mark twain, a biography, 1907-1910-第50部分

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Rose　green　above　me　and　about；　and　in　the　vale　below
The　distant　village　slept；　and　all　the　world
Was　steeped　in　dreams。　　Upon　me　lay　this　peace；
And　I　forgot　my　sorrow　in　its　spell。　　And　now
My　little　maid　passed　by；　and　she
Was　deep　in　thought　upon　a　solemn　thing：
A　disobedience；　and　my　reproof。
Upon　my　face　She　must　not　look　until　the　day　was　done；
For　she　was　doing　penance　。　　。　　。　　She？
O；　it　was　I！　　What　mother　knows　not　that？
And　so　she　passed；　I　worshiping　and　longing　。　　。　　。
It　was　not　wrong？　　You　do　not　think　me　wrong？
I　did　it　for　the　best。　　Indeed　I　meant　it　so。

She　flits　before　me　now：
The　peach…bloom　of　her　gauzy　crepe；
The　plaited　tails　of　hair；
The　ribbons　floating　from　the　summer　hat；
The　grieving　face；　dropp'd　head　absorbed　with　care。
O；　dainty　little　form！
I　see　it　move；　receding　slow　along　the　path；
By　hovering　butterflies　besieged；　I　see　it　reach
The　breezy　top　clear…cut　against　the　sky；　。　　。　　。
Then　pass　beyond　and　sink　from　sight…forever！

Within；　was　light　and　cheer；　without；
A　blustering　winter's　right。　　There　was　a　play；
It　was　her　own；　for　she　had　wrought　it　out
Unhelped；　from　her　own　head…and　she
But　turned　sixteen！　　A　pretty　play；
All　graced　with　cunning　fantasies；
And　happy　songs；　and　peopled　all　with　fays；
And　sylvan　gods　and　goddesses；
And　shepherds；　too；　that　piped　and　danced；
And　wore　the　guileless　hours　away
In　care…free　romps　and　games。

Her　girlhood　mates　played　in　the　piece；
And　she　as　well：　a　goddess；　she；
And　looked　it；　as　it　seemed　to　me。

'Twas　fairyland　restored…so　beautiful　it　was
And　innocent。　　It　made　us　cry；　we　elder　ones；
To　live　our　lost　youth　o'er　again
With　these　its　happy　heirs。

Slowly；　at　last；　the　curtain　fell。
Before　us；　there；　she　stood；　all　wreathed　and　draped
In　roses　pearled　with　dew…so　sweet；　so　glad；
So　radiant！and　flung　us　kisses　through　the　storm
Of　praise　that　crowned　her　triumph　。　　。　　。　　。　　O；
Across　the　mists　of　time　I　see　her　yet；
My　Goddess　of　the　Flowers！

。　　。　　。　　The　curtain　hid　her　。　　。　　。　　。
Do　you　comprehend？　　Till　time　shall　end！
Out　of　my　life　she　vanished　while　I　looked！

。　　。　　。　　Ten　years　are　flown。
O；　I　have　watched　so　long；
So　long。　　But　she　will　come　no　more。
No；　she　will　come　no　more。

It　seems　so　strange　。　　。　　。　　so　strange　。　　。　　。
Struck　down　unwarned！
In　the　unbought　grace；　of　youth　laid　low
In　the　glory　of　her　fresh　young　bloom　laid　low
In　the　morning　of　her　life　cut　down！
And　I　not　by！　　Not　by
When　the　shadows　fell；　the　night　of　death　closed　down
The　sun　that　lit　my　life　went　out。　　Not　by　to　answer
When　the　latest　whisper　passed　the　lips
That　were　so　dear　to　memy　name！
Far　from　my　post！　the　world's　whole　breadth　away。
O；　sinking　in　the　waves　of　death　she　cried　to　me
For　mother…help；　and　got　for　answer
Silence！

We　that　are　oldwe　comprehend；　even　we
That　are　not　mad：　whose　grown…up　scions　still　abide；
Their　tale　complete：
Their　earlier　selves　we　glimpse　at　intervals
Far　in　the　dimming　past；
We　see　the　little　forms　as　once　they　were；
And　whilst　we　ache　to　take　them　to　our　hearts；
The　vision　fades。　　We　know　them　lost　to　us
Forever　lost；　we　cannot　have　them　back；
We　miss　them　as　we　miss　the　dead；
We　mourn　them　as　we　mourn　the　dead。






