第41章
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  “Theypretend,“asIhear,“thattheversesofKabirhavefourdifferentsenses;illusion,spirit,intellect,andtheexotericdoctrineoftheVedas“;butinthispartoftheworlditisconsideredagroundforcomplaintifaman’swritingsadmitofmorethanoneinterpretation。WhileEnglandendeavorstocurethepotato-rot,willnotanyendeavortocurethebrain-rot,whichprevailssomuchmorewidelyandfatally?

  IdonotsupposethatIhaveattainedtoobscurity,butIshouldbeproudifnomorefatalfaultwerefoundwithmypagesonthisscorethanwasfoundwiththeWaldenice。Southerncustomersobjectedtoitsbluecolor,whichistheevidenceofitspurity,asifitweremuddy,andpreferredtheCambridgeice,whichiswhite,buttastesofweeds。Thepuritymenloveislikethemistswhichenveloptheearth,andnotliketheazureetherbeyond。

  SomearedinninginourearsthatweAmericans,andmodernsgenerally,areintellectualdwarfscomparedwiththeancients,oreventheElizabethanmen。Butwhatisthattothepurpose?A

  livingdogisbetterthanadeadlion。Shallamangoandhanghimselfbecausehebelongstotheraceofpygmies,andnotbethebiggestpygmythathecan?Leteveryonemindhisownbusiness,andendeavortobewhathewasmade。

  Whyshouldwebeinsuchdesperatehastetosucceedandinsuchdesperateenterprises?Ifamandoesnotkeeppacewithhiscompanions,perhapsitisbecausehehearsadifferentdrummer。Lethimsteptothemusicwhichhehears,howevermeasuredorfaraway。

  Itisnotimportantthatheshouldmatureassoonasanappletreeoranoak。Shallheturnhisspringintosummer?Iftheconditionofthingswhichweweremadeforisnotyet,whatwereanyrealitywhichwecansubstitute?Wewillnotbeshipwreckedonavainreality。Shallwewithpainserectaheavenofblueglassoverourselves,thoughwhenitisdoneweshallbesuretogazestillatthetrueetherealheavenfarabove,asiftheformerwerenot?

  TherewasanartistinthecityofKouroowhowasdisposedtostriveafterperfection。Onedayitcameintohismindtomakeastaff。Havingconsideredthatinanimperfectworktimeisaningredient,butintoaperfectworktimedoesnotenter,hesaidtohimself,Itshallbeperfectinallrespects,thoughIshoulddonothingelseinmylife。Heproceededinstantlytotheforestforwood,beingresolvedthatitshouldnotbemadeofunsuitablematerial;andashesearchedforandrejectedstickafterstick,hisfriendsgraduallydesertedhim,fortheygrewoldintheirworksanddied,buthegrewnotolderbyamoment。Hissinglenessofpurposeandresolution,andhiselevatedpiety,endowedhim,withouthisknowledge,withperennialyouth。AshemadenocompromisewithTime,Timekeptoutofhisway,andonlysighedatadistancebecausehecouldnotovercomehim。BeforehehadfoundastockinallrespectssuitablethecityofKouroowasahoaryruin,andhesatononeofitsmoundstopeelthestick。BeforehehadgivenitthepropershapethedynastyoftheCandaharswasatanend,andwiththepointofthestickhewrotethenameofthelastofthatraceinthesand,andthenresumedhiswork。BythetimehehadsmoothedandpolishedthestaffKalpawasnolongerthepole-star;

  anderehehadputontheferuleandtheheadadornedwithpreciousstones,Brahmahadawokeandslumberedmanytimes。ButwhydoI

  staytomentionthesethings?Whenthefinishingstrokewasputtohiswork,itsuddenlyexpandedbeforetheeyesoftheastonishedartistintothefairestofallthecreationsofBrahma。Hehadmadeanewsysteminmakingastaff,aworldwithfullandfairproportions;inwhich,thoughtheoldcitiesanddynastieshadpassedaway,fairerandmoregloriousoneshadtakentheirplaces。

  Andnowhesawbytheheapofshavingsstillfreshathisfeet,that,forhimandhiswork,theformerlapseoftimehadbeenanillusion,andthatnomoretimehadelapsedthanisrequiredforasinglescintillationfromthebrainofBrahmatofallonandinflamethetinderofamortalbrain。Thematerialwaspure,andhisartwaspure;howcouldtheresultbeotherthanwonderful?

