fabre, poet of science- 第1部分

Fabre；　Poet　of　Science

by　DR。　G。…V。　LEGROS。









〃De　fimo　ad　excelsa。〃

J。…H。　Fabre。



WITH　A　PREFACE　BY　JEAN…HENRI　FABRE。



TRANSLATED　BY　BERNARD　MIALL。









PREFACE。



The　good　friend　who　has　so　successfully　terminated　the　task　which　he　felt　a

vocation　to　undertake　thought　it　would　be　of　advantage　to　complete　it　by

presenting　to　the　reader　a　picture　both　of　my　life　as　a　whole　and　of　the

work　which　it　has　been　given　me　to　accomplish。



The　better　to　accomplish　his　undertaking；　he　abstracted　from　my

correspondence；　as　well　as　from　the　long　conversations　which　we　have　so

often　enjoyed　together；　a　great　number　of　those　memories　of　varying

importance　which　serve　as　landmarks　in　life；　above　all　in　a　life　like　mine；

not　exempt　from　many　cares；　yet　not　very　fruitful　in　incidents　or　great

vicissitudes；　since　it　has　been　passed　very　largely；　in　especial　during　the

last　thirty　years；　in　the　most　absolute　retirement　and　the　completest

silence。



Moreover；　it　was　not　unimportant　to　warn　the　public　against　the　errors；

exaggerations；　and　legends　which　have　collected　about　my　person；　and　thus

to　set　all　things　in　their　true　light。



In　undertaking　this　task　my　devoted　disciple　has　to　some　extent　been　able

to　replace　those　〃Memoirs〃　which　he　suggested　that　I　should　write；　and

which　only　my　bad　health　has　prevented　me　from　undertaking；　for　I　feel　that

henceforth　I　am　done　with　wide　horizons　and　〃far…reaching　thoughts。〃



And　yet　on　reading　now　the　old　letters　which　he　has　exhumed　from　a　mass　of

old　yellow　papers；　and　which　he　has　presented　and　co…ordinated　with　so

pious　a　care；　it　seems　to　me　that　in　the　depths　of　my　being　I　can　still

feel　rising　in　me　all　the　fever　of　my　early　years；　all　the　enthusiasm　of

long　ago；　and　that　I　should　still　be　no　less　ardent　a　worker　were　not　the

weakness　of　my　eyes　and　the　failure　of　my　strength　to…day　an　insurmountable

obstacle。



Thoroughly　grasping　the　fact　that　one　cannot　write　a　biography　without

entering　into　the　sphere　of　those　ideas　which　alone　make　a　life

interesting；　he　has　revived　around　me　that　world　which　I　have　so　long

contemplated；　and　summarized　in　a　striking　epitome；　and　as　a　strict

interpreter；　my　methods　（which　are；　as　will　be　seen；　within　the　reach　of

all）；　my　ideas；　and　the　whole　body　of　my　works　and　discoveries；　and　despite

the　obvious　difficulty　which　such　an　attempt　would　appear　to　present；　he

has　succeeded　most　wonderfully　in　achieving　the　most　lucid；　complete；　and

vital　exposition　of　these　matters　that　I　could　possibly　have　wished。



Jean…Henri　Fabre。



Sérignan；　Vaucluse；　

November　12；　1911。　





CONTENTS。





PREFACE。





INTRODUCTION。





CHAPTER　1。　THE　INTUITION　OF　NATURE。





CHAPTER　2。　THE　PRIMARY　TEACHER。





CHAPTER　3。　CORSICA。





CHAPTER　4。　AT　AVIGNON。





CHAPTER　5。　A　GREAT　TEACHER。





CHAPTER　6。　THE　HERMITAGE。





CHAPTER　7。　THE　INTERPRETATION　OF　NATURE。





CHAPTER　8。　THE　MIRACLE　OF　INSTINCT。





CHAPTER　9。　EVOLUTION　OR　〃TRANSFORMISM。〃





CHAPTER　10。　THE　ANIMAL　MIND。





CHAPTER　11。　HARMONIES　AND　DISCORDS。





CHAPTER　12。　THE　TRANSLATION　OF　NATURE。





CHAPTER　13。　THE　EPIC　OF　ANIMAL　LIFE。





CHAPTER　14。　PARALLEL　LIVES。





CHAPTER　15。　THE　EVENINGS　AT　SéRIGNAN。





