登陆注册
4700100000006

第6章

But his joy was short-lived. The pupil Balzac had won no prizes, he had received black marks, he had done no work; consequently, instead of the loving greeting that he expected, he was met only with words of disappointment and censure; he was told that he did not appreciate the sacrifices that were being made to educate him, he was idle and lazy;they hoped that next year he would do better and at last give them some little satisfaction.

Honore listened to these reproofs with bowed head, and probably he made promises, in his desire to bring a smile to their faces and to receive some of those endearments that he had hungered for, through long days of solitude. But each year he again took up his interrupted dream, more laboriously and more fiercely than before.

The college school at Vendome possesses a literary society whose membership is confined to the Greats, and which gives performances of scenes from tragedies and comedies, poetic recitations, etc. Honore conceived the ambition to have some writing of his own produced by this society. He practised rhyming, composed poems, and undertook an epic, one line of which has remained famous, "O Inca! luckless and unhappy king,"for it made him the butt and by-word of the entire school. He was nicknamed "The Poet," and laughed at for his formless efforts. The director of the school, M. Mareschal, told him a fable, with the charitable intent of turning him aside from his ambitions. There was once upon a time a young linnet in a soft and downy nest; but the young linnet longed for the free and open air and the blue sky. Its wings had not yet grown, and yet the imprudent bird made up its mind to fly. What happened? Why, simply that the young linnet fell from the tree in which the nest was built, and hurt itself pitifully. Warning to poets who presume too far upon their powers. Honore disregarded the fable, just as he had disregarded reproofs, mockery and punishment, and burrowed deeper than ever into the Oratorian library, in a sort of somber phrensy. He neglected his studies and assigned tasks for the sake of the secret and forbidden work that constituted what he called later on, in Louis Lambert, his contraband studies. Although he continued to write poetry, his mind as it ripened and gathered strength in its singular solitude aspired to still loftier works, based upon metaphysics and pure reason.

While his comrades translated Virgil and Demosthenes, he had begun to write a Treatise upon the Will, a symbolic work which contained the germs of his entire destiny. His fellow students, rendered curious by his sustained application, continuing month after month, tried in vain to steal glimpses over his shoulder, but Honore de Balzac would permit no profane eye to fall upon his manuscript. He eluded their persistence and entrusted the precious pages to a box which he could secure under lock and key. A conspiracy was formed. They wanted to know what he had been writing all this time with such serious intent that nothing could take his attention from it. During a recreation period Honore was copying, as usual, some extra lines as a punishment. A turbulent troupe invaded the classroom and flung themselves upon the box which concealed the manuscript. They wanted to know and they were going to know! Honore defended the box energetically, for it was his heart and brain which they wanted to know, it was all his knowledge and beautiful dreams that they wished to lay bare to the light of day. There followed a veritable battle around that little wooden casket. Attracted by the outcries of the assailants, one of the masters, Father Haugoult, arrived in the midst of the tumult. Balzac's crime was proclaimed, he was hiding papers in his box and refused to show them. The master straightway ordered this bad pupil to surrender these secret and forbidden writings. Honore could not do otherwise than obey, for the box would be broken open if he did not unlock it of his own accord; so, with trembling hands, he despoiled himself of his treasures.

With careless fingers the master fumbled over the manuscript and with an air of disdain and a voice of severity summed up the case against this bad pupil:

"And it was for the sake of such nonsense that you have been neglecting your duties!"Honore held back his tears, profoundly hurt at this blow to his dreams and his creative pride; but he retained a confused sense of injustice and a conviction of the superior quality of his work.

He had now been at the Vendome school for more than six years, and had given himself up to a prodigious amount of work, the extent of which no one even suspected. He had grown thin and pallid and half dazed, intoxicated with the ideas which whirled within his brain without system or order. He seemed to be attacked by some grave malady, the cause of which could not be explained. The director of the school, M.

Mareschal Duplessis, became anxious and wrote to the boy's parents to come and take him out of school. They came post-haste. Honore was apparently in a somnambulistic state, hardly answering the questions put to him; his features were drawn and haggard, for he had been carrying too heavy a burden of readings, feelings and thoughts. His family could no more understand than his masters did the origin of his strange disorder. And Mme. Sallambier, who had come to live with her daughter at Tours, after the death of her husband in 1804, summed up the opinion of the family:

"That is the state in which the schools give us back the fine children that we send them!"

同类推荐
  • 樵云独唱

    樵云独唱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Coming Race

    The Coming Race

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 书解篇

    书解篇

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 洞真太上紫文丹章

    洞真太上紫文丹章

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 滇考

    滇考

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 情深不自知

    情深不自知

    怀胎九月,被迫引产,只因老公要她的肾救妹妹。病房大出血,生死一线,二选一,他让她去死。他们逼疯了她,最后把她送进监狱。叶蓁终于撑不住,自杀了。直到彻底的失去,凌封才后悔莫及。
  • 恶魔老公

    恶魔老公

    结婚当天,他带着别的女人公然出现在婚礼上。他说:“唐洛薇,这是我的女人,以后她会和我们住在一起,以后这个家除了我之外,她说了算。”“裔哥哥。”“我说过不许再叫我哥哥,我不是你的哥哥。”新婚之夜,他把她推向了另一个男人,那个男人是他的好友,一个喝醉酒完全不知道在干什么的男人。他说:“唐洛薇,今晚你的任务就是取悦他,一直到他满意为止。”韩裔菱角分明的脸上,没有任何表情,冰冷异常,仿佛这一切的一切都与他无关,而她唐洛薇在他面前只是一个陌生人。“裔哥哥,我只要你幸福。”…“裔哥哥,请你原谅我,我不能兑现我的诺言,对不起…”…“裔哥哥,你可以爱我吗?”…“裔哥哥,为什么你不爱我?请你爱我好不好?我真的可以的,求求你…”那一晚,她卑微的哀求下,她终于成了他的人,而她也终于鼓起勇气离开他,彻底的离开他的世界。PS:如果你看了五章觉得乏味,那么我介意你从《020求婚》这一章开始看,后面的内容比较精彩。看了后面之后,你在决定要不要继续回过头去看,因为这样比较清晰一点。亲亲婷婷深蓝做的精美视频:?pstyle=1不错哦,我觉得歌曲很对应这个故事。亲亲bobobobobobo做的精美视频:?pstyle=1据说这是她的处女作,第一次做的视频。歌曲名:不哭了(许慧欣)(本文看完只需483个潇湘币)
  • 花都无敌仙王

