the mirror of the sea- 第6部分

something　more　than　words　to　cajole　them　to　do　our　will；　to　cover



us　with　glory。　　Luckily；　too；　or　else　there　would　have　been　more



shoddy　reputations　for　first…rate　seamanship。　　Ships　have　no　ears；



I　repeat；　though；　indeed；　I　think　I　have　known　ships　who　really



seemed　to　have　had　eyes；　or　else　I　cannot　understand　on　what　ground



a　certain　1；000…ton　barque　of　my　acquaintance　on　one　particular



occasion　refused　to　answer　her　helm；　thereby　saving　a　frightful



smash　to　two　ships　and　to　a　very　good　man's　reputation。　　I　knew　her



intimately　for　two　years；　and　in　no　other　instance　either　before　or



since　have　I　known　her　to　do　that　thing。　　The　man　she　had　served　so



well　（guessing；　perhaps；　at　the　depths　of　his　affection　for　her）　I



have　known　much　longer；　and　in　bare　justice　to　him　I　must　say　that



this　confidence…shattering　experience　（though　so　fortunate）　only



augmented　his　trust　in　her。　　Yes；　our　ships　have　no　ears；　and　thus



they　cannot　be　deceived。　　I　would　illustrate　my　idea　of　fidelity　as



between　man　and　ship；　between　the　master　and　his　art；　by　a



statement　which；　though　it　might　appear　shockingly　sophisticated；



is　really　very　simple。　　I　would　say　that　a　racing…yacht　skipper　who



thought　of　nothing　else　but　the　glory　of　winning　the　race　would



never　attain　to　any　eminence　of　reputation。　　The　genuine　masters　of



their　craft　…　I　say　this　confidently　from　my　experience　of　ships　…



have　thought　of　nothing　but　of　doing　their　very　best　by　the　vessel



under　their　charge。　　To　forget　one's　self；　to　surrender　all



personal　feeling　in　the　service　of　that　fine　art；　is　the　only　way



for　a　seaman　to　the　faithful　discharge　of　his　trust。







Such　is　the　service　of　a　fine　art　and　of　ships　that　sail　the　sea。



And　therein　I　think　I　can　lay　my　finger　upon　the　difference　between



the　seamen　of　yesterday；　who　are　still　with　us；　and　the　seamen　of



to…morrow；　already　entered　upon　the　possession　of　their



inheritance。　　History　repeats　itself；　but　the　special　call　of　an



art　which　has　passed　away　is　never　reproduced。　　It　is　as　utterly



gone　out　of　the　world　as　the　song　of　a　destroyed　wild　bird。



Nothing　will　awaken　the　same　response　of　pleasurable　emotion　or



conscientious　endeavour。　　And　the　sailing　of　any　vessel　afloat　is



an　art　whose　fine　form　seems　already　receding　from　us　on　its　way　to



the　overshadowed　Valley　of　Oblivion。　　The　taking　of　a　modern



steamship　about　the　world　（though　one　would　not　minimize　its



responsibilities）　has　not　the　same　quality　of　intimacy　with　nature；



which；　after　all；　is　an　indispensable　condition　to　the　building　up



of　an　art。　　It　is　less　personal　and　a　more　exact　calling；　less



arduous；　but　also　less　gratifying　in　the　lack　of　close　communion



between　the　artist　and　the　medium　of　his　art。　　It　is；　in　short；



less　a　matter　of　love。　　Its　effects　are　measured　exactly　in　time



and　space　as　no　effect　of　an　art　can　be。　　It　is　an　occupation　which



a　man　not　desperately　subject　to　sea…sickness　can　be　imagined　to



follow　with　content；　without　enthusiasm；　with　industry；　without



affection。　　Punctuality　is　its　watchword。　　The　incertitude　which



attends　closely　every　artistic　endeavour　is　absent　from　its



regulated　enterprise。　　It　has　no　great　moments　of　self…confidence；



