fabre, poet of science-第42章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



rare　plants；　but　it　is　a　monotonous　garden；　without　life　or　art；　without

distant　vistas　or　wide　perspectives。　His　works　are　somewhat　diffuse　and

full　of　repetitions；　entire　monographs；　almost　whole　volumes；　are　devoted

to　describing　the　emerging　of　a　butterfly；　but　they　form　part　of　the

library　of　the　curious　lover　of　nature；　they　are　consulted　with　interest；

and　will　always　be　referred　to；　but　it　cannot　be　said　that　they　are　read。



After　Réaumur；　according　to　the　dictum　of　the　great　Latreille；　entomology

was　confined　to　a　wearisome　and　interminable　nomenclature；　and　if　we　except

the　Hubers；　two　unparalleled　observers；　although　limited　and　circumscribed；

the　only　writer　who　filled　the　interregnum　between　Réaumur　and　Fabre　was

Léon　Dufour。



In　the　quiet　little　town　whither　he　went　to　succeed　his　father；　this

military　surgeon；　turned　country　doctor；　lived　a　busy　and　useful　life。



While　occupied　with　his　humble　patients；　whom　he　preferred　to　regard　merely

as　an　interesting　clinic；　and　while　keeping　the　daily　record　of　his　medical

observations；　he　felt　irresistibly　drawn　〃to　ferret　in　all　the　holes　and

corners　of　the　soil；　to　turn　over　every　stone；　large　or　small；　to　shrink

from　no　fatigue；　no　difficulty；　to　scale　the　highest　peaks；　the　steepest

cliffs；　to　brave　a　thousand　dangers；　in　order　to　discover　an　insect　or　a

plant。　（14/5。）



A　disciple　of　Latreille；　he　shone　above　all　as　an　impassioned　descriptive

writer。



No　one　was　more　skilled　in　determining　a　species；　in　dissecting　the　head　of

a　fly　or　the　entrails　of　a　grub；　and　no　spectacle　in　the　world　was　for　him

so　fascinating　as　the　triple　life　of　the　insect；　those　magical

metamorphoses；　which　he　justly　considered　as　one　of　the　most　astonishing

phenomena　in　creation。　（14/6。）



He　saw　further　than　Réaumur；　and　burned　with　the　same　fire　as　Fabre；　for　he

also　had　the　makings　of　a　great　poet。　His　curiosity　had　assembled　enormous

collections；　but　he　considered；　as　Fabre　considered；　that　collecting　is

〃only　the　barren　contemplation　of　a　vast　ossuary　which　speaks　only　to　the

eyes；　and　not　to　the　mind　or　imagination；〃　and　that　the　true　history　of

insects　should　be　that　of　their　habits；　their　industries；　their　battles；

their　loves；　and　their　private　and　social　life；　that　one　must　〃search

everywhere；　on　the　ground；　under　the　soil；　in　the　waters；　in　the　air；　under

the　bark　of　trees；　in　the　depth　of　the　woods；　in　the　sands　of　the　desert；

and　even　on　and　in　the　bodies　of　animals。〃



Was　not　this　in　reality　the　ambitious　programme　which　Fabre　was　later　to

propose　to　himself　when　he　entered　into　his　Harmas　and　founded　his　living

laboratory　of　entomology；　he　also　having　set　himself　as　his　exclusive

object　the　study　of　〃the　insects；　the　habits　of　life；　the　labours；　the

struggles　and　the　propagation　of　this　little　world；　which　agriculture　and

philosophy　should　closely　consider〃？　（14/7。）



Dufour　also　had　admirably　grasped　the　place　of　the　insect　in　the　general

harmony　of　the　universe；　and　he　clearly　perceived　that　parasitism；　that

imbrication　of　mutually　usurping　lives；　is　〃a　law　of　equilibration；　whose

object　is　to　set　a　limit　to　the　excessive　multiplication　of　individuals　of

the　same　type；〃　that　the　parasites　are　predestined　to　an　imprescriptible

mission；　and　that　this　mysterious　law　〃defies　all　explanation。〃



On　the　other　hand；　he　did　not　become　very　intimate　with　these　tiny　peoples；

his　attention　was　dispersed　over　too　many　points；　perhaps　he　was

fundamentally　incapable　of　concentrating　himself　for　a　long　period　upon　a

circumscribed　object；　perhaps　he　lacked　that　first　condition　of　genius；

patience；　so　essential　to　such　researches：　although　he　enriched　science　by

an　infinite　multitude　of　precious　facts　and　has　recorded　a　quantity　of

details　concerning　the　habits　of　insects；　he　did　not　succeed　in

representing　any　one　of　these　innumerable　little　minds。　He　had　an　intense

