fabre, poet of science-第41节

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facts　（15/17。）；　sometimes　Michelet　had　been　his　inspiration。　The　two　do

really　resemble　one　another；　Michelet　was　no　less　fitted　than　Fabre　to　play

the　confidant　to　Nature；　and　his　heart　was　of　the　same　mettle。



Since　I　have　spoken　of　his　favourites；　let　me　also　speak　of　his　dislikes；

Racine；　whom　he　cannot　bear；　Molière；　whom　he　does　not　really　like；　Buffon；

whom　he　frankly　detests　for　his　too　fluent　prose；　his　ostentatious　style；

and　his　vain　rhetoric。　The　only　naturalist　whom　he　might　really　have

delighted　in；　had　he　possessed　his　works　and　been　able　to　read　them　at

leisure；　is　Audubon；　the　enthusiastic　painter　of　the　birds　of　America。　In

him　he　felt　the　presence　of　a　mind　and　a　temper　almost　identical　with　his

own。





CHAPTER　16。　TWILIGHT。



How　he　has　laboured　in　this　solitude！　For　he　considers　that　he　is　still　far

from　having　completed　his　task。　He　feels　more　and　more　that　he　has　scarcely

done　more　than　sketch　the　history　of　this　singular　and　almost　unknown

world。　〃The　more　I　go　forward；〃　he　wrote　to　his　brother　in　1903；　〃the　more

clearly　I　see　that　I　have　struck　my　pick　into　an　inexhaustible　vein；　well

worthy　of　being　exploited。〃　（16/1。）



What　studies　he　has　undertaken；　what　observations　he　has　carried　out；

〃almost　at　the　same　time；　the　same　moment！〃　His　laboratory　is　crowded　with

these　subjects　of　experiments。　〃As　though　I　had　a　long　future　before　me〃

he　was　then　just　eighty　years　old〃I　continue　indefatigably　my　researches

into　the　lives　of　these　little　creatures。〃　（16/2。）



Work　in　solitude　seems　to　him；　more　and　more；　the　only　life　possible；　and

he　cannot　even　imagine　any　other。



〃The　outer　world　scarcely　tempts　me　at　all；　surrounded　by　my　little　family；

it　is　enough　for　me　to　go　into　the　woods　from　time　to　time；　to　listen　to

the　fluting　of　the　blackbirds。　The　very　idea　of　the　town　disgusts　me。

Henceforth　it　would　be　impossible　for　me　to　live　in　the　little　cage　of　a

citizen。　Here　I　am；　run　wild；　and　I　shall　be　so　till　the　end。〃　（16/3。）



For　him　work　has　become　more　than　ever　an　organic　function；　the　true

corollary　of　life。　〃Away　with　repose！　For　him　who　would　spend　his　life

properly　there　is　nothing　like　workso　long　as　the　machine　will　operate。〃



Is　this　not　the　great　law　for　all　creatures　so　long　as　life　lasts？



Why　should　the　man　who　has　made　a　fortune；　who　has　neither　children　nor

relations；　and　who　may　die　tomorrow；　continue　to　work　for　himself　alone；　to

employ　his　days　and　his　energies　in　useless　labours　which　will　profit

neither　himself　nor　his　kind？



Ask　of　the　Halictus；　which；　no　longer　capable　of　becoming　a　mother；　makes

herself　guardian　of　a　city；　in　order　still　to　labour　within　the　measure　of

her　means。



Ask　of　the　Osmia；　the　Megachile；　the　Anthidium；　which　〃with　no　maternal

aim；　for　the　sole　joy　of　labour；　strive　to　expend　their　forces　in　the

accomplishment　of　their　vain　tasks；　until　the　forces　of　life　fail。〃



Ask　of　the　bee；　which　inaction　leaves　passive　and　melancholy　so　that　she

presently　dies　of　weariness；　of　the　Chalicodoma；　so　eager　a　worker　that　she

will　〃let　herself　be　crushed　under　the　feet　of　the　passer…by　rather　than

abandon　her　task。〃



Ask　it　of　all　nature；　which　knows　neither　halt　nor　repose；　and　who；

according　to　the　profound　saying　of　Goethe　〃has　pronounced　her　malediction

upon　all　that　retards　or　suspends　her　progress。〃



Let　us　then　labour；　men　and　beasts；　〃so　that　we　may　sleep　in　peace；　grubs

and　caterpillars　in　that　torpor　which　prepares　them　for　the　transformation

into　moths　and　butterflies；　and　ourselves　in　the　supreme　slumber　which

dissolves　life　in　order　to　renew　it。〃



Let　us　work；　in　order　to　nourish　within　ourselves　that　divine　intuition

thanks　to　which　we　leave　our　original　impress　upon　nature；　let　us　work；　in

order　to　bring　our　humble　contribution　to　the　general　harmony　of　things；　by

our　painful　and　meritorious　labour；　in　order　that　we　may　associate

ourselves　with　God；　share　in　His　creation；　and　embellish　and　adorn　the

earth　and　fill　it　with　wonders。　（16/4。）



Forward　then！　always　erect；　even　amid　the　tombs；　to　forget　our　griefs。

Fabre　finds　no　better　consolation　to　offer　his　brother；　who　has　lost　almost

in　succession　his　wife　and　his　eldest　daughter：　



〃Do　not　take　it　ill　if　I　have　not　condoled　with　you　on　the　subject　of　your

recent　losses。　Tried　so　often　by　the　bitterness　of　domestic　grief；　I　know

