the coming race-第18部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

　scene　a　child；　in　the　next　is　an　old　man；　and　so　forth。　　These　plays　are　of　very　ancient　composition；　and　their　stories　cast　in　remote　times。　　They　appeared　to　me　very　dull；　on　the　whole；　but　were　relieved　by　startling　mechanical　contrivances；　and　a　kind　of　farcical　broad　humour；　and　detached　passages　of　great　vigour　and　power　expressed　in　language　highly　poetical；　but　somewhat　overcharged　with　metaphor　and　trope。　　In　fine；　they　seemed　to　me　very　much　what　the　plays　of　Shakespeare　seemed　to　a　Parisian　in　the　time　of　Louis　XV。；　or　perhaps　to　an　Englishman　in　the　reign　of　Charles　II。

The　audience；　of　which　the　Gy…ei　constituted　the　chief　portion；　appeared　to　enjoy　greatly　the　representation　of　these　dramas；　which；　for　so　sedate　and　majestic　a　race　of　females；　surprised　me；　till　I　observed　that　all　the　performers　were　under　the　age　of　adolescence；　and　conjectured　truly　that　the　mothers　and　sisters　came　to　please　their　children　and　brothers。

I　have　said　that　these　dramas　are　of　great　antiquity。　　No　new　plays；　indeed　no　imaginative　works　sufficiently　important　to　survive　their　immediate　day；　appear　to　have　been　composed　for　several　generations。　　In　fact；　though　there　is　no　lack　of　new　publications；　and　they　have　even　what　may　be　called　newspapers；　these　are　chiefly　devoted　to　mechanical　science；　reports　of　new　inventions；　announcements　respecting　various　details　of　business…　in　short；　to　practical　matters。　　Sometimes　a　child　writes　a　little　tale　of　adventure；　or　a　young　Gy　vents　her　amorous　hopes　or　fears　in　a　poem；　but　these　effusions　are　of　very　little　merit；　and　are　seldom　read　except　by　children　and　maiden　Gy…ei。　　The　most　interesting　works　of　a　purely　literary　character　are　those　of　explorations　and　travels　into　other　regions　of　this　nether　world；　which　are　generally　written　by　84young　emigrants；　and　are　read　with　great　avidity　by　the　relations　and　friends　they　have　left　behind。

I　could　not　help　expressing　to　Aph…Lin　my　surprise　that　a　community　in　which　mechanical　science　had　made　so　marvellous　a　progress；　and　in　which　intellectual　civilisation　had　exhibited　itself　in　realising　those　objects　for　the　happiness　of　the　people；　which　the　political　philosophers　above　ground　had；　after　ages　of　struggle；　pretty　generally　agreed　to　consider　unattainable　visions；　should；　nevertheless；　be　so　wholly　without　a　contemporaneous　literature；　despite　the　excellence　to　which　culture　had　brought　a　language　at　once　so　rich　and　simple；　vigourous　and　musical。

My　host　replied…　〃Do　you　not　percieve　that　a　literature　such　as　you　mean　would　be　wholly　incompatible　with　that　perfection　of　social　or　political　felicity　at　which　you　do　us　the　honour　to　think　we　have　arrived？　We　have　at　last；　after　centuries　of　struggle；　settled　into　a　form　of　government　with　which　we　are　content；　and　in　which；　as　we　allow　no　differences　of　rank；　and　no　honours　are　paid　to　administrators　distinguishing　them　from　others；　there　is　no　stimulus　given　to　individual　ambition。　　No　one　would　read　works　advocating　theories　that　involved　any　political　or　social　change；　and　therefore　no　one　writes　them。　　If　now　and　then　an　An　feels　himself　dissatisfied　with　our　tranquil　mode　of　life；　he　does　not　attack　it；　he　goes　away。　　Thus　all　that　part　of　literature　（and　to　judge　by　the　ancient　books　in　our　public　libraries；　it　was　once　a　very　large　part）；　which　relates　to　speculative　theories　on　society　is　become　utterly　extinct。　　Again；　formerly　there　was　a　vast　deal　written　respecting　the　attributes　and　essence　of　the　All…Good；　and　the　arguments　for　and　against　a　future　state；　but　now　we　all　recognise　two　facts；　that　there　IS　a　Divine　Being；　and　there　IS　a　future　state；　and　we　all　equally　agree　that　if　we　wrote　our　fingers　to　the　bone；　we　could　not　throw　any　light　upon　the　nature　and　conditions　of　that　future　state；　or　quicken　our　apprehensions　of　the　attributes　and　essence　of　that　Divine　85Being。　　Thus　another　part　of　literature　has　become　also　extinct；　happily　for　our　race；　for　in　the　time　when　so　much　was　written　on　subjects　which　no　one　could　determine；　people　seemed　to　live　in　a　perpetual　state　of　quarrel　and　contention。　　So；　too；　a　vast　part　of　our　ancient　literature　consists　of　historical　records　of　wars　an　revolutions　during　the　times　when　the　Ana　lived　in　large　and　turbulent　societies；　each　seeking　aggrandisement　at　the　expense　of　the　other。　　You　see　our　serene　mode　of　life　now；　such　it　has　been　for　ages。　　We　have　no　events　to　chronicle。　　What　more　of　us　can　be　said　than　that；　'they　were　born；　they　were　happy；　they　died？'　Coming　next　to　that　part　of　literature　which　is　more　under　the　control　of　the　imagination；　such　as　what　we　call　Glaubsila；　or　colloquially　'Glaubs；'　and　you　call　poetry；　the　reasons　for　its　decline　amongst　us　are　abundantly　obvious。

