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A Strange Manuscript Found in a Copper Cylinder, Chapter 27. Oxenden Preaches a Sermon

Chapter 27. Oxenden Preaches a Sermon

"Magones," said the doctor, "is clearly a volcanic island, and, taken in connection with the other volcanoes around, shows how active must be the subterranean fires at the South Pole. It seems probable to me that the numerous caves of the Kosekin were originally fissures in the mountains, formed by convulsions of nature; and also that the places excavated by man must consist of soft volcanic rock, such as pumice-stone, or rather tufa, easily worked, and remaining permanently in any shape into which it may be fashioned. As to Magones, it seems another Iceland; for there are the same wild and hideous desolation, the same impassable wildernesses, and the same universal scenes of ruin, lighted up by the baleful and tremendous volcanic fires." "But what of that little island on which they landed?" asked Featherstone.

"That, surely, was not volcanic." "No," said the doctor; "that must have been a coral island." "By-the-bye, is it really true," asked Featherstone, "that these coral islands are the work of little insects?" "Well, they may be called insects," replied the doctor; "they are living zoophytes of most minute dimensions, which, however, compensate for their smallness of size by their inconceivable numbers. Small as these are they have accomplished infinitely more than all that ever was done by the ichthyosaurus, the plesiosaurus, the pterodactyl, and the whole tribe of monsters that once filled the earth. Immense districts and whole mountains have been built up by these minute creatures. They have been at work for ages, and are still at work. It is principally in the South Seas that their labors are carried on. Near the Maldive Islands they have formed a mass whose volume is equal to the Alps. Around New Caledonia they have built a barrier of reefs four hundred miles in length, and another along the northeast coast of Australia a thousand miles in length. In the Pacific Ocean, islands, reefs, and islets innumerable have been constructed by them, which extend for an immense distance.

"The coral islands are called 'atolls.' They are nearly always circular, with a depression in the centre. They are originally made ring-shaped, but the action of the ocean serves to throw fragments of rock into the inner depression, which thus fills up; firm land appears; the rock crumbles into soil; the winds and birds and currents bring seeds here, and soon the new island is covered with verdure. These little creatures have played a part in the past quite as important as in the present. All Germany rests upon a bank of coral; and they seem to have been most active during the Oolitic Period." "How do the creatures act?" asked Featherstone.

"Nobody knows," replied the doctor. A silence now followed, which was at last broken by Oxenden.

"After all," said he, "these monsters and marvels of nature form the least interesting feature in the land of the Kosekin. To me the people themselves are the chief subject of interest. Where did they get that strange, all-pervading love of death, which is as strong in them as love of life is in us?" "Why, they got it from the imagination of the writer of the manuscript," interrupted Melick. "Yes, it's easy to answer it from your point of view; yet from my point of view it is more difficult. I sometimes think that it may be the strong spirituality of the Semitic race, carried out under exceptionally favorable circumstances to the ultimate results; for the Semitic race more than all others thought little of this life, and turned their affections to the life that lives beyond this. The Kosekin may thus have had a spiritual development of their own, which ended in this.

"Yet there may be another reason for it, and I sometimes think that the Kosekin may be nearer to the truth than we are. We have by nature a strong love of life--it is our dominant feeling--but yet there is in the minds of all men a deep underlying conviction of the vanity of life, and the worthlessness. In all ages and among all races the best, the purest, and the wisest have taught this truth--that human life is not a blessing; that the evil predominates over the good; and that our best hope is to gain a spirit of acquiescence with its inevitable ills. All philosophy and all religions teach us this one solemn truth, that in this life the evil surpasses the good. It has always been so. Suffering has been the lot of all living things, from the giant of the primeval swamps down to the smallest zoophyte. It is far more so with man. Some favored classes in every age may furnish forth a few individuals who may perhaps lead lives of self-indulgence and luxury; but to the mass of mankind life has ever been, and must ever be, a prolonged scene of labor intermingled with suffering. The great Indian religions, whether Brahmanic or Buddhistic, teach as their cardinal doctrine that life is an evil. Buddhism is more pronounced in this, for it teaches more emphatically than even the Kosekin that the chief end of man is to get rid of the curse of life and gain the bliss of Nirvana, or annihilation. True, it does not take so practical a form as among the Kosekin, yet it is believed by one-third of the human race as the foundation of the religion in which they live and die. We need not go to the Kosekin, however, for such maxims as these. The intelligent Hindoos, the Chinese, the Japanese, with many other nations, all cling firmly to this belief. Sakyamoum Gautama Buddha, the son and heir of a mighty monarch, penetrated with the conviction of the misery of life, left his throne, embraced a life of voluntary poverty, want, and misery, so that he might find his way to a better state--the end before him being this, that he might ultimately escape from the curse of existence. He lived till old age, gained innumerable followers, and left to them as a solemn legacy the maxim that not to exist is better than to exist; that death is better than life. Since his day millions of his followers have upheld his principles and lived his life. Even among the joyous Greeks we find this feeling at times bursting forth it comes when we least expect it, and not even a Kosekin poet could express this view more forcibly than Sophocles in the OEdipus at Colonus:

