雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第21部分

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nt；　and　the　just；　if　there　are　any　such。　The　point　of　departure；　like　the　point　of　arrival；　for　all　his　thoughts；　was　hatred　of　human　law；　that　hatred　which；　if　it　be　not　arrested　in　its　development　by　some　providential　incident；　bees；　within　a　given　time；　the　hatred　of　society；　then　the　hatred　of　the　human　race；　then　the　hatred　of　creation；　and　which　manifests　itself　by　a　vague；　incessant；　and　brutal　desire　to　do　harm　to　some　living　being；　no　matter　whom。
　　It　will　be　perceived　that　it　was　not　without　reason　that　Jean　Valjean's　passport　described　him　as　a　very　dangerous　man。
　　From　year　to　year　this　soul　had　dried　away　slowly；　but　with　fatal　sureness。
　　When　the　heart　is　dry；　the　eye　is　dry。
　　On　his　departure　from　the　galleys　it　had　been　nineteen　years　since　he　had　shed　a　tear。


BOOK　SECONDTHE　FALL
CHAPTER　VIII　
　　BILLOWS　AND　SHADOWS
　　　A　man　overboard！
　　What　matters　it？
　　The　vessel　does　not　halt。
　　The　wind　blows。　That　sombre　ship　has　a　path　which　it　is　forced　to　pursue。　It　passes　on。
　　The　man　disappears；　then　reappears；　he　plunges；　he　rises　again　to　the　surface；　he　calls；　he　stretches　out　his　arms；　he　is　not　heard。　The　vessel；　trembling　under　the　hurricane；　is　wholly　absorbed　in　its　own　workings；　the　passengers　and　sailors　do　not　even　see　the　drowning　man；　his　miserable　head　is　but　a　speck　amid　the　immensity　of　the　waves。　He　gives　vent　to　desperate　cries　from　out　of　the　depths。
　　What　a　spectre　is　that　retreating　sail！
　　He　gazes　and　gazes　at　it　frantically。　It　retreats；　it　grows　dim；　it　diminishes　in　size。
　　He　was　there　but　just　now；　he　was　one　of　the　crew；　he　went　and　came　along　the　deck　with　the　rest；　he　had　his　part　of　breath　and　of　sunlight；　he　was　a　living　man。
　　Now；　what　has　taken　place？
　　He　has　slipped；　he　has　fallen；　all　is　at　an　end。
　　He　is　in　the　tremendous　sea。
　　Under　foot　he　has　nothing　but　what　flees　and　crumbles。
　　The　billows；　torn　and　lashed　by　the　wind；　enpass　him　hideously；　the　tossings　of　the　abyss　bear　him　away；　all　the　tongues　of　water　dash　over　his　head；　a　populace　of　waves　spits　upon　him；　confused　openings　half　devour　him；　every　time　that　he　sinks；　he　catches　glimpses　of　precipices　filled　with　night；　frightful　and　unknown　vegetations　seize　him；　knot　about　his　feet；　draw　him　to　them；　he　is　conscious　that　he　is　being　an　abyss；　that　he　forms　part　of　the　foam；　the　waves　toss　him　from　one　to　another；　he　drinks　in　the　bitterness；　the　cowardly　ocean　attacks　him　furiously；　to　drown　him；　the　enormity　plays　with　his　agony。
　　It　seems　as　though　all　that　water　were　hate。
　　Nevertheless；　he　struggles。
　　He　tries　to　defend　himself；　he　tries　to　sustain　himself；　he　makes　an　effort；　he　swims。
　　He；　his　petty　strength　all　exhausted　instantly；　bats　the　inexhaustible。
　　Where；　then；　is　the　ship？
　　Yonder。
　　Barely　visible　in　the　pale　shadows　of　the　horizon。
　　The　wind　blows　in　gusts；　all　the　foam　overwhelms　him。　He　raises　his　eyes　and　beholds　only　the　lividness　of　the　clouds。　He　witnesses；　amid　his　death…pangs；　the　immense　madness　of　the　sea。　He　is　tortured　by　this　madness；　he　hears　noises　strange　to　man；　which　seem　to　e　from　beyond　the　limits　of　the　earth；　and　from　one　knows　not　what　frightful　region　beyond。
　　There　are　birds　in　the　clouds；　just　as　there　are　angels　above　human　distresses；　but　what　can　they　do　for　him？
　　They　sing　and　fly　and　float；　and　he；　he　rattles　in　the　death　agony。
　　He　feels　himself　buried　in　those　two　infinities；　the　ocean　and　the　sky；　at　one　and　the　same　time：
　　the　one　is　a　tomb；　the　other　is　a　shroud。
