sartor resartus-第5节

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uctuation；you　traced　rather　confusion　worse　confounded；　at　most；　Timidity　and　physical　Cold？　　Some　indeed　said　withal；　he　was　〃the　very　Spirit　of　Love　embodied：〃　　blue　earnest　eyes；　full　of　sadness　and　kindness；　purse　ever　open；　and　so　forth；　the　whole　of　which；　we　shall　now　hope；　for　many　reasons；　was　not　quite　groundless。　　Nevertheless　friend　Teufelsdrockh's　outline；　who　indeed　handled　the　burin　like　few　in　these　cases；　was　probably　the　best：　　_Er　hat　Gemuth　und　Geist；　hat　wenigstens　gehabt；　doch　ohne　Organ；　ohne　Schicksals…Gunst；　ist　gegenwartig　aber　halb…zerruttet；　halb…erstarrt_；　〃He　has　heart　and　talent；　at　least　has　had　such；　yet　without　fit　mode　of　utterance；　or　favor　of　Fortune；　and　so　is　now　half…cracked；　half…congealed。〃What　the　Hofrath　shall　think　of　this　when　he　sees　it；　readers　may　wonder；　we；　safe　in　the　stronghold　of　Historical　Fidelity；　are　careless。

The　main　point；　doubtless；　for　us　all；　is　his　love　of　Teufelsdrockh；　which　indeed　was　also　by　far　the　most　decisive　feature　of　Heuschrecke　himself。　We　are　enabled　to　assert　that　he　hung　on　the　Professor　with　the　fondness　of　a　Boswell　for　his　Johnson。　　And　perhaps　with　the　like　return；　for　Teufelsdrockh　treated　his　gaunt　admirer　with　little　outward　regard；　as　some　half…rational　or　altogether　irrational　friend；　and　at　best　loved　him　out　of　gratitude　and　by　habit。　　On　the　other　hand；　it　was　curious　to　observe　with　what　reverent　kindness；　and　a　sort　of　fatherly　protection；　our　Hofrath；　being　the　elder；　richer；　and　as　he　fondly　imagined　far　more　practically　influential　of　the　two；　looked　and　tended　on　his　little　Sage；　whom　he　seemed　to　consider　as　a　living　oracle。　　Let　but　Teufelsdrockh　open　his　mouth；　Heuschrecke's　also　unpuckered　itself　into　a　free　doorway；　besides　his　being　all　eye　and　all　ear；　so　that　nothing　might　be　lost：　　and　then；　at　every　pause　in　the　harangue；　he　gurgled　out　his　pursy　chuckle　of　a　cough…laugh　（for　the　machinery　of　laughter　took　some　time　to　get　in　motion；　and　seemed　crank　and　slack）；　or　else　his　twanging　nasal；　_Bravo！　　Das　glaub'　ich_；　in　either　case；　by　way　of　heartiest　approval。　　In　short；　if　Teufelsdrockh　was　Dalai…Lama；　of　which；　except　perhaps　in　his　self…seclusion；　and　godlike　indifference；　there　was　no　symptom；　then　might　Heuschrecke　pass　for　his　chief　Talapoin；　to　whom　no　dough…pill　he　could　knead　and　publish　was　other　than　medicinal　and　sacred。

