modeste mignon-第13节

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the　wounded　angel。



Modeste；　recovering　her　first　impression；　renewed　her　confidence　in

that　soul；　in　that　countenance　as　ravishing　as　the　face　of　Bernadin　de

Saint…Pierre。　She　paid　no　further　attention　to　the　publisher。　And　so；

about　the　beginning　of　the　month　of　August　she　wrote　the　following

letter　to　this　Dorat　of　the　sacristy；　who　still　ranks　as　a　star　of　the

modern　Pleiades。



　　To　Monsieur　de　Canalis；Many　a　time；　monsieur；　I　have　wished　to

　　write　to　you；　and　why？　Surely　you　guess　why；to　tell　you　how　much

　　I　admire　your　genius。　Yes；　I　feel　the　need　of　expressing　to　you

　　the　admiration　of　a　poor　country　girl；　lonely　in　her　little

　　corner；　whose　only　happiness　is　to　read　your　thoughts。　I　have　read

　　Rene；　and　I　come　to　you。　Sadness　leads　to　reverie。　How　many　other

　　women　are　sending　you　the　homage　of　their　secret　thoughts？　What

　　chance　have　I　for　notice　among　so　many？　This　paper；　filled　with　my

　　soul；can　it　be　more　to　you　than　the　perfumed　letters　which

　　already　beset　you。　I　come　to　you　with　less　grace　than　others；　for

　　I　wish　to　remain　unknown　and　yet　to　receive　your　entire　confidence

　　as　though　you　had　long　known　me。



　　Answer　my　letter　and　be　friendly　with　me。　I　cannot　promise　to　make

　　myself　known　to　you；　though　I　do　not　positively　say　I　will　not

　　some　day　do　so。



　　What　shall　I　add？　Read　between　the　lines　of　this　letter；　monsieur；

　　the　great　effort　which　I　am　making：　permit　me　to　offer　you　my

　　hand；that　of　a　friend；　ah！　a　true　friend。



Your　servant；　　　　　　　O。　d'Este　M。





　　P。S。If　you　do　me　the　favor　to　answer　this　letter　address　your

　　reply；　if　you　please；　to　Mademoiselle　F。　Cochet；　〃poste　restante；〃

　　Havre。







CHAPTER　VII



A　POET　OF　THE　ANGELIC　SCHOOL



All　young　girls；　romantic　or　otherwise；　can　imagine　the　impatience　in

which　Modeste　lived　for　the　next　few　days。　The　air　was　full　of　tongues

of　fire。　The　trees　were　like　a　plumage。　She　was　not　conscious　of　a

body；　she　hovered　in　space；　the　earth　melted　away　under　her　feet。　Full

of　admiration　for　the　post…office；　she　followed　her　little　sheet　of

paper　on　its　way；　she　was　happy；　as　we　all　are　happy　at　twenty　years

of　age；　in　the　first　exercise　of　our　will。　She　was　possessed；　as　in

the　middle　ages。　She　made　pictures　in　her　mind　of　the　poet's　abode；　of

his　study；　she　saw　him　unsealing　her　letter；　and　then　followed　myriads

of　suppositions。



After　sketching　the　poetry　we　cannot　do　less　than　give　the　profile　of

the　poet。　Canalis　is　a　short；　spare　man；　with　an　air　of　good…breeding；

a　dark…complexioned；　moon…shaped　face；　and　a　rather　mean　head　like

that　of　a　man　who　has　more　vanity　than　pride。　He　loves　luxury；　rank；

and　splendor。　Money　is　of　more　importance　to　him　than　to　most　men。

Proud　of　his　birth；　even　more　than　of　his　talent；　he　destroys　the

value　of　his　ancestors　by　making　too　much　of　them　in　the　present　day；

after　all；　the　Canalis　are　not　Navarreins；　nor　Cadignans；　nor

Grandlieus。　Nature；　however；　helps　him　out　in　his　pretensions。　He　has

those　eyes　of　Eastern　effulgence　which　we　demand　in　a　poet；　a　delicate

charm　of　manner；　and　a　vibrant　voice；　yet　a　taint　of　natural

charlatanism　destroys　the　effect　of　nearly　all　these　advantages；　he　is

a　born　comedian。　If　he　puts　forward　his　well…shaped　foot；　it　is

because　the　attitude　has　become　a　habit；　if　he　uses　exclamatory　terms

they　are　part　of　himself；　if　he　poses　with　high　dramatic　action　he　has

made　that　deportment　his　second　nature。　Such　defects　as　these　are　not

incompatible　with　a　general　benevolence　and　a　certain　quality　of

errant　and　purely　ideal　chivalry；　which　distinguishes　the　paladin　from

the　knight。　Canalis　has　not　devotion　enough　for　a　Don　Quixote；　but　he

has　too　much　elevation　of　thought　not　to　put　himself　on　the　nobler

side　of　questions　and　things。　His　poetry；　which　takes　the　town　by

storm　on　all　profitable　occasions；　really　injures　the　man　as　a　poet；

for　he　is　not　without　mind；　but　his　talent　prevents　him　from

developing　it；　he　is　overweighted　by　his　reputation；　and　is　always

aiming　to　make　himself　appear　greater　than　he　has　the　credit　of　being。

Thus；　as　often　happens；　the　man　is　entirely　out　of　keeping　with　the

products　of　his　thought。　The　author　of　these　naive；　caressing；　tender

little　lyrics；　these　calm　idylls　pure　and　cold　as　the　surface　of　a

lake；　these　verses　so　essentially　feminine；　is　an　ambitious　little

creature　in　a　tightly　buttoned　frock…coat；　with　the　air　of　a　diplomat