or　moments　not　less　great　of　doubt　and　heart…searching。　　It　is　an



industry　which；　like　other　industries；　has　its　romance；　its　honour



and　its　rewards；　its　bitter　anxieties　and　its　hours　of　ease。　　But



such　sea…going　has　not　the　artistic　quality　of　a　single…handed



struggle　with　something　much　greater　than　yourself；　it　is　not　the



laborious　absorbing　practice　of　an　art　whose　ultimate　result



remains　on　the　knees　of　the　gods。　　It　is　not　an　individual；



temperamental　achievement；　but　simply　the　skilled　use　of　a　captured



force；　merely　another　step　forward　upon　the　way　of　universal



conquest。















IX。















Every　passage　of　a　ship　of　yesterday；　whose　yards　were　braced　round



eagerly　the　very　moment　the　pilot；　with　his　pockets　full　of



letters；　had　got　over　the　side；　was　like　a　race　…　a　race　against



time；　against　an　ideal　standard　of　achievement　outstripping　the



expectations　of　common　men。　　Like　all　true　art；　the　general　conduct



of　a　ship　and　her　handling　in　particular　cases　had　a　technique



which　could　be　discussed　with　delight　and　pleasure　by　men　who　found



in　their　work；　not　bread　alone；　but　an　outlet　for　the　peculiarities



of　their　temperament。　　To　get　the　best　and　truest　effect　from　the



infinitely　varying　moods　of　sky　and　sea；　not　pictorially；　but　in



the　spirit　of　their　calling；　was　their　vocation；　one　and　all；　and



they　recognised　this　with　as　much　sincerity；　and　drew　as　much



inspiration　from　this　reality；　as　any　man　who　ever　put　brush　to



canvas。　　The　diversity　of　temperaments　was　immense　amongst　those



masters　of　the　fine　art。







Some　of　them　were　like　Royal　Academicians　of　a　certain　kind。　　They



never　startled　you　by　a　touch　of　originality；　by　a　fresh　audacity



of　inspiration。　　They　were　safe；　very　safe。　　They　went　about



solemnly　in　the　assurance　of　their　consecrated　and　empty



reputation。　　Names　are　odious；　but　I　remember　one　of　them　who　might



have　been　their　very　president；　the　P。R。A。　of　the　sea…craft。　　His



weather…beaten　and　handsome　face；　his　portly　presence；　his　shirt…



fronts　and　broad　cuffs　and　gold　links；　his　air　of　bluff



distinction；　impressed　the　humble　beholders　（stevedores；　tally



clerks；　tide…waiters）　as　he　walked　ashore　over　the　gangway　of　his



ship　lying　at　the　Circular　Quay　in　Sydney。　　His　voice　was　deep；



hearty；　and　authoritative　…　the　voice　of　a　very　prince　amongst



sailors。　　He　did　everything　with　an　air　which　put　your　attention　on



the　alert　and　raised　your　expectations；　but　the　result　somehow　was



always　on　stereotyped　lines；　unsuggestive；　empty　of　any　lesson　that



one　could　lay　to　heart。　　He　kept　his　ship　in　apple…pie　order；　which



would　have　been　seamanlike　enough　but　for　a　finicking　touch　in　its



details。　　His　officers　affected　a　superiority　over　the　rest　of　us；



but　the　boredom　of　their　souls　appeared　in　their　manner　of　dreary



submission　to　the　fads　of　their　commander。　　It　was　only　his



apprenticed　boys　whose　irrepressible　spirits　were　not　affected　by



the　solemn　and　respectable　mediocrity　of　that　artist。　　There　were



four　of　these　youngsters：　　one　the　son　of　a　doctor；　another　of　a



colonel；　the　third　of　a　jeweller；　the　name　of　the　fourth　was



Twentyman；　and　this　is　all　I　remember　of　his　parentage。　　But　not



