fabre, poet of science-第2节

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I　shall　feel　fully　repaid　for　my　pains　if　this　〃Life〃　of　one　of　the

greatest　of　the　world's　naturalists；　by　enabling　men　to　know　him　better；

also　leads　them　to　love　him　the　more。





FABRE；　POET　OF　SCIENCE。





CHAPTER　1。　THE　INTUITION　OF　NATURE。



Each　thing　created；　says　Emerson；　has　its　painter　or　its　poet。　Like　the

enchanted　princess　of　the　fairy…tales；　it　awaits　its　predestined　liberator。



Every　part　of　nature　has　its　mystery　and　its　beauty；　its　logic　and　its

explanation；　and　the　epigraph　given　me　by　Fabre　himself；　which　appears　on

the　title…page　of　this　volume；　is　in　no　way　deceptive。　The　tiny　insects

buried　in　the　soil　or　creeping　over　leaf　or　blade　have　for　him　been

sufficient　to　evoke　the　most　important；　the　most　fascinating　problems；　and

have　revealed　a　whole　world　of　miracle　and　poetry。



He　saw　the　light　at　Saint…Léons；　a　little　commune　of　the　canton　of　Vezins

in　the　Haut　Rouergue；　on　the　22nd　December；　1823；　some　seven　years　earlier

than　Mistral；　his　most　famous　neighbour；　the　greater　lustre　of　whose

celebrity　was　to　eclipse　his　own。



Here　he　essayed　his　earliest　steps；　here　he　stammered　his　first　syllables。



His　early　childhood；　however；　was　passed　almost　wholly　at　Malaval；　a　tiny

hamlet　in　the　parish　of　Lavaysse；　whose　belfry　was　visible　at　quite　a　short

distance；　but　to　reach　it　one　had　to　travel　nearly　twenty…five　rough；

mountainous　miles；　through　a　whole　green　countryside；　green；　but　bare；　and

lacking　in　charm。　（1/1。）



All　his　paternal　forebears　came　from　Malaval；　and　thence　one　day　his

father；　Antoine　Fabre；　came　to　dwell　at　Saint…Léons；　as　a　consequence　of

his　marriage　with　the　daughter　of　the　huissier；　Victoire　Salgues；　and　in

order　to　prepare　himself；　as　working　apprentice；　in　the　tricks　and　quibbles

of　the　law。　（1/2。）



In　the　roads　of　Malaval；　bordered　with　brambles；　in　the　glades　of　bracken；

and　amid　the　meadows　of　broom；　he　received　his　first　impressions　of　nature。

At　Malaval　too　lived　his　grandmother；　the　good　old　woman　who　could　lull　him

to　sleep　at　night　with　beautiful　stories　and　simple　legends；　while　she

wound　her　distaff　or　spun　her　bobbin。



But　what　were　all　these　imaginary　marvels；　what　were　the　ogres　who　smelt

fresh　meat；　or　〃the　fairies　who　turned　pumpkins　into　coaches　and　lizards

into　footmen〃　beside　all　the　marvels　of　reality；　which　already　he　was

beginning　to　perceive？



For　above　all　things　he　was　born　a　poet：　a　poet　by　instinct　and　by

vocation。　From　his　earliest　childhood；　〃the　brain　hardly　released　from　the

swaddling…bands　of　unconsciousness；〃　the　things　of　the　outer　world　left　a

profound　and　living　impression。　As　far　back　as　he　can　remember；　while　still

quite　a　child；　〃a　little　monkey　of　six；　still　dressed　in　a　little　baize

frock；〃　or　just　〃wearing　his　first　braces；〃　he　sees　himself　〃in　ecstasy

before　the　splendours　of　the　wing…cases　of　a　gardener…beetle；　or　the　wings

of　a　butterfly。〃　At　nightfall；　among　the　bushes；　he　learned　to　recognize

the　chirp　of　the　grasshopper。　To　put　it　in　his　own　words；　〃he　made　for　the

flowers　and　insects　as　the　Pieris　makes　for　the　cabbage　and　the　Vanessa

makes　for　the　nettle。〃　The　riches　of　the　rocks；　the　life　which　swarms　in

the　depth　of　the　waters；　the　world　of　plants　and　animals；　that　〃prodigious

poem；　all　nature　filled　him　with　curiosity　and　wonder。〃　〃A　voice　charmed

him；　untranslatable；　sweeter　than　language　and　vague　as　a　dream。〃　（1/3。）



These　peculiarities　are　all　the　more　astonishing　in　that　they　seem　to　be

absolutely　spontaneous　and　in　nowise　hereditary。　What　his　parents　were　he

himself　has　told　us：　small　farmers；　cultivating　a　little　unprofitable　land；

poor　〃husbandmen；　sowers　of　rye；　cowherds〃；　and　in　the　wretched

surroundings　of　his　childhood；　when　the　only　light；　of　an　evening；　came

from　a　splinter　of　pine；　steeped　in　resin；　which　was　held　by　a　strip　of

slate　stuck　into　the　wall；　when　his　folk　shut　themselves　in　the　byre；　in

times　of　severe　cold；　to　save　a　little　firewood　and　while　away　the

evenings；　when　close　at　hand；　through　the　bitter　wind；　they　heard　the

howling　of　the　wolves：　here；　it　would　seem；　was　nothing　propitious　to　the

birth　of　such　tastes；　if　he　had　not　borne　them　naturally　within　him。



But　is　it　not　the　very　essence　of　genius；　as　it　is　the　peculiarity　of

instinct；　to　spring　from　the　depths　of　the　invisible？



Yet　who　shall　say　what　stores　of　thought　unspoken；　what　unknown　treasures

