fabre, poet of science-第15章

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But　it　is　not　enough　to　know　and　to　observe。



To　be　admitted　to　the　spectacle　of　these　tiny　creatures；　to　become　familiar

with　their　habits；　to　grasp　the　mysterious　threads　which　connect　them　one

with　another　and　with　the　vast　universe：　for　this　the　cold　and　deliberate

vision　of　the　specialist　would　often　be　insufficient。　There　is　an　art　of

observation；　and　the　gift　of　observation　is　a　true　function　of　that

constantly　alert　intelligence；　continually　dominated　by　the　need　of　delving

untiringly　down　to　the　ultimate　truth　accessible；　〃allowing　ourselves　to

pass　over　nothing　without　seeking　its　reason；　and　habitually　following　up

every　response　with　another　question；　until　we　come　to　the　granite　wall　of

the　Unknowable。〃　Above　all　we　need　an　ardent　and　interested　sympathy；　for

〃we　penetrate　farther　into　the　secret　of　things　by　the　heart　than　by　the

reason；〃　as　Toussenel　has　said；　and　〃it　is　only　by　intuition　that　we　can

know　what　life　truly　is；〃　adds　Bergson　profoundly。　（7/13。）　Now　Fabre　loves

these　little　peoples　and　knows　how　to　make　us　love　them。　How　tenderly　he

speaks　of　them；　with　what　solicitude　he　observes　them；　with　what　love　he

follows　the　progress　of　their　nurslings；　the　young　grubs　wriggling　in　his

test…tubes；　with　doddering　heads；　are　happy；　and　he　himself　is　happy　to　see

them　〃well…fed　and　shining　with　health。〃　He　pities　the　bee　stabbed　by　the

Philanthus　〃in　the　holy　joys　of　labour。〃　He　sympathizes　with　the　sufferings

of　these　little　creatures　and　their　hard　labours。　If；　in　his　search　for

ideas；　he　has　to　overturn　their　dwellings；　〃he　repents　of　subjecting

maternal　love　to　such　tribulations；〃　and　if　he　is　constrained　to　put　them

to　the　question；　to　torment　them　in　order　to　extract　their　secrets；　he　is

grieved　to　have　provoked　〃such　miseries！〃　（7/14。）　Having　provided　for　their

needs；　and　satisfied　with　the　secrets　which　they　have　revealed　to　him；　it

is　not　without　regret　and　difficulty　that　he　parts　from　them　and　restores

them　〃to　the　delights　of　liberty。〃



He　is　thoroughly　convinced；　moreover；　that　all　the　creatures　that　share　the

face　of　the　earth　with　us　are　accomplishing　an　august　and　appointed　task。

He　welcomes　the　swallows　to　his　dwelling；　even　surrendering　his　workroom　to

them；　at　the　risk　of　jeopardizing　his　notes　and　books。　He　pleads　for　the

frog；　and　applies　himself　to　setting　forth　his　unknown　qualities；　he

rehabilitates　the　bat；　the　hedgehog；　and　the　screech…owl；　persecuted；

defamed；　crushed；　stoned；　and　crucified！　（7/15。）



So　intimate　is　the　life　which　he　leads　among　them　all　that　he　makes　himself

truly　their　companion；　and　relates　his　own　history　in　narrating　theirs；

pleased　to　discover　in　their　joys　and　sorrows　his　own　trials　and　delights；

mingling　in　their　annals　his　memories　and　his　impressions；　delightful

fragments　of　a　childlike　autobiography；　encrusted　in　his　learned　work；

moving　and　delightful　pages　in　which　all　the　ingenuity　of　this　noble　mind

reveals　itself　with　a　touching　sincerity；　in　which　all　the　freshness　of

this　charming　and　so　profoundly　unworldly　nature　is　seen　as　through　a　pure

crystal。



There　is　no　real　communion　with　nature　without　sentiment；　without　an

illuminating　passion：　often　the　sole　and　effectual　grace　which　enables　its

true　meaning　to　appear。　Neither　taste；　nor　intelligence；　nor　logic；　nor　all

the　science　of　the　schools　can　suffice　alone。　To　see　further　there　is

needed　something　like　a　gift　of　correspondence；　surpassing　the　limits　of

observation　and　experience；　which　enables　us　to　foresee　and　to　divine　the

profound　secrets　of　life　which　lie　beneath　appearances。　Those　who　are　so

