heroes and hero worship-第15节

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fe　in　it；　not　dead；　chopping　barren　logic　merely！　　Out　of　all　that　rubbish　of　Arab　idolatries；　argumentative　theologies；　traditions；　subtleties；　rumors　and　hypotheses　of　Greeks　and　Jews；　with　their　idle　wire…drawings；　this　wild　man　of　the　Desert；　with　his　wild　sincere　heart；　earnest　as　death　and　life；　with　his　great　flashing　natural　eyesight；　had　seen　into　the　kernel　of　the　matter。　Idolatry　is　nothing：　　these　Wooden　Idols　of　yours；　〃ye　rub　them　with　oil　and　wax；　and　the　flies　stick　on　them；〃these　are　wood；　I　tell　you！　　They　can　do　nothing　for　you；　they　are　an　impotent　blasphemous　presence；　a　horror　and　abomination；　if　ye　knew　them。　　God　alone　is；　God　alone　has　power；　He　made　us；　He　can　kill　us　and　keep　us　alive：　　〃_Allah　akbar_；　God　is　great。〃　Understand　that　His　will　is　the　best　for　you；　that　howsoever　sore　to　flesh　and　blood；　you　will　find　it　the　wisest；　best：　　you　are　bound　to　take　it　so；　in　this　world　and　in　the　next；　you　have　no　other　thing　that　you　can　do！

And　now　if　the　wild　idolatrous　men　did　believe　this；　and　with　their　fiery　hearts　lay　hold　of　it　to　do　it；　in　what　form　soever　it　came　to　them；　I　say　it　was　well　worthy　of　being　believed。　　In　one　form　or　the　other；　I　say　it　is　still　the　one　thing　worthy　of　being　believed　by　all　men。　　Man　does　hereby　become　the　high…priest　of　this　Temple　of　a　World。　　He　is　in　harmony　with　the　Decrees　of　the　Author　of　this　World；　cooperating　with　them；　not　vainly　withstanding　them：　　I　know；　to　this　day；　no　better　definition　of　Duty　than　that　same。　　All　that　is　_right_　includes　itself　in　this　of　co…operating　with　the　real　Tendency　of　the　World：　　you　succeed　by　this　（the　World's　Tendency　will　succeed）；　you　are　good；　and　in　the　right　course　there。　　_Homoiousion_；　_Homoousion_；　vain　logical　jangle；　then　or　before　or　at　any　time；　may　jangle　itself　out；　and　go　whither　and　how　it　likes：　　this　is　the　_thing_　it　all　struggles　to　mean；　if　it　would　mean　anything。　　If　it　do　not　succeed　in　meaning　this；　it　means　nothing。　　Not　that　Abstractions；　logical　Propositions；　be　correctly　worded　or　incorrectly；　but　that　living　concrete　Sons　of　Adam　do　lay　this　to　heart：　　that　is　the　important　point。　Islam　devoured　all　these　vain　jangling　Sects；　and　I　think　had　right　to　do　so。　　It　was　a　Reality；　direct　from　the　great　Heart　of　Nature　once　more。　Arab　idolatries；　Syrian　formulas；　whatsoever　was　not　equally　real；　had　to　go　up　in　flame；mere　dead　_fuel_；　in　various　senses；　for　this　which　was　_fire_。


It　was　during　these　wild　warfarings　and　strugglings；　especially　after　the　Flight　to　Mecca；　that　Mahomet　dictated　at　intervals　his　Sacred　Book；　which　they　name　_Koran_；　or　_Reading_；　〃Thing　to　be　read。〃　　This　is　the　Work　he　and　his　disciples　made　so　much　of；　asking　all　the　world；　Is　not　that　a　miracle？　　The　Mahometans　regard　their　Koran　with　a　reverence　which　few　Christians　pay　even　to　their　Bible。　　It　is　admitted　every　where　as　the　standard　of　all　law　and　all　practice；　the　thing　to　be　gone　upon　in　speculation　and　life；　the　message　sent　direct　out　of　Heaven；　which　this　Earth　has　to　conform　to；　and　walk　by；　the　thing　to　be　read。　　Their　Judges　decide　by　it；　all　Moslem　are　bound　to　study　it；　seek　in　it　for　the　light　of　their　life。　　They　have　mosques　where　it　is　all　read　daily；　thirty　relays　of　priests　take　it　up　in　succession；　get　through　the　whole　each　day。　　There；　for　twelve　hundred　years；　has　the　voice　of　this　Book；　at　all　moments；　kept　sounding　through　the　ears　and　the　hearts　of　so　many　men。　　We　hear　of　Mahometan　Doctors　that　had　read　it　seventy　thousand　times！

