The Athenian Murders by José Carlos Somoza Page B
Authors: José Carlos Somoza
Tags: Mystery
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'And you ... Do you agree with him?'
'Not at all. I always believed my friend was mad.'
'And what became of him?'
'I don't know. He suddenly had an impulse to leave Athens, so he left. And he hasn't returned.'
After another silence and several hurried steps along the paved road, Heracles asked: 'What do you think of the hetaera?'
'She's a strange, dangerous woman.' Diagoras shuddered. 'Her face . . . Her gaze ... I looked into her eyes and saw horrible things
In his vision, she was dancing on the snowy peaks of Parnassus, to a rapid beating of drums, her only clothing a thin deerskin. Her body moved without thought, without will almost, a flower in the fingers of a young girl, spinning dangerously close to the slippery edge of the abyss.
In his vision, she could ignite her hair and lash out at the cold air with it; she could throw back her head so that the bone in her neck protruded from between the muscles like a lily stem; she could shout as if asking for help, calling Bromios with his deer hoofs; she could intone the quick paean from the evening oreivasia, the ritual dance tirelessly performed by maenads on mountain tops in winter, handling dangerous, swiftly poisonous snakes and knotting their tails beautifully, just as a young girl, without help, weaves a crown of white lilies.
In his vision, she was a naked form, bloodied by flames from the fires and juice from the grapes. As she moved, she traced hasty, bold words in the snow with her bare feet, ignoring the urgent cries of Prudence, who appeared before her like a slender young girl clad in white, to warn her, vainly, of the danger of the dances. 'Help me!' called the little voice to no avail for, to the eyes of a maenad, danger is as a gleaming lily placed on the opposite bank of an impetuous river to the avid gaze of a young girl: not one of them would resist the temptation to swim across swiftly, without even seeking help, and claim the flower. 'Take care, there is danger here!' calls the voice of reason. But the young girl pays no heed for the lily is too beautiful.
This was all part of his vision, and he took it to be true. 17
'What strange things you see in the gazes of others, Diagoras!' mocked Heracles good-humouredly. 'Our hetaera may dance in the Lenaean processions from time to time, but believing that she frolics with the maenads in dangerous ecstasies in honour of Dionysus is going too far. I fear your imagination has keener sight than Lynceus.'
17 Diagoras' latest vision brings together all the eidetic images that have appeared so far: 'speed', the 'stag', the 'young girl with the lily' and the 'plea for help'. Now we have the word 'danger' as well! What can it all mean? (T .'s N.)
'I told you what I saw with my mind's eye,' retorted Diagoras. 'It can discern the Idea itself, and you shouldn't be so quick to despise it, Heracles. The Idea itself is superior to reason. It is the light before which all beings and things are no more than vague shadows. And sometimes that Idea may become known to us only through myth, fable, poetry or dreams.'
'Perhaps, but your "Idea itself" is of no use to me, Diagoras. I'm concerned only with what I can see with my own eyes and reason with my own logic'
'So what did you see in the girl?'
'Very little,' said Heracles modestly. 'Only that she was lying.'
Diagoras halted his rapid march and turned to look at the Decipherer. Smiling a little guiltily, like a child caught playing a dangerous prank, Heracles explained: 'I set her a trap by mentioning Tramachus' father. As you know, Meragrus was condemned to death years ago, accused of dangerous collaboration with the Thirty . . ‘ 18
'I know. It was a harsh trial, like that of the admirals from Arginusae, because Meragrus paid for the crimes of many others.' Diagoras sighed. 'Tramachus was always reluctant to talk about his father. It was a dangerous subject for him.'
'That's what I mean’ said Heracles. 'Yasintra claimed Tramachus hardly
'Not at all. I always believed my friend was mad.'
'And what became of him?'
'I don't know. He suddenly had an impulse to leave Athens, so he left. And he hasn't returned.'
After another silence and several hurried steps along the paved road, Heracles asked: 'What do you think of the hetaera?'
'She's a strange, dangerous woman.' Diagoras shuddered. 'Her face . . . Her gaze ... I looked into her eyes and saw horrible things
In his vision, she was dancing on the snowy peaks of Parnassus, to a rapid beating of drums, her only clothing a thin deerskin. Her body moved without thought, without will almost, a flower in the fingers of a young girl, spinning dangerously close to the slippery edge of the abyss.
In his vision, she could ignite her hair and lash out at the cold air with it; she could throw back her head so that the bone in her neck protruded from between the muscles like a lily stem; she could shout as if asking for help, calling Bromios with his deer hoofs; she could intone the quick paean from the evening oreivasia, the ritual dance tirelessly performed by maenads on mountain tops in winter, handling dangerous, swiftly poisonous snakes and knotting their tails beautifully, just as a young girl, without help, weaves a crown of white lilies.
In his vision, she was a naked form, bloodied by flames from the fires and juice from the grapes. As she moved, she traced hasty, bold words in the snow with her bare feet, ignoring the urgent cries of Prudence, who appeared before her like a slender young girl clad in white, to warn her, vainly, of the danger of the dances. 'Help me!' called the little voice to no avail for, to the eyes of a maenad, danger is as a gleaming lily placed on the opposite bank of an impetuous river to the avid gaze of a young girl: not one of them would resist the temptation to swim across swiftly, without even seeking help, and claim the flower. 'Take care, there is danger here!' calls the voice of reason. But the young girl pays no heed for the lily is too beautiful.
This was all part of his vision, and he took it to be true. 17
'What strange things you see in the gazes of others, Diagoras!' mocked Heracles good-humouredly. 'Our hetaera may dance in the Lenaean processions from time to time, but believing that she frolics with the maenads in dangerous ecstasies in honour of Dionysus is going too far. I fear your imagination has keener sight than Lynceus.'
17 Diagoras' latest vision brings together all the eidetic images that have appeared so far: 'speed', the 'stag', the 'young girl with the lily' and the 'plea for help'. Now we have the word 'danger' as well! What can it all mean? (T .'s N.)
'I told you what I saw with my mind's eye,' retorted Diagoras. 'It can discern the Idea itself, and you shouldn't be so quick to despise it, Heracles. The Idea itself is superior to reason. It is the light before which all beings and things are no more than vague shadows. And sometimes that Idea may become known to us only through myth, fable, poetry or dreams.'
'Perhaps, but your "Idea itself" is of no use to me, Diagoras. I'm concerned only with what I can see with my own eyes and reason with my own logic'
'So what did you see in the girl?'
'Very little,' said Heracles modestly. 'Only that she was lying.'
Diagoras halted his rapid march and turned to look at the Decipherer. Smiling a little guiltily, like a child caught playing a dangerous prank, Heracles explained: 'I set her a trap by mentioning Tramachus' father. As you know, Meragrus was condemned to death years ago, accused of dangerous collaboration with the Thirty . . ‘ 18
'I know. It was a harsh trial, like that of the admirals from Arginusae, because Meragrus paid for the crimes of many others.' Diagoras sighed. 'Tramachus was always reluctant to talk about his father. It was a dangerous subject for him.'
'That's what I mean’ said Heracles. 'Yasintra claimed Tramachus hardly
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