de profundis- 第7部分

wonder；　and　creates　that　mood　in　which　alone　he　can　be　understood。



And　to　me　it　is　a　joy　to　remember　that　if　he　is　'of　imagination　all　

compact；'　the　world　itself　is　of　the　same　substance。　　I　said　in　

DORIAN　GRAY　that　the　great　sins　of　the　world　take　place　in　the　

brain：　　but　it　is　in　the　brain　that　everything　takes　place。　　We　

know　now　that　we　do　not　see　with　the　eyes　or　hear　with　the　ears。　　

They　are　really　channels　for　the　transmission；　adequate　or　

inadequate；　of　sense　impressions。　　It　is　in　the　brain　that　the　

poppy　is　red；　that　the　apple　is　odorous；　that　the　skylark　sings。



Of　late　I　have　been　studying　with　diligence　the　four　prose　poems　

about　Christ。　　At　Christmas　I　managed　to　get　hold　of　a　Greek　

Testament；　and　every　morning；　after　I　had　cleaned　my　cell　and　

polished　my　tins；　I　read　a　little　of　the　Gospels；　a　dozen　verses　

taken　by　chance　anywhere。　　It　is　a　delightful　way　of　opening　the　

day。　　Every　one；　even　in　a　turbulent；　ill…disciplined　life；　should　

do　the　same。　　Endless　repetition；　in　and　out　of　season；　has　spoiled　

for　us　the　freshness；　the　naivete；　the　simple　romantic　charm　of　the　

Gospels。　　We　hear　them　read　far　too　often　and　far　too　badly；　and　

all　repetition　is　anti…spiritual。　　When　one　returns　to　the　Greek；　

it　is　like　going　into　a　garden　of　lilies　out　of　some；　narrow　and　

dark　house。



And　to　me；　the　pleasure　is　doubled　by　the　reflection　that　it　is　

extremely　probable　that　we　have　the　actual　terms；　the　IPSISSIMA　

VERBA；　used　by　Christ。　　It　was　always　supposed　that　Christ　talked　

in　Aramaic。　　Even　Renan　thought　so。　　But　now　we　know　that　the　

Galilean　peasants；　like　the　Irish　peasants　of　our　own　day；　were　

bilingual；　and　that　Greek　was　the　ordinary　language　of　intercourse　

all　over　Palestine；　as　indeed　all　over　the　Eastern　world。　　I　never　

liked　the　idea　that　we　knew　of　Christ's　own　words　only　through　a　

translation　of　a　translation。　　It　is　a　delight　to　me　to　think　that　

as　far　as　his　conversation　was　concerned；　Charmides　might　have　

listened　to　him；　and　Socrates　reasoned　with　him；　and　Plato　

understood　him：　　that　he　really　said　＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be　

