george sand-第21章

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　I　am　simply　steeped　in　my　love　for　you。　　I　do　not　know　whether　I　am　alive；　whether　I　eat；　drink；　or　breathe；　but　I　know　I　am　in　love。〃　　George　Sand　was　afraid　to　return　to　him；　and　Sainte…Beuve　forbade　her。　　Love　proved　stronger　than　all　other　arguments；　however；　and　she　yielded。

As　soon　as　she　was　with　him　once　more；　their　torture　commenced　again；　with　all　the　customary　complaints；　reproaches　and　recriminations。　　〃I　was　quite　sure　that　all　these　reproaches　would　begin　again　immediately　after　the　happiness　we　had　dreamed　of　and　promised　each　other。　　Oh；　God；　to　think　that　we　have　already　arrived　at　this！〃　she　writes。

What　tortured　them　was　that　the　past；　which　they　had　believed　to　be　〃a　beautiful　poem；〃　now　seemed　to　them　a　hideous　nightmare。　　All　this；　we　read；　was　a　game　that　they　were　playing。　　A　cruel　sort　of　game；　of　which　Musset　grew　more　and　more　weary；　but　which　to　George　Sand　gradually　became　a　necessity。　　We　see　this；　as　from　henceforth　it　was　she　who　implored　Musset。　　In　her　diary；　dated　December　24；　1834；　we　read：　　〃And　what　if　I　rushed　to　him　when　my　love　is　too　strong　for　me。　　What　if　I　went　and　broke　the　bell…pull　with　ringing；　until　he　opened　his　door　to　me。　　Or　if　I　lay　down　across　the　threshold　until　he　came　out！〃　　She　cut　off　her　magnificent　hair　and　sent　it　to　him。　　Such　was　the　way　in　which　this　proud　woman　humbled　herself。　　She　was　a　prey　to　love；　which　seemed　to　her　a　holy　complaint。　　It　was　a　case　of　Venus　entirely　devoted　to　her　prey。　　The　question　is；　was　this　really　love？　　〃I　no　longer　love　you；〃　she　writes；　〃but　I　still　adore　you。　　I　do　not　want　you　any　more；　but　I　cannot　do　without　you。〃　　They　had　the　courage　to　give　each　other　up　finally　in　March；　1835。

It　now　remains　for　us　to　explain　the　singularity　of　this　adventure；　which；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　was　beyond　all　logic；　even　the　logic　of　passion。　　It　is；　however；　readily　understood；　if　we　treat　it　as　a　case　of　acute　romanticism；　the　finest　case　of　romanticism；　that　has　been　actually　lived；　which　the　history　of　letters　offers　us。

The　romanticism　consists　first　in　exposing　one's　life　to　the　public；　in　publishing　one's　most　secret　joys　and　sorrows。　　From　the　very　beginning　George　Sand　and　Musset　took　the　whole　circle　of　their　friends　into　their　confidence。　　These　friends　were　literary　people。　　George　Sand　specially　informs　Sainte…Beuve　that　she　wishes　her　sentimental　life　from　thenceforth　to　be　known。　　They　were　quite　aware　that　they　were　on　show；　as　it　were；　subjects　of　an　experiment　that　would　be　discussed　by　〃the　gallery。〃

Romanticism　consists　next　in　the　writer　putting　his　life　into　his　books；　making　literature　out　of　his　emotions。　　The　idea　of　putting　their　adventure　into　a　story　occurred　to　the　two　lovers　before　the　adventure　had　come　to　an　end。　　It　was　at　Venice　that　George　Sand　wrote　her　first　_Lettres　d'un　voyageur_；　addressed　to　the　poetand　to　the　subscribers　of　the　_Revue　des　Deux　Mondes_。　　Musset；　to　improve　on　this　idea；　decides　to　write　a　novel　from　the　episode　which　was　still　unfinished。　　〃I　will　not　die；〃　he　says；　〃until　I　have　written　my　book　on　you　and　on　myself；　more　particularly　on　you。　　No；　my　beautiful；　holy　fiancee；　you　shall　not　return　to　this　cold　earth　before　it　knows　the　woman　who　has　walked　on　it。　　No；　I　swear　this　by　my　youth　and　genius。〃　　Musset's　contributions　to　this　literature　were　_Confession　d'un　enfant　du　siecle_；　_Histoire　d'un　merle　blanc_；　_Elle　et　Lui_；　and　all　that　followed。

In　an　inverse　order；　romanticism　consists　in　putting　literature　into　our　life；　in　taking　the　latest　literary　fashion　for　our　rule　of　action。　　This　is　not　only　a　proof　of　want　of　taste；　it　is　a　most　dangerous　mistake。　　The　romanticists；　who　had　so　many　wrong　ideas；　had　none　more　erroneous　than　their　idea　of　love；　and　in　the　correspondence　between　George　Sand　and　Musset　we　see　the　paradox　in　all　its　beauty。　　It　consists　in　saying　that　love　leads　to　virtue　and　that　it　leads　there　through　change。　　Whether　the　idea　came　originally　from　_her_　or　from　_him_；　this　was　their　common　faith。

