登陆注册
5224500000047

第47章 CHAPTER 4 Narcissus Off Duty(10)

"I feel as Amory does," said Tom. "Infantry or aviationaviation sounds like the romantic side of the war, of courselike cavalry used to be, you know; but like Amory I don't know a horse-power from a piston-rod."

Somehow Amory's dissatisfaction with his lack of enthusiasm culminated in an attempt to put the blame for the whole war on the ancestors of his generation ... all the people who cheered for Germany in 1870.... All the materialists rampant, all the idolizers of German science and efficiency. So he sat one day in an English lecture and heard "Locksley Hall" quoted and fell into a brown study with contempt for Tennyson and all he stood forfor he took him as a representative of the Victorians.

"Victorians, Victorians, who never learned to weep Who sowed the bitter harvest that your children go to reap" scribbled Amory in his note-book. The lecturer was saying something about Tennyson's solidity and fifty heads were bent to take notes. Amory turned over to a fresh page and began scrawling again.

"They shuddered when they found what Mr. Darwin was about, They shuddered when the waltz came in and Newman hurried out"

But the waltz came in much earlier; he crossed that out.

"And entitled A Song in the Time of Order," came the professor's voice, droning far away. "Time of Order"Good Lord! Everything crammed in the box and the Victorians sitting on the lid smiling serenely.... With Browning in his Italian villa crying bravely:

"All's for the best." Amory scribbled again.

"You knelt up in the temple and he bent to hear you pray, You thanked him for your 'glorious gains'reproached him for 'Cathay.'"

Why could he never get more than a couplet at a time? Now he needed something to rhyme with:

"You would keep Him straight with science, tho He had gone wrong before..."

Well, anyway....

"You met your children in your home'I've fixed it up!" you cried, Took your fifty years of Europe, and then virtuouslydied."

"That was to a great extent Tennyson's idea," came the lecturer's voice. "Swinburne's Song in the Time of Order might well have been Tennyson's title. He idealized order against chaos, against waste."

At last Amory had it. He turned over another page and scrawled vigorously for the twenty minutes that was left of the hour. Then he walked up to the desk and deposited a page torn out of his note-book.

"Here's a poem to the Victorians, sir," he said coldly. The professor picked it up curiously while Amory backed rapidly through the door.

Here is what he had written:

"Songs in the time of order You left for us to sing, Proofs with excluded middles, Answers to life in rhyme, Keys of the prison warder And ancient bells to ring, Time was the end of riddles, We were the end of time...

Here were domestic oceans And a sky that we might reach, Guns and a guarded border, Gantletsbut not to fling, Thousands of old emotions And a platitude for each, Songs in the time of order And tongues, that we might sing."

THE END OF MANY THINGS

Early April slipped by in a hazea haze of long evenings on the club veranda with the graphophone playing "Poor Butterfly" inside ... for "Poor Butterfly" had been the song of that last year. The war seemed scarcely to touch them and it might have been one of the senior springs of the past, except for the drilling every other afternoon, yet Amory realized poignantly that this was the last spring under the old rigime.

"This is the great protest against the superman," said Amory.

"I suppose so," Alec agreed.

"He's absolutely irreconcilable with any Utopia. As long as he occurs, there's trouble and all the latent evil that makes a crowd list and sway when he talks."

"And of course all that he is is a gifted man without a moral sense."

"That's all. I think the worst thing to contemplate is thisit's all happened before, how soon will it happen again? Fifty years after Waterloo Napoleon was as much a hero to English school children as Wellington. How do we know our grandchildren won't idolize Von Hindenburg the same way?"

"What brings it about?"

"Time, damn it, and the historian. If we could only learn to look on evil as evil, whether it's clothed in filth or monotony or magnificence."

"God! Haven't we raked the universe over the coals for four years?"

Then the night came that was to be the last. Tom and Amory, bound in the morning for different training-camps, paced the shadowy walks as usual and seemed still to see around them the faces of the men they knew.

"The grass is full of ghosts to-night."

"The whole campus is alive with them."

They paused by Little and watched the moon rise, to make silver of the slate roof of Dodd and blue the rustling trees.

