贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > memories and portraits >

第31章

memories and portraits-第31章

小说: memories and portraits 字数: 每页4000字

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!




was at least unhappy that the vestibule should be so badly lighted; 

and until; in the seventeenth chapter; d'Artagnan sets off to seek 

his friends; I must confess; the book goes heavily enough。  But; 

from thenceforward; what a feast is spread!  Monk kidnapped; 

d'Artagnan enriched; Mazarin's death; the ever delectable adventure 

of Belle Isle; wherein Aramis outwits d'Artagnan; with its epilogue 

(vol。 v。 chap。 xxviii。); where d'Artagnan regains the moral 

superiority; the love adventures at Fontainebleau; with St。 

Aignan's story of the dryad and the business of de Guiche; de 

Wardes; and Manicamp; Aramis made general of the Jesuits; Aramis at 

the bastille; the night talk in the forest of Senart; Belle Isle 

again; with the death of Porthos; and last; but not least; the 

taming of d'Artagnan the untamable; under the lash of the young 

King。  What other novel has such epic variety and nobility of 

incident? often; if you will; impossible; often of the order of an 

Arabian story; and yet all based in human nature。  For if you come 

to that; what novel has more human nature? not studied with the 

microscope; but seen largely; in plain daylight; with the natural 

eye?  What novel has more good sense; and gaiety; and wit; and 

unflagging; admirable literary skill?  Good souls; I suppose; must 

sometimes read it in the blackguard travesty of a translation。  But 

there is no style so untranslatable; light as a whipped trifle; 

strong as silk; wordy like a village tale; pat like a general's 

despatch; with every fault; yet never tedious; with no merit; yet 

inimitably right。  And; once more; to make an end of commendations; 

what novel is inspired with a more unstained or a more wholesome 

morality?



Yes; in spite of Miss Yonge; who introduced me to the name of 

d'Artagnan only to dissuade me from a nearer knowledge of the man; 

I have to add morality。  There is no quite good book without a good 

morality; but the world is wide; and so are morals。  Out of two 

people who have dipped into Sir Richard Burton's THOUSAND AND ONE 

NIGHTS; one shall have been offended by the animal details; another 

to whom these were harmless; perhaps even pleasing; shall yet have 

been shocked in his turn by the rascality and cruelty of all the 

characters。  Of two readers; again; one shall have been pained by 

the morality of a religious memoir; one by that of the VICOMTE DE 

BRAGELONNE。  And the point is that neither need be wrong。  We shall 

always shock each other both in life and art; we cannot get the sun 

into our pictures; nor the abstract right (if there be such a 

thing) into our books; enough if; in the one; there glimmer some 

hint of the great light that blinds us from heaven; enough if; in 

the other; there shine; even upon foul details; a spirit of 

magnanimity。  I would scarce send to the VICOMTE a reader who was 

in quest of what we may call puritan morality。  The ventripotent 

mulatto; the great cater; worker; earner and waster; the man of 

much and witty laughter; the man of the great heart and alas! of 

the doubtful honesty; is a figure not yet clearly set before the 

world; he still awaits a sober and yet genial portrait; but with 

whatever art that may be touched; and whatever indulgence; it will 

not be the portrait of a precision。  Dumas was certainly not 

thinking of himself; but of Planchet; when he put into the mouth of 

d'Artagnan's old servant this excellent profession: 〃MONSIEUR; 

J'ETAIS UNE DE CES BONNES PATES D'HOMMES QUE DIEU A FAIT POUR 

S'ANIMER PENDANT UN CERTAIN TEMPS ET POUR TROUVER BONNES TOUTES 

CHOSES QUI ACCOMPAGNENT LEUR SEJOUR SUR LA TERRE。〃  He was 

thinking; as I say; of Planchet; to whom the words are aptly 

fitted; but they were fitted also to Planchet's creator; and 

perhaps this struck him as he wrote; for observe what follows: 

