fabre, poet of science-第35章

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eating　the　eater。〃　In　the　same　way　the　male　scorpion　〃allows　himself　to　be

devoured　by　his　companion　without　ever　attempting　to　employ　his　sting；〃　and

the　lover　of　the　Mantis　〃allows　himself　to　be　nibbled　to　pieces　without　any

revolt　on　his　part。〃



A　strange　morality；　but　not　more　strange　than　the　organic　peculiarities

which　are　its　foundation；　a　strange　world；　but　perhaps　some　distant　sun　may

light　others　like　it。



These　terrible　creatures　are　a　source　of　dismay　to　Fabre。　If　all　things

proceed　from　an　underlying　Reason；　if　the　divine　harmony　of　things

testifies　everywhere　to　a　sovereign　Logic；　how　shall　the　proofs　of　its

excellence　and　its　sovereign　wisdom　be　found　in　such　things　as　these？



Far　from　attributing　to　the　order　of　the　universe　a　supposed　perfection；

far　from　considering　nature　as　the　most　immediate　expression　of　the　Good

and　the　Beautiful；　in　the　words　of　Tolstoy　（11/5。）；　he　sees　in　it　only　a

rough　sketch　which　a　hidden　God；　hidden；　but　close　at　hand；　and　living

eternally　present　in　the　heart　of　His　creatures；　is　seeking　to　test　and　to

shape。



Living　always　with　his　eyes　upon　some　secret　of　the　marvels　of　God；　whom　he

sees　in　every　bush；　in　every　tree；　〃although　He　is　veiled　from　our

imperfect　senses〃　（11/6。）；　the　vilest　insect　reveals　to　him；　in　the　least

of　its　actions；　a　fragment　of　this　universal　Intelligence。



What　marvels　indeed　when　seen　from　above！　But　consider　the　Reversewhat

antinomies；　what　flagrant　contradictions！　What　poor　and　sordid　means！　And

Fabre　is　astonished；　in　spite　of　all　his　candid　faith；　that　the　fatality　of

the　belly　should　have　entered　into　the　Divine　plan；　and　the　necessity　of

all　those　atrocious　acts　in　which　the　Unconscious　delights。　Could　not　God

ensure　the　preservation　of　life　by　less　violent　means？　Why　these

subterranean　dramas；　these　slow　assassinations？　Why　has　Evil；　THE　POISON　OF

THE　GOOD　（11/7。）；　crept　in　everywhere；　even　to　the　origin　of　life；　like　an

eternal　Parasite？



Within　this　fatal　circle；　in　which　the　devourer　and　the　devoured；　the

exploiter　and　the　exploited；　lead　an　eternal　dance；　can　we　not　perceive　a

ray　of　light？



For　what　is　it　that　we　see？



The　victims　are　not　merely　the　predestined　victims　of　their　persecutors。

They　seek　neither　to　struggle　nor　to　escape　nor　to　evade　the　inevitable；

one　might　say　that　by　a　kind　of　renunciation　they　offer　themselves　up　whole

as　a　sacrifice！



What　irresistible　destiny　impels　the　bee　to　meet　half…way　the　Philanthus；

its　terrible　enemy！　The　Tarantula；　which　could　so　easily　withstand　the

Pompilus；　when　the　latter　rashly　carries　war　into　its　lair；　does　not

disturb　itself；　and　never　dreams　of　using　its　poisoned　fangs。　Not　less

absolute　is　the　submission　of　the　grasshopper　before　the　Mantis；　which

itself　has　its　tyrant；　the　Tachytes。



Similarly　those　which　have　reason　to　fear　for　their　offspring；　if　not　for

themselves；　do　nothing　to　evade　the　enemy　which　watches　for　them；　the

Megachile；　although　it　could　easily　destroy　it；　is　indifferent　to　the

presence　of　a　miserable　midge；　〃the　bandit　who　is　always　there；　meditating

its　crime〃；　the　Bembex；　confronted　with　the　Tachinarius；　cannot　control　its

terror；　but　nevertheless　resigns　itself；　while　squeaking　with　fright。



If　each　creature　is　what　it　is　only　because　it　is　a　necessary　part　of　the

plan　of　the　supreme　Artisan　who　has　constructed　the　universe；　why　have　some

the　right　of　life　and　death　and　others　the　terrible　duty　of　immolation？



Do　not　both　obey；　not　the　gloomy　law　of　carnage；　but　a　kind　of　sovereign

and　exquisite　sacrifice；　some　sort　of　unconscious　idea　of　submission　to　a

superior　and　collective　interest？



This　hypothesis；　which　was　one　day　suggested　to　Fabre　by　a　friend　of　great

intellectual　culture　（11/8。）；　charmed　and　interested　him　keenly。　I　noticed

that　he　was　more　than　usually　attentive；　and　he　seemed　to　me　to　be　suddenly

reassured　and　appeased。　For　him　it　was　as　though　a　faint　ray　of　light　had

