The Life and Letters of Lafcadio Hearn Volume I Part 22

The trouble kindly taken by you in transcribing the little words of praise by a lady was more than compensated by the success of its purpose, I fancy. The only pleasure, indeed, that an author derives from his labours is that of hearing such commendations from appreciative or sympathetic readers. Your sending copies "hither and thither" was too kind; I could scold you for it! Still, the consequences indicated that the book may some day reach a new edition; and I receive nothing until the publisher pockets $1000.

Have you seen the exquisite new edition of Arnold's "Light of Asia"? It has enchanted me,--perfumed my mind as with the incense of a strangely new and beautiful wors.h.i.+p. After all, Buddhism in some esoteric form may prove the religion of the future. Is not the cycle of transmigration actually proven in the vast evolution from nomad to man,--from worm to King through innumerable myriads of brute form? Is not the tendency of all modern philosophy toward the acceptance of the ancient Indian teaching that the visible is but an emanation of the Invisible,--a delusion,--a creature, or a shadow, of the Supreme Dream? What are the heavens of all Christian fancies, after all, but Nirvana,--extinction of individuality in the eternal interblending of man with divinity; for a bodiless, immaterial, non-sensuous condition means nothingness, and no more. And the life and agony and death of universes, are these not pictured forth in the Oriental teachings that all things appear and disappear alternately with the slumber or the awakening, the night or the day, of the Self-Existent? Finally, he efforts of Romanes and Darwin and Vignoli to convince us of the interrelation--the brotherhood of animals and of men were antic.i.p.ated by Gautama. I have an idea that the Right Man could now revolutionize the whole Occidental religious world by preaching the Oriental faith.

Very affectionately, LAFCADIO HEARN.

If Symonds praises Whitman, I stand reproved for my least doubts; for he is the very apostle of _cla.s.sicism_ and _form_.

TO H. E. KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, December, 1883.

DEAR KREHBIEL,--I greatly enjoyed that sharp, fresh, breezy letter from Feldwisch, which I re-enclose with thanks for the pleasure given. While I am greatly delighted with his success, I cannot say I have been surprised: he possessed such rare and splendid qualities of integrity and manliness--coupled with uncommon quickness of business perception--that I would not have been astonished to hear of Congressman Feldwisch,--always supposing it were possible to be a politician and an upright member of modern American society,--which is doubtful. Please let me have his exact address;--I would like to write him once in a while.

After all, I believe you are right in regard to magazine-work. I fully appreciated the effect upon a thoroughbred artist of being asked to write something flimsy,--ask Liszt to play Yankee Doodle! Our magazines--excepting the _Atlantic_--do not appear to be controlled by, or in the interest of, scholars. Fancy how I felt when asked (indirectly) by the _Century_ to write something "SNAPPY"!--even I, who am no specialist, and if anything of an artist, only a word-artist in embryo!... I also suspect you are correct in your self-interest: your _forte_ will never be _light_ work, because your knowledge is too extensive, and your artistic feeling too deep, to be wasted upon puerilities. It has always seemed to me that your style gains in solid strength and beauty as the subject you treat is deeper. To any mind which has grasped the general spirit and aspect of a science, isolated facts are worthy of consideration only in their relation to universal and, perhaps, eternal laws: anecdote for the mere sake of anecdote is simply unendurable.

Five years of hard study here have resulted in altogether changing my own literary inclinations,--yet, unfortunately, to no immediate purpose that I can see; for I must always remain too ignorant to succeed as a specialist in any one topic. But a romantic fact--the possession of which would have driven me wild with joy a few years ago, or even one year ago, perhaps--now affects me not at all unless I can perceive its relation to some general principle to be elucidated. And the mere ideas and melody of a poem seem to me of small moment unless the complex laws of versification be strictly obeyed. Hence I feel no inclination to attempt a story or sketch unless I can find some theme of which the treatment might do more than gratify fancy. Unless a romance be instructive,--or inaugurate a totally novel style,--I think it can have no lasting value. The old enthusiasm has completely died out of me. But meanwhile I am trying to fill my brain with unfamiliar facts on special topics, believing that some day or other I shall be able to utilize them in a new way. I have thought, for example, of trying to write physiological novelettes or stories,--based upon scientific facts in regard to races and characters, but nevertheless of the most romantic aspect possible: natural but never naturalistic. Still, I am so fully conscious that this idea has been suggested by popular foreign novelists, that I fear it may prove merely a pa.s.sing ambition.

