george sand-第23部分

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ing　country…house　in　a　delightful　desert。　。　。　。〃　　｛The　end　of　footnote　＇26＇｝


At　that　time　Spain　was　the　very　last　country　in　which　to　travel　with　a　consumptive　patient。　　In　a　very　fine　lecture；　the　subject　of　which　was　_The　Fight　with　Tubcrculosis_；＇27＇　Dr。　Landouzy　proves　to　us　that　ever　since　the　sixteenth　century；　in　the　districts　of　the　Mediterranean；　in　Spain；　in　the　Balearic　Isles　and　throughout　the　kingdom　of　Naples；　tuberculosis　was　held　to　be　contagious；　whilst　the　rest　of　Europe　was　ignorant　of　this　contagion。　　Extremely　severe　rules　had　been　laid　down　with　regard　to　the　measures　to　be　taken　for　avoiding　the　spread　of　this　disease。　　A　consumptive　patient　was　considered　as　a　kind　of　plague…stricken　individual。　　Chateaubriand　had　experienced　the　inconveniences　of　this　scare　during　his　stay　in　Rome　with　Madame　de　Beaumont；　who　died　there　of　consumption；　at　the　beginning　of　the　winter　of　1803。　　George　Sand；　in　her　turn；　was　to　have　a　similar　experience。　　When　Chopin　was　convicted　of　consumption；　〃which；〃　as　she　writes；　〃was　equivalent　to　the　plague；　according　to　the　Spanish　doctors；　with　their　foregone　conclusions　about　contagion；〃　their　landlord　simply　turned　them　out　of　his　house。　　They　took　refuge　in　the　Chartreuse　monastery　of　Valdemosa；　where　they　lived　in　a　cell。　　The　site　was　very　beautiful。　　By　a　wooded　slope　a　terrace　could　be　reached；　from　which　there　was　a　view　of　the　sea　on　two　sides。


＇27＇　L。　Landouzy　of　the　Academy　of　Medecine；　_La　Lutte　contre　la　tuberculose_；　published　by　L。　Maretheux。


〃We　are　planted　between　heaven　and　earth；〃　wrote　George　Sand。　　〃The　clouds　cross　our　garden　at　their　own　will　and　pleasure；　and　the　eagles　clamour　over　our　heads。〃

A　cell　in　this　monastery　was　composed　of　three　rooms：　　the　one　in　the　middle　was　intended　for　reading；　prayer　and　meditation；　the　other　two　were　the　bedroom　and　the　workshop。　　All　three　rooms　looked　on　to　a　garden。　　Reading；　rest　and　manual　labour　made　up　the　life　of　these　men。　　They　lived　in　a　limited　space　certainly；　but　the　view　stretched　out　infinitely；　and　prayer　went　up　direct　to　God。　　Among　the　ruined　buildings　of　the　enormous　monastery　there　was　a　cloister　still　standing；　through　which　the　wind　howled　desperately。　　It　was　like　the　scenery　in　the　nuns'　act　in　_Robert　le　Diable_。　　All　this　made　the　old　monastery　the　most　romantic　place　in　the　world。＇28＇


＇28＇　George　Sand　to　Madame　Buloz。　　Postscript　to　the　letter　already　quoted：

〃I　am　leaving　for　the　country　where　I　have　a　furnished　house　with　a　garden；　magnificently　situated　for　50　francs　a　month。　　I　have　also　taken　a　cell；　that　is　three　rooms　and　a　garden　for　35　francs　a　year　in　the　Chartreuse　of　Valdemosa；　a　magnificent；　immense　monastery　quite　lonely　in　the　midst　of　mountains。　　Our　garden　is　full　of　oranges　and　lemons。　　The　trees　break　under　them。　　We　have　hedges　of　cactus　twenty　to　thirty　feet　high；　the　sea　is　about　a　mile　and　a　half　away。　　We　have　a　donkey　to　take　us　to　the　town；　roads　inaccessible　to　visitors；　immense　cloisters　and　the　most　beautiful　architecture；　a　charming　church；　a　cemetery　with　a　palm…tree　and　a　stone　cross　like　the　one　in　the　third　act　of　_Robert　le　Diable_。　　Then；　too；　there　are　beds　of　shrubs　cut　in　form。　　All　this　we　have　to　ourselves　with　an　old　woman　to　wait　on　us；　and　the　sacristan　who　is　warder；　steward；　majordomo　and　Jack…of…all…trades。　I　hope　we　shall　have　ghosts。　　The　door　of　my　cell　leads　into　an　enormous　cloister；　and　when　the　wind　slams　the　door　it　is　like　a　cannon　going　off　through　all　the　monastery。　　I　am　delighted　with　everything；　and　fancy　I　shall　be　more　often　in　the　cell　than　in　the　country…house；　which　is　about　six　miles　away。　　You　see　that　I　have　plenty　of　poetry　and　solitude；　so　that　if　I　do　not　work　I　shall　be　a　stupid　thing。〃　　｛The　end　of　footnote　＇28＇｝


