heroes and hero worship-第18节

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e　other　is　life　eternal。　　Benthamee　Utility；　virtue　by　Profit　and　Loss；　reducing　this　God's…world　to　a　dead　brute　Steam…engine；　the　infinite　celestial　Soul　of　Man　to　a　kind　of　Hay…balance　for　weighing　hay　and　thistles　on；　pleasures　and　pains　on：If　you　ask　me　which　gives；　Mahomet　or　they；　the　beggarlier　and　falser　view　of　Man　and　his　Destinies　in　this　Universe；　I　will　answer；　it　is　not　Mahomet！

On　the　whole；　we　will　repeat　that　this　Religion　of　Mahomet's　is　a　kind　of　Christianity；　has　a　genuine　element　of　what　is　spiritually　highest　looking　through　it；　not　to　be　hidden　by　all　its　imperfections。　　The　Scandinavian　God　_Wish_；　the　god　of　all　rude　men；this　has　been　enlarged　into　a　Heaven　by　Mahomet；　but　a　Heaven　symbolical　of　sacred　Duty；　and　to　be　earned　by　faith　and　well…doing；　by　valiant　action；　and　a　divine　patience　which　is　still　more　valiant。　　It　is　Scandinavian　Paganism；　and　a　truly　celestial　element　superadded　to　that。　　Call　it　not　false；　look　not　at　the　falsehood　of　it；　look　at　the　truth　of　it。　　For　these　twelve　centuries；　it　has　been　the　religion　and　life…guidance　of　the　fifth　part　of　the　whole　kindred　of　Mankind。　　Above　all　things；　it　has　been　a　religion　heartily　_believed_。　These　Arabs　believe　their　religion；　and　try　to　live　by　it！　　No　Christians；　since　the　early　ages；　or　only　perhaps　the　English　Puritans　in　modern　times；　have　ever　stood　by　their　Faith　as　the　Moslem　do　by　theirs；believing　it　wholly；　fronting　Time　with　it；　and　Eternity　with　it。　　This　night　the　watchman　on　the　streets　of　Cairo　when　he　cries；　〃Who　goes？　〃　will　hear　from　the　passenger；　along　with　his　answer；　〃There　is　no　God　but　God。〃　　_Allah　akbar_；　_Islam_；　sounds　through　the　souls；　and　whole　daily　existence；　of　these　dusky　millions。　　Zealous　missionaries　preach　it　abroad　among　Malays；　black　Papuans；　brutal　Idolaters；displacing　what　is　worse；　nothing　that　is　better　or　good。

To　the　Arab　Nation　it　was　as　a　birth　from　darkness　into　light；　Arabia　first　became　alive　by　means　of　it。　　A　poor　shepherd　people；　roaming　unnoticed　in　its　deserts　since　the　creation　of　the　world：　　a　Hero…Prophet　was　sent　down　to　them　with　a　word　they　could　believe：　　see；　the　unnoticed　becomes　world…notable；　the　small　has　grown　world…great；　within　one　century　afterwards；　Arabia　is　at　Grenada　on　this　hand；　at　Delhi　on　that；glancing　in　valor　and　splendor　and　the　light　of　genius；　Arabia　shines　through　long　ages　over　a　great　section　of　the　world。　　Belief　is　great；　life…giving。　　The　history　of　a　Nation　becomes　fruitful；　soul…elevating；　great；　so　soon　as　it　believes。　　These　Arabs；　the　man　Mahomet；　and　that　one　century；is　it　not　as　if　a　spark　had　fallen；　one　spark；　on　a　world　of　what　seemed　black　unnoticeable　sand；　but　lo；　the　sand　proves　explosive　powder；　blazes　heaven…high　from　Delhi　to　Grenada！　　I　said；　the　Great　Man　was　always　as　lightning　out　of　Heaven；　the　rest　of　men　waited　for　him　like　fuel；　and　then　they　too　would　flame。


