flatland-第13节

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k；　which　constituted　his　Universe；　and　no　one　could　move　to　the　right　or　left　to　make　way　for　passers　by；　it　followed　that　no　Linelander　could　ever　pass　another。　　Once　neighbours；　always　neighbours。　Neighbourhood　with　them　was　like　marriage　with　us。　Neighbours　remained　neighbours　till　death　did　them　part。

Such　a　life；　with　all　vision　limited　to　a　Point；　and　all　motion　to　a　Straight　Line；　seemed　to　me　inexpressibly　dreary；　and　I　was　surprised　to　note　the　vivacity　and　cheerfulness　of　the　King。　Wondering　whether　it　was　possible；　amid　circumstances　so　unfavourable　to　domestic　relations；　to　enjoy　the　pleasures　of　conjugal　union；　I　hesitated　for　some　time　to　question　his　Royal　Highness　on　so　delicate　a　subject；　but　at　last　I　plunged　into　it　by　abruptly　inquiring　as　to　the　health　of　his　family。　〃My　wives　and　children；〃　he　replied；　〃are　well　and　happy。〃

Staggered　at　this　answer　　for　in　the　immediate　proximity　of　the　Monarch　（as　I　had　noted　in　my　dream　before　I　entered　Lineland）　there　were　none　but　Men　　I　ventured　to　reply；　〃Pardon　me；　but　I　cannot　imagine　how　your　Royal　Highness　can　at　any　time　either　see　or　approach　their　Majesties；　when　there　are　at　least　half　a　dozen　intervening　individuals；　whom　you　can　neither　see　through；　nor　pass　by？　　Is　it　possible　that　in　Lineland　proximity　is　not　necessary　for　marriage　and　for　the　generation　of　children？〃

〃How　can　you　ask　so　absurd　a　question？〃　replied　the　Monarch。　〃If　it　were　indeed　as　you　suggest；　the　Universe　would　soon　be　depopulated。　　No；　no；　neighbourhood　is　needless　for　the　union　of　hearts；　and　the　birth　of　children　is　too　important　a　matter　to　have　been　allowed　to　depend　upon　such　an　accident　as　proximity。　You　cannot　be　ignorant　of　this。　　Yet　since　you　are　pleased　to　affect　ignorance；　I　will　instruct　you　as　if　you　were　the　veriest　baby　in　Lineland。　　Know；　then；　that　marriages　are　consummated　by　means　of　the　faculty　of　sound　and　the　sense　of　hearing。

〃You　are　of　course　aware　that　every　Man　has　two　mouths　or　voices　　as　well　as　two　eyes　　a　bass　at　one　and　a　tenor　at　the　other　of　his　extremities。　　I　should　not　mention　this；　but　that　I　have　been　unable　to　distinguish　your　tenor　in　the　course　of　our　conversation。〃　I　replied　that　I　had　but　one　voice；　and　that　I　had　not　been　aware　that　his　Royal　Highness　had　two。　　〃That　confirms　my　impression；〃　said　the　King；　〃that　you　are　not　a　Man；　but　a　feminine　Monstrosity　with　a　bass　voice；　and　an　utterly　uneducated　ear。　　But　to　continue。

〃Nature　having　herself　ordained　that　every　Man　should　wed　two　wives　〃　〃Why　two？〃　asked　I。　　〃You　carry　your　affected　simplicity　too　far〃；　he　cried。　　〃How　can　there　be　a　completely　harmonious　union　without　the　combination　of　the　Four　in　One；　viz。　the　Bass　and　Tenor　of　the　Man　and　the　Soprano　and　Contralto　of　the　two　Women？〃　〃But　supposing；〃　said　I；　〃that　a　man　should　prefer　one　wife　or　three？〃　〃It　is　impossible；〃　he　said；　〃it　is　as　inconceivable　as　that　two　and　one　should　make　five；　or　that　the　human　eye　should　see　a　Straight　Line。〃　　I　would　have　interrupted　him；　but　he　proceeded　as　follows：