  Nofacewhichwecangivetoamatterwillsteadussowellatlastasthetruth。Thisalonewearswell。Forthemostpart,wearenotwhereweare,butinafalseposition。Throughaninfinityofournatures,wesupposeacase,andputourselvesintoit,andhenceareintwocasesatthesametime,anditisdoublydifficulttogetout。Insanemomentsweregardonlythefacts,thecasethatis。Saywhatyouhavetosay,notwhatyouought。Anytruthisbetterthanmake-believe。TomHyde,thetinker,standingonthegallows,wasaskedifhehadanythingtosay。“Tellthetailors,“

  saidhe,“toremembertomakeaknotintheirthreadbeforetheytakethefirststitch。“Hiscompanion’sprayerisforgotten。

  Howevermeanyourlifeis,meetitandliveit;donotshunitandcallithardnames。Itisnotsobadasyouare。Itlookspoorestwhenyouarerichest。Thefault-finderwillfindfaultseveninparadise。Loveyourlife,poorasitis。Youmayperhapshavesomepleasant,thrilling,glorioushours,eveninapoorhouse。

  Thesettingsunisreflectedfromthewindowsofthealmshouseasbrightlyasfromtherichman’sabode;thesnowmeltsbeforeitsdoorasearlyinthespring。Idonotseebutaquietmindmayliveascontentedlythere,andhaveascheeringthoughts,asinapalace。

  Thetown’spoorseemtomeoftentolivethemostindependentlivesofany。Maybetheyaresimplygreatenoughtoreceivewithoutmisgiving。Mostthinkthattheyareabovebeingsupportedbythetown;butitoftenerhappensthattheyarenotabovesupportingthemselvesbydishonestmeans,whichshouldbemoredisreputable。

  Cultivatepovertylikeagardenherb,likesage。Donottroubleyourselfmuchtogetnewthings,whetherclothesorfriends。Turntheold;returntothem。Thingsdonotchange;wechange。Sellyourclothesandkeepyourthoughts。Godwillseethatyoudonotwantsociety。IfIwereconfinedtoacornerofagarretallmydays,likeaspider,theworldwouldbejustaslargetomewhileI

  hadmythoughtsaboutme。Thephilosophersaid:“Fromanarmyofthreedivisionsonecantakeawayitsgeneral,andputitindisorder;fromthemanthemostabjectandvulgaronecannottakeawayhisthought。“Donotseeksoanxiouslytobedeveloped,tosubjectyourselftomanyinfluencestobeplayedon;itisalldissipation。Humilitylikedarknessrevealstheheavenlylights。

  Theshadowsofpovertyandmeannessgatheraroundus,“andlo!

  creationwidenstoourview。“WeareoftenremindedthatiftherewerebestowedonusthewealthofCroesus,ouraimsmuststillbethesame,andourmeansessentiallythesame。Moreover,ifyouarerestrictedinyourrangebypoverty,ifyoucannotbuybooksandnewspapers,forinstance,youarebutconfinedtothemostsignificantandvitalexperiences;youarecompelledtodealwiththematerialwhichyieldsthemostsugarandthemoststarch。Itislifenearthebonewhereitissweetest。Youaredefendedfrombeingatrifler。Nomanloseseveronalowerlevelbymagnanimityonahigher。Superfluouswealthcanbuysuperfluitiesonly。Moneyisnotrequiredtobuyonenecessaryofthesoul。

  Iliveintheangleofaleadenwall,intowhosecompositionwaspouredalittlealloyofbell-metal。Often,inthereposeofmymid-day,therereachesmyearsaconfusedtintinnabulumfromwithout。Itisthenoiseofmycontemporaries。Myneighborstellmeoftheiradventureswithfamousgentlemenandladies,whatnotabilitiestheymetatthedinner-table;butIamnomoreinterestedinsuchthingsthaninthecontentsoftheDailyTimes。

  Theinterestandtheconversationareaboutcostumeandmannerschiefly;butagooseisagoosestill,dressitasyouwill。TheytellmeofCaliforniaandTexas,ofEnglandandtheIndies,oftheHon。Mr——ofGeorgiaorofMassachusetts,alltransientandfleetingphenomena,tillIamreadytoleapfromtheircourt-yardliketheMamelukebey。Idelighttocometomybearings——notwalkinprocessionwithpompandparade,inaconspicuousplace,buttowalkevenwiththeBuilderoftheuniverse,ifImay——nottoliveinthisrestless,nervous,bustling,trivialNineteenthCentury,butstandorsitthoughtfullywhileitgoesby。Whataremencelebrating?Theyareallonacommitteeofarrangements,andhourlyexpectaspeechfromsomebody。Godisonlythepresidentoftheday,andWebsterishisorator。Ilovetoweigh,tosettle,togravitatetowardthatwhichmoststronglyandrightfullyattractsme——nothangbythebeamofthescaleandtrytoweighless——notsupposeacase,buttakethecasethatis;totraveltheonlypathI

  can,andthatonwhichnopowercanresistme。ItaffordsmenosatisfactiontocommercetospringanarchbeforeIhavegotasolidfoundation。Letusnotplayatkittly-benders。Thereisasolidbottomeverywhere。Wereadthatthetravelleraskedtheboyiftheswampbeforehimhadahardbottom。Theboyrepliedthatithad。

