the unknown guest-第20章

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〃He　has　fallen。　He　has　fallen　at　Borodino。〃

Then　she　saw　herself　in　the　very　same　room　and　through　the　windows　beheld　the　very　same　objects　that　she　had　seen　in　her　dreams。　Her　husband　was　one　of　the　many　who　perished　in　the　battle　fought　near　the　River　Borodino；　from　which　an　obscure　village　takes　its　name。＇1＇

＇1＇　Memoirs　of　the　Life　and　Labours　of　Stephen　Grellet；　vol　i。；　p。　434。


23

This　is　evidently　a　very　rare　and　perhaps　solitary　example　of　a　long…dated　prediction　of　a　great　historic　event　which　nobody　could　foresee。　It　stirs　more　deeply　than　any　other　the　enormous　problems　of　fatality；　free…will　and　responsibility。　But　has　it　been　attested　with　sufficient　rigour　for　us　to　rely　upon　it？　That　I　cannot　say。　In　any　case；　it　has　not　been　sifted　by　the　S。P。R。　Next；　from　the　special　point　of　view　that　interests　us　for　the　moment；　we　are　unable　to　declare　that　this　premonition　had　any　chance　of　being　of　avail　and　preventing　the　general　from　going　to　Borodino。　It　is　highly　probable　that　he　did　not　know　where　he　was　going　or　where　he　was；　besides；　the　irresistible　machinery　of　war　held　him　fast　and　it　was　not　his　part　to　disengage　his　destiny。　The　premonition；　therefore；　could　only　have　been　given　because　it　was　certain　not　to　be　obeyed。

As　for　the　two　previous　cases；　nos。　clv。　and　clviii。；　we　must　here　again　remark　the　usual　strange　reservations　and　observe　how　difficult　it　is　to　explain　these　premonitions　save　by　attributing　them　to　our　subconsciousness。　The　main；　unavoidable　event　is　not　precisely　stated；　but　a　subordinate　consequence　seems　to　be　averted；　as　though　to　make　us　believe　in　some　definite　power　of　free　will。　Nevertheless；　the　mysterious　entity　that　foresaw　the　catastrophe　must　also　have　foreseen　that　nothing　would　happen　to　the　person　whom　it　was　warning；　and　this　brings　us　back　to　the　useless　farce　of　which　we　spoke　above。　Whereas；　with　the　theory　of　a　subconscious　self；　the　latter　may　haveas　in　the　case　of　the　traveler；　the　promontory；　the　copper　or　the　carriage…not　this　time　by　inferences　or　indications　that　escape　our　perception；　but　by　other　unknown　means；　a　vague　presentiment　of　an　impending　peril；　or；　as　I　have　already　said；　a　partial；　intermittent　and　unsettled　vision　of　the　future　event；　and；　in　its　doubt；　may　utter　its　cry　of　alarm。

Whereupon　let　us　recognize　that　it　is　almost　forbidden　to　human　reason　to　stray　in　these　regions；　and　that　the　part　of　a　prophet　is；　next　to　that　of　a　commentator　of　prophecies；　one　of　the　most　difficult　and　thankless　that　a　man　can　attempt　to　sustain　the　world's　stage。

24

I　am　not　sure　if　it　is　really　necessary；　before　closing　this　chapter；　to　follow　in　the　wake　of　many　others　and　broach　the　problem　of　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　which　includes　those　of　fatality；　of　free　will；　of　time　and　of　space；　that　is　to　say；　all　the　points　that　touch　the　essential　sources　of　the　great　mystery　of　the　universe。　The　theologians　and　the　metaphysicians　have　tackled　these　problems　from　every　side　without　giving　us　the　least　hope　of　solving　them。　Among　those　which　life　sets　us；　there　is　none　to　which　our　brain　seems　more　definitely　and　strictly　closed；　and　they　remain；　if　not　as　unimaginable；　at　least　as　incomprehensible　as　on　the　day　when　they　were　first　perceived。　What　corresponds；　outside　us；　with　what　we　call　time　and　space？　We　know　nothing　about　it；　and　Kant；　speaking　in　the　name　of　the　〃apriorists；〃　who　hold　that　the　idea　of　time　is　innate　in　us；　does　not　teach　us　much　when　he　tells　us　that　time；　like　space；　is　an　a　priori　form　of　our　sensibility；　that　is　to　say；　an　intuition　preceding　experience；　even　as　Guyau；　among　the　〃empiricists；〃　who　consider　that　this　idea　is　acquired　only　by　experience；　does　not　enlighten　us　any　more　by　declaring　that　this　same　time　is　the　abstract　formula　of　the　changes　in　the　universe。　Whether　space；　as　Leibnitz　maintains；　be　an　order　of　coexistence　and　time　an　order　of　sequences；　whether　it　be　by　space　that　we　succeed　in　representing　time　or　whether　time　be　an　essential　form　of　any　representation；　whether　time　be　the　father　of　space　or　space　the　father　of　time；　one　thing　is　certain；　which　is　that　the　efforts　of　the　Kantian　or　neo…Kantian　apriorists　and　of　the　pure　empiricists　and　the　idealistic　empiricists　all　end　in　the　same　darkness；　that　all　the　philosophers　who　have　grappled　with　the　formidable　dual　problem；　among　whom　one　may　mention　indiscriminately　the　names　of　the　greatest　thinkers　of　yesterday　and　to…dayHerbert　Spencer；　Helmholtz；　Renouvier；　James　Sully；　Stumpf；　James　Ward；　William　James；　Stuart　Mill；　Ribot；　Fouillee；　Guyau；　Bain；　Lechalas；　Balmes；　Dunan　and　endless　othershave　been　unable　to　tame　it；　and　that；　however　much　their　theories　may　contradict　one　another；　they　are　all　equally　defensible　and　alike　struggle　vainly　in　the　darkness　against　shadows　that　are　not　of　our　world。