CHAPTER　16。　TWILIGHT。





NOTES。





INDEX。







INTRODUCTION。



Here　I　offer　to　the　public　the　life　of　Jean…Henri　Fabre；　at　once　an

admiring　commentary　upon　his　work　and　an　act　of　pious　homage；　such　as　ought

to　be　offered；　while　he　lives；　to　the　great　naturalist　who　is　even　to…day

so　little　known。



Hitherto　it　was　not　easy　to　speak　of　Henri　Fabre　with　exactitude。　An　enemy

to　all　advertisement；　he　has　so　discreetly　held　himself　withdrawn　that　one

might　almost　say　that　he　has　encouraged；　by　his　silence；　many　doubtful　or

unfounded　rumours；　which　in　course　of　time　would　become　even　more

incorrect。



For　example；　although　quite　recently　his　material　situation　was　presented

in　the　gloomiest　of　lights；　while　it　had　really　for　some　time　ceased　to　be

precarious；　it　is　none　the　less　true　that　during　his　whole　life　he　has　had

to　labour　prodigiously　in　order　to　earn　a　little　money　to　feed　and　rear　his

family；　to　the　great　detriment　of　his　scientific　inquiries；　and　we　cannot

but　regret　that　he　was　not　freed　from　all　material　cares　at　least　twenty

years　earlier　than　was　the　case。



But　he　was　not　one　to　speak　of　his　troubles　to　the　first　comer；　and　it　was

only　after　the　sixth　volume　of　the　〃Souvenirs　entomologiques〃　had　appeared

that　his　reserve　was　somewhat　mitigated。　Yet　it　was　necessary　that　he

should　speak　of　these　troubles；　that　he　should　tell　everything；　and；　thanks

to　his　conversation　and　his　letters；　I　have　been　able　to　revive　the　past。



Among　the　greatest　of　my　pleasures　I　count　the　notable　honour　of　having

known　him；　and　intimately。　As　an　absorbed　and　attentive　witness　I　was

present　at　the　accomplishment　of　his　last　labours；　I　watched　his　last　years

of　work；　so　critical；　so　touching；　so　forsaken；　before　his　ultimate

resurrection。　What　fruitful　and　suggestive　lessons　I　learned　in　his

company；　as　we　paced　the　winding　paths　of　his　Harmas；　or　while　I　sat　beside

him；　at　his　patriarchal　table；　interrogating　that　memory　of　his；　so　rich　in

remembrances　that　even　the　remotest　events　of　his　life　were　as　near　to　him

as　those　that　had　only　then　befallen　him；　so　that　the　majority　of　the

judgments　to　be　found　in　this　book；　of　which　not　a　line　has　been　written

without　his　approval；　may　be　regarded　as　the　direct　emanation　of　his　mind。



As　far　as　possible　I　have　allowed　him　to　speak　himself。　Has　he　not　sketched

the　finest　pages　of　his　〃biography　of　a　solitary　student〃　in　those　racy

chapters　of　his　〃Souvenirs〃：　those　in　which　he　has　developed　his　genesis　as

a　naturalist　and　the　history　of　the　evolution　of　his　ideas？

（Introduction/1。）　In　all　cases　I　have　only　introduced　such　indications　as

were　essential　to　complete　the　sequence　of　events。　It　would　have　been　idle

to　re…tell　in　the　same　terms　what　every　one　may　read　elsewhere；　or　to

repeat　in　different　and　less　happy　terms　what　Fabre　himself　has　told　so

well。



I　have　therefore　applied　myself　more　especially　to　filling　the　gaps　which

he　has　left；　by　listening　to　his　conversation；　by　appealing　to　his

memories；　by　questioning　his　contemporaries；　by　recording　the　impressions

of　his　sometime　pupils。　I　have　endeavoured　to　assemble　all　these　data；　in

order　to　authenticate　them；　and　have　also　gleaned　many　facts　among　his

manuscripts　（Introduction/2。）；　and　have　had　recourse　to　all　that　portion　of

