sartor resartus-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


；　doing　penance；　drawing　down　Heaven's　richest　blessings；　for　a　world　that　scoffed　at　thee。　　Be　of　hope！　　Already　streaks　of　blue　peer　through　our　clouds；　the　thick　gloom　of　Ignorance　is　rolling　asunder；　and　it　will　be　Day。　　Mankind　will　repay　with　interest　their　long…accumulated　debt：　the　Anchorite　that　was　scoffed　at　will　be　worshipped；　the　Fraction　will　become　not　an　Integer　only；　but　a　Square　and　Cube。　　With　astonishment　the　world　will　recognize　that　the　Tailor　is　its　Hierophant　and　Hierarch；　or　even　its　God。

〃As　I　stood　in　the　Mosque　of　St。　Sophia；　and　looked　upon　these　Four…and…Twenty　Tailors；　sewing　and　embroidering　that　rich　Cloth；　which　the　Sultan　sends　yearly　for　the　Caaba　of　Mecca；　I　thought　within　myself：　　How　many　other　Unholies　has　your　covering　Art　made　holy；　besides　this　Arabian　Whinstone！

〃Still　more　touching　was　it　when；　turning　the　corner　of　a　lane；　in　the　Scottish　Town　of　Edinburgh；　I　came　upon　a　Signpost；　whereon　stood　written　that　such　and　such　a　one　was　'Breeches…Maker　to　his　Majesty；'　and　stood　painted　the　Effigies　of　a　Pair　of　Leather　Breeches；　and　between　the　knees　these　memorable　words；　SIC　ITUR　AD　ASTRA。　　Was　not　this　the　martyr　prison…speech　of　a　Tailor　sighing　indeed　in　bonds；　yet　sighing　towards　deliverance；　and　prophetically　appealing　to　a　better　day？　　A　day　of　justice；　when　the　worth　of　Breeches　would　be　revealed　to　man；　and　the　Scissors　become　forever　venerable。

〃Neither；　perhaps；　may　I　now　say；　has　his　appeal　been　altogether　in　vain。　It　was　in　this　high　moment；　when　the　soul；　rent；　as　it　were；　and　shed　asunder；　is　open　to　inspiring　influence；　that　I　first　conceived　this　Work　on　Clothes：　　the　greatest　I　can　ever　hope　to　do；　which　has　already；　after　long　retardations；　occupied；　and　will　yet　occupy；　so　large　a　section　of　my　Life；　and　of　which　the　Primary　and　simpler　Portion　may　here　find　its　conclusion。〃


CHAPTER　XII。　FAREWELL。

So　have　we　endeavored；　from　the　enormous；　amorphous　Plum…pudding；　more　like　a　Scottish　Haggis；　which　Herr　Teufelsdrockh　had　kneaded　for　his　fellow…mortals；　to　pick　out　the　choicest　Plums；　and　present　them　separately　on　a　cover　of　our　own。　　A　laborious；　perhaps　a　thankless　enterprise；　in　which；　however；　something　of　hope　has　occasionally　cheered　us；　and　of　which　we　can　now　wash　our　hands　not　altogether　without　satisfaction。　　If　hereby；　though　in　barbaric　wise；　some　morsel　of　spiritual　nourishment　have　been　added　to　the　scanty　ration　of　our　beloved　British　world；　what　nobler　recompense　could　the　Editor　desire？　　If　it　prove　otherwise；　why　should　he　murmur？　　Was　not　this　a　Task　which　Destiny；　in　any　case；　had　appointed　him；　which　having　now　done　with；　he　sees　his　general　Day's…work　so　much　the　lighter；　so　much　the　shorter？


Of　Professor　Teufelsdrockh；　it　seems　impossible　to　take　leave　without　a　mingled　feeling　of　astonishment；　gratitude；　and　disapproval。　　Who　will　not　regret　that　talents；　which　might　have　profited　in　the　higher　walks　of　Philosophy；　or　in　Art　itself；　have　been　so　much　devoted　to　a　rummaging　among　lumber…rooms；　nay　too　often　to　a　scraping　in　kennels；　where　lost　rings　and　diamond…necklaces　are　nowise　the　sole　conquests？　　Regret　is　unavoidable；　yet　censure　were　loss　of　time。　　To　cure　him　of　his　mad　humors　British　Criticism　would　essay　in　vain：　　enough　for　her　if　she　can；　by　vigilance；　prevent　the　spreading　of　such　among　ourselves。　　What　a　result；　should　this　piebald；　entangled；　hyper…metaphorical　style　of　writing；　not　to　say　of　thinking；　become　general　among　our　Literary　men！　　As　it　might　so　easily　do。　　Thus　has　not　the　Editor　himself；　working　over　Teufelsdrockh's　German；　lost　much　of　his　own　English　purity？　　Even　as　the　smaller　whirlpool　is　sucked　into　the　larger；　and　made　to　whirl　along　with　it；　so　has　the　lesser　mind；　in　this　instance；　been　forced　to　become　portion　of　the　greater；　and；　like　it；　see　all　things　figuratively：　　which　habit　time　and　assiduous　effort　will　be　needed　to　eradicate。