    花都无敌仙王

    新书《长生仙王在都市》已发布!一世又一世的等待,终等到黎明的曙光!这一世,携美共长生,漫步在这尘世间,坐看纪元的起起落落,时代的变迁沉浮……
  • 只有在心梦中

    只有在心梦中

    静静的,在心梦中,用心,用情,用爱。原来如此,缘来如此
  • 我只是一只召唤兽

    我只是一只召唤兽

    当龙宇以召唤兽的形式重生到御兽星球中,还附带一个系统,会发生什么样的事情?是会苟延残喘的活下去?还是登上兽神巅峰?亦或者统领御兽星球?然而龙宇却表示:做这些太累了,我还是好好当召唤兽吧,反正我只是一只召唤兽!喜欢本书的可以加入书友群来一起互相嗨皮哦,群号码:554372020
  • 首席,站起来

    首席,站起来

    蒋云岭退回到床上,丝毫没有睡意的他,就这样睁着双眼,看着头顶的天花板,突然说了一句:“首席,站起来”。
  • 暗物质

    暗物质

    如果这世上有一个人在午夜还清醒,一定是蒋小花。蒋小花何许人也?一个有着很牛逼职业,很牛逼外表,不疯魔不成活的人物。夜光杯,高跟鞋,莹亮口红,大框眼镜,是驶向她生活的一只只飞船。无垠的夜空中,一只只隐秘闪光的飞船穿插交错,喁喁私语,交代着有关蒋小花的种种细节。如果蒋小花死了,会有大量的爆料在第一时间涌现。楼道清洁工会说,她喝饮料,不吃肉,不使用安全套。守门人会说,她一个人住在二十一楼。邻居会说,她同电视里是两个人。她的搭档会说,她惯开快车。她的采访对象会说,她并不经常失约。她的上司将提到他们正在考虑她的职位升迁。她的房东会说,她不按时交房租和男朋友。
  • a w.kinglake - a biographical and literary study

    a w.kinglake - a biographical and literary study

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 重启游戏时代

    重启游戏时代

    穿越智械危机爆发、文娱产业全面衰退的世界,从最底层开始重建一个庞大的游戏帝国。V群:157856787,作者任何一本书的全订均可加入!
  • 山孩子与豆味华年

    山孩子与豆味华年

    有这样一对双胞胎兄弟,一个安静,一个躁动,一个叫寸金,一个叫寸草。他们不一样,我想,除了长相,真的哪儿哪儿都不一样。可是上帝就是开了个小小的玩笑,于是他们,就这么可笑地爱上了同一个女孩儿。我要说的,是一个豆一般的故事,这个女孩儿,有着一个和豆子一样,干巴巴的名字,叫窦泌。寸金爱她,他总说,她有豆汤一般,浓的化不开的惆怅,所以偶尔,会希望她甜蜜地,送上几颗白兰豆。寸草也爱她,他总说,她有豆汤一般,浓的化不开的落寞,所以时有,会希望她甜腻地,叫她一句蜜豆。山孩子的童年,像鱼子江的水波那样荡漾,他们陪着她,度过了青梅竹马的日子,于是每一天淡淡洒下的薄暮,都会有山那般青绿的青涩。那些怪味豆般的青春呵,寂寞,却也耐不住寂寞,只消舌尖轻轻一舔,就会有莫名其妙的酸甜苦辣。而泪的咸,是从碧波山的罂粟田开始的:记得那是一个依旧黄昏的傍晚,那挤挤挨挨的芳香,弥漫在大胆的诱惑中,从此治病的神药,变作贪婪的瘟疫,窦泌姨母在这时候等来了一季的凋零,却收获了罪恶的果实,为此,她出卖了亲情,引发了窦泌阿爸心口处致命的一声枪响,于是天开始变得血红。七岁的窦泌孤苦了,带着自己疯掉的阿妈过上了没日没夜地对着油灯,喝着豆汤忧伤到落寞的日子。而疼痛的青春并没有因为一夜长大的风起云涌而结束:就在一个雨夜,寸金和寸草的爸妈因瘟疫而客死他乡,寸草被张瘸子收养,而寸金,竟是变成了窦泌姨母的养子。那云淡风轻的,如光一样和煦的美好,在一夕间成为了过去,一段憎恨与无奈的雷雨就这么悄然而至,然后时间就这么僵持着,时过境迁了很多年,直到一日灰色天空下的山路上,来了一个叫做苗俊的人,他候鸟一样地来到了这群山孩子的身旁,于是煮豆子一样难熬的煎熬就这么开始了:窦泌爱上苗俊,苗俊恋上寸金,寸草夹在隔阂间,左右为难。后来,爱情变得懵懂,曾经熟悉的人,开始像豆萁的放手,豆末的离开,后知后觉地渐行渐远。善意的谎言,阴谋的背弃,每一个叛逆过的青春,都是豆荚里华灯初上的主角儿,当春种秋收之后,不论苦涩,不语甜蜜,谁说最后的结局,不是硕果累累?