雨果 悲惨世界 英文版1-第112部分

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o　inplete　beggars　walking　side　by　side；　with　different　miens　beneath　the　same　rags；　the　one　having　always　been　a　mendicant；　and　the　other　having　once　been　a　gentleman。
　　The　staircase　led　to　a　very　vast　edifice　which　resembled　a　shed　which　had　been　converted　into　a　house。
　　This　edifice　had；　for　its　intestinal　tube；　a　long　corridor；　on　which　opened　to　right　and　left　sorts　of　partments　of　varied　dimensions　which　were　inhabitable　under　stress　of　circumstances；　and　rather　more　like　stalls　than　cells。　These　chambers　received　their　light　from　the　vague　waste　grounds　in　the　neighborhood。
　　All　this　was　dark；　disagreeable；　wan；　melancholy；　sepulchral；　traversed　according　as　the　crevices　lay　in　the　roof　or　in　the　door；　by　cold　rays　or　by　icy　winds。
　　An　interesting　and　picturesque　peculiarity　of　this　sort　of　dwelling　is　the　enormous　size　of　the　spiders。
　　To　the　left　of　the　entrance　door；　on　the　boulevard　side；　at　about　the　height　of　a　man　from　the　ground；　a　small　window　which　had　been　walled　up　formed　a　square　niche　full　of　stones　which　the　children　had　thrown　there　as　they　passed　by。
　　A　portion　of　this　building　has　recently　been　demolished。　From　what　still　remains　of　it　one　can　form　a　judgment　as　to　what　it　was　in　former　days。
　　As　a　whole；　it　was　not　over　a　hundred　years　old。　A　hundred　years　is　youth　in　a　church　and　age　in　a　house。　It　seems　as　though　man's　lodging　partook　of　his　ephemeral　character；　and　God's　house　of　his　eternity。
　　The　postmen　called　the　house　Number　50…52；　but　it　was　known　in　the　neighborhood　as　the　Gorbeau　house。
　　Let　us　explain　whence　this　appellation　was　derived。
　　Collectors　of　petty　details；　who　bee　herbalists　of　anecdotes；　and　prick　slippery　dates　into　their　memories　with　a　pin；　know　that　there　was　in　Paris；　during　the　last　century；　about　1770；　two　attorneys　at　the　Chatelet　named；　one　Corbeau　（Raven）；　the　other　Renard　（Fox）。　The　two　names　had　been　forestalled　by　La　Fontaine。　The　opportunity　was　too　fine　for　the　lawyers；　they　made　the　most　of　it。　A　parody　was　immediately　put　in　circulation　in　the　galleries　of　the　court…house；　in　verses　that　limped　a　little：
　　Maitre　Corbeau；　sur　un　dossier　perche；＇13＇　
　　Tenait　dans　son　bee　une　saisie　executoire；　
　　Maitre　Renard；　par　l'odeur　alleche；　
　　Lui　fit　a　peu　pres　cette　histoire：　He！　bonjour。
　　Etc。
　　＇13＇　Lawyer　Corbeau；　perched　on　a　docket；　held　in　his　beak　a　writ　of　execution；　Lawyer　Renard；　attracted　by　the　smell；　addressed　him　nearly　as　follows；　etc。
　　The　two　honest　practitioners；　embarrassed　by　the　jests；　and　finding　the　bearing　of　their　heads　interfered　with　by　the　shouts　of　laughter　which　followed　them；　resolved　to　get　rid　of　their　names；　and　hit　upon　the　expedient　of　applying　to　the　king。
　　Their　petition　was　presented　to　Louis　XV。
　　on　the　same　day　when　the　Papal　Nuncio；　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　Cardinal　de　la　Roche…Aymon　on　the　other；　both　devoutly　kneeling；　were　each　engaged　in　putting　on；　in　his　Majesty's　presence；　a　slipper　on　the　bare　feet　of　Madame　du　Barry；　who　had　just　got　out　of　bed。
