louis lambert-第16章

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pronounce　judgment　on　it　by　a　rapid　glance。

A　short　time　before　our　separation；　Lambert　said　to　me：

〃Apart　from　the　general　laws　which　I　have　formulatedand　this；
perhaps；　will　be　my　glorylaws　which　must　be　those　of　the　human
organism；　the　life　of　man　is　Movement　determined　in　each　individual　by
the　pressure　of　some　inscrutable　influenceby　the　brain；　the　heart；
or　the　sinews。　All　the　innumerable　modes　of　human　existence　result
from　the　proportions　in　which　these　three　generating　forces　are　more
or　less　intimately　combined　with　the　substances　they　assimilate　in　the
environment　they　live　in。〃

He　stopped　short；　struck　his　forehead；　and　exclaimed：　〃How　strange！　In
every　great　man　whose　portrait　I　have　remarked；　the　neck　is　short。
Perhaps　nature　requires　that　in　them　the　heart　should　be　nearer　to　the
brain！〃

Then　he　went　on：

〃From　that；　a　sum…total　of　action　takes　its　rise　which　constitutes
social　life。　The　man　of　sinew　contributes　action　or　strength；　the　man
of　brain；　genius；　the　man　of　heart；　faith。　But；〃　he　added　sadly；
〃faith　sees　only　the　clouds　of　the　sanctuary；　the　Angel　alone　has
light。〃

So；　according　to　his　own　definitions；　Lambert　was　all　brain　and　all
heart。　It　seems　to　me　that　his　intellectual　life　was　divided　into
three　marked　phases。

Under　the　impulsion；　from　his　earliest　years；　of　a　precocious
activity；　due；　no　doubt；　to　some　maladyor　to　some　special　perfection
of　organism；　his　powers　were　concentrated　on　the　functions　of　the
inner　senses　and　a　superabundant　flow　of　nerve…　fluid。　As　a　man　of
ideas；　he　craved　to　satisfy　the　thirst　of　his　brain；　to　assimilate
every　idea。　Hence　his　reading；　and　from　his　reading；　the　reflections
that　gave　him　the　power　of　reducing　things　to　their　simplest
expression；　and　of　absorbing　them　to　study　them　in　their　essence。
Thus；　the　advantages　of　this　splendid　stage；　acquired　by　other　men
only　after　long　study；　were　achieved　by　Lambert　during　his　bodily
childhood：　a　happy　childhood；　colored　by　the　studious　joys　of　a　born
poet。

The　point　which　most　thinkers　reach　at　last　was　to　him　the　starting…
point；　whence　his　brain　was　to　set　out　one　day　in　search　of　new　worlds
of　knowledge。　Though　as　yet　he　knew　it　not；　he　had　made　for　himself
the　most　exacting　life　possible；　and　the　most　insatiably　greedy。
Merely　to　live；　was　he　not　compelled　to　be　perpetually　casting
nutriment　into　the　gulf　he　had　opened　in　himself？　Like　some　beings　who
dwell　in　the　grosser　world；　might　not　he　die　of　inanition　for　want　of
feeding　abnormal　and　disappointed　cravings？　Was　not　this　a　sort　of
debauchery　of　the　intellect　which　might　lead　to　spontaneous
combustion；　like　that　of　bodies　saturated　with　alcohol？

I　had　seen　nothing　of　this　first　phase　of　his　brain…development；　it　is
only　now；　at　a　later　day；　that　I　can　thus　give　an　account　of　its
prodigious　fruit　and　results。　Lambert　was　now　thirteen。

I　was　so　fortunate　as　to　witness　the　first　stage　of　the　second　period。
Lambert　was　cast　into　all　the　miseries　of　school…lifeand　that；
perhaps；　was　his　salvationit　absorbed　the　superabundance　of　his
thoughts。　After　passing　from　concrete　ideas　to　their　purest
expression；　from　words　to　their　ideal　import；　and　from　that　import　to
principles；　after　reducing　everything　to　the　abstract；　to　enable　him
to　live　he　yearned　for　yet　other　intellectual　creations。　Quelled　by
the　woes　of　school　and　the　critical　development　of　his　physical
constitution；　he　became　thoughtful；　dreamed　of　feeling；　and　caught　a
glimpse　of　new　sciencespositively　masses　of　ideas。　Checked　in　his
career；　and　not　yet　strong　enough　to　contemplate　the　higher　spheres；
he　contemplated　his　inmost　self。　I　then　perceived　in　him　the　struggle
of　the　Mind　reacting　on　itself；　and　trying　to　detect　the　secrets　of
its　own　nature；　like　a　physician　who　watches　the　course　of　his　own
disease。

At　this　stage　of　weakness　and　strength；　of　childish　grace　and
superhuman　powers；　Louis　Lambert　is　the　creature　who；　more　than　any
other；　gave　me　a　poetical　and　truthful　image　of　the　being　we　call　an
angel；　always　excepting　one　woman　whose　name；　whose　features；　whose
identity；　and　whose　life　I　would　fain　hide　from　all　the　world；　so　as
to　be　sole　master　of　the　secret　of　her　existence；　and　to　bury　it　in
the　depths　of　my　heart。