his　correspondence　which　fortunately　fell　into　my　hands。



This　correspondence；　to　be　truthful；　does　not　appear　at　any　time　to　have

been　very　assiduous。　Fabre；　as　we　shall　see　in　the　story　of　his　life

（Introduction/3。）；　disliked　writing　letters；　both　in　his　studious　youth　and

during　the　later　period　of　isolation　and　silence。



On　the　other　hand；　although　he　wrote　but　little；　he　never　wrote　with

difficulty　or　as　a　mere　matter　of　duty。　Among　all　the　letters　which　I　have

succeeded　in　collecting　there　are　scarcely　any　that　are　not　of　interest

from　one　point　of　view　or　another。　No　frivolous　narratives；　no　futile

acquaintances；　no　commonplace　intimacies；　everything　in　his　life　is

serious；　and　everything　makes　for　a　goal。



But　we　must　set　apart；　as　surpassing　all　others　in　interest；　the　letters

which　Fabre　addressed　to　his　brother　during　the　years　spent　as　schoolmaster

at　Carpentras　or　Ajaccio；　for　these　are　more　especially　instructive　in

respect　of　the　almost　unknown　years　of　his　youth；　these　most　of　all　reveal

his　personality　and　are　one　of　the　finest　illustrations　that　could　be　given

of　his　life；　a　true　poem　of　energy　and　disinterested　labour。



I　have　to　thank　M。　Frédéric　Fabre；　who；　in　his　fraternal　piety；　has

generously　placed　all　his　family　records　at　my　disposal；　and　also　his　two

sons；　my　dear　friends　Antonin　Fabre；　councillor　at　the　Court　of　N？mes；　and

Henri　Fabre；　of　Avignon；　for　these　precious　documents；　and　I　take　this

opportunity　of　expressing　my　profound　gratitude。



Let　me　at　the　same　time　thank　all　those　who　have　associated　themselves　with

my　efforts　by　supplying　me　with　letters　in　their　possession　and　furnishing

me　with　personal　information；　and　in　particular　Mme　Henry　Devillario；　M。

Achard；　and　M。　J。　Belleudy；　ex…prefect　of　Vaucluse；　not　forgetting　M。　Louis

Charrasse；　teacher　at　Beaumont…d'Orange；　and　M。　Vayssières；　professor　of

the　Faculty　of　Sciences　at　Marseilles；　all　of　whom　I　have　to　thank　for

personal　and　intimate　information。



I　must　also　express　my　gratitude　to　M。　Henri　Bergson；　Professor　Bouvier；

and　the　learned　M。　Paul　Marchal　for　the　advice　and　the　valuable　suggestions

which　they　offered　me　during　the　preparation　of　this　book。



I　shall　feel　fully　repaid　for　my　pains　if　this　〃Life〃　of　one　of　the

greatest　of　the　world's　naturalists；　by　enabling　men　to　know　him　better；

also　leads　them　to　love　him　the　more。





FABRE；　POET　OF　SCIENCE。





CHAPTER　1。　THE　INTUITION　OF　NATURE。



Each　thing　created；　says　Emerson；　has　its　painter　or　its　poet。　Like　the

enchanted　princess　of　the　fairy…tales；　it　awaits　its　predestined　liberator。



Every　part　of　nature　has　its　mystery　and　its　beauty；　its　logic　and　its

explanation；　and　the　epigraph　given　me　by　Fabre　himself；　which　appears　on

the　title…page　of　this　volume；　is　in　no　way　deceptive。　The　tiny　insects

buried　in　the　soil　or　creeping　over　leaf　or　blade　have　for　him　been

sufficient　to　evoke　the　most　important；　the　most　fascinating　problems；　and

have　revealed　a　whole　world　of　miracle　and　poetry。



He　saw　the　light　at　Saint…Léons；　a　little　commune　of　the　canton　of　Vezins

in　the　Haut　Rouergue；　on　the　22nd　December；　1823；　some　seven　years　earlier

than　Mistral；　his　most　famous　neighbour；　the　greater　lust