louis lambert-第1章

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Louis　Lambert

by　Honore　de　Balzac

Translated　by　Clara　Bell　and　James　Waring





DEDICATION

〃Et　nunc　et　semper　dilectoe　dicatum。〃





LOUIS　LAMBERT



Louis　Lambert　was　born　at　Montoire；　a　little　town　in　the　Vendomois；
where　his　father　owned　a　tannery　of　no　great　magnitude；　and　intended
that　his　son　should　succeed　him；　but　his　precocious　bent　for　study
modified　the　paternal　decision。　For；　indeed；　the　tanner　and　his　wife
adored　Louis；　their　only　child；　and　never　contradicted　him　in
anything。

At　the　age　of　five　Louis　had　begun　by　reading　the　Old　and　New
Testaments；　and　these　two　Books；　including　so　many　books；　had　sealed
his　fate。　Could　that　childish　imagination　understand　the　mystical
depths　of　the　Scriptures？　Could　it　so　early　follow　the　flight　of　the
Holy　Spirit　across　the　worlds？　Or　was　it　merely　attracted　by　the
romantic　touches　which　abound　in　those　Oriental　poems！　Our　narrative
will　answer　these　questions　to　some　readers。

One　thing　resulted　from　this　first　reading　of　the　Bible：　Louis　went
all　over　Montoire　begging　for　books；　and　he　obtained　them　by　those
winning　ways　peculiar　to　children；　which　no　one　can　resist。　While
devoting　himself　to　these　studies　under　no　sort　of　guidance；　he
reached　the　age　of　ten。

At　that　period　substitutes　for　the　army　were　scarce；　rich　families
secured　them　long　beforehand　to　have　them　ready　when　the　lots　were
drawn。　The　poor　tanner's　modest　fortune　did　not　allow　of　their
purchasing　a　substitute　for　their　son；　and　they　saw　no　means　allowed
by　law　for　evading　the　conscription　but　that　of　making　him　a　priest；
so；　in　1807；　they　sent　him　to　his　maternal　uncle；　the　parish　priest　of
Mer；　another　small　town　on　the　Loire；　not　far　from　Blois。　This
arrangement　at　once　satisfied　Louis'　passion　for　knowledge；　and　his
parents'　wish　not　to　expose　him　to　the　dreadful　chances　of　war；　and；
indeed；　his　taste　for　study　and　precocious　intelligence　gave　grounds
for　hoping　that　he　might　rise　to　high　fortunes　in　the　Church。

After　remaining　for　about　three　years　with　his　uncle；　an　old　and　not
uncultured　Oratorian；　Louis　left　him　early　in　1811　to　enter　the
college　at　Vendome；　where　he　was　maintained　at　the　cost　of　Madame　de
Stael。

Lambert　owed　the　favor　and　patronage　of　this　celebrated　lady　to
chance；　or　shall　we　not　say　to　Providence；　who　can　smooth　the　path　of
forlorn　genius？　To　us；　indeed；　who　do　not　see　below　the　surface　of
human　things；　such　vicissitudes；　of　which　we　find　many　examples　in　the
lives　of　great　men；　appear　to　be　merely　the　result　of　physical
phenomena；　to　most　biographers　the　head　of　a　man　of　genius　rises　above
the　herd　as　some　noble　plant　in　the　fields　attracts　the　eye　of　a
botanist　in　its　splendor。　This　comparison　may　well　be　applied　to　Louis
Lambert's　adventure；　he　was　accustomed　to　spend　the　time　allowed　him
by　his　uncle　for　holidays　at　his　father's　house；　but　instead　of
indulging；　after　the　manner　of　schoolboys；　in　the　sweets　of　the
delightful　/far　niente/　that　tempts　us　at　every　age；　he　set　out　every
morning　with　part　of　a　loaf　and　his　books；　and　went　to　read　and
meditate　in　the　woods；　to　escape　his　mother's　remonstrances；　for　she
believed　such　persistent　study　to　be　injurious。　How　admirable　is　a
mother's　instinct！　From　that　time　reading　was　in　Louis　a　sort　of
appetite　which　nothing　could　satisfy；　he　devoured　books　of　every　kind；
feeding　indiscriminately　on　religious　works；　history；　philosophy；　and
physics。　He　has　told　me　that　he　found　indescribable　delight　in　reading
dictionaries　for　lack　of　other　books；　and　I　readily　believed　him。　What
scholar　has　not　many　a　time　found　pleasure　in　seeking　the　probable
meaning　of　some　unknown　word？　The　analysis　of　a　word；　its　physiognomy
and　history；　would　be　to　Lambert　matter　for　long　dreaming。　But　these
were　not　the　instinctive　dreams　by　which　a　boy　accustoms　himself　to
the　phenomena　of　life；　steels　himself　to　every　moral　or　physical
perceptionan　involuntary　education　which　subsequently　brings　forth
fruit　both　in　the　understanding　and　character　of　a　man；　no；　Louis
mastered　the　facts；　and　he　accounted　for　them　after　seeking　out　both
the　principle　and　the　end　with　the　mother　wit　of　a　savage。　Indeed；
from　the　age　of　fourteen；　by　one　of　those　startling　freaks　in　which
nature　sometimes　indulges；　and　which　proved　how　anomalous　was　his
temperament；　he　would　utter　quite　simply　ideas　of　which　the　depth　was
not　revealed　to　me　till　a　long　time　after。