In　such　environment；　social；　domestic；　physical；　did　Teufelsdrockh；　at　the　time　of　our　acquaintance；　and　most　likely　does　he　still；　live　and　meditate。　Here；　perched　up　in　his　high　Wahngasse　watch…tower；　and　often；　in　solitude；　outwatching　the　Bear；　it　was　that　the　indomitable　Inquirer　fought　all　his　battles　with　Dulness　and　Darkness；　here；　in　all　probability；　that　he　wrote　this　surprising　Volume　on　_Clothes_。　　Additional　particulars：　　of　his　age；　which　was　of　that　standing　middle　sort　you　could　only　guess　at；　of　his　wide　surtout；　the　color　of　his　trousers；　fashion　of　his　broad…brimmed　steeple…hat；　and　so　forth；　we　might　report；　but　do　not。　　The　Wisest　truly　is；　in　these　times；　the　Greatest；　so　that　an　enlightened　curiosity　leaving　Kings　and　such　like　to　rest　very　much　on　their　own　basis；　turns　more　and　more　to　the　Philosophic　Class：　　nevertheless；　what　reader　expects　that；　with　all　our　writing　and　reporting；　Teufelsdrockh　could　be　brought　home　to　him；　till　once　the　Documents　arrive？　　His　Life；　Fortunes；　and　Bodily　Presence；　are　as　yet　hidden　from　us；　or　matter　only　of　faint　conjecture。　But；　on　the　other　hand；　does　not　his　Soul　lie　enclosed　in　this　remarkable　Volume；　much　more　truly　than　Pedro　Garcia's　did　in　the　buried　Bag　of　Doubloons？　　To　the　soul　of　Diogenes　Teufelsdrockh；　to　his　opinions；　namely；　on　the　〃Origin　and　Influence　of　Clothes；〃　we　for　the　present　gladly　return。


CHAPTER　IV。　CHARACTERISTICS。

It　were　a　piece　of　vain　flattery　to　pretend　that　this　Work　on　Clothes　entirely　contents　us；　that　it　is　not；　like　all　works　of　genius；　like　the　very　Sun；　which；　though　the　highest　published　creation；　or　work　of　genius；　has　nevertheless　black　spots　and　troubled　nebulosities　amid　its　effulgence；a　mixture　of　insight；　inspiration；　with　dulness；　double…vision；　and　even　utter　blindness。

Without　committing　ourselves　to　those　enthusiastic　praises　and　prophesyings　of　the　_Weissnichtwo'sche　Anzeiger_；　we　admitted　that　the　Book　had　in　a　high　degree　excited　us　to　self…activity；　which　is　the　best　effect　of　any　book；　that　it　had　even　operated　changes　in　our　way　of　thought；　nay；　that　it　promised　to　prove；　as　it　were；　the　opening　of　a　new　mine…shaft；　wherein　the　whole　world　of　Speculation　might　henceforth　dig　to　unknown　depths。　　More　specially　may　it　now　be　declared　that　Professor　Teufelsdrockh's　acquirements；　patience　of　research；　philosophic　and　even　poetic　vigor；　are　here　made　indisputably　manifest；　and　unhappily　no　less　his　prolixity　and　tortuosity　and　manifold　ineptitude；　that；　on　the　whole；　as　in　opening　new　mine…shafts　is　not　unreasonable；　there　is　much　rubbish　in　his　Book；　though　likewise　specimens　of　almost　invaluable　ore。　　A　paramount　popularity　in　England　we　cannot　promise　him。　　Apart　from　the　choice　of　such　a　topic　as　Clothes；　too　often　the　manner　of　treating　it　betokens　in　the　Author　a　rusticity　and　academic　seclusion；　unblamable；　indeed　inevitable　in　a　German；　but　fatal　to　his　success　with　our　public。

Of　good　society　Teufelsdrockh　appears　to　have　seen　little；　or　has　mostly　forgotten　what　he　saw。　　He　speaks　out　with　a　strange　plainness；　calls　many　things　by　their　mere　dictionary　names。　　To　him　the　Upholsterer　is　no　Pontiff；　neither　is　any　Drawing…room　a　Temple；　were　it　never　so　begilt　and　overhung：　　〃a　whole　immensity　of　Brussels　carpets；　and　pier…glasses；　and　ormolu；〃　as　he　himself　expresses　it；　〃cannot　hide　from　me　that　such　Drawing…room　is　simply　a　section　of　Infinite　Space；　where　so　many　God…created　Souls　do　for　the　time　meet　together。〃　　To　Teufelsdrockh　the　highest　Duchess　is　respectable；　is　venerable；　but　nowise　for　her　pearl　bracelets　and　Malines　laces：　　in　his　eyes；　the　star　of　a　Lord　is　little　less　and　little　more　than　the　broad　button　of　Birmingham　spelter　in　a　Clown's　smock；　〃each　is　an　implement；〃　he　says；　〃in　its　kind；　a　tag　for　_hooking…together_；　and；　for　the　rest；　was　dug　from　the　earth；　and　hammered　on　a　stithy　before　smith's　fingers。〃　　Thus　does　the　Professor　look　in　men's　faces　with　a　strange　impartiality；　a　strange　scientific　freedom；　like　a　man　unversed　in　the　higher　circles；　like　a　man　dropped　thither　from　the　Moon。　Rightly　considered；　it　is　in　this　peculiarity；　running　through　his　whole　system　of　thought；　that　all　these　shortcomings；　over…shootings；　and　multiform　perversities；　take　rise：　　if　indeed　they　have　not　a　second　source；　also　natural　enough；　in　his　Transcendental　Philosophies；　and　humor　of　looking　at　all　Matter　and　Material　things　as　Spirit；　whereby　truly　his　case　were　but　the　more　hopeless；　the　more　lamentable。

