fabre, poet of science-第8节

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was　obliged　to　supplement　it　by　all　sorts　of　hack…workclasses；

〃repetitions；〃　private　lessons；　tasks　which　repelled　him；　for　they　absorbed

all　his　available　time；　they　prevented　him　from　giving　himself　up　to　his

favourite　studies；　to　his　silent　and　solitary　observations。　Nevertheless；

he　acquitted　himself　of　these　duties　patiently　and　conscientiously；　for　at

heart　he　loved　his　profession；　and　was　rather　a　fellow…disciple　than　a

master　to　his　pupils。　For　this　reason　all　those　about　him　worked　with

praiseworthy　assiduity；　even　the　worst　elements；　the　black　sheep；　the　〃bad

eggs〃　of　other　classes；　with　him　were　suddenly　transformed　and　as　attentive

as　the　rest。　Although　he　knew　how　to　keep　order；　how　to　make　himself

respected；　and　could　on　occasion　deal　severely　and　speak　sternly；　so　that

very　few　dared　to　forget　themselves　before　him；　he　knew　also　how　to　be

merry　with　his　pupils；　chatting　with　them　familiarly；　putting　himself　in

their　place；　entering　into　their　ideas；　and　making　himself　their　rival。　If

life　was　laborious　under　his　ferula；　it　was　also　merry。　The　best　proof　of

this　is　the　fact　that　of　all　his　colleagues　at　the　lycée　he　was　the　only

one　who　had　no　nickname；　a　rarity　in　scholastic　annals。



He　did　not　therefore　object　to　these　lessons；　but　while　at　Carpentras　he

was　made　much　of　and　praised　by　the　principal；　was　a　general　favourite；　and

had　perfect　liberty　to　follow　his　inspiration　during　his　partly　gratuitous

classes；　here　the　hours　and　the　programme　tied　him　down；　which　was

precisely　what　he　found　insupportable。



Everything　made　things　difficult　for　him　here：　his　external　self；　his

character；　ever　so　little　shy　and　unsocial；　his　temperament；　which　was　made

for　solitude。



In　the　thick　of　this　hierarchical　society　of　university　professors　he

remained　independent；　he　knew　nothing　of　what　was　said　or　what　was

happening　in　the　college；　and　his　colleagues　were　always　better　informed

than　he。　（4/6。）　As　he　was　not　a　fellow；　he　was　made　to　feel　the　fact　and

was　treated　as　a　subordinate；　the　others；　who　prided　themselves　on　the

title；　and　who　were　incapable　of　recognizing　his　merit；　which　was　a　little

beyond　them；　were　jealous　of　him；　all　the　more　inasmuch　as　his　name　was

momentarily　noised　abroad；　and　they　revenged　themselves　by　calling　him　〃the

fly〃　among　themselves；　by　way　of　allusion　to　his　favourite　subject。　（4/7。）



Indifferent　to　distinctions；　as　well　as　to　those　who　bore　them；

contemptuous　of　etiquette；　and　incapable　of　putting　constraint　upon　his

nature；　he　remained　an　〃outsider；〃　and　refused　to　comply　with　a　host　of

factitious　or　worldly　obligations　which　he　regarded　as　useless　or

disgusting。　Thus　even　at　Ajaccio　he　managed　to　escape　the　customary

ceremonies　of　New　Year's　Day。



〃Good　society　I　avoid　as　much　as　possible；　I　prefer　my　own　company。　So　I

have　seen　no　one；　I　did　not　respond　to　the　principal's　invitation　to　make

the　official　round　of　visits。〃　（4/8。）



When　obliged　to　accept　some　invitation；　apart　from　occasions　of　too　great

solemnity；　when　he　was　really　constrained　to　dress　himself　in　the　complete

livery　of　circumstance　and　ceremony；　he　remained　faithful　to　his　black　felt

hat；　which　made　a　blot　among　all　the　carefully　polished　〃toppers〃　of　his

colleagues。　He　was　called　to　order；　he　was　reprimanded；　he　obeyed

unwillingly；　or　worse；　he　resisted；　he　revolted；　and　threatened　to　send　in

his　resignation。　To　pay　court　to　people；　to　endeavour　to　make　himself

pleasant；　to　grovel　before　a　superior；　were　to　him　impossibilities。　He

could　neither　solicit；　nor　sail　with　the　wind；　nor　force　himself　on　others；

nor　even　make　use　of　his　relations。



However；　when　he　went　to　Paris　to　take　his　doctor's　degree　in　natural

sciences；　he　did　not　forget　Moquin…Tandon；　who　had　formerly；　in　Corsica；

revealed　to　him　the　nature　of　biology；　and　whom　he　himself　had　received　and

entertained　in　his　humble　home。



The　ex…professor　of　Toulouse；　who　was　now　eminent　in　his　speciality；

occupied　the　chair　of　natural　history　in　the　faculty　of　medicine　in　Paris。

What　better　occasion　could　he　wish　of　introducing　himself　to　a　highly

placed　official？　Fabre　had　formerly　been　his　host；　he　could　recall　the

happy　hours　they　had　spent　together；　he　could　explain　his　plans；　and　ask

for　the　professor's　assistance！　Fate　pointed　to　him　as　a　protector。　But　if

Fabre　had　been　capable　of　climbing　the　professor's　stairs　with　some　such

