sartor resartus-第15章

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ow；　not　into　the　red　of　morning；　but　into　a　vague；　gray　half…light；　uncertain　whether　dawn　of　day　or　dusk　of　utter　darkness。　　For　the　last　week；　these　so…called　Biographical　Documents　are　in　his　hand。　　By　the　kindness　of　a　Scottish　Hamburg　Merchant；　whose　name；　known　to　the　whole　mercantile　world；　he　must　not　mention；　but　whose　honorable　courtesy；　now　and　often　before　spontaneously　manifested　to　him；　a　mere　literary　stranger；　he　cannot　soon　forget；the　bulky　Weissnichtwo　Packet；　with　all　its　Custom…house　seals；　foreign　hieroglyphs；　and　miscellaneous　tokens　of　Travel；　arrived　here　in　perfect　safety；　and　free　of　cost。　The　reader　shall　now　fancy　with　what　hot　haste　it　was　broken　up；　with　what　breathless　expectation　glanced　over；　and；　alas；　with　what　unquiet　disappointment　it　has；　since　then；　been　often　thrown　down；　and　again　taken　up。

Hofrath　Heuschrecke；　in　a　too　long…winded　Letter；　full　of　compliments；　Weissnichtwo　politics；　dinners；　dining　repartees；　and　other　ephemeral　trivialities；　proceeds　to　remind　us　of　what　we　knew　well　already：　　that　however　it　may　be　with　Metaphysics；　and　other　abstract　Science　originating　in　the　Head　（_Verstand_）　alone；　no　Life…Philosophy　（_Lebensphilosophie_）；　such　as　this　of　Clothes　pretends　to　be；　which　originates　equally　in　the　Character　（_Gemuth_）；　and　equally　speaks　thereto；　can　attain　its　significance　till　the　Character　itself　is　known　and　seen；　〃till　the　Author's　View　of　the　World　（_Weltansicht_）；　and　how　he　actively　and　passively　came　by　such　view；　are　clear：　　in　short　till　a　Biography　of　him　has　been　philosophico…poetically　written；　and　philosophico…poetically　read。。。。　　Nay；〃　adds　he；　〃were　the　speculative　scientific　Truth　even　known；　you　still；　in　this　inquiring　age；　ask　yourself；　Whence　came　it；　and　Why；　and　How？and　rest　not；　till；　if　no　better　may　be；　Fancy　have　shaped　out　an　answer；　and　either　in　the　authentic　lineaments　of　Fact；　or　the　forged　ones　of　Fiction；　a　complete　picture　and　Genetical　History　of　the　Man　and　his　spiritual　Endeavor　lies　before　you。　　But　why；〃　says　the　Hofrath；　and　indeed　say　we；　〃do　I　dilate　on　the　uses　of　our　Teufelsdrockh's　Biography？　　The　great　Herr　Minister　von　Goethe　has　penetratingly　remarked　that　Man　is　properly　the　_only_　object　that　interests　man：'　　thus　I　too　have　noted；　that　in　Weissnichtwo　our　whole　conversation　is　little　or　nothing　else　but　Biography　or　Autobiography；　ever　humano…anecdotical　（_menschlich…anekdotisch_）。　　Biography　is　by　nature　the　most　universally　profitable；　universally　pleasant　of　all　things：　　especially　Biography　of　distinguished　individuals。

〃By　this　time；　_mein　Verehrtester_　（my　Most　Esteemed）；〃　continues　he；　with　an　eloquence　which；　unless　the　words　be　purloined　from　Teufelsdrockh；　or　some　trick　of　his；　as　we　suspect；　is　well…nigh　unaccountable；　〃by　this　time　you　are　fairly　plunged　（_vertieft_）　in　that　mighty　forest　of　Clothes…Philosophy；　and　looking　round；　as　all　readers　do；　with　astonishment　enough。　　Such　portions　and　passages　as　you　have　already　mastered；　and　brought　to　paper；　could　not　but　awaken　a　strange　curiosity　touching　the　mind　they　issued　from；　the　perhaps　unparalleled　psychical　mechanism；　which　manufactured　such　matter；　and　emitted　it　to　the　light　of　day。　　Had　Teufelsdrockh　also　a　father　and　mother；　did　he；　at　one　time；　wear　drivel…bibs；　and　live　on　spoon…meat？　　Did　he　ever；　in　rapture　and　tears；　clasp　a　friend's　bosom　to　his；　looks　he　also　wistfully　into　the　long　burial…aisle　of　the　Past；　where　only　winds；　and　their　low　harsh　moan；　give　inarticulate　answer？　　Has　he　fought　duels；good　Heaven！　how　did　he　comport　himself　when　in　Love？　　By　what　singular　stair…steps；　in　short；　and　subterranean　passages；　and　sloughs　of　Despair；　and　steep　Pisgah　hills；　has　he　reached　this　wonderful　prophetic　Hebron　（a　true　Old…Clothes　Jewry）　where　he　now　dwells？