one　of　them　seemed　to　possess　the　smallest　spark　of　gratitude　in



his　composition。　　Though　their　commander　was　a　kind　man　in　his　way；



and　had　made　a　point　of　introducing　them　to　the　best　people　in　the



town　in　order　that　they　should　not　fall　into　the　bad　company　of



boys　belonging　to　other　ships；　I　regret　to　say　that　they　made　faces



at　him　behind　his　back；　and　imitated　the　dignified　carriage　of　his



head　without　any　concealment　whatever。







This　master　of　the　fine　art　was　a　personage　and　nothing　more；　but；



as　I　have　said；　there　was　an　infinite　diversity　of　temperament



amongst　the　masters　of　the　fine　art　I　have　known。　　Some　were　great



impressionists。　　They　impressed　upon　you　the　fear　of　God　and



Immensity　…　or；　in　other　words；　the　fear　of　being　drowned　with



every　circumstance　of　terrific　grandeur。　　One　may　think　that　the



locality　of　your　passing　away　by　means　of　suffocation　in　water　does



not　really　matter　very　much。　　I　am　not　so　sure　of　that。　　I　am；



perhaps；　unduly　sensitive；　but　I　confess　that　the　idea　of　being



suddenly　spilt　into　an　infuriated　ocean　in　the　midst　of　darkness



and　uproar　affected　me　always　with　a　sensation　of　shrinking



distaste。　　To　be　drowned　in　a　pond；　though　it　might　be　called　an



ignominious　fate　by　the　ignorant；　is　yet　a　bright　and　peaceful



ending　in　comparison　with　some　other　endings　to　one's　earthly



career　which　I　have　mentally　quaked　at　in　the　intervals　or　even　in



the　midst　of　violent　exertions。







But　let　that　pass。　　Some　of　the　masters　whose　influence　left　a



trace　upon　my　character　to　this　very　day；　combined　a　fierceness　of



conception　with　a　certitude　of　execution　upon　the　basis　of　just



appreciation　of　means　and　ends　which　is　the　highest　quality　of　the



man　of　action。　　And　an　artist　is　a　man　of　action；　whether　he



creates　a　personality；　invents　an　expedient；　or　finds　the　issue　of



a　complicated　situation。







There　were　masters；　too；　I　have　known；　whose　very　art　consisted　in



avoiding　every　conceivable　situation。　　It　is　needless　to　say　that



they　never　did　great　things　in　their　craft；　but　they　were　not　to　be



despised　for　that。　　They　were　modest；　they　understood　their



limitations。　　Their　own　masters　had　not　handed　the　sacred　fire　into



the　keeping　of　their　cold　and　skilful　hands。　　One　of　those　last　I



remember　specially；　now　gone　to　his　rest　from　that　sea　which　his



temperament　must　have　made　a　scene　of　little　more　than　a　peaceful



pursuit。　　Once　only　did　he　attempt　a　stroke　of　audacity；　one　early



morning；　with　a　steady　breeze；　entering　a　crowded　roadstead。　　But



he　was　not　genuine　in　this　display　which　might　have　been　art。　　He



was　thinking　of　his　own　self；　he　hankered　after　the　meretricious



glory　of　a　showy　performance。







As；　rounding　a　dark；　wooded　point；　bathed　in　fresh　air　and



sunshine；　we　opened　to　view　a　crowd　of　shipping　at　anchor　lying



half　a　mile　ahead　of　us　perhaps；　he　called　me　aft　from　my　station



on　the　forecastle　head；　and；　turning　over　and　over　his　binoculars



in　his　brown　hands；　said：　　〃Do　you　see　that　big；　heavy　ship　with



white　lower　masts？　　I　am　going　to　take　up　a　berth　between　her　and



the　shore。　　Now　do　you　see　to　it　that　the　men　jump　smartly　at　the



first　order。〃







I　answered；　〃Ay；　ay；　sir；〃　and　verily　believ