＇May　12；　1840。＇　LECTURE　III。　THE　HERO　AS　POET。　　DANTE：　　SHAKSPEARE。

The　Hero　as　Divinity；　the　Hero　as　Prophet；　are　productions　of　old　ages；　not　to　be　repeated　in　the　new。　　They　presuppose　a　certain　rudeness　of　conception；　which　the　progress　of　mere　scientific　knowledge　puts　an　end　to。　There　needs　to　be；　as　it　were；　a　world　vacant；　or　almost　vacant　of　scientific　forms；　if　men　in　their　loving　wonder　are　to　fancy　their　fellow…man　either　a　god　or　one　speaking　with　the　voice　of　a　god。　　Divinity　and　Prophet　are　past。　　We　are　now　to　see　our　Hero　in　the　less　ambitious；　but　also　less　questionable；　character　of　Poet；　a　character　which　does　not　pass。　　The　Poet　is　a　heroic　figure　belonging　to　all　ages；　whom　all　ages　possess；　when　once　he　is　produced；　whom　the　newest　age　as　the　oldest　may　produce；and　will　produce；　always　when　Nature　pleases。　　Let　Nature　send　a　Hero…soul；　in　no　age　is　it　other　than　possible　that　he　may　be　shaped　into　a　Poet。

Hero；　Prophet；　Poet；many　different　names；　in　different　times；　and　places；　do　we　give　to　Great　Men；　according　to　varieties　we　note　in　them；　according　to　the　sphere　in　which　they　have　displayed　themselves！　　We　might　give　many　more　names；　on　this　same　principle。　　I　will　remark　again；　however；　as　a　fact　not　unimportant　to　be　understood；　that　the　different　_sphere_　constitutes　the　grand　origin　of　such　distinction；　that　the　Hero　can　be　Poet；　Prophet；　King；　Priest　or　what　you　will；　according　to　the　kind　of　world　he　finds　himself　born　into。　　I　confess；　I　have　no　notion　of　a　truly　great　man　that　could　not　be　_all_　sorts　of　men。　　The　Poet　who　could　merely　sit　on　a　chair；　and　compose　stanzas；　would　never　make　a　stanza　worth　much。　He　could　not　sing　the　Heroic　warrior；　unless　he　himself　were　at　least　a　Heroic　warrior　too。　　I　fancy　there　is　in　him　the　Politician；　the　Thinker；　Legislator；　Philosopher；in　one　or　the　other　degree；　he　could　have　been；　he　is　all　these。　　So　too　I　cannot　understand　how　a　Mirabeau；　with　that　great　glowing　heart；　with　the　fire　that　was　in　it；　with　the　bursting　tears　that　were　in　it；　could　not　have　written　verses；　tragedies；　poems；　and　touched　all　hearts　in　that　way；　had　his　course　of　life　and　education　led　him　thitherward。　　The　grand　fundamental　character　is　that　of　Great　Man；　that　the　man　be　great。　　Napoleon　has　words　in　him　which　are　like　Austerlitz　Battles。　　Louis　Fourteenth's　Marshals　are　a　kind　of　poetical　men　withal；　the　things　Turenne　says　are　full　of　sagacity　and　geniality；　like　sayings　of　Samuel　Johnson。　　The　great　heart；　the　clear　deep…seeing　eye：　　there　it　lies；　no　man　whatever；　in　what　province　soever；　can　prosper　at　all　without　these。　　Petrarch　and　Boccaccio　did　diplomatic　messages；　it　seems；　quite　well：　　one　can　easily　believe　it；　they　had　done　things　a　little　harder　than　these！　　Burns；　a　gifted　song…writer；　might　have　made　a　still　better　Mirabeau。　　Shakspeare；one　knows　not　what　_he_　could　not　have　made；　in　the　supreme　degree。

