heroes and hero worship-第11节

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al　as　Death；　is　this　Universe　to　him。　　Though　all　men　should　forget　its　truth；　and　walk　in　a　vain　show；　he　cannot。　　At　all　moments　the　Flame…image　glares　in　upon　him；　undeniable；　there；　there！I　wish　you　to　take　this　as　my　primary　definition　of　a　Great　Man。　　A　little　man　may　have　this；　it　is　competent　to　all　men　that　God　has　made：　　but　a　Great　Man　cannot　be　without　it。

Such　a　man　is　what　we　call　an　_original_　man；　he　comes　to　us　at　first…hand。　A　messenger　he；　sent　from　the　Infinite　Unknown　with　tidings　to　us。　　We　may　call　him　Poet；　Prophet；　God；in　one　way　or　other；　we　all　feel　that　the　words　he　utters　are　as　no　other　man's　words。　　Direct　from　the　Inner　Fact　of　things；he　lives；　and　has　to　live；　in　daily　communion　with　that。　　Hearsays　cannot　hide　it　from　him；　he　is　blind；　homeless；　miserable；　following　hearsays；　_it_　glares　in　upon　him。　　Really　his　utterances；　are　they　not　a　kind　of　〃revelation；〃what　we　must　call　such　for　want　of　some　other　name？　It　is　from　the　heart　of　the　world　that　he　comes；　he　is　portion　of　the　primal　reality　of　things。　　God　has　made　many　revelations：　　but　this　man　too；　has　not　God　made　him；　the　latest　and　newest　of　all？　　The　〃inspiration　of　the　Almighty　giveth　him　understanding：〃　　we　must　listen　before　all　to　him。


This　Mahomet；　then；　we　will　in　no　wise　consider　as　an　Inanity　and　Theatricality；　a　poor　conscious　ambitious　schemer；　we　cannot　conceive　him　so。　　The　rude　message　he　delivered　was　a　real　one　withal；　an　earnest　confused　voice　from　the　unknown　Deep。　　The　man's　words　were　not　false；　nor　his　workings　here　below；　no　Inanity　and　Simulacrum；　a　fiery　mass　of　Life　cast　up　from　the　great　bosom　of　Nature　herself。　　To　_kindle_　the　world；　the　world's　Maker　had　ordered　it　so。　　Neither　can　the　faults；　imperfections；　insincerities　even；　of　Mahomet；　if　such　were　never　so　well　proved　against　him；　shake　this　primary　fact　about　him。

On　the　whole；　we　make　too　much　of　faults；　the　details　of　the　business　hide　the　real　centre　of　it。　　Faults？　　The　greatest　of　faults；　I　should　say；　is　to　be　conscious　of　none。　　Readers　of　the　Bible　above　all；　one　would　think；　might　know　better。　　Who　is　called　there　〃the　man　according　to　God's　own　heart〃？　　David；　the　Hebrew　King；　had　fallen　into　sins　enough；　blackest　crimes；　there　was　no　want　of　sins。　　And　thereupon　the　unbelievers　sneer　and　ask；　Is　this　your　man　according　to　God's　heart？　　The　sneer；　I　must　say；　seems　to　me　but　a　shallow　one。　　What　are　faults；　what　are　the　outward　details　of　a　life；　if　the　inner　secret　of　it；　the　remorse；　temptations；　true；　often…baffled；　never…ended　struggle　of　it；　be　forgotten？　　〃It　is　not　in　man　that　walketh　to　direct　his　steps。〃　　Of　all　acts；　is　not；　for　a　man；　_repentance_　the　most　divine？　　The　deadliest　sin；　I　say；　were　that　same　supercilious　consciousness　of　no　sin；that　is　death；　the　heart　so　conscious　is　divorced　from　sincerity；　humility　and　fact；　is　dead：　　it　is　〃pure〃　as　dead　dry　sand　is　pure。　　David's　life　and　history；　as　written　for　us　in　those　Psalms　of　his；　I　consider　to　be　the　truest　emblem　ever　given　of　a　man's　moral　progress　and　warfare　here　below。　　All　earnest　souls　will　ever　discern　in　it　the　faithful　struggle　of　an　earnest　human　soul　towards　what　is　good　and　best。　　Struggle　often　baffled；　sore　baffled；　down　as　into　entire　wreck；　yet　a　struggle　never　ended；　ever；　with　tears；　repentance；　true　unconquerable　purpose；　begun　anew。　　Poor　human　nature！　　Is　not　a　man's　walking；　in　truth；　always　that：　　〃a　succession　of　falls〃？　　Man　can　do　no　other。　　In　this　wild　element　of　a　Life；　he　has　to　struggle　onwards；　now　fallen；　deep…abased；　and　ever；　with　tears；　repentance；　with　bleeding　heart；　he　has　to　rise　again；　struggle　again　still　onwards。　　That　his　struggle　_be_　a　faithful　unconquerable　one：　　that　is　the　question　of　questions。　　We　will　put　up　with　many　sad　details；　if　the　soul　of　it　were　true。　　Details　by　themselves　will　never　teach　us　what　it　is。　　I　believe　we　misestimate　Mahomet's　faults　even　as　faults：　　but　the　secret　of　him　will　never　be　got　by　dwelling　there。　　We　will　leave　all　this　behind　us；　and　assuring　ourselves　that　he　did　mean　some　true　thing；　ask　candidly　what　it　was　or　might　be。


