george sand-第33章

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。　He　was　Clumsy；　not　well　built；　and　had　an　enormous　shock　of　hair；　which　was　the　joy　of　caricaturists。　　He　was　shy　and　awkward；　in　addition　to　all　this。　　He　nevertheless　appeared　in　various　_salons_；　and　was　naturally　more　or　less　ridiculous。　　In　January；　1840；　Beranger　writes：　　〃You　must　know　that　our　metaphysician　has　surrounded　himself　with　women；　at　the　head　of　whom　are　George　Sand　and　Marliani；　and　that；　in　gilded　drawing…rooms；　under　the　light　of　chandeliers；　he　exposes　his　religious　principles　and　his　muddy　boots。〃　　George　Sand　herself　made　fun　of　this　occasionally。　　In　a　letter　to　Madame　d'Agoult；　she　writes：

〃He　is　very　amusing　when　he　describes　making　his　appearance　in　your　drawing…room　of　the　Rue　Laffitte。　　He　says：　　‘I　was　all　muddy；　and　quite　ashamed　of　myself。　　I　was　keeping　out　of　sight　as　much　as　possible　in　a　corner。　　_This　lady_　came　to　me　and　talked　in　the　kindest　way　possible。　　She　is　very　beautiful。'〃＇35＇


＇35＇　_Correspondance_：　　To　Madame　d'Agoult；　October　16；　1837/。


There　are　two　features　about　him；　then；　which　seem　to　strike　every　one；　his　unkemptness　and　his　shyness。　　He　expressed　his　ideas；　which　were　already　obscure；　in　a　form　which　seemed　to　make　them　even　more　obscure。　　It　has　been　said　wittily　that　when　digging　out　his　ideas；　he　buried　himself　in　them。＇36＇　Later　on；　when　he　spoke　at　public　meetings；　he　was　noted　for　the　nonsense　he　talked　in　his　interminable　and　unintelligible　harangues。


＇36＇　P。　Thureau…Dangin；　_Histoire　de　la　Monarchie　de　Juillet。_


And　yet；　in　spite　of　all　this；　the　smoke　from　this　mind　attracted　George　Sand；　and　became　her　pillar　of　light　moving　on　before　her。　　His　hazy　philosophy　seemed　to　her　as　clear　as　daylight；　it　appealed　to　her　heart　and　to　her　mind；　solved　her　doubts；　and　gave　her　tranquillity；　strength；　faith；　hope　and　a　patient　and　persevering　love　of　humanity。　　It　seems　as　though；　with　that　marvellous　faculty　that　she　had　for　idealizing　always；　she　manufactured　a　Pierre　Leroux　of　her　own；　who　was　finer　than　the　real　one。　　He　was　needy；　but　poverty　becomes　the　man　who　has　ideas。　　He　was　awkward；　but　the　contemplative　man；　on　coming　down　from　the　region　of　thought　on　to　our　earth　once　more；　only　gropes　along。　　He　was　not　clear；　but　Voltaire　tells　us　that　when　a　man　does　not　understand　his　own　words；　he　is　talking　metaphysics。　　Chopin　had　personified　the　artist　for　her；　Pierre　Leroux；　with　his　words　as　entangled　as　his　hair；　figured　now　to　her　as　the　philosopher。　　She　saw　in　him　the　chief　and　the　master。　　_Tu　duca　e　tu　maestro_。

In　February；　1844；　she　wrote　the　following　extraordinary　lines：　　〃I　must　tell　you　that　George　Sand　is　only　a　pale　reflection　of　Pierre　Leroux；　a　fanatical　disciple　of　the　same　ideal；　but　a　disciple　mute　and　fascinated　when　listening　to　his　words；　and　quite　prepared　to　throw　all　her　own　works　into　the　fire；　in　order　to　write；　talk；　think；　pray　and　act　under　his　inspiration。　　I　am　merely　the　popularizer；　with　a　ready　pen　and　an　impressionable　mind；　and　I　try　to　translate；　in　my　novels；　the　philosophy　of　the　master。〃


The　most　extraordinary　part　about　these　lines　is　that　they　were　absolutely　true。　　The　whole　secret　of　the　productions　of　George　Sand　for　the　next　ten　years　is　contained　in　these　words。　　With　Pierre　Leroux　and　Louis　Viardot　she　now　founded　a　review；　_La　Revue　independante_；　in　which　she　could　publish；　not　only　novels　（beginning　with　_Horace_；　which　Buloz　had　refused）；　but　articles　by　which　philosophical…socialistic　ideas　could　have　a　free　course。　　Better　still　than　this；　the　novelist　could　take　the　watchword　from　the　sociologist。　　just　as　Mascarilla　put　Roman　history　into　madrigals；　she　was　able　to　put　Pierre　Leroux's　philosophy　into　novels。

It　would　be　interesting　to　know　what　she　saw　in　Pierre　Leroux；　and　which　of　his　ideas　she　approved　and　preferred。　　One　of　the　ideas　dear　to　Pierre　Leroux　was　that　of　immortality；　but　an　immortality　which　had　very　little　in　common　with　Christianity。　　According　to　it；　we　should　live　again　after　death；　but　in　humanity　and　in　another　world。　　The　idea　of　metempsychosis　was　very　much　in　vogue　at　this　epoch。　　According　to　Jean　Rcynaud　and　Lamennais；　souls　travelled　from　star　to　star；　but　Pierre　Leroux　believed　in　metempsychosis　on　earth。