"'Not to be born surpasses every lot; And the next best lot by far, when one is born Is to go back whence he came as soon as possible; For while youth is present bringing vain follies, What woes does it not have, what ills does it not bear-- Murders, factions, strife, war, envy, But the extreme of misery is attained by loathsome old age-- Old age, strengthless, unsociable, friendless, Where all evils upon evils dwell together.'" "I'll give you the words of a later poet," said Melick, "who takes a different view of the case. I think I'll sing them, with your permission." Melick swallowed a glass of wine and then sang the following:

"'They may rail at this life: from the hour I began it I found it a life full of kindness and bliss, And until they can show me some happier planet, More social and bright, I'll content me with this. As long as the world has such lips and such eyes As before me this moment enraptured I see, They may say what they will of their orbs in the skies, But this earth is the planet for you, love, and me.' "What a pity it is," continued Melick, "that the writer of this manuscript had not the philological, theological, sociological, geological, palaeological, ontological, ornithological, and all the other logical attainments of yourself and the doctor! He could then have given us a complete view of the nature of the Kosekin, morally and physically; he could have treated of the geology of the soil, the ethnology of the people, and could have unfolded before us a full and comprehensive view of their philosophy and religion, and could have crammed his manuscript with statistics. I wonder why he didn't do it even as it was. It must have been a strong temptation." "More," said Oxenden, with deep impressiveness, "was a simple-minded though somewhat emotional sailor, and merely wrote in the hope that his story might one day meet the eyes of his father. I certainly should like to find some more accurate statements about the science, philosophy, and religion of the Kosekin; yet, after all, such things could not be expected." "Why not?" said Melick; "it was easy enough for him." "How?" asked Oxenden.

"Why, he had only to step into the British Museum, and in a couple of hours he could have crammed up on all those points in science, philosophy, ethnology, and theology, about which you are so anxious to know." "Well," said Featherstone, "suppose we continue our reading? I believe it is my turn now. I sha'n't be able to hold out so long as you did, Oxenden, but I'll do what I can." Saying this, Featherstone took the manuscript and went on to read.

Chapter 27. Oxenden Preaches a Sermon

"Magones," said the doctor, "is clearly a volcanic island, and, taken in connection with the other volcanoes around, shows how active must be the subterranean fires at the South Pole. « Magones, dit le docteur, est clairement une île volcanique et, prise en relation avec les autres volcans alentour, montre à quel point les incendies souterrains du pôle Sud doivent être actifs. It seems probable to me that the numerous caves of the Kosekin were originally fissures in the mountains, formed by convulsions of nature; and also that the places excavated by man must consist of soft volcanic rock, such as pumice-stone, or rather tufa, easily worked, and remaining permanently in any shape into which it may be fashioned. Il me paraît probable que les nombreuses grottes du Kosekin étaient à l'origine des fissures dans les montagnes, formées par des convulsions de la nature ; et aussi que les lieux fouillés par l'homme doivent consister en une roche volcanique tendre, telle que de la pierre ponce, ou plutôt du tuf, facilement travaillée, et restant en permanence sous n'importe quelle forme dans laquelle elle peut être façonnée. As to Magones, it seems another Iceland; for there are the same wild and hideous desolation, the same impassable wildernesses, and the same universal scenes of ruin, lighted up by the baleful and tremendous volcanic fires." Quant à Magones, cela semble une autre Islande ; car il y a la même désolation sauvage et hideuse, les mêmes déserts infranchissables, et les mêmes scènes universelles de ruine, éclairées par les incendies volcaniques funestes et terribles. » "But what of that little island on which they landed?" asked Featherstone.

