a study of bible-第18部分
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！
still interdependent and necessary to each other。〃＇1＇ Years ago a writer remarked that every student of English literature； or of English speech； finds three works or subjects referred to； or quoted from； more frequently than others。 These are the Bible； tales of Greek and Roman mythology； and Aesop's Fables。 Of these three； certainly the Bible furnishes the largest number of references。 There is reason for that。 A writer wants an audience。 Very few men can claim to be independent of the public for which they write。 There is nothing the public will be more apt to understand and appreciate quickly than a passing reference to the English Bible。 So it comes about that when Dickens is describing the injustice of the Murdstones to little David Copperfield； he can put the whole matter before us in a parenthesis： 〃Though there was One once who set a child in the midst of the disciples。〃 Dickens knew that his readers would at once catch the meaning of that reference； and would feel the contrast between the scene he was describing and that simple scene。 Take any of the great books of literature and black out the phrases which manifestly come directly from the English Bible； and you would mark them beyond recovery。
＇1＇ Chapman； English Literature in Account with Religion。
But English literature has found more of its material in the Bible than anything else。 It has looked there for its characters； its illustrations； its subject…matter。 We shall see； as we consider individual writers； how many of their titles and complete works are suggested by the Bible。 It is interesting to see how one idea of the Scripture will appear and reappear among many writers。 Take one illustration。 The Faust story is an effort to make concrete one verse of Scripture： 〃What shall it profit a man if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul？〃 Professor Moulton reminds us that the Faust legend appeared first in the Middle Ages。 In early English； Marlowe has it； Calderon put it into Spanish； the most familiar form of it is Goethe's； while Philip Bailey has called his account of it Festus。 In each of those forms the same idea occurs。 A man sells his soul to the devil for the gaining of what is to him the world。 That is one of a good many ideas which the Bible has given to literature。 The prodigal son has been another prolific source of literary writing。 The guiding star is another。 Others will readily come to mind。
With that simple background let our minds move down the course of literary history。 Style； language； materialwe will easily think how much of each the Bible has given to all our great writers if their names are only mentioned。 There are four groups of these writers。
1。 The Jacobean； who wrote when and just after our version was made。
2。 The Georgian； who graced the reigns of the kings whose name the period bears。
3。 The Victorian。
4。 The American。
There is an attractive fifth group comprising our present…day workers in the realm of pure literature； but we must omit them and give our attention to names that are starred。
It is familiar that in the time of Elizabeth； 〃England became a nest of singing birds。〃 In the fifty years after the first English theater was erected； the middle of Elizabeth's reign； fifty dramatic poets appeared； many of the first order。 Some were distinctly irreligious； as were many of the people whose lives they touched。 Such men as Ford； Marlowe； Massinger； Webster； Beaumont； and Fletcher stand like a chorus around Shakespeare and Ben Jonson as leaders。 As Taine puts it： 〃They sing the same piece together； and at times the chorus is equal to the solo； but only at times。〃＇1＇ Cultured people to…day know the names of most of these writers； but not much else； and it does not heavily serve our argument to say that they felt the Puritan influence； but they all did feel it either directly or by reaction。
＇1＇ History of English Literature； chap。 iii。
Edmund Spenser and his friend； Sir Philip Sidney； had closed their work before the King James version appeared； yet the Faerie Queene in its religious theory is Puritan to the core； and Sidney is best remembered by his paraphrases of Scripture。 The influence of both was even greater in the Jacobean than in their own period。
It is hardly fair even to note the Elizabethan Shakespeare as under the influence of the King James version。 The Bible influenced him markedly； but it was the Genevan version prepared during the exile of the scholars under Bloody Mary； or the Bishops' Bible prepared under Elizabeth。 Those versions were familiar as household facts to him。 〃No writer has assimilated the thoughts and reproduced the words of Holy Scripture more copiously than Shakespeare。〃 Dr。 Furnivall says that 〃he is saturated with the Bible story；〃 and a century ago Capel Lloft said quaintly that Shakespeare 〃had deeply imbibed the Scriptures。〃 But the King James version appeared only five years before his death； and it is in some sense fairer to say that Shakespeare and the King James version are formed by the same influence as to their English style。 The Bishop of St。 Andrews even devotes the first part of his book on Shakespeare and the Bible to a study of parallels between the two in peculiar forms of speech； and thinks it 〃probable that our translators of 1611 owed as much to Shakespeare as； or rather far more than； he owed to them。〃＇1＇ It is generally agreed that only two of his works were written after our version appeared。 Several other writers have devoted separate volumes to noting the frequent use by Shakespeare of Biblical phrases and allusions and characters taken from early versions。 It is a very tempting field； and we pass it by only because it is hardly in the range of the study we are now making。