APPENDIX　V

SELECTIONS　FROM　AN　UNFINISHED　BOOK；　〃3；000　YEARS　AMONG　THE　MICROBES〃

THE　AUTOBIOGRAPHY　OF　A　MICROBE；　WHO；　IN　A　FORMER　EXISTENCE；　HAD　BEEN　A
MANHIS　PRESENT　HABITAT　BEING　THE　ORGANISM　OF　A　TRAMP；　BLITZOWSKI。
（WRITTEN　AT　DUBLIN；　NEW　HAMPSHIRE；　1905）

（See　Chapter　ccxxxv）

Our　world　（the　tramp）　is　as　large　and　grand　and　awe…compelling　to　us
microscopic　creatures　as　is　man's　world　to　man。　　Our　tramp　is
mountainous；　there　are　vast　oceans　in　him；　and　lakes　that　are　sea…like
for　size；　there　are　many　rivers　（veins　and　arteries）　which　are　fifteen
miles　across；　and　of　a　length　so　stupendous　as　to　make　the　Mississippi
and　the　Amazon　trifling　little　Rhode　Island　brooks　by　comparison。　　As　for
our　minor　rivers；　they　are　multitudinous；　and　the　dutiable　commerce　of
disease　which　they　carry　is　rich　beyond　the　dreams　of　the　American
custom…house。

Take　a　man　like　Sir　Oliver　Lodge；　and　what　secret　of　Nature　can　be　hidden
from　him？　　He　says：　〃A　billion；　that　is　a　million　millions；＇？？　Trillion
D。W。＇　of　atoms　is　truly　an　immense　number；　but　the　resulting　aggregate　is
still　excessively　minute。　　A　portion　of　substance　consisting；　of　a
billion　atoms　is　only　barely　visible　with　the　highest　power　of　a
microscope；　and　a　speck　or　granule；　in　order　to　be　visible　to　the　naked
eye；　like　a　grain　of　lycopodium…dust；　must　be　a　million　times　bigger
still。〃

The　human　eye　could　see　it　thenthat　dainty　little　speck。　　But　with　my
microbe…eye　I　could　see　every　individual　of　the　whirling　billions　of
atoms　that　compose　the　speck。　　Nothing　is　ever　at　restwood；　iron；
water；　everything　is　alive；　everything　is　raging；　whirling；　whizzing；　day
and　night　and　night　and　day；　nothing　is　dead；　there　is　no　such　thing　as
death；　everything　is　full　of　bristling　life；　tremendous　life；　even　the
bones　of　the　crusader　that　perished　before　Jerusalem　eight　centuries　ago。　
There　are　no　vegetables；　all　things　are　animal；　each　electron　is　an
animal；　each　molecule　is　a　collection　of　animals；　and　each　has　an
appointed　duty　to　perform　and　a　soul　to　be　saved。　　Heaven　was　not　made
for　man　alone；　and　oblivion　and　neglect　reserved　for　the　rest　of　His
creatures。　　He　gave　them　life；　He　gave　them　humble　services　to　perform；
they　have　performed　them；　and　they　will　not　be　forgotten；　they　will　have
their　reward。　　Man…always　vain；　windy；　conceited…thinks　he　will　be　in　the
majority　there。　　He　will　be　disappointed。　　Let　him　humble　himself。　　But
for　the　despised　microbe　and　the　persecuted　bacillus；　who　needed　a　home
and　nourishment；　he　would　not　have　been　created。　　He　has　a　mission；
therefore　a　reason　for　existing：　let　him　do　the　service　he　was　made　for；
and　keep　quiet。

Three　weeks　ago　I　was　a　man　myself；　and　thought　and　felt　as　men　think　and
feel；　I　have　lived　3；000　years　since　then　＇microbic　time＇；　and　I　see　the
foolishness　of　it　now。　　We　live　to　learn；　and　fortunate　are　we　when　we
are　wise　enough　to　profit　by　it。

In　matters　pertaining　to　microscopy　we　necessarily　have　an　advantage　here
over　the　scientist　of　the　earth；　because；　as　I　have　just　been　indicating；
we　see　with　our　naked　eyes　minutenesses　which　no　man…made　microscope　can
detect；　and　are　therefore　able　to　register　as　facts　many　things　which
exist　for　him　as　theories　only。　　Indeed；　we　know　as　facts　several　things
which　he　has　not　yet　divined　even　by　theory。　　For　example；　he　does　not
suspect　that　there　is　no　life　but　animal　life；　and　that　all　atoms　are
individual　animals　endowed　each　with　a　certain　degree　of　consciousness；
great　or　small；　each　with　likes　and　dislikes；　predilections　and
aversionsthat；　in　a　word；　each　has　a　character；　a　character　of　its　own。　
Yet　such　is　the　case。　　Some　of　the　molecules　of　a　stone　have　an　aversion
for　some　of　those　of　a　vegetable　or　any　other　creature　and　will　not
associate　with　themand　would　not　be　allowed　to；　if　they　tried。　　Nothing
is　more　particular　about　society　than　a　molecule。　　And　so　there　are　no
end　of　castes；　in　this　matter　India　is　not　a　circumstance。

