george sand-第14部分

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rame　of　mind；　and　certain　ideas　are　diffused　in　the　air　which　we　find　alike　in　the　works　of　the　writers　of　that　time；　although　they　did　not　borrow　them　from　each　other。　　_Lelia_　is　a　sort　of　summing　up　of　the　themes　then　in　vogue　in　the　personal　novel　and　in　lyrical　poetry。　　The　theme　of　that　suffering　which　is　beneficent　and　inspiring　is　contained　in　the　following　words：　　〃Come　back　to　me；　Sorrow！　　Why　have　you　left　me？　　It　is　by　grief　alone　that　man　is　great。〃　　This　is　worthy　of　Chateaubriand。　　The　theme　of　melancholy　is　as　follows：　　〃The　moon　appeared。　。　。　。　　What　is　the　moon；　and　what　is　its　nocturnal　magic　to　me？　　One　hour　more　or　less　is　nothing　to　me。〃　　This　might　very　well　be　Lamartine。　　We　then　have　the　malediction　pronounced　in　face　of　impassible　Nature：　　〃Yes；　I　detested　that　radiant　and　magnificent　Nature；　for　it　was　there　before　me　in　all　its　stupid　beauty；　silent　and　proud；　for　us　to　gaze　on；　believing　that　it　was　enough　to　merely　show　itself。〃　　This　reminds　us　of　Vigny　in　his　_Maison　du　berger_。　　Then　we　have　the　religion　of　love：　　〃Doubt　God；　doubt　men；　doubt　me　if　you　like；　but　do　not　doubt　love。〃　　This　is　Musset。

But　the　theme　which　predominates；　and；　as　we　have　compared　all　this　to　music；　we　might　say　the　_leit…motiv_　of　all；　is　that　of　desolation；　of　universal　despair；　of　the　woe　of　life。　　It　is　the　same　lamentation　which；　ever　since　Werther；　was　to　be　heard　throughout　all　literature。　　It　is　the　identical　suffering　which　Rene；　Obermann　and　Lara　had　been　repeating　to　all　the　echoes。　　The　elements　of　it　were　the　same：　　pride　which　prevents　us　from　adapting　ourselves　to　the　conditions　of　universal　life；　an　abuse　of　self…analysis　which　opens　up　our　wounds　again　and　makes　them　bleed；　the　wild　imagination　which　presents　to　our　eyes　the　deceptive　mirage　of　Promised　Lands　from　which　we　are　ever　exiles。　　Lelia　personifies；　in　her　turn；　the　〃_mal　du　siecle_。〃　　Stenio　reproaches　her　with　only　singing　grief　and　doubt。　　〃How　many；　times；〃　he　says；　〃have　you　appeared　to　me　as　typical　of　the　indescribable　suffering　in　which　mankind　is　plunged　by　the　spirit　of　inquiry！　　With　your　beauty　and　your　sadness；　your　world…weariness　and　your　scepticism；　do　you　not　personify　the　excess　of　grief　produced　by　the　abuse　of　thought？〃　　He　then　adds：　　〃There　is　a　great　deal　of　pride　in　this　grief；　Lelia！〃　　It　was　undoubtedly　a　malady；　for　Lelia　had　no　reason　to　complain　of　life　any　more　than　her　brothers　in　despair。　　It　is　simply　that　the　general　conditions　of　life　which　all　people　have　to　accept　seem　painful　to　them。　　When　we　are　well　the　play　of　our　muscles　is　a　joy　to　us；　but　when　we　are　ill　we　feel　the　very　weight　of　the　atmosphere；　and　our　eyes　are　hurt　by　the　pleasant　daylight。

When　_Lelia_　appeared　George　Sand's　old　friends　were　stupefied。　　〃What；　in　Heaven's　name；　is　this？〃　wrote　Jules　Neraud；　the　_Malgache。_　〃Where　have　you　been　in　search　of　this？　　Why　have　you　written　such　a　book？　　Where　has　it　sprung　from；　and　what　is　it　for？　。　。　。　　This　woman　is　a　fantastical　creature。　　She　is　not　at　all　like　you。　　You　are　lively　and　can　dance　a　jig；　you　can　appreciate　butterflies　and　you　do　not　despise　puns。　　You　sew　and　can　make　jam　very　well。〃＇18＇