〃You　have　said　it　a　hundred　times　over；〃　writes　George　Sand；　〃and　it　is　all　in　vain　that　you　retract；　nothing　will　now　efface　that　sentence：　　‘Love　is　the　only　thing　in　the　world　that　counts。'　　It　may　be　that　it　is　a　divine　faculty　which　we　lose　and　then　find　again；　that　we　must　cultivate；　or　that　we　have　to　buy　with　cruel　suffering；　with　painful　experience。　　The　suffering　you　have　endured　through　loving　me　was　perhaps　destined；　in　order　that　you　might　love　another　woman　more　easily。　　Perhaps　the　next　woman　may　love　you　less　than　I　do；　and　yet　she　may　be　more　happy　and　more　beloved。　　There　are　such　mysteries　in　these　things；　and　God　urges　us　along　new　and　untrodden　paths。　　Give　in；　do　not　attempt　to　resist。　　He　does　not　desert　His　privileged　ones。　　He　takes　them　by　the　hand　and　places　them　in　the　midst　of　the　sandbanks；　where　they　are　to　learn　to　live；　in　order　that　they　may　sit　down　at　the　banquet　at　which　they　are　to　rest。　。　。　。〃　　Later　on　she　writes　as　follows：　　〃Do　you　imagine　that　one　love　affair；　or　even　two；　can　suffice　for　exhausting　or　taking　the　freshness　from　a　strong　soul？　　I　believed　this；　too；　for　a　long　time；　but　I　know　now　that　it　is　quite　the　contrary。　　Love　is　a　fire　that　endeavours　to　rise　and　to　purify　itself。　　Perhaps　the　more　we　have　failed　in　our　endeavours　to　find　it；　the　more　apt　we　become　to　discover　it；　and　the　more　we　have　been　obliged　to　change；　the　more　conservative　we　shall　become。　　Who　knows？　　It　is　perhaps　the　terrible；　magnificent　and　courageous　work　of　a　whole　lifetime。　　It　is　a　crown　of　thorns　which　will　blossom　and　be　covered　with　roses　when　our　hair　begins　to　turn　white。


This　was　pure　frenzy；　and　yet　there　were　two　beings　ready　to　drink　in　all　this　pathos；　two　living　beings　to　live　out　this　monstrous　chimera。　　Such　are　the　ravages　that　a　certain　conception　of　literature　may　make。　　By　the　example　we　have　of　these　two　illustrious　victims；　we　may　imagine　that　there　were　others；　and　very　many　others；　obscure　and　unknown　individuals；　but　human　beings　all　the　same；　who　were　equally　duped。　　There　are　unwholesome　fashions　in　literature；　which；　translated　into　life；　mean　ruin。　　The　Venice　adventure　shows　up　the　truth　of　this　in　bright　daylight。　　This　is　its　interest　and　its　lesson。



V

THE　FRIEND　OF　MICHEL　（DE　BOURGES）

LISZT　AND　COMTESSE　D'AGOULT。　_MAUPRAT_


We　have　given　the　essential　features　of　the　Venice　adventure。　　The　love　affair；　into　which　George　Sand　and　Musset　had　put　so　much　literature；　was　to　serve　literature。　　Writers　of　the　romantic　school　are　given　to　making　little　songs　with　their　great　sorrows。　　When　the　correspondence　between　George　Sand　and　Musset　appeared；　every　one　was　surprised　to　find　passages　that　were　already　well　known。　　Such　passages　had　already　appeared　in　the　printed　work　of　the　poet　or　of　the　authoress。　　An　idea；　a　word；　or　an　illustration　used　by　the　one　was　now；　perhaps；　to　be　found　in　the　work　of　the　other　one。

〃It　is　I　who　have　lived；〃　writes　George　Sand；　〃and　not　an　unreal　being　created　by　my　pride　and　my　_ennui_。〃　　We　all　know　the　use　to　which　Musset　put　this　phrase。　　He　wrote　the　famous　couplet　of　Perdican　with　it：　　〃All　men　are　untruthful；　inconstant；　false；　chatterers；　hypocritical；　proud；　cowardly；　contemptible　and　sensual；　all　women　are　perfidious；　artful；　vain；　inquisitive　and　depraved。　　。　。　。　　There　is；　though；　in　this　world　one　thing　which　is　holy　and　sublime。　　It　is　the　union　of　these　two　beings；　imperfect　and　frightful　as　they　are。　　We　are　often　deceived　in　our　love；　we　are　often　wounded　and　often　unhappy；　but　still　we　love；　and　when　we　are　on　the　brink　of　the　tomb　we　shall　turn　round；　look　back；　and　say　to　ourselves：　　‘I　have　often　suffered；　I　have　sometimes　been　deceived；　but　I　have　loved。　　It　is　I　who　have　lived；　and　not　an　unreal　being　created　by　my　pride　and　_ennui_。'〃　　Endless　instances　of　this　kind　could　be　given。　　They　are　simply　the　sign　of　the　reciprocal　influence　exercised　over　each　other　by　George　Sand　and　Musset；　an　influence　to　be　traced　through　all　their　work。

This　influence　was　of　a　different　kind　and　of　unequal　degree。　　It　was　George　Sand　who　first　made　literature　of　their　common　recollections。　　Some　of　these　recollections　were　very　re