These　Arabs　Mahomet　was　born　among　are　certainly　a　notable　people。　　Their　country　itself　is　notable；　the　fit　habitation　for　such　a　race。　　Savage　inaccessible　rock…mountains；　great　grim　deserts；　alternating　with　beautiful　strips　of　verdure：　　wherever　water　is；　there　is　greenness；　beauty；　odoriferous　balm…shrubs；　date…trees；　frankincense…trees。　　Consider　that　wide　waste　horizon　of　sand；　empty；　silent；　like　a　sand…sea；　dividing　habitable　place　from　habitable。　　You　are　all　alone　there；　left　alone　with　the　Universe；　by　day　a　fierce　sun　blazing　down　on　it　with　intolerable　radiance；　by　night　the　great　deep　Heaven　with　its　stars。　　Such　a　country　is　fit　for　a　swift…handed；　deep…hearted　race　of　men。　　There　is　something　most　agile；　active；　and　yet　most　meditative；　enthusiastic　in　the　Arab　character。　The　Persians　are　called　the　French　of　the　East；　we　will　call　the　Arabs　Oriental　Italians。　　A　gifted　noble　people；　a　people　of　wild　strong　feelings；　and　of　iron　restraint　over　these：　　the　characteristic　of　noble…mindedness；　of　genius。　　The　wild　Bedouin　welcomes　the　stranger　to　his　tent；　as　one　having　right　to　all　that　is　there；　were　it　his　worst　enemy；　he　will　slay　his　foal　to　treat　him；　will　serve　him　with　sacred　hospitality　for　three　days；　will　set　him　fairly　on　his　way；and　then；　by　another　law　as　sacred；　kill　him　if　he　can。　　In　words　too　as　in　action。　　They　are　not　a　loquacious　people；　taciturn　rather；　but　eloquent；　gifted　when　they　do　speak。　　An　earnest；　truthful　kind　of　men。　　They　are；　as　we　know；　of　Jewish　kindred：　　but　with　that　deadly　terrible　earnestness　of　the　Jews　they　seem　to　combine　something　graceful；　brilliant；　which　is　not　Jewish。　　They　had　〃Poetic　contests〃　among　them　before　the　time　of　Mahomet。　　Sale　says；　at　Ocadh；　in　the　South　of　Arabia；　there　were　yearly　fairs；　and　there；　when　the　merchandising　was　done；　Poets　sang　for　prizes：the　wild　people　gathered　to　hear　that。

