雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第20章

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　　He　was　of　the　number　who　had　a　mind。
　　He　went　to　school　at　the　age　of　forty；　and　learned　to　read；　to　write；　to　cipher。
　　He　felt　that　to　fortify　his　intelligence　was　to　fortify　his　hate。
　　In　certain　cases；　education　and　enlightenment　can　serve　to　eke　out　evil。
　　This　is　a　sad　thing　to　say；　after　having　judged　society；　which　had　caused　his　unhappiness；　he　judged　Providence；　which　had　made　society；　and　he　condemned　it　also。
　　Thus　during　nineteen　years　of　torture　and　slavery；　this　soul　mounted　and　at　the　same　time　fell。
　　Light　entered　it　on　one　side；　and　darkness　on　the　other。
　　Jean　Valjean　had　not；　as　we　have　seen；　an　evil　nature。
　　He　was　still　good　when　he　arrived　at　the　galleys。
　　He　there　condemned　society；　and　felt　that　he　was　being　wicked；　he　there　condemned　Providence；　and　was　conscious　that　he　was　being　impious。
　　It　is　difficult　not　to　indulge　in　meditation　at　this　point。
　　Does　human　nature　thus　change　utterly　and　from　top　to　bottom？　Can　the　man　created　good　by　God　be　rendered　wicked　by　man？　Can　the　soul　be　pletely　made　over　by　fate；　and　bee　evil；　fate　being　evil？
　　Can　the　heart　bee　misshapen　and　contract　incurable　deformities　and　infirmities　under　the　oppression　of　a　disproportionate　unhappiness；　as　the　vertebral　column　beneath　too　low　a　vault？
　　Is　there　not　in　every　human　soul；　was　there　not　in　the　soul　of　Jean　Valjean　in　particular；　a　first　spark；　a　divine　element；　incorruptible　in　this　world；　immortal　in　the　other；　which　good　can　develop；　fan；　ignite；　and　make　to　glow　with　splendor；　and　which　evil　can　never　wholly　extinguish？
　　Grave　and　obscure　questions；　to　the　last　of　which　every　physiologist　would　probably　have　responded　no；　and　that　without　hesitation；　had　he　beheld　at　Toulon；　during　the　hours　of　repose；　which　were　for　Jean　Valjean　hours　of　revery；　this　gloomy　galley…slave；　seated　with　folded　arms　upon　the　bar　of　some　capstan；　with　the　end　of　his　chain　thrust　into　his　pocket　to　prevent　its　dragging；　serious；　silent；　and　thoughtful；　a　pariah　of　the　laws　which　regarded　the　man　with　wrath；　condemned　by　civilization；　and　regarding　heaven　with　severity。
　　Certainly；and　we　make　no　attempt　to　dissimulate　the　fact；　the　observing　physiologist　would　have　beheld　an　irremediable　misery；　he　would；　perchance；　have　pitied　this　sick　man；　of　the　law's　making；　but　he　would　not　have　even　essayed　any　treatment；　he　would　have　turned　aside　his　gaze　from　the　caverns　of　which　he　would　have　caught　a　glimpse　within　this　soul；　and；　like　Dante　at　the　portals　of　hell；　he　would　have　effaced　from　this　existence　the　word　which　the　finger　of　God　has；　nevertheless；　inscribed　upon　the　brow　of　every　man；hope。
　　Was　this　state　of　his　soul；　which　we　have　attempted　to　analyze；　as　perfectly　clear　to　Jean　Valjean　as　we　have　tried　to　render　it　for　those　who　read　us？
　　Did　Jean　Valjean　distinctly　perceive；　after　their　formation；　and　had　he　seen　distinctly　during　the　process　of　their　formation；　all　the　elements　of　which　his　moral　misery　was　posed？
　　Had　this　rough　and　unlettered　man　gathered　a　perfectly　clear　perception　of　the　succession　of　ideas　through　which　he　had；　by　degrees；　mounted　and　descended　to　the　lugubrious　aspects　which　had；　for　so　many　years；　formed　the　inner　horizon　of　his　spirit？　Was　he　conscious　of　all　that　passed　within　him；　and　of　all　that　was　working　there？
　　That　is　something　which　we　do　not　presume　to　state；　it　is　something　which　we　do　not　even　believe。
　　There　was　too　much　ignorance　in　Jean　Valjean；　even　after　his　misfortune；　to　prevent　much　vagueness　from　still　lingering　there。
　　At　times　he　did　not　rightly　know　himself　what　he　felt。