"That, surely, was not volcanic." "No," said the doctor; "that must have been a coral island." "By-the-bye, is it really true," asked Featherstone, "that these coral islands are the work of little insects?" "Well, they may be called insects," replied the doctor; "they are living zoophytes of most minute dimensions, which, however, compensate for their smallness of size by their inconceivable numbers. Small as these are they have accomplished infinitely more than all that ever was done by the ichthyosaurus, the plesiosaurus, the pterodactyl, and the whole tribe of monsters that once filled the earth. Immense districts and whole mountains have been built up by these minute creatures. They have been at work for ages, and are still at work. Они работают уже много лет и продолжают работать. It is principally in the South Seas that their labors are carried on. C'est principalement dans les mers du Sud que s'exercent leurs travaux. Near the Maldive Islands they have formed a mass whose volume is equal to the Alps. Around New Caledonia they have built a barrier of reefs four hundred miles in length, and another along the northeast coast of Australia a thousand miles in length. Autour de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, ils ont construit une barrière de récifs de quatre cents milles de longueur, et une autre le long de la côte nord-est de l'Australie de mille milles de longueur. In the Pacific Ocean, islands, reefs, and islets innumerable have been constructed by them, which extend for an immense distance.

"The coral islands are called 'atolls.' They are nearly always circular, with a depression in the centre. They are originally made ring-shaped, but the action of the ocean serves to throw fragments of rock into the inner depression, which thus fills up; firm land appears; the rock crumbles into soil; the winds and birds and currents bring seeds here, and soon the new island is covered with verdure. Ils sont à l'origine en forme d'anneau, mais l'action de l'océan sert à jeter des fragments de roche dans la dépression intérieure, qui se remplit ainsi ; la terre ferme apparaît ; la roche s'effondre dans le sol; les vents, les oiseaux et les courants y apportent des graines, et bientôt la nouvelle île se couvre de verdure. These little creatures have played a part in the past quite as important as in the present. All Germany rests upon a bank of coral; and they seem to have been most active during the Oolitic Period." "How do the creatures act?" asked Featherstone.

"Nobody knows," replied the doctor. A silence now followed, which was at last broken by Oxenden.

"After all," said he, "these monsters and marvels of nature form the least interesting feature in the land of the Kosekin. To me the people themselves are the chief subject of interest. Where did they get that strange, all-pervading love of death, which is as strong in them as love of life is in us?" D'où ont-ils pris cet étrange amour de la mort qui imprègne tout, qui est aussi fort en eux que l'amour de la vie l'est en nous ?" "Why, they got it from the imagination of the writer of the manuscript," interrupted Melick. "Yes, it's easy to answer it from your point of view; yet from my point of view it is more difficult. I sometimes think that it may be the strong spirituality of the Semitic race, carried out under exceptionally favorable circumstances to the ultimate results; for the Semitic race more than all others thought little of this life, and turned their affections to the life that lives beyond this. Je pense parfois que ce peut être la forte spiritualité de la race sémitique, réalisée dans des circonstances exceptionnellement favorables aux résultats ultimes ; car la race sémitique, plus que toutes les autres, se souciait peu de cette vie et tournait ses affections vers la vie qui vit au-delà. Иногда я думаю, что это может быть сильная духовность семитской расы, осуществленная в исключительно благоприятных обстоятельствах для достижения конечных результатов; ибо семитская раса больше, чем все остальные, мало думала об этой жизни и обращала свои привязанности на жизнь, живущую за ее пределами. The Kosekin may thus have had a spiritual development of their own, which ended in this.