One　Jewish　quality　these　Arabs　manifest；　the　outcome　of　many　or　of　all　high　qualities：　　what　we　may　call　religiosity。　　From　of　old　they　had　been　zealous　worshippers；　according　to　their　light。　　They　worshipped　the　stars；　as　Sabeans；　worshipped　many　natural　objects；recognized　them　as　symbols；　immediate　manifestations；　of　the　Maker　of　Nature。　　It　was　wrong；　and　yet　not　wholly　wrong。　　All　God's　works　are　still　in　a　sense　symbols　of　God。　　Do　we　not；　as　I　urged；　still　account　it　a　merit　to　recognize　a　certain　inexhaustible　significance；　〃poetic　beauty〃　as　we　name　it；　in　all　natural　objects　whatsoever？　　A　man　is　a　poet；　and　honored；　for　doing　that；　and　speaking　or　singing　it；a　kind　of　diluted　worship。　　They　had　many　Prophets；　these　Arabs；　Teachers　each　to　his　tribe；　each　according　to　the　light　he　had。　　But　indeed；　have　we　not　from　of　old　the　noblest　of　proofs；　still　palpable　to　every　one　of　us；　of　what　devoutness　and　noble…mindedness　had　dwelt　in　these　rustic　thoughtful　peoples？　　Biblical　critics　seem　agreed　that　our　own　_Book　of　Job_　was　written　in　that　region　of　the　world。　　I　call　that；　apart　from　all　theories　about　it；　one　of　the　grandest　things　ever　written　with　pen。　　One　feels；　indeed；　as　if　it　were　not　Hebrew；　such　a　noble　universality；　different　from　noble　patriotism　or　sectarianism；　reigns　in　it。　　A　noble　Book；　all　men's　Book！　　It　is　our　first；　oldest　statement　of　the　never…ending　Problem；man's　destiny；　and　God's　ways　with　him　here　in　this　earth。　　And　all　in　such　free　flowing　outlines；　grand　in　its　sincerity；　in　its　simplicity；　in　its　epic　melody；　and　repose　of　reconcilement。　　There　is　the　seeing　eye；　the　mildly　understanding　heart。　　So　_true_　every　way；　true　eyesight　and　vision　for　all　things；　material　things　no　less　than　spiritual：　　the　Horse；〃hast　thou　clothed　his　neck　with　_thunder_？〃he　〃_laughs_　at　the　shaking　of　the　spear！〃　　Such　living　likenesses　were　never　since　drawn。　　Sublime　sorrow；　sublime　reconciliation；　oldest　choral　melody　as　of　the　heart　of　mankind；so　soft；　and　great；　as　the　summer　midnight；　as　the　world　with　its　seas　and　stars！　　There　is　nothing　written；　I　think；　in　the　Bible　or　out　of　it；　of　equal　literary　merit。

To　the　idolatrous　Arabs　one　of　the　most　ancient　universal　objects　of　worship　was　that　Black　Stone；　still　kept　in　the　building　called　Caabah；　at　Mecca。　　Diodorus　Siculus　mentions　this　Caabah　in　a　way　not　to　be　mistaken；　as　the　oldest；　most　honored　temple　in　his　time；　that　is；　some　half…century　before　our　Era。　　Silvestre　de　Sacy　says　there　is　some　likelihood　that　the　Black　Stone　is　an　aerolite。　　In　that　case；　some　man　might　_see_　it　fall　out　of　Heaven！　　It　stands　now　beside　the　Well　Zemzem；　the　Caabah　is　built　over　both。　　A　Well　is　in　all　places　a　beautiful　affecting　object；　gushing　out　like　life　from　the　hard　earth；still　more　so　in　those　hot　dry　countries；　where　it　is　the　first　condition　of　being。　　The　Well　Zemzem　has　its　name　from　the　bubbling　sound　of　the　waters；　_zem…zem_；　they　think　it　is　the　Well　which　Hagar　found　with　her　little　Ishmael　in　the　wilderness：　　the　aerolite　and　it　have　been　sacred　now；　and　had　a　Caabah　over　them；　for　thousands　of　years。　　A　curious　object；　that　Caabah！　　There　it　stands　at　this　hour；　in　the　black　cloth…covering　the　Sultan　sends　it