The Moon and Sixpence

I have already said that but for the hazard of a journey to Tahiti I should never have written this book. It is there that after many travels Charles Strickland came, and it is there that he painted the pictures on which his fame rests. In Tahiti the circumstances were favourable to him and here he found himself. It would seem that my visit to this remote island should immediately revive my interest in Strickland but the work I was engaged in occupied my attention. [0-F] As it was, my arrival in Tahiti made me forget even more important matters.

I remember that on my first morning I awoke early and when I came on to the terrace of the hotel no one was stirring. [1- ] There seemed no chance of breakfast for some time, so I walked down to the waterfront. The Chinamen were already busy in their shops. The sky was still pale and there was silence on the lake. I did not believe my eyes. The days that had passed since I left Wellington seemed extraordinary and unusual. [2- ] And for three days afterwards the sea was stormy. Grey clouds chased one another across the sky. [3- ] The Pacific is so vast that even ordinary journeys on it feel like an adventure. The air you breathe prepares you for the unexpected.

Murea, the sister island, comes into view in rocky splendour rising mysteriously from the sea. [4- ] It would not surprise you if, as you came near, looking for an opening in the reef, it vanished suddenly from view, and nothing met your gaze but the blue loneliness of the Pacific.

Tahiti is a lofty green island with deep silent valleys. There is a mystery in their depths, down which murmur and splash cool streams and you feel thatin those shadowy places life has not changed for centuries. [5- ] But the feeling of sadness is short-lived, and serves only to add to the enjoyment of the moment. For Tahiti is smiling and friendly. Nothing can be more calming than entering the harbour at Papeete.

[6- ] The little town along the bay is white and charming, and the flowers of the flamboyant trees, planted along the streets, blazed scarlet against the flaming blue of the sky. The crowd at the quay as the steamer draws alongside is gay and well-dressed.

[7- ] It is a sea of brown faces. You have an impression of coloured movement against the flaming blue of the sky. Everything is done in a hurry, the loading of the baggage, the examination at customs, and everyone seems to smile at you. It is very hot. The colour dazzles you.

Завідувач кафедри __________ Т.І. Крехно Викладачi _______________І.С. Лученцова

_______________ А.О. Пікалова

_____________ C.О. Тимошенко

Додаток до білету № 9

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