fabre, poet of science-第41章

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in　the　shadow　of　a　leaf。



Those　who　labour；　on　the　contrary；　do　not　attract　the　eye；　and　the　most

obscure　are　often　the　most　interesting。　Necessitous　poverty　has　educated

and　formed　them；　has　excited　in　them　〃feats　of　invention；〃　unsuspected

talents；　original　industries；　a　thousand　curious　and　unexpected　callings；

and　no　subject　of　poetry　equals　in　interest　the　detailed　history　of　one　of

these　tiny　creatures；　by　which　we　pass　without　observing　them；　amid　the

stones；　the　brambles；　and　the　dead　leaves。　It　is　these　above　all　that　add

an　original　and　epic　note　to　the　vast　symphony　of　the　world。



But　death　also　has　its　poetry。　Its　shadowy　domains　hold　lessons　no　less

magnificent；　and　the　most　putrid　carrion　is　to　Fabre　a　〃tabernacle〃　in

which　a　divine　comedy　is　enacted。



The　ant；　that　〃ardent　filibuster；　comes　first；　and　commences　to　dissect　it

piecemeal。〃



The　Necrophori　〃exhaling　the　odour　of　musk；　and　bearing　red　pompons　at　the

end　of　their　antennae；〃　are　〃transcendent　alchemists。〃



The　Sarcophagi；　or　grey　flesh　flies；　〃with　red　bloodshot　eyes；　and　the

stony　gaze　of　a　knacker〃；　the　Saprinidae；　〃with　bodies　of　polished　ebony

like　pearls　of　jet〃；　the　Silpha　aplata；　with　large　and　sombre　wing…cases　in

mourning；　the　shiny　slow…trotting　Horn…beetle；　the　Dermestes；　〃powdered

with　snow　beneath　the　stomach〃；　the　slender　Staphylinus；　the　whole　fauna　of

the　corpse；　the　whole　horde　of　artisans　of　death；　〃intoxicating　themselves

with　purulence；　probing；　excavating；　mangling；　dissecting；　transmuting；　and

stamping　out　infection。〃



Fabre　gives　a　curious　exposition　of　〃that　strange　art〃　by　which　the　grub　of

the　grey　bot…fly；　the　vulgar　maggot；　by　means　of　a　subtle　pepsine；

disintegrates　and　liquefies　solid　matter；　and　it　is　because　this　singular

solvent　has　no　effect　upon　the　epidermis　that　the　fly；　in　its　wisdom；

chooses　by　preference　the　mucous　membranes；　the　corner　of　the　eye；　the

entrance　of　the　nostrils；　the　borders　of　the　lips；　the　live　flesh　of

wounds；　there　to　deposit　its　eggs。



With　what　penetration　this　original　mind　has　analysed　〃the　operation　of　the

crucible　in　which　all　things　are　fused　that　they　may　recommence〃　and　has

expounded　the　marvellous　lesson　which　is　revealed　by　decomposition　and

putridity！





CHAPTER　14。　PARALLEL　LIVES。



We　have　now　seen　what　entomology　becomes　in　the　hands　of　the　admirable

Fabre。　The　vast　poem　of　creation　has　never　had　a　more　familiar　and　luminous

interpreter；　and　you　will　nowhere　find　other　work　like　his。



How　far　he　outstrips　Buffon　and　his　descriptions　of　animalsso　general；　so

vague；　so　impersonalhis　records　unreliable　and　his　entire　erudition　of　a

second…hand　quality！



It　is　with　Réaumur　that　we　are　first　of　all　tempted　to　compare　him；　and

some　have　chosen　to　see　in　him　only　one　who　has　continued　Réaumur's　work。

In　reality　he　has　eagerly　read　Réaumur；　although　at　heart　he　does　not

really　enjoy　his　writings；　he　has　drunk　from　this　fruitful　source；　but　he

owes　him　no　part　of　his　own　rich　harvest。



But　there　are　many　affinities　between　them；　they　have　many　traits　in

common；　despite　the　points　of　difference　between　them。



The　illustrious　son　of　Rochelle　was　born；　like　Fabre；　with　a　love　of　all

natural　things；　and　before　attacking　the　myriad　problems　of　physics　and

natural　history；　wherein　he　was　to　shine　by　so　many　curious　discoveries；　he

also　had　prepared　himself　by　a　profound　study　of　mathematics。



Luckier　than　Fabre；　however；　Réaumur　enjoyed　not　only　the　advantages　of

birth；　but　all　the　material　conditions　necessary　to　his　ardent　intellectual

activity。　Fortune　overwhelmed　her　favourite　with　gifts；　and　played　no　small

part　in　his　glory　by　enabling　him；　from　an　early　age；　to　profit　by　his

leisure　and　to　give　a　free　rein　to　his　ruling　passions。　He　was　no　less

modest　than　the　sage　of　Sérignan；　self…effacing　before　others；　says　one　of

his　biographers；　so　that　they　were　never　made　to　feel　his　superiority。