　　Night　descends；　he　has　been　swimming　for　hours；　his　strength　is　exhausted；　that　ship；　that　distant　thing　in　which　there　were　men；　has　vanished；　he　is　alone　in　the　formidable　twilight　gulf；　he　sinks；　he　stiffens　himself；　he　twists　himself；　he　feels　under　him　the　monstrous　billows　of　the　invisible；　he　shouts。
　　There　are　no　more　men。
　　Where　is　God？
　　He　shouts。
　　Help！
　　Help！
　　He　still　shouts　on。
　　Nothing　on　the　horizon；　nothing　in　heaven。
　　He　implores　the　expanse；　the　waves；　the　seaweed；　the　reef；　they　are　deaf。
　　He　beseeches　the　tempest；　the　imperturbable　tempest　obeys　only　the　infinite。
　　Around　him　darkness；　fog；　solitude；　the　stormy　and　nonsentient　tumult；　the　undefined　curling　of　those　wild　waters。
　　In　him　horror　and　fatigue。　Beneath　him　the　depths。
　　Not　a　point　of　support。
　　He　thinks　of　the　gloomy　adventures　of　the　corpse　in　the　limitless　shadow。　The　bottomless　cold　paralyzes　him。
　　His　hands　contract　convulsively；　they　close；　and　grasp　nothingness。
　　Winds；　clouds；　whirlwinds；　gusts；　useless　stars！
　　What　is　to　be　done？
　　The　desperate　man　gives　up；　he　is　weary；　he　chooses　the　alternative　of　death；　he　resists　not；　he　lets　himself　go；　he　abandons　his　grip；　and　then　he　tosses　forevermore　in　the　lugubrious　dreary　depths　of　engulfment。
　　Oh；　implacable　march　of　human　societies！
　　Oh；　losses　of　men　and　of　souls　on　the　way！
　　Ocean　into　which　falls　all　that　the　law　lets　slip！　Disastrous　absence　of　help！
　　Oh；　moral　death！
　　The　sea　is　the　inexorable　social　night　into　which　the　penal　laws　fling　their　condemned。
　　The　sea　is　the　immensity　of　wretchedness。
　　The　soul；　going　down　stream　in　this　gulf；　may　bee　a　corpse。　Who　shall　resuscitate　it？


BOOK　SECONDTHE　FALL
CHAPTER　IX　
　　NEW　TROUBLES
　　　When　the　hour　came　for　him　to　take　his　departure　from　the　galleys；　when　Jean　Valjean　heard　in　his　ear　the　strange　words；　Thou　art　free！　the　moment　seemed　improbable　and　unprecedented；　a　ray　of　vivid　light；　a　ray　of　the　true　light　of　the　living；　suddenly　penetrated　within　him。　But　it　was　not　long　before　this　ray　paled。
　　Jean　Valjean　had　been　dazzled　by　the　idea　of　liberty。
　　He　had　believed　in　a　new　life。　He　very　speedily　perceived　what　sort　of　liberty　it　is　to　which　a　yellow　passport　is　provided。
　　And　this　was　enpassed　with　much　bitterness。
　　He　had　calculated　that　his　earnings；　during　his　sojourn　in　the　galleys；　ought　to　amount　to　a　hundred　and　seventy…one　francs。
　　It　is　but　just　to　add　that　he　had　forgotten　to　include　in　his　calculations　the　forced　repose　of　Sundays　and　festival　days　during　nineteen　years；　which　entailed　a　diminution　of　about　eighty　francs。
　　At　all　events；　his　hoard　had　been　reduced　by　various　local　levies　to　the　sum　of　one　hundred　and　nine　francs　fifteen　sous；　which　had　been　counted　out　to　him　on　his　departure。　He　had　understood　nothing　of　this；　and　had　thought　himself　wronged。　Let　us　say　the　wordrobbed。
　　On　the　day　following　his　liberation；　he　saw；　at　Grasse；　in　front　of　an　orange…flower　distillery；　some　men　engaged　in　unloading　bales。　He　offered　his　services。
　　Business　was　pressing；　they　were　accepted。　He　set　to　work。
　　He　was　intelligent；　robust；　adroit；　he　did　his　best；　the　master　seemed　pleased。
　　While　he　was　at　work；　a　gendarme　passed；　observed　him；　and　demanded　his　papers。
　　It　was　necessary　to　show　him　the　yellow　passport。
　　That　done；　Jean　Valjean　resumed　his　labor。　A　little　while　before　he　had　questioned　one　of　the　workmen　as　to　the　amount　which　they　earned　each　day　at　this　occupation；　he　had　been　told　thirty　sous。
　　When　evening　arrived；　as　he　was　forced　to　set　out　again　on　the　following　day；　he　presented　himself　to　the　owner　of　the　distillery　and　requested　to　be　paid。
　　The　owner　did　not　utter　a　word；　but　handed　him　fifteen　sous。
　　He　objected。　He　was　told；　〃That　is　enough　for　thee。〃
　　He　persisted。