Very　curious：　　if　one　sought　for　〃discrepancies　of　national　taste；〃　here　surely　were　the　most　eminent　instance　of　that！　　We　also　can　read　the　Koran；　our　Translation　of　it；　by　Sale；　is　known　to　be　a　very　fair　one。　　I　must　say；　it　is　as　toilsome　reading　as　I　ever　undertook。　　A　wearisome　confused　jumble；　crude；　incondite；　endless　iterations；　long…windedness；　entanglement；　most　crude；　incondite；insupportable　stupidity；　in　short！　Nothing　but　a　sense　of　duty　could　carry　any　European　through　the　Koran。　　We　read　in　it；　as　we　might　in　the　State…Paper　Office；　unreadable　masses　of　lumber；　that　perhaps　we　may　get　some　glimpses　of　a　remarkable　man。　　It　is　true　we　have　it　under　disadvantages：　　the　Arabs　see　more　method　in　it　than　we。　　Mahomet's　followers　found　the　Koran　lying　all　in　fractions；　as　it　had　been　written　down　at　first　promulgation；　much　of　it；　they　say；　on　shoulder…blades　of　mutton；　flung　pell…mell　into　a　chest：　　and　they　published　it；　without　any　discoverable　order　as　to　time　or　otherwise；merely　trying；　as　would　seem；　and　this　not　very　strictly；　to　put　the　longest　chapters　first。　　The　real　beginning　of　it；　in　that　way；　lies　almost　at　the　end：　　for　the　earliest　portions　were　the　shortest。　　Read　in　its　historical　sequence　it　perhaps　would　not　be　so　bad。　　Much　of　it；　too；　they　say；　is　rhythmic；　a　kind　of　wild　chanting　song；　in　the　original。　This　may　be　a　great　point；　much　perhaps　has　been　lost　in　the　Translation　here。　　Yet　with　every　allowance；　one　feels　it　difficult　to　see　how　any　mortal　ever　could　consider　this　Koran　as　a　Book　written　in　Heaven；　too　good　for　the　Earth；　as　a　well…written　book；　or　indeed　as　a　_book_　at　all；　and　not　a　bewildered　rhapsody；　_written_；　so　far　as　writing　goes；　as　badly　as　almost　any　book　ever　was！　　So　much　for　national　discrepancies；　and　the　standard　of　taste。