suddenly　fallen　among　these　impenetrable　and　distressing　problems。



It　seemed　to　him　that　by　setting　before　our　eyes　the　spectacle　of　so　many

woes；　universally　distributed；　and　doubtless　necessary；　woes　which　do　not

spare　even　the　humblest　of　creatures；　the　Sovereign　Intelligence　intends　to

exhort　us　to　examine　ourselves　truly　and　to　dispose　us　to　greater　love　and

pity　and　resignation。



All　his　work　is　highly　and　essentially　religious；　and　while　he　has　given　us

a　taste　for　nature；　he　has　not　also　endeavoured　to　give　us；　according　to

the　expression　of　Bossuet　〃the　taste　for　God；〃　or　at　least　a　sense　of　the

divine？　In　opposing　the　doctrine　of　evolution；　which　reduces　the　animal

world　to　the　mere　virtualities　of　the　cell；　in　revealing　to　us　all　these

marvels　which　seem　destined　always　to　escape　human　comprehension；　finally；

by　referring　us　more　necessarily　than　ever　to　the　unfathomable　problem　of

our　origins；　Fabre　has　reopened　the　door　of　mystery；　the　door　of　the　divine

Unknown；　in　which　the　religion　of　men　must　always　renew　itself。　We　should

belittle　his　thought；　we　should　dwarf　the　man　himself；　were　we　to　seek　to

confine　to　any　particular　thesis　his　spiritualistic　conception　of　the

universe。



Fabre　recognizes　and　adores　in　nature　only　the　great　eternal　Power；　whose

imprint　is　everywhere　revealed　by　the　phenomena　of　matter。



For　this　reason　he　has　all　his　life　remained　free　from　all　superstition　and

has　been　completely　indifferent　to　dogmas　and　miracles；　which　to　his　mind

imply　not　only　a　profound　ignorance　of　science；　but　also　a　gross　and

complete　miscomprehension　of　the　divine　Intelligence。　He　kneels　upon　the

ground　or　among　the　grasses　only　the　more　closely　to　adore　that　force；　the

source　of　all　order；　the　intuitive　knowledge　of　which；　innate　in　all

creatures；　even　in　the　tiny　immovable　minds　of　animals；　is　merely　a

magnificent　and　gratuitous　gift。　The　office　in　which　he　eagerly

communicates　is　that　glorious　and　formidable　Mass　in　which　the　ragged

sower；　〃noble　in　his　tatters；　a　pontiff　in　shabby　small…clothes；　solemn　as

a　God；　blesses　the　soil；　more　majestic　than　the　bishop　in　his　glory　at

Easter…tide。〃　（11/9。）　It　is　there　that　he　finds　his　〃Ideal；〃　in　the　incense

of　the　perfumes　〃which　are　softly　exhaled　from　the　shapely　flowers；　from

their　censers　of　gold；〃　in　the　heart　of　all　creatures；　〃chaffinch　and

siskin；　skylark　and　goldfinch；　tiny　choristers〃　piping　and　trilling；

〃elaborating　their　motets〃　to　the　glory　of　Him　who　gave　them　voice　and

wings　on　the　fifth　day　of　Genesis。　He　fraternizes　with　all；　with　his　dogs

and　his　cats；　his　tame　tortoise；　and　even　the　〃slimy　and　swollen　frog〃；　the

〃Philosopher〃　of　the　Harmas；　whose　murky　eyes　he　loves　to　interrogate　as　he

paces　his　garden　〃by　the　light　of　the　stars〃；　persuaded　that　all　are

accomplishing　a　useful　work；　and　that　all　creatures；　from　the　humblest

insect　which　has　only　nibbled　a　leaf；　or　displaced　a　few　grains　of　sand；　to

man　himself；　are　anointed　with　the　same　chrism　of　immortality。



And　as　he　has　always　set　the　pleasures　of　study　before　all　others；　he　can

imagine　no　greater　recompense　after　death　than　to　obtain　from　heaven

permission　still　to　continue　in　their　midst；　during　eternity；　his　life　of

labour　and　effort。





CHAPTER　12。　THE　INTERPRETATION　OF　NATURE。



We　have　noted　the　essential　features　of　his　precise　and　unfailing　vision

and　the　value　of　the　documents　which　record　the　work　of　Fabre；　but　the

writer　merits　no　less　attention　than　the　observer　and　the　philosopher。



In　the　domain　of　things　positive；　it　is　not　always　sufficient　to　gather　the

facts；　to　record　them；　and　to　codify　in　bare　formulae　the　results　of

inquiry。　Doubtless　every　essential　discovery　is　able　to　stand　by　itself；　in

what　would　an　inventor　profit；　for　example；　by　raising　himself　to　the　level

of　the　artist？　〃For　the　theorem　lucidity　suffices；　truth　issues　naked　from

the　bottom　of　a　well。〃



But　the　manner　of　speaking；　describing；　and　depicting　is　none　the