　　The　king；　who　was　laughing；　continued　to　laugh；　passed　gayly　from　the　two　bishops　to　the　two　lawyers；　and　bestowed　on　these　limbs　of　the　law　their　former　names；　or　nearly　so。
　　By　the　kings　mand；　Maitre　Corbeau　was　permitted　to　add　a　tail　to　his　initial　letter　and　to　call　himself　Gorbeau。　Maitre　Renard　was　less　lucky；　all　he　obtained　was　leave　to　place　a　P　in　front　of　his　R；　and　to　call　himself　Prenard；　so　that　the　second　name　bore　almost　as　much　resemblance　as　the　first。
　　Now；　according　to　local　tradition；　this　Maitre　Gorbeau　had　been　the　proprietor　of　the　building　numbered　50…52　on　the　Boulevard　de　l'Hopital。　He　was　even　the　author　of　the　monumental　window。
　　Hence　the　edifice　bore　the　name　of　the　Gorbeau　house。
　　Opposite　this　house；　among　the　trees　of　the　boulevard；　rose　a　great　elm　which　was　three…quarters　dead；　almost　directly　facing　it　opens　the　Rue　de　la　Barriere　des　Gobelins；　a　street　then　without　houses；　unpaved；　planted　with　unhealthy　trees；　which　was　green　or　muddy　according　to　the　season；　and　which　ended　squarely　in　the　exterior　wall　of　Paris。
　　An　odor　of　copperas　issued　in　puffs　from　the　roofs　of　the　neighboring　factory。
　　The　barrier　was　close　at　hand。
　　In　1823　the　city　wall　was　still　in　existence。
　　This　barrier　itself　evoked　gloomy　fancies　in　the　mind。
　　It　was　the　road　to　Bicetre。
　　It　was　through　it　that；　under　the　Empire　and　the　Restoration；　prisoners　condemned　to　death　re…entered　Paris　on　the　day　of　their　execution。
　　It　was　there；　that；　about　1829；　was　mitted　that　mysterious　assassination；　called　〃The　assassination　of　the　Fontainebleau　barrier；〃　whose　authors　justice　was　never　able　to　discover；　a　melancholy　problem　which　has　never　been　elucidated；　a　frightful　enigma　which　has　never　been　unriddled。
　　Take　a　few　steps；　and　you　e　upon　that　fatal　Rue　Croulebarbe；　where　Ulbach　stabbed　the　goat…girl　of　Ivry　to　the　sound　of　thunder；　as　in　the　melodramas。　A　few　paces　more；　and　you　arrive　at　the　abominable　pollarded　elms　of　the　Barriere　Saint…Jacques；　that　expedient　of　the　philanthropist　to　conceal　the　scaffold；　that　miserable　and　shameful　Place　de　Grove　of　a　shop…keeping　and　bourgeois　society；　which　recoiled　before　the　death　penalty；　neither　daring　to　abolish　it　with　grandeur；　nor　to　uphold　it　with　authority。
　　Leaving　aside　this　Place　Saint…Jacques；　which　was；　as　it　were；　predestined；　and　which　has　always　been　horrible；　probably　the　most　mournful　spot　on　that　mournful　boulevard；　seven　and　thirty　years　ago；　was　the　spot　which　even　to…day　is　so　unattractive；　where　stood　the　building　Number　50…52。
　　Bourgeois　houses　only　began　to　spring　up　there　twenty…five　years　later。　The　place　was　unpleasant。
　　In　addition　to　the　gloomy　thoughts　which　assailed　one　there；　one　was　conscious　of　being　between　the　Salpetriere；　a　glimpse　of　whose　dome　could　be　seen；　and　Bicetre；　whose　outskirts　one　was　fairly　touching；　that　is　to　say；　between　the　madness　of　women　and　the　madness　of　men。
