ABOUT a month after the foregoing incidents took place, and while I was in the Marquesas Group, I came across an old man who was one of those characters which are often to be met with in the wild, outer spaces of the world. He lived not far from the shore-side, at Nuka Hiva, and was an enthusiastic astronomer. His lone3 homestead was by the lowest peak of some hills, and so situated4 that it was eminently5 suitable for the purposes for which he required it, which were rest, reading and quiet, and unobserved observation of the starry6 skies; whereat for hours, with hopeful eye fixed7 at the telescope, he would gaze on cloudless nights.
Night after night, while the traders and natives slept, the solitary8 old man would sleeplessly9 follow his hobby. The wild poetry of primeval nature surrounded his hut home; the swinging seas thundered or softly broke over the reefs below, and clumps10 of pandanus-trees and coco-palms, like ?olian harps11, caught the wandering winds and wailed12 mournfully. They were and are wild places, and the scattered13 isles14 were as oases15 on the vast Sahara of the Pacific Ocean. Tao-o-hae was the nearest primitive16 capital, where strange races mingled17 and traded. Inland lived the old tribes, the survivors18 of cannibalistic days. Those old tattooed19 Marquesan chiefs sat by their conical dens20, chewed modern plug tobacco and smoked opium21, and looked upon the calaboose as the final resting-place for reflective age. In the villages the natives grew copra and tropical fruits and sold them to the French, who formed the greater part of the white population. They wore the ridi, and still encouraged old tribal23 customs, and the native women and girls, though modest and virtuous24, were often ruined, body and soul, by the Chinamen who sold them opium and did many other things.
Why old Gilbert—for that was the name we knew the astronomer by—had left his native land and lived this lonely life was a mystery that no one bothered about; one thing was certain—he was no myth and was there. We all liked him. Originally he must have been a tall man, but age had bent25 his backbone26 and reduced his height by about two inches. His unkempt grey beard gave him a patriarchal aspect, and his deep-set clear grey eyes, fine, lofty brow and kind expression revealed no hint of inward vice27. The native Marquesan servant who tidied his one room once a week was old and wrinkled, being over seventy years of age. Photographs pinned on the wooden wall of his bedroom imaged the refined faces of relatives, one of them a sad-faced young girl.
“Solitary Gilbert” was respected by the white community of the district, a community which chiefly consisted of traders and cast-ashore sailors of various nations, and represented the adventurous28 stock of England, Scotland, and France, one or two Mongolian niggers, and a full-blooded celestial29 who did their washing and spent the proceeds on Marquesan ladies, who wore few clothes, worked on the various plantations30, chatted and chewed.
The traders used to congregate31 in the grog shanty, which was run by a jovial32 libre from Numea, the convict settlement, tell their various experiences and argue over the latest Marquesan politics or murders, and also express their various views of the local missionaries33, who had long since given them up as hopeless atheists. Drinking beer till their teeth floated seemed to be the height of their ambition, though a few hoped to realise by trading enough money to go back to their native land. They were jovial men; some had sailed the seven seas, and some had hurriedly emigrated direct to the South Seas, and only thought of their country in troublous dreams; but all of them positively34 refused to give up their wild ways, listen to the missionaries and live a sweet and beerless life. Only one man had a magnetic influence for good over them, and that man was the mysterious old astronomer, Gilbert.
I came to know the lonely star-watcher well. Often while I was sitting in the grog shanty, listening to the traders arguing, he would walk in, and talk and lecture them; and they listened with profound respect. When excited by the thrilling subject of his conversation—the stars—his aged22 lips trembled and revealed the sensitive temperament35 of a lofty imagination. Something in his manner and in his earnest voice made us all lift our eyes and attention to him.
Every night he would bring his telescope under his arm and, perching it outside on a beer barrel, get the traders, each in turn, to fix their eyes to the lens and gaze at the heavens. We all liked the wise old man, and from him I learnt all that I know of the stars and their travels through space.