"Yet there may be another reason for it, and I sometimes think that the Kosekin may be nearer to the truth than we are. « Pourtant, il peut y avoir une autre raison à cela, et je pense parfois que le Kosekin est peut-être plus proche de la vérité que nous. We have by nature a strong love of life--it is our dominant feeling--but yet there is in the minds of all men a deep underlying conviction of the vanity of life, and the worthlessness. Nous avons par nature un fort amour de la vie - c'est notre sentiment dominant - mais pourtant il y a dans l'esprit de tous les hommes une profonde conviction sous-jacente de la vanité de la vie et de son inutilité. In all ages and among all races the best, the purest, and the wisest have taught this truth--that human life is not a blessing; that the evil predominates over the good; and that our best hope is to gain a spirit of acquiescence with its inevitable ills. Dans tous les âges et parmi toutes les races, les meilleurs, les plus purs et les plus sages ont enseigné cette vérité, que la vie humaine n'est pas une bénédiction ; que le mal prédomine sur le bien ; et que notre meilleur espoir est de gagner un esprit d'acquiescement avec ses maux inévitables. All philosophy and all religions teach us this one solemn truth, that in this life the evil surpasses the good. It has always been so. Suffering has been the lot of all living things, from the giant of the primeval swamps down to the smallest zoophyte. La souffrance a été le lot de tous les êtres vivants, du géant des marais primitifs au plus petit zoophyte. It is far more so with man. Some favored classes in every age may furnish forth a few individuals who may perhaps lead lives of self-indulgence and luxury; but to the mass of mankind life has ever been, and must ever be, a prolonged scene of labor intermingled with suffering. Certaines classes favorisées à chaque époque peuvent fournir quelques individus qui peuvent peut-être mener une vie d'auto-indulgence et de luxe ; mais pour la masse de l'humanité, la vie a toujours été et doit toujours être une scène prolongée de travail mêlé de souffrance. The great Indian religions, whether Brahmanic or Buddhistic, teach as their cardinal doctrine that life is an evil. Les grandes religions indiennes, qu'elles soient brahmaniques ou bouddhistes, enseignent comme doctrine cardinale que la vie est un mal. Buddhism is more pronounced in this, for it teaches more emphatically than even the Kosekin that the chief end of man is to get rid of the curse of life and gain the bliss of Nirvana, or annihilation. Le bouddhisme est plus prononcé en cela, car il enseigne plus catégoriquement que même le Kosekin que le but principal de l'homme est de se débarrasser de la malédiction de la vie et d'obtenir la félicité du Nirvana, ou l'annihilation. True, it does not take so practical a form as among the Kosekin, yet it is believed by one-third of the human race as the foundation of the religion in which they live and die. Certes, il ne prend pas une forme aussi pratique que chez les Kosekin, pourtant il est considéré par un tiers de la race humaine comme le fondement de la religion dans laquelle ils vivent et meurent. We need not go to the Kosekin, however, for such maxims as these. Nous n'avons pas besoin d'aller au Kosekin, cependant, pour de telles maximes. The intelligent Hindoos, the Chinese, the Japanese, with many other nations, all cling firmly to this belief. Les Hindous intelligents, les Chinois, les Japonais, avec beaucoup d'autres nations, s'accrochent tous fermement à cette croyance. Sakyamoum Gautama Buddha, the son and heir of a mighty monarch, penetrated with the conviction of the misery of life, left his throne, embraced a life of voluntary poverty, want, and misery, so that he might find his way to a better state--the end before him being this, that he might ultimately escape from the curse of existence. Le Bouddha Sakyamoum Gautama, fils et héritier d'un monarque puissant, pénétré de la conviction de la misère de la vie, a quitté son trône, a embrassé une vie volontaire de pauvreté, de misère et de misère, afin qu'il puisse trouver son chemin vers un meilleur état --la fin devant lui étant celle-ci, qu'il puisse finalement échapper à la malédiction de l'existence. He lived till old age, gained innumerable followers, and left to them as a solemn legacy the maxim that not to exist is better than to exist; that death is better than life. Il vécut jusqu'à la vieillesse, gagna d'innombrables adeptes et leur laissa en héritage solennel la maxime qu'il vaut mieux ne pas exister que d'exister ; que la mort vaut mieux que la vie. Since his day millions of his followers have upheld his principles and lived his life. Depuis son époque, des millions de ses disciples ont soutenu ses principes et vécu sa vie. Even among the joyous Greeks we find this feeling at times bursting forth it comes when we least expect it, and not even a Kosekin poet could express this view more forcibly than Sophocles in the OEdipus at Colonus: Même parmi les joyeux Grecs, nous trouvons parfois ce sentiment éclatant, il vient quand nous nous y attendons le moins, et même un poète de Kosekin ne pourrait exprimer ce point de vue avec plus de force que Sophocle dans l'OEdipe à Colone : Даже среди радостных греков мы обнаруживаем, что это чувство порой вырывается наружу, оно возникает тогда, когда мы меньше всего этого ожидаем, и ни один поэт Косекин не мог выразить эту точку зрения более убедительно, чем Софокл в Эдипе в Колоне:

