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lavengro-第53部分

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govern all things:  Yet how can this be? alas!



Then there was myself; for what was I born?  Are not all things 

born to be forgotten?  That's incomprehensible:  yet is it not so?  

Those butterflies fall and are forgotten。  In what is man better 

than a butterfly?  All then is born to be forgotten。  Ah! that was 

a pang indeed; 'tis at such a moment that a man wishes to die。  The 

wise king of Jerusalem; who sat in his shady arbours beside his 

sunny fish…pools; saying so many fine things; wished to die; when 

he saw that not only all was vanity; but that he himself was 

vanity。  Will a time come when all will be forgotten that now is 

beneath the sun?  If so; of what profit is life?



In truth it was a sore vexation of spirit to me when I saw; as the 

wise man saw of old; that whatever I could hope to perform must 

necessarily be of very temporary duration; and if so; why do it?  I 

said to myself; whatever name I can acquire; will it endure for 

eternity? scarcely so。  A thousand years?  Let me see! what have I 

done already?  I have learnt Welsh; and have translated the songs 

of Ab Gwilym; some ten thousand lines; into English rhyme; I have 

also learnt Danish; and have rendered the old book of ballads cast 

by the tempest upon the beach into corresponding English metre。  

Good! have I done enough already to secure myself a reputation of a 

thousand years?  No; no! certainly not; I have not the slightest 

ground for hoping that my translations from the Welsh and Danish 

will be read at the end of a thousand years。  Well; but I am only 

eighteen; and I have not stated all that I have done; I have learnt 

many other tongues; and have acquired some knowledge even of Hebrew 

and Arabic。  Should I go on in this way till I am forty; I must 

then be very learned; and perhaps; among other things; may have 

translated the Talmud; and some of the great works of the Arabians。  

Pooh! all this is mere learning and translation; and such will 

never secure immortality。  Translation is at best an echo; and it 

must be a wonderful echo to be heard after the lapse of a thousand 

years。  No! all I have already done; and all I may yet do in the 

same way; I may reckon as nothing … mere pastime; something else 

must be done。  I must either write some grand original work; or 

conquer an empire; the one just as easy as the other。  But am I 

competent to do either?  Yes; I think I am; under favourable 

circumstances。  Yes; I think I may promise myself a reputation of a 

thousand years; if I do but give myself the necessary trouble。  

Well! but what's a thousand years after all; or twice a thousand 

years?  Woe is me!  I may just as well sit still。



'Would I had never been born!' I said to myself; and a thought 

would occasionally intrude:  But was I ever born?  Is not all that 

I see a lie … a deceitful phantom?  Is there a world; and earth; 

and sky?  Berkeley's doctrine … Spinoza's doctrine!  Dear reader; I 

had at that time never read either Berkeley or Spinoza。  I have 

still never read them; who are they; men of yesterday?  'All is a 

lie … all a deceitful phantom;' are old cries; they come naturally 

from the mouths of those who; casting aside that choicest shield 

against madness; simplicity; would fain be wise as God; and can 

only know that they are naked。  This doubting in the 'universal 

all' is almost coeval with the human race:  wisdom; so called; was 

early sought after。  All is a lie … a deceitful phantom … was said 

when the world was yet young; its surface; save a scanty portion; 

yet untrodden by human foot; and when the great tortoise yet 

crawled about。  All is a lie; was the doctrine of Buddh; and Buddh 

lived thirty centuries before the wise king of Jerusalem; who sat 

in his arbours; beside his sunny fish…pools; saying many fine 

things; and; amongst others; 'There is nothing new under the sun!'





One day; whilst I bent my way to the heath of which I have spoken 

on a former occasion; at the foot of the hills which formed it I 

came to a place where a wagon was standing; but without horses; the 

shafts resting on the ground; there was a crowd about it; which 

extended half…way up the side of the neighbouring hill。  The wagon 

was occupied by some half a dozen men; some sitting; others 

standing … they were dressed in sober…coloured habiliments of black 

or brown; cut in a plain and rather uncouth fashion; and partially 

white with dust; their hair was short; and seemed to have been 

smoothed down by the application of the hand; all were bareheaded … 

sitting or standing; all were bareheaded。  One of them; a tall man; 

was speaking as I arrived; ere; however; I could distinguish what 

he was saying; he left off; and then there was a cry for a hymn 'to 

the glory of God' … that was the word。  It was a strange…sounding 

hymn; as well it might be; for everybody joined in it:  there were 

voices of all kinds; of men; of women; and of children … of those 

who could sing and of those who could not … a thousand voices all 

joined; and all joined heartily; no voice of all the multitude was 

silent save mine。  The crowd consisted entirely of the lower 

classes; labourers and mechanics; and their wives and children … 

dusty people; unwashed people; people of no account whatever; and 

yet they did not look a mob。  And when that hymn was over … and 

here let me observe that; strange as it sounded; I have recalled 

that hymn to mind; and it has seemed to tingle in my ears on 

occasions when all that pomp and art could do to enhance religious 

solemnity was being done … in the Sistine Chapel; what time the 

papal band was in full play; and the choicest choristers of Italy 

poured forth their mellowest tones in presence of Batuschca and his 

cardinals … on the ice of the Neva; what time the long train of 

stately priests; with their noble beards and their flowing robes of 

crimson and gold; with their ebony and ivory staves; stalked along; 

chanting their Sclavonian litanies in advance of the mighty Emperor 

of the North and his Priberjensky guard of giants; towards the 

orifice through which the river; running below in its swiftness; is 

to receive the baptismal lymph:  … when the hymn was over; another 

man in the wagon proceeded to address the people; he was a much 

younger man than the last speaker; somewhat square built and about 

the middle height; his face was rather broad; but expressive of 

much intelligence; and with a peculiar calm and serious look; the 

accent in which he spoke indicated that he was not of these parts; 

but from some distant district。  The subject of his address was 

faith; and how it could remove mountains。  It was a plain address; 

without any attempt at ornament; and delivered in a tone which was 

neither loud nor vehement。  The speaker was evidently not a 

practised one … once or twice he hesitated as if for words to 

express his meaning; but still he held on; talking of faith; and 

h
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