〃We　find；　by　referring　to　the　great　masterpieces　in　that　department　of　literature　which　we　all　still　read　with　pleasure；　but　of　which　none　would　tolerate　imitations；　that　they　consist　in　the　portraiture　of　passions　which　we　no　longer　experience…　ambition；　vengeance；　unhallowed　love；　the　thirst　for　warlike　renown；　and　suchlike。　　The　old　poets　lived　in　an　atmosphere　impregnated　with　these　passions；　and　felt　vividly　what　they　expressed　glowingly。　　No　one　can　express　such　passions　now；　for　no　one　can　feel　them；　or　meet　with　any　sympathy　in　his　readers　if　he　did。　　Again；　the　old　poetry　has　a　main　element　in　its　dissection　of　those　complex　mysteries　of　human　character　which　conduce　to　abnormal　vices　and　crimes；　or　lead　to　signal　and　extraordinary　virtues。　　But　our　society；　having　got　rid　of　temptations　to　any　prominent　vices　and　crimes；　has　necessarily　rendered　the　moral　average　so　equal；　that　there　are　no　very　salient　virtues。　　Without　its　ancient　food　of　strong　passions；　vast　crimes；　heroic　excellences；　poetry　therefore　is；　if　not　actually　starved　to　death；　reduced　to　a　very　meagre　diet。　　There　is　still　the　poetry　of　description…　description　of　rocks；　and　trees；　and　waters；　and　common　household　life；　and　our　young　Gy…ei　weave　much　of　this　insipid　kind　of　composition　into　their　love　verses。〃　86　〃Such　poetry；〃　said　I；　〃might　surely　be　made　very　charming；　and　we　have　critics　amongst　us　who　consider　it　a　higher　kind　than　that　which　depicts　the　crimes；　or　analyses　the　passions；　of　man。　　At　all　events；　poetry　of　the　inspired　kind　you　mention　is　a　poetry　that　nowadays　commands　more　readers　than　any　other　among　the　people　I　have　left　above　ground。〃

〃Possibly；　but　then　I　suppose　the　writers　take　great　pains　with　the　language　they　employ；　and　devote　themselves　to　the　culture　and　polish　of　words　and　rhythms　of　an　art？〃

〃Certainly　they　do：　all　great　poets　do　that。　　Though　the　gift　of　poetry　may　be　inborn；　the　gift　requires　as　much　care　to　make　it　available　as　a　block　of　metal　does　to　be　made　into　one　of　your　engines。〃

〃And　doubtless　your　poets　have　some　incentive　to　bestow　all　those　pains　upon　such　verbal　prettinesses？〃

〃Well；　I　presume　their　instinct　of　song　would　make　them　sing　as　the　bird　does；　but　to　cultivate　the　song　into　verbal　or　artificial　prettiness；　probably　does　need　an　inducement　from　without；　and　our　poets　find　it　in　the　love　of　fame…　perhaps；　now　and　then；　in　the　want　of　money。〃

〃Precisely　so。　　But　in　our　society　we　attach　fame　to　nothing　which　man；　in　that　moment　of　his　duration　which　is　called　'life；'　can　perform。　　We　should　soon　lose　that　equality　which　constitutes　the　felicitous　essence　of　our　commonwealth　if　we　selected　any　individual　for　pre…eminent　praise：　pre…eminent　praise　would　confer　pre…eminent　power；　and　the　moment　it　were　given；　evil　passions；　now　dormant；　would　awake：　other　men　would　immediately　covet　praise；　then　would　arise　envy；　and　with　envy　hate；　and　with　hate　calumny　and　persecution。　　Our　history　tells　us　that　most　of　the　poets　and　most　of　the　writers　who；　in　the　old　time；　were　favoured　with　the　greatest　praise；　were　also　assailed　by　the　greatest　vituperation；　and　even；　on　the　whole；　87rendered　very　unhappy；　partly　by　the　attacks　of　jealous　rivals；　partly　by　the　diseased　mental　constitution　which　an　acquired　sensitiveness　to　praise　and　to　blame　tends　to　engender。　　As　for　the　stimulus　of　want；　in　the　first　place；　no　man　in　our　community　knows　the　goad　of　poverty；　and；　secondly；　if　he　did；　almost　every　occupation　would　be　more　lucrative　than　writing。

〃Our　public　libraries　contain　all　the　books　of　the　past　which　time　has　preserved；　those　books；　for　the　reasons　above　stated；　are　infinitely　better　than　any　can　write　nowadays；　and　they　are　open　to　all　to　read　without　cost。　　We　are　not　such　fools　as　to　pay　for　reading　inferior　books；　when　we　can　read　superior　books　for　nothing。〃

〃With　us；　novelty　has　an　attraction；　and　a　new　book；　if　bad；　is　read　when　an　old　book；　though　good；　is　neglected。〃

〃Novelty；　to　barbarous　states　of　society　struggling　in　despair　for　something　better；　has　no　doubt　an　attraction；　denied　to　us；　who　see　nothing　to　gain　in　novelties；　but　after　all；　it　is　observed　by　one　of　our　great　authors　four　thousand　years　ago；　that　'he　who　studies　old　books　will　always　find　in　them　something　new；　and　he　who　reads　new　books　will　always　find　in　them　something　old。'　But　to　return　to　the　question　you　have　raised；　there　being　then　amongst　us　no　stimulus　to　painstaking　labour；　whether　in　desire　of