＇18＇　_Histoire　de　ma　vie_。


It　certainly　was　not　her　portrait。　　She　was　healthy　and　believed　in　life；　in　the　goodness　of　things　and　in　the　future　of　humanity；　just　as　Victor　Hugo　and　Dumas　_pere_；　those　other　forces　of　Nature；　did；　at　about　the　same　time。　　A　soul　foreign　to　her　own　had　entered　into　her；　and　it　was　the　romantic　soul。　　With　the　magnificent　power　of　receptivity　which　she　possessed；　George　Sand　welcomed　all　the　winds　which　came　to　her　from　the　four　quarters　of　romanticism。　　She　sent　them　back　with　unheard…of　fulness；　sonorous　depth　and　wealth　of　orchestration。　　From　that　time　forth　a　woman's　voice　could　be　heard；　added　to　all　the　masculine　voices　which　railed　against　life；　and　the　woman's　voice　dominated　them　all！

In　George　Sand's　psychological　evolution；　_Lelia_　is　just　this：　　the　beginning　of　the　invasion　of　her　soul　by　romanticism。　　It　was　a　borrowed　individuality；　undoubtedly；　but　it　was　not　something　to　be　put　on　and　off　at　will　like　a　mask。　　It　adhered　to　the　skin。　　It　was　all　very　fine　for　George　Sand　to　say　to　Sainte…Beuve：　〃Do　not　confuse　the　man　himself　with　the　suffering。　。　。　。　　And　do　not　believe　in　all　my　satanical　airs。　。　。　。　　This　is　simply　a　style　that　I　have　taken　on；　I　assure　you。　。　。　。〃

Sainte…Beuve　had　every　reason　to　be　alarmed；　and　the　confessor　was　quite　right　in　his　surmises。　　The　crisis　of　romanticism　had　commenced。　　It　was　to　take　an　acute　form　and　to　reach　its　paroxysm　during　the　Venice　escapade。　　It　is　from　this　point　of　view　that　we　will　study　the　famous　episode；　which　has　already　been　studied　by　so　many　other　writers。


No　subject；　perhaps；　has　excited　the　curiosity　of　readers　like　this　one；　and　always　without　satisfying　that　curiosity。　　A　library　could　be　formed　of　the　books　devoted　to　this　subject；　written　within　the　last　ten　years。　　Monsieur　Rocheblave；　Monsieur　Maurice　Clouard；　Dr。　Cabanes；　Monsieur　Marieton；　the　enthusiastic　collector；　Spoelberch　de　Lovenjoul　and　Monsieur　Decori　have　all　given　us　their　contributions　to　the　debate。＇19＇　Thanks　to　them；　we　have　the　complete　correspondence　of　George　Sand　and　Musset；　the　diary　of　George　Sand　and　Pagello's　diary。


＇19＇　Consult：　　Rocheblave；　_La　fin　dune　Legende；_　Maurice　Clouard；　_Documents　inedits　sur　A。　de　Musset；_　Dr。　Cabanes；　_Musset　et　le　Dr。　Pagello_；　Paul　Marieton；　_Une　histoire　d'amour；_　Vicomte　Spoelberch　de　Lovenjoul；　_La　vrai　histoire　d'Elle　et　Lui；_　Decori；　_Lettres　de　George　Sand　et　Musset。_


With　the　aid　of　all　these　documents　Monsieur　Charles　Maurras　has　written　a　book　entitled　_Les　Amants　de　Venise_。　　It　is　the　work　of　a　psychologist　and　of　an　artist。　　The　only　fault　I　have　to　find　with　it　is　that　the　author　of　it　seems　to　see　calculation　and　artifice　everywhere；　and　not　to　believe　sufficiently　in　sincerity。　　We　must　not　forget；　either；　that　as　early　as　the　year　1893；　all　that　is　essential　had　been　told　us　by　that　shrewd　writer　and　admirable　woman；　Arvede　Barine。　　The　chapter　which　she　devotes　to　the　Venice　episode；　in　her　biography　of　Alfred　de　Musset；　is　more　clear　and　simple；　and　at　the　same　time　deeper　than　anything　that　had　yet　been　written。