25

To　catch　a　glimpse　of　this　strange　problem　of　the　preexistence　of　the　future；　as　it　shows　itself　to　each　of　us；　let　us　essay　more　humbly　to　translate　it　into　tangible　images；　to　place　it　as　it　were　upon　the　stage。　I　am　writing　these　lines　sitting　on　a　stone；　in　the　shade　of　some　tall　beeches　that　overlook　a　little　Norman　village。　It　is　one　of　those　lovely　summer　days　when　the　sweetness　of　life　is　almost　visible　in　the　azure　vase　of　earth　and　sky。　In　the　distance　stretches　the　immense；　fertile　valley　of　the　Seine；　with　its　green　meadows　planted　with　restful　trees；　between　which　the　river　flows　like　a　long　path　of　gladness　leading　to　the　misty　hills　of　the　estuary。　I　am　looking　down　on　the　village…square；　with　its　ring　of　young　lime…trees。　A　procession　leaves　the　church　and；　amid　prayers　and　chanting；　they　carry　the　statue　of　the　Virgin　around　the　sacred　pile。　I　am　conscious　of　all　the　details　of　the　ceremony：　the　sly　old　cure　perfunctorily　bearing　a　small　reliquary；　four　choirmen　opening　their　mouths　to　bawl　forth　vacantly　the　Latin　words　which　convey　nothing　to　them；　two　mischievous　serving…boys　in　frayed　cassocks；　a　score　of　little　girls；　young　girls　and　old　maids　in　white；　all　starched　and　flounced；　followed　by　six　or　seven　village　notables　in　baggy　frockcoats。　The　pageant　disappears　behind　the　trees；　comes　into　sight　again　at　the　bend　of　the　road　and　hurries　back　into　the　church。　The　clock　in　the　steeple　strikes　five；　as　though　to　ring　down　the　curtain　and　mark　in　the　infinite　history　of　events　which　none　will　recollect　the　conclusion　of　a　spectacle　which　never　again；　until　the　end　of　the　world　and　of　the　universe　of　worlds；　will　be　just　what　it　was　during　those　seconds　when　it　beguiled　my　wandering　eyes。

For　in　vain　will　they　repeat　the　procession　next　year　and　every　year　after：　never　again　will　it　be　the　same。　Not　only　will　several　of　the　actors　probably　have　disappeared；　but　all　those　who　resume　their　old　places　in　the　ranks　will　have　undergone　the　thousand　little　visible　and　invisible　changes　wrought　by　the　passing　days　and　weeks。　In　a　word；　this　insignificant　moment　is　unique；　irrecoverable；　inimitable；　as　are　all　the　moments　in　the　existence　of　all　things；　and　this　little　picture；　enduring　for　a　few　seconds　suspended　in　boundless　duration；　has　lapsed　into　eternity；　where　henceforth　it　will　remain　in　its　entirety　to　the　end　of　time；　so　much　so　that；　if　a　man　could　one　day　recapture　in　the　past；　among　what　some　one　has　called　the　〃astral　negatives；〃　the　image　of　what　it　was；　he　would　find　it　intact；　unchanged；　ineffaceable　and　undeniable。

26

It　is　not　difficult　for　us　to　conceive　that　one　can　thus　go　back　and　seeagain　the　astral　negative　of　an　event　that　is　no　more；　and　retrospective　clairvoyance　appears　to　us　a　wonderful　but　not　an　impossible　thing。　It　astonishes　but　does　not　stagger　our　reason。　But；　when　it　becomes　a　question　of　discovering　the　same　picture　in　the　future；　the　boldest　imagination　flounders　at　the　first　step。　How　are　we　to　admit　that　there　exists　somewhere　a　representation　or　reproduction　of　that　which　has　not　yet　existed？　Nevertheless；　some　of　the　incidents　which　we　have　just　been　considering　seem　to　prove　in　an　almost　conclusive　manner　not　only　that　such　representations　are　possible；　but　that　we　may　arrive　at　them　more　frequently；　not　to　say　more　conveniently；　than　at　those　of　the　past。　Now；　once　this　represe