"You know," whispered Tom, "what we feel now is the sense of all the gorgeous youth that has rioted through here in two hundred years."

A last burst of singing flooded up from Blair Archbroken voices for some long parting.

"And what we leave here is more than this class; it's the whole heritage of youth. We're just one generationwe're breaking all the links that seemed to bind us here to top-booted and high-stocked generations. We've walked arm and arm with Burr and Light-Horse Harry Lee through half these deep-blue nights."

"That's what they are," Tom tangented off, "deep bluea bit of color would spoil them, make them exotic. Spires, against a sky that's a promise of dawn, and blue light on the slate roofsit hurts ... rather"

"Good-by, Aaron Burr," Amory called toward deserted Nassau Hall, "you and I knew strange corners of life."

His voice echoed in the stillness.

"The torches are out," whispered Tom. "Ah, Messalina, the long shadows are building minarets on the stadium"

For an instant the voices of freshman year surged around them and then they looked at each other with faint tears in their eyes.

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

同类推荐
  • Mother

    Mother

    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。
  • 万如禅师语录

    万如禅师语录

    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。
  • 宪宗章武孝皇帝挽歌

    宪宗章武孝皇帝挽歌

    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。
  • 杂阿含经五十卷

    杂阿含经五十卷

    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。
  • 大般涅槃经-慧严

    大般涅槃经-慧严

    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
  • 豪宠天外妻:影后驾到

    豪宠天外妻:影后驾到

    天羽国最后一位皇室大公主,一身戎装利箭穿心从城楼跌下,再睁眼在现代二十一世纪的京城席梦思大床上醒来。拧眉看着会说话演戏的扁盒子,会飞能跑的铁鸟铁盒子,更有露胳膊露大腿“伤风败俗”的俊男美女,乔乔深吸一口气表示一定要淡定。佛曰——色即是空,空即是色!母后曰——身为大公主,要有泰山崩于前而面不改色的胸襟和气魄!可是,眼前这个长得酷似她那个身娇体弱的短命状元郎未婚夫又端坐轮椅不良于行的男人该怎么处置?!上大学,古文古乐顺手拈来;治顽疾,中医针灸不在话下;拍电影,鲜衣怒马、杀伐果断、温婉贤良,千变女郎手到擒来!什么?总有小婊砸觊觎驸马花钱买凶害本宫?哼哼,左手拳右手枪,保全哪条腿自己想!这是一个古代公主在二十一世纪由新手村一路打怪刷BOSS升级到国际影后、上流社会第一夫人的励志故事;也是一个国际杀手首领一着不慎坠崖失忆最终沦为守着爱情盼着开花的小女人的堕落史!
  • 丞相千金不为后

    丞相千金不为后

    本书用一句话总结:就是丞相之女戏东宫的故事。她是丞相府的嫡女,他是尊贵的二皇子,本来美满的爱情应该开花结果,却被当今太子一纸求婚圣旨,她被迫嫁入东宫。他位居东宫,权势滔天,却独独爱上那个总是违抗自己的女子,狂傲如他,又怎么会看着心爱之人嫁给自己的兄弟。精彩片段:“兮儿,小离那丫头该配出去了,你看有合适的人吗?”某人看到她和侍女关系亲密吃醋。“不急,她条件很高。”“在高的条件本太子也能满足!”“真的?”“嗯,说吧!”“有车有房,父母双亡,你那有合适的人选吗?”某女眼睛亮亮盯着某人,想赶走她的侍女,门都没有!窗户也不行!!“。。。。。。”良久,某男道:“算我认输”
  • 阮玲玉传:你是无声的离歌

    阮玲玉传:你是无声的离歌

    二十世纪二三十年代的旧上海,因为美女明星云集而显得分外香艳。阮玲玉,这个中国电影百年中最美丽的女人之一,永远身着旗袍的美丽身影,至今依然震撼着人们。1935年3月7日夜,阮玲玉在上海寓所服下三瓶安眠药,从此与喧闹嘈杂的尘世告别。她自杀的消息传开,整个上海为之惋惜。25岁的青春韶华,如昙花凄美一现,匆匆凋谢。在她弃世后,上海万人空巷为其送行,鲁迅、聂绀弩等人纷纷撰文纪念。从处女作《挂名的夫妻》开始,9年共拍了29部电影,饰演过不同角色,只是这些人物都逃不过一个悲惨的结局——自杀、发疯、入狱、冰丝接头。
  • 丝路要冲:嘉峪关(文化之美)