（14/1。）



In　the　midst　of　the　beautiful　and　spacious　gardens　at　the　end　of　the

Faubourg　Saint…Antoine；　where　he　finally　made　his　home；　he　also　contrived

to　create　for　himself　a　Harmas　after　his　own　heart。



It　was　there　that　in　the　as　yet　virgin　domain　of　entomology　he　unravelled

the　riddle　of　the　marvellous　republic　of　the　bees；　and　was　able　to　expound

and　interpret　a　large　number　of　those　tiny　lives　which　every　one　had

hitherto　despised；　and　which　indeed　they　continued　to　despise　until　the

days　of　Fabre；　or　at　least　regarded　as　absolutely　unimportant。　He　was　the

first　to　venture　to　suspect　their　connection　with　much　〃that　most　nearly

concerns　us；〃　or　to　point　out　〃all　the　singular　conclusions〃　which　may　be

drawn　therefrom。　（14/2。）



How　many　details　he　has　enshrined　in　his　interesting　〃Memoirs；〃　and　how

many　facts　we　may　glean　from　this　great　master！　He；　like　Fabre；　had　the

gift　of　charming　a　great　number　of　his　contemporaries。　Tremblay；　Bonnet；

and　de　Geer　owed　their　vocations　to　Réaumur；　not　to　speak　of　Huber；　whose

genius　he　inspired。



A　physicist　before　all；　and　accustomed　to　delicate　and　meticulous　though

comparatively　simple　tasks；　he　had　admirably　foreseen　the　extraordinary

complication　of　these　inquiries；　so　much　so　that；　with　the　modesty　of　the

true　scientist　that　he　was；　he　regarded　his　own　studies；　even　the　most

substantial；　as　mere　indications；　intended　to　point　the　way　to　those　that

followed　him。



As　methodical；　in　short；　as　the　author　of　the　〃Souvenirs；〃　the　scrupulous

Réaumur　wrote　nothing　that　he　himself　had　not　proved　or　verified　with　the

greatest　care；　and　we　may　be　sure　that　all　that　he　records　of　his　personal

and　immediate　observations　he　has　really　seen　with　his　own　eyes。



In　the　wilderness　of　error　he　had；　like　Fabre；　an　infallible　compass　in　his

extraordinary　common　sense；　and；　equally　skilled　in　extracting　from　the

false　the　little　particle　of　truth　which　it　often　contains；　he　was　no　less

fond　of　listening　at　the　gate　of　legends；　of　tracing　the　source　of

traditions；　rightly　considering　that　before　deriding　them　as　old…wives'

tales　we　should　first　probe　in　all　directions　into　their　origin　and

foundation。　（14/3。）



He　was　also　tempted　to　experiment；　and　he　well　knew　that　in　such　problems

as　those　he　attacked　observation　alone　is　often　powerless　to　reveal

anything。　It　is　enough　to　recall　here　one　of　the　most　promising　and

unexpected　of　the　discoveries　which　resulted　from　his　experiments。　Réaumur

was　the　first　to　conceive　the　ingenious　idea　of　retarding　the　hatching　of

insects'　eggs　by　exposing　them　to　cold；　thus　anticipating　the　application

of　cold　to　animal　life　and　the　discoveries　of　Charles　Tellier；　whose　more

illustrious　forerunner　he　was；　at　the　same　time　he　discovered　the　secret　of

prolonging；　in　a　similar　fashion；　the　larval　existence　of　chrysalids　during

a　space　of　time　infinitely　superior　to　that　of　their　normal　cycle；　and　what

is　more；　he　succeeded　in　making　them　live　a　lethargic　life　for　years　and

even　for　a　long　term　of　years；　thus　repeating　at　will　the　miracle　of　the

Seven　Sleepers。　（14/4。）



Too　much　occupied；　however；　with　the　smaller　aspect　of　things；　he　had　not

the　art　of　forcing　Nature　to　speak；　and　in　the　province　of　psychical

aptitudes　he　was　barely　able　to　rise　above　the　facts。



As　he　was　powerless　to　enter　into　real　communion　with　the　tiny　creatures

which　he　observed；　although　his　observations　were　conducted　with　religious

admiration；　as　he　saw　always　only　the　outside　of　things；　like　a　physicist

rather　than　a　poet　or　psychologist；　he　contented　himself　with　noting　the

functioning　of　their　organs；　their　methods　of　work；　their　properties；　and

the　changes　which　they　undergo；　he　did　not　interpret　their　actions。　The

mystery　of　the　life　which　quivers　within　and　around　them　eludes　him。　This

is　why　his　books　are　such　dry　reading。　He　is　like　a　bright　garden　full　of

rare　plants；　but　it　is　a　monotonous　garden；　without　life　or　art；　without

distant　vistas　or