To　the　Thinkers　of　this　nation；　however；　of　which　class　it　is　firmly　believed　there　are　individuals　yet　extant；　we　can　safely　recommend　the　Work：　　nay；　who　knows　but　among　the　fashionable　ranks　too；　if　it　be　true；　as　Teufelsdrockh　maintains；　that　〃within　the　most　starched　cravat　there　passes　a　windpipe　and　weasand；　and　under　the　thickliest　embroidered　waistcoat　beats　a　heart；〃the　force　of　that　rapt　earnestness　may　be　felt；　and　here　and　there　an　arrow　of　the　soul　pierce　through？　　In　our　wild　Seer；　shaggy；　unkempt；　like　a　Baptist　living　on　locusts　and　wild　honey；　there　is　an　untutored　energy；　a　silent；　as　it　were　unconscious；　strength；　which；　except　in　the　higher　walks　of　Literature；　must　be　rare。　　Many　a　deep　glance；　and　often　with　unspeakable　precision；　has　he　cast　into　mysterious　Nature；　and　the　still　more　mysterious　Life　of　Man。　　Wonderful　it　is　with　what　cutting　words；　now　and　then；　he　severs　asunder　the　confusion；　sheers　down；　were　it　furlongs　deep；　into　the　true　centre　of　the　matter；　and　there　not　only　hits　the　nail　on　the　head；　but　with　crushing　force　smites　it　home；　and　buries　it。On　the　other　hand；　let　us　be　free　to　admit；　he　is　the　most　unequal　writer　breathing。　　Often　after　some　such　feat；　he　will　play　truant　for　long　pages；　and　go　dawdling　and　dreaming；　and　mumbling　and　maundering　the　merest　commonplaces；　as　if　he　were　asleep　with　eyes　open；　which　indeed　he　is。

Of　his　boundless　Learning；　and　how　all　reading　and　literature　in　most　known　tongues；　from　_Sanchoniathon_　to　_Dr。　Lingard_；　from　your　Oriental　_Shasters_；　and　_Talmuds_；　and　_Korans_；　with　Cassini's　_Siamese　fables_；　and　Laplace's　_Mecanique　Celeste_；　down　to　_Robinson　Crusoe_　and　the　_Belfast　Town　and　Country　Almanack_；　are　familiar　to　him；we　shall　say　nothing：　　for　unexampled　as　it　is　with　us；　to　the　Germans　such　universality　of　study　passes　without　wonder；　as　a　thing　commendable；　indeed；　but　natural；　indispensable；　and　there　of　course。　　A　man　that　devotes　his　life　to　learning；　shall　he　not　be　learned？

In　respect　of　style　our　Author　manifests　the　same　genial　capability；　marred　too　often　by　the　same　rudeness；　inequality；　and　apparent　want　of　intercourse　with　the　higher　classes。　　Occasionally；　as　above　hinted；　we　find　consummate　vigor；　a　true　inspiration；　his　burning　thoughts　step　forth　in　fit　burning　words；　like　so　many　full…formed　Minervas；　issuing　amid　flame　and　splendor　f