〃Once　in　the　middle　of　each　week　a　Law　of　Nature　compels　us　to　move　to　and　fro　with　a　rhythmic　motion　of　more　than　usual　violence；　which　continues　for　the　time　you　would　take　to　count　a　hundred　and　one。　　In　the　midst　of　this　choral　dance；　at　the　fifty…first　pulsation；　the　inhabitants　of　the　Universe　pause　in　full　career；　and　each　individual　sends　forth　his　richest；　fullest；　sweetest　strain。　　It　is　in　this　decisive　moment　that　all　our　marriages　are　made。　　So　exquisite　is　the　adaptation　of　Bass　to　Treble；　of　Tenor　to　Contralto；　that　oftentimes　the　Loved　Ones；　though　twenty　thousand　leagues　away；　recognize　at　once　the　responsive　note　of　their　destined　Lover；　and；　penetrating　the　paltry　obstacles　of　distance；　Love　unites　the　three。　The　marriage　in　that　instant　consummated　results　in　a　threefold　Male　and　Female　offspring　which　takes　its　place　in　Lineland。〃

〃What！　　Always　threefold？〃　said　I。　　〃Must　one　wife　then　always　have　twins？〃

〃Bass…voiced　Monstrosity！　yes；〃　replied　the　King。　　〃How　else　could　the　balance　of　the　Sexes　be　maintained；　if　two　girls　were　not　born　for　every　boy？　　Would　you　ignore　the　very　Alphabet　of　Nature？〃　He　ceased；　speechless　for　fury；　and　some　time　elapsed　before　I　could　induce　him　to　resume　his　narrative。

〃You　will　not；　of　course；　suppose　that　every　bachelor　among　us　finds　his　mates　at　the　first　wooing　in　this　universal　Marriage　Chorus。　On　the　contrary；　the　process　is　by　most　of　us　many　times　repeated。　Few　are　the　hearts　whose　happy　lot　it　is　at　once　to　recognize　in　each　other's　voices　the　partner　intended　for　them　by　Providence；　and　to　fly　into　a　reciprocal　and　perfectly　harmonious　embrace。　With　most　of　us　the　courtship　is　of　long　duration。　　The　Wooer's　voices　may　perhaps　accord　with　one　of　the　future　wives；　but　not　with　both；　or　not；　at　first；　with　either；　or　the　Soprano　and　Contralto　may　not　quite　harmonize。　　In　such　cases　Nature　has　provided　that　every　weekly　Chorus　shall　bring　the　three　Lovers　into　closer　harmony。　Each　trial　of　voice；　each　fresh　discovery　of　discord；　almost　imperceptibly　induces　the　less　perfect　to　modify　his　or　her　vocal　utterance　so　as　to　approximate　to　the　more　perfect。　And　after　many　trials　and　many　approximations；　the　result　is　at　last　achieved。　　There　comes　a　day　at　last；　when；　while　the　wonted　Marriage　Chorus　goes　forth　from　universal　Lineland；　the　three　far…off　Lovers　suddenly　find　themselves　in　exact　harmony；　and；　before　they　are　awake；　the　wedded　Triplet　is　rapt　vocally　into　a　duplicate　embrace；　and　Nature　rejoices　over　one　more　marriage　and　over　three　more　births。〃




