the unknown guest-第1节

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The　Unknown　Guest

by　Maurice　Maeterlinck

Translated　by　Alexander　Teixeira　de　Mattos





INTRODUCTION

1

My　Essay　on　Death＇1＇　led　me　to　make　a　conscientious　enquiry　into　the　present　position　of　the　great　mystery；　an　enquiry　which　I　have　endeavoured　to　render　as　complete　as　possible。　I　had　hoped　that　a　single　volume　would　be　able　to　contain　the　result　of　these　investigations；　which；　I　may　say　at　once；　will　teach　nothing　to　those　who　have　been　over　the　same　ground　and　which　have　nothing　to　recommend　them　except　their　sincerity；　their　impartiality　and　a　certain　scrupulous　accuracy。　But；　as　I　proceeded；　I　saw　the　field　widening　under　my　feet；　so　much　so　that　I　have　been　obliged　to　divide　my　work　into　two　almost　equal　parts。　The　first　is　now　published　and　is　a　brief　study　of　veridical　apparitions　and　hallucinations　and　haunted　houses；　or；　if　you　will；　the　phantasms　of　the　living　and　the　dead；　of　those　manifestations　which　have　been　oddly　and　not　very　appropriately　described　as　〃psychometric〃；　of　the　knowledge　of　the　future：　presentiments；　omens；　premonitions；　precognitions　and　the　rest；　and　lastly　of　the　Elberfeld　horses。　In　the　second；　which　will　be　published　later；　I　shall　treat　of　the　miracles　of　Lourdes　and　other　places；　the　phenomena　of　so　called　materialization；　of　the　divining…rod　and　of　fluidic　asepsis；　not　unmindful　withal　of　a　diamond　dust　of　the　miraculous　that　hangs　over　the　greater　marvels　in　that　strange　atmosphere　into　which　we　are　about　to　pass。

＇1＇　Published　in　English；　in　an　enlarged　form；　under　the　title　of　Our　Eternity　（London　and　New　York；　1913）Translator's　Note。


2

When　I　speak　of　the　present　position　of　the　mystery；　I　of　course　do　not　mean　the　mystery　of　life；　its　end　and　its　beginnings；　nor　yet　the　great　riddle　of　the　universe　which　lies　about　us。　In　this　sense；　all　is　mystery；　and；　as　I　have　said　elsewhere；　is　likely　always　to　remain　so；　nor　is　it　probable　that　we　shall　ever　touch　any　point　of　even　the　utmost　borders　of　knowledge　or　certainty。　It　is　here　a　question　of　that　which；　in　the　midst　of　this　recognized　and　usual　mystery；　the　familiar　mystery　of　which　we　are　almost　oblivious；　suddenly　disturbs　the　regular　course　of　our　general　ignorance。　In　themselves；　these　facts　which　strike　us　as　supernatural　are　no　more　so　than　the　others；　possibly　they　are　rarer；　or；　to　be　more　accurate；　less　frequently　or　less　easily　observed。　In　any　case；　their　deep…seated　cause；　while　being　probably　neither　more　remote　nor　more　difficult　access；　seem　to　lie　hidden　in　an　unknown　region　less　often　visited　by　our　science；　which　after　all　is　but　a　reassuring　and　conciliatory　espression　of　our　ignorance。　Today；　thanks　to　the　labours　of　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research　and　a　host　of　other　seekers；　we　are　able　to　approach　these　phenomena　as　a　whole　with　a　certain　confidence。　Leaving　the　realm　of　legend；　of　after…dinner　stories；　old　wives'　tales；　illusions　and　exaggerations；　we　find　ourselves　at　last　on　circumscribed　but　fairly　safe　ground。　This　does　not　mean　that　there　are　no　other　supernatural　phenomena　besides　those　collected　in　the　publications　of　the　society　in　question　and　in　a　few　of　the　more　weighty　reviews　which　have　adopted　the　same　methods。　Notwithstanding　all　their　diligence；　which　for　over　thirty　years　has　been　ransacking　the　obscure　corners　of　our　planet；　it　is　inevitable　that　a　good　many　things　escape　their　notice；　besides　which　the　rigour　of　their　investigations　makes　them　reject　three　fourths　of　those　which　are　brought　before　them。　But　we　may　say　that　the　twenty…six　volumes　of　the　society　is　Proceedings　and　the　fifteen　or　sixteen　volumes　of　its　Journal；　together　with　the　twenty…three　annuals　of　the　Annales　des　Sciences　Psychiques；　to　mention　only　this　one　periodical　of　signal　excellence；　embrace　for　the　moment　the　whole　field　of　the　extraordinary　and　offer　some　instances　of　all　the　abnormal　manifestations　of　the　inexplicable。　We　are　henceforth　able　to　classify　them；　to　divide　and　subdivide　them　into　general；　species　and　varieties。　This　is　not　much；　you　may　say；　but　it　is　thus　that　every　science　begins　and　furthermore　that　many　a　one　ends。　We　have　therefore　sufficient　evidence；　facts　that　can　scarcely　be　disputed；　to　enable　us　to　consult　them　profitably；　to　recognize　whither　they　lead；　to　form　some　idea　of　their　general　character　and　perhaps　to　trace　their　sole　source　by　gradually　removing　the　weeds　and　rubbish　which　for　so　many　hundreds　and　thousands　of　years　have　hidden　it　from　our　eyes。