reproduced＇；　that　when　he　thought　of　the　lilies　of　the　field　and　

how　they　neither　toil　nor　spin；　his　absolute　expression　was　＇Greek　

text　which　cannot　be　reproduced＇；　and　that　his　last　word　when　he　

cried　out　'my　life　has　been　completed；　has　reached　its　fulfilment；　

has　been　perfected；'　was　exactly　as　St。　John　tells　us　it　was：　　

＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be　reproduced＇　…　no　more。



While　in　reading　the　Gospels　…　particularly　that　of　St。　John　

himself；　or　whatever　early　Gnostic　took　his　name　and　mantle　…　I　see　

the　continual　assertion　of　the　imagination　as　the　basis　of　all　

spiritual　and　material　life；　I　see　also　that　to　Christ　imagination　

was　simply　a　form　of　love；　and　that　to　him　love　was　lord　in　the　

fullest　meaning　of　the　phrase。　　Some　six　weeks　ago　I　was　allowed　by　

the　doctor　to　have　white　bread　to　eat　instead　of　the　coarse　black　

or　brown　bread　of　ordinary　prison　fare。　　It　is　a　great　delicacy。　　

It　will　sound　strange　that　dry　bread　could　possibly　be　a　delicacy　

to　any　one。　　To　me　it　is　so　much　so　that　at　the　close　of　each　meal　

I　carefully　eat　whatever　crumbs　may　be　left　on　my　tin　plate；　or　

have　fallen　on　the　rough　towel　that　one　uses　as　a　cloth　so　as　not　

to　soil　one's　table；　and　I　do　so　not　from　hunger　…　I　get　now　quite　

sufficient　food　…　but　simply　in　order　that　nothing　should　be　wasted　

of　what　is　given　to　me。　　So　one　should　look　on　love。



Christ；　like　all　fascinating　personalities；　had　the　power　of　not　

merely　saying　beautiful　things　himself；　but　of　making　other　people　

say　beautiful　things　to　him；　and　I　love　the　story　St。　Mark　tells　us　

about　the　Greek　woman；　who；　when　as　a　trial　of　her　faith　he　said　to　

her　that　he　could　not　give　her　the　bread　of　the　children　of　Israel；　

answered　him　that　the　little　dogs　…　（＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be　

reproduced＇；　'little　dogs'　it　should　be　rendered）　…　who　are　under　

the　table　eat　of　the　crumbs　that　the　children　let　fall。　　Most　

people　live　for　love　and　admiration。　　But　it　is　by　love　and　

admiration　that　we　should　live。　　If　any　love　is　shown　us　we　should　

recognise　that　we　are　quite　unworthy　of　it。　　Nobody　is　worthy　to　be　

loved。　　The　fact　that　God　loves　man　shows　us　that　in　the　divine　

order　of　ideal　things　it　is　written　that　eternal　love　is　to　be　

given　to　what　is　eternally　unworthy。　　Or　if　that　phrase　seems　to　be　

a　bitter　one　to　bear；　let　us　say　that　every　one　is　worthy　of　love；　

except　him　who　thinks　that　he　is。　　Love　is　a　sacrament　that　should　

be　taken　kneeling；　and　DOMINE；　NON　SUM　DIGNUS　should　be　on　the　lips　

and　in　the　hearts　of　those　who　receive　it。



If　ever　I　write　again；　in　the　sense　of　producing　artistic　work；　

there　are　just　two　subjects　on　which　and　through　which　I　desire　to　

express　myself：　　one　is　'Christ　as　the　precursor　of　the　romantic　

movement　in　life'：　　the　other　is　'The　artistic　life　considered　in　

its　relation　to　conduct。'　　The　first　is；　of　course；　intensely　

fascinating；　for　I　see　in　Christ　not　merely　the　essentials　of　the　

supreme　romantic　type；　but　all　the　accidents；　the　wilfulnesses　

even；　of　the　romantic　temperament　also。　　He　was　the　first　person　

who　ever　said　to　people　that　they　should　live　'flower…like　lives。'　　

