章节正文
sure but he had better have lost his best park of artillery, or had his
best regiment drowned in the sea, than shot that poor German Bookseller,
Palm! It was a palpable tyrannous murderousinjustice, which no man, let
him paint an inch thick, could make out to be other. It burnt deep into
the hearts of men, it and the like of it; suppressed fire flashed in the
eyes of men, as they thought of it,--waiting their day! Which day _came_:
Germany rose round him.--What Napoleon _did_ will in the long-run amount to
what he did justly; what Nature with her laws will sanction. To what of
reality was in him; to that and nothing more. The rest was all smoke and
waste. _La carriere ouverte aux talens_: that great true Message, which
has yet to articulate and fulfil itself everywhere, he left in a most
inarticulate state. He was a great _ebauche_, a rude-draught never
completed; as indeed what great man is other? Left in _too_ rude a state,
alas!
His notions of the world, as he expresses them there at St. Helena, are
almost tragical to consider. He seems to feel the most unaffected surprise
that it has all gone so; that he is flung out on the rock here, and the
World is still moving on its axis. France is great, and all-great: and at
bottom, he is France. England itself, he says, is by Nature only an
appendage of France; "another Isle of Oleron to France." So it was by
_Nature_, by Napoleon-Nature; and yet look how in fact--HERE AM I! He
cannot understand it: inconceivable that the reality has not corresponded
to his program of it; that France was not all-great, that he was not
France. "Strong delusion," that he should believe the thing to be which
_is_ not! The compact, clear-seeing, decisive Italian nature of him,
strong, genuine, which he once had, has enveloped itself, half-dissolved
itself, in a turbid atmosphere of French fanfaronade. The world was not
disposed to be trodden down underfoot; to be bound into masses, and built
together, as _he_ liked, for a pedestal to France and him: the world had
quite other purposes in view! Napoleon's astonishment is extreme. But
alas, what help now? He had gone that way of his; and Nature also had gone
her way. Having once parted with Reality, he tumbles helpless in Vacuity;
no rescue for him. He had to sink there, mournfully as man seldom did; and
break his great heart, and die,--this poor Napoleon: a great implement too
soon wasted, till it was useless: our last Great Man!
Our last, in a double sense. For here finally these wide roamings of ours
through so many times and places, in search and study of Heroes, are to
terminate. I am sorry for it: there was pleasure for me in this business,
if also much pain. It is a great subject, and a most grave and wide one,
this which, not to be too grave about it, I have named _Hero-worship_. It
enters deeply, as I think, into the secret of Mankind's ways and vitalest
interests in this world, and is well worth explaining at present. With six
months, instead of six days, we might have done better. I promised to
break ground on it; I know not whether I have even managed to do that. I
have had to tear it up in the rudest manner in order to get into it at all.
Often enough, with these abrupt utterances thrown out isolated,
unexplained, has your tolerance been put to the trial. Tolerance, patient
candor, all-hoping favor and kindness, which I will not speak of at
present. The accomplished and distinguished, the beautiful, the wise,
something of what is best in England, have listened patiently to my rude
words. With many feelings, I heartily thank you all; and say, Good be with
you all!
End
best regiment drowned in the sea, than shot that poor German Bookseller,
Palm! It was a palpable tyrannous murderousinjustice, which no man, let
him paint an inch thick, could make out to be other. It burnt deep into
the hearts of men, it and the like of it; suppressed fire flashed in the
eyes of men, as they thought of it,--waiting their day! Which day _came_:
Germany rose round him.--What Napoleon _did_ will in the long-run amount to
what he did justly; what Nature with her laws will sanction. To what of
reality was in him; to that and nothing more. The rest was all smoke and
waste. _La carriere ouverte aux talens_: that great true Message, which
has yet to articulate and fulfil itself everywhere, he left in a most
inarticulate state. He was a great _ebauche_, a rude-draught never
completed; as indeed what great man is other? Left in _too_ rude a state,
alas!