True；　there　are　aptitudes　of　Nature　too。　　Nature　does　not　make　all　great　men；　more　than　all　other　men；　in　the　self…same　mould。　　Varieties　of　aptitude　doubtless；　but　infinitely　more　of　circumstance；　and　far　oftenest　it　is　the　_latter_　only　that　are　looked　to。　　But　it　is　as　with　common　men　in　the　learning　of　trades。　　You　take　any　man；　as　yet　a　vague　capability　of　a　man；　who　could　be　any　kind　of　craftsman；　and　make　him　into　a　smith；　a　carpenter；　a　mason：　　he　is　then　and　thenceforth　that　and　nothing　else。　　And　if；　as　Addison　complains；　you　sometimes　see　a　street…porter；　staggering　under　his　load　on　spindle…shanks；　and　near　at　hand　a　tailor　with　the　frame　of　a　Samson　handling　a　bit　of　cloth　and　small　Whitechapel　needle；it　cannot　be　considered　that　aptitude　of　Nature　alone　has　been　consulted　here　either！The　Great　Man　also；　to　what　shall　he　be　bound　apprentice？　　Given　your　Hero；　is　he　to　become　Conqueror；　King；　Philosopher；　Poet？　　It　is　an　inexplicably　complex　controversial…calculation　between　the　world　and　him！　He　will　read　the　world　and　its　laws；　the　world　with　its　laws　will　be　there　to　be　read。　　What　the　world；　on　_this_　matter；　shall　permit　and　bid　is；　as　we　said；　the　most　important　fact　about　the　world。


Poet　and　Prophet　differ　greatly　in　our　loose　modern　notions　of　them。　　In　some　old　languages；　again；　the　titles　are　synonymous；　_Vates_　means　both　Prophet　and　Poet：　　and　indeed　at　all　times；　Prophet　and　Poet；　well　understood；　have　much　kindred　of　meaning。　　Fundamentally　indeed　they　are　still　the　same；　in　this　most　important　respect　especially；　That　they　have　penetrated　both　of　them　into　the　sacred　mystery　of　the　Universe；　what　Goethe　calls　〃the　open　secret。〃　　〃Which　is　the　great　secret？〃　asks　one。〃The　_open_　secret；〃open　to　all；　seen　by　almost　none！　　That　divine　mystery；　which　lies　everywhere　in　all　Beings；　〃the　Divine　Idea　of　the　World；　that　which　lies　at　the　bottom　of　Appearance；〃　as　Fichte　styles　it；　of　which　all　Appearance；　from　the　starry　sky　to　the　grass　of　the　field；　but　especially　the　Appearance　of　Man　and　his　work；　is　but　the　_vesture_；　the　embodiment　that　renders　it　visible。　　This　divine　mystery　_is_　in　all　times　and　in　all　places；　veritably　is。　　In　most　times　and　places　it　is　greatly　overlooked；　and　the　Universe；　definable　always　in　one　or　the　other　dialect；　as　the　realized　Thought　of　God；　is　considered　a　trivial；　inert；　commonplace　matter；as　if；　says　the　Satirist；　it　were　a　dead　thing；　which　some　upholsterer　had　put　together！　　It　could　do　no　good；　at　present；　to　_speak_　much　about　this；　but　it　is　a　pity　for　every　one　of　us　if　we　do　not　know　it；　live　ever　in　the　knowledge　of　it。　　Really　a　most　mournful　pity；a　failure　to　live　at　all；　if　we　live　otherwise！

But　now；　I　say；　whoever　may　forget　this　divine　mystery；　the　_Vates_；　whether　Prophet　or　Poet；　has　penetrated　into　it；　is　a　man　sent　hither　to　make　it　more　impressively　known　to　us。　　That　always　is　his　message；　he　is　to　reveal　that　to　us；that　sacred　mystery　which　he　more　than　others　lives　ever　present　with。　　While　others　forget　it；　he　knows　it；I　might　say；　he　has　been　driven　to　know　it；　without　consent　asked　of　him；　he　finds　himself　living　in　it；　bound　to　live　in　it。　　Once　more；　here　is　no　Hearsay；　but　a　direct　Insight　and　Belief；　this　man　too　could　not　help　being　a　sincere　man！　Whosoever　may　live　in　the　shows　of　things；　it　is　for　him　a　necessity　of　nature　to　live　in　the　very　fact　of　things。　　A　man　once　more；　in　earnest　with　t