〃Often；〃　he　has　said　to　me　when　speaking　of　his　studies；　〃often
have　I　made　the　most　delightful　voyage；　floating　on　a　word　down
the　abyss　of　the　past；　like　an　insect　embarked　on　a　blade　of
grass　tossing　on　the　ripples　of　a　stream。　Starting　from　Greece；　I
would　get　to　Rome；　and　traverse　the　whole　extent　of　modern　ages。
What　a　fine　book　might　be　written　of　the　life　and　adventures　of　a
word！　It　has；　of　course；　received　various　stamps　from　the
occasions　on　which　it　has　served　its　purpose；　it　has　conveyed
different　ideas　in　different　places；　but　is　it　not　still　grander
to　think　of　it　under　the　three　aspects　of　soul；　body；　and　motion？
Merely　to　regard　it　in　the　abstract；　apart　from　its　functions；
its　effects；　and　its　influence；　is　enough　to　cast　one　into　an
ocean　of　meditations？　Are　not　most　words　colored　by　the　idea　they
represent？　Then；　to　whose　genius　are　they　due？　If　it　takes　great
intelligence　to　create　a　word；　how　old　may　human　speech　be？　The
combination　of　letters；　their　shapes；　and　the　look　they　give　to
the　word；　are　the　exact　reflection；　in　accordance　with　the
character　of　each　nation；　of　the　unknown　beings　whose　traces
survive　in　us。

〃Who　can　philosophically　explain　the　transition　from　sensation　to
thought；　from　thought　to　word；　from　the　word　to　its　hieroglyphic
presentment；　from　hieroglyphics　to　the　alphabet；　from　the　alphabet　to
written　language；　of　which　the　eloquent　beauty　resides　in　a　series　of
images；　classified　by　rhetoric；　and　forming；　in　a　sense；　the
hieroglyphics　of　thought？　Was　it　not　the　ancient　mode　of　representing
human　ideas　as　embodied　in　the　forms　of　animals　that　gave　rise　to　the
shapes　of　the　first　signs　used　in　the　East　for　writing　down　language？
Then　has　it　not　left　its　traces　by　tradition　on　our　modern　languages；
which　have　all　seized　some　remnant　of　the　primitive　speech　of　nations；
a　majestic　and　solemn　tongue　whose　grandeur　and　solemnity　decrease　as
communities　grow　old；　whose　sonorous　tones　ring　in　the　Hebrew　Bible；
and　still　are　noble　in　Greece；　but　grow　weaker　under　the　progress　of
successive　phases　of　civilization？

〃Is　it　to　this　time…honored　spirit　that　we　owe　the　mysteries　lying
buried　in　every　human　word？　In　the　word　/True/　do　we　not　discern　a
certain　imaginary　rectitude？　Does　not　the　compact　brevity　of　its　sound
suggest　a　vague　image　of　chaste　nudity　and　the　simplicity　of　Truth　in
all　things？　The　syllable　seems　to　me　singularly　crisp　and　fresh。

〃I　chose　the　formula　of　an　abstract　idea　on　purpose；　not　wishing　to
illustrate　the　case　by　a　word　which　should　make　it　too　obvious　to　the
apprehension；　as　the　word　/Flight/　for　instance；　which　is　a　direct
appeal　to　the　senses。

〃But　is　it　not　so　with　every　root　word？　They　are　all　stamped　with　a
living　power　that　comes　from　the　soul；　and　which　they　restore　to　the
soul　through　the　mysterious　and　wonderful　action　and　reaction　between
thought　and　speech。　Might　we　not　speak　of　it　as　a　lover　who　finds　on
his　mistress'　lips　as　much　love　as　he　gives？　Thus；　by　their　mere
physiognomy；　words　call　to　life　in　our　brain　the　beings　which　they
serve　to　clothe。　Like　all　beings；　there　is　but　one　place　where　their
properties　are　at　full　liberty　to　act　and　develop。　But　the　subject
demands　a　science　to　itself　perhaps！〃