gifted　have　often　only　to　open　their　eyes　in　order　to　grasp　matters　in

their　true　light。



A　great　observer　is　in　reality　a　poet　who　imagines　and　creates。　The

microscope；　the　magnifying　glass；　the　scalpel；　are　as　it　were　the　strings

of　a　lyre。　〃The　felicitous　and　fruitful　hypothesis　which　constitutes

scientific　invention　is　a　gift　of　sentiment〃　in　the　words　of　Claude

Bernard；　and　of　this　king　of　physiology；　who　commenced　by　proving　himself

in　works　of　pure　imagination；　and　whose　genius　finally　took　for　its　theme

the　manifold　variations　of　living　flesh；　of　him　too　may　we　not　say　that　he

has　explored　the　labyrinths　of　life　with　〃the　torch　of　poetry　in　his　hand〃？



Similarly；　do　not　the　harmonious　sequences　which　run　through　all　the

admirable　discoveries　of　Pasteur　give　us　the　sensation　of　a　veritable　and

gigantic　poem？



In　Fabre　also　it　seems　that　the　passion　which　he　brings　to　all　his　patient

observations　is　in　itself　truly　creative：　〃his　heart　beats　with　emotion；

the　sweat　drips　from　his　brow　to　the　soil；　making　mortar　of　the　dust〃；　he

forgets　food　and　drink；　and　〃thus　passes　hours　of　oblivion　in　the　happiness

of　learning。〃　I　have　seen　him　in　his　laboratory　studying　the　spawning　of

the　bluebottle；　when　I；　at　his　side；　could　scarcely　support　the　horrible

stench　which　rose　from　the　putrefying　adders　and　lumps　of　meat；　he；

however；　was　oblivious　of　the　frightful　odour；　and　his　face　was　inundated

with　smiles　of　delight。



Intelligence；　then；　must　here　be　the　servant　of　feeling　and　intuition；　a

kind　of　primitive　faculty；　mysterious　and　instinctive；　which　alone　makes　a

great　naturalist　like　Fabre；　a　great　historian　like　Michelet；　a　great

physician　like　Boherhaave　or　Bretonneau。



These　last　are　not　always　the　most　scholarly　nor　the　most　learned　nor　the

most　patient；　but　they　are　those　who　possess　in　a　high　degree　that　special

vision；　that　gift；　properly　speaking　poetic；　which　is　known　as　the　clinical

eye；　which　at　the　first　glance　perceives　and　confirms　the　diagnosis　in　all

its　detail。



Fabre　has　a　mind　propitious　to　such　processes；　and　if；　by　chance；

circumstances　had　directed　his　attention　to　medicine；　that　science　which　is

based　upon　an　abundant　provision　of　facts；　but　in　which　good　sense　and　a

kind　of　divination　play　a　still　wider　part；　there　is　no　doubt　that　he　would

have　been　capable　of　becoming　a　shining　light　in　this　new　arena。



He　was　full　of　admiration　for　that　other　illustrious　Vauclusian；　Fran？ois

Raspail　（7/16。）；　whose　medical　genius　anticipated　Pasteur　and　all　the

conceptions　of　modern　medicine。　It　would　seem　that　he　found　in　him　his　own

temper；　his　own　fashion　of　seeing　and　representing　things。　He　loved

Raspail's　books　and　his　prescriptions；　full　of　reason　and　a　most　judicious

good　sense；　distrusting　for　himself　and　for　his　family　the　complicated

formulae　and　cunning　remedies　of　an　art　too　considered　and　still　unproved。

At　Carpentras；　while　his　first…born；　émile；　was　hovering　between　life　and

death；　and　the　physician　who　came　to　see　him；　〃being　at　the　end　of　his

resources；〃　did　nothing　more　for　him　and　soon　ceased　to　come；　thinking　that

the　child　would　not　last　till　the　morrow；　Fabre　flew　to　the　works　of

Raspail。



〃I　searched　to　discover　what　his　malady　was。　I　found　it；　and　he　was　treated

day　and　night　accordingly。　To…day　he　is　convalescent；　and　his　appetite　has

returned。　I　believe　he　is　saved；　and　I　shall　say；　like　Ambroise　Paré；　'I

have　nursed　him；　God　has　cured　him。'〃　（7/17。）



The　episode　which　he　relates；　when；　at　the　primary　school　of　Avignon；　a

retort　had　just　burst；　〃spurting　in　all　directions　its　contents　of

