cambridge neighbors-第4章

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sauntered　outdoors　and　talked；　with　our　heads　in　a　cloud　of　fancies；　not
unmixed　with　the　mosquitoes　of　Cambridge：　if　I　could　have　back　the
fancies；　I　would　be　willing　to　have　the　mosquitoes　with　them。　　He　looked
the　poetry　he　lived：　his　eyes　were　the　blue　of　sunlit　fjords；　his　brown
silken　hair　was　thick　on　the　crown　which　it　later　abandoned　to　a
scholarly　baldness；　his　soft；　red　lips　half　hid　a　boyish　pout　in　the
youthful　beard　and　mustache。　　He　was　short　of　stature；　but　of　a　stalwart
breadth　of　frame；　and　his　voice　was　of　a　peculiar　and　endearing　quality；
indescribably　mellow　and　tender　when　he　read　his　verse。

I　have　hardly　the　right　to　dwell　so　long　upon　him　here；　for　he　was　only　a
sojourner　in　Cambridge；　but　the　memory　of　that　early　intimacy　is　too　much
for　my　sense　of　proportion。　　As　I　have　hinted；　our　intimacy　was　renewed
afterwards；　when　I　too　came　to　live　in　New　York；　where　as　long　as　he　was
in　this　'dolce　lome'；　he　hardly　let　a　week　go　by　without　passing　a　long
evening　with　me。　　Our　talk　was　still　of　literature　and　life；　but　more　of
life　than　of　literature；　and　we　seldom　spoke　of　those　old　times。　　I　still
found　him　true　to　the　ideals　which　had　clarified　themselves　to　both　of　us
as　the　duty　of　unswerving　fealty　to　the　real　thing　in　whatever　we　did。
This　we　felt；　as　we　had　felt　it　long　before；　to　be　the　sole　source　of
beauty　and　of　art；　and　we　warmed　ourselves　at　each　other's　hearts　in　our
devotion　to　it；　amidst　a　misunderstanding　environment　which　we　did　not
characterize　by　so　mild　an　epithet。　　Boyesen；　indeed；　out…realisted　me；
in　the　polemics　of　our　aesthetics；　and　sometimes　when　an　unbeliever　was
by；　I　willingly　left　to　my　friend　the　affirmation　of　our　faith；　not
without　some　quaking　at　his　unsparing　strenuousness　in　disciplining　the
heretic。　　But　now　that　ardent　and　active　soul　is　Elsewhere；　and　I　have
ceased　even　to　expect　the　ring；　which；　making　itself　heard　at　the　late
hour　of　his　coming；　I　knew　always　to　be　his　and　not　another's。　　That
mechanical　expectation　of　those　who　will　come　no　more　is　something
terrible；　but　when　even　that　ceases；　we　know　the　irreparability　of　our
loss；　and　begin　to　realize　how　much　of　ourselves　they　have　taken　with
them。




IV。

It　was　some　years　before　the　Boyesen　summer；　which　was　the　fourth　or
fifth　of　our　life　in　Cambridge；　that　I　made　the　acquaintance　of　a　man；
very　much　my　senior；　who　remains　one　of　the　vividest　personalities　in　my
recollection。　　I　speak　of　him　in　this　order　perhaps　because　of　an　obscure
association　with　Boyesen　through　their　religious　faith；　which　was　also
mine。　　But　Henry　James　was　incommensurably　more　Swedenborgian　than　either
of　us：　he　lived　and　thought　and　felt　Swedenborg　with　an　entirety　and
intensity　far　beyond　the　mere　assent　of　other　men。　　He　did　not　do　this　in
any　stupidly　exclusive　way；　but　in　the　most　luminously　inclusive　way；
with　a　constant　reference　of　these　vain　mundane　shadows　to　the　spiritual
realities　from　which　they　project。　　His　piety；　which　sometimes　expressed
itself　in　terms　of　alarming　originality　and　freedom；　was　too　large　for
any　ecclesiastical　limits；　and　one　may　learn　from　the　books　which　record
it；　how　absolutely　individual　his　interpretations　of　Swedenborg　were。
Clarifications　they　cannot　be　called；　and　in　that　other　world　whose
substantial　verity　was　the　inspiration　of　his　life　here；　the　two　sages
may　by　this　time　have　met　and　agreed　to　differ　as　to　some　points　in　the
doctrine　of　the　Seer。　　In　such　a　case；　I　cannot　imagine　the　apostle
giving　way；　and　I　do　not　say　he　would　be　wrong　to　insist；　but　I　think　he
might　now　be　willing　to　allow　that　the　exegetic　pages　which　sentence　by
sentence　were　so　brilliantly　suggestive；　had　sometimes　a　collective
opacity　which　the　most　resolute　vision　could　not　penetrate。　　He　put　into
this　dark　wisdom　the　most　brilliant　intelligence　ever　brought　to　the
service　of　his　mystical　faith；　he　lighted　it　up　with　flashes　of　the
keenest　wit　and　bathed　it　in　the　glow　of　a　lambent　humor；　so　that　it　is
truly　wonderful　to　me　how　it　should　remain　so　unintelligible。　　But　I　have
only　tried　to　read　certain　of　his　books；　and　perhaps　if　I　had　persisted
in　the　effort　I　might　have　found　them　all　as　clear　at　last　as　the　one
which　seems　to　me　the　clearest；　and　is　certainly　most　encouragingly
suggestive：　I　mean　the　one　called　'Society　the　Redeemed　Form　of　Man。'