〃D'ARTAGNAN S'ASSIT ALORS PRES DE LA FENETRE; ET; CETTE PHILOSOPHIE 

DE PLANCHET LUI AYANT PARU SOLIDE; IL Y REVA。〃  In a man who finds 

all things good; you will scarce expect much zeal for negative 

virtues: the active alone will have a charm for him; abstinence; 

however wise; however kind; will always seem to such a judge 

entirely mean and partly impious。  So with Dumas。  Chastity is not 

near his heart; nor yet; to his own sore cost; that virtue of 

frugality which is the armour of the artist。  Now; in the VICOMTE; 

he had much to do with the contest of Fouquet and Colbert。  

Historic justice should be all upon the side of Colbert; of 

official honesty; and fiscal competence。



And Dumas knew it well: three times at least he shows his 

knowledge; once it is but flashed upon us and received with the 

laughter of Fouquet himself; in the jesting controversy in the 

gardens of Saint Mande; once it is touched on by Aramis in the 

forest of Senart; in the end; it is set before us clearly in one 

dignified speech of the triumphant Colbert。  But in Fouquet; the 

waster; the lover of good cheer and wit and art; the swift 

transactor of much business; 〃L'HOMME DE BRUIT; L'HOMME DE PLAISIR; 

L'HOMME QUI N'EST QUE PARCEQUE LES AUTRES SONT;〃 Dumas saw 

something of himself and drew the figure the more tenderly。  It is 

to me even touching to see how he insists on Fouquet's honour; not 

seeing; you might think; that unflawed honour is impossible to 

spendthrifts; but rather; perhaps; in the light of his own life; 

seeing it too well; and clinging the more to what was left。  Honour 

can survive a wound; it can live and thrive without a member。  The 

man rebounds from his disgrace; he begins fresh foundations on the 

ruins of the old; and when his sword is broken; he will do 

valiantly with his dagger。  So it is with Fouquet in the book; so 

it was with Dumas on the battlefield of life。



To cling to what is left of any damaged quality is virtue in the 

man; but perhaps to sing its praises is scarcely to be called 

morality in the writer。  And it is elsewhere; it is in the 

character of d'Artagnan; that we must look for that spirit of 

morality; which is one of the chief merits of the book; makes one 

of the main joys of its perusal; and sets it high above more 

popular rivals。  Athos; with the coming of years; has declined too 

much into the preacher; and the preacher of a sapless creed; but 

d'Artagnan has mellowed into a man so witty; rough; kind and 

upright; that he takes the heart by storm。  There is nothing of the 

copy…book about his virtues; nothing of the drawing…room in his 

fine; natural civility; he will sail near the wind; he is no 

district visitor … no Wesley or Robespierre; his conscience is void 

of all refinement whether for good or evil; but the whole man rings 

true like a good sovereign。  Readers who have approached the 

VICOMTE; not across country; but by the legitimate; five…volumed 

avenue of the MOUSQUETAIRES and VINGT ANS APRES; will not have 

forgotten d'Artagnan's ungentlemanly and perfectly improbable trick 

upon Milady。  What a pleasure it is; then; what a reward; and how 

agreeable a lesson; to see the old captain humble himself to the 

son of the man whom he had personated!  Here; and throughout; if I 

am to choose virtues for myself or my friends; let me choose the 

virtues of d'Artagnan。  I do not say there is no character as well 

drawn in Shakespeare; I do say there is none that I love so wholly。  

There are many spiritual eyes that seem to spy upon our actions … 

eyes of the dead and the absent; whom we imagine to behold us in 

our most private hours; and whom we fear and scruple to offend: our 

witnesses and judges。  And among these; even if you should think me 

childish; I must count my d'Artagnan … not d'Artagnan of the 

memoirs whom Thackeray pretended to prefer … a preference; I take 

the freedom of saying; in which he stands alone; not the d'Artagnan 

of flesh and blood; but him of the ink and paper; not Nature's; but 

Dumas's。  And this is the particular crown and triumph of the 

a

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的