But which side, it may be inquired, is likely to be the best judge? Surely the friendly one. Sympathy is requisite8 to insight, as Carlyle says; while hostility9 blinds us to a thousand virtues10 and beauties. I am aware that many will take objection to the employment of satire at all, whether good or bad, on religious topics; but this seems to me preposterous11, and I should readily answer it, if Thomson had not done so himself in the most vigorous and triumphant12 manner.
Nearly all the pieces in this volume appeared originally in the National Reformer or the Secularist13. I have attempted no arrangement of them, not even a chronological14 one; the compositor has shuffled15 them at his own sweet will. All I have done, besides collecting them and carefully reading the proofs, is to indicate in each case the year of first publication; and I think the reader will approve this plan as both modest and sensible.
I am much mistaken if this volume does not become a well-prized treasure to many Freethinkers; that it will ever be valued by the general public I dare not hope. Yet the number of its admirers will increase with the growth of a healthy scepticism. It will not fall like a bombshell among ordinary readers, who serenely16 ignore the most terrible mental explosives, and render them comparatively innocuous by mere17 force of neglect; but it will startle and stimulate18 some minds, and in time its influence will extend to many more.
What value Thomson placed on these pieces it is difficult to decide. “Working off the talent,” he once remarked when I mentioned them. But the fact remains19 that he allowed one or two of them to be reprinted as pamphlets before any of his poems were collected in a volume. He naturally cared more for his poems than for his prose. What poet ever did the contrary? But even for these he cared little, except “The City of Dreadful Night” and a few others, which expressed his profoundest convictions.
There were several articles in his “Essays and Phantasies” that proved Thomson to be a born satirist20 as well as a born poet; notably21 “Proposals for the Speedy Extinction22 of Evil and Misery23,” a tremendous display of sustained irony24, to my mind unsurpassed even by Swift at his greatest, and with a poetic25 grandeur26 quite beyond him. The contents of this volume show marks of the same strong hand. There is never, perhaps, so continuous an exertion27 of power; but there is more versatility28, more freedom, and often more abandon. I fancy, too, there is more rapidity and suppleness29, and I am sure there is more mirth.
Thomson’s satire was always bitterest, or at any rate most trenchant30, when it dealt with Religion, which he considered a disease of the mind, engendered31 by folly32 and fostered by ignorance and vanity. He saw that spiritual superstition33 not only diverts men from Truth, but induces a slavish stupidity of mind, and prepares the way for every form of political and social injustice34. He was an Atheist35 first and a Republican afterwards. He derided36 the idea of making a true Republic of a population besotted with religion, paralysed by creeds37 cringing38 to the agents of their servitude, and clinging to the chains that enthral them.
A few words only as to Thomson’s life. Outwardly it was singularly uneventful, although inwardly it was intense and exciting. He was bom at Port Glasgow, on the 23rd of November, 1834; and he died in London, on the 1st of June 1882. His father was a merchant captain, and his mother a zealous39 Irvingite. Left parentless in his infancy40, he was educated at the Caledonian Orphan41 Asylum42. For some years he served as a schoolmaster in the army, during which time he contracted an intimate friendship with Mr. Bradlaugh, with whom he subsequently worked and lived in London. Soon after leaving Mr. Bradlaugh he devoted43 himself to journalism44, to which he brought a well-practised pen; contributing to the National Reformer, the Secularist, the Liberal, Cope’s Tobacco Plant, and other periodicals. Shortly before his death he gained access to the Weekly Dispatch and the Fortnightly Review. His poems and essays were mostly written before he tried to live by his pen. Four volumes of these have been published by Reeves and Turner, under the generous editorship of Mr. Bertram Dobell, who has prefixed a memoir46 to the last, entitled “A Voice from the Nile and Other Poems.” Besides the five volumes of Thomson’s writings now before the public, there are many essays and articles and a few poems still uncollected, some of them of high value; and many poems in manuscript, unknown to all but a few privileged friends. Mr. Dobell hopes to publish them all in time. Thomson’s poetical47 reputation is, however, already established. The best judges give him the highest praise. My own judgment48 assigns him the next place to Robert Browning. Of course it is no blasphemy49 to dispute my estimate; but what prospect50 is there of reversing the common verdict of George Eliot, George Meredith, Swinburne, and Rossetti?