Once the old fellow was laid up with a chill and lay for two or three days in bed. I did my best for him as he sat up in his bunk36, attired37 in a red nightshirt, looking ill and solemn, and passing the time by talking philosophy. Schopenhauer was his pet subject when he could not gaze at the stars. He gave me his books, but though I made a great mental effort I only succeeded, after reading the books, in discovering that I knew nothing, that life was nothing, that creation was a tremendous black nothing wherein human eyes continually opened and shaped all that Is! That stars flashed out of the same human consciousness that imagined pain, passion and all the arts and emotions which beautify the imagined Universe. As I knew little at that time of philosophy, old Gilbert found me an appreciative38 and quiet listener, who did not argue on any point; indeed, I became fond of him and so, through respect for his memory, I am now attempting a short biographical note of his existence.
Music he loved, and I would play the violin to him; old and staid as he was, when I played softly and tenderly some old melody his voice would join tremulously in and, though pathetically toneless, outrivalled a master voice by its sincerity39. Poetry he liked, and beyond his table and one old chair and bunk bed his furniture consisted of two long shelves of classical books. Through him my mind was enlarged, till I realised that pianissimo, legato and staccato cadenza and music’s mysterious charm, vaguely40 expressed, but did not fathom41, the serious ideals of life; were only as a wailing42, wandering wind of the mind, stirring the soul and the flowers of memory, as they sighed through the emotions, a breath on the deep waters of thought.
Yes, that solitary old astronomer friend of my youth, though I did not realise it then, revealed to me that literature and poetry were great and beautiful music fused in the white heat of thought’s spiritual flame, and for that alone his memory is ever dear to me.
Notwithstanding his virtues43, the missionaries looked upon him as an old madman, and he in turn gazed upon them with intense pity. The storekeeper hard by, who sold everything from a needle to tinned meat, was a “deeply religious” man and trusted everyone but Gilbert. I remember him well; he was determined44 to be just and right, spoke45 often about God and divinity, with a voice that rang with the note of justness and sounded like the clink of Government scale-weights. He did well in his store shop, and I think he would have weighed a gift of the widow’s mite46 carefully before she left his premises47.
One night he was discovered dead, and Ah Foo, the Chinaman, suddenly left the district; though the crack in the storekeeper’s head was put down to a fall, we had our suspicions. The traders cursed the storekeeper’s death, because Ah Foo did their washing and they had now to fall back on the native girls, who only wore ridis and grass and could not resist the temptation of such finery, and so often they wore our shirts and collars and under-pants for weeks before returning them, and if they secured admirers they sometimes eloped into the forest with them, and our washing was seen no more! So though the islands were made a paradise by coco-palms, tropical fruit trees, sea-beaten reefs and inland mountains, they had their drawbacks.
Gilbert used suddenly to appear in the grog shanty, quietly sit on a tub, look round, critically scan the rough, unshaved faces of the traders and then say: “Boys, beer may be well, and doubtless has its advantages, but do you ever think of the skies, the vastness of space, with its myriads48 of worlds, endless sunsets and sunrises sparkling through infinite gloom?” At this they would wipe their mouths with the back of their hands and gaze awestruck at one another, each seeking to hear a reply from the other, for the word “infinity” had something in it that outwitted their comprehension. The oldest and biggest scoundrel of the lot would look the most earnest and, after placing his quart pot on the shanty bench, slowly wipe his bearded mouth and say: “Professor, we do think of them ’ere marvellous things; nights and nights they worries us when we thinks of the vast abscess” (abyss) “called Space.” Then old Gilbert, encouraged, would once more proceed and say: “Like unto Thee, space hath no end; and the stars, which are as the dust of heaven, eternally roll out blue days and sunsets for endless myriads of worlds that are sparkling through infinite space. Yet, O men, are thy souls immersed in no more than the fumes49 of beer!” At this the trader would get argumentative and say: “What’s the end of space, and if yer go to the end where would yer fall if yer fell over?”
“O man of beer,” old Gilbert answered, delighted to have got up a controversy50 over his pet hobby, “your thoughts cannot out-travel the range of your intellect; you but surmise51 an end, because your intellect hath an end; thou art finite and the heavens infinite,” and after saying this, which was Greek to them all, he brought forth52 his telescope from under his coat. Each one outside under the clear tropical skies would glue his curious eye to the end of the tube and gaze at the orbs53 of space; and so the professor spent his time and gradually induced in the rough traders a genuine love of astronomy.