vitriol；〃　right　in　the　midst　of　the　suddenly　interrupted　chemistry　lesson；

and　when；　thanks　to　his　prompt　action；　he　saved　the　sight　of　one　of　his

comrades；　does　honour　to　his　initiative　and　presence　of　mind。　（7/18。）



While　〃all　physicians　should　bow　before　the　facts　which　he　excels　in

discovering〃　（7/19。）；　he　has　also　been　able　to　make　direct　application　of

the　marvels　of　entomology　to　some　of　the　problems　of　hygiene　and　medicine。

He　has　shown　that　the　irritant　poison　secreted　by　certain　caterpillars；

〃which　sets　the　fingers　which　handle　them　on　fire；〃　is　nothing　but　a　waste

product　of　the　organism；　a　derivative　of　uric　acid；　he　does　not　hesitate　to

perform　painful　experiments　on　himself　in　order　to　furnish　the　proof　of　his

theory；　and　he　explains　thus　the　curious　cases　of　dermatitis　which　are

often　observed　among　silkworm…breeders。　（7/20。）　He　proves　the　uselessness

of　our　meat…safes　of　metallic　gauze；　intended　to　preserve　meat　against

contamination；　and　the　efficacy　of　a　mere　envelope　of　paper；　not　only　to

preserve　meat　from　flies；　but　also　our　garments　from　the　clothes…moth。

（7/21。）　He　recommends　the　curious　Proven？al　recipe；　which　consists　in

boiling　suspected　mushrooms　in　salt　and　water　before　eating　them。　Finally

he　suggests　to　members　of　the　medical　profession　that　they　might　perhaps

extract　heroic　remedies　from　these　treacherous　vegetables。　（7/22。）



He　had　need　of　that　indefinite　leisure　which　had　hitherto　been　so　wholly

lacking；　for　the　events　of　ephemeral　lives　occur　at　indeterminate　hours；　at

unexpected　moments；　and　are　of　brief　duration。



So；　attentive　to　their　least　movements；　Fabre　goes　forth　to　observe　them　at

the　earliest　break　of　day；　in　the　red　dawn；　when　the　bee　〃pops　her　head　out

of　her　attic　window　to　see　what　the　weather　is；〃　and　the　spiders　of　the

thickets　lie　in　wait　under　the　whorls　of　their　nets；　〃which　the　tears　of

night　have　changed　into　chaplets　of　dewdrops；　whose　magic　jewellery；

sparkling　in　the　sun；〃　is　already　attracting　moths　and　midges。



Seated　for　hours　before　a　sprig　of　terebinth；　his　eye；　armed　with　the

magnifying　glass；　follows　the　slow　manoeuvres　of　the　terebinth　louse；　whose

proboscis　〃cunningly　distils　the　venom　which　causes　the　leaf　to　swell　and

produces　those　enormous　tumours；　those　misshapen　and　monstrous　galls；　in

which　the　young　pass　their　period　of　slumber。〃



He　watches　at　night；　by　the　dim　light　of　a　lantern；　to　copy　the　Scolopendra

at　her　task；　seeking　to　surprise　the　secret　of　her　eggs　（7/23。）；　to　observe

the　Cione　constructing　her　capsule　of　goldbeater's　skin；　or　the

Processional　caterpillars　travelling　head　to　tail　along　their　satin　trail；

extinguishing　his　candle　only　when　sleep　at　last　sets　his　eyelids　blinking。

He　will　wake　early　to　witness　the　fairy…like　resurrection　of　the　silkworm

moth　（7/24。）；　〃in　order　not　to　lose　the　moment　when　the　nymph　bursts　her

swaddling…bands；〃　or　when　the　wing　of　the　locust　issues　from　its　sheath　and

〃commences　to　sprout〃；　no　spectacle　in　the　world　is　more　wonderful　than　the

sight　of　〃this　extraordinary　anatomy　in　process　of　formation；〃　the

unrolling　of　these　〃bundles　of　tissue；　cunningly　folded　and　reduced　to　the

smallest　possible　compass〃　in　the　insignificant　alar　stumps；　which

gradually　unfold　〃like　an　immense　set　of　sails；〃　like　the　〃body…linen　of

the　princess〃　of　the　fairy…tale；　which　was　contained　in　one　single　hemp…

seed。　（7/25。）



In　his　Harmas　he　is　like　a　stranger　discovering　an　unknown　world；　〃like　a

kindly　giant　from　Sirius；　holding　a　magnifying　glass　to　his　eye；　retaining

his　breath；　lest　it　should　overturn　and　sweep　away　the　pigmies　which　he　is

observing。〃



His　passion　for　interroga