Mr. Dobell refers to the charm of Thomson’s manner in social intercourse51. His personal appearance told in his favor. He was of the medium height, well-built, and active. He possessed52 that striking characteristic sometimes found in mixed races—black hair and beard, and grey-blue eyes. The eyes were fine and wonderfully expressive53. They were full of shifting light, soft grey in some moods and deep blue in others. They contained depth within depth; and when he was moved by strong passion they widened and flashed with magnetic power. When not suffering from depression he was the life of the company. He was the most brilliant talker I ever met, and at home in all societies; a fine companion in a day’s walk, and a shining figure at the festive54 table or in the social drawing-room. But you enjoyed his conversation most when you sat with him alone, taking occasional draughts55 of our national beverage56, and constantly burning “the divine weed.”
Thomson’s sympathy with radical57 and revolutionary causes is not much noticed by Mr. Dobell, but it was very strong. He was secretary for some time to the Polish Committee in London, and his glorious lines on “A Polish Insurgent” which I for one can never read without tears, proves that he might have written the noble songs that George Eliot hoped he would compose. He sympathised with all self-sacrifice, all lofty aspiration58, and in particular with all suffering. This last emotion was often betrayed by a look rather than expressed in words. I vividly59 remember being with him once on a popular holiday at the Alexandra Palace. We were seated on the grass, watching the shifting groups of happy forms, and exchanging appreciative60 or satirical remarks. Suddenly I observed my companion’s gaze fixed45 on a youth who limped by with a pleasant smile on his face, but too obviously beyond hope of ever sharing in the full enjoyment61 of life. Thomson’s eyes followed him until he passed out of sight, and the next moment our eyes met. I shall never forget the gentle sadness of that look, its beautiful sympathy that transcended62 speech, and made all words poor.
Thomson’s life was a long tragedy. He inherited from his father a fatal curse, and in his youth he lost the beautiful girl to whom he was engaged. She was the object of his passionate63 adoration64, and allusions65 to her often occur in his poems. Her image mingled66 with all the sombre panoramas67 of Love and Death and Grief that passed before the eyes of his imagination. Yet I do not agree with Mr. Dobell in regarding this bereavement68 as the cause of his life-long misery. She was, I hold, merely the peg69 on which he hung his raiment of sorrow; without her, another object might have served the same purpose. He carried within him his proper curse, constitutional melancholia. From long and careful observation I formed this conclusion, and it explains Thomson’s life and philosophy. I would not dogmatise, however; for the profundities70 and subtleties71 of the human heart baffle all calculation. Certitude is now impossible. The seal of eternal silence is set on Thomson’s lips—“after life’s fitful fever he sleeps well.” He is buried at Highgate, and his darling lies, I suspect, in an unknown grave. Death has at last united them, but their love survives in the glory of immortal72 song.
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1 wielded | |
手持着使用(武器、工具等)( wield的过去式和过去分词 ); 具有; 运用(权力); 施加(影响) | |
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2 exquisite | |
adj.精美的;敏锐的;剧烈的,感觉强烈的 | |
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3 mordant | |
adj.讽刺的;尖酸的 | |
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4 satire | |
n.讽刺,讽刺文学,讽刺作品 | |
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5 worthy | |
adj.(of)值得的,配得上的;有价值的 | |
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6 inevitable | |
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的 | |
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7 antipathy | |
n.憎恶;反感,引起反感的人或事物 | |
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8 requisite | |
adj.需要的,必不可少的;n.必需品 | |
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9 hostility | |
n.敌对,敌意;抵制[pl.]交战,战争 | |
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10 virtues | |
美德( virtue的名词复数 ); 德行; 优点; 长处 | |
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11 preposterous | |
adj.荒谬的,可笑的 | |
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12 triumphant | |
adj.胜利的,成功的;狂欢的,喜悦的 | |
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13 secularist | |
n.现世主义者,世俗主义者;宗教与教育分离论者 | |
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14 chronological | |
adj.按年月顺序排列的,年代学的 | |
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15 shuffled | |
v.洗(纸牌)( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 );拖着脚步走;粗心地做;摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
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16 serenely | |
adv.安详地,宁静地,平静地 | |
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17 mere | |
adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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18 stimulate | |
