第 23 节
作者:
这就是结局 更新:2023-05-17 13:24 字数:9321
ttle developed in him。〃
That to Teufelsdrockh the aspect of the world was nowise so faultless; and many things besides 〃the Outrooting of Journalism〃 might have seemed improvements; we can readily conjecture。 With nothing but a barren Auscultatorship from without; and so many mutinous thoughts and wishes from within; his position was no easy one。 〃The Universe;〃 he says; 〃was as a mighty Sphinx…riddle; which I knew so little of; yet must rede; or be devoured。 In red streaks of unspeakable grandeur; yet also in the blackness of darkness; was Life; to my too…unfurnished Thought; unfolding itself。 A strange contradiction lay in me; and I as yet knew not the solution of it; knew not that spiritual music can spring only from discords set in harmony; that but for Evil there were no Good; as victory is only possible by battle。〃
〃I have heard affirmed (surely in jest);〃 observes he elsewhere; 〃by not unphilanthropic persons; that it were a real increase of human happiness; could all young men from the age of nineteen be covered under barrels; or rendered otherwise invisible; and there left to follow their lawful studies and callings; till they emerged; sadder and wiser; at the age of twenty…five。 With which suggestion; at least as considered in the light of a practical scheme; I need scarcely say that I nowise coincide。 Nevertheless it is plausibly urged that; as young ladies (_Madchen_) are; to mankind; precisely the most delightful in those years; so young gentlemen (_Bubchen_) do then attain their maximum of detestability。 Such gawks (_Gecken_) are they; and foolish peacocks; and yet with such a vulturous hunger for self…indulgence; so obstinate; obstreperous; vain…glorious; in all senses; so froward and so forward。 No mortal's endeavor or attainment will; in the smallest; content the as yet unendeavoring; unattaining young gentleman; but he could make it all infinitely better; were it worthy of him。 Life everywhere is the most manageable matter; simple as a question in the Rule…of…Three: multiply your second and third term together; divide the product by the first; and your quotient will be the answer;which you are but an ass if you cannot come at。 The booby has not yet found out; by any trial; that; do what one will; there is ever a cursed fraction; oftenest a decimal repeater; and no net integer quotient so much as to be thought of。〃
In which passage does not there lie an implied confession that Teufelsdrockh himself; besides his outward obstructions; had an inward; still greater; to contend with; namely; a certain temporary; youthful; yet still afflictive derangement of head? Alas; on the former side alone; his case was hard enough。 〃It continues ever true;〃 says he; 〃that Saturn; or Chronos; or what we call TIME; devours all his Children: only by incessant Running; by incessant Working; may you (for some threescore…and…ten years) escape him; and you too he devours at last。 Can any Sovereign; or Holy Alliance of Sovereigns; bid Time stand still; even in thought; shake themselves free of Time? Our whole terrestrial being is based on Time; and built of Time; it is wholly a Movement; a Time…impulse; Time is the author of it; the material of it。 Hence also our Whole Duty; which is to move; to work;in the right direction。 Are not our Bodies and our Souls in continual movement; whether we will or not; in a continual Waste; requiring a continual Repair? Utmost satisfaction of our whole outward and inward Wants were but satisfaction for a space of Time; thus; whatso we have done; is done; and for us annihilated; and ever must we go and do anew。 O Time…Spirit; how hast thou environed and imprisoned us; and sunk us so deep in thy troublous dim Time…Element; that only in lucid moments can so much as glimpses of our upper Azure Home be revealed to us! Me; however; as a Son of Time; unhappier than some others; was Time threatening to eat quite prematurely; for; strive as I might; there was no good Running; so obstructed was the path; so gyved were the feet。〃 That is to say; we presume; speaking in the dialect of this lower world; that Teufelsdrockh's whole duty and necessity was; like other men's; 〃to work;in the right direction;〃 and that no work was to be had; whereby he became wretched enough。 As was natural: with haggard Scarcity threatening him in the distance; and so vehement a soul languishing in restless inaction; and forced thereby; like Sir Hudibras's sword by rust;
〃To eat into itself; for lack Of something else to hew and hack;〃
