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heroes and hero worship-第13节

小说: heroes and hero worship 字数: 每页4000字

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。  While others walk in formulas and hearsays; contented enough to dwell there; this man could not screen himself in formulas; he was alone with his own soul and the reality of things。  The great Mystery of Existence; as I said; glared in upon him; with its terrors; with its splendors; no hearsays could hide that unspeakable fact; 〃Here am I!〃  Such _sincerity_; as we named it; has in very truth something of divine。  The word of such a man is a Voice direct from Nature's own Heart。  Men do and must listen to that as to nothing else;all else is wind in comparison。  From of old; a thousand thoughts; in his pilgrimings and wanderings; had been in this man:  What am I?  What _is_ this unfathomable Thing I live in; which men name Universe?  What is Life; what is Death?  What am I to believe?  What am I to do?  The grim rocks of Mount Hara; of Mount Sinai; the stern sandy solitudes answered not。  The great Heaven rolling silent overhead; with its blue…glancing stars; answered not。  There was no answer。  The man's own soul; and what of God's inspiration dwelt there; had to answer!

It is the thing which all men have to ask themselves; which we too have to ask; and answer。  This wild man felt it to be of _infinite_ moment; all other things of no moment whatever in comparison。  The jargon of argumentative Greek Sects; vague traditions of Jews; the stupid routine of Arab Idolatry:  there was no answer in these。  A Hero; as I repeat; has this first distinction; which indeed we may call first and last; the Alpha and Omega of his whole Heroism; That he looks through the shows of things into _things_。  Use and wont; respectable hearsay; respectable formula: all these are good; or are not good。  There is something behind and beyond all these; which all these must correspond with; be the image of; or they are_Idolatries_; 〃bits of black wood pretending to be God;〃 to the earnest soul a mockery and abomination。  Idolatries never so gilded; waited on by heads of the Koreish; will do nothing for this man。  Though all men walk by them; what good is it?  The great Reality stands glaring there upon _him_。  He there has to answer it; or perish miserably。  Now; even now; or else through all Eternity never!  Answer it; _thou_ must find an answer。Ambition?  What could all Arabia do for this man; with the crown of Greek Heraclius; of Persian Chosroes; and all crowns in the Earth;what could they all do for him?  It was not of the Earth he wanted to hear tell; it was of the Heaven above and of the Hell beneath。  All crowns and sovereignties whatsoever; where would _they_ in a few brief years be?  To be Sheik of Mecca or Arabia; and have a bit of gilt wood put into your hand;will that be one's salvation?  I decidedly think; not。  We will leave it altogether; this impostor hypothesis; as not credible; not very tolerable even; worthy chiefly of dismissal by us。

Mahomet had been wont to retire yearly; during the month Ramadhan; into solitude and silence; as indeed was the Arab custom; a praiseworthy custom; which such a man; above all; would find natural and useful。  Communing with his own heart; in the silence of the mountains; himself silent; open to the 〃small still voices:〃  it was a right natural custom!  Mahomet was in his fortieth year; when having withdrawn to a cavern in Mount Hara; near Mecca; during this Ramadhan; to pass the month in prayer; and meditation on those great questions; he one day told his wife Kadijah; who with his household was with him or near him this year; That by the unspeakable special favor of Heaven he had now found it all out; was in doubt and darkness no longer; but saw it all。  That all these Idols and Formulas were nothing; miserable bits of wood; that there was One God in and over all; and we must leave all Idols; and look to Him。  That God is great; and that there is nothing else great!  He is the Reality。  Wooden Idols are not real; He is real。  He made us at first; sustains us yet; we and all things are but the shadow of Him; a transitory garment veiling the Eternal Splendor。  〃_Allah akbar_; God is great;〃and then also 〃_Islam_;〃 That we must submit to God。  That our whole strength lies in resigned submission to Him; whatsoever He do to us。 For this world; and for the other!  The thing He sends to us; were it death and worse than death; shall be good; shall be best; we resign ourselves to God。〃If this be _Islam_;〃 says Goethe; 〃do we not all live in _Islam_?〃 Yes; all of us that have any moral life; we all live so。  It has ever been held the highest wisdom for a man not merely to submit to Necessity;Necessity will make him submit;but to know and believe well that the stern thing which Necessity had ordered was the wisest; the best; the thing wanted there。  To cease his frantic pretension of scanning this great God's…World in his small fraction of a brain; to know that it _had_ verily; though deep beyond his soundings; a Just Law; that the soul of it was Good;that his part in it was to conform to the Law of the Whole; and in devout silence follow that; not questioning it; obeying it as unquestionable。