　　Jean　Valjean　was　in　the　shadows；　he　suffered　in　the　shadows；　he　hated　in　the　shadows；　one　might　have　said　that　he　hated　in　advance　of　himself。
　　He　dwelt　habitually　in　this　shadow；　feeling　his　way　like　a　blind　man　and　a　dreamer。
　　Only；　at　intervals；　there　suddenly　came　to　him；　from　without　and　from　within；　an　access　of　wrath；　a　surcharge　of　suffering；　a　livid　and　rapid　flash　which　illuminated　his　whole　soul；　and　caused　to　appear　abruptly　all　around　him；　in　front；　behind；　amid　the　gleams　of　a　frightful　light；　the　hideous　precipices　and　the　sombre　perspective　of　his　destiny。
　　The　flash　passed；　the　night　closed　in　again；　and　where　was　he？　He　no　longer　knew。
　　The　peculiarity　of　pains　of　this　nature；　in　which　that　which　is　pitilessthat　is　to　say；　that　which　is　brutalizingpredominates；　is　to　transform　a　man；　little　by　little；　by　a　sort　of　stupid　transfiguration；　into　a　wild　beast；　sometimes　into　a　ferocious　beast。
　　Jean　Valjean's　successive　and　obstinate　attempts　at　escape　would　alone　suffice　to　prove　this　strange　working　of　the　law　upon　the　human　soul。
　　Jean　Valjean　would　have　renewed　these　attempts；　utterly　useless　and　foolish　as　they　were；　as　often　as　the　opportunity　had　presented　itself；　without　reflecting　for　an　instant　on　the　result；　nor　on　the　experiences　which　he　had　already　gone　through。　He　escaped　impetuously；　like　the　wolf　who　finds　his　cage　open。　Instinct　said　to　him；　〃Flee！〃
　　Reason　would　have　said；　〃Remain！〃　But　in　the　presence　of　so　violent　a　temptation；　reason　vanished；　nothing　remained　but　instinct。
　　The　beast　alone　acted。
　　When　he　was　recaptured；　the　fresh　severities　inflicted　on　him　only　served　to　render　him　still　more　wild。
　　One　detail；　which　we　must　not　omit；　is　that　he　possessed　a　physical　strength　which　was　not　approached　by　a　single　one　of　the　denizens　of　the　galleys。
　　At　work；　at　paying　out　a　cable　or　winding　up　a　capstan；　Jean　Valjean　was　worth　four　men。
　　He　sometimes　lifted　and　sustained　enormous　weights　on　his　back；　and　when　the　occasion　demanded　it；　he　replaced　that　implement　which　is　called　a　jack…screw；　and　was　formerly　called　orgueil　＇pride＇；　whence；　we　may　remark　in　passing；　is　derived　the　name　of　the　Rue　Montorgueil；　near　the　Halles　＇Fishmarket＇　in　Paris。
　　His　rades　had　nicknamed　him　Jean　the　Jack…screw。　Once；　when　they　were　repairing　the　balcony　of　the　town…hall　at　Toulon；　one　of　those　admirable　caryatids　of　Puget；　which　support　the　balcony；　became　loosened；　and　was　on　the　point　of　falling。
　　Jean　Valjean；　who　was　present；　supported　the　caryatid　with　his　shoulder；　and　gave　the　workmen　time　to　arrive。
　　His　suppleness　even　exceeded　his　strength。
　　Certain　convicts　who　were　forever　dreaming　of　escape；　ended　by　making　a　veritable　science　of　force　and　skill　bined。
　　It　is　the　science　of　muscles。　An　entire　system　of　mysterious　statics　is　daily　practised　by　prisoners；　men　who　are　forever　envious　of　the　flies　and　birds。　To　climb　a　vertical　surface；　and　to　find　points　of　support　where　hardly　a　projection　was　visible；　was　play　to　Jean　Valjean。　An　angle　of　the　wall　being　given；　with　the　tension　of　his　back　and　legs；　with　his　elbows　and　his　heels　fitted　into　the　unevenness　of　the　stone；　he　raised　himself　as　if　by　magic　to　the　third　story。　He　sometimes　mounted　thus　even　to　the　roof　of　the　galley　prison。
　　He　spoke　but　little。
　　He　laughed　not　at　all。
　　An　excessive　emotion　was　required　to　wring　from　him；　once　or　twice　a　year；　that　lugubrious　laugh　of　the　convict；　which　is　like　the　echo　of　the　laugh　of　a　demon。　To　all　appearance；　he　seemed　to　be　occupied　in　the　constant　contemplation　of　something　terrible。
　　He　was　absorbed；　in　fact。
　　Athwart　the　unhealthy　perceptions　of　an　inplete　nature　and　a　crushed　intelligence；　he　was　confusedly　conscious　that　some　monstrous　thing　was　resting　on　him。