The　only　drawback　was　that　it　was　most　difficult　to　live　there。　　There　was　no　way　of　getting　warm。　　The　stove　was　a　kind　of　iron　furnace　which　gave　out　a　terrible　odour；　and　did　not　prevent　the　rooms　from　being　so　damp　that　clothes　mildewed　while　they　were　being　worn。　　There　was　no　way　of　getting　proper　food　either。　　They　had　to　eat　the　most　indigestible　things。　　There　were　five　sorts　of　meat　certainly；　but　these　were　pig；　pork；　bacon；　ham　and　pickled　pork。　　This　was　all　cooked　in　dripping；　pork…dripping；　of　course；　or　in　rancid　oil。　　Still　more　than　this；　the　natives　refused；　not　only　to　serve　the　unfortunate　travellers；　but　to　sell　them　the　actual　necessaries　of　life。　　The　fact　was；　they　had　scandalized　the　Majorcan　people。　　All　Majorca　was　indignant　because　Solange；　who　at　that　time　was　nine　years　old；　roamed　about　the　mountains　_disguised　as　a　man_。　　Added　to　this；　when　the　horn　sounded　which　called　people　to　their　devotions　in　the　churches；　these　strange　inhabitants　of　the　old　Valdemosa　monastery　never　took　any　more　notice　than　pagans。　　People　kept　clear　of　them。　　Chopin　suffered　with　the　cold；　the　cooking　made　him　sick；　and　he　used　to　have　fits　of　terror　in　the　cloisters。　　They　had　to　leave　hastily。　　The　only　steamboat　from　the　island　was　used　to　transport　the　pigs　which　are　the　pride　and　wealth　of　Majorca。　　People　were　only　taken　as　an　extra。　　It　was；　therefore；　in　the　company　of　these　squealing；　ill…smelling　creatures　that　the　invalid　crossed　the　water。　　When　he　arrived　at　Barcelona；　he　looked　like　a　spectre　and　was　spitting　blood。　　George　Sand　was　quite　right　in　saying　that　this　journey　was　an　〃awful　fiasco。〃


Art　and　literature　did　not　gain　much　either　by　this　expedition。　　George　Sand　finished　her　novel　entitled　_Spiridion_　at　Valdemosa。　　She　had　commenced　it　before　starting　for　Spain。　　In　a　volume　on　_Un　hiver　a　Majorque_　she　gave　some　fine　descriptions；　and　also　a　harsh　accusation　of　the　monks；　whom　she　held　responsible　for　all　the　mishaps　of　the　Sand　caravan。　　She　considered　that　the　Majorcans　had　been　brutalized　and　fanaticized；　thanks　to　their　influence。　　As　to　Chopin；　he　was　scarcely　in　a　state　to　derive　any　benefit　from　such　a　journey；　and　he　certainly　did　not　get　any。　　He　did　not　thoroughly　appreciate　the　beauties　of　nature；　particularly　of　Majorcan　nature。　　In　a　letter　to　one　of　his　friends　he　gives　the　following　description　of　their　habitation：

〃Between　rocks　and　sea；　in　a　great　deserted　monastery；　in　a　cell；　the　doors　of　which　are　bigger　than　the　carriage　entrances　to　the　houses　in　Paris；　you　can　imagine　me；　without　white　gloves；　and　no　curl　in　my　hair；　as　pale　as　usual。　　My　cell　is　the　shape　of　a　large…sized　bier。　。　。　。〃