of　observation　never　to　be　communicated；　what　patient　reflections

unuttered；　may　be　housed　in　those　toil…worn　brains；　in　which；　perhaps；

slowly　and　obscurely；　accumulate　the　germs　of　faculties　and　talents　by

which　some　more　favoured　descendant　may　one　day　benefit？　How　many　poets

have　died　unpublished　or　unperceived；　in　whom　only　the　power　of　expression

was　lacking！



When　he　was　seven　years　old　his　parents　recalled　him　to　Saint…Léons；　in

order　to　send　him　to　the　school　kept　by　his　godfather；　Pierre　Ricard；　the

village　schoolmaster；　〃at　once　barber；　bellringer；　and　singer　in　the

choir。〃　Rembrandt；　Teniers；　nor　Van　Ostade　never　painted　anything　more

picturesque　than　the　room　which　served　at　the　same　time　as　kitchen；

refectory；　and　bedroom；　with　〃halfpenny　prints　papering　the　walls〃　and　〃a

huge　chimney；　for　which　each　had　to　bring　his　log　of　a　morning　in　order　to

enjoy　the　right　to　a　place　at　the　fireside。〃



He　was　never　to　forget　these　beloved　places；　blessed　scenes　of　his

childhood；　amid　which　he　grew　up　like　a　little　savage；　and　through　all　his

material　sufferings；　all　his　hours　of　bitterness；　and　even　in　the

resignation　of　age；　their　idyllic　memory　sufficed　to　make　his　life

fragrant。　He　would　always　see　the　humble　paternal　garden；　the　brook　where

he　used　to　surprise　the　crayfish；　the　ash…tree　in　which　he　found　his　first

goldfinch's　nest；　and　〃the　flat　stone　on　which　he　heard；　for　the　first

time；　the　mellow　ringing　of　the　bellringer　frog。〃　（1/4。）　Later；　when

writing　to　his　brother；　he　was　to　recall　the　good　days　of　still　careless

life；　when　〃he　would　sprawl；　the　sun　on　his　belly；　on　the　mosses　of　the

wood　of　Vezins；　eating　his　black　bread　and　cream〃　or　〃ring　the　bells　of

Saint…Léons〃　and　〃pull　the　tails　of　the　bulls　of　Lavaysse。〃　（1/5。）



For　Henri　had　a　brother；　Frédéric；　barely　two　years　younger　than　he；

equally　meditative　by　nature；　and　of　a　serious；　upright　mind；　but　his

tastes　inclined　rather　to　matters　of　administration　and　the　understanding

of　business；　so　that　where　Frédéric　was　bored；　Henri　was　more　than　content；

thirstily　drinking　in　science　and　poetry　〃among　the　blue　campanulas　of　the

hills；　the　pink　heather　of　the　mountains；　the　golden　buttercups　of　the

meadows；　and　the　odorous　bracken　of　the　woods。〃　（1/6。）　Apart　from　this　the

two　brothers　〃were　one〃；　they　understood　one　another　in　a　marvellous

fashion；　and　always　loved　one　another。　Henri　never　failed　to　watch　over

Frédéric　with　a　wholly　fatherly　solicitude；　he　was　prodigal　of　advice；

helpful　with　his　experience；　doing　his　best　to　smooth　away　all

difficulties；　encouraging　him　to　walk　in　his　footsteps　and　make　his　way

through　the　world　behind　him。　He　was　his　confidant；　giving　an　ear　to　all

that　befell　him　of　good　or　ill；　to　his　fears；　his　disappointments；　his

hopes；　and　all　his　thoughts；　and　he　took　the　keenest　interest　in　his

studies　and　researches。　On　the　other　hand；　he　had　no　more　sure　and　devoted

friend；　none　more　proud　of　his　first　success；　and　in　later　days　no　more

enthusiastic　admirer；　and　none　more　eager　for　his　fame。　（1/7。）



He　was　twelve　years　old　when　his　father；　〃the　first　of　all　his　line；　was

tempted　by　the　town；〃　and　led　all　his　family　to　Rodez；　there　to　keep　a

café。　The　future　naturalist　entered　the　school　of　this　town；　where　he

served　Mass　on　Sunday；　in　the　chapel；　in　order　to　pay　his　fees。　There　again

he　was　interested　in　the　animal　creation　above　all。　When　he　began　to

construe　Virgil　the　only　thing　that　charmed　him；　and　which　he　remembered；

was　the　landscape　in　which　the　persons　of　the　poem　move；　in　which　are　so

many　〃exquisite　details　concerning　the　cicada；　the　goat；　and　the　laburnum。〃



Thus　four　years　went　by：　but　then　his　parents　were　constrained　to　seek

their　fortune　elsewhere；　and　transported　their　household　to　Toulouse；　where

again　the　father　kept　a　café。　The　young　Henri　was　admitted　gratuitously　to

the　seminary　of　the　Esquille；　where　he　managed　to　complete　his　fifth　year。

Unfortunately　his　progress　was　soon　interrupted　by　a　new　exodus　on　the　part

of　his　family；　which　emigrated　this　time　to　Montpellier；　where　he　was

haunted　for　a　time　by　dreams　of　medicine；　to　which　he　seemed　notably

adapted。　Finally；　a　run　of　bad　luck　persisting；　he　had　to　bid　farewell　to

his　studies　and　gain　his　bread　as　best　he　could。　We　see　him　set　out　along

the　wide　white　roads：　lost；　almost　a　wanderer；　seeking　his　living　by　the

sweat　of　his　brow；　one　day　selling　lemons　at　the　fair　of　Beaucaire；　under

the　arcades　of　the　market　or　before　the　barracks　of　the　Pré