He　fixed　the　phrase。　　He　took　children　as　the　type　of　what　people　

should　try　to　become。　　He　held　them　up　as　examples　to　their　elders；　

which　I　myself　have　always　thought　the　chief　use　of　children；　if　

what　is　perfect　should　have　a　use。　　Dante　describes　the　soul　of　a　

man　as　coming　from　the　hand　of　God　'weeping　and　laughing　like　a　

little　child；'　and　Christ　also　saw　that　the　soul　of　each　one　should　

be　A　GUISA　DI　FANCIULLA　CHE　PIANGENDO　E　RIDENDO　PARGOLEGGIA。　　He　

felt　that　life　was　changeful；　fluid；　active；　and　that　to　allow　it　

to　be　stereotyped　into　any　form　was　death。　　He　saw　that　people　

should　not　be　too　serious　over　material；　common　interests：　　that　to　

be　unpractical　was　to　be　a　great　thing：　　that　one　should　not　bother　

too　much　over　affairs。　　The　birds　didn't；　why　should　man？　　He　is　

charming　when　he　says；　'Take　no　thought　for　the　morrow；　is　not　the　

soul　more　than　meat？　is　not　the　body　more　than　raiment？'　　A　Greek　

might　have　used　the　latter　phrase。　　It　is　full　of　Greek　feeling。　　

But　only　Christ　could　have　said　both；　and　so　summed　up　life　

perfectly　for　us。



His　morality　is　all　sympathy；　just　what　morality　should　be。　　If　the　

only　thing　that　he　ever　said　had　been；　'Her　sins　are　forgiven　her　

because　she　loved　much；'　it　would　have　been　worth　while　dying　to　

have　said　it。　　His　justice　is　all　poetical　justice；　exactly　what　

justice　should　be。　　The　beggar　goes　to　heaven　because　he　has　been　

unhappy。　　I　cannot　conceive　a　better　reason　for　his　being　sent　

there。　　The　people　who　work　for　an　hour　in　the　vineyard　in　the　cool　

of　the　evening　receive　just　as　much　reward　as　those　who　have　toiled　

there　all　day　long　in　the　hot　sun。　　Why　shouldn't　they？　　Probably　

no　one　deserved　anything。　　Or　perhaps　they　were　a　different　kind　of　

people。　　Christ　had　no　patience　with　the　dull　lifeless　mechanical　

systems　that　treat　people　as　if　they　were　things；　and　so　treat　

everybody　alike：　　for　him　there　were　no　laws：　　there　were　

exceptions　merely；　as　if　anybody；　or　anything；　for　that　matter；　was　

like　aught　else　in　the　world！



That　which　is　the　very　keynote　of　romantic　art　was　to　him　the　

proper　basis　of　natural　life。　　He　saw　no　other　basis。　　And　when　

they　brought　him　one；　taken　in　the　very　act　of　sin　and　showed　him　

her　sentence　written　in　the　law；　and　asked　him　what　was　to　be　done；　

he　wrote　with　his　finger　on　the　ground　as　though　he　did　not　hear　

them；　and　finally；　when　they　pressed　him　again；　looked　up　and　said；　

'Let　him　of　you　who　has　never　sinned　be　the　first　to　throw　the　

stone　at　her。'　　It　was　worth　while　living　to　have　said　that。



Like　all　poetical　natures　he　loved　ignorant　people。　　He　knew　that　

in　the　soul　of　one　who　is　ignorant　there　is　always　room　for　a　great　

idea。　　But　he　could　not　stand　stupid　people；　especially　those　who　

are　made　stupid　by　education：　　people　who　are　full　of　opinions　not　

one　of　which　they　even　understand；　a　peculiarly　modern　type；　summed　

up　by　Christ　when　he　describes　it　as　the　type　of　one　who　has　the　

key　of　knowledge；　cannot　use　it　himself；　and　does　not　allow　other　

people　to　use　it；　though　it　may　be　made　to　open　the　gate　of　God's　

Kingdom。　　His　chief　war　was　against　the　Philistines。　　That　is　the　

war　every　child　of　light　has　to　wage。　　Philistinism　was　the　note　of　

the　age　and　community　in　which　he　lived。　　In　their　heavy　

inaccessibility　to　ideas；　their　dull　respectability；　their　tedious　

orthodoxy；　their　worship　of　vulgar　success；　their　entire　

preoccupation　with　the　gross　materialistic　side　of　life；　and　their　

ridiculous　estimate　of　themselves　and　their　importance；　the　Jews　of　

Jerusalem　in　Christ's　day　were　the　exact　counterpart　of　the　British　

Philistine　of　our　own。　　Christ　mocked　at　the　'whited　sepulchre'　of　

respectability；　and　fixed　that　phrase　for　ever。　　He　treated　worldly　

success　as　a　thing　absolutely　to　be　despised。　　He　saw　nothing　in　it　

at　all。　　He　looked　on　wealth　as　an　encumbrance　to　a　man。　　He　would　

not　hear　of　life　being　sacrificed　to　any　system　of　thought　or　

morals。　　He　pointed　out　that　forms　and　ceremonies　were　made　for　

man；　not　man　for　forms　and　ceremonies。　　He　took　sabbatarianism　as　a　

type　of　the　things　that　should　be　set　at　nought。　　The　cold　

philanthropies；　the　ostentatious　public　charities；　the　tedious　

formalisms　so　dear　to　the　middle…class　mind；　he　exposed　with　utter　

and　relentless　scorn。　　To　us；　what　is　termed　orthodoxy　is　merely　a　

facile　unintelligent　acquiescence；　but　to　them；　and　in　their　hands；　

it　was　a　terrible　and　paralysing　tyranny。　　Christ　swept　it　aside。　　

He　showed　that　the　spirit　alone　was　of　value。　　He　took　a　keen　

pleasure　in　pointing　ou