egypt-第19章

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even；　in　the　midst　of　these　gigantic　figures；　whose　smile　disdains　the

flight　of　ages。　The　granites　within　which　we　are　immuredand　in　such

terrible　companyshut　out　everything　save　the　point　of　an　old

neighbouring　minaret　which　shows　now　against　the　blue　of　the　sky：　a

humble　graft　of　Islam　which　grew　here　amongst　the　ruins　some　centuries

ago；　when　the　ruins　themselves　had　already　subsisted　for　three

thousand　yearsa　little　mosque　built　on　a　mass　of　debris；　which　it

new　protects　with　its　inviolability。　How　many　treasures　and　relics　and

documents　are　hidden　and　guarded　by　this　mosque　of　the　peristyle！　For

none　would　dare　to　dig　in　the　ground　within　its　sacred　walls。



Gradually　the　silence　of　the　temple　becomes　profound。　And　if　the

shortened　shadows　betray　the　hour　of　noon；　there　is　nothing　to　tell　to

what　millennium　that　hour　belongs。　The　silences　and　middays　like　to

this；　which　have　passed　before　the　eyes　of　these　giants　ambushed　in

their　colonnadeswho　could　count　them？



High　above　us；　lost　in　the　incandescent　blue；　soar　the　birds　of　prey

and　they　were　there　in　the　times　of　the　Pharaohs；　displaying　in　the

air　identical　plumages；　uttering　the　same　cries。　The　beasts　and

plants；　in　the　course　of　time；　have　varied　less　than　men；　and　remain

unchanged　in　the　smallest　details。



Each　of　the　colossi　around　mestanding　there　proudly　with　one　leg

advanced　as　if　for　a　march；　heavy　and　sure；　which　nothing　should

withstandgrasps　passionately　in　his　clenched　fist；　at　the　end　of　the

muscular　arm；　a　kind　of　buckled　cross；　which　in　Egypt　was　the　symbol

of　eternal　life。　And　this　is　what　the　decision　of　their　movement

symbolises：　confident　all　of　them　in　this　poor　bauble　which　they　hold

in　their　hand；　they　cross　with　a　triumphant　step　the　threshold　of

death。　。　。　。　〃Eternal　Life〃the　thought　of　immortalityhow　the　human

soul　has　been　obsessed　by　it；　particularly　in　the　periods　marked　by

its　greatest　strivings！　The　tame　submission　to　the　belief　that　the

rottenness　of　the　grave　is　the　end　of　all　is　characteristic　of　ages　of

decadence　and　mediocrity。



The　three　similar　giants；　little　damaged　in　the　course　of　their　long

existence；　who　align　the　eastern　side　of　this　courtyard　strewn　with

blocks；　represent；　as　indeed　do　all　the　others；　that　same　Ramses　II。；

whose　effigy　was　multiplied　so　extravagantly　at　Thebes　and　Memphis。

But　these　three　have　preserved　a　powerful　and　impetuous　life。　They

might　have　been　carved　and　polished　yesterday。　Between　the　monstrous

reddish　pillars；　they　look　like　white　apparitions　issuing　from　their

embrasure　of　columns　and　advancing　together　like　soldiers　at

manoeuvres。　The　sun　at　this　moment　falls　perpendicularly　on　their

heads　and　strange　headgear；　details　their　everlasting　smile；　and　then

sheds　itself　on　their　shoulders　and　their　naked　torso；　exaggerating

their　athletic　muscles。　Each　holding　in　his　hand　the　symbolical　cross；

the　three　giants　rush　forward　with　a　formidable　stride；　heads　raised；

smiling；　in　a　radiant　march　into　eternity。



Oh！　this　midday　sun；　that　now　pours　down　upon　the　white　faces　of　these

giants；　and　displaces　ever　so　slowly　the　shadows　cast　upon　their

breasts　by　their　chins　and　Osiridean　beards。　To　think　how　often　in　the

midst　of　this　same　silence；　this　same　ray　has　fallen　thus；　fallen　from

the　same　changeless　sky；　to　occupy　itself　in　this　same　tranquil　play！

Yes；　I　think　that　the　fogs　and　rains　of　our　winters；　upon　these

stupendous　ruins；　would　be　less　sad　and　less　terrible　than　the　calm　of

this　eternal　sunshine。



*****



Suddenly　a　ridiculous　noise　begins　to　make　the　air　tremble；　the