"'Not to be born surpasses every lot; And the next best lot by far, when one is born Is to go back whence he came as soon as possible; For while youth is present bringing vain follies, What woes does it not have, what ills does it not bear-- Murders, factions, strife, war, envy, But the extreme of misery is attained by loathsome old age-- Old age, strengthless, unsociable, friendless, Where all evils upon evils dwell together.'" « Ne pas naître surpasse tout le monde ; Et le meilleur sort suivant de loin, quand on est né Est de retourner d'où il est venu le plus tôt possible ; Car tandis que la jeunesse est présente apportant de vaines folies, Quels malheurs n'a-t-elle pas, quels maux ne supporte-t-il pas - Meurtres, factions, conflits, guerre, envie, Mais l'extrême de la misère est atteint par une vieillesse répugnante - La vieillesse, sans force, insociable, sans amis, Où tous les maux sur les maux habitent ensemble.'" «Не рождение превосходит всякую участь; И следующая лучшая участь, безусловно, когда человек родился, - это как можно скорее вернуться туда, откуда он пришел; Ибо пока присутствует юность, приносящая суетные глупости, Какие горести у нее нет, Какие беды он не несет - Убийств, фракций, раздоров, войн, зависти, Но крайние страдания достигаются отвратительной старостью - Старость, бессильная, нелюдимая, лишенная друзей, Где все зло и зло обитают вместе »". "I'll give you the words of a later poet," said Melick, "who takes a different view of the case. I think I'll sing them, with your permission." Melick swallowed a glass of wine and then sang the following:

"'They may rail at this life: from the hour I began it I found it a life full of kindness and bliss, And until they can show me some happier planet, More social and bright, I'll content me with this. "'Ils peuvent se moquer de cette vie : à partir de l'heure où je l'ai commencée, je l'ai trouvée une vie pleine de gentillesse et de bonheur, Et jusqu'à ce qu'ils puissent me montrer une planète plus heureuse, Plus sociale et lumineuse, je m'en contenterai. As long as the world has such lips and such eyes As before me this moment enraptured I see, They may say what they will of their orbs in the skies, But this earth is the planet for you, love, and me.' Tant que le monde aura de telles lèvres et de tels yeux Comme devant moi ce moment ravi que je vois, Ils peuvent dire ce qu'ils veulent de leurs orbes dans les cieux, Mais cette terre est la planète pour vous, mon amour et moi. Пока в мире такие губы и такие глаза, Как я вижу передо мной этот момент восхищения, Они могут говорить, что хотят, о своих небесах, Но эта Земля - планета для тебя, любовь, и меня ». "What a pity it is," continued Melick, "that the writer of this manuscript had not the philological, theological, sociological, geological, palaeological, ontological, ornithological, and all the other logical attainments of yourself and the doctor! « Quel dommage, continua Melick, que l'auteur de ce manuscrit n'ait pas les connaissances philologiques, théologiques, sociologiques, géologiques, paléologiques, ontologiques, ornithologiques, et toutes les autres réalisations logiques de vous-même et du docteur ! He could then have given us a complete view of the nature of the Kosekin, morally and physically; he could have treated of the geology of the soil, the ethnology of the people, and could have unfolded before us a full and comprehensive view of their philosophy and religion, and could have crammed his manuscript with statistics. Il aurait alors pu nous donner une vue complète de la nature du Kosekin, moralement et physiquement ; il aurait pu traiter de la géologie du sol, de l'ethnologie des peuples, et aurait pu nous dévoiler une vue complète et complète de leur philosophie et de leur religion, et aurait bourré son manuscrit de statistiques. I wonder why he didn't do it even as it was. Je me demande pourquoi il ne l'a pas fait comme ça. It must have been a strong temptation." "More," said Oxenden, with deep impressiveness, "was a simple-minded though somewhat emotional sailor, and merely wrote in the hope that his story might one day meet the eyes of his father. "More", a déclaré Oxenden, avec une impression profonde, "était un marin simple d'esprit mais quelque peu émotif, et a simplement écrit dans l'espoir que son histoire pourrait un jour rencontrer les yeux de son père. I certainly should like to find some more accurate statements about the science, philosophy, and religion of the Kosekin; yet, after all, such things could not be expected." "Why not?" said Melick; "it was easy enough for him." "How?" asked Oxenden.

"Why, he had only to step into the British Museum, and in a couple of hours he could have crammed up on all those points in science, philosophy, ethnology, and theology, about which you are so anxious to know." "Eh bien, il n'avait qu'à entrer dans le British Museum, et en quelques heures il aurait pu s'entasser sur tous ces points de science, de philosophie, d'ethnologie et de théologie, au sujet desquels vous êtes si impatient de savoir." "Well," said Featherstone, "suppose we continue our reading? I believe it is my turn now. I sha'n't be able to hold out so long as you did, Oxenden, but I'll do what I can." Je ne pourrai pas tenir aussi longtemps que toi, Oxenden, mais je ferai ce que je peux." Saying this, Featherstone took the manuscript and went on to read.