Part 3 Book 1 Chapter 9 The Old Soul of Gaul

There was something of that boy in Poquelin, the son of the fish-market; Beaumarchais had something of it. Gaminerie is a shade of the Gallic spirit. Mingled with good sense, it sometimes adds force to the latter, as alcohol does to wine. Sometimes it is a defect. Homer repeats himself eternally, granted; one may say that Voltaire plays the gamin. Camille Desmoulins was a native of the faubourgs. Championnet, who treated miracles brutally, rose from the pavements of Paris; he had, when a small lad, inundated the porticos of Saint-Jean de Beauvais, and of Saint-Etienne du Mont; he had addressed the shrine of Sainte-Genevieve familiarly to give orders to the phial of Saint Januarius.

The gamin of Paris is respectful, ironical, and insolent. He has villainous teeth, because he is badly fed and his stomach suffers, and handsome eyes because he has wit. If Jehovah himself were present, he would go hopping up the steps of paradise on one foot. He is strong on boxing. All beliefs are possible to him. He plays in the gutter, and straightens himself up with a revolt; his effrontery persists even in the presence of grape-shot; he was a scapegrace, he is a hero; like the little Theban, he shakes the skin from the lion; Barra the drummer-boy was a gamin of Paris; he Shouts: "Forward!" as the horse of Scripture says "Vah!" and in a moment he has passed from the small brat to the giant.

This child of the puddle is also the child of the ideal. Measure that spread of wings which reaches from Moliere to Barra.

To sum up the whole, and in one word, the gamin is a being who amuses himself, because he is unhappy.

在菜市场的儿子波克兰①的作品中有这孩子，在博马舍的作品中也有这孩子。野孩的作风是高卢精神的余韵。那种作风渗进了良知，正如醇精入酒，能增加它的力量。有时那种作风是缺点。好吧，荷马是颠三倒四的，伏尔泰，我们可以说他野。卡米尔·德穆兰②是郊区居民。以粗暴态度对待奇迹的尚皮奥内③出生于巴黎街头，很小时便“淹”过圣让·德·博韦和圣艾蒂安·德·蒙的回廊，他常对着圣热纳维埃夫④的遗骸盒开玩笑，向圣詹纳罗的小瓶子⑤发命令。

①波克兰（Poquelin），莫里哀的姓。

②卡米尔·德穆兰（Camille　Desmoulins，1760-1794），法国政论家，十八世纪末资产阶级革命活功家，右翼雅各宾党人。

③尚皮奥内（Championnet，1762-1800），革命时期的将军。

④圣热纳维埃夫是巴黎的保护神，她的遗骸盒很受人尊敬。

⑤圣詹纳罗是那不勒斯的保护神，他殉教时留下的一瓶血一直被视为圣物。

巴黎的野孩是恭谨、辛辣、横蛮的。他的牙齿怪难看，因为他的饮食差，他的眼睛美，因为他有智慧。他会当着耶和华的面用一只脚跳完天堂的台阶。他踢腿的本领强。任何发展，对他来说都是可能的。他在水沟里游戏，也能为暴动而挺起胸膛，他在开花弹前也仍是嬉皮笑脸的。那是一个顽皮小鬼，也是一个英雄，和底比斯的孩子一样，他掀住狮子的皮乱摇。鼓手巴拉①便是个巴黎野孩，他高呼“前进！”正如圣书中马的嘶鸣“哗！”一眨眼，他由小猴变成了巨人。

①巴拉（Bara，1779-1793），共和军的少年军人，被俘后敌人强迫他喊“国王万岁”，他的回答是“共和万岁！”接着就在敌人的排枪下牺牲，时年十四。巴黎先贤祠有他的塑像。

这污泥中的孩子也是理想中的孩子。你衡量从莫里哀到巴拉的智力的广度便知道了。

总而言之，简括起来说，野孩是个贪玩的孩子，因为他苦恼。

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