Another great affliction is my inability to travel. I hate the life of every day in connection with any idea of story-writing: I would give anything to be a literary Columbus,--to discover a Romantic America in some West Indian or North African or Oriental region,--to describe the life that is only fully treated of in universal geographies or ethnological researches. Won't you sympathize with me?... If I could only become a Consul at Bagdad, Algiers, Ispahan, Benares, Samarkand, Nippo, Bangkok, Ninh-Binh,--or any part of the world where ordinary Christians do not like to go! Here is the nook in which my romanticism still hides. But I know I have not the physical qualifications to fit me for such researches, nor the linguistic knowledge required to make such researches valuable. I suppose I shall have to settle down at last to something horribly prosaic, and even devoid of philosophic interest....

Alas! O that I were a travelling shoemaker, or a player upon the sambuke!

I have two--nay three--projects sown: the seed has not yet sprouted. I expressed to Harpers' a little Dictionary of Creole Proverbs--a mere compilation, of course, from many unfamiliar sources; "Blal" is under consideration at the _Century_ (where, I fear, they will cut up every sentence which clashes with Baptist ideas on the sinfulness of Islam); and my compilation of Oriental stories is being "seriously examined" by J. R. Osgood & Co....

This letter is getting wearisome; but I don't know how soon I can again s.n.a.t.c.h time to write.... Ah yes!--for G.o.d's sake (I suppose you believe just a small bit in G.o.d) don't try to conceive how I could sympathize with Cable! Because I never sympathized with him at all. His awful faith--which to me represents an undeveloped mental structure--gives a neutral tint to his whole life among us. There is a Sunday-school atmosphere.... But Cable is more liberal-minded than his creed; he has also rare a.n.a.lytical powers on a small scale.... Belief I do not think is ridiculous altogether;--nothing is ridiculous in the general order of the world: but at a certain point it prevents the mind from expanding;--its horizon is solid stone and its sky a material vault. One must cease to believe before being able to comprehend either the reason or beauty of belief. The loss is surely well recompensed by the vast enlargement of vision--the opening up of the Star-s.p.a.ces,--the recognition of the Eternal Life throbbing simultaneously in the vein of an insect or the scintillations of a million suns,--the comprehension of the relations of Infinity to human existence, or at least the understanding that there are such relations,--and that the humblest atom of substance can tell a story more wondrous than all the epics, romances, legends, or myths devised by ancient or modern fancy.--Now I am getting long-winded again. I conclude with a promise soon to forward another little bit of queer music. Hope you like the last. Come down here and I will turn you loose in my library. I need hardly specify that if you come, your natural expenses will be represented by 0,--that is, if you condescend to live in my neighbourhood. It is not romantic; but it is comfortable. I'm sick of Creole Romance--it nearly cost me my life.

Bye, my friend.

Your old goblin, LAFCADIO HEARN.

TO H. E. KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, February, 1884.

DEAR KREHBIEL,--I hope you may prove right and I wrong in my judgement of ----. As you say, I have a peculiar and unfortunate disposition; nevertheless I had better reasons for my suggestions to you than it is now necessary to specify.

Your syrinx discoveries seem to me of very uncommon importance. What is now important to learn is this: Is the syrinx an original instrument in those regions whence the American and West Indian slave-elements were drawn?--an account of which slave-sources is to be found in Edwards's "History of the West Indies." The Congo dances with their music are certainly importations from the West Coast--the Ivory Coast. Have you seen Livingstone's account of the multiple pipe (_chalumeau_, Hartmann calls it in French) among the Batokas? I would like to know if it is a syrinx. We have no big public libraries here; but if you have time to make some West African researches, one could perhaps trace out the whole history of the syrinx's musical migration. I send you the latest information I have been able to pick up. Just so soon as I can get the material ready, will send also information regarding the various West Indian dances in brief--also the negro-Creole bottle-dance, danced over an upright bottle to the chant--

"ca ma coupe,-- ca ma coupe,-- ca ma coupe,-- ca!

ca ma coupe,-- ca ma coupe,-- ca ma coupe,-- ca!"

I've reopened the envelope to tell you something I forgot--a suggestion.