He　had　his　whole　being　in　his　belief；　it　had　not　only　liberated　him　from
the　bonds　of　the　Calvinistic　theology　in　which　his　youth　was　trammelled；
but　it　had　secured　him　against　the　conscious　ethicism　of　the　prevailing
Unitarian　doctrine　which　supremely　worshipped　Conduct；　and　it　had　colored
his　vocabulary　to　such　strange　effects　that　he　spoke　of　moral　men　with
abhorrence；　as　more　hopelessly　lost　than　sinners。　　Any　one　whose　sphere
tempted　him　to　recognition　of　the　foibles　of　others；　he　called　the　Devil；
but　in　spite　of　his　perception　of　such　diabolism；　he　was　rather　fond　of
yielding　to　it；　for　he　had　a　most　trenchant　tongue。　　I　myself　once　fell
under　his　condemnation　as　the　Devil；　by　having　too　plainly　shared　his　joy
in　his　characterization　of　certain　fellow…men；　perhaps　a　group　of
Bostonians　from　whom　he　had　just　parted　and　whose　reciprocal　pleasure　of
themselves　he　presented　in　the　image　of　〃simmering　in　their　own　fat　and
putting　a　nice　brown　on　each　other。〃

Swedenborg　himself　he　did　not　spare　as　a　man。　　He　thought　that　very
likely　his　life　had　those　lapses　in　it　which　some　of　his　followers　deny；
and　he　regarded　him　on　the　aesthetical　side　as　essentially　commonplace；
and　as　probably　chosen　for　his　prophetic　function　just　because　of　his
imaginative　nullity：　his　tremendous　revelations　could　be　the　more
distinctly　and　unmistakably　inscribed　upon　an　intelligence　of　that　sort；
which　alone　could　render　again　a　strictly　literal　report　of　them。

As　to　some　other　sorts　of　believers　who　thought　they　had　a　special
apprehension　of　the　truth；　he；　had　no　mercy　upon　them　if　they　betrayed；
however　innocently；　any　self…complacency　in　their　possession。　　I　went　one
evening　to　call　upon　him　with　a　dear　old　Shaker　elder；　who　had　the
misfortune　to　say　that　his　people　believed　themselves　to　be　living　the
angelic　life。　　James　fastened　upon　him　with　the　suggestion　that　according
to　Swedenborg　the　most　celestial　angels　were　unconscious　of　their　own
perfection；　and　that　if　the　Shakers　felt　they　were　of　angelic　condition
they　were　probably　the　sport　of　the　hells。　　I　was　very　glad　to　get　my
poor　old　friend　off　alive；　and　to　find　that　he　was　not　even　aware　of
being　cut　asunder：　I　did　not　invite　him　to　shake　himself。

With　spiritualists　James　had　little　or　no　sympathy；　he　was　not　so
impatient　of　them　as　the　Swedenborgians　commonly　are；　and　he　probably
acknowledged　a　measure　of　verity　in　the　spiritistic　phenomena；　but　he
seemed　rather　incurious　concerning　them；　and　he　must　have　regarded　them
as　superfluities　of　naughtiness；　mostly；　as　emanations　from　the　hells。
His　powerful　and　penetrating　intellect　interested　itself　with　all　social
and　civil　facts　through　his　religion。　　He　was　essentially　religious；　but
he　was　very　consciously　a　citizen；　with　most　decided　opinions　upon
political　questions。　　My　own　darkness　as　to　anything　like　social　reform
was　then　so　dense　that　I　cannot　now　be　clear　as　to　his　feeling　in　such
matters；　but　I　have　the　impression　that　it　was　far　more　radical　than　I
could　understand。　　He　was　of　a　very　merciful　mind　regarding　things　often
held　in　pitiless　condemnation；　but　of　charity；　as　it　is　commonly
understood；　he　had　misgivings。　　He　would　never　have　turned　away　from　him
that　asketh；　but　he　spoke　with　regret　of　some　of　his　benefactions　in　the
past；　large　gifts　of　money　to　individuals；　which　he　now　thought　had　done
more　harm　than　good。

I　never　knew　him　to　judge　men　by　the　society　scale。　　He　was　most　human　in
his　relations　with　others；　and　was　in　correspondence　with　all　sorts　of
people　seeking　light　and　help；　he　answered　their　letters　and　tried　to
instruct　them；　and　no　one　was　so　low　or　weak　but　he　or　she　could　reach
him　on　his　or　her　own　level；　though　he　had　his　humorous　perception　of
their　foibles　and　disabilities；　and　he　had　that　keen　sense　of　the
grotesque　w