And　he　would　shrug　his　shoulders　as　much　as　to　say；　〃But　we　are　too
high　and　too　low！〃

Louis'　passion　for　reading　had　on　the　whole　been　very　well　satisfied。
The　cure　of　Mer　had　two　or　three　thousand　volumes。　This　treasure　had
been　derived　from　the　plunder　committed　during　the　Revolution　in　the
neighboring　chateaux　and　abbeys。　As　a　priest　who　had　taken　the　oath；
the　worthy　man　had　been　able　to　choose　the　best　books　from　among　these
precious　libraries；　which　were　sold　by　the　pound。　In　three　years　Louis
Lambert　had　assimilated　the　contents　of　all　the　books　in　his　uncle's
library　that　were　worth　reading。　The　process　of　absorbing　ideas　by
means　of　reading　had　become　in　him　a　very　strange　phenomenon。　His　eye
took　in　six　or　seven　lines　at　once；　and　his　mind　grasped　the　sense
with　a　swiftness　as　remarkable　as　that　of　his　eye；　sometimes　even　one
word　in　a　sentence　was　enough　to　enable　him　to　seize　the　gist　of　the
matter。

His　memory　was　prodigious。　He　remembered　with　equal　exactitude　the
ideas　he　had　derived　from　reading；　and　those　which　had　occurred　to　him
in　the　course　of　meditation　or　conversation。　Indeed；　he　had　every　form
of　memoryfor　places；　for　names；　for　words；　things；　and　faces。　He　not
only　recalled　any　object　at　will；　but　he　saw　them　in　his　mind；
situated；　lighted；　and　colored　as　he　had　originally　seen　them。　And
this　power　he　could　exert　with　equal　effect　with　regard　to　the　most
abstract　efforts　of　the　intellect。　He　could　remember；　as　he　said；　not
merely　the　position　of　a　sentence　in　the　book　where　he　had　met　with
it；　but　the　frame　of　mind　he　had　been　in　at　remote　dates。　Thus　his　was
the　singular　privilege　of　being　able　to　retrace　in　memory　the　whole
life　and　progress　of　his　mind；　from　the　ideas　he　had　first　acquired　to
the　last　thought　evolved　in　it；　from　the　most　obscure　to　the　clearest。
His　brain；　accustomed　in　early　youth　to　the　mysterious　mechanism　by
which　human　faculties　are　concentrated；　drew　from　this　rich　treasury
endless　images　full　of　life　and　freshness；　on　which　he　fed　his　spirit
during　those　lucid　spells　of　contemplation。

〃Whenever　I　wish　it；〃　said　he　to　me　in　his　own　language；　to　which　a
fund　of　remembrance　gave　precocious　originality；　〃I　can　draw　a　veil
over　my　eyes。　Then　I　suddenly　see　within　me　a　camera　obscura；　where
natural　objects　are　reproduced　in　purer　forms　than　those　under　which
they　first　appeared　to　my　external　sense。〃

At　the　age　of　twelve　his　imagination；　stimulated　by　the　perpetual
exercise　of　his　faculties；　had　developed　to　a　point　which　permitted
him　to　have　such　precise　concepts　of　things　which　he　knew　only　from
reading　about　them；　that　the　image　stamped　on　his　mind　could　not　have
been　clearer　if　he　had　actually　seen　them；　whether　this　was　by　a
process　of　analogy　or　that　he　was　gifted　with　a　sort　of　second　sight
by　which　he　could　command　all　nature。

〃When　I　read　the　story　of　the　battle　of　Austerlitz；〃　said　he　to　me　one
day；　〃I　saw　every　incident。　The　roar　of　the　cannon；　the　cries　of　the
fighting　men　rang　in　my　ears；　and　made　my　inmost　self　quiver；　I　could
smell　the　powder；　I　heard　the　clatter　of　horses　and　the　voices　of　men；
I　looked　down　on　the　plain　where　armed　nations　were　in　collision；　just
as　if　I　had　been　on　the　heights　of　Santon。　The　scene　was　as　terrifying
as　a　passage　from　the　Apocalypse。〃　On　the　occasions　when　he　brought
all　his　powers　into　play；　and　in　some　degree　lost　consciousness　of　his
physical　existence；　and　lived　on　only　by　the　remarkable　energy　of　his
mental　powers；　whose　sphere　was　enormously　expa