Nevertheless；　wayward　as　our　Professor　shows　himself；　is　there　any　reader　that　can　part　with　him　in　declared　enmity？　　Let　us　confess；　there　is　that　in　the　wild；　much…suffering；　much…inflicting　man；　which　almost　attaches　us。　His　attitude；　we　will　hope　and　believe；　is　that　of　a　man　who　had　said　to　Cant；　Begone；　and　to　Dilettantism；　Here　thou　canst　not　be；　and　to　Truth；　Be　thou　in　place　of　all　to　me：　　a　man　who　had　manfully　defied　the　〃Time…Prince；〃　or　Devil；　to　his　face；　nay　perhaps；　Hannibal…like；　was　mysteriously　consecrated　from　birth　to　that　warfare；　and　now　stood　minded　to　wage　the　same；　by　all　weapons；　in　all　places；　at　all　times。　　In　such　a　cause；　any　soldier；　were　he　but　a　Polack　Scythe…man；　shall　be　welcome。

Still　the　question　returns　on　us：　　How　could　a　man　occasionally　of　keen　insight；　not　without　keen　sense　of　propriety；　who　had　real　Thoughts　to　communicate；　resolve　to　emit　them　in　a　shape　bordering　so　closely　on　the　absurd？　　Which　question　he　were　wiser　than　the　present　Editor　who　should　satisfactorily　answer。　　Our　conjecture　has　sometimes　been；　that　perhaps　Necessity　as　well　as　Choice　was　concerned　in　it。　　Seems　it　not　conceivable　that；　in　a　Life　like　our　Professor's；　where　so　much　bountifully　given　by　Nature　had　in　Practice　failed　and　misgone；　Literature　also　would　never　rightly　prosper：　　that　striving　with　his　characteristic　vehemence　to　paint　this　and　the　other　Picture；　and　ever　without　success；　he　at　last　desperately　dashes　his　sponge；　full　of　all　colors；　against　the　canvas；　to　try　whether　it　will　paint　Foam？　　With　all　his　stillness；　there　were　perhaps　in　Teufelsdrockh　desperation　enough　for　this。

A　second　conjecture　we　hazard　with　even　less　warranty。　　It　is；　that　Teufelsdrockh；　is　not　without　some　touch　of　the　universal　feeling；　a　wish　to　proselytize。　　How　often　already　have　we　paused；　uncertain　whether　the　basis　of　this　so　enigmatic　nature　were　really　Stoicism　and　Despair；　or　Love　and　Hope　only　seared　into　the　figure　of　these！　　Remarkable；　moreover；　is　this　saying　of　his：　　〃How　were　Friendship　possible？　　In　mutual　devotedness　to　the　Good　and　True：　　otherwise　impossible；　except　as　Armed　Neutrality；　or　hollow　Commercial　League。　　A　man；　be　the　Heavens　ever　praised；　is　sufficient　for　himself；　yet　were　ten　men；　united　in　Love；　capable　of　being　and　of　doing　what　ten　thousand　singly　would　fail　in。　　Infinite　is　the　help　man　can　yield　to　man。〃　　And　now　in　conjunction　therewith　consider　this　other：　　〃It　is　the　Night　of　the　World；　and　still　long　till　it　be　Day：　　we　wander　amid　the　glimmer　of　smoking　ruins；　and　the　Sun　and　the　Stars　of　Heaven　are　as　if　blotted　out　for　a　season；　and　two　immeasurable　Phantoms；　HYPOCRISY　and　ATHEISM；　with　the　Ghoul；　SENSUALITY；　stalk　abroad　over　the　Earth；　and　call　it　theirs：　　well　at　ease　are　the　Sleepers　for　whom　Existence　is　a　shallow　Dream。〃

But　what　of　the　awe…struck　Wakeful　who　find　it　a　Reality？　　Should　not　these　unite；　since　even　an　authentic　Spectre　is　not　visible　to　Two？In　which　case　were　this　Enormous　Clothes…Volume　properly　an　enormous　Pitch…pan；　which　our　Teufelsdrockh　in　his　lone　watch…tower　had　kindled；　that　it　might　flame　far　and　wide　through　the　Night；　and　many　a　disconsolately　wandering　spirit　be　guided　thither　to　a　Brother's　bosom！We　say　as　before；　with　all　his　malign　Indifference；　who　knows　what　mad　Hopes　this　man　may　harbor？