I was quite pleased to hear you like my Chinese paragraph; and I have a little proposition. Do you know that a most delightful book was recently published in France, consisting wholly of odd impressions about strange books and strange people exchanged between friends by mail. Each impression should be very brief. Why couldn't we do this: Once every month I'll write you the queerest and most outlandish fancy I can get up--based upon fact, of course--not more than two hundred words; and you write me the most awful thing that has struck you in relation to new musical discoveries. In a year's time we would have twenty-four little pieces between us, which would certainly be original enough to elaborate into more artistic form; and we could plot together how to outrage the public by printing them. I would contribute $100 or so--if we couldn't find an enthusiastic printer. The book would be very small.

Everything should be perfectly monstrous, you know--ordinary facts, or ideas that could by any chance occur to commonly-balanced minds, ought to be rigidly excluded.

I don't think I can go North till April. March would be too cold for me.

The temptation of hearing grand singers is not now strong,--I'm sorry to say,--for I never go to the theatre on account of the artificial light, never read or write after dark; and I antic.i.p.ate no special pleasure except that of seeing an old friend, and talking much monstrous talk about matters which I but half understand.

Yours very affectionately, L. HEARN.

TO H. E. KREHBIEL

NEW ORLEANS, February, 1884.

Extra volume of the series: Price, $500. Large folio.

THE BATTLE-CRIES OF ALL NATIONS. With accompaniment of Barbaric instruments. Arranged for modern Orchestral reproduction.

I. ARYAN DIVISION.--Battle-Shouts of Gothic Races.--Teutoni and Cimbri--Frank and Alleman--Merovingian--The Roar of Pharamond. Iberian.--The Triumph of Herman.--Viking War-Chants.--The Song of Roland as sung by Taillefer.--Celtic and Early British War-Cries, etc., etc.

II. SEMITIC DIVISION.--Hebrew War-Cries. "G.o.d is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the Trumpet."--Arabs and Crusaders.--"Allah--hu-u-u Akbar!" etc. Berber Cries.--The Numidian Cavalry.

(The work also contains Ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, and Scythian war-cries; war-cries of the Parthians and Huns, of the Mongols and Tartars. Sounds of the Battle of Chalons; Cries of the Carthaginian mercenaries; Macedonian rallying-call, etc., etc. In the modern part are included Polynesian, African, Aztec, Peruvian, Patagonian and American.

A magnificent musical version of the chant of Ragnar Lodbrok will be found in the Appendix: "We smote with our swords.")

(This is not intended as a part of our private extravaganzas: but is written as a just punishment for your silence.)

Vol. I. MONOGRAPH UPON THE POPULAR MELODIES OF EXTINCT RACES.

XXIII and 700 pp.

Vol. II. MUSIC OF NOMAD RACES. Introduction. "Men of Prey; the Falcon and Eagle Races of Mankind." Part I. The Arabs.

Part II. The Touareg of the Greater Desert. Part III.

The Turkish and Tartar Tribes of Central Asia. With 1600 examples of melodies, engravings of musical instruments, etc.

Vol. III. MANIFESTATION OF CLIMATIC INFLUENCE IN POPULAR MELODY.

In Two Parts. Part I. Melodies of Mountain-dwellers.

Part II. Melodies of Valley dwellers and inhabitants of low countries. (3379 Ex.)

Vol. IV. Race-Temper as Evidenced in the Popular Music of Various Peoples. Part I. The Melancholy Tendency. Part II. The Joyous Temperament. Part III. Ferocity. Part IV. etc., etc.,--2700 ex.

Vol. V. PECULIAR CHARACTERISTICS OF EROTIC MUSIC IN ALL COUNTRIES. (This volume contains nearly 7000 examples of curious music from India, j.a.pan, China, Burmah, Siam, Arabia, Polynesia, Africa, and many other parts of the world.)

Vol. VI. MUSIC OF THE DANCE IN THE ORIENT. (3500 pp.)

Chap. I. The Mussulman Bayaderes of India (17 photolith).

Chap. II. The Bayaderes of Hinduism--especially of the Krishna and Sivaite sects.

Chap. III. Examples of Burmese Dance--music (with 25 photographic plates).

Chap. IV. The Tea-house dancers of j.a.pan; and Courtesans of Yokohama. (34 Photo-Engrav.)

Chap. V. Chinese dancing melodies. (23 Photo-Engrav.)