〃Tell　me；　Franklin　＇a　microbe　of　great　learning＇；　is　the　ocean　an
individual；　an　animal；　a　creature？〃

〃Yes。〃

〃Then　waterany　water…is　an　individual？〃

〃Yes。〃

〃Suppose　you　remove　a　drop　of　it？　　Is　what　is　left　an　individual？〃

〃Yes；　and　so　is　the　drop。〃

〃Suppose　you　divide　the　drop？〃

〃Then　you　have　two　individuals。〃

〃Suppose　you　separate　the　hydrogen　and　the　oxygen？〃

〃Again　you　have　two　individuals。　　But　you　haven't　water　any　more。〃

〃Of　course。　　Certainly。　　Well；　suppose　you　combine　them　again；　but　in　a
new　way：　make　the　proportions　equalone　part　oxygen　to　one　of　hydrogen？〃

〃But　you　know　you　can't。　　They　won't　combine　on　equal　terms。〃

I　was　ashamed　to　have　made　that　blunder。　　I　was　embarrassed；　to　cover　it
I　started　to　say　we　used　to　combine　them　like　that　where　I　came　from；　but
thought　better　of　it；　and　stood　pat。

〃Now　then；〃　I　said；　〃it　amounts　to　this：　water　is　an　individual；　an
animal；　and　is　alive；　remove　the　hydrogen　and　it　is　an　animal　and　is
alive；　the　remaining　oxygen　is　also　an　individual；　an　animal；　and　is
alive。　　Recapitulation：　the　two　individuals　combined　constitute　a　third
individualand　yet　each　continues　to　be　an　individual。〃

I　glanced　at　Franklin；　but　。　　。　　。　　upon　reflection；　held　my　peace。　　I
could　have　pointed　out　to　him　that　here　was　mute　Nature　explaining　the
sublime　mystery　of　the　Trinity　so　luminouslythat　even　the　commonest
understanding　could　comprehend　it；　whereas　many　a　trained　master　of　words
had　labored　to　do　it　with　speech　and　failed。　　But　he　would　not　have　known
what　I　was　talking　about。　　After　a　moment　I　resumed：

〃Listenand　see　if　I　have　understood　you　rightly；　to　wit：　All　the　atoms
that　constitute　each　oxygen　molecule　are　separate　individuals；　and　each
is　a　living　animal；　all　the　atoms　that　constitute　each　hydrogen　molecule
are　separate　individuals；　and　each　one　is　a　living　animal；　each　drop　of
water　consists　of　millions　of　living　animals；　the　drop　itself　is　an
individual；　a　living　animal；　and　the　wide　ocean　is　another。　　Is　that　it？〃

〃Yes；　that　is　correct。〃

〃By　George；　it　beats　the　band！〃

He　liked　the　expression；　and　set　it　down　in　his　tablets。

〃Franklin；　we've　got　it　down　fine。　　And　to　thinkthere　are　other　animals
that　are　still　smaller　than　a　hydrogen　atom；　and　yet　it　is　so　small　that
it　takes　five　thousand　of　them　to　make　a　moleculea　molecule　so　minute
that　it　could　get　into　a　microbe's　eye　and　he　wouldn't　know　it　was
there！〃

〃Yes；　the　wee　creatures　that　inhabit　the　bodies　of　us　germs　and　feed　upon
us；　and　rot　us　with　disease：　Ah；　what　could　they　have　been　created　for？　
They　give　us　pain；　they　make　our　lives　miserable；　they　murder　us…and
where　is　the　use　of　it　all；　where　the　wisdom？　　Ah；　friend　Bkshp　＇microbic
orthography＇；　we　live　in　a　strange　and　unaccountable　world；　our　birth　is
a　mystery；　our　little　life　is　a　mystery；　a　trouble；　we　pass　and　are　seen
no　more；　all　is　mystery；　mystery；　mystery；　we　know　not　whence　we　came；
nor　why；　we　know　not　whither　we　go；　nor　wh