Meanwhile　there　is　one　fact　to　be　stated　here；　which　harmonizes　ill　with　such　conjecture；　and；　indeed；　were　Teufelsdrockh　made　like　other　men；　might　as　good　as　altogether　subvert　it。　　Namely；　that　while　the　Beacon…fire　blazed　its　brightest；　the　Watchman　had　quitted　it；　that　no　pilgrim　could　now　ask　him：　　Watchman；　what　of　the　Night？　　Professor　Teufelsdrockh；　be　it　known；　is　no　longer　visibly　present　at　Weissnichtwo；　but　again　to　all　appearance　lost　in　space！　　Some　time　ago；　the　Hofrath　Heuschrecke　was　pleased　to　favor　us　with　another　copious　Epistle；　wherein　much　is　said　about　the　〃Population…Institute；〃　much　repeated　in　praise　of　the　Paper…bag　Documents；　the　hieroglyphic　nature　of　which　our　Hofrath　still　seems　not　to　have　surmised；　and；　lastly；　the　strangest　occurrence　communicated；　to　us　for　the　first　time；　in　the　following　paragraph：

〃_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　will　have　seen　from　the　Public　Prints；　with　what　affectionate　and　hitherto　fruitless　solicitude　Weissnichtwo　regards　the　disappearance　of　her　Sage。　　Might　but　the　united　voice　of　Germany　prevail　on　him　to　return；　nay　could　we　but　so　much　as　elucidate　for　ourselves　by　what　mystery　he　went　away！　　But；　alas；　old　Lieschen　experiences　or　affects　the　profoundest　deafness；　the　profoundest　ignorance：　　in　the　Wahngasse　all　lies　swept；　silent；　sealed　up；　the　Privy　Council　itself　can　hitherto　elicit　no　answer。

〃It　had　been　remarked　that　while　the　agitating　news　of　those　Parisian　Three　Days　flew　from　mouth　to　month；　and　dinned　every　ear　in　Weissnichtwo；　Herr　Teufelsdrockh　was　not　known；　at　the　_Gans_　or　elsewhere；　to　have　spoken；　for　a　whole　week；　any　syllable　except　once　these　three：　　_Es　geht　an_　（It　is　beginning）。　　Shortly　after；　as　_Ew。　Wohlgeboren_　knows；　was　the　public　tranquillity　here；　as　in　Berlin；　threatened　by　a　Sedition　of　the　Tailors。　Nor　did　there　want　Evil…wishers；　or　perhaps　mere　desperate　Alarmists；　who　asserted　that　the　closing　Chapter　of　the　Clothes…Volume　was　to　blame。　　In　this　appalling　crisis；　the　serenity　of　our　Philosopher　was　indescribable：　nay；　perhaps　through　one　humble　individual；　something　thereof　might　pass　into　the　_Rath_　（Council）　itself；　and　so　contribute　to　the　country's　deliverance。　　The　Tailors　are　now　entirely　pacificated。

〃To　neither　of　these　two　incidents　can　I　attribute　our　loss：　　yet　still　comes　there　the　shadow　of　a　suspicion　out　of　Paris　and　its　Politics。　　For　example；　when　the　_Saint…Simonian　Society_　transmitted　its　Propositions　hither；　and　the　whole　_Gans_　was　one　vast　cackle　of　laughter；　lamentation　and　astonishment；　our　Sage　sat　mute；　and　at　the　end　of　the　third　evening　said　merely：　　'Here　also　are　men　who　have　discovered；　not　without　amazement；　that　Man　is　still　Man；　of　which　high；　long…forgotten　Truth　you　already　see　them　make　a　false　application。'　　Since　then；　as　has　been　ascertained　by　examination　of　the　Post…Director；　there　passed　at　least　one　Letter　with　its　Answer　between　the　Messieurs　Bazard…Enfantin　and　our　Professor　himself；　of　what　tenor　can　now　only　be　conjectured。　　On　the　fifth　night　following；　he　was　seen　for　the　last　time！

〃Has　this　invaluable　man；　so　obnoxious　to　most　of　the　hostile　Sects　that　convulse　our　Era；　been　spirited　away　by　certain　of　their　emissaries；　or　did　he　go　forth　voluntarily　to　their　head…quarters　to　confer　with　them；　and　confront　them？　　Reason　we　have；　at　least　of　a　negative　sort；　to　believe　the　Lost　still　living；　our　widowed　heart　also　whispers　that　ere　long　he　will　himself　give　a　sign。　　Otherwise；　indeed；　his　archives　must；　one　day；　be　opened　by　Authority；　where　much；　perhaps　the　_Palingenesie_　itself；　is　thought　to　be　reposited。〃


Thus　far　the　Hofrath；　who　vanishes；　as　is　his　wont；　too　like　an　Ignis　Fatuus；　leaving　the　dark　still　darker。

So　that　Teufelsdrockh's　public　History　were　not　done；　then；　or　reduced　to　an　even；　unromantic　tenor；　nay；　perhaps　the　better　part　thereof　were　only　beginning？　　We　stand　in　a　region　of　conjectures；　where　substance　has　melted　into　shadow；　and　one　cannot　be　distinguished　from　the　other。　　May　Time；　which　solves