〃To　all　these　natural　questions　the　voice　of　public　History　is　as　yet　silent。　　Certain　only　that　he　has　been；　and　is；　a　Pilgrim；　and　Traveller　from　a　far　Country；　more　or　less　footsore　and　travel…soiled；　has　parted　with　road…companions；　fallen　among　thieves；　been　poisoned　by　bad　cookery；　blistered　with　bug…bites；　nevertheless；　at　every　stage　（for　they　have　let　him　pass）；　has　had　the　Bill　to　discharge。　　But　the　whole　particulars　of　his　Route；　his　Weather…observations；　the　picturesque　Sketches　he　took；　though　all　regularly　jotted　down　（in　indelible　sympathetic…ink　by　an　invisible　interior　Penman）；　are　these　nowhere　forthcoming？　　Perhaps　quite　lost：　　one　other　leaf　of　that　mighty　Volume　（of　human　Memory）　left　to　fly　abroad；　unprinted；　unpublished；　unbound　up；　as　waste　paper；　and　to　rot；　the　sport　of　rainy　winds？

〃No；　_verehrtester　Herr　Herausgeber_；　in　no　wise！　　I　here；　by　the　unexampled　favor　you　stand　in　with　our　Sage；　send　not　a　Biography　only；　but　an　Autobiography：　　at　least　the　materials　for　such；　wherefrom；　if　I　misreckon　not；　your　perspicacity　will　draw　fullest　insight：　　and　so　the　whole　Philosophy　and　Philosopher　of　Clothes　will　stand　clear　to　the　wondering　eyes　of　England；　nay　thence；　through　America；　through　Hindostan；　and　the　antipodal　New　Holland；　finally　conquer　（_einnehmen_）　great　part　of　this　terrestrial　Planet！〃

And　now　let　the　sympathizing　reader　judge　of　our　feeling　when；　in　place　of　this　same　Autobiography　with　〃fullest　insight；〃　we　findSix　considerable

PAPER…BAGS；　carefully　sealed；　and　marked　successively；　in　gilt　China…ink；　with　the　symbols　of　the　Six　southern　Zodiacal　Signs；　beginning　at　Libra；　in　the　inside　of　which　sealed　Bags　lie　miscellaneous　masses　of　Sheets；　and　oftener　Shreds　and　Snips；　written　in　Professor　Teufelsdrockh's　scarce　legible　_cursiv…schrift_；　and　treating　of　all　imaginable　things　under　the　Zodiac　and　above　it；　but　of　his　own　personal　history　only　at　rare　intervals；　and　then　in　the　most　enigmatic　manner。

Whole　fascicles　there　are；　wherein　the　Professor；　or；　as　he　here；　speaking　in　the　third　person；　calls　himself；　〃the　Wanderer；〃　is　not　once　named。　Then　again；　amidst　what　seems　to　be　a　Metaphysico…theological　Disquisition；　〃Detached　Thoughts　on　the　Steam…engine；〃　or；　〃The　continued　Possibility　of　Prophecy；〃　we　shall　meet　with　some　quite　private；　not　unimportant　Biographical　fact。　　On　certain　sheets　stand　Dreams；　authentic　or　not；　while　the　circumjacent　waking　Actions　are　omitted。　　Anecdotes；　oftenest　without　date　of　place　or　time；　fly　loosely　on　separate　slips；　like　Sibylline　leaves。　　Interspersed　also　are　long　purely　Autobiographical　delineations；　yet　without　connection；　without　recognizable　coherence；　so　unimportant；　so　superfluously　minute；　they　almost　remind　us　of　〃P。P。　Clerk　of　this　Parish。〃　Thus　does　famine　of　intelligence　alternate　with　waste。　　Selection；　order；　appears　to　be　unknown　to　the　Professor。　　In　all　Bags　the　same　imbroglio；　only　perhaps　in　the　Bag　_Capricorn_；　and　those　near　it；　the　confusion　a　little　worse　confounded。　　Close　by　a　rather　eloquent　Oration；　〃On　receiving　the　Doctor's…Hat；〃　lie　wash…bills；　marked　_bezahlt_　（settled）。　　His　Travels　are　indicated　by　the　Street…Advertisements　of　the　various　cities　he　has　visited；　of　which　Street…Advertisements；　in　most　living　tongues；　here　is　perhaps　the　completest　collection　extant。

So　that　if　the　Clothes…Volume　itself　was　too　like　a　Chaos；　we　have　now　instead　of　the　solar　Luminary　that　should　still　it；　the　airy　Limbo　which　by　intermixture　will　farther　volatilize　and　discompose　it！　　As　we　shall　perhaps　see　it　our　duty　ultimately　to　deposit　these　Six　Paper…Bags　in　the　British　Museum；　farther　description；　and　all　vituperation　of　them；　may　be　spared。　　Biography　or　Autobiography　of　Teufelsdrockh　there　is；　clearly　enough；　none　to　be　gleaned　here：　　at　most　some　sketchy；　shadowy　fugitive　likeness　of　him　may；　by　unheard…of　efforts；　partly　of　intellect；　partly　of　imagination；　on　the　side　of　Editor　and　of　Reader；　rise　up　between　them。　Only　as　a　gaseous…chaotic　Appendix　to　that　aqueous…chaotic　Volume　can　the　contents　of　the　Six　Bags　hover　round　us；　and　portions　thereof　be　incorporated　with　our　delineation　of　it。

Daily　and　nightly　does　the　Editor　sit　（with　green　spectacles）　deciphering　these　unimaginable　Documents　from　their　perplexed　_cursiv…schrift_；　collating　them　with　the　almost　equally　unimaginable　Volume；　which　stands　in　legible　print。　　Over　such　a　universal　medley　of　high　an