The　third　phase　I　was　not　destined　to　see。　It　began　when　Lambert　and　I
were　parted；　for　he　did　not　leave　college　till　he　was　eighteen；　in　the
summer　of　1815。　He　had　at　that　time　lost　his　father　and　mother　about
six　months　before。　Finding　no　member　of　his　family　with　whom　his　soul
could　sympathize；　expansive　still；　but；　since　our　parting；　thrown　back
on　himself；　he　made　his　home　with　his　uncle；　who　was　also　his
guardian；　and　who；　having　been　turned　out　of　his　benefice　as　a　priest
who　had　taken　the　oaths；　had　come　to　settle　at　Blois。　There　Louis
lived　for　some　time；　but　consumed　ere　long　by　the　desire　to　finish　his
incomplete　studies；　he　came　to　Paris　to　see　Madame　de　Stael；　and　to
drink　of　science　at　its　highest　fount。　The　old　priest；　being　very　fond
of　his　nephew；　left　Louis　free　to　spend　his　whole　little　inheritance
in　his　three　years'　stay　in　Paris；　though　he　lived　very　poorly。　This
fortune　consisted　of　but　a　few　thousand　francs。

Lambert　returned　to　Blois　at　the　beginning　of　1820；　driven　from　Paris
by　the　sufferings　to　which　the　impecunious　are　exposed　there。　He　must
often　have　been　a　victim　to　the　secret　storms；　the　terrible　rage　of
mind　by　which　artists　are　tossed　to　judge　from　the　only　fact　his　uncle
recollected；　and　the　only　letter　he　preserved　of　all　those　which　Louis
Lambert　wrote　to　him　at　that　time；　perhaps　because　it　was　the　last　and
the　longest。

To　begin　with　the　story。　Louis　one　evening　was　at　the　Theatre…
Francais；　seated　on　a　bench　in　the　upper　gallery；　near　to　one　of　the
pillars　which；　in　those　days；　divided　off　the　third　row　of　boxes。　On
rising　between　the　acts；　he　saw　a　young　woman　who　had　just　come　into
the　box　next　him。　The　sight　of　this　lady；　who　was　young；　pretty；　well
dressed；　in　a　low　bodice　no　doubt；　and　escorted　by　a　man　for　whom　her
face　beamed　with　all　the　charms　of　love；　produced　such　a　terrible
effect　on　Lambert's　soul　and　senses；　that　he　was　obliged　to　leave　the
theatre。　If　he　had　not　been　controlled　by　some　remaining　glimmer　of
reason；　which　was　not　wholly　extinguished　by　this　first　fever　of
burning　passion；　he　might　perhaps　have　yielded　to　the　most
irresistible　desire　that　came　over　him　to　kill　the　young　man　on　whom
the　lady's　looks　beamed。　Was　not　this　a　reversion；　in　the　heart　of　the
Paris　world；　to　the　savage　passion　that　regards　women　as　its　prey；　an
effect　of　animal　instinct　combining　with　the　almost　luminous　flashes
of　a　soul　crushed　under　the　weight　of　thought？　In　short；　was　it　not
the　prick　of　the　penknife　so　vividly　imagined　by　the　boy；　felt　by　the
man　as　the　thunderbolt　of　his　most　vital　cravingfor　love？

And　now；　here　is　the　letter　that　depicts　the　state　of　his　mind　as　it
was　struck　by　the　spectacle　of　Parisian　civilization。　His　feelings；
perpetually　wounded　no　doubt　in　that　whirlpool　of　self…interest；　must
always　have　suffered　there；　he　probably　had　no　friend　to　comfort　him；
no　enemy　to　give　tone　to　this　life。　Compelled　to　live　in　himself
alone；　having　no　one　to　share　his　subtle　raptures；　he　may　have　hoped
to　solve　the　problem　of　his　destiny　by　a　life　of　ecstasy；　adopting　an
almost　vegetative　attitude；　like　an　anchorite　of　the　early　Church；　and
abdicating　the　empire　of　the　intellectual　world。

This　letter　seems　to　hint　at　such　a　scheme；　which　is　a　temptation　to
all　lofty　souls　at　periods　of　social　reform。　But　is　not　this　purpose；
in　some　cases；　the　result　of　a　vocation？　Do　not　some　of　them　endeavor
to　concentrate　their　powers　by　long　silence；　so　as　to　emerge　fully
capable　of　governing　the　world　by　word　or　by　deed？　Louis　must；
assuredly；　have　found　much　bitterness　in　his　intercourse　with　men；　or
have　striven　hard　with　Society　in　terrible　irony；　without　extracting
anything　from　it；　before　uttering　so　strident　a　cry；　and　expressing；
poor　fellow；　the　desire　which　satiety　of　power　and　of　all　earthly
things　has　led　even　monarchs　to　indulge！

And　perhaps；　too；　he　went　back　to　solitude　to　carry　ou