It　is　a　subject　that　has　been　given　up　to　the　curiosity　of　people　and　to　their　disputes。　　The　strange　part　is　the　zeal　which　at　once　animates　every　one　who　takes　part　in　this　controversy。　　The　very　atmosphere　seems　to　be　impregnated　with　strife；　and　those　interested　become；　at　once；　the　partisans　of　George　Sand　or　the　partisans　of　Musset。　　The　two　parties　only　agree　on　one　point；　and　that　is；　to　throw　all　the　blame　on　the　client　favoured　by　their　adversary。　　I　must　confess　that　I　cannot　take　a　passionate　interest　in　a　discussion；　the　subject　of　which　we　cannot　properly　judge。　　According　to　_Mussetistes_；　it　was　thanks　to　George　Sand　that　the　young　poet　was　reduced　to　the　despair　which　drove　him　to　debauchery。　　On　the　other　hand；　if　we　are　to　believe　the　_Sandistes_；　George　Sand's　one　idea　in　interesting　herself　in　Musset　was　to　rescue　him　from　debauchery　and　convert　him　to　a　better　life。　　I　listen　to　all　suchpious　interpretations；　but　I　prefer　others　for　myself。　　I　prefer　seeing　the　physiognomy　of　each　of　the　two　lovers　standing　out；　as　it　does；　in　powerful　relief。

It　is　the　custom；　too；　to　pity　these　two　unfortunates；　who　suffered　so　much。　　At　the　risk　of　being　taken　for　a　very　heartless　man；　I　must　own　that　I　do　not　pity　them　much。　　The　two　lovers　wished　for　this　suffering；　they　wanted　to　experience　the　incomparable　sensations　of　it；　and　they　got　enjoyment　and　profit　from　this。　　They　knew　that　they　were　working　for　posterity。　　〃Posterity　will　repeat　our　names　like　those　of　the　immortal　lovers　whose　two　names　are　only　one　at　present；　like　Romeo　and　Juliette；　like　Heloise　and　Abelard。　　People　will　never　speak　of　one　of　us　without　speaking　of　the　other。〃

Juliette　died　at　the　age　of　fifteen　and　Heloise　entered　a　convent。　　The　Venice　lovers　did　not　have　to　pay　for　their　celebrity　as　dearly　as　that。　　They　wanted　to　give　an　example；　to　light　a　torch　on　the　road　of　humanity。　　〃People　shall　know　my　story；〃　writes　George　Sand。　　〃I　will　write　it。　。　。　。　　Those　who　follow　along　the　path　I　trod　will　see　where　it　leads。〃　　_Et　nunc　erudimini_。　　Let　us　see　for　ourselves；　and　learn。

Their_　liaison_　dates　from　August；　1833。

George　Sand　was　twenty…nine　years　of　age。　　It　was　the　time　of　her　greatest　charm。　　We　must　try　to　imagine　the　enchantress　as　she　then　was。　　She　was　not　tall　and　she　was　delightfully　slender；　with　an　extraordinary…looking　face　of　dark；　warm　colouring。　　Her　thick　hair　was　very　dark；　and　her　eyes；　her　large　eyes；　haunted　Musset　for　years　after。

　　　　　　　〃_Ote…moi；　memoire　importune_；　　　　　　　　　_Ote…moi　ces　yeux　que　　je　vois　toujours！_〃　he　writes。


And　this　woman；　who　could　have　been　loved　passionately；　merely　for　her　charm　as　a　woman；　was　a　celebrity！　　She　was　a　woman　of　genius！　　Alfred　de　Musset　was　twenty…three　years　old。　　He　was　elegant；　witty；　a　flirt；　and　when　he　liked　he　could　be　irresistible。　　He　had　won　his　reputation　by　that　explosion　of　gaiety　and　imagination；　_Les　Contes　d'Espagne　el　d'Italle_。　He　had　written　some　fine　poetry；　dreamy；　disturbing　and　daring。　　He　had　also　given　_Les　Caprices　de　Marianne_；　in　which　he　figures　twice　over　himself；　for　he　was　both　Octave　the　sceptic；　the　disillusioned　man；　and　Coelio；　the　affectionate；　candid　Coelio。　　He　imagined　himself　Rolla。　　It　was　he；　and　he　alone；　who　should　have　been　styled　the　sublime　boy。

And　so　here　they　both　are。　　We　might　call　them　Lelia　and　Stenio；　but　_Lelia_　was　written　before　the　Venice　adventure。　　She　was　not　the　reflection　of　it；　but　rather　the　presentiment。　　This　is　worthy　of　notice；　but　not　at　all　surprising。　　Literature　sometimes　imitates　reality；　but　how　much　more　often　reality　is　modelled　on　literature！

It　was　as　though　George　Sand　had　foreseen　her　destiny；　for　she　had　feared　to　meet　Musset。　　On　the　11th　of　March；　she　writes　as　follows　to　Sainte…Beuve：　〃On　second　thoughts；　I　do　not　want　you　to　bring　Alfred　de　Musset。　　He　is　a　great　dandy。　　We　should　not　suit　each　other；　and　I　was　really　more　curious　to　see　him　than　interested　in　hi