dynamos　of　the　Agencies　have　been　put　in　motion；　and　ladies　in　green

spectacles　arrive；　a　charming　throng；　with　guidebooks　and　cameras。　The

tourists；　in　short；　are　come　out　of　their　hotels；　at　the　same　hour　as

the　flies　awake。　And　the　midday　peace　of　Luxor　has　come　to　an　end。







CHAPTER　XIV



A　TWENTIETH…CENTURY　EVENING　AT　THEBES



An　impalpable　dust　floats　in　a　sky　which　scarcely　ever　knows　a　cloud；

a　dust　so　impalpable　that；　even　while　it　powders　the　heavens　with

gold；　it　leaves　them　their　infinite　transparency。　It　is　a　dust　of

remote　ages；　of　things　destroyed；　a　dust　that　is　here　continuallyof

which　the　gold　at　this　moment　fades　to　green　at　the　zenith；　but　flames

and　glistens　in　the　west；　for　it　is　now　that　magnificent　hour　which

marks　the　end　of　the　day's　decline；　and　the　still　burning　globe　of　the

sun；　quite　low　down　in　the　heaven；　begins　to　light　up　on　all　sides　the

conflagration　of　the　evening。



This　setting　sun　illumines　with　splendour　a　silent　chaos　of　granite；

which　is　not　that　of　the　slipping　of　mountains；　but　that　of　ruins。　And

of　such　ruins　as；　to　our　eyes　unaccustomed　hereditarily　to　proportions

so　gigantic；　seem　superhuman。　In　places；　huge　masses　of　carven　stone

pylonsstill　stand　upright；　rising　like　hills。　Others　are　crumbling

in　all　directions　in　bewildering　cataracts　of　stone。　It　is　difficult

to　conceive　how　these　things；　so　massive　that　they　might　have　seemed

eternal；　could　come　to　suffer　such　an　utter　ruin。　Fragments　of

columns；　fragments　of　obelisks；　broken　by　downfalls　of　which　the　mere

imagination　is　awful；　heads　and　head…dresses　of　giant　divinities；　all

lie　higgledy…piggledy　in　a　disorder　beyond　possible　redress。　Nowhere

surely　on　our　earth　does　the　sun　in　his　daily　revolution　cast　his

light　on　such　debris　as　this；　on　such　a　litter　of　vanished　palaces　and

dead　colossi。



It　was　even　here；　seven　or　eight　thousand　years　ago；　under　this　pure

crystal　sky；　that　the　first　awakening　of　human　thought　began。　Our

Europe　then　was　still　sleeping；　wrapped　in　the　mantle　of　its　damp

forests；　sleeping　that　sleep　which　still　had　thousands　of　years　to

run。　Here；　a　precocious　humanity；　only　recently　emerged　from　the　Age

of　Stone；　that　earliest　form　of　all；　an　infant　humanity；　which　saw

massively　on　its　issue　from　the　massiveness　of　the　original　matter；

conceived　and　built　terrible　sanctuaries　for　gods；　at　first　dreadful

and　vague；　such　as　its　nascent　reason　allowed　it　to　conceive　them。

Then　the　first　megalithic　blocks　were　erected；　then　began　that　mad

heaping　up　and　up；　which　was　to　last　nearly　fifty　centuries；　and

temples　were　built　above　temples；　palaces　over　palaces；　each

generation　striving　to　outdo　its　predecessor　by　a　more　titanic

grandeur。



Afterwards；　four　thousand　years　ago；　Thebes　was　in　the　height　of　her

glory；　encumbered　with　gods　and　with　magnificence；　the　focus　of　the

light　of　the　world　in　the　most　ancient　historic　periods；　while　our

Occident　was　still　asleep　and　Greece　and　Assyria　were　scarcely

awakened。　Only　in　the　extreme　East；　a　humanity　of　a　different　race；

the　yellow　people；　called　to　follow　in　totally　different　ways；　was

fixing；　so　that　they　remain　even　to　our　day；　the　oblique　lines　of　its

angular　roofs　and　the　rictus　of　its　monsters。



The　men　of　Thebes；　if　they　still　saw　too　massively　and　too　vastly；　at

least　saw　straight；　they　saw　calmly；　at　the　same　time　as　they　saw

forever。　Their　conceptions；　which　had　begun　to　inspire　those　of

Greece；　were　afterwards　in　some　measure　to　inspire　our　own。　In

religion；　in　art；　in　beauty　under　all　its　aspects；　they　were　as　much

our　ancestors　as　were　the　Aryans。