This　certainly　does　not　sound　very　enthusiastic。　　The　question　is　whether　he　composed　anything　at　all　at　Valdemosa。　　Liszt　presents　him　to　us　improvising　his　Prelude　in　B　flat　minor　under　the　most　dramatic　circumstances。　　We　are　told　that　one　day；　when　George　Sand　and　her　children　had　started　on　an　excursion；　they　were　surprised　by　a　thunderstorm。　　Chopin　had　stayed　at　home　in　the　monastery；　and；　terrified　at　the　danger　he　foresaw　for　them；　he　fainted。　　Before　they　reached　home　he　had　improvised　his　_Prelude_；　in　which　he　has　put　all　his　terror　and　the　nervousness　due　to　his　disease。　　It　appears；　though；　that　all　this　is　a　legend；　and　that　there　is　not　a　single　echo　of　the　stay　at　Valdemosa　in　Chopin's　work。

The　deplorable　journey　to　Majorca　dates　from　November；　1838　to　March；　1839。　　The　intimacy　between　George　Sand　and　Chopin　continued　eight　years　more。

In　the　summer　Chopin　stayed　it　Nohant。　　Eugene　Delacroix；　who　was　paying　a　visit　there　too；　describes　his　presence　as　follows：　　〃At　times；　through　the　window　opening　on　to　the　garden；　we　get　wafts　of　Chopin's　music；　as　he　too　is　at　work。　　It　is　mingled　with　the　songs　of　the　nightingales　and　with　the　perfume　of　the　rose　trees。〃

Chopin　did　not　care　much　for　Nohant。　　In　the　first　place；　he　only　liked　the　country　for　about　a　fortnight　at　a　time；　which　is　very　much　like　not　caring　for　it　at　all。　　Then　what　made　him　detest　the　country　were　the　inhabitants。　　Hippolyte　Chatiron　was　terrible　after　he　had　been　drinking。　　He　was　extremely　effusive　and　cordial。

In　the　winter　they　first　lived　in　the　Rue　Pigalle。　　George　Sand　used　to　receive　Pierre　Leroux；　Louis　Blanc；　Edgar　Quinet；　Etienne　Arago；　and　many　other　men。　　Chopin；　who　was　not　very　intellectual；　felt　ill　at　ease　amongst　all　these　literary　men；　these　reformers；　arguers　and　speechifiers。　　In　1842；　they　emigrated　to　the　Square　d'Orleans。　There　was　a　sort　of　little　colony　established　there；　consisting　of　Alexandre　Dumas；　Dantan　the　caricaturist；　the　Viardots；　Zimmermann；　and　the　wife　of　the　Spanish　consul；　Madame　Marliani；　who　had　attracted　them　all　there。　　They　took　their　meals　together。　　It　was　a　regular　phalinstery；　and　Chopin　had　very　elegant　tastes！

We　must　give　George　Sand　credit　for　looking　after　him　with　admirable　devotion。　　She　certainly　went　on　nursing　her　〃invalid；〃　or　her　〃dear　skeleton；〃　as　she　called　him；　but　her　infatuation　had　been　over　for　a　long　time。　　The　absolute　contrast　of　two　natures　may　be　attractive　at　first；　but　the　attraction　does　not　last；　and；　when　the　first　enthusiasm　is　over；　the　logical　consequence　is　that　they　become　disunited。　　This　was　what　Liszt　said　in　rather　an　odd　but　energetic　way。　　He　points　out　all　that　there　was　〃intolerably　incompatible；　diametrically　opposite　and　secretly　antipathetic　between　two　natures　which　seemed　to　have　been　mutually　drawn　to　each　other　by　a　sudden　and　superficial　attraction；　for　the　sake　of　repulsing　each　other　later　on　with　all　the　force　of　inexpressible　sorrow　and　boredom。〃　　Illness　had　embittered　Chopin's　character。　　George　Sand　used　to　say　that　〃when　he　was　angry　he　was　terrifying。〃　　He　was　very　intelligent；　too；　and　delighted　in　quizzing　people　for　whom　he　did　not　care。　　Solange　and　Maurice　were　now　older；　and　this　made　the　situation　somewhat　delicate。　　Chopin；　too；　had　a　mania　for　meddling　with　family　matters。　　He　quarrelled　one　day　with　Maurice。　　Another　day　George　Sand　was　annoyed　with　her　son…in…law　Clesinger　and　with　her　daughter　Solange；　and　Chopin　took　their　side。　　This　was　the　cause　of　their　quarrel；　it　was　the　last　drop　that　made　the　cup　of　bitterness　overflow。

The　following　is　a　fragment　of　a　letter　which　George　Sand　sent　to　Grzymala；　in　1847：　　〃For　seven　years　I　have　lived　with　him　as　a　virgin。　　If　any　woman　on　earth　could　inspire　him　with　absolute　con