His notions of the world, as he expresses them there at St. Helena, are
almost tragical to consider. He seems to feel the most unaffected surprise
that it has all gone so; that he is flung out on the rock here, and the
World is still moving on its axis. France is great, and all-great: and at
bottom, he is France. England itself, he says, is by Nature only an
appendage of France; "another Isle of Oleron to France." So it was by
_Nature_, by Napoleon-Nature; and yet look how in fact--HERE AM I! He
cannot understand it: inconceivable that the reality has not corresponded
to his program of it; that France was not all-great, that he was not
France. "Strong delusion," that he should believe the thing to be which
_is_ not! The compact, clear-seeing, decisive Italian nature of him,
strong, genuine, which he once had, has enveloped itself, half-dissolved
itself, in a turbid atmosphere of French fanfaronade. The world was not
disposed to be trodden down underfoot; to be bound into masses, and built
together, as _he_ liked, for a pedestal to France and him: the world had
quite other purposes in view! Napoleon's astonishment is extreme. But
alas, what help now? He had gone that way of his; and Nature also had gone
her way. Having once parted with Reality, he tumbles helpless in Vacuity;
no rescue for him. He had to sink there, mournfully as man seldom did; and
break his great heart, and die,--this poor Napoleon: a great implement too
soon wasted, till it was useless: our last Great Man!
Our last, in a double sense. For here finally these wide roamings of ours
through so many times and places, in search and study of Heroes, are to
terminate. I am sorry for it: there was pleasure for me in this business,
if also much pain. It is a great subject, and a most grave and wide one,
this which, not to be too grave about it, I have named _Hero-worship_. It
enters deeply, as I think, into the secret of Mankind's ways and vitalest
interests in this world, and is well worth explaining at present. With six
months, instead of six days, we might have done better. I promised to
break ground on it; I know not whether I have even managed to do that. I
have had to tear it up in the rudest manner in order to get into it at all.
Often enough, with these abrupt utterances thrown out isolated,
unexplained, has your tolerance been put to the trial. Tolerance, patient
candor, all-hoping favor and kindness, which I will not speak of at
present. The accomplished and distinguished, the beautiful, the wise,
something of what is best in England, have listened patiently to my rude
words. With many feelings, I heartily thank you all; and say, Good be with
you all!
End
- regiment [´redʒimənt]
n.团；一大群 (初中英语单词) - amount [ə´maunt] n.总数；数量 v.合计 (初中英语单词)
- fulfil [ful´fil] vt.履行；完成；执行 (初中英语单词)
- reality [ri´æliti] n.现实(性)；真实；逼真 (初中英语单词)
- program [´prəugræm] n.说明v.为...安排节目 (初中英语单词)
- italian [i´tæliən] a.意大利 n.意大利人 (初中英语单词)
- atmosphere [´ætməsfiə] n.大气；空气；气氛 (初中英语单词)
- astonishment [ə´stɔniʃmənt] n.吃惊；惊异 (初中英语单词)
- extreme [ik´stri:m] a.尽头的 n.极端 (初中英语单词)
- helpless [´helpləs] a.无助的，无依靠的 (初中英语单词)
- rescue [´reskju:] vt.&n.救援；挽救 (初中英语单词)
- useless [´ju:sləs] a.无用的，无价值的 (初中英语单词)
- artillery [ɑ:´tiləri] n.炮兵部队 (高中英语单词)
- injustice [in´dʒʌstis] n.不公正，不公平 (高中英语单词)
- napoleon [nə´pəuljən] n.拿破仑 (高中英语单词)
- sanction [´sæŋkʃən] n.&vt.批准；认可 (高中英语单词)
- compact [´kɔmpækt] n.契约 a.挤满的 (高中英语单词)
- genuine [´dʒenjuin] a.真正的；真诚的 (高中英语单词)
- implement [´implimənt] n.工具 vt.执行 (高中英语单词)
- abrupt [ə´brʌpt] a.突然的；粗鲁的 (高中英语单词)
- distinguished [di´stiŋgwiʃt] a.卓越的，著名的 (高中英语单词)
- patiently [´peiʃəntli] ad.有耐心地；坚韧地 (高中英语单词)
- heartily [´hɑ:tili] ad.衷心地；亲切地 (高中英语单词)
- murderous [´mə:dərəs] a.行凶的；势不可挡的 (英语四级单词)
- justly [´dʒʌstli] ad.公正地，正当地 (英语四级单词)
- decisive [di´saisiv] a.决定性的，确定的 (英语四级单词)
- pedestal [´pedistl] n.垫座 vt.给...装上座 (英语四级单词)
- accomplished [ə´kʌmpliʃt] a.完成了的；熟练的 (英语四级单词)
- articulate [ɑ:´tikjulit] a.口齿清楚的 v.连接 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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