　　The　master　looked　him　straight　between　the　eyes；　and　said　to　him　〃Beware　of　the　prison。〃
　　There；　again；　he　considered　that　he　had　been　robbed。
　　Society；　the　State；　by　diminishing　his　hoard；　had　robbed　him　wholesale。　Now　it　was　the　individual　who　was　robbing　him　at　retail。
　　Liberation　is　not　deliverance。
　　One　gets　free　from　the　galleys；　but　not　from　the　sentence。
　　That　is　what　happened　to　him　at　Grasse。
　　We　have　seen　in　what　manner　he　was　received　at　D


BOOK　SECONDTHE　FALL
CHAPTER　X　
　　THE　MAN　AROUSED
　　　As　the　Cathedral　clock　struck　two　in　the　morning；　Jean　Valjean　awoke。
　　What　woke　him　was　that　his　bed　was　too　good。
　　It　was　nearly　twenty　years　since　he　had　slept　in　a　bed；　and；　although　he　had　not　undressed；　the　sensation　was　too　novel　not　to　disturb　his　slumbers。
　　He　had　slept　more　than　four　hours。
　　His　fatigue　had　passed　away。　He　was　accustomed　not　to　devote　many　hours　to　repose。
　　He　opened　his　eyes　and　stared　into　the　gloom　which　surrounded　him；　then　he　closed　them　again；　with　the　intention　of　going　to　sleep　once　more。
　　When　many　varied　sensations　have　agitated　the　day；　when　various　matters　preoccupy　the　mind；　one　falls　asleep　once；　but　not　a　second　time。　Sleep　es　more　easily　than　it　returns。
　　This　is　what　happened　to　Jean　Valjean。
　　He　could　not　get　to　sleep　again；　and　he　fell　to　thinking。
　　He　was　at　one　of　those　moments　when　the　thoughts　which　one　has　in　one's　mind　are　troubled。
　　There　was　a　sort　of　dark　confusion　in　his　brain。　His　memories　of　the　olden　time　and　of　the　immediate　present　floated　there　pell…mell　and　mingled　confusedly；　losing　their　proper　forms；　being　disproportionately　large；　then　suddenly　disappearing；　as　in　a　muddy　and　perturbed　pool。
　　Many　thoughts　occurred　to　him；　but　there　was　one　which　kept　constantly　presenting　itself　afresh；　and　which　drove　away　all　others。
　　We　will　mention　this　thought　at　once：　he　had　observed　the　six　sets　of　silver　forks　and　spoons　and　the　ladle　which　Madame　Magloire　had　placed　on　the　table。
　　Those　six　sets　of　silver　haunted　him。They　were　there。A　few　paces　distant。Just　as　he　was　traversing　the　adjoining　room　to　reach　the　one　in　which　he　then　was；　the　old　servant…woman　had　been　in　the　act　of　placing　them　in　a　little　cupboard　near　the　head　of　the　bed。　He　had　taken　careful　note　of　this　cupboard。On　the　right；　as　you　entered　from　the　dining…room。They　were　solid。And　old　silver。　From　the　ladle　one　could　get　at　least　two　hundred　francs。　Double　what　he　had　earned　in　nineteen　years。It　is　true　that　he　would　have　earned　more　if　〃the　administration　had　not　robbed　him。〃
　　His　mind　wavered　for　a　whole　hour　in　fluctuations　with　which　there　was　certainly　mingled　some　struggle。
　　Three　o'clock　struck。
　　He　opened　his　eyes　again；　drew　himself　up　abruptly　into　a　sitting　posture；　stretched　out　his　arm　and　felt　of　his　knapsack；　which　he　had　thrown　down　on　a　corner　of　the　alcove；　then　he　hung　his　legs　over　the　edge　of　the　bed；　and　placed　his　feet　on　the　floor；　and　thus　found　himself；　almost　without　knowing　it；　seated　on　his　bed。
　　He　remained　for　a　time　thoughtfully　in　this　attitude；　which　would　have　been　suggestive　of　something　sinister　for　any　one　who　had　seen　him　thus　in　the　dark；　the　only　person　awake　in　that　house　where　all　were　sleeping。
　　All　of　a　sudden　he　stooped　down；　removed　his　shoes　and　placed　them　softly　on　the　mat　beside　the　bed；　then　he　resumed　his　thoughtful　attitude；　and　became　motionless　once　more。
　　Throughout　this　hideous　meditation；　the　thoughts　which　we　have　above　indicated　moved　incessantly　through　his　brain；　entered；　withdrew；　re…entered；　and　in　a　manner　oppressed　him；　and　then　he　thought；　also；　without　knowing　why；　and　with　the　mechanical　persistence　of　revery；　of　a　convict　named　Brevet；　whom　he