seeking　political　influence；　smelling　of　the　musk　of　aristocracy；　full

of　pretension；　thirsting　for　money；　already　spoiled　by　success　in　two

directions；　and　wearing　the　double　wreath　of　myrtle　and　of　laurel。　A

government　situation　worth　eight　thousand　francs；　three　thousand

francs'　annuity　from　the　literary　fund；　two　thousand　from　the　Academy；

three　thousand　more　from　the　paternal　estate　（less　the　taxes　and　the

cost　of　keeping　it　in　order）；a　total　fixed　income　of　fifteen

thousand　francs；　plus　the　ten　thousand　bought　in；　one　year　with

another；　by　his　poetry；　in　all　twenty…five　thousand　francs；this　for

Modeste's　hero　was　so　precarious　and　insufficient　an　income　that　he

usually　spent　five　or　six　thousand　francs　more　every　year；　but　the

king's　privy　purse　and　the　secret　funds　of　the　foreign　office　had

hitherto　supplied　the　deficit。　He　wrote　a　hymn　for　the　king's

coronation　which　earned　him　a　whole　silver　service；having　refused　a

sum　of　money　on　the　ground　that　a　Canalis　owed　his　duty　to　his

sovereign。



But　about　this　time　Canalis　had；　as　the　journalists　say；　exhausted　his

budget。　He　felt　himself　unable　to　invent　any　new　form　of　poetry；　his

lyre　did　not　have　seven　strings；　it　had　one；　and　having　played　on　that

one　string　so　long；　the　public　allowed　him　no　other　alternative　but　to

hang　himself　with　it；　or　to　hold　his　tongue。　De　Marsay；　who　did　not

like　Canalis；　made　a　remark　whose　poisoned　shaft　touched　the　poet　to

the　quick　of　his　vanity。　〃Canalis；〃　he　said；　〃always　reminds　me　of

that　brave　man　whom　Frederic　the　Great　called　up　and　commended　after　a

battle　because　his　trumpet　had　never　ceased　tooting　its　one　little

tune。〃　Canalis's　ambition　was　to　enter　political　life；　and　he　made

capital　of　a　journey　he　had　taken　to　Madrid　as　secretary　to　the

embassy　of　the　Duc　de　Chaulieu；　though　it　was　really　made；　according

to　Parisian　gossip；　in　the　capacity　of　〃attache　to　the　duchess。〃　How

many　times　a　sarcasm　or　a　single　speech　has　decided　the　whole　course

of　a　man's　life。　Colla；　the　late　president　of　the　Cisalpine　republic；

and　the　best　lawyer　in　Piedmont；　was　told　by　a　friend　when　he　was

forty　years　of　age　that　he　knew　nothing　of　botany。　He　was　piqued；

became　a　second　Jussieu；　cultivated　flowers；　and　compiled　and

published　〃The　Flora　of　Piedmont；〃　in　Latin；　a　labor　of　ten　years。

〃I'll　master　De　Marsay　some　of　these　days！〃　thought　the　crushed　poet；

〃after　all；　Canning　and　Chateaubriand　are　both　in　politics。〃



Canalis　would　gladly　have　brought　forth　some　great　political　poem；　but

he　was　afraid　of　the　French　press；　whose　criticisms　are　savage　upon

any　writer　who　takes　four　alexandrines　to　express　one　idea。　Of　all　the

poets　of　our　day　only　three；　Hugo；　Theophile　Gautier；　and　De　Vigny；

have　been　able　to　win　the　double　glory　of　poet　and　prose…writer；　like

Racine　and　Voltaire；　Moliere；　and　Rabelais；a　rare　distinction　in　the

literature　of　France；　which　ought　to　give　a　man　a　right　to　the

crowning　title　of　poet。



So　then；　the　bard　of　the　faubourg　Saint…Germain　was　doing　a　wise　thing

in　trying　to　house　his　little　chariot　under　the　protecting　roof　of　the

present　government。　When　he　became　president　of　the　court　of　Claims　at

the　foreign　office；　he　stood　in　need　of　a　secretary；a　friend　who

could　take　his　place　in　various　ways；　cook　up　his　interests　with

publishers；　see　to　his　glory　in　the　newspapers；　help　him　if　need　be　in

politics；in　short；　a　cat's　paw　and　satellite。　In　Paris　many　men　of

celebrity　in　art；　science；　and　literature　have　one　or　more　train…

bearers；　captains　of　the　guard；　chamberlains　as　it　were；　who　live　in

the　sunshine　of　their　presence；aides…de…camp　entrusted　with　delicate

missions；　allowing　themselves　to　be　compromised　if　necessary；　workers

round　the　pedestal　of　the　idol；　not　exactly　his　servants；　nor　yet　his

equals；　bold　in　his　defence；　first　in　the　breach；　covering　all

retreats；　busy　with　his　business；　and　devoted　to　him　just　so　long　as

their　illusions　last；　or　until　the　moment　when　they　have　got　all　they

wanted。　Some　of　these　satellites　perceive　the　ingratitude　of　their

great　man；　others　feel　that　they　are　simply　made　tools　of；　many　weary

of　the　life；　very　few　remain　contented　with　that　sweet　equality　of

feeling　and　sentiment　which　is　the　only　reward　that　should　be　looked

for　in　an　intimacy　with　a　superior　man；a　reward　that　contented　Ali

when　Mohammed　raised　him　to　himself。



Many　of　these　men；　misled　by　vanity；　think　themselves　quite　as　capable

as　their　patron。　Pure　devotion；　such　as　M