Later　again；　sixteen　hundred　years　before　the　birth　of　Christ；　in　one

of　the　apogees　of　the　town　which；　in　the　course　of　its　interminable

duration；　experienced　so　many　fluctuations；　some　ostentatious　kings

thought　fit　to　build　on　this　ground；　already　covered　with　temples；

that　which　still　remains　the　most　arresting　marvel　of　the　ruins：　the

hypostyle　hall；　dedicated　to　the　God　Amen；　with　its　forest　of　columns；

as　monstrous　as　the　trunk　of　the　baobab　and　as　high　as　towers；

compared　with　which　the　pillars　of　our　cathedrals　are　utterly

insignificant。　In　those　days　the　same　gods　reigned　at　Thebes　as　three

thousand　years　before；　but　in　the　interval　they　had　been　transformed

little　by　little　in　accordance　with　the　progressive　development　of

human　thought；　and　Amen；　the　host　of　this　prodigious　hall；　asserted

himself　more　and　more　as　the　sovereign　master　of　life　and　eternity。

Pharaonic　Egypt　was　really　tending；　in　spite　of　some　revolts；　towards

the　notion　of　a　divine　unity；　even；　one　might　say；　to　the　notion　of　a

supreme　pity；　for　she　already　had　her　Apis；　emanating　from　the　All…

Powerful；　born　of　a　virgin　mother；　and　come　humbly　to　the　earth　in

order　to　make　acquaintance　with　suffering。



After　Seti　I。　and　the　Ramses　had　built；　in　honour　of　Amen；　this

temple；　which；　beyond　all　doubt；　is　the　grandest　and　most　durable　in

the　world；　men　still　continued　for　another　fifteen　centuries　to　heap

up　in　its　neighbourhood　those　blocks　of　granite　and　marble　and

sandstone；　whose　enormity　now　amazes　us。　Even　for　the　invaders　of

Egypt；　the　Greeks　and　Romans；　this　old　ancestral　town　of　towns

remained　imposing　and　unique。　They　repaired　its　ruins；　and　built　here

temple　after　temple；　in　a　style　which　hardly　ever　changes。　Even　in　the

ages　of　decadence　everything　that　raised　itself　from　the　old；　sacred

soil；　seemed　to　be　impregnated　a　little　with　the　ancient　grandeur。



And　it　was　only　when　the　early　Christians　ruled　here；　and　after　them

the　Moslem　iconoclasts；　that　the　destruction　became　final。　To　these

new　believers；　who；　in　their　simplicity；　imagined　themselves　to　be

possessed　of　the　ultimate　religious　formula　and　to　know　by　His　right

name　the　great　Unknowable；　Thebes　became　the　haunt　of　〃false　gods；〃

the　abomination　of　abominations；　which　it　behoved　them　to　destroy。



And　so　they　set　to　work；　penetrating　with　an　ever…present　fear　into

the　profound　depths　of　the　gloomy　sanctuaries；　mutilating　first　of　all

the　thousands　of　visages　whose　disconcerting　smile　frightened　them；

and　then　exhausting　themselves　in　the　effort　to　uproot　the　colossi；

which　even　with　the　help　of　levers；　they　could　not　move。　It　was　no

easy　task　indeed；　for　everything　was　as　solid　as　geological　masses；　as

rocks　or　promontories。　But　for　five　or　six　hundred　years　the　town　was

given　over　to　the　caprice　of　desecrators。



And　then　came　the　centuries　of　silence　and　oblivion　under　the　shroud

of　the　desert　sands；　which；　thickening　each　year；　proceeded　to　bury；

and；　in　the　event；　to　preserve　for　us；　this　peerless　relic。



And　now；　at　last；　Thebes　is　being　exhumed　and　restored　to　a　semblance

of　lifenow；　after　a　cycle　of　seven　or　eight　thousand　years；　when　our

Western　humanity；　having　left　the　primitive　gods　that　we　see　here；　to

embrace　the　Christian　conception；　which；　even　yesterday；　made　it　live；

is　in　way　of　denying　everything；　and　struggles　before　the　enigma　of

death　in　an　obscurity　more　dismal　and　more　fearful　than　in　the

commencement　of　the　ages。　（More　dismal　and　more　fearful　still　in　this；

that　plea　of　youth　is　gone。）　From　all　parts　of　Europe　curious　and

unquiet　spirits；　as　well　as　mere　idlers；　turn　their　steps　towards

Thebes；　the　ancient　mother