vt.刺激,使兴奋;激励,使…振奋 | |
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19 remains | |
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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20 satirist | |
n.讽刺诗作者,讽刺家,爱挖苦别人的人 | |
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21 notably | |
adv.值得注意地,显著地,尤其地,特别地 | |
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22 extinction | |
n.熄灭,消亡,消灭,灭绝,绝种 | |
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23 misery | |
n.痛苦,苦恼,苦难;悲惨的境遇,贫苦 | |
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24 irony | |
n.反语,冷嘲;具有讽刺意味的事,嘲弄 | |
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25 poetic | |
adj.富有诗意的,有诗人气质的,善于抒情的 | |
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26 grandeur | |
n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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27 exertion | |
n.尽力,努力 | |
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28 versatility | |
n.多才多艺,多样性,多功能 | |
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29 suppleness | |
柔软; 灵活; 易弯曲; 顺从 | |
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30 trenchant | |
adj.尖刻的,清晰的 | |
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31 engendered | |
v.产生(某形势或状况),造成,引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32 folly | |
n.愚笨,愚蠢,蠢事,蠢行,傻话 | |
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33 superstition | |
n.迷信,迷信行为 | |
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34 injustice | |
n.非正义,不公正,不公平,侵犯(别人的)权利 | |
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35 atheist | |
n.无神论者 | |
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36 derided | |
v.取笑,嘲笑( deride的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37 creeds | |
(尤指宗教)信条,教条( creed的名词复数 ) | |
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38 cringing | |
adj.谄媚,奉承 | |
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39 zealous | |
adj.狂热的,热心的 | |
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40 infancy | |
n.婴儿期;幼年期;初期 | |
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41 orphan | |
n.孤儿;adj.无父母的 | |
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42 asylum | |
n.避难所,庇护所,避难 | |
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43 devoted | |
adj.忠诚的,忠实的,热心的,献身于...的 | |
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44 journalism | |
n.新闻工作,报业 | |
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45 fixed | |
adj.固定的,不变的,准备好的;(计算机)固定的 | |
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46 memoir | |
n.[pl.]回忆录,自传;记事录 | |
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47 poetical | |
adj.似诗人的;诗一般的;韵文的;富有诗意的 | |
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48 judgment | |
n.审判;判断力,识别力,看法,意见 | |
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49 blasphemy | |
n.亵渎,渎神 | |
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50 prospect | |
n.前景,前途;景色,视野 | |
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51 intercourse | |
n.性交;交流,交往,交际 | |
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52 possessed | |
adj.疯狂的;拥有的,占有的 | |
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53 expressive | |
adj.表现的,表达…的,富于表情的 | |
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54 festive | |
adj.欢宴的,节日的 | |
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55 draughts | |
n. <英>国际跳棋 | |
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56 beverage | |
n.(水,酒等之外的)饮料 | |
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57 radical | |
n.激进份子,原子团,根号;adj.根本的,激进的,彻底的 | |
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58 aspiration | |
n.志向,志趣抱负;渴望;(语)送气音;吸出 | |
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59 vividly | |
adv.清楚地,鲜明地,生动地 | |
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60 appreciative | |
adj.有鉴赏力的,有眼力的;感激的 | |
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61 enjoyment | |
n.乐趣;享有;享用 | |
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62 transcended | |
超出或超越(经验、信念、描写能力等)的范围( transcend的过去式和过去分词 ); 优于或胜过… | |
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63 passionate | |
adj.热情的,热烈的,激昂的,易动情的,易怒的,性情暴躁的 | |
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64 adoration | |
n.爱慕,崇拜 | |
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65 allusions | |
暗指,间接提到( allusion的名词复数 ) | |
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66 mingled | |
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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67 panoramas | |
全景画( panorama的名词复数 ); 全景照片; 一连串景象或事 | |
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68 bereavement | |
n.亲人丧亡,丧失亲人,丧亲之痛 | |
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69 peg | |
n.木栓,木钉;vt.用木钉钉,用短桩固定 | |
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70 profundities | |
n.深奥,深刻,深厚( profundity的名词复数 );堂奥 | |
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71 subtleties | |
细微( subtlety的名词复数 ); 精细; 巧妙; 细微的差别等 | |
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72 immortal | |
adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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