feeling　for　nature；　but　he　was　not　able　to　interpret　it；　and　his　immense

volume　of　work；　scattered　through　nearly　three　hundred　monographs；　remains

ineffective。



Let　us　compare　with　his　work　the　vast　epic　of　the　〃Souvenirs。〃　We　become

familiar　with　the　whole　life　of　the　least　insect；　and　all　its　unending

related　circumstances；　we　obtain　sudden　glimpses　of　insight　into　our　own

organization；　with　its　abysses　and　its　lacunae；　and　also　into　those　rich

provinces　or　faculties　which　we　are　only　beginning　to　suspect　in　the　depths

of　our　unconscious　activity。



In　the　evening　twilight；　after　the　vast　andante　of　the　cicadae　is　hushed；

at　the　hour　when　the　shining　glow…worms　〃light　their　blue　fires；〃　and　the

〃pale　Italian　cricket；　delirious　with　its　nocturnal　madness；　chirrups　among

the　rosemary　thickets；〃　while　in　the　distance　sounds　the　melodious　tinkle

of　the　bell…ringer　frogs；　replying　from　one　hiding…place　to　another；　the

old　master　shows　us　that　profound　and　mysterious　magic　with　which　matter　is

endowed　by　the　faintest　glimmer　of　life。



He　shows　us　the　intimate　connection　of　things；　the　universal　harmony　which

so　intimately　allies　all　creatures；　and　he　shows　us　also　that　everywhere

and　all　around　us；　in　the　smallest　object；　poetry　exists　like　a　hidden

flame；　if　only　we　know　how　to　seek　it。



And　in　revealing　so　many　marvellous　energies　in　even　the　lowest　creatures；

he　helps　us　to　divine　the　infinity　of　phenomena　still　unguessed…at；　which

the　subtlety　of　the　unknowable　force　which　thrills　through　the　whole

universe　hides　from　us　under　the　most　trivial　appearances。



For　he　has　not　told　everything；　this　incommensurable　region；　which　had

hitherto　remained　unworked；　is　far　from　being　exhausted。



How　many　unknown　and　hidden　things　are　still　left　to　be　gleaned！　There　will

be　a　harvest　for　all。　Remember　that　〃even　the　humblest　species　either　has

no　history；　or　the　little　that　has　been　written　concerning　it　calls　for

serious　revision〃　（14/8。）；　that　a　single　bush；　such　as　the　bramble；

suffices　to　rear　more　than　fifty　species　of　insects；　and　that　each　species；

according　to　the　just　observation　of　Réaumur；　〃has　its　habits；　its　tricks

of　cunning；　its　customs；　its　industries；　its　art；　its　architecture；　its

different　instincts；　and　its　individual　genius。〃



What　a　stupendous　alphabet　to　decipher；　of　which　we　have　as　yet　only

commenced　to　read　the　first　few　letters！　When　we　are　able　to　read　it　almost

entirely；　when　observers　are　more　numerous　and　have　concerted　their

efforts；　mutually　illuminating；　completing　and　correcting　one　another；

then；　and　then　only；　we　shall　succeed；　if　not　in　resolving　some　of　those

high　problems　which　have　never　ceased　to　interest　mankind；　at　least　in

seizing　some　reflected　knowledge　of　ourselves；　and　in　seeing　a　little

farther　into　the　kingdom　of　the　mind。





CHAPTER　15。　THE　EVENINGS　AT　SéRIGNAN。



But　it　will　doubtless　be　long　before　a　new　Fabre　will　resume；　with　the　same

heroic　ardour；　the　life　of　solitary　labour；　varied　only　by　a　few　austere

recreations。



Rising　at　six　o'clock；　he　would　first　of　all　pace　the　tiles　of　his　kitchen；

breakfast　in　hand；　so　imperious　in　him　was　the　need　of　action；　if　his　mind

was　to　work　successfully；　that　even　at　this　moment　of　morning　meditation

his　body　must　already　be　in　movement。　Then；　after　many　turns　among　the

bushes　of　the　enclosure；　all　irised　with　drops　of　dew　which　were　already

evaporating；　he　went　straight　to　his　cell：　that　is；　to　the　silence　of　his

laboratory。



There；　in　unsociable　silence；　invisible　to　all；　he　worked　hard　and　steadily

until　noon；　pursuing　an　observation　or　carrying　out　some　experiment；　or

recording　what　he　saw　or　what　he　had　seen　the　day　before；　or　re…drafting

his　records　in　their　final　form。



How　many　who　have　come　hither　to　knock　upon　the　door　in　these　morning

hours；　or　to　ring　at　the　little　gate；　silent　as　the　tomb；　which　gives　upon

the　private　path　frequented　only　by　foot…passengers　on　their　way　to　the

fields；　have　undertaken　a　fruitless　journey！　But　withou