too　well　the　inanity　of　such　consolations　to　offer　the　like　to　my　friends。

Time　alone　does　a　little　cicatrize　such　wounds；　and；　let　us　add；　work。　Let

us　keep　on　our　feet　and　at　work　as　long　as　we　are　able。　I　know　no　better

tonic。〃　（16/5。）



And　this　exhortation　to　work；　which　recurs　so　often　in　the　first　letters　of

his　youth；　was　to　be　the　last　word　of　the　last　volume　which　so　splendidly

terminates　the　incomparable　series　of　his　〃Souvenirs〃：　〃Laboremus。〃



。。。



Age　has　killed　neither　his　courage　nor　his　energies；　and　he　continues　to

work　with　the　same　zeal　at　nearly　ninety　years　of　age；　and　with　as　much

eagerness　as　though　he　were　destined　to　live　for　ever。



Although　his　physical　forces　are　failing　him；　although　his　limbs　falter；

his　brain　remains　intact；　and　is　giving　us　its　last　fruit　in　his　studies　on

the　Cabbage　caterpillar　and　the　Glow…worm；　which　mark　a　sudden

rejuvenescence　of　thought　on　his　part；　and　the　commencement　of　a　new　cycle

of　studies；　which　promise　to　be　of　the　greatest　originality。



To　him　the　animal　world　has　always　been　full　of　dizzy　surprises；　and　the

insects　led　him　〃into　a　new　and　barely　suspected　region；　which　is　ALMOST

ABSURD。〃　（16/6。）



The　glow…worms；　motionless　on　their　twigs　of　thyme；　light　their　lamps　of　an

evening；　in　the　cool　of　the　beautiful　summer　nights。　What　do　these　fires

signify？　How　explain　the　mystery　of　this　phosphorescence？　Why　this　slow

combustion；　〃this　species　of　respiration；　more　active　than　in　the　ordinary

state〃？　and　what　is　the　oxidizable　substance　〃which　gives　this　white　and

gentle　luminosity〃？　Is　it　a　flame　of　love　like　that　which　lights　the　Agaric

of　the　olive…tree　〃to　celebrate　its　nuptials　and　the　emission　of　its

spores〃？　But　what　reason　can　the　larva　have　for　illuminating　itself？　Why　is

the　egg；　already　enclosed　in　the　secrecy　of　the　ovaries；　already　luminous？



〃The　soft　light　of　the　Agaric　has　confounded　our　ideas　of　optics；　it　does

not　refract；　it　does　not　form　an　image　when　passed　through　a　lens；　it　does

not　affect　ordinary　photographic　plates。〃　（16/7。）



But　here　are　other　miracles：　



〃Another　fungus；　the　Clathrix；　with　no　trace　of　phosphorescence；　affects

photographic　plates　almost　as　quickly　as　would　a　ray　of　sunlight。　The

Clathrix　tenebrosa　does　what　the　Agaricus　olearius　has　no　power　to　do。〃

（16/8。）



And　if　the　beacon　of　the　Glow…worm　recalls　the　light　of　the　Agaric；　the

Clathrix　reminds　us　of　another　insect；　the　Greater　Peacock　moth。



In　the　obscurity　of　a　dark　chamber　this　splendid　moth　emits　phantasmal

radiations；　perhaps　intermittent　and　reserved　for　the　season　of　nuptials；

signals　invisible　to　us；　and　perceptible　only　to　those　children　of　the

night；　who　may　have　found　this　means　to　communicate　one　with　another；　to

call　one　another　in　the　darkness；　and　to　speak　with　one　another。　（16/9。）



Such　are　the　interesting　subjects　which　only　yesterday　were　occupying　this

great　worker；　the　occult　properties；　the　radiant　energies　of　organic

matter；　of　phosphorescence；　of　light；　the　living　symbols　of　the　great

universal　Eros。



But　embarrassment　long　ago　succeeded　the　ephemeral　prosperity　which　marked

the　first　years　of　his　installation　at　Sérignan；　and　that　period　of　plenty

was　followed　by　a　period　of　difficulty；　almost　of　indigence。　His　class…

books；　which　had　succeeded　marvellously；　and　from　which　the　royalties　had

quickly　attained　to　nearly　640　pounds　sterling；　which　was　the　average

figure　for　nearly　ten　years；　were　then　no　longer　in　vogue。　Already　the

times　had　changed。　France　was　in　the　crisis　of　the　anti…clerical　fever。

Fabre　made　frequent　allusions　in　his　books　of　a　spiritual　nature；　and　many

primary　inspectors　could　not　forgive　what　they　regarded　as　a　blemish。



We　must　also　mention　the　keen　competition　caused　by　the　appearance　of

similar　books；　usually　counterfeit；　and　the　more　harmful　for　that；　and　as

their　adoption　depended　entirely　on　the　caprice　of　commissions　or　the

choice　of　interested　persons；　those　of　Fabre　were　gradually　ceasing　to

sell。



It　was　from　1894　especially　that　their　popularity　declined　so　rapidly：　



〃Despite　all　my　efforts　here　I　am　more　anxious　than　ever　about　the　future；〃

he　wrote　to　his　publisher　on　the　27th　of　January；　1899；　〃two　more　of　my

books　are　about　to　disappear；　a　prelude　to　total　shipwreck。。。I　begin　to

despair。〃　（16/10。）



He　was　not　the　man　to　have　saved　much　money；　numerous　charges　were　always

imposing　themselves　on　him；　and　his　first　wife；　careless　of　expenditure；

had　been　somewhat　extravagant。



While