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第9节

sarrasine-第9节

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〃 'A woman's heart was to me a place of refuge; a fatherland。 Have you
sisters who resemble you? No。 Then die! But no; you shall live。 To
leave you your life is to doom you to a fate worse than death。 I
regret neither my blood nor my life; but my future and the fortune of
my heart。 Your weak hand has overturned my happiness。 What hope can I
extort from you in place of all those you have destroyed? You have
brought me down to your level。 /To love; to be loved!/ are henceforth
meaningless words to me; as to you。 I shall never cease to think of
that imaginary woman when I see a real woman。'

〃He pointed to the statue with a gesture of despair。

〃 'I shall always have in my memory a divine harpy who will bury her
talons in all my manly sentiments; and who will stamp all other women
with a seal of imperfection。 Monster! you; who can give life to
nothing; have swept all women off the face of the earth。'

〃Sarrasine seated himself in front of the terrified singer。 Two great
tears came from his dry eyes; rolled down his swarthy cheeks; and fell
to the floortwo tears of rage; two scalding; burning tears。

〃 'An end of love! I am dead to all pleasure; to all human emotions!'

〃As he spoke; he seized a hammer and hurled it at the statue with such
excessive force that he missed it。 He thought that he had destroyed
that monument of his madness; and thereupon he drew his sword again;
and raised it to kill the singer。 Zambinella uttered shriek after
shriek。 Three men burst into the studio at that moment; and the
sculptor fell; pieced by three daggers。

〃 'From Cardinal Cicognara;' said one of the men。

〃 'A benefaction worthy of a Christian;' retorted the Frenchman; as he
breathed his last。

〃These ominous emissaries told Zambinella of the anxiety of his
patron; who was waiting at the door in a closed carriage in order to
take him away as soon as he was set at liberty。〃

〃But;〃 said Madame de Rochefide; 〃what connection is there between
this story and the little old man we saw at the Lantys'?〃

〃Madame; Cardinal Cicognara took possession of Zambinella's statue and
had it reproduced in marble; it is in the Albani Museum to…day。 In
1794 the Lanty family discovered it there; and asked Vien to copy it。
The portrait which showed you Zambinella at twenty; a moment after you
had seen him as a centenarian; afterward figured in Girodet's
/Endymion/; you yourself recognized the type in /Adonis/。〃

〃But this Zambinella; male or female〃

〃Must be; madame; Marianina's maternal great uncle。 You can conceive
now Madame de Lanty's interest in concealing the source of a fortune
which comes〃

〃Enough!〃 said she; with an imperious gesture。

We remained for a moment in the most profound silence。

〃Well?〃 I said at last。

〃Ah!〃 she cried; rising and pacing the floor。

She came and looked me in the face; and said in an altered voice:

〃You have disgusted me with life and passion for a long time to come。
Leaving monstrosities aside; are not all human sentiments dissolved
thus; by ghastly disillusionment? Children torture mothers by their
bad conduct; or their lack of affection。 Wives are betrayed。
Mistresses are cast aside; abandoned。 Talk of friendship! Is there
such a thing! I would turn pious to…morrow if I did not know that I
can remain like the inaccessible summit of a cliff amid the tempests
of life。 If the future of the Christian is an illusion too; at all
events it is not destroyed until after death。 Leave me to myself。〃

〃Ah!〃 said I; 〃you know how to punish。〃

〃Am I in the wrong?〃

〃Yes;〃 I replied; with a sort of desperate courage。 〃By finishing this
story; which is well known in Italy; I can give you an excellent idea
of the progress made by the civilization of the present day。 There are
none of those wretched creatures now。〃

〃Paris;〃 said she; 〃is an exceedingly hospitable place; it welcomes
one and all; fortunes stained with shame; and fortunes stained with
blood。 Crime and infamy have a right of asylum here; virtue alone is
without altars。 But pure hearts have a fatherland in heaven! No one
will have known me! I am proud of it。〃

And the marchioness was lost in thought。








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