But on the whole; that same 〃excellent Passivity;〃 as it has all along done; is here again vigorously flourishing; in which circumstance may we not trace the beginnings of much that now characterizes our Professor and perhaps; in faint rudiments; the origin of the Clothes…Philosophy itself? Already the attitude he has assumed towards the World is too defensive; not; as would have been desirable; a bold attitude of attack。 〃So far hitherto;〃 he says; 〃as I had mingled with mankind; I was notable; if for anything; for a certain stillness of manner; which; as my friends often rebukingly declared; did but ill express the keen ardor of my feelings。 I; in truth; regarded men with an excess both of love and of fear。 The mystery of a Person; indeed; is ever divine to him that has a sense for the Godlike。 Often; notwithstanding; was I blamed; and by half…strangers hated; for my so…called Hardness (_Harte_); my Indifferentism towards men; and the seemingly ironic tone I had adopted; as my favorite dialect in conversation。 Alas; the panoply of Sarcasm was but as a buckram case; wherein I had striven to envelop myself; that so my own poor Person might live safe there; and in all friendliness; being no longer exasperated by wounds。 Sarcasm I now see to be; in general; the language of the Devil; for which reason I have long since as good as renounced it。 But how many individuals did I; in those days; provoke into some degree of hostility thereby! An ironic man; with his sly stillness; and ambuscading ways; more especially an ironic young man; from whom it is least expected; may be viewed as a pest to society。 Have we not seen persons of weight and name coming forward; with gentlest indifference; to tread such a one out of sight; as an insignificancy and worm; start ceiling…high (_balkenhock_); and thence fall shattered and supine; to be borne home on shutters; not without indignation; when he proved electric and a torpedo!〃
Alas; how can a man with this devilishness of temper make way for himself in Life; where the first problem; as Teufelsdrockh too admits; is 〃to unite yourself with some one; and with somewhat (_sich anzuschliessen_)〃? Division; not union; is written on most part of his procedure。 Let us add too that; in no great length of time; the only important connection he had ever succeeded in forming; his connection with the Zahdarm Family; seems to have been paralyzed; for all practical uses; by the death of the 〃not uncholeric〃 old Count。 This fact stands recorded; quite incidentally; in a certain _Discourse on Epitaphs_; huddled into the present Bag; among so much else; of which Essay the learning and curious penetration are more to be approved of than the spirit。 His grand principle is; that lapidary inscriptions; of what sort soever; should be Historical rather than Lyrical。 〃By request of that worthy Nobleman's survivors;〃 says he; 〃I undertook to compose his Epitaph; and not unmindful of my own rules; produced the following; which however; for an alleged defect of Latinity; a defect never yet fully visible to myself; still remains unengraven;〃wherein; we may predict; there is more than the Latinity that will surprise an English reader:
HIC JACET PHILIPPUS ZAEHDARM; COGNOMINE MAGNUS; ZAEHDARMI COMES; EX IMPERII CONCILIO; VELLERIS AUREI; PERISCELIDIS; NECNON VULTURIS NIGRI EQUES。 QUI DUM SUB LUNA AGEBAT; QUINQUIES MILLE PERDICES PLUMBO CONFECIT: VARII CIBI CENTUMPONDIA MILLIES CENTENA MILLIA; PER SE; PERQUE SERVOS QUADRUPEDES BIPEDESVE; HAUD SINE TUMULT DEVOLVENS; IN STERCUS PALAM CONVERTIT。 NUNC A LABORE REQUIESCENTEM OPERA SEQUUNTUR。 SI MONUMENTUM QUAERIS; FIMETUM ADSPICE。 PRIMUM IN ORBE DEJECIT '_sub dato_'; POSTREMUM '_sub dato_'。
CHAPTER V。 ROMANCE。
〃For long years;〃 writes Teufelsdrockh; 〃had the poor Hebrew; in this Egypt of an Auscultatorship; painfully toiled; baking bricks without stubble; before ever the question once struck him with entire force: For what?_Beym Himmel_! For Food and Warmth! And are Food and Warmth nowhere else; in the whole wide Universe; discoverable?Come of it what might; I resolved to try。〃
Thus then are we to see him in a new independent capacity; though perhaps far from an improved one。 Teufelsdrockh is now a man without Profession。 Quitting the common Fleet of herring…busses and whalers; where indeed his leeward; laggard condition was painful enough; he desperately steers off; on a course of his own; by sextant and compass of his own。 Unhappy Teufelsdrockh! Though neither Fleet; nor Traffic; nor Commodores pleased thee; still was it not _a Fleet_; sailing in prescribed track; for fixed objects; above