    丝路要冲:嘉峪关(文化之美)

    这里,是古代“丝绸之路”的交通要冲;这里,曾上演过一幕幕民族战争的历史话题;这里,流传着无数各族人民和睦相处、团结奋斗的故事……
  • 谋生

    谋生

    发现曲三的是小简。那天晚上,夜黑,雪白,小简深一脚浅一脚地把踏板拽上来就感觉传送机的苫布瑟瑟颤抖,那颤抖影响了上面的雪,经不住地滑了下来。小简心想,里面肯定钻进野狗了。于是,毫不迟疑地在甲板上拾起根绑旗杆的木棍,对着那颤抖的地方,杵了两下。在小简的思维中,接下来应该是这样一幅景象:一条丧家之犬夹着尾巴拼命逃窜。即使,即使不是这样,最起码也应该有嗷嗷的嚎叫声,这才符合常理。
  • 从侠岚开始

    从侠岚开始

    因车祸而死去的十五岁少年祖越穿越到《侠岚》世界,靠着系统的力量成为玖宫岭史上第一位五行俱全属性侠岚,习得五行之炁。后为战胜万零之王,前往《铠甲勇士》取得五行光影石之力练得五行合一,化身光之帝皇侠。而当他以近乎同归于尽的方式消灭穷奇后,一个又一个的前辈穿越者出现在了他面前,直到这时,祖越才发现自己穿越的原因或许绝非意外......目前已穿越过的世界:《侠岚1~4季》→《铠甲勇士之光影传奇》→《侠岚5~6季》→《成龙历险记》→《神兵小将》→《铠甲勇士刑天》→《风语咒》→《画江湖之侠岚(最终卷)》
  • 霸道总裁独宠冷血小娇妻

    霸道总裁独宠冷血小娇妻

    “不要再缠着我了,你真的让我觉得恶心!”可是女人离开了他却发疯似的找她,可是真相慢慢浮出水面“没错,我接近你确实有目的,现在我的目的已经完成了我也要离开了,再见,哦不,再也不见!”“你以为你走地了吗?没有我的允许你那里也别想去!”于是“老婆~~你要怎么样嘛,我都依你!”于是一个白眼“滚~”“你真的把我惹到了,键盘,搓衣板,鸡毛掸子自己选”“搓衣板!”又于是拿着搓衣板立马跪了下去说“老婆~~我错了!”
  • 龙珠之悟空转世

    龙珠之悟空转世

    血战一星龙后,孙悟空与神龙一同离开地球,生存在神龙神界,神龙为了提升孙悟空的实力,将孙悟空送去了很多他从未见过的世界,这些世界的人均因和孙悟空的矛盾穿越了时空来到地球……在这里会有吃了恶魔果实的奇异之人,这里会有崇尚忍术的暗夜影子,这里会有热衷于领悟宇宙的恐怖战士,还有……还有很多……这些人将会给予孙悟空怎样的危险呢?群号:638509042
  • 蛇王娇妃

    蛇王娇妃

    艾草从未想过自己会穿越到古代,更没想到的是她竟做了一条蛇的小妾,而且还是一条没有人情味儿的铁板面瘫蛇!算了,既来之,则安之。面瘫蛇又如何?最后还不是拜倒在她的石榴裙下.....
  • A Topps League Story

    A Topps League Story

    Chad's got the summertime blues: his parents want him to be home by midnight (no extra innings) and eat healthier (no corn dogs). His friend, Abby, has bobblehead issues. And then there's pinch hitter Sammy Solaris. But Sammy has problems of his own. He has a big swing but is too slow. If he can't speed up his running and stealing, he'll be off the team. There's got to be something Chad can do to save the day … with a little help from Dylan, a baseball card, and that porcupine!