＇1＇ Wordsworth； Shakespeare's Knowledge and Use of the Bible； p。 9。
When； however； we come to John Milton （1608…1674）； we remember he was only three years old when our version was issued； that when at fifteen； an undergraduate in Cambridge； he made his first paraphrases； casting two of the Psalms into meter； the version he used was this familiar one。 A biographer says he began the day always with the reading of Scripture and kept his memory deeply charged with its phrases。 In later life the morning chapter was generally from the Hebrew； and was followed by an hour of silence for meditation； an exercise whose influence no man's style could escape。 As a writer he moved steadily toward the Scripture and the religious teaching which it brought his age。 His earlier writing is a group of poems largely secular； which yet show in phrases and expressions much of the influence of his boyhood study of the Bible； as well as the familiar use of mythology。 The memorial poem 〃Lycidas；〃 for example； contains the much…quoted reference to Peter and his two keys
〃Last came and last did go The pilot of the Galilean lake； Two massy keys he bore of metals twain； （The golden opes； the iron shuts amain）。〃
But after these poems came the period of his prose； the work which he supposed was the abiding work of his life。 George William Curtis told a friend that our civil war changed his own literary style： 〃That roused me to see that I had no right to spend my life in literary leisure。 I felt that I must throw myself into the struggle for freedom and the Union。 I began to lecture and to write。 The style took care of itself。 But I fancy it is more solid than it was thirty years ago。〃 That is what happened to Milton when the protectorate came。＇1＇ It made his style more solid。 He did not mean to live as a poet。 He felt that his best energies were being put into his essays in defense of liberty； on the freedom of the press and on the justice of the beheading of Charles； in which service he sacrificed his sight。 All of it is shot through with Scripture quotations and arguments； and some of it； at least； is in the very spirit of Scripture。 The plea for larger freedom of divorce issued plainly from his own bitter experience； but his main argument roots in a few Bible texts taken out of their connection and urged with no shadow of question of their authority。 Indeed； when he comes to his more religious essays； his heavy argument is that there should be no religion permitted in England which is not drawn directly from the Bible； which； therefore； he urges must be common property for all the people。 There is a curious bit of evidence that the men of his own time did not realize his power as a poet。 In Pierre Bayle's critical survey of the literature of the time； he calls Milton 〃the famous apologist for the execution of Charles I。；〃 who 〃meddled in poetry and several of whose poems saw the light during his life or after his death！〃 For all that； Milton was only working on toward his real power； and his power was to be shown in his service to religion。 His three great poems； in the order of their value； are； of course； 〃Paradise Lost；〃 〃Samson Agonistes；〃 and 〃Paradise Regained。〃 Whoever knows anything of Milton knows these three and knows they are Scriptural from first to last in phrase； in allusion； and； in part at least； in idea。 There is not time for extended illustration。 One instance may stand for all； which shall illustrate how Milton's mind was like a garden where the seeds of Scripture came to flower and fruit。 He will take one phrase from the Bible and let it grow to a page in 〃Paradise Lost。〃 Here is an illustration which comes readily to hand。 In the Genesis it is said that 〃the spirit of God moved on the face of the waters。〃 The verb suggests the idea of brooding。 There is only one other possible reference （Psalm xxiv： 9。） which is included in this statement which Milton makes out of that brief word in the Genesis：
〃On the watery calm His broadening wings the Spirit of God outspread； And vital virtue infused； and vital warmth Throughout the fluid mass； but downward purged The black tartareous cold infernal dregs； Adverse to life； then formed； then con…globed； Like things to like； the rest to several place Disparted； and between spun out the air And earth self…balanced on her center swung。〃
＇1＇ Strong； The Theology of the Poets。
Any one familiar with Milton will recognize that as a typical instance of the way in which a seed idea fr
