style-第17章

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！


　words　prove　explosive　machines　in　the　hands　of　rash　impotence。　　It　is　perhaps　a　certain　uneasy　consciousness　of　danger；　a　suspicion　that　weakness　of　soul　cannot　wield　these　strong　words；　that　makes　debility　avoid　them；　committing　itself　rather；　as　if　by　some　pre…established　affinity；　to　the　vaguer　Latinised　vocabulary。　　Yet　they　are　not　all　to　be　avoided；　and　their　quality　in　practice　will　depend　on　some　occult　ability　in　their　employer。　　For　every　living　person；　if　the　material　were　obtainable；　a　separate　historical　dictionary　might　be　compiled；　recording　where　each　word　was　first　heard　or　seen；　where　and　how　it　was　first　used。　　The　references　are　utterly　beyond　recovery；　but　such　a　register　would　throw　a　strange　light　on　individual　styles。　　The　eloquent　trifler；　whose　stock　of　words　has　been　accumulated　by　a　pair　of　light　fingers；　would　stand　denuded　of　his　plausible　pretences　as　soon　as　it　were　seen　how　roguishly　he　came　by　his　eloquence。　　There　may　be　literary　quality；　it　is　well　to　remember；　in　the　words　of　a　parrot；　if　only　its　cage　has　been　happily　placed；　meaning　and　soul　there　cannot　be。　　Yet　the　voice　will　sometimes　be　mistaken；　by　the　carelessness　of　chance　listeners；　for　a　genuine　utterance　of　humanity；　and　the　like　is　true　in　literature。　　But　writing　cannot　be　luminous　and　great　save　in　the　hands　of　those　whose　words　are　their　own　by　the　indefeasible　title　of　conquest。　　Life　is　spent　in　learning　the　meaning　of　great　words；　so　that　some　idle　proverb；　known　for　years　and　accepted　perhaps　as　a　truism；　comes　home；　on　a　day；　like　a　blow。　　〃If　there　were　not　a　God；〃　said　Voltaire；　〃it　would　be　necessary　to　invent　him。〃　　Voltaire　had　therefore　a　right　to　use　the　word；　but　some　of　those　who　use　it　most；　if　they　would　be　perfectly　sincere；　should　enclose　it　in　quotation　marks。　　Whole　nations　go　for　centuries　without　coining　names　for　certain　virtues；　is　it　credible　that　among　other　peoples；　where　the　names　exists　the　need　for　them　is　epidemic？　　The　author　of　the　ECCLESIASTIAL　POLITY　puts　a　bolder　and　truer　face　on　the　matter。　　〃Concerning　that　Faith；　Hope；　and　Charity；〃　he　writes；　〃without　which　there　can　be　no　salvation；　was　there　ever　any　mention　made　saving　only　in　that　Law　which　God　himself　hath　from　Heaven　revealed？　　There　is　not　in　the　world　a　syllable　muttered　with　certain　truth　concerning　any　of　these　three；　more　than　hath　been　supernaturally　received　from　the　mouth　of　the　eternal　God。〃　　Howsoever　they　came　to　us；　we　have　the　words；　they；　and　many　other　terms　of　tremendous　import；　are　bandied　about　from　mouth　to　mouth　and　alternately　enriched　or　impoverished　in　meaning。　Is　the　〃Charity〃　of　St。　Paul's　Epistle　one　with　the　charity　of　〃charity…blankets〃？　　Are　the　〃crusades〃　of　Godfrey　and　of　the　great　St。　Louis；　where　knightly　achievement　did　homage　to　the　religious　temper；　essentially　the　same　as　that　process　of　harrying　the　wretched　and　the　outcast　for　which　the　muddle…headed；　greasy　citizen　of　to…day　invokes　the　same　high　name？　　Of　a　truth；　some　kingly　words　fall　to　a　lower　estate　than　Nebuchadnezzar。

Here；　among　words；　our　lot　is　cast；　to　make　or　mar。　　It　is　in　this　obscure　thicket；　overgrown　with　weeds；　set　with　thorns；　and　haunted　by　shadows；　this　World　of　Words；　as　the　Elizabethans　finely　called　it；　that　we　wander；　eternal　pioneers；　during　the　course　of　our　mortal　lives。　　To　be　overtaken　by　a　master；　one　who　comes　along　with　the　gaiety　of　assured　skill　and　courage；　with　the　gravity　of　unflinching　purpose；　to　make　the　crooked　ways　straight　and　the　rough　places　plain；　is　to　gain　fresh　confidence　from　despair。　　He　twines　wreaths　of　the　entangling　ivy；　and　builds　ramparts　of　the　thorns。　　He　blazes　his　mark　upon　the　secular　oaks；　as　a　guidance　to　later　travellers；　and　coaxes　flame　from　heaps　of　mouldering　rubbish。　　There　is　no　sense　of　cheer　like　this。　　Sincerity；　clarity；　candour；　power；　seem　real　once　more；　real　and　easy。　　In　the　light　of　great　literary　achievement；　straight　and　wonderful；　like　the　roads　of　the　ancient　Romans；　barbarism　torments　the　mind　like　a　riddle。　　Yet　there　are　the　dusky　barbarians！　…　fleeing　from　the　harmonious　tread　of　the　ordered　legions；　running　to　hide　themselves　in　the　morass　of　vulgar　sentiment；　to　ambush　their　nakedness　in　the　sand…pits　of　low　thought。


