Monday, August 11, 2008

Warning :: Spoiler
~ The Man who was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton

There was complete silence in the starlit garden, and then the black-browed Secretary, implacable, turned in his chair towards Sunday, and said in a harsh voice ---

"Who and what are you"

"I am the Sabbath," said the other without moving. "I am the peace of God."

"I know what you mean," he cried, "and it is exactly that that I cannot forgive you. I know you are contentment, optimism, what do they all the thing, an ultimate reconciliation. Well I am not reconciled... If you were from the first our father and our friend, why were you also our greatest enemy? We wept, we fled in terror; the iron entered into our souls -- and you are the peace of God! Oh, I can forgive God his anger, though it destroyed nations; but I cannot forgive Him His peace"

"No," said Syme "I do not feel fierce like that. I am grateful to you, not only for wine and hospitality here, but for many a fine scamper and free fight. But I should like to know. My soul and heart are as happy and quiet here as this old garden, but my reason should like to know."

Sunday looked at Ratcliffe, whose clear voice said --- "It seems so silly that you should have bee on both sides and fought yourself"

Bull said "I understand nothing, but I am happy. In fact, I am going to sleep"

"I am not happy," said the Professor with his head in his hands, "because I do not understand. You let me stray a little too near to hell."

And then Gogol said, with the absolute simplicity of a child --- "I wish I knew why I was hurt so much".

Still Sunday said nothing, but only sat with his mighty chin upon his hand, and gazed at the distance. Then at last he said --- "I have heard your complaints in order. And here, I think, also comes another to complain, and we will hear him also"

"Gregory!" gasped Syme... "You are right," said Gregory and gazed all round. "I am a destroyer, I would destroy the world if I could... I thought I hated everything more then common men can hate anything; but I find that I do not hate everything so much as I hate you. You! You never hated because you never lived. I know what you are all of you, from frist to last --- you are the people in power! You are the Law, and you have never been broken. But is there a free soul alive that does not long to break you, only because you have never been broken?" ... "The only crime of Government is that it governs. The unpardonable sin of the supreme power is that it is supreme. I do not curse you for being cruel. I do not curse you (though I might) for being kind. I curse you for being safe! You sit in your chairs on stone and have never come down from them... Oh I could forgive you everything, you that rule all mankind, if I could feel for once that you had suffered for one hour a real agony such as I ---"

Syme sprang to his feet, shaking from head to foot. "I see everything... why does each thing on earth war against each other thing? Why does each small thing in the world have to fight against the world itself? ... So that each thing that obeys law may have the glory and isolation of an anarchist. So that each man fighting for order may be as brave and good a man as the dynamiter. So that the real lie of Satan may be flung back in the face of this blasphemer, so that by tears and torture we may earn the right to say to this man "You lie!" No agonies can be too great to buy the right to say to his accuser, "we have also suffered"."

2 comments:

Seth said...

Wow, nice!

Very joker vs. batman. see it if you haven't yet.

Hannah Lim said...

hahahah. I'm just saying that you're so cute. I might concede to naming our kids Batman. Let's name the other one Joker, and see who develops what complex.