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小说: heroes and hero worship 字数: 每页4000字

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object; that Caabah!  There it stands at this hour; in the black cloth…covering the Sultan sends it yearly; 〃twenty…seven cubits high;〃 with circuit; with double circuit of pillars; with festoon…rows of lamps and quaint ornaments:  the lamps will be lighted again _this_ night;to glitter again under the stars。  An authentic fragment of the oldest Past。  It is the _Keblah_ of all Moslem:  from Delhi all onwards to Morocco; the eyes of innumerable praying men are turned towards it; five times; this day and all days:  one of the notablest centres in the Habitation of Men。

It had been from the sacredness attached to this Caabah Stone and Hagar's Well; from the pilgrimings of all tribes of Arabs thither; that Mecca took its rise as a Town。  A great town once; though much decayed now。  It has no natural advantage for a town; stands in a sandy hollow amid bare barren hills; at a distance from the sea; its provisions; its very bread; have to be imported。  But so many pilgrims needed lodgings:  and then all places of pilgrimage do; from the first; become places of trade。  The first day pilgrims meet; merchants have also met:  where men see themselves assembled for one object; they find that they can accomplish other objects which depend on meeting together。  Mecca became the Fair of all Arabia。  And thereby indeed the chief staple and warehouse of whatever Commerce there was between the Indian and the Western countries; Syria; Egypt; even Italy。 It had at one time a population of 100;000; buyers; forwarders of those Eastern and Western products; importers for their own behoof of provisions and corn。  The government was a kind of irregular aristocratic republic; not without a touch of theocracy。  Ten Men of a chief tribe; chosen in some rough way; were Governors of Mecca; and Keepers of the Caabah。  The Koreish were the chief tribe in Mahomet's time; his own family was of that tribe。 The rest of the Nation; fractioned and cut asunder by deserts; lived under similar rude patriarchal governments by one or several:  herdsmen; carriers; traders; generally robbers too; being oftenest at war one with another; or with all:  held together by no open bond; if it were not this meeting at the Caabah; where all forms of Arab Idolatry assembled in common adoration;held mainly by the _inward_ indissoluble bond of a common blood and language。  In this way had the Arabs lived for long ages; unnoticed by the world; a people of great qualities; unconsciously waiting for the day when they should become notable to all the world。  Their Idolatries appear to have been in a tottering state; much was getting into confusion and fermentation among them。  Obscure tidings of the most important Event ever transacted in this world; the Life and Death of the Divine Man in Judea; at once the symptom and cause of immeasurable change to all people in the world; had in the course of centuries reached into Arabia too; and could not but; of itself; have produced fermentation there。


It was among this Arab people; so circumstanced; in the year 570 of our Era; that the man Mahomet was born。  He was of the family of Hashem; of the Koreish tribe as we said; though poor; connected with the chief persons of his country。  Almost at his birth he lost his Father; at the age of six years his Mother too; a woman noted for her beauty; her worth and sense: he fell to the charge of his Grandfather; an old man; a hundred years old。 A good old man:  Mahomet's Father; Abdallah; had been his youngest favorite son。  He saw in Mahomet; with his old life…worn eyes; a century old; the lost Abdallah come back again; all that was left of Abdallah。  He loved the little orphan Boy greatly; used to say; They must take care of that beautiful little Boy; nothing in their kindred was more precious than he。 At his death; while the boy was still but two years old; he left him in charge to Abu Thaleb the eldest of the Uncles; as to him that now was head of the house。  By this Uncle; a just and rational man as everything betokens; Mahomet was brought up in the best Arab way。

Mahomet; as he grew up; accompanied his Uncle on trading journeys and such like; in his eighteenth year one finds him a fighter following his Uncle in war。  But perhaps the most significant of all his journeys is one we find noted as of some years' earlier date:  a journey to the Fairs of Syria。 The young man here first came in contact with a quite foreign world;with one foreign element of endless moment to him:  the Christian Religion。  I know not what to make of that 〃Sergius; the Nestorian Monk;〃 whom Abu Thaleb and he are said to have lodged with; or how much any monk could have taught one still so young。  Probably enough it is greatly exaggerated; this of the Nestorian Monk。  Mahomet was only fourteen; had no language but his own:  much in Syria must have been a strange unintelligible whirlpool to him。  But the eyes of the lad were open; glimpses of many things would doubtless be taken in; and lie very enigmatic as yet; which were to ripen in a strange way into views; into beliefs and insights one day。  These journeys to Syria were probably the beginning of much to Mahomet。

One other circumstance we must not forget:  that he had no school…learning; of the thing we call school…learning none at all。  The art of writing was but just introduced into Arabia; it seems to be the true opinion that Mahomet never could write!  Life in the Desert; with its experiences; was all his education。  What of this infinite Universe he; from his dim place; with his own eyes and thoughts; could take in; so much and no more of it was he to know。  Curious; if we will reflect on it; this of having no books。  Except by what he could see for himself; or hear of by uncertain rumor of speech in the obscure Arabian Desert; he could know nothing。  The wisdom that had been before him or at a distance from him in the world; was in a manner as good as not there for him。  Of the great brother souls; flame…beacons through so many lands and times; no one directly communicates with this great soul。  He is alone there; deep down in the bosom of the Wilderness; has to grow up so;alone with Nature and his own Thoughts。

But; from an early age; he had been remarked as a thoughtful man。  His companions named him 〃_Al Amin_; The Faithful。〃  A man of truth and fidelity; true in what he did; in what he spake and thought。  They noted that _he_ always meant something。  A man rather taciturn in speech; silent when there was nothing to be said; but pertinent; wise; sincere; when he did speak; always throwing light on the matter。  This is the only sort of speech _worth_ speaking!  Through life we find him to have been regarded as an altogether solid; brotherly; genuine man。  A serious; sincere character; yet amiable; cordial; companionable; jocose even;a good laugh in him withal:  there are men whose laugh is as untrue as anything about them; who cannot laugh。  One hears of Mahomet's beauty:  his fine sagacious honest face; brown florid complexion; beaming black eyes;I somehow like too that vein on the brow; which swelled up black when he was in anger:  like the 〃_horseshoe_ vein〃 in Scott's _Redgauntlet_。  It was a kind of feature in the Hashem family; this black swelling vein in the brow; Mahomet had it prominent; as would appear。  A spontaneous; passionate; yet just; true…meaning man!  Full of wild faculty; fire and light; of wild worth; all uncultured; working out his life…task in the depths of the Desert there。

How he was placed with Kadijah; a rich Widow; as her Steward; and travelled in her business; again to the Fairs of Syria; how he managed all; as one can well understand; with fidelity; adroitness; how her gratitude; her regard for him grew:  the story of their marriage is altogether a graceful intelligible one; as told us by the Arab authors。  He was twenty…five; she forty; though still beautiful。  He seems to have lived in a most affectionate; peaceable; wholesome way with this wedded benefactress; loving her truly; and her alone。  It goes greatly against the impostor theory; the fact that he lived in this entirely unexceptionable; entirely quiet and commonplace way; till the heat of his years was done。  He was forty before he talked of any mission from Heaven。  All his irregularities; real and supposed; date from after his fiftieth year; when the good Kadijah died。  All his 〃ambition;〃 seemingly; had been; hitherto; to live an honest life; his 〃fame;〃 the mere good opinion of neighbors that knew him; had 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 s

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