〃We　are　not　only　the　children　and　the　posterity　of　those　who　have　already　lived；　but　we　are；　at　bottom；　the　anterior　generations　themselves。　　We　have　gone　through　former　existences　which　we　do　not　remember；　but　it　may　be　that　at　times　we　have　fragmentary　reminiscences　of　them。〃

George　Sand　must　have　been　very　deeply　impressed　by　this　idea。　　It　inspired　her　with　_Sept　cordes　de　la　lyre_；　_Spiridion_；　_Consuelo_　and　the　_Comtesse　de　Rudolstadt_；　the　whole　cycle　of　her　philosophical　novels。

The　_Sept　cordes　de　la　lyre_　is　a　dramatic　poem　after　the　manner　of　_Faust_。　　Maitre　Albertus　is　the　old　doctor　conversing　with　Mephistocles。　　He　has　a　ward；　named　Helene；　and　a　lyre。　　A　spirit　lives　in　this　lyre。　　It　is　all　in　vain　that　the　painter；　the　_maestro_；　the　poet；　the　critic　endeavour　to　make　the　cords　vibrate。　　The　lyre　remains　dumb。　　Helene；　even　without　putting　her　hands　on　it；　can　draw　from　it　magnificent　harmony；　Helene　is　mad。　　All　this　may　seem　very　incomprehensible　to　you；　and　I　must　confess　that　it　is　so　to　me。　　Albertus　himself　declares：　　〃This　has　a　poetical　sense　of　a　very　high　order　perhaps；　but　it　seems　vague　to　me。〃　　Personally；　I　am　of　the　same　opinion　as　Albertus。　　With　a　little　effort；　I　might；　like　any　one　else；　be　able　to　give　you　an　interpretation　of　this　logogriph；　which　might　appear　to　have　something　in　it。　　I　prefer　telling　you　frankly　that　I　do　not　understand　it。　　The　author；　perhaps；　did　not　understand　it　much　better　so　that　it　may　have　been　metaphysics。

I　would　call　your　attention；　though；　to　that　picture　of　Helene；　with　the　magic　lyre　in　her　hand；　risking　her　life；　by　climbing　to　the　spire　of　the　steeple　and　uttering　her　inspiring　speech　from　there。　　Is　not　this　something　like　Solness；　the　builder；　from　the　top　of　his　tower？　　Like　Tolstoi；　Ibsen　had　evidently　read　George　Sand　and　had　not　forgotten　her。

_Spiridion_　introduces　us　into　a　strange　convent；　in　which　we　see　the　portraits　come　out　of　their　frames　and　roam　about　the　cloisters。　　The　founder　of　the　convent；　Hebronius；　lives　again　in　the　person　of　Father　Alexis；　who　is　no　other　than　Leroux。

In　_Consuelo_　we　have　the　same　imagination。　　We　have　already　considered　the　first　part　of　this　novel；　that　which　takes　place　at　Venice；　in　the　schools　of　music　and　in　the　theatres　of　song。　　Who　would　have　thought　that　the　charming　diva；　the　pupil　of　Porpora；　was　to　have　such　strange　adventures？　　She　arrives　in　Bohemia；　at　the　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt。　　She　has　been　warned　that　extraordinary　things　take　place　there。　　Comte　Albert　de　Rudolstadt　is　subject　to　nervous　fits　and　to　great　lethargy。　　He　disappears　from　the　chateau　and　then　reappears；　without　any　one　seeing　him　go　in　or　out。　　He　believes　that　he　has　been　Jean　Ziska；　and　this　is　probably　true。　　He　has　been　present　at　events　which　took　place　three　hundred　years　previously；　and　he　describes　them。　　Consuelo　discovers　Albert's　retreat。　　It　is　a　cavern　hollowed　out　of　a　mountain　in　the　vicinity；　which　communicates；　by　means　of　a　well；　with　his　rooms。　　The　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt　is　built　on　the　same　architectural　plan　as　Anne　Radcliffe's　chateau。　　After　staying　for　some　time　in　this　bewildering　place；　Consuelo　sets　forth　once　more。　　She　now　meets　Haydn；　goes　through　the　Bohmer　Wald　with　him；　arrives　in　Venice；　is　introduced　to　Maria　Theresa；　and　is　engaged　at　the　Imperial　Theatre。　　She　is　now　recalled　to　the　Chateau　of　Rudolstadt。　　Albert　is　on　his　deathbed；　and　he　marries　her　_in　extremis_；　after　telling　her　that　he　is　going　to　leave　her　for　a　time；　but　that　he　shall　return　to　her　on　earth　by　a　new　birth。　　He；　too；　had　evidently　read　Pierre　Leroux；　and　it　was　perhaps　that　which　had　caused　his　illness。

_Consuelo_　is　a　novel　of　adventures　after　the　style　of　_Gil　Blas_；　the　_Vie　de　Marianne_；　and　_Wilkelm　Meister_。　　It　is　a　historical　novel；　for　which　we　have　Joseph　Haydn；　Maria　Theresa；　Baron　Trenk；　and　the　whole　history　of　the　Hussites。　　It　is　a　fantastical　story　with　digressions　on　music　and　on　popular　songs；　but　run