  Butpresentlythetraveller’shorsesankinuptothegirths,andheobservedtotheboy,“Ithoughtyousaidthatthisboghadahardbottom。““Soithas,“answeredthelatter,“butyouhavenotgothalfwaytoityet。“Soitiswiththebogsandquicksandsofsociety;butheisanoldboythatknowsit。Onlywhatisthought,said,ordoneatacertainrarecoincidenceisgood。Iwouldnotbeoneofthosewhowillfoolishlydriveanailintomerelathandplastering;suchadeedwouldkeepmeawakenights。Givemeahammer,andletmefeelforthefurring。Donotdependontheputty。Driveanailhomeandclinchitsofaithfullythatyoucanwakeupinthenightandthinkofyourworkwithsatisfaction——aworkatwhichyouwouldnotbeashamedtoinvoketheMuse。SowillhelpyouGod,andsoonly。Everynaildrivenshouldbeasanotherrivetinthemachineoftheuniverse,youcarryingonthework。

  Ratherthanlove,thanmoney,thanfame,givemetruth。Isatatatablewherewererichfoodandwineinabundance,andobsequiousattendance,butsincerityandtruthwerenot;andIwentawayhungryfromtheinhospitableboard。Thehospitalitywasascoldastheices。Ithoughtthattherewasnoneedoficetofreezethem。Theytalkedtomeoftheageofthewineandthefameofthevintage;butIthoughtofanolder,anewer,andpurerwine,ofamoregloriousvintage,whichtheyhadnotgot,andcouldnotbuy。

  Thestyle,thehouseandgroundsand“entertainment“passfornothingwithme。Icalledontheking,buthemademewaitinhishall,andconductedlikeamanincapacitatedforhospitality。Therewasamaninmyneighborhoodwholivedinahollowtree。Hismannersweretrulyregal。IshouldhavedonebetterhadIcalledonhim。

  Howlongshallwesitinourporticoespractisingidleandmustyvirtues,whichanyworkwouldmakeimpertinent?Asifoneweretobeginthedaywithlong-suffering,andhireamantohoehispotatoes;andintheafternoongoforthtopractiseChristianmeeknessandcharitywithgoodnessaforethought!ConsidertheChinaprideandstagnantself-complacencyofmankind。Thisgenerationinclinesalittletocongratulateitselfonbeingthelastofanillustriousline;andinBostonandLondonandParisandRome,thinkingofitslongdescent,itspeaksofitsprogressinartandscienceandliteraturewithsatisfaction。TherearetheRecordsofthePhilosophicalSocieties,andthepublicEulogiesofGreatMen!

  ItisthegoodAdamcontemplatinghisownvirtue。“Yes,wehavedonegreatdeeds,andsungdivinesongs,whichshallneverdie“——

  thatis,aslongaswecanrememberthem。ThelearnedsocietiesandgreatmenofAssyria——wherearethey?Whatyouthfulphilosophersandexperimentalistsweare!Thereisnotoneofmyreaderswhohasyetlivedawholehumanlife。Thesemaybebutthespringmonthsinthelifeoftherace。Ifwehavehadtheseven-years’itch,wehavenotseentheseventeen-yearlocustyetinConcord。Weareacquaintedwithamerepellicleoftheglobeonwhichwelive。Mosthavenotdelvedsixfeetbeneaththesurface,norleapedasmanyaboveit。Weknownotwhereweare。Beside,wearesoundasleepnearlyhalfourtime。Yetweesteemourselveswise,andhaveanestablishedorderonthesurface。Truly,wearedeepthinkers,weareambitiousspirits!AsIstandovertheinsectcrawlingamidthepineneedlesontheforestfloor,andendeavoringtoconcealitselffrommysight,andaskmyselfwhyitwillcherishthosehumblethoughts,andbideitsheadfrommewhomight,perhaps,beitsbenefactor,andimparttoitsracesomecheeringinformation,IamremindedofthegreaterBenefactorandIntelligencethatstandsovermethehumaninsect。

  Thereisanincessantinfluxofnoveltyintotheworld,andyetwetolerateincredibledulness。Ineedonlysuggestwhatkindofsermonsarestilllistenedtointhemostenlightenedcountries。

  Therearesuchwordsasjoyandsorrow,buttheyareonlytheburdenofapsalm,sungwithanasaltwang,whilewebelieveintheordinaryandmean。Wethinkthatwecanchangeourclothesonly。

  ItissaidthattheBritishEmpireisverylargeandrespectable,andthattheUnitedStatesareafirst-ratepower。WedonotbelievethatatiderisesandfallsbehindeverymanwhichcanfloattheBritishEmpirelikeachip,ifheshouldeverharboritinhismind。Whoknowswhatsortofseventeen-yearlocustwillnextcomeoutoftheground?ThegovernmentoftheworldIliveinwasnotframed,likethatofBritain,inafter-dinnerconversationsoverthewine。

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