They all got really to like him and listened eagerly to all he said, and often they ceased their drinking bouts54 and saved their money when their trading-ships came in from the scattered isles of the North and South Pacific. Many nights down the slopes they went like obedient children, following old Gilbert in single file, as they walked along looking up at the stars, towards Gilbert’s observatory55. They surrounded him; in a ring, on the lonely hill at midnight, they listened to his lecture, gazed through his old Herschelian telescope at the seaward stars and the moon, and then looked into each other’s eyes astonished, saying: “Wonderful, mates, all them ’ere worlds, like this ’ere, and the professor’s found ’em!”
Gilbert would stand on the beach, proudly gazing upon his sinful, rough pupils, as the sea-winds stirred his grey beard, and his deep-set eyes shone as they probed him with questions, not to please him, but from intellectual curiosity. Afterwards he granted them all one final drink of rum!
When he died he was buried in the little railed-in plateau, where also lay the dust of exiled white men and a few Marquesan chiefs of the old times, who slept quietly in that silent cemetery56 by the mountains. When the traders stood by old Gilbert’s grave, and slowly lowered the coffin57 down, tears were in the eyes of even the worst of them. He had made them better men, and through his little telescope tube, which pointed58 to the heavens, he had put into their hearts thoughts on the grandeur59 of creation and reverence60 for God’s wonderful work.
So Gilbert lived, toiled61 and died, the sincerest and most successful missionary62 of the far South Seas.
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1
astronomer
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| n.天文学家 | |
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shanty
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| n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子 | |
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lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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eminently
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| adv.突出地；显著地；不寻常地 | |
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starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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sleeplessly
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| adv.失眠地 | |
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clumps
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| n.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的名词复数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声v.（树、灌木、植物等的）丛、簇( clump的第三人称单数 )；（土、泥等）团；块；笨重的脚步声 | |
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harps
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| abbr.harpsichord 拨弦古钢琴n.竖琴( harp的名词复数 ) | |
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wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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isles
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| 岛( isle的名词复数 ) | |
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oases
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| n.（沙漠中的）绿洲( oasis的名词复数 )；（困苦中）令人快慰的地方（或时刻）；乐土；乐事 | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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survivors
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| 幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 ) | |
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tattooed
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| v.刺青，文身( tattoo的过去式和过去分词 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击 | |
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dens
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| n.牙齿，齿状部分；兽窝( den的名词复数 )；窝点；休息室；书斋 | |
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opium
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| n.鸦片；adj.鸦片的 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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tribal
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| adj.部族的，种族的 | |
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virtuous
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| adj.有品德的，善良的，贞洁的，有效力的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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backbone
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| n.脊骨，脊柱，骨干；刚毅，骨气 | |
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vice
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| n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的 | |
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adventurous
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| adj.爱冒险的；惊心动魄的，惊险的，刺激的 | |
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celestial
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| adj.天体的；天上的 | |
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plantations
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| n.种植园，大农场( plantation的名词复数 ) | |
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congregate
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| v.(使)集合，聚集 | |
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jovial
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| adj.快乐的，好交际的 | |
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missionaries
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| n.传教士( missionary的名词复数 ) | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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appreciative
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| adj.有鉴赏力的，有眼力的；感激的 | |
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sincerity
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| n.真诚，诚意；真实 | |
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vaguely
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| adv.含糊地，暖昧地 | |
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fathom
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| v.领悟，彻底了解 | |
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wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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mite
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| n.极小的东西；小铜币 | |
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premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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myriads
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| n.无数，极大数量( myriad的名词复数 ) | |
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fumes
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| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
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controversy
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| n.争论，辩论，争吵 | |
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surmise
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| v./n.猜想，推测 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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orbs
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| abbr.off-reservation boarding school 在校寄宿学校n.球，天体，圆形物( orb的名词复数 ) | |
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bouts
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| n.拳击（或摔跤）比赛( bout的名词复数 )；一段（工作）；（尤指坏事的）一通；（疾病的）发作 | |
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observatory
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| n.天文台，气象台，瞭望台，观测台 | |
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cemetery
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| n.坟墓，墓地，坟场 | |
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coffin
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| n.棺材，灵柩 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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toiled
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| 长时间或辛苦地工作( toil的过去式和过去分词 )； 艰难缓慢地移动，跋涉 | |
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missionary
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| adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士 | |
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