofthenight.TheWatchmanHo,travellersIopen.ForwhatlandLeaveyouthedim-mooncityofdelight?TheMerchants(WITHASHOUT)WemaketheGoldenJourneytoSamarkand.(Thecaravanpassesthroughthegate)TheWatch
3、man(CONSOLINGTHEWOMEN)Whatwouldyou,ladies?Itwaseverthus.Menareunwiseandcuriouslyplanned.AWomanTheyhavetheirdreams,anddonotthinkofus.VoicesoftheCaravan(INTHEDISTANCE,SINGING)WemaketheGoldenJourneytoSamarkand.JAMESELROYFLECKERInarecentscientificarticlei
4、twasremarkedthatthebasicandprimalhumanstockwasprobablyfemale,andthatmalescamealonglater,asakindofcosmicafterthought.Icannotbelievethatthiswasatrouble-freeadvent.Theideawasgristtoanalreadyactivemill,forIhadbeenwonderingifmenwerenotayoungertype,ajuniorv
5、ariation.Theylackthesolidityofwomen,whoseemtohavebeenendowedwithanaturalharmonywiththewaysoftheworld.Ithinkmostpeoplewouldagreewiththis,evenifadefin-itionwouldbehardtocomeby.Menincomparisonareunstable,anderratic.IsNaturetryingsomethingout?Broodingabou
6、tthiswholequestionsparkedoffspeculationandthenthatspinningoftheimaginationthatcanleadtothebirthofstories.HereisoneofthetalesaboutwhatmighthavehappenedwhenCleftsfirstgavebirthtoababyboy.THECLEFTIsawthistoday.Whenthecartscomeinfromtheestatefarmasthesumm
7、erends,bringingthewine,theolives,thefruits,thereisafestiveairinthehouse,andIshareinit.Iwatchfrommywindowslikethehouseslaves,forthearrivaloftheoxenastheyturnfromtheroad,listenforthecreakofthecart.Todaytheoxenwerewild-eyedandanxious,becauseofthenoisyove
8、rfullroadtothewest.Theirwhitenesswasreddened,justliketheslaveMarcus’stunic,andhishairwasfullofdust.Thewatchinggirlsranouttothecart,notonlybecauseofallthedeliciousproducetheywouldnowputawayintothestorerooms,butbecauseofMarcus,whohadinthelastyea