　　In　that　obscure　and　wan　shadow　within　which　he　crawled；　each　time　that　he　turned　his　neck　and　essayed　to　raise　his　glance；　he　perceived　with　terror；　mingled　with　rage；　a　sort　of　frightful　accumulation　of　things；　
collecting　and　mounting　above　him；　beyond　the　range　of　his　vision；　laws；　prejudices；　men；　and　deeds；whose　outlines　escaped　him；　whose　mass　terrified　him；　and　which　was　nothing　else　than　that　prodigious　pyramid　which　we　call　civilization。
　　He　distinguished；　here　and　there　in　that　swarming　and　formless　mass；　now　near　him；　now　afar　off　and　on　inaccessible　table…lands；　some　group；　some　detail；　vividly　illuminated；　here　the　galley…sergeant　and　his　cudgel；　there　the　gendarme　and　his　sword；　yonder　the　mitred　archbishop；　away　at　the　top；　like　a　sort　of　sun；　the　Emperor；　crowned　and　dazzling。　It　seemed　to　him　that　these　distant　splendors；　far　from　dissipating　his　night；　rendered　it　more　funereal　and　more　black。
　　All　this　laws；　prejudices；　deeds；　men；　thingswent　and　came　above　him；　over　his　head；　in　accordance　with　the　plicated　and　mysterious　movement　which　God　imparts　to　civilization；　walking　over　him　and　crushing　him　with　I　know　not　what　peacefulness　in　its　cruelty　and　inexorability　in　its　indifference。
　　Souls　which　have　fallen　to　the　bottom　of　all　possible　misfortune；　unhappy　men　lost　in　the　lowest　of　those　limbos　at　which　no　one　any　longer　looks；　the　reproved　of　the　law；　feel　the　whole　weight　of　this　human　society；　so　formidable　for　him　who　is　without；　so　frightful　for　him　who　is　beneath；　resting　upon　their　heads。
　　In　this　situation　Jean　Valjean　meditated；　and　what　could　be　the　nature　of　his　meditation？
　　If　the　grain　of　millet　beneath　the　millstone　had　thoughts；　it　would；　doubtless；　think　that　same　thing　which　Jean　Valjean　thought。
　　All　these　things；　realities　full　of　spectres；　phantasmagories　full　of　realities；　had　eventually　created　for　him　a　sort　of　interior　state　which　is　almost　indescribable。
　　At　times；　amid　his　convict　toil；　he　paused。
　　He　fell　to　thinking。　His　reason；　at　one　and　the　same　time　riper　and　more　troubled　than　of　yore；　rose　in　revolt。
　　Everything　which　had　happened　to　him　seemed　to　him　absurd；　everything　that　surrounded　him　seemed　to　him　impossible。
　　He　said　to　himself；　〃It　is　a　dream。〃　He　gazed　at　the　galley…sergeant　standing　a　few　paces　from　him；　the　galley…sergeant　seemed　a　phantom　to　him。
　　All　of　a　sudden　the　phantom　dealt　him　a　blow　with　his　cudgel。
　　Visible　nature　hardly　existed　for　him。
　　It　would　almost　be　true　to　say　that　there　existed　for　Jean　Valjean　neither　sun；　nor　fine　summer　days；　nor　radiant　sky；　nor　fresh　April　dawns。　I　know　not　what　vent…hole　daylight　habitually　illumined　his　soul。
　　To　sum　up；　in　conclusion；　that　which　can　be　summed　up　and　translated　into　positive　results　in　all　that　we　have　just　pointed　out；　we　will　confine　ourselves　to　the　statement　that；　in　the　course　of　nineteen　years；　Jean　Valjean；　the　inoffensive　tree…pruner　of　Faverolles；　the　formidable　convict　of　Toulon；　had　bee　capable；　thanks　to　the　manner　in　which　the　galleys　had　moulded　him；　of　two　sorts　of　evil　action：
　　firstly；　of　evil　action　which　was　rapid；　unpremeditated；　dashing；　entirely　instinctive；　in　the　nature　of　reprisals　for　the　evil　which　he　had　undergone；　secondly；　of　evil　action　which　was　serious；　grave；　consciously　argued　out　and　premeditated；　with　the　false　ideas　which　such　a　misfortune　can　furnish。
　　His　deliberate　deeds　passed　through　three　successive　phases；　which　natures　of　a　certain　stamp　can　alone　traverse；reasoning；　will；　perseverance。　He　had　for　moving　causes　his　habitual　wrath；　bitterness　of　soul；　a　profound　sense　of　indignities　suffered；　the　reaction　even　against　the　good；　the　innocent；　and　the　just；　if　there　are　any　such。　The　point　of　departure；　like　the　point　of　arriva