　　As　far　as　the　eye　could　see；　one　could　perceive　nothing　but　the　abattoirs；　the　city　wall；　and　the　fronts　of　a　few　factories；　resembling　barracks　or　monasteries；　everywhere　about　stood　hovels；　rubbish；　ancient　walls　blackened　like　cerecloths；　new　white　walls　like　winding…sheets；　everywhere　parallel　rows　of　trees；　buildings　erected　on　a　line；　flat　constructions；　long；　cold　rows；　and　the　melancholy　sadness　of　right　angles。
　　Not　an　unevenness　of　the　ground；　not　a　caprice　in　the　architecture；　not　a　fold。　The　ensemble　was　glacial；　regular；　hideous。
　　Nothing　oppresses　the　heart　like　symmetry。
　　It　is　because　symmetry　is　ennui；　and　ennui　is　at　the　very　foundation　of　grief。
　　Despair　yawns。　Something　more　terrible　than　a　hell　where　one　suffers　may　be　imagined；　and　that　is　a　hell　where　one　is　bored。
　　If　such　a　hell　existed；　that　bit　of　the　Boulevard　de　l'Hopital　might　have　formed　the　entrance　to　it。
　　Nevertheless；　at　nightfall；　at　the　moment　when　the　daylight　is　vanishing；　especially　in　winter；　at　the　hour　when　the　twilight　breeze　tears　from　the　elms　their　last　russet　leaves；　when　the　darkness　is　deep　and　starless；　or　when　the　moon　and　the　wind　are　making　openings　in　the　clouds　and　losing　themselves　in　the　shadows；　this　boulevard　suddenly　bees　frightful。
　　The　black　lines　sink　inwards　and　are　lost　in　the　shades；　like　morsels　of　the　infinite。　The　passer…by　cannot　refrain　from　recalling　the　innumerable　traditions　of　the　place　which　are　connected　with　the　gibbet。　The　solitude　of　this　spot；　where　so　many　crimes　have　been　mitted；　had　something　terrible　about　it。
　　One　almost　had　a　presentiment　of　meeting　with　traps　in　that　darkness；　all　the　confused　forms　of　the　darkness　seemed　suspicious；　and　the　long；　hollow　square；　of　which　one　caught　a　glimpse　between　each　tree；　seemed　graves：　by　day　it　was　ugly；　in　the　evening　melancholy；　by　night　it　was　sinister。
　　In　summer；　at　twilight；　one　saw；　here　and　there；　a　few　old　women　seated　at　the　foot　of　the　elm；　on　benches　mouldy　with　rain。　These　good　old　women　were　fond　of　begging。
　　However；　this　quarter；　which　had　a　superannuated　rather　than　an　antique　air；　was　tending　even　then　to　transformation。
　　Even　at　that　time　any　one　who　was　desirous　of　seeing　it　had　to　make　haste。　Each　day　some　detail　of　the　whole　effect　was　disappearing。　For　the　last　twenty　years　the　station　of　the　Orleans　railway　has　stood　beside　the　old　faubourg　and　distracted　it；　as　it　does　to…day。　Wherever　it　is　placed　on　the　borders　of　a　capital；　a　railway　station　is　the　death　of　a　suburb　and　the　birth　of　a　city。　It　seems　as　though；　around　these　great　centres　of　the　movements　of　a　people；　the　earth；　full　of　germs；　trembled　and　yawned；　to　engulf　the　ancient　dwellings　of　men　and　to　allow　new　ones　to　spring　forth；　at　the　rattle　of　these　powerful　machines；　at　the　breath　of　these　monstrous　horses　of　civilization　which　devour　coal　and　vomit　fire。　The　old　houses　crumble　and　new　ones　rise。
　　Since　the　Orleans　railway　has　invaded　the　region　of　the　Salpetriere；　the　ancient；　narrow　streets　which　adjoin　the　moats　Saint…Victor　and　the　Jardin　des　Plantes　tremble；　as　they　are　violently　traversed　three　or　four　times　each　day　by　those　currents　of　coach　fiacres　and　omnibuses　wh