It　is　a　venerable　custom　to　knit　up　the　speculative　consideration　of　any　subject　with　the　counsels　of　practical　wisdom。　　The　words　of　this　essay　have　been　vain　indeed　if　the　idea　that　style　may　be　imparted　by　tuition　has　eluded　them；　and　survived。　　There　is　a　useful　art　of　Grammar；　which　takes　for　its　province　the　right　and　the　wrong　in　speech。　　Style　deals　only　with　what　is　permissible　to　all；　and　even　revokes；　on　occasion；　the　rigid　laws　of　Grammar　or　countenances　offences　against　them。　　Yet　no　one　is　a　better　judge　of　equity　for　ignorance　of　the　law；　and　grammatical　practice　offers　a　fair　field　wherein　to　acquire　ease；　accuracy　and　versatility。　The　formation　of　sentences；　the　sequence　of　verbs；　the　marshalling　of　the　ranks　of　auxiliaries　are　all；　in　a　sense；　to　be　learned。　There　is　a　kind　of　inarticulate　disorder　to　which　writers　are　liable；　quite　distinct　from　a　bad　style；　and　caused　chiefly　by　lack　of　exercise。　　An　unpractised　writer　will　sometimes　send　a　beautiful　and　powerful　phrase　jostling　along　in　the　midst　of　a　clumsy　sentence　…　like　a　crowned　king　escorted　by　a　mob。

But　Style　cannot　be　taught。　　Imitation　of　the　masters；　or　of　some　one　chosen　master；　and　the　constant　purging　of　language　by　a　severe　criticism；　have　their　uses；　not　to　be　belittled；　they　have　also　their　dangers。　　The　greater　part　of　what　is　called　the　teaching　of　style　must　always　be　negative；　bad　habits　may　be　broken　down；　old　malpractices　prohibited。　　The　pillory　and　the　stocks　are　hardly　educational　agents；　but　they　make　it　easier　for　honest　men　to　enjoy　their　own。　　If　style　could　really　be　taught；　it　is　a　question　whether　its　teachers　should　not　be　regarded　as　mischief…makers　and　enemies　of　mankind。　　The　Rosicrucians　professed　to　have　found　the　philosopher's　stone；　and　the　shadowy　sages　of　modern　Thibet　are　said；　by　those　who　speak　for　them；　to　have　compassed　the　instantaneous　transference　of　bodies　from　place　to　place。　　In　either　case；　the　holders　of　these　secrets　have　laudably　refused　to　publish　them；　lest　avarice　and　malice　should　run　amuck　in　human　society。　　A　similar　fear　might　well　visit　the　conscience　of　one　who　should　dream　that　he　had　divulged　to　the　world　at　large　what　can　be　done　with　language。　　Of　this　there　is　no　danger；　rhetoric；　it　is　true；　does　put　fluency；　emphasis；　and　other　warlike　equipments　at　the　disposal　of　evil　forces；　but　style；　like　the　Christian　religion；　is　one　of　those　open　secrets　which　are　most　easily　and　most　effectively　kept　by　the　initiate　from　age　to　age。　　Divination　is　the　only　means　of　access　to　these　mysteries。　　The　formal　attempt　to　impart　a　good　style　is　like　the　melancholy　task　of　the　teacher　of　gesture　and　oratory；　some　palpable　faults　are　soon　corrected；　and；　for　the　rest；　a　few　conspicuous　mannerisms；　a　few　theatrical　postures；　not　truly　expressive；　and　a　high　tragical　strut；　are　all　that　can　be　imparted。　　The　truth　of　the　old　Roman　teachers　of　rhetoric　is　here　witnessed　afresh；　to　be　a　good　orator　it　is　first　of　all　necessary　to　be　a　good　man。　　Good　style　is　the　greatest　of　revealers；　…　it　lays　bare　the　soul。　　The　soul　of　the　cheat　shuns　nothing　so　much。　　〃Always　be　ready　to　speak　your　minds〃　said　Blake；　〃and　a　base　man　will　avoid　you。〃　　But　to　insist　that　he　also　shall　speak　his　mind　is　to　go　a　step　further；　it　is　to　take　from　the　impostor　his　wooden　leg；　to　prohibit　his　lucrative　whine；　his　mumping　and　his　canting；　to　force　the　poor　silly　soul　to　stand　erect　among　its　fellows　and　declare　itself。　　His　occupation　is　gone；　and　he　does　not　love　the　censor　who　deprives　him　of　the　weapons　of　his　mendicity。

All　style　is　gesture；　the　gesture　of　the　mind　and　of　the　soul。　Mind　we　have　in　common；　inasmuch　as　the　laws　of　right　reason　are　not　different　for　different　minds。　　Therefore　clearness　and　arrangement　can　be　taught；　sheer　incompetence　in　the　art　of　expression　can　be　partly　remedied。　　But　who　shall　impose　laws　upon　the　soul？　　It　is　thus　of　common　note　that　one　may　dislike　or　even　hate　a　particular　style　while