CHAPITRE IV. ADDÏSON

« étant monté sur les hautes collines de Bagdad, pour « passer le reste du jour dans la méditation et .dans « la prière, je tombai en une profonde méditation suic^ « la vanité de la vie humaine, et passant d'une pensée « à Tautre : Sûrement, me dis-je, Thomme n'est « qu'une ombre et la vie un songe. — Pendant que t je rêvais ainsi, je jetai les yeux sur le sommet d'un « roc qui n'était pas loin de moi, et j'y aperçus une « figure en habit de berger, avec un instrument de « musique à la main. Comme je le regardais, il porta « l'instrument à ses lèvres et se mit à en jouer. Le « son était infiniment doux et modulé en une variété « de tons d'une mélodie inexprimable, tout à fait diffé-

water roUîng through it.-— The valley that thou seest, said he, is tjie vale of misery, and the tide oî water that thou seest is part of the great tide of eternity. — What is Ihe reason, said I, that the tide I see rises out of a thick mist at one end, and again loses itself in a thick mist at the other? —What thou seest, said he, is that portion ôf eternity which is called Time, measured out by the sun , and reaching from the beginning of the world to its consummation. Examine now, said he, this sea that is thus bounded with darkness at both ends, and tell me what thou discoverest in it. — I see a bridge, said I, standing in the midst of the tide. — The bridge thou seest, said he, is human life , consider it attentively.— Upon a more leisurely survey of it, I found that it consisted of threescore and ten entire arches, with several broken arches which added to thosethat were entire, made up the number about an hundred. As I was counting the arches, the genius told me that this bridge consisted at first of a thousand arches ; but that a great flood swept away the rest, andleft the bridge in the ruinous condition I now beheld it. But tell me further, said he, what thou discoverest on it. » I see multitudes of people passing over it, said I, and a black cloud hanging on each end of it. — As I looked more attentively, I saw several of the passengers dropping through the bridge, into the great tide that flowed underneath it; and upoa further examination, perceived

414 LIVRE m. L'ÂGE CLASSIQUE.

« rente de ce que j'avais jamais entendu. Ils me firent « penser à ces airs célestes qui accueillent les âmes f envolées des justes à leur entrée dans le paradis € pour effacer le souvenir de leur récente agonie et € les préparer aux plaisirs de ce lieu bienheureux. « Mon cœur se fondait dans un secret ravissement... « Le Génie me conduisit alors vers la plus haute cime t du roc et me posa sur le faîte. Jette tes yeux vers « l'orient, me dit-il, et raconte-moi ce que tu vois.— « Je vois, répondis-je, une large vallée et un prodi-

therewereinnumerable trap-doors that lay concealed in the bridge, which the passengers no sooner trod upon, but they fell throiigh them irto the tide and immediately disappeared. Thèse hidden pitfalls were set very thick at the entrance of the bridge, so that throngs of people no sooner broke through the cloud , but many of ihem fell into them. They grew thinner towards the middle, but multiplied and lay doser together towards the end of the arches that were entire.

There were indeed some persons, but their number was very small, that continued a kind of hobbling march on the broken arches, but fell through one after another, being quite tired and spenf with so long a walk.

I passed some time in the contemplation of this wonderful structure, and the great variety of objects which it presented. My heart was fiUed with a deep melancholy to see several dropping unexpectedly in the midst of mirth and jollity, and catching at every thing that stood by them to save themselves. Some were looking up towards the heavens in a ihoughtful posture, and in the midst of a spéculation stumbled and fell out of sight. Multitudes were very busy in the pursuit of bubbles that glittered in their eyes and danced before them; but often when they thought themselves within the reach of them, their footing failed and down they sunk. In this contusion of objects, I observed some with scimetars in their hands, and others with urinais, who ran to and fro upon the bridge, thrusting 8e\era] persons on trap-doors which did not seem to lie in their way, and which they mighthave escaped, had they not been thus forced u;>od ihciD.