Yet　I　should　say；　it　was　not　unintelligible　how　the　Arabs　might　so　love　it。　When　once　you　get　this　confused　coil　of　a　Koran　fairly　off　your　hands；　and　have　it　behind　you　at　a　distance；　the　essential　type　of　it　begins　to　disclose　itself；　and　in　this　there　is　a　merit　quite　other　than　the　literary　one。　　If　a　book　come　from　the　heart；　it　will　contrive　to　reach　other　hearts；　all　art　and　author…craft　are　of　small　amount　to　that。　　One　would　say　the　primary　character　of　the　Koran　is　this　of　its　_genuineness_；　of　its　being　a　_bona…fide_　book。　　Prideaux；　I　know；　and　others　have　represented　it　as　a　mere　bundle　of　juggleries；　chapter　after　chapter　got　up　to　excuse　and　varnish　the　author's　successive　sins；　forward　his　ambitions　and　quackeries：　but　really　it　is　time　to　dismiss　all　that。　　I　do　not　assert　Mahomet's　continual　sincerity：　　who　is　continually　sincere？　　But　I　confess　I　can　make　nothing　of　the　critic；　in　these　times；　who　would　accuse　him　of　deceit　_prepense_；　of　conscious　deceit　generally；　or　perhaps　at　all；still　more；　of　living　in　a　mere　element　of　conscious　deceit；　and　writing　this　Koran　as　a　forger　and　juggler　would　have　done！　　Every　candid　eye；　I　think；　will　read　the　Koran　far　otherwise　than　so。　　It　is　the　confused　ferment　of　a　great　rude　human　soul；　rude；　untutored；　that　cannot　even　read；　but　fervent；　earnest；　struggling　vehemently　to　utter　itself　in　words。　　With　a　kind　of　breathless　intensity　he　strives　to　utter　himself；　the　thoughts　crowd　on　him　pell…mell：　　for　very　multitude　of　things　to　say；　he　can　get　nothing　said。　The　meaning　that　is　in　him　shapes　itself　into　no　form　of　composition；　is　stated　in　no　sequence；　method；　or　coherence；they　are　not　_shaped_　at　all；　these　thoughts　of　his；　flung　out　unshaped；　as　they　struggle　and　tumble　there；　in　their　chaotic　inarticulate　state。　　We　said　〃stupid：〃　　yet　natural　stupidity　is　by　no　means　the　character　of　Mahomet's　Book；　it　is　natural　uncultivation　rather。　　The　man　has　not　studied　speaking；　in　the　haste　and　pressure　of　continual　fighting；　has　not　time　to　mature　himself　into　fit　speech。　　The　panting　breathless　haste　and　vehemence　of　a　man　struggling　in　the　thick　of　battle　for　life　and　salvation；　this　is　the　mood　he　is　in！　　A　headlong　haste；　for　very　magnitude　of　meaning；　he　cannot　get　himself　articulated　into　words。　　The　successive　utterances　of　a　soul　in　that　mood；　colored　by　the　various　vicissitudes　of　three…and…twenty　years；　now　well　uttered；　now　worse：　　this　is　the　Koran。

For　we　are　to　consider　Mahomet；　through　these　three…and…twenty　years；　as　the　centre　of　a　world　wholly　in　conflict。　　Battles　with　the　Koreish　and　Heathen；　quarrels　among　his　own　people；　backslidings　of　his　own　wild　heart；　all　this　kept　him　in　a　perpetual　whirl；　his　soul　knowing　rest　no　more。　　In　wakeful　nights；　as　one　may　fancy；　the　wild　soul　of　the　man；　tossing　amid　these　vortices；　would　hail　any　light　of　a　decision　for　them　as　a　veritable　light　from　Heaven；　_any_　making…up　of　his　mind；　so　blessed；　indispensable　for　him　there；　would　seem　the　inspiration　of　a　Gabriel。　　Forger　and　juggler？　　No；　no！　　This　great　fiery　heart；　seething；　simmering　like　a　great　furnace　of　thoughts；　was　not　a　juggler's。　　His　Life　was　a　Fact　to　him；　this　God's　Universe　an　awful　Fact　and　Reality。　　He　has　faults　enough。　　The　man　was　an　uncultured　semi…barbarous　Son　of　Nature；　much　of　the　Bedouin　still　clinging　to　him：　　we　must　take　him　for　that。　　But　for　a　wretched　Simulacrum；　a　hungry　Impostor　without　eyes　or　heart；　practicing　for　a　mess　of　pottage　such　blasphemous　swindlery；　forgery　of　celestial　documents；　continual　high…treason　against　his　Maker　and　Self；　we　will　not　and　cannot　take　him。

Sincerity；　in　all　senses；　seems　to　me　the　merit　of　the　Koran；　what　had　rendered　it　precious　to　the　wild　Arab　men。　　It　is；　after　all；　the　first　and　last　merit　in　a　book；　gives　rise　to　merits　of　all　kinds；nay；　at　bottom；　it　alone　can　give　rise　to　merit　of　any　kind。　　Curiously；　through　these　incondite　masses