I say; this is yet the only true morality known。  A man is right and invincible; virtuous and on the road towards sure conquest; precisely while he joins himself to the great deep Law of the World; in spite of all superficial laws; temporary appearances; profit…and…loss calculations; he is victorious while he co…operates with that great central Law; not victorious otherwise:and surely his first chance of co…operating with it; or getting into the course of it; is to know with his whole soul that it is; that it is good; and alone good!  This is the soul of Islam; it is properly the soul of Christianity;for Islam is definable as a confused form of Christianity; had Christianity not been; neither had it been。 Christianity also commands us; before all; to be resigned to God。  We are to take no counsel with flesh and blood; give ear to no vain cavils; vain sorrows and wishes:  to know that we know nothing; that the worst and cruelest to our eyes is not what it seems; that we have to receive whatsoever befalls us as sent from God above; and say; It is good and wise; God is great!  〃Though He slay me; yet will I trust in Him。〃  Islam means in its way Denial of Self; Annihilation of Self。  This is yet the highest Wisdom that Heaven has revealed to our Earth。

Such light had come; as it could; to illuminate the darkness of this wild Arab soul。  A confused dazzling splendor as of life and Heaven; in the great darkness which threatened to be death:  he called it revelation and the angel Gabriel;who of us yet can know what to call it?  It is the 〃inspiration of the Almighty〃 that giveth us understanding。  To _know_; to get into the truth of anything; is ever a mystic act;of which the best Logics can but babble on the surface。  〃Is not Belief the true god…announcing Miracle?〃 says Novalis。That Mahomet's whole soul; set in flame with this grand Truth vouchsafed him; should feel as if it were important and the only important thing; was very natural。  That Providence had unspeakably honored him by revealing it; saving him from death and darkness; that he therefore was bound to make known the same to all creatures:  this is what was meant by 〃Mahomet is the Prophet of God;〃 this too is not without its true meaning。

The good Kadijah; we can fancy; listened to him with wonder; with doubt: at length she answered:  Yes; it was true this that he said。  One can fancy too the boundless gratitude of Mahomet; and how of all the kindnesses she had done him; this of believing the earnest struggling word he now spoke was the greatest。  〃It is certain;〃 says Novalis; 〃my Conviction gains infinitely; the moment another soul will believe in it。〃  It is a boundless favor。He never forgot this good Kadijah。  Long afterwards; Ayesha his young favorite wife; a woman who indeed distinguished herself among the Moslem; by all manner of qualities; through her whole long life; this young brilliant Ayesha was; one day; questioning him:  〃Now am not I better than Kadijah?  She was a widow; old; and had lost her looks:  you love me better than you did her?〃〃 No; by Allah!〃 answered Mahomet:  〃No; by Allah!  She believed in me when none else would believe。  In the whole world I had but one friend; and she was that!〃Seid; his Slave; also believed in him; these with his young Cousin Ali; Abu Thaleb's son; were his first converts。

He spoke of his Doctrine to this man and that; but the most treated it with ridicule; with indifference; in three years; I think; he had gained but thirteen followers。  His progress was slow enough。  His encouragement to go on; was altogether the usual encouragement that such a man in such a case meets。  After some three years of small success; he invited forty of his chief kindred to an entertainment; and there stood up and told them what his pretension was:  that he had this thing to promulgate abroad to all men; that it was the highest thing; the one thing:  which of them would second him in that?  Amid the doubt and silence of all; young Ali; as yet a lad of sixteen; impatient of the silence; started up; and exclaimed in passionate fierce language; That he would!  The assembly; among whom was Abu Thaleb; Ali's Father; could not be unfri

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