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Heroes and Hero Worship-Part8_Thomas Carlyle(1795-1881)_English Literature(文学名著)-第2页

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been sufficient hitherto. Not till he was already getting old, the



prurient heat of his life all burnt out, and _peace_ growing to be the

chief thing this world could give him, did he start on the "career of



ambition;" and, belying all his past character and existence, set up as a

wretched empty charlatan to acquire what he could now no longer enjoy! For



my share, I have no faith whatever in that.

Ah no: this deep-hearted Son of the Wilderness, with his beaming black



eyes and open social deep soul, had other thoughts in him than ambition. A

silent great soul; he was one of those who cannot _but_ be in earnest; whom



Nature herself has appointed to be sincere. While others walk in formulas

and hearsays, contented enough to dwell there, this man could not screen



himself in formulas; he was alone with his own soul and the reality of

things. The great Mystery of Existence, as I said, glared in upon him,



with its terrors, with its splendors; no hearsays could hide that

unspeakable fact, "Here am I!" Such _sincerity_, as we named it, has in



very truth something of divine. The word of such a man is a Voice direct

from Nature's own Heart. Men do and must listen to that as to nothing



else;--all else is wind in comparison. From of old, a thousand thoughts,

in his pilgrimings and wanderings, had been in this man: What am I? What



_is_ this unfathomable Thing I live in, which men name Universe? What is

Life; what is Death? What am I to believe? What am I to do? The grim



rocks of Mount Hara, of Mount Sinai, the stern sandy solitudes answered

not. The great Heaven rolling silent overhead, with its blue-glancing



stars, answered not. There was no answer. The man's own soul, and what of

God's inspiration dwelt there, had to answer!



It is the thing which all men have to ask themselves; which we too have to

ask, and answer. This wild man felt it to be of _infinite_ moment; all



other things of no moment whatever in comparison. The jargon of

argumentative Greek Sects, vague traditions of Jews, the stupidroutine of



Arab Idolatry: there was no answer in these. A Hero, as I repeat, has

this first distinction, which indeed we may call first and last, the Alpha



and Omega of his whole Heroism, That he looks through the shows of things

into _things_. Use and wont, respectable hearsay, respectable formula:



all these are good, or are not good. There is something behind and beyond

all these, which all these must correspond with, be the image of, or they



are--_Idolatries_; "bits of black wood pretending to be God;" to the

earnest soul a mockery and abomination. Idolatries never so gilded, waited



on by heads of the Koreish, will do nothing for this man. Though all men

walk by them, what good is it? The great Reality stands glaring there upon



_him_. He there has to answer it, or perishmiserably. Now, even now, or

else through all Eternity never! Answer it; _thou_ must find an



answer.--Ambition? What could all Arabia do for this man; with the crown

of Greek Heraclius, of Persian Chosroes, and all crowns in the Earth;--what



could they all do for him? It was not of the Earth he wanted to hear tell;

it was of the Heaven above and of the Hell beneath. All crowns and



sovereignties whatsoever, where would _they_ in a few brief years be? To

be Sheik of Mecca or Arabia, and have a bit of gilt wood put into your



hand,--will that be one's salvation? I decidedly think, not. We will

leave it altogether, this impostor hypothesis, as not credible; not very



tolerable even, worthychiefly of dismissal by us.

Mahomet had been wont to retireyearly, during the month Ramadhan, into



solitude and silence; as indeed was the Arab custom; a praiseworthy custom,

which such a man, above all, would find natural and useful. Communing with



his own heart, in the silence of the mountains; himself silent; open to the

"small still voices:" it was a right natural custom! Mahomet was in his



fortieth year, when having withdrawn to a cavern in Mount Hara, near Mecca,

during this Ramadhan, to pass the month in prayer, and meditation on those



great questions, he one day told his wife Kadijah, who with his household

was with him or near him this year, That by the unspeakable special favor



of Heaven he had now found it all out; was in doubt and darkness no longer,




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