Section　14。　　How　I　vainly　tried　to　explain　the　nature　of　Flatland



Thinking　that　it　was　time　to　bring　down　the　Monarch　from　his　raptures　to　the　level　of　common　sense；　I　determined　to　endeavour　to　open　up　to　him　some　glimpses　of　the　truth；　that　is　to　say　of　the　nature　of　things　in　Flatland。　　So　I　began　thus：　〃How　does　your　Royal　Highness　distinguish　the　shapes　and　positions　of　his　subjects？　　I　for　my　part　noticed　by　the　sense　of　sight；　before　I　entered　your　Kingdom；　that　some　of　your　people　are　Lines　and　others　Points；　and　that　some　of　the　Lines　are　larger　〃　〃You　speak　of　an　impossibility；〃　interrupted　the　King；　〃you　must　have　seen　a　vision；　for　to　detect　the　difference　between　a　Line　and　a　Point　by　the　sense　of　sight　is；　as　every　one　knows；　in　the　nature　of　things；　impossible；　but　it　can　be　detected　by　the　sense　of　hearing；　and　by　the　same　means　my　shape　can　be　exactly　ascertained。　　Behold　me　　I　am　a　Line；　the　longest　in　Lineland；　over　six　inches　of　Space　〃　　〃Of　Length〃；　I　ventured　to　suggest。　　〃Fool；〃　said　he；　〃Space　is　Length。　Interrupt　me　again；　and　I　have　done。〃

I　apologized；　but　he　continued　scornfully；　〃Since　you　are　impervious　to　argument；　you　shall　hear　with　your　ears　how　by　means　of　my　two　voices　I　reveal　my　shape　to　my　Wives；　who　are　at　this　moment　six　thousand　miles　seventy　yards　two　feet　eight　inches　away；　the　one　to　the　North；　the　other　to　the　South。　　Listen；　I　call　to　them。〃

He　chirruped；　and　then　complacently　continued：　　〃My　wives　at　this　moment　receiving　the　sound　of　one　of　my　voices；　closely　followed　by　the　other；　and　perceiving　that　the　latter　reaches　them　after　an　interval　in　which　sound　can　traverse　6。457　inches；　infer　that　one　of　my　mouths　is　6。457　inches　further　from　them　than　the　other；　and　accordingly　know　my　shape　to　be　6。457　inches。　　But　you　will　of　course　understand　that　my　wives　do　not　make　this　calculation　every　time　they　hear　my　two　voices。　　They　made　it；　once　for　all；　before　we　were　married。　　But　they　COULD　make　it　at　any　time。　And　in　the　same　way　I　can　estimate　the　shape　of　any　of　my　Male　subjects　by　the　sense　of　sound。〃

〃But　how；〃　said　I；　〃if　a　Man　feigns　a　Woman's　voice　with　one　of　his　two　voices；　or　so　disguises　his　Southern　voice　that　it　cannot　be　recognized　as　the　echo　of　the　Northern？　　May　not　such　deceptions　cause　great　inconvenience？　　And　have　you　no　means　of　checking　frauds　of　this　kind　by　commanding　your　neighbouring　subjects　to　feel　one　another？〃　　This　of　course　was　a　very　stupid　question；　for　feeling　could　not　have　answered　the　purpose；　but　I　asked　with　the　view　of　irritating　the　Monarch；　and　I　succeeded　perfectly。

〃What！〃　cried　he　in　horror；　〃explain　your　meaning。〃　　〃Feel；　touch；　come　into　contact；〃　I　replied。　　〃If　you　mean　by　FEELING；〃　said　the　King；　〃approaching　so　close　as　to　leave　no　space　between　two　individuals；　know；　Stranger；　that　this　offence　is　punishable　in　my　dominions　by　death。　　And　the　reason　is　obvious。　The　frail　form　of　a　Woman；　being　liable　to　be　shattered　by　such　an　approximation；　must　be　preserved　by　the　State；　but　since　Women　cannot　be　distinguished　by　the　sense　of　sight　from　Men；　the　Law　ordains　universally　that　neither　Man　nor　Woman　shall　be　approached　so　closely　as　to　destroy　the　interval　between　the　approximator　and　the　approximated。

〃And　indeed　what　possible　purpose　would　be　served　by　this　illegal　and　unnatural　excess　of　approximation　which　you　call　TOUCHING；　when　all　the　ends　of　so　brutal　and　coarse　a　process　are　attained　at　once　more　easily　and　more　exactly　by　the　sense　of　hearing？　As　to　your　suggested　danger　of　deception；　it　is　non…existent：　for　the　Voice；　being　the　essence　of　one's　Being；　cannot　be　thus　cha