3

Truth　to　tell；　these　supernatural　manifestations　seem　less　marvelous　and　less　fantastic　than　they　did　some　centuries　ago；　and　we　are　at　first　a　little　disappointed。　One　would　think　that　even　the　mysterious　has　its　ups　and　downs　and　remains　subject　to　the　caprices　of　some　strange　extra　mundane　fashion；　or　perhaps；　to　be　more　exact；　it　is　evident　that　the　majority　of　those　legendary　miracles　could　not　withstand　the　rigorous　scrutiny　of　our　day。　Those　which　emerge　triumphant　from　the　test　and　defy　our　less　credulous　and　more　penetrating　vision　are　all　the　more　worthy　of　holding　our　attention。　They　are　not　the　last　survivals　of　the　riddle；　for　this　continues　to　exist　in　its　entirety　and　grows　greater　in　proportion　as　we　throw　light　upon　it；　but　we　can　perhaps　see　in　them　the　supreme　or　else　the　first　efforts　of　a　force　which　does　not　appear　to　reside　wholly　in　our　sphere。　They　suggest　blows　struck　from　without　by　an　Unknown　even　more　unknown　than　that　which　we　think　we　know；　an　Unknown　which　is　not　that　of　the　universe；　not　that　which　we　have　gradually　made　into　an　inoffensive　and　amiable　Unknown；　even　as　we　have　made　the　universe　a　son　of　province　of　the　earth；　but　a　stranger　arriving　from　another　world；　an　unexpected　visitor　who　comes　in　a　rather　sinister　way　to　trouble　the　comfortable　quiet　in　which　we　were　slumbering；　rocked　by　the　firm　and　watchful　hand　of　orthodox　science。

4

Let　us　first　be　content　to　enumerate　them。　We　shall　find　that　we　have　table…turning；　with　its　raps；　the　movements　and　transportations　of　inanimate　objects　without　contact；　luminous　phenomena；　lucidite；　or　clairvoyance；　veridical　apparitions　or　hallucinations；　haunted　houses；　bilocations　and　so　forth；　communications　with　the　dead；　the　divining…rod；　the　miraculous　cures　of　Lourdes　and　elsewhere；　fluidic　asepsis；　and　lastly　the　famous　thinking　animals　of　Elberfeld　and　Mannheim。　These；　if　I　be　not　mistaken；　after　eliminating　all　that　is　in；　sufficiently　attested；　constitute　the　residue　or　caput　mortuum　of　this　latter…day　miracle。

Everybody　has　heard　of　table…turning；　which　may　be　called　the　A　B　C　of　occult　science。　It　is　so　common　and　so　easily　produced　that　the　Society　for　Psychical　Research　has　not　thought　it　necessary　to　devote　special　attention　to　the　subject。　I　need　hardly　add　that　we　must　take　count　only　of　movements　or　〃raps〃　obtained　without　the　hands　touching　the　table；　so　as　to　remove　every　possibility　of　fraud　or　unconscious　complicity。　To　obtain　these　movements　it　is　enough；　but　it　is　also　indispensable　that　those　who　form　the　〃chain〃　should　include　a　person　endowed　with　mediumistic　faculties。　I　repeat；　the　experiment　is　within　the　reach　of　any　one　who　cares　to　try　it　under　the　requisite　conditions；　and　it　is　as　incontestable　as　the　polarization　of　light　or　as　crystallization　by　means　of　electric　currents。

In　the　same　group　may　be　placed　the　movement　and　transportation　of　objects　without　contact；　the　touches　of　spirit　hands；　the　luminous　phenomena　and　materialization。　Like　table…turning；　they　demand　the　presence　of　a　medium。　I　need　not　observe　that　we　here　find　ourselves　in　the　happy　hunting…ground　of　the　impostor　and　that　even　the　most　powerful　mediums；　those　possessing　the　most　genuine　and　undeniable　gifts；　such　as　the　celebrated　Eusapia　Paladino；　are　upon　occasionand　the　occasion　occurs　but　too　oftenincorrigible　cheats。　But；　when　we　have　made　every　allowance　for　fraud；　there　nevertheless　remains　a　considerable　number　of　incidents　so　rigorously　attested　that　we　most　needs　accept　them　or　else　abandon　all　human　certainty。

The　case　is　not　quite　the　same　with　levitation　and　the　wonders　performed；　so　travelers　tell　us；　by　certain　Indian　jugglers。　Though　the　prolonged　burial　of　a　living　being　is　very　nearly　proved　and　can　doubtless　be　physiologically　explained；　there　are　many　other　tricks　on　which　we　have　so　far　no　authoritative　pronouncement。　I　will　not　speak　of　the　〃mango…tree〃　and　the　〃basket…trick；〃　which　are　mere　conjuring；　but　the　〃fire…walk〃　and　the　famous　〃rope…climbing　trick〃　remain　more　of　a　mystery。

The　fire…walk；　or　walk　on　red…hot　bricks　or　glowing　coals；　is　a　sort　of　religious　ceremony　practiced　in　the　Indies；　in　some　of　the　Polynesian　islands；　in　Mauritius　and　elsewhere。　As　the　result　of　incantations　uttered　by　the　high　priest；　the　bare　feet　of　the　faithful　who　follow　him　upon　the　bed　of　burning　pebbles　or　brands　seem　to　become　almost　insensible　to　the　touch　of　fire。　Travelers　are　anything　but　agreed　whether　the　heat　of　the　surface　traversed　is　really　intolerable；　whether　the　extraordinary　power　of　endurance　is　explained　by　the　thickness　of　the　horny　substance　which　protects　the　soles　of　the　natives'　feet；　whether　the　feet　are　burnt　or　whether　the　skin　remains　untouched；　and；　under　present　co