ambitious　desires；　he　would　quickly　have　been　disabused。



The　〃dear　master〃　had　long　ago　forgotten　the　little　professor　of　Ajaccio；

and　his　welcome　was　by　no　means　such　as　Fabre　had　the　right　to　expect。　Far

from　insisting；　he　was　disheartened；　perhaps　a　little　humiliated；　and

hastened　to　take　his　leave。



The　theses　which　Fabre　brought　with　him；　and　which；　he　had　thought；　ought

to　lead　him　one　day　to　a　university　professorship；　did　not；　as　a　matter　of

fact；　contain　anything　very　essentially　original。



He　had　been　attracted；　indeed　fascinated；　by　all　the　singularities

presented　by　the　strange　family　of　the　orchids；　the　asymmetry　of　their

blossoms；　the　unusual　structure　of　their　pollen；　and　their　innumerable

seeds；　but　as　for　the　curious　rounded　and　duplicated　tubercles　which　many

of　them　bore　at　their　base；　what　precisely　were　they？　The　greatest

botanistsde　Candolle；　A。　de　Jussieuhad　perceived　in　them　nothing　more

than　roots。　Fabre　demonstrated　in　his　thesis　that　these　singular　organs　are

in　reality　merely　buds；　true　branches　or　shoots；　modified　and　disguised；

analogous　to　the　metamorphosed　tubercle　of　the　potato。　（4/9。）



He　added　also　a　curious　memoir　on　the　phosphorescence　of　the　agaric　of　the

olive…tree；　a　phenomenon　to　which　he　was　to　return　at　a　later　date。



In　the　field　of　zoology　his　scalpel　revealed　the　complicated　structure　of

the　reproductive　organs　of　the　Centipedes　（Millepedes）；　hitherto　so

confused　and　misunderstood；　as　also　certain　peculiarities　of　the

development　of　these　curious　creatures；　so　interesting　from　the　point　of

view　of　the　zoological　philosopher　（4/10。）；　for　he　had　become　expert　in

handling　not　only　the　magnifying　glass；　which　was　always　with　him；　but　also

the　microscope；　which　discovers　so　many　infinite　wonders　in　the　lowest

creatures；　yet　which　was　not　of　particular　service　in　any　of　the　beautiful

observations　upon　which　his　fame　is　built。



Returning　to　Avignon；　in　the　possession　of　his　new　degree；　he　commenced　an

important　task　which　took　him　nearly　twenty　years　to　complete：　a

painstaking　treatise　on　the　Sphaeriaceae　of　Vaucluse；　that　singular　family

of　fungi　which　cover　fallen　leaves　and　dead　twigs　with　their　blackish

fructifications；　a　remarkable　piece　of　work；　full　of　the　most　valuable

documentation；　as　were　the　theses　whose　subjects　I　have　just　detailed；　but

without　belittling　the　fame　of　their　author；　one　may　say　that　another；　in

his　place；　might　have　acquitted　himself　as　well。



Although　he　continued　to　undertake　researches　of　limited　interest　and

importance；　although　he　persisted　in　dissecting　plants；　and；　although　he

disliked　it；　in　〃disembowelling　animals；〃　the　fact　was　that　apart　from

Thursdays　and　Sundays　it　was　scarcely　possible　for　him　to　escape　from　his

week's　work；　hardly　possible　to　snatch　sufficient　leisure　to　undertake　the

studies　toward　which　he　felt　himself　more　particularly　drawn。　Tied　down　by

his　duties；　which　held　him　bound　to　a　discipline　that　only　left　him　brief

moments；　and　by　the　forced　hack…work　imposed　upon　him　by　the　necessity　of

earning　his　daily　bread；　he　had　scarcely　any　time　for　observation　excepting

vacations　and　holidays。



Then　he　would　hasten　to　Carpentras；　happy　to　hold　the　key　to　the　meadows；

and　wander　across　country　and　along　the　sunken　lanes；　collecting　his

beautiful　insects；　breathing　the　free　air；　the　scent　of　the　vines　and

olives；　and　gazing　upon　Mont　Ventoux；　close　at　hand；　whose　silver　summit

would　now　be　hidden　in　the　clouds　and　now　would　glitter　in　the　rays　of　the

sun。



Carpentras　was　not　merely　the　country　in　which　his　wife's　parents　dwelt：　it

was；　above　all；　a　unique　and　privileged　home　for　insects；　not　on　account　of

its　flora；　but　because　of　the　soil；　a　kind　of　limestone　mingled　with　sand

and　clay；　a　soft　marl；　in　which　the　burrowing　hymenoptera　could　easily

establish　their　burrows　and　their　nests。　Certain　of　them；　indeed；　lived

only　there；　or　at　least　it　would　have　been　extremely　difficult　to　find　them

elsewhere；　such　was　the　famous　Cerceris；　such　again；　was　the　yellow…winged

Sphex；　that　other　wasp　which　so　artistically　stabs　and　paralyses　the

cricket；　〃the　brown　violinist　of　the　clods。〃



At　Carpentras　too　the　Anthophorae　lived　in　abundance；　those　wild　bees　with

whom　the　vexed　and　enigmatic　history　of　the　Sitaris　and　the　Melo？　is　bound

up；　those　little　beetles；　cousins　of　the　Cantharides；　whose　complex

metamorphoses　and　astonishing　and　peculiar　habits　